Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

AN UNLIKELY HELPER

The girls knew they couldn't remain on the streets like that. They had to find solace somewhere. But who would help them against the guards? They were pretty sure that most people hated them more than they did the guards. And they had every right to.

Beside them was a small blacksmith shop. The blacksmith there looked around the same age as them. Surely, he'd listen to their plea. They ran into his shop without a moment’s hesitation. At first, he ignored their presence. Either he was too engulfed in his work to notice them or he just didn't care about their presence. But when the guard's voice got louder, his attention was drawn to the girls. They were running from the guards.

“Please could you let us stay here until the guards leave?” Zhiyi asked. She spoke before Aroha had the chance to. It was better that way. She might have said something that would have angered him and forced him to kick them out.

“I hate the guards, but I hate the Renoffs even more. Get out of my shack this instance!” the blacksmith bellowed.

***

Aroha and Zhiyi were astounded by the blacksmith’s reaction. Just how much of a nuisance were the Renoffs that stayed in the capital for them to be hated so much. The blacksmith knew instinctively that they were Renoffs. They had all the markings of a pre-blood Renoff written all over them. There was no way the guards wouldn’t have noticed as well. Could they also be after them not just because they stole their horses but because they wanted to vent their frustration on Renoffs? A risky move it was seeing as how most of the guards had pulled away from the chase. But there was one who was hard on their tail. Possibly the one with the biggest resentment of all. Zhiyi scoffed. She had attracted a lot more trouble than she bargained for. It was just a horse. And it wasn’t like they didn’t give it back. Back at Juza, they wouldn’t go so crazy about it. everyone knew everyone, so they would be sure they would return it. And if they didn’t, they knew who to meet. That was the only time there was trouble. Although they got out of trouble mostly because of their parents, other times it was because everyone loved Zhiyi. Well, almost everyone. But those who didn’t count for much. But now, they didn’t have such luxury. They were about to experience firsthand how cruel life could be.

“Come on, let’s go. It doesn’t look like he’ll change his mind,” Aroha said. She was bitter. The blacksmith’s frown only intensified the longer they stayed. He really did see them as nuisances.

Zhiyi on the other hand saw something else. She could feel the pain that stemmed from his voice. His eyes said as much as well. His anger didn’t feel baseless. At them, it was, because whatever happened, they certainly weren’t involved. But at the Renoffs, she could feel vendetta coming from him that felt justified. So to her, it was saddening to see a clan of healers cause more pain than relief. “We’re sorry,” Zhiyi said as they ran out of the blacksmith’s shack.

It came as a wave of surprise to the blacksmith. It was the first time someone had said those words to him in a very long time. It was the first time ever it came from the mouth of a noble. But that was not enough to absolve them of all their sins. Maybe eventually it would be enough, but not at that moment. Not with all the pent-up frustration that resonated from his every being. He would leave them to whatever fate caught up with them. After all, whatever reason they were being chased, he was sure they deserved it.

***

Aroha was pleased with Zhiyi apologizing. She was fond of doing things like that. If it weren’t for her, a lot of people would walk over her and she would smile as if nothing happened. Zhiyi was that sweet. Her naughty daring side only popped up whenever she was with her. otherwise, Zhiyi was a gentle soul. You would expect Aroha to feel some semblance of guilt at the very least. But it was the exact opposite. She took pride in it. She took pride in the fact that Zhiyi felt free around her. That she wasn’t bound by expectations and outdated and unreasonable status quos. With her, she could be her true self, not who everyone expected her to be. But it only lasted for short periods. She was sure that Zhiyi regretted her actions already. But such is the price for freedom. Facing the consequences is just on the other side of the coin. Even though they were actually running away from it, feeling guilt was an admittance of making a mistake. So was saying sorry. And that went against the very concept of freedom that Aroha had in her mind.

While the girls were certainly quick on their feet, they didn’t know the city well enough. Out of a corner that they didn’t even take cognizance of, the guard on their tail tackled Zhiyi. No more running for either of them. He looked very smug about his accomplishments, but the crowd around him was more concerned about his own safety than he was. ‘Those girls are pure-blood Renoffs. What the hell was a guard thinking treating them that way?’ was the thought that ran through their minds. But they didn’t care so much about that cocky clan to come to the girls’ aid. It was actually a relief to see them on the receiving end of oppression. They were more arrogant than even the royal family; the Crofts, to whom they swore fealty to. They swore no such oat to the Renoffs. They owed them nothing. And suddenly, they were all thinking the same thing. This was their chance to put those Renoffs in their place. It was easy to single out a guard, but not an entire mob. There was no way they could trace it back to them all. An opportunity with no consequence! The fact that those girls moved around without guards meant they were either naive to believe they were safe in the capital or they were just foolish. But they didn’t account for the third option; the girls didn’t know any better. But now, they would have to learn the hard way.

Aroha gnashed her teeth as the guard handled Zhiyi rather roughly. He had caught them alright and Zhiyi wasn’t even struggling. But why was he so rough with her? And the places he grabbed her. Aroha was losing her patience. She might have been labeled a short fuse over the years, but this was something that not even their calm and patient father Gero would let go of.

“Hey, you’ve caught us. We get it. But what is with that dirty look on your face?” Aroha asked. A nasty grin spread across the guard’s face that screamed a sense of accomplishment and a perverse pleasure. “Are you actually enjoying this?” Aroha snapped. She was wide-eyed. She clutched her fists ever so tightly. Zhiyi wasn’t comfortable either. She was the one being molested after all. But if Aroha reacted, it could be way worse. That energy that gathered around Aroha’s fist belonged to only one skill; the death palm.

“Aroha, it’s alright. I’m fine. Don’t hurt him. It’ll all be over soon,” Zhiyi said in an attempt to calm Aroha down. The ungrateful guard would never understand the favor she just did for him. Not only would Aroha beat him up, but he would also be reprimanded for manhandling a Renoff. Two pureblood Renoffs at that.

As she predicted, the guard never saw it that way. Instead, he was enraged at how calm Zhiyi was. Her words only made it worse. Did she believe that everything would be okay just because of the underserving privilege they enjoyed? Why would she beg? Or maybe even curse or threatening him as the other Renoffs would? Why did she seem so unbothered?

With the back of his palm, the guard struck Zhiyi on her face, sending her to the ground. “You cocky wench! That will put you in your place!” he cursed. But his luck had drawn its last breath. He didn’t have enough time to gather his thoughts when he noticed Aroha breathing down his neck. She was only a second or two from hitting him in the face. He may not have realized that she was wielding the death palm because the healers who could use it were well known. Nobody messed with them for whatever reason. But instinctively, he drew his sword at Aroha in a strike that would cut her in half.

But his weapon was nothing. Anything he could throw at her was nothing. His very existence was nothing. And with that train of thought, Aroha grabbed the blade of the sword. The guard wasn’t granted a moment to be surprised as his sword crumbled into many pieces instantly. It was as though a sword made of glass has clattered against solid rock. And that was when he realized what was on to him. The death palm! He had chosen to wrong pureblood Renoff to mess with.

Aroha wasted no time in preparing her next blow. She wasn’t going to kill him in one blow of course. Her death palm wasn’t strong enough to do that. But it would scald his skin and it would sting worse than a bee. The guard’s consciousness couldn’t put up a fight as it eluded him the moment Aroha’s punch landed on his face. The pain has mixed perfectly with the fear and surprise he felt. That was the only escape from the hell that awaited him and he gladly took it.

Zhiyi had to stop Aroha from hitting the guard again. A portion of the guard’s face had burnt like he had rubbed it against a blacksmith’s furnace. But Aroha was far from satisfied. He deserved way worse for what he did to Zhiyi. Speaking of blacksmith, if only that rude boy had helped them, they could have prevented all this. Even though it was all their fault to begin with, she would certainly pay him a visit later.

However, Aroha and Zhiyi’s problems were far from over. The rest of the guards finally gathered the courage to follow on their trail and now, together with the roaring support of the angered crowd, they encircled them. Their spears were pointed towards them. They had been deemed threats and would be treated as such. Aroha had little interest in surrendering. These guards were not interested in that. They wanted blood and now, they had an excuse. The last time they played it cool, Zhiyi got molested. She wouldn’t give them the chance to attack first.

“Zhiyi, there are only twelve of them. We can take them on,” Aroha said. she clutched her fists once more as she readied the death palm. Zhiyi on the other hand wasn’t so convinced. Before she had the chance to voice her disapproval, Aroha screamed at the top of her voice. “Are you going to let them look down on you again!!!”

These words resounded in her head. It was the same words that Aroha would say to her whenever they were faced with bullies. And this time felt the same way. Aroha’s intuition was right. They were going to let everyone know what happened when you crossed Gero and Miya’s daughters.

With the death palm activated, the girls charged at the challenging guards and the crowd had a spectacle to watch. In less than a minute, the guards’ weapons and the guards themselves were all on the ground. But the bells had been rung for an intruder. The girls were in a lot more trouble and more guards trooped around them. This time, the girls stood no chance, but this didn’t force them to back down. They would not be intimidated. But a calm voice from the back said, “At ease. Those girls are royalty.” The girls cringed at the sight of their unlikely helper. Where did he come from?