These Broken Hands

Chapter 12

Yuin kept low as he shoved his way through the onrush of bandits. He was snatched back by his cloak, almost choking him if he hadn't grabbed the front of it. He pushed forward, opposite the rush and freed himself. Whatever he could do to not use his hands, he tried.

Unfortunately he couldn't keep to himself. He was snatched back again and he stumbled into a small crowd of armed bandits. He was able to dodge their wildly swinging attacks and run until he got outside the main rush. The bandits had followed him however and cornered him at the wall.

"You are just a boy," a bandit said. "What are you doing here?"

"It doesn't matter," another said, poised to throw his blade, "He's with the beasts."

A shadow moved over them and the bandits were swiped with a large paw. Wehqui nodded to his right before returning to the mess. Yuin followed his hint and found a brown sack tied close on the cave floor. He brought it closer to the wall and fought the knot loose. A small girl in a short, black fur dress was inside.

Her hands and feet were bound and her mouth was covered by a dirty piece of cloth. She looked on him with pleading eyes, shaking her head frantically. It seemed she wasn't hurt beyond a few scrapes on her legs.

"Shh, shh. I'm not going to hurt you." She froze as he reached out and took the cloth from her mouth. "I'm here to help you. Come with me-"

A boot slammed into the back of his shoulder, throwing him against the wall. Yuin quickly turned around to face his attacker and put up his hands to defend himself. The girl watched in terror as a bandit repeatedly slammed his boot into Yuin's side. 

"You wanna play the hero, huh?! You wanna, side with those freaks, huh?!" He pulled a knife from a sheath on his raised leg and plunged it into Yuin's left hand.

The Shiera girl flinched as he cried out. Yuin glared up at the man as he reveled in the pain twisting his features. His head throbbed as his hand pulsed with his heightened heart rate, pouring blood with each passing second. The bandit snatched the knife from his hand and walked over to the girl.

He pulled her up into a sitting position and held the knife covered in Yuin's blood to her throat. "Since you care so much about these beasts you can watch her die first! Then you're next."

The look in that man's eyes was anger. He was angry with the Shiera, but why? The one he held the knife to now could not have possibly done anything to deserve the way he treated her-. Had this really been a random kidnapping?

The girl squeezed her eyes closed as he started to press the blade into her skin. Yuin's entire body ached and his arms were numb but his mind was screaming for him to do something. He couldn't just sit there and watch her be killed right in front of him. But his hands refused to move.

The bandit suddenly snatched the blade across her throat and her body fell limp to the cave floor. He stood and shook the blood from his knife. He watched Yuin's face as he started slowly towards him. "Your turn."

His hands began to burn. It was cool at first then grew hotter and hotter as it raced up his arms. The bandit paused, his eyes locked on Yuin's glowing green hands. 

"You have that strange power too?"

Yuin glared at him. "Why did you kill her?"

He frowned. "Why do you care?! Those Shiera- those things! Beasts! They wouldn't give a second thought to ripping your throat out!"

"Like how you didn't give a second thought to killing a child?"

"That is not a child! It's one of those beasts!"

"If you saw her walking down the street you would never know the difference!" Yuin raised his hands toward him and a green mist formed around the bandit's body. "Just like you did not hesitate to kill that poor girl." he closed his fists and the mist solidified around the bandit, holding his arms against his sides. He struggled against it but to no avail. "I will not hesitate to end your meaningless life."

Yuin slowly got to his feet, keeping his hands positioned as so and turned to throw him into the crowd gathered by the opening of the cave.  Both his arms and burned with the effort and his hand was throbbing in protest of his flexing motions but he didn't care. He went to the girl's side. She was still breathing though barely.

He knew the world was an unfair place but to think that there were people cruel enough to kill children just because they were born different from what they considered normal. It was strange to them, but for the Shiera they were normal- they were just fine being who they were. Yuin approached the crowd and focused his essence into a point. With as much strength as he could muster he drew a part through the masses and blew them back against the walls of the cave.

Some were knocked unconscious but those that weren't got up to come for him. The Shiera shut down their attempts. They gathered to Yuin who had returned to the girl's side. He carefully lifted the girl using his essence to keep her laying straight.

"Is she..." Jyaon asked, running up to him.

"I will not leave her here," Yuin said.

"Please...." Jyaon tore a piece from her cloak and tied it about her neck.

They walked through the fallen bodies of the bandits into the crisp night air. Mujjok and the bandit still clashed outside. Sparks flew between them as their essence repelled each other. It was brilliant and mesmerizing. Mujjok fended off another strike from the ethereal tentacles writhing behind the bandit.

They lashed out and the bandit barely had to do anything at all. He stood with his arms folded while they kept Mujjok at bay. Erol was crouched behind him. She was battered from her attempts to distract him.

"Let me try it again," she shouted at Mujjok. "The others are here now, I have them behind me."

"No! Are you trying to die? I couldn't face Emtym if one of you died."

"I will not die! When my time comes it won't be done by a human's hands."

"What about tentacles?"

He took a chance and threw his ring again. The bandit side stepped it without pausing in his assault. Mujjok held out his hand to call it back but the tendrils were already coming for him. Two of them lashed out and pushed him onto his back as another descended, plunging into his side and shoulder before Erol interjected.

"Jyaon," Wehqui called, "take Kujjyl and go back to the village. We will finish up here."

She took Kujjyl and snuck by behind the bandit. He looked away for a moment and Wehqui came in from behind, slamming a meaty fist into his back but not before two tendrils grabbed his arm to try and stop him. He pulled his arm back, examining the burned hair on his forearm. The bandit fell forward and the others quickly descended on him. The gleam in his eyes said he was exhilarated by the display but the tendrils vanished.

"You're not as stupid as I thought," Wehqui said as he grabbed him by his throat and lifted him onto his feet.

Yuin ran to Erol and Mujjok. Blood stained their clothes all over. Mujjok's eyes slipped closed as his head fell back. Erol sat up holding her shoulder. She glared at the ground.  Sim approached silently. "Bring him. We're finished here."

"What about him?" He looked back to where Wehqui kept a hold of the back of the bandit's neck.

"We are not beasts. He knows what will happen if they try this again. Come."