mindcracklove | Blood and Gold: Chapter 12

jiminee posting in

Here's chapter 12. It's, certainly... a chapter. :3c

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Someone is knocking at the door, loudly and insistently. The knocking gets louder and louder until it’s a ringing in Vechs’ ears, drowning out all other sounds. He gets up to open the door but his feet sink into the ground, deeper and deeper into the dunes of dry sand that surround him suddenly. He moves slowly and sinks until the desert swallows him, crying out for air.

Vechs wakes feeling claustrophobic and breathes into the air. He checks his clock by the light of a match. 3:55am. He sighs, and rubs his bleary eyes. This city does nothing to help him sleep. He sits up. Maybe he should go relieve Nebris of his shift and watch their captive instead. He pads out into the main room, wondering just how many nights he’s actually slept all the way through since arriving at Corax.
He can hear talking in the main room, and is surprised to see Nebris chatting with the ninja. Granted, he has his dagger sitting on his lap as a sort of menacing warning, but he would have expected silence. The pair go quiet as Vechs enters the room.
“Hey, guys, don’t get too friendly,” he teases.
Nebris shoots a glance at him. “We’re arguing.”
“Oh?” Vechs goes into the small area that serves as a kitchen to look for a drink.
“This guy says that all thieves are greedy,” Nebris says, “And he kills people for a living.”
“And I only do it because others pay me to,” Etho says. “The key thing here is an exchange – they get something in return for their money.” He glares at Nebris.

“Anyway Nebs, want me to babysit this guy so you can catch some sleep?”
Nebris shrugs. “I guess… but you don’t have to. I think you’re the one that needs the sleep.”
Vechs glances at him as he pours a small glass of alcohol. “Really? You seemed pretty mad about having to do this before.”
“No no, it’s fine,” Nebris says.
There is a noise and the sound of voices above and all three men look up towards the top of the ladder. Vechs wishes he had a weapon on him, but remembers that Nebris does. Not that he’s had much experience using it.
“How did they find out hideout?” Nebris gets up from his stool as the sound of somebody descending from the ladder, then the rock being pulled back again.
“Shh,” Vechs says. “They might think it’s empty.”
The ladder creaks with each step of the person coming down it. Vechs tries not to be nervous but he is. He sees Nebris grip his dagger too tightly and nearly drop it. The ninja sits, quietly watching.
The person reaches the bottom rung and steps off it, turning around to face Vechs with a look of pain on his face. In the second it takes for him to stride across the room and step up over the table to him, Vechs recognises the man, and his arms drop to the side as he stands still, paralysed.

Blame.

He is much thinner than when Vechs saw him last, and is not wearing his mask – all he has on him are his prison clothes. In one movement he draws his fist back as he reaches Vechs, still moving forward, and punches him in the face.
Vechs stumbles back, his face ringing and his heart bursting with pain and shock. He can’t even react or try to fight back, and Blame steps down off the table to hit him again. This time the blow pushes him back against the wall and he falls to the floor. Vechs wonders bleakly why Nebris doesn’t do anything, but he hasn’t got much time to think before Blame is on top of him, bony knees digging into his stomach.
“Blyx you!” Another blow. Vechs’ face is bloody and broken, but he can’t think much about the pain of his face when his heart is hurting more. He knows he deserves this. Even though he could probably fight back and easily overpower Blame with him being so malnourished, he is too paralysed to move a single muscle.
Finally Vechs sees Nebris’ face appear behind Blame and arms wrap around his body, throwing him to the side, delivering a quick blow to his chest to wind him before reaching to pull Vechs up to standing.
“Are you okay?” Nebris asks.

Vechs says nothing but walks dizzily to the table where he sits on a stool, passing his hand over his face to wipe the blood from it. Blame is getting up now but Nebris quickly grabs his arms, twisting them back and holding them behind his back.
“You cral,” Blame spits at Vechs, wriggling to try and free himself from Nebris. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to do that?”
Vechs quietly splutters out the only words he can manage, the words he’s held in the back of his throat ever since leaving Blame.
“I’m sorry.”
“Vechs, are you well enough to go get some rope?” Nebris asks.
Vechs just shakes his head. “Let him go.”
Nebris tilts his head to the side. “But he just attacked you!”
“I know him. Let him go,” Vechs says numbly.
Nebris loosens his grip and Blame wrenches his arms away, then sits down opposite Vechs. Nebris looks to him with a sudden recognition and his purple eyes widen.
“Blame?”

Blame wipes the blood off his fist onto his grey shirt. “Yeah, that’s me. I’m Blame the Controller. You’ll have heard about me, I expect.” He narrows his eyes towards Vechs. “What number is he?” he asks, gesturing at Nebris.
“The first since you.”
“Oh so you haven’t betrayed him yet.”
Vechs spits out blood and looks at the table. “I’m sorry.”
“Just saying ‘I’m sorry’ over and over means nothing to me. Nothing! Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?”
Vechs’ heart jumps at that, although he knew it shouldn’t. Blame had been looking for him all this time…
“Looking for you to get my revenge, I should say. Not...” Blame studies Vechs’ face. “Vechs, look up?”
Vechs looks up and meets Blame’s eyes – they are broken and tired, sunk deep in his starved face. Vechs can’t look at them for long without the guilt of betrayal wearing down on him. He wonders how his own eyes look.
“Oh my god. Oh my blyxing god. You are still in love with me.”
Vechs wishes he was wearing his goggles.
“I didn’t mean to leave you.” Vechs’ eyes sting with the threat of tears.

“Can you two make up in the morning?”
All four heads turn sharply to the doorway, where Zisteau stands, looking unhappy at the interrupted sleep. He turns to Blame and says dryly, “Please try to make less noise next time you come back to enact violent revenge on any members of this group. At least don’t do it at night.”
Blame blinks, and Aurey emerges in the doorway too. “Wha- oh my god, Blame.”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Aurey looks from Vechs’ beaten face to Blame and back again. She knew Blame wouldn’t be happy with Vechs if he ever returned, but she didn’t think it would be quite this bad. She hurries to the kitchen to get a wet cloth as Zisteau walks swiftly to sit at the head of the table. Abandoning his post near Etho, Nebris sits down tentatively beside Vechs.
“So how did you find us?”
Blame lets out a choked laugh. “It’s not as if you spent your entire life pining after Corax, talking about going to Corax and making plans to raid the Corax palace if you ever got the chance. At first I was going to go straight to Corax from Feretan, but the Lyren route seemed more like the way you’d go, and I wanted to catch up with you before you got here. That didn’t work, obviously.”
“Wait, wait,” Aurey calls from the kitchen. “How did you escape?!”
“Is there any point to telling you?” Blame says, his tone biting. “Also, who’s that?” He points to Etho.
“Oh, just a ninja that tried to kidnap Nebris,” Zisteau says. “So we reverse-kidnapped him.”
Blame frowns and makes no comment. “Aurey, can you get me some food? I’m starving.”
“You look it,” Zisteau says. “What, did they starve you in there?”

“Yep,” Blame says in a bitter voice. “Starved me in prison, then when I escaped I was too afraid that someone might recognise me from those posters, so I avoided buying or stealing any food aside from very small amounts. The only big thing I stole along my journey was a horse. She died before making it here. Oh and, I almost forgot.” He reaches swiftly across the table and takes the dagger Nebris has placed on the table in front of him. “This is mine.”
Nebris looks at Blame. “I didn’t know.”
Blame polishes the blade on his shirt and looks at it. Nebris realises that in his loose prison clothes, without any bag or his mask – probably taken while in prison - the dagger is the first possession of his own he would have set eyes on since being imprisoned.
“So those posters were issued before you escaped?” Zisteau asks.
“No, after. Very shortly after. I saw them popping up in villages on the route away from Feretan, until they stopped being so common after Lyren and non-existent anywhere near Corax. I guess they did the art of us all as a group, but assumed once I escaped that we were all working together again.”
There is a silence and Aurey comes back into the room, handing Vechs a warm, wet cloth which he gratefully presses to his face. The pain is starting to come in now, slowly at first but gradually increasing. Vechs is surprised that Blame could do that much damage considering the weak state he is in before remembering the pure rage that had driven those punches.
Aurey comes around the table to give Blame a large piece of bread and butter. “There’ll be more later,” she says, “But I’m not giving you all our supplies at once. You can wait until dinner.”

There’s an uneasy moment as everyone considers the assumption that Blame will stay with them.
“I have nowhere else to go,” he says shortly. “But if you don’t want me, I’ll find another group to join. I’m sure there’re more than enough thieves in Corax that would be happy to have me on their team.” He glances at Vechs.
“Stay,” Vechs says, throwing a pleading look to Zisteau. “I – we need you.”
“In case you hadn’t noticed,” Zisteau says, “He’s still head over heels for you. Apparently even after that remarkable beating.”
Vechs glares at Zisteau, feeling his cheeks redden. He feels more and more insecure by the minute, and desperately wants to go to his room and find his goggles at least. But another part of him is still paralysed, still in shock at the fact that the man sitting just across the table from him is Blame. Everything seems overwhelming at the moment.
“You can go if you want,” Zisteau says quietly to Vechs.
Vechs shakes his head a little. “I’ll stay.” In a moment, he lets down his guard and his eyes flick up to meet Blame’s. A flash of pain crosses his eyes, and both men remember the night that pulled them both apart.

“You’ll be the distraction.” Vechs whispers to Blame. “You can hold the guards up, right?”
Blame shrugs. “I guess I can.”
“Alright, after I trigger the explosion, we all get out fast and run. We run,” Vechs says, stressing the last word to his three companions. “Zisteau, you’re in charge of getting us over the outer wall. Me and Aurey will pick off any guards, then Blame, you run around the back.” Vechs adjusts his goggles. “They think you’re the most dangerous, they’ll follow.”
Aurey nods, pulling her makeshift weapon closer. She’d been able to smuggle the slingshot into the prison – they weren’t in the high security part, but she is still surprised they hadn’t found it – but it was only after Vechs had talked the prisoner in the next cell into giving them some materials he’d smuggled in for an explosive that their plan to escape had really formed.
The rest of the day is restless, waiting and waiting for the warden change, to set off the explosive. They sit in the cell. It’s luck that they’re all together in a holding cell, not meant for long term, as they are all to be executed tomorrow.
Feretan has harsh punishment for stealing from the palace.
Vechs puts an arm around Blame and gently kisses his head. He’s take his mask off, a rare thing.

“We’ll be out before the morning,” he whispers.
Once Vechs thought that Blame’s skull mask was a memento mori, or a reminder of death. He wears it all the time, and Vechs assumed he was one of those people who were always thinking about death. He was wrong, though, or at least partially wrong.
But with the day of the execution being so close, it is hard for any one of them not to think about death. Even with their plans firmly in place, they all know there is a chance it could go wrong.
Blame turns his head slowly to look up at Vechs. “You’re optimistic.”
“Yes,” Vechs says firmly. “It’s risky, yes, but we all know what we are doing.”
Blame turns away and stares at the ceiling.

After what feels like hours of waiting, Zisteau coughs as a signal that the wardens are now changing. Vechs scrambles to stand up before the next wardens come in for their shift and walks to the corner. Working quickly, he places down the explosive.
“Stand back,” he says, and his three companions scramble back to the far corner as he lights a match and drops it, leaping away before the explosion booms, blasting a small hole in the corner of the cell. Cold air comes in and there is a yell from a warden, but Vechs is already scrambling out the hole. He helps Blame out into the prison courtyard, where a few guards see him and immediately run towards him. Blame runs away from them, counter-clockwise around the prison. His legs burn as he runs as fast as he can, knowing the survival of his friends depends on him effectively distracting the guards. As soon as the guards are all running after Blame, Aurey, Vechs and Zisteau climb out the hole. Aurey stoops to pick up a handful of stones and Vechs does the same.
“Run!” Aurey yells, following Vechs as he runs towards the wall. Zisteau follows but soon catches up.

Blame hears a yell and sees one of the guards behind him has stopped and is clutching his forehead in pain as blood dribbles into his eyes. Holy hell that slingshot is more effective than I thought it would be, Blame thinks as he sees the three other members of Naziv reach the wall. Aurey is still slinging sharp stones at the guards, but they soon get out of range. He rounds one corner of the square prison, skidding a little on the loose gravel. He feels for his thin dagger he’s concealed in his clothing and puts a hand on it, ready to pull it out if necessary. An arrow whizzes past his head and he breathes in sharply.

“I have an idea,” Vechs says as Zisteau pulls him to the top of the wall, then drops to the other side with Aurey. “Don’t worry about me; just meet me at the gate.”
Instead of dropping to the other side Vechs stays on the narrow wall, running clockwise along its top, careful not to trip. He knows it’s risky, as more guards are already running out of the prison, but most are following Blame. His heart pounds, and he hopes Blame is okay. I made a mistake, he thinks for a brief moment. But he knows Blame is strong and capable, and if he follows the plan it will all be okay.
The wall turns sharply at the corner and Vechs almost loses his footing, but stays on as crossbow bolts begin to fly. They must have snipers at the top of the prison, Vechs thinks, glancing up to confirm this. Det, I better run faster. He’s almost at the gate now, and can see Blame rounding the prison from the other side. Vechs prays he will reach the gate before the snipers can hit him. He glances to the other side of the wall, outside the prison. Zisteau and Aurey are a little way behind, ready to jump the guards once Blame gets to the gate.

Blame sees Vechs running along the wall towards the gate from the other side of the prison. What is he doing? Wasn’t he supposed to get outside the wall with the other two? Worry fills him but he keeps running until he gets to the gate. He knows Zisteau is going to throw a rope over that he can escape with, but he won’t know when, and until then he has to fend off the guards.
Pulling out the dagger, he turns suddenly, and the guard closest to him barrels straight into it. Blame feels sickened as he yanks the dagger from the guard’s slit stomach. The guard clutches at his stomach and stumbles back.
A rock hits the next guard’s head, which is enough to stun him but he keeps coming at Blame. Blame feels fear rising in his stomach until Vechs drops from the wall next to him. He flashes a stressed smile at Blame before pulling out his own dagger and launching at the guard. With two of them it’s easier to fight off the guards, but more are fast approaching and the rope hasn’t come over the gate yet. Blame stabs another guard without feeling, the handle of his dagger now slippery in blood. He sees the rope come over the gate just as the dagger slips from his hand. A guard’s foot lands on it and as Blame stoops to reach it both of his arms are grabbed and twisted back, put in shackles.
“Blame!” Vechs cries hoarsely. He looks between Blame and the two guards holding him back, the four more heavily armed guards approaching him, and the rope hanging over the gate.

Vechs is torn. As the implications of each choice he can make flash through his head, a guard’s foot accidentally kicks the dagger towards him. He picks it up but realises there’s not much use. Even with a weapon in both hands, he’s trapped, approached on all four sides by guards with his back against the gate. Blame is already being dragged back towards the prison, and the sound of him screaming out Vechs’ name makes his heart break.
Vechs stows the daggers in his waistband and leaps to the rope, quickly scaling it, although a voice in his head is screaming to go back for Blame. He reaches the top and drops to the other side, winded, where Zisteau retracts the rope.
“Blame?”
Vechs shakes his head, a lump in his throat.
“Then run!” Zisteau says. “I made Aurey go already.”
“But Blame…”
The gate is creaking open.
“RUN!” Zisteau says.
Vechs finally runs, through the dimming streets of Feretan with Zisteau. When they are out, they meet up with Aurey and then there’s just more running, leaving the city, dodging people until they are safe out on the road again. Vechs hurts the whole way.

Current Mood: gay

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

jiminee

oh by the way, you should definitely not listen to this song and think about blame in that prison after reading that. definitely. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X93KNJMFXM i would strongly advise against it.

From: (Anonymous)

Thanks for the song recommendation Jiminee.

Made me think about Blame being dragged back to a cell, shackled to a wall and plotting escape and revenge; being starved but given water to keep him alive, he slowly works the bolt connecting the shackles to the wall loose, then when it is loose gives it a tug away from the wall the next time a guard comes to give him water; strangles the guard with the chain of the shackles, strips the guard and puts the guards clothes over his own, sneaks out and runs like hell.

Apologies Jiminee if I've just usurped your story for a little while there and dreamed up how I thought Blame escaped.

Seriously considering making myself an account and trying writing some fics.

- Scara

From:

jiminee

OOh my! You have a fantastic imagination, that is an awesome mental image!! :0

From: (Anonymous)

*blushes* Thanks ^_^

- Scara

From:

ruddiestbubbles

Ohhhhhh very intriguing!!! I REALLY hope Blame will let Vechs back into his life. And maybe some Nebtho :3

From:

jiminee

Hmm, does it look like Blame is ready to forgive Vechs now?

Hehehehehehe, wait and see :3

From: (Anonymous)

That reconciliation is probably only possibly going to happen if Blame opens up another can of whoop ass on Vechs, and then there's the possibly spanner in the works of Bdubs coming face to face with the group and hinting subtly or maybe not so subtly about his and Vechs' 'moonlight tree meeting' which would probably cause Blame to hate Vechs all over again.....

Apologies again Jiminee if my rambling ideas are usurping anything from you, not intended ^^"

I should probably make myself an account and try writing something >.<

- Scara