Impossible || Druig

09

(1521 AD Tenochtitlan)

Soro could hear the sounds of war through the trees. The screaming and the crying and the war cries. The fire burning through the night as the Spanish lay siege to the Aztec city that the Eternals had been residing in for almost a week. Soro blanked it all out, ignoring the sounds around them as the people who had sheltered them were slaughtered. It wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last. What he was more concerned about was how this slaughter was affecting his husband. Druig had been growing more sullen in the past five hundred years. Each mindless war over pointless thing like greed and pride only ended with death. Druig had never liked pointless death of innocents. Soro loved that about him, but it was a double edged sword.

"Where are the others?" Ajak asked as Soro, Makkari and Thena approached them. Soro had specks of black deviant blood staining his red shirt. The spray had gotten his glasses too and he'd had to pause to wash them off after the battle.

'We had to split up', Makkari explained.

"Ikaris, Gil and Kingo went north while we felt with the ones to the west", Soro brushed his hair out of his face. "I am sure they will be back soon".

"There were more deviants than you said", Thena stated.

Phastos' bored expression didn't change. "I'm sure that was fun for you".

"It was", Thena smiled. "My deviant sprayed blood over Soro. It was highly amusing".

Soro stuck his tongue out at her like the mature thousands year old being that he was, and was rewarded with the sight of Druig failing to hide a smirk. Phastos changed the subject by bring out his little metal disc that projected a golden image of the earth. "When the others had eliminated these last deviants then we would have rid them all from the planet". It was a cheerful prospect. Their goal in sight and their mission almost complete.

To their left, gunshots echoed loudly between the trees. They all turned to watch as a group of Spanish chased some to the locals through the forest and gunned them down. Cries of the fallen and the victorious shouts of the murderers bouncing back to them. Soro grimaced at the sight, eyes flicking to his husband as Druig took a step towards the slaughter. "Don't", Ajak warned. "We don't interfere with their wars".

"This isn't war. It's genocide. Their weapons have become too deadly". There was a deep tone to his voice as he spoke. Soro could read the grief, the anger and the hurt in it. He wanted to go over and wrap his arms around his husband, but Druig was turning his gaze to Phastos. "Maybe it wasn't such a good idea helping them advance Phastos".

"Technology is a part of their evolutionary process, Druig", Photos replied with the tone of someone who had said this multiple times before. This was an argument they'd had quite a few times ever since guns became common. "It's not exactly a thing which I can stop".

"No you can't but I can", Druig shot back, voice raising. Soro went to take a step closer to the argument, noticing Makkari doing the same, when he glanced at Thena. The blonde was standing very still, eyes closed.

"It's too late", her voice came out scarily calm. Soro frowned and stepped closer to her.

"Thena?"

"Everyone is going to die". She opened her eyes and familiar markings lit up under the skin of her head as her eyes glazed over gold.

"Thena?" Sersi made to step closer but Soro pushed her back as a long double bladed axe formed in her hand.

"Get back", he shoved Sersi out of the way and flicked his arm, summoning his golden threads. Once lashed out at Athena's ankles but she leapt over it, blade spinning around and narrowly missing Soro's head as he jerked back. His other hand lashed out and the threads coiled around Thena's waist. He pulled her off her feet but her axe was already severing them. He summoned more and flicked them like a whip. She deflected them with her blade and dropped into a roll that brought her too close, too quick. A dagger formed in her other hand and Soro felt himself jerk as it pierced his skin, gasp leaving his lips.

Then Thena was being dragged away from him, Makkari moving in a blur. Soro put a hand to his chest and staggered back. Sersi catching him as he fell. "Soro!" Her voice cried out as she saw the blood soaking his tunic.

Distantly, he heard Phastos cry out as Makkari fell. Thena stabbing the man in the shoulder and he was down too. "Don't listen to your head Thena. Listen to my voice". Soro could hear Ajak trying to get through to Thena. He tried to concentrate on it but his nerves were on fire as they tried to make sense of the damage. The stab was deep into the skin of his lower abdomen, near his belly button. Blood was trickling steadily from the wound as Sersi tried to put pressure on it.

"It's not stopping bleeding", Sersi muttered, voice distressed. Soro turned his head around as much as he could in an effort to find Druig.

A cry went up as Ajak was speared. Then Ikaris, Kingo and Gilgamesh was there. Kingo falling at Makkari's side as Ikaris landed next to Sersi and Soro. "Sersi", he reached out to her.

"Soro wont stop bleeding", she gasped, hands not moving from where they were putting pressure on the wound. Soro was staring blankly up, mind still in shock that their Thena did this. There was a loud thud in the distance.

"Soro", Ikaris' voice was concerned. Soro blinked and coughed.

"Oh hey", he tried to grin, it was shaky and fragile. "Didn't see you there. Where's Druig? Are the others okay?"

"I'm right here". Knees knelt next to his head and Soro turned to meet eyes with his husband. "Gilgamesh knocked Thena out. Ajak is just healing Makkari. Everyone is going to be alright". Druig's tone was soft and the eternal placed a hand on Soro's shoulder.

"Ajak!" Ikaris called loudly. "You'd better move quick. Soro is loosing a lot of blood".

"Reminds me of that time in Ireland", Soro chuckled. "You know, with the vikings and the storm".

Druig laughed lightly. "You scared me then. You make a habit of it".

"Well we keep on getting paired together", Soro grimaced as Ajak replaced Sersi's spot at his side. "Hi Ajak".

"Hello my boy. Let me heal this up for you". She placed her glowing golden hands over the wound and Soro squirmed at the itchy ticklish feeling of his cells rebuilding themselves and knitting back together. Ajak couldn't do much about the lost blood but the wound was healed and his body would recover. He breathed out deeply as she finished.

"Let's get you up", Ikaris held out a hand and Soro took it. The larger man lifting him to his feet and steadying him as he swayed. Ajak had moved on to Phastos, her hands making quick work of his shoulder. Soro turned to Druig, wanting to reach out a hand to him but he stopped at the distant look in the other's eyes. The mind controller was turned towards the fires of the city with an unreadable expression.

unedited