Remnants

Chapter Eight

| Jaric |

--*--

A warm light appeared around me as I trudged through the invisible barrier. The seemingly endless trees in front of me vanished and was replaced with the camp, all in the blink of an eye.

I felt it. My body was done for the night. It ached so much that I was surprised I could still stand, let alone walk. My clothes were reduced to shreds, stained with blood. Not the mention, the orc's god-awful stench still lingered on me...

I sighed.

Is this day ever going to end?

"Why have you returned? The fire has not been dealt with?" a voice reached my ear.

Fuck.

A large bustling crowd had swallowed Waylen a few meters ahead. They tugged and shouted at him, demanding he answered their muddled questions.

"What happened out there?" A woman asked, pulling at the rookie's shirt. "Are we in danger?"

Before we knew it, we were trapped. Waylen tried shoving his weight against them while shouting for them to clear the area, but his words went unheard. Dozens of hands grabbed at him and dragged him around.

He was hopeless against them, but I wasn't.

I lifted Cora from the hovering sheet of ice. It was cold but bearable; it didn't sting. I had no intention of being at the mercy of these people, so I used my elbows to force my way through. The rookie latched onto the back of my torn shirt and pressed her forehead against my back as we walked. I felt her tremble.

"What the fuck happened out there?" A man shouted as he dragged her by her arm. "We want answers!"

"Let go of me!" She screamed and struggled against his grip.

"Hey!" I roared.

The man tossed her aside and walked over to me with the dumbest smirk lining his face. "What?" he said, looking down at me.

I wanted nothing more than to knock the smug look off his face. He was what? At least, six foot four?... and could have easily been mistaken for a decent warrior, but he was far from that. He was nothing but a coward, one dumb enough to get on my nerves.

"No, Jaric! Don't!" The rookie screamed. Her voice competed against the noise of the crowd around us.

But it was too late, or rather, I didn't care to listen. I needed to get my anger out and this poor fool just volunteered to help.

I secured Cora's body against my chest and took a heavy step forward, ramming my head into the man's nose, sending him spiraling down to the ground. He pulled a few people down with him as he tried to catch himself.

"Touch her again, and I'll break your fucking arms," I shouted.

The rookie scurried in front of me, and the look she gave me... the anxiety that beamed from her eyes... said it all.

It's not worth it.

"These people are starting to piss me off," I muttered, and just as I did, I received a heavy blow against the side of my head.

Okay, that's it!

I gritted my teeth and sent my rage out through explosive branches of lightning. They raced through the crowd, instantly electrocuting everyone around me. It was so quick that they didn't even have the chance to scream. Many of them collapsed, unconscious, while a few managed to stay on their feet, electrified and dazed.