While Firland was fetching Tiernan, Arthur's run was not exactly calm
The news excite as it was concerning. Especially, the closer he got from the edge of the forest. The elf earlier was gone, leaving them to map the forest alone. Well, after all they quite slow, human would lose to the master of nature, how matter fast they go.
The limit still exists, even in the face of magic
Arthur's feet pounding the forest floor, his armor clacked louder the more he tried to jog. His grip tightened, the carving of his spear scraped his skin bringing ache every time it trembled beneath the strain of speed. It served as both proof and reminder, of his stupidity - why would he use such an overly decorated stick, even if he himself won't admit it.
On his left, Joan moved with ease. Surprising, considering how heavy his wears can be. It was a hulking armor made of steel, a sigil of his house straped in its plate, a fire coated sword piercing a shield, guess it fits on how diligent he is. And his twin glaives gleamed with dried blood, didn't even reflect light. A creation purely to take life, without needing to prove the wielder's intent. In this case, Joan's cold face was a perfect match with his blade.
A man who married his sword
"My prince..."
Joan ducked, dogging a branch. Feet stepped with loud 'thump'
"...What should I do ?"
"As usual, we check..."
Arthur's eyes stared to the front, His shoulder bumped into a trunk, then he wobbled
"...and we react"
He almost dropped, for the sake of maintaining speed. Yet he endure, still on his feet planting it on to the dirt and whack it, he then dashed even more.
He focused and focused, eyes grew wider by the second. The time he needed to spend from the river bank to the flat lands was about five minutes. That was if he could maintain a full speed charge without needing to dodge a branch or swatting a stone. So he was supposed to arrive not long after, and counting with Tiernan, the scenario should've been perfect. Unless Terra made some radical move, like charging into the forest unscouted. His train of thought raced until he saw something wrong, it's dark ? why is it dark ?
And the sound - a howl. No...not a howl, a screech ?
Also the smell, something burned. Wait... burned ?
He was in the forest, and if it smell burned that means...
Fire... it was FIRE
....
That's it ?
Fire
He wanted to laughed
To halt his chase, and laugh as hard as he can
They wanted to use fire, while he had a fucking river
Are they dumb or something? Is this the best strategy Terra can muster?
"My prince... is something wrong?"
Joan also stopped. He gripped his twin glaives, shoulders kept tight.
"No... it's just... they use fire, on US. When we've got the whole river?"
"Hmmm..... if I may, my prince"
Arthur glanced, face adorned in wide grin. His coldest 'face' was now showing his opinion, he needed to celebrate. Of course after the test was done.
"You may"
"I believe they are foolish, my prince, but...only if the target were you... were us. And I'm afraid we are not the real target this time"
It made Arthur's mind churn. His leadership was perfect, he was sure - very sure even - that every chain of command he had picked and checked with care. He was the crown prince, his eyes were trained just to read and judge people, there was no way... Oh
Of course... how could he forget
There was a reason the one who sent the message was elf
"Cerenia..."
That women...of course that women. Damn it what's so bad about burning a forest, it's wood ; it was bound to burn.
"I'm afraid she IS the target, my prince. The chaos she can unleash is..."
The sentence serve as confirmation, and a flintstone. That means....
"Joan... GO"
He dashed, regretting his pause earlier. If Cerenia was the target, it gets more complicated. She is the elven princess, and bound to nature more than any other elves. Some said she can even hear the sound of the forest.
And the scream of a person when burned at the stake, was heart wrenching.
So Arthur feared the worst
And he finally understood
There was no way Terra was the one who made the plan, someone was behind this, behind all of this.
The plan was too gruesome even for him. This was torture - like burning her lover and then sent the voice box straight at her door.
So he searched, with more power and force even compared to when his spear was lost. He opened his eyes as wide as he could, even if they burned and seared with spice. His breath was getting short, some smoke entered his lungs, burned him inside out. The rows and rows of trees before him colored with inferno, and screams and screeches mixed together amidst the cracking of wood turning into charcoal. It's chaos, the dome thumping loud and loud signaled the death of his people.
He was in the middle of chaos
But he had to find her - from her scream, or her hair, it was quite distinct if only he could see it
"Joan... search Cerenia !"
Finally, he let someone help him, he is too much at fault for this
The signal seems to have reached Joan, by the force that pulled his hand. It dragged his entire body, and like a ragdoll he let it be. Screw formality, this is urgent, win or loss would be determined by this very moment. And he was right, even inside all this - destruction - her hair was still as unique as ever.
But the sight... oh boy... he would not forget this.
Cerenia was howling, black tears streaming through her cheeks. A cry of a banshee, crawling out of her mouth, echoing for all to hear - and it broke him. She was sprawling on the soil, palm clenched and whiten, even against her pale white skin. Her white hair disheveled, gone was the beauty of her green streaks. And her leather armor? where was her leather armor?
She looked like a witch, broken and devastated just before the purge of church.