The Land Below our Feet II (Unleashed) COMPLETE

WRATH

-Axe, what is your bird friend saying now? – Ussi asked, keeping Kohu steered on course as he tried to conceal the palpable desperation in his voice – … How much longer?

-Almost there, dad – The child replied behind him, his head thrown slightly backwards as he kept his eyes on the sky, a single bird constantly flying in and out their line of sight from time to time – Mom's right ahead, I can see her.

They had been riding nonstop trying to catch up with Souna´s captors since the moment he'd found out that she was gone and Axe had accurately told him what he'd already known from the start: That they were marching east.

However, relying on the kid's directions instead of wasting time looking for traces around the road himself had allowed them to move a lot faster, and this was precisely what he needed in a situation like that, as he had no way to tell for sure how much of an advantage those damn fools really had ahead of them, so all he could do now was hope that he was moving a lot quicker than they were.

Yet he was worried to death about his children. He'd been feeding both on the go with a puréed potato mash, but he knew that Skhana still needed to be mostly breastfed at her age and that his temporary solution would not last for much longer. He had to find her mother, and he had to find her soon.

What concerned him the most was that the sun was starting to set, it would soon be dark again, and the visibility would play against them. He could always try and keep on advancing using a torch, but that could also potentially give their position away, and he couldn’t take that risk.

-She's over there... They are all resting – Axe spoke in a calm tone, almost as if in a trance, pointing his tiny finger towards a heavily vegetated area before them, then waving upwards – Thank you birdie!

Hearing this, Ussiariah immediately made his beast halt and promptly dismounted, soon locating a secure looking spot and untying the boy from his back, placing him on the ground behind a bush.

-You have done very good today, my son – Ussi said, patting the child's head tenderly, his eyes glinting with pride – I am going to bring mom back now, but I need you to do me another favor, all right?

-Yes – The quiet kid mumbled, nodding knowingly at him – Don't worry dad, I'll take care of Skhana while you're gone.

-That's my boy! – The warrior whispered with relief, crouching down before him and placing the small bundle into the kid's arms – Now, you two stay here with Kohu and don't move until I get back…. This shouldn't take me long.

With that, he stood up and gave his feline a quick head signal, which the beast instantly obeyed, letting out a low growl and lying down beside the blue-haired boy and the sleeping baby that he was holding in a protective posture.

Seeing that the darkness was starting to surround them, the warrior barely took enough time to make sure he had all his weapons on, then he stealthily moved in the direction Axe had indicated him and quietly went into the tall grass with measured steps.

He had walked for a few minutes when the greenery gave way to a pronounced slope leading to a clearing where a small campsite sat.

Feeling how his blood had started to boil at the sight of the festive ambient that reigned among the carefree group of men gathered below, he closed his eyes and took a few short breaths, steadying his mind.

When he reopened them a second later, his thoughts were totally refocused, and his eyes were already counting heads as he sized them up.

“Twenty” – He thought to himself, mentally adjusting his strategy and reaching for his spear… Twenty-one if he counted the scrawny teen guarding the cage.

At least they had taken the precaution of concealing their fire, he pensively noticed as he scanned the dark surroundings and prepared to attack. Yet, they seemed to believe that this alone would be enough to keep them safe, as it was evident that they were all pleasantly having some liquor and enjoying their rest leisurely.

Stealing one last look at the starry sky, and taking a decided leap forward, he braced himself for the havoc that he was about to unleash.

He was ready.

He had started calmly at first, methodically proceeding from one mark to the next with precision. But as he advanced through the shadowy camping site, slitting necks and impaling guts, his anger had started building up inside his chest and transforming into pure wrath.

These were the arrogant bastards that had dared to try and take his happiness away… Those were the assholes that had deprived their daughter of sustenance! That was simply unacceptable, and he was going to make them pay for their bold disrespect.

By the time he reached the middle of the encampment, his attack had turned into an unstoppable wave of rage. His terrified victims tried to run away from him and scrambled like a panicked swarm of bees whose hive had just been crushed to the ground by a bear.

Some had screamed and some had cried. Some had cursed him, and some had simply begged for their lives.

In the end, none of it would have mattered anyway, as Ussiariah had long stopped hearing any of their desperate threats or their pathetic pleas. A constant and pleasant silence ringing in his ears instead as he moved forward, slaying the few remaining men around with an unwavering hand and the aid of the scarce firelight.

It took him no time to locate their leader. The tall, hardened hunter was still clearly mouthing orders left and right and eagerly gesturing towards the direction of the cage, surely urging his surviving crew to secure their catch and escape… His stupid optimism bringing an amused smirk onto the warrior's face.

With the speed of striking lightning, he hurdled around the dark field, letting his fury flow free as he discharged it with a forceful blow of his hatchet, which landed square in the middle of the tracker's skull. His eyes closing with satisfaction for a fraction of a second as he reveled in the sickening cracking sound and the gurgling noises of the choking bounty hunter.

His hand reaching for his knife and pouncing on the last two standing ruffians in a swift, graceful movement, their bodies collapsing to the ground with a faint thud.

-Twenty – He whispered to himself, reaching for his hatchet and retrieving it from the fallen leader's open forehead, a grin creeping on his face – Where’s the other one?

Tightening his hand on the weapon's handle, he slowly turned around and unhurriedly paced towards the sound of the whimpering kid. His terrified wailing guiding him through the darkness and to the place where he found the youngster crying for his life with a blade pressed against his thin neck.

Ussi´s eyebrows raised in appreciation as he watched his naked wife holding the knife to the teen's throat, a relieved sigh and a playful smirk replacing his somber mood.

-Well Love, it seems I was almost too late for this party – He chuckled, tilting his head towards the open cage and the discarded ropes lying on the ground – I can see that you clearly had it under control the whole time after all.

-Only because I knew you were coming – She responded, rolling her eyes at him – Now would you stop gawking at me and help with this one, so I can finally cover myself and we can go home?

-Hey… You can't blame a man for enjoying the view! – The warrior laughed, clutching the frightened boy by the collar and taking it away from her – But sure, let me get rid of this last one and let's go back to our kids.

-Don't kill him Ussi, he's just a child – She calmly said, grabbing the blanket from inside the cell and wrapping it around her shivering shoulders – And I'm sure you can find a much better purpose for the kid than turning him into compost... Now, where the hell are my babies?