Chronicles of Metal: Chapter 8 - Firestarter

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"There... We... Go." Hazel dropped a large sack of potatoes onto the counter, taking a deep breath and wiping her hands clean. It'd been a busy day with Aoi not there to help out, as she'd headed off to her fishing spot early that morning. They'd been busier than usual that week, and burned through her last catch faster than usual. Not to mention that merchant guy and his maid bought a ton of food to take with him. That made Aki especially happy.

All that was left for the day was to do some preparations for tomorrow. Her soup was becoming a fast hit, and it seemed like she couldn't keep enough stalked to last more than a day. She slit open the sack and picked a handful of good-sized potatoes to start with. But before she started pealing them, she heard voices coming from upstairs.

It sounded like Aki was talking to someone. Shouting, more like. It was hardly an uncommon occurrence; she usually took the initiative in kicking out rowdy customers, who more often than not where just the town guard coming around and demanding free meals. But after a minute of listening, the shouting was still going on. Getting louder, even. She still couldn't make out what was being said, but it was obvious Aki was having a heated argument with several others. She placed her tools down, when something large shattered against the floor upstairs.

"A-Aki?" Her voice trembled, coming out barely louder than a whisper.

She stepped back from the table, listening to what sounded like a scuffle going on upstairs. The sounds stopped by the time she was half way to the stairs, but it hardly set her at ease.

"Aki?" She said again, only a little louder than the last.

Still, there was nothing. A sick feeling filled Hazel's insides. She ran up the stares to find the kitchen empty, but many of their tools had been strewn about the floor. Something bad had definitely happened, but Hazel's voice caught in her throat before she could call out again.

In that moment, she caught someone moving from the corner of her eye. Through the window to the dinning room, Hazel saw one of the town guards light a torch and toss it onto the floor. Behind him she saw Aki, struggling furiously as two more guards dragged her inside a large carriage. Before she could act, there was a bright flash, and a wave of heat hit her in the face. Her terrified eyes shot back to the first guard, just in time to see him pour a jug of oil onto the torch he'd lit. Flames leapt to the ceiling, intensifying the heat twice over.

Snapping back to the moment, Hazel ran from the kitchen to the sinks. Before they'd even let her step foot in the kitchen, Aki had drilled her for days on end as to how to put out a fire. That thought instantly reminded her that water would only make an oil fire worse. Stepping past the sink, she headed for a small bag of sand they kept in the back for just such an occasion. It was heavy, but the adrenalin pumping through her veins made it hard to notice.

She dragged the sack into the dining room, half lifted it over her shoulder before the bag unraveled all on it's own, spilling it's contents over the flames. A thick white smoke bellowed from the sand with a sharp hiss, but the heat went away instantly. As she dropped onto her backside, Hazel breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The moment was short-lived however, as she was reminded of the situation she'd walked in oh when one of the guards stumbled through the smoke. Instantly the two locked eyes. "You!" He said, pointing an accusatory finger. "Hey boys! Got another one in here! Just a kid by the looks of her!"

She couldn't see who for the smoke, but one of his companions yelled back. "Then what're ya waiting for!? Someone'll buy her!"

The smoke started to dissipate, just as Aki glared into the diner. "Hazel, run!"

The sight of one of them holding a gloved hand over Aki's mouth was all the motivation she needed. Hazel scrambled to her feet and raced to the back, the guard hot on her heels. "Get back here!" He barked at her.

She didn't listen though. Every fiber of her being told her to listen to Aki. She and the guard ran past the kitchen, and Hazel made a hard turn. The guard slammed into the wall, unable to turn as quickly as the small girl, but was right behind her in seconds again. She crashed through the back door, pushing over a stack of Aoi's fishing racks just as the guard followed. The netting and lures tangled in his armor. He was dragged to the ground with a violent snap the moment he tried to pursue her.

Hazel ran into the next ally over and hid between two crates. The furious guard followed just seconds later, cursing the whole time. He passed right by her though, not even stopping to check the surroundings. Just a few moments later, he was out of sight.

She waited a few more seconds to be sure he wasn't going to come back. Then a few more to catch her breath and slow her hammering heartbeat. What was going on? Had Aki been arrested or something? She'd been warned by both sisters to just keep her head down when one of the guards came poking around, and regaled her of all the bad things they'd do around town. But even that paled in comparison to what she'd just seen. Them dragging Aki away kicking and screaming like that...

She pushed herself off the ground and snuck towards the edge of the ally, peering carefully around the street. The setting sun made it a little hard to see, but even then, she could tell something wasn't right. There was another carriage down the road, where the guards pulled another woman from out of a clothing shop. She fought less than Aki, but seeing it happen more than once put a chill up Hazel's spine. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

"Aoi..." She muttered, tears welling up in her eyes. That's right, she needed Aoi. She'd know what to do. And even if she didn't, that elf guy she hung out with all the time probably would. She had to tell her want was going on. She just had to.

It was all she could do for Aki right now.

Aoi stood up and brushed the sweet of her forehead away on her forearm. She'd just finished hulling the last of her fishing nets back onto the boat, but her catch was... Less than desirable. She'd apparently neglected to tie one of her net's off properly, letting any fish she may have caught swim right through one end and out he other. Another net had dragged one of its moorings out of the ground, leaving it equally empty when she pulled it up, and leaving her with a day's worth of work burying it again. The other two nets where only a third full, but she was too tired at that point to just throw them back and head home. She'd have to come out tomorrow and reset the nets.

Her little boat bobbed back and forth against its mooring line, a clever contraption she'd dreamed up when she discovered her fishing hovel.  A rope tied to the base of a pair of trees, one at the crest of the inlet and another right next to where she stowed her boat. Together they kept her from being carried away while she set and pull her nets. Pulling one rope brought her out into the inlet, and pulling on the other brought her back to shore. Allowing her do a three-person job singlehandedly. A small shed next to the dock she used held her equipment and drying racks, and also made for a convenient hideaway if she and Aki ever got into a fight. A rare occurrence, but you never know. Unfortunately, her mediocre hull likely meant she'd be getting an earful when she got back. Fish wasn't the only thing they sold, but it was their most popular. The next week might be a little rough for them.

As she began folding her nets away and stowing the drying racks she wouldn't need back into the shed, she began to hear horse hooves approaching from the road. That was odd. There wasn't much downriver besides that bridge, and the cathedral that'd popped up out of nowhere. She couldn't think of any reason why someone would want to head down there. Even the guards didn't dare set foot near the place. But then again, it was none of her business. She had a long trek back to town herself, and more than enough of her own problems to contend with.

That is, until she heard a familiar voice call out to her. "Aoi!" She looked up in confusion, barely believing her eyes as Hazel came barreling down the road in a small horse cart. She tugged at the reins, causing the horse to stop short and buck wildly. The cart rattled and shook, tossing Hazel from the rider's seat.

She landed hard in the grass on her hands and knees, and Aoi ran to her side. "Hazel, what are you doing?" She glanced back at the horse as it calmed, a dozen questions flooding her mind. "Whose cart is that?"

"A... A-." Hazel stammered. She looked frightened, terrified even. When she raised her head, Aoi found she was bawling her eyes out. More so than a simple tumble would've caused. She pointed back up the road towards Hashigin, unable to form a coherent sentence. "A-Aki..."

Aoi looked up, but something besides the city caught her eye. Thick black smoke billowed into the sky in the distance. Lots of smoke. The city was on fire! Something else caught her eye though, something that turned her worry into suspicion.

Half a dozen riders were coming at them. All town guard, and all armed. This can't have been just another investigation into the cathedral. They'd have turned around the moment they saw the smoke in the distance. No, they where hear for something else. And Aoi didn't want to wait to figure out what it was.

"Hazel, get up." She muttered, pulling the sobbing girl to her feet. She speed-walked across the road to the cart, practically throwing her into the bed before grabbing the reins and leading it back to the road. "C'mon horse, c'mon..." She urged as the animal fought her the whole way.

Unfortunately, that was just enough of a delay for the riders to catch up with them. Two of them circled around the cart, while two more dismounted and began poking around her fishing hut. "Hello there." One of the last two said, offering an innocent wave. "What brings you out here so far?"

Aoi furrowed her brow. "Just fishing." The moment she spoke, one of the dismounted guards pushed her drying rack on its side. She wanted to yell at them for that, but held her tongue. Something was different. Sure, the guards could be assholes a majority of the time. But never like this. "Can I help you with something?"

The two circling them began to chuckle. "Well, that little one there just made off with this cart from the town stables. Thievery is frowned upon in this city, after all." Hazel ducked back down when his eyes turned to her, looking absolutely terrified. "I'd like the two of you to come with us. I think we have a few things to sort out."

The four that hadn't dismounted began to close in. Even if they hadn't Aoi didn't believe them for a second. "Six of you came out here after a runaway cart?" She muttered back, her heart beginning to thump in her chest. "While there's a fire back home?"

Two of the guards glanced at each other, and shared a small shrug. "Don't make us ask again, girl."

That was it. Aoi had had enough. She whirled around and smacked the horse across its rump, sending the animal into a bucking frenzy. The horses of the circling guards likewise began to buck, throwing one of the guards to the ground. Hopping into the seat, Aoi snapped the reins and the horse took off running. Hazel tumbled across the flatbed, while the remaining guard drew his sword and attempted to slash at them. The blade missed Aoi's face by a chilling margin, but they where already several meters ahead of them by the time they could recoup.

Something was definitely wrong. They where definitely town guards. She didn't know their names, but recognized more than one of their faces. They'd come to the restaurant last week asking for free food for, as they put it, keeping them all safe. This wasn't some kind of uprising, was it?

"Aoi?" Hazel whimpered, clutching at the back of her tunic.

She turned around with a smile, trying to be of some comfort, when something whizzed past her head. Aoi looked back just in time to see an arrow vanish beneath the cart's wheels with a violent snap. Where they shooting at them? Seriously? This was way more than the guards trying to extort them now. They where actually trying to kill them. There was no way all this was over some dumb cart!

"Aoi!" Hazel found her voice again, trying to clime up to the seat next to her. "What are we going to do?"

"Just stay back there!" She shouted, shoving her back into the flatbed.

They couldn't very well turn around and head back to Hashigin. For all she knew, these guys where the ones who started the fire. And there where miles upon miles of flatland surrounding the city with no help in sight. That only left...

Her eyes drifted to the dark spot sitting in the middle of the river. The Cathedral. Fin said someone was living there. Someone that had yet to even come out and great the guards that'd been sent out to investigate. Someone that might be able to help them. She had no way of knowing for sure, but thing's couldn't get much worse for them right now. And they didn't have any other options.

She snapped the reins again, trying to urge the horse to run faster. More arrows landed around them but none more than a few meters from their cart, but she tried not to focus on that. Her one priority was keeping the two of them safe. "Hazel?" She muttered, glancing back at the small girl cowering in the bed of the cart. "Things are going to be okay..."

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