Bloodshot

**"Bloodshot"** is the second episode of *The Fatal Frontier*. It is the second episode of the series overall. It was released on August 2nd 2020.

## Plot

*As a stranger in a strange land, Edwards comes face to face with the pure savagery of the Norn. Meanwhile, the Mute searches for answers.*

## Synopsis

### Prologue

During a violent storm, a small plane is almost struck by lightning. Its single pilot tries to radio air-traffic control, but the lightning strike has eliminated all radio contact. A second bolt knocks the left engine out, and the pilot struggles to keep the plane under control as it begins to descend through the clouds. The pilot throws up violently and blacks out from the effort and the spin of the plane. As the plane breaks from the clouds, the second engine cuts out and the plane unsteadily glides down into a forest. The pilot regains consciousness and wrestles with the controls, causing the plane to crash through the canopy and through the trees, finally coming to a stop high above the ground.

The pilot recovers and tries to reactivate the radio, only hearing static; his heavy accent identifies him as British. He attempts once more, using his call-sign "Sparrow", but once more hears nothing. Suddenly, the powerful winds cause several of the damaged trees to break, pushing the plane forwards until it begins to tip from the spot where it crashed. The terrified pilot curses repeatedly and braces himself as the plane tumbles forward and descends to the ground. Both of its wings are torn off as the plane falls through the branches. The plane's tail smashes into one of the fallen trees, causing it to turn and land on its roof.

The pilot is left hanging upside down in his seat, cursing as the radio falls from its mount and smashes to pieces. He stops himself throwing up once more as he unbuckles himself, twists round and grabs a large rucksack. He kicks the door open and crawls out into the undergrowth. He spits into the dirt, before hearing the sound of light foosteps. He looks up to see two warriors clad in primitive clothing, one of which is wielding a long spear. The pilot tries to communicate and holds up his hands in surrender, but they ignore him and the armed warrior spears him throught the left hand. Another lightning bolt strikes, setting nearby trees alight. The warrior removes the spear from the pilot's hand, and aims to stab the pilot in the head before an arrow suddenly flies through the warrior's neck. The second warrior is killed by an arrow to the face, and the pilot covers his head. When no attack comes, the pilot looks up to see a young woman pulling the arrow out of the warrior's neck.

### Chapter 1

The same young woman is woken up in a brick cell by a pail of cold water thrown onto her face. The girl clears her vision and sees the Wrinkled Woman, her horrifically scarred face twisted into a look of apology and agony. The girl comes to her feet, recognising the woman, and tries to say her name but no sound comes out. The woman is suddenly pushed aside by the High Priest; in a rage, the girl can only mouth the word "Interith". In his language, Interith taunts the girl, belittling her for her muteness before mocking the horrible deep scars on her throat. He claims that capturing her was easy and "she will no longer interfere". In response, the girl charges towards the cell doors and tries to yell, but only a soft croak comes out. Interith smiles and laughs as he throws a blow at the girl, breaking her nose and knocking her to the floor. He grabs the Wrinkled Woman by the throat and drags her off. The girl sets her broken nose and spits.

Hours later, the girl is awakened by the sound of a horn, followed quickly by yelling and chanting. A look of fear crosses her face as she recognises the words and Interith's voice: the tribe's ritual chant. She starts banging on the bars, drawing a nearby guard. In his language, the guard orders her to stop, but the girl grabs him by the hair and smashes his head against the bars repeatedly, knocking him unconscious. She hurriedly searches his body for the keys and retrieves them, unlocking the cell. She steals the guard's dagger and, just as he regains consciousness, stabs him in the back of the head without hesitation. In the distance, a woman's screams of anguish ring out.

The girl proceeds down the brick and stone corridors. She slits the throat of another guard and quickly recovers and slashes the leg and neck of another. She listens as the second half of the chant begins - "*Fehu Uruz Thurisaz Ansuz Raidho Kenaz Gebo Wunjo Hagal Naudhiz Isa Jera Eihwaz Perthro Algiz Sowelu Tiwaz Berkano Ehwaz Mannaz Laguz Ingwaz Dagaz Othala*" - and she begins to sprint. She comes across the barracks but is ambushed by a waiting guard. The girl goes for his neck with the dagger, but the much larger guard easily disarms her. He places her in a chokehold and tries to break her neck, but he is violently stabbed in the throat by another figure, covering the girl in the guard's blood. The girl turns to see her saviour: the pilot, wielding a sabre. He hurriedly tells her that they are running out of time and the chant is beginning to finish. At that moment, they hear Interith's roar and know that the Champion has been unleashed. The girl searches the barracks and finds Edwards' jacket, slipping it on. Before she leaves, she finds his tomahawk. She abandons her dagger and takes the axe before the two race off.

### Chapter 2

In a flashback, the pilot lays helpless as the girl retrieves her arrows from the bodies of the two dead warriors. He tries to plead for mercy, but the girl does not attack and reaches out her hand. The pilot takes it and tries to stand up, but quickly collapses, realizing his leg was broken in the crash. The girl rolls the pilot onto his back and silently instructs him to breathe before she distracts him and sets his leg. The pilot's scream is drowned out by another lightning strike. The girl notices walkers approaching them from all directions bar one; as the fire spreads towards them, several walkers catch alight and continue to spread it. The girl helps the pilot to his feet while he thanks her, but she immediately pushes him back down again to take out a walker. Her dagger breaks as it is removed from the walker's skull, but she notices the pilot's sabre, which unsheathed from his rucksack. She grabs it and skillfully takes out several walkers, including one that is on fire. As the alight walker falls, the dry leaves immediately catch alight, only quickening the fire. The girl once more helps the pilot to his feet and together they run from the crash site and the fire.

The two of them charge across a river, but a walker lurking beneath the water reaches out and causes the two of them to fall over into the current. The pilot, with his damaged leg, is barely able to hold himself from being carried away, while the girl loses the sabre and struggles with the walker. The herd approaches the river, bringing the fire with them. The girl can only use one hand to keep the walker's jaws at bay as the other clutches to a rock. Just as the walkers reach the shoreline, the pilot manages to stand and retrieves his sabre, saving the girl by killing the walker. He helps her up and the two of them fall to the ground on the opposite shoreline, catching their breath. The pilot thanks the girl, and introduces himself as Jules.

In the present, Jules and the girl race through the underground corridors and finally surface as the female priests begin their vocalisations. Jules states that the battle is starting, and asks the girl if she is sure that the man they are looking for is the one in the arena. The girl nods, to which Jules says that they must hurry. The two of them sneak through the village, taking out three guards in their path, before sneaking into the stands around the arena. They work their way up and emerge once more aboveground. They watch as Edwards battles the Champion with only his fists, and Jules shakes his head in disbelief. The girl throws him a look just as Edwards is thrown against the walls of the arena. As the Champion approaches him, the girl locks eyes with Edwards. She pauses, before lifting the tomahawk and throwing it into the arena. Jules tries to stop her, but the girl smiles as Edwards retrieves his weapon and finally lands a blow on the Champion. Confident he has a fighting chance, Jules and the girl make their way through the now cheering and chanting crowd, Jules leading as the girl is now unarmed. Jules asks her if now is really the time to kill "her" but the girl silences him with a look.

In another flashback, the girl and Jules sit around a campfire. Jules sharpens his sabre with a stone while the girl watches the now raging fire in the distance. Jules asks the girl why she saved him, but she does not answer. Jules tries to inquire more about her, but she stops him by lifting her head and showing him the scars on her throat. Jules asks her name, and in response, the girl takes the stone from him. Using her knife, she scratches a single word onto the stone: Lupa.

In the present, Lupa and Jules kill four more guards as they reach Kyther's private quarters behind the arena. Lupa draws her knife, and Jules guesses that she intends to lie in wait for Kyther to return. Lupa instead shakes her head, and beckons to her throat scars before pretending to slit her own throat. As she does so, she bares her teeth. Suddenly, the crowd stops chanting and begins yelling wildly, followed by a furious bellow. The two of them hear the chanting of a single word: *Mye'Akal*. Lupa and Jules lock eyes and Lupa smiles.

The two of them break through a carved door and emerge into Kyther's personal quarters. Jules agrees to ambush Kyther when she returns, while Lupa heads aboveground to find the Shark-Toothed Man. As she does so, she witnesses a troop of Norn warriors carrying a load between them. She quickly retreats and drags Jules with her back through the opening. They are ambushed by waiting warriors who have found the bodies that they slaughtered earlier, and the two of them race through the village; in the distance, they hear a man's horrific scream. Jules leads Lupa through the bushes and to a small opening in the walls where he first entered. The pair of them crawl through and sprint into the surrounding hills. Lupa stops and looks behind her at the village, which is still alive with chanting. Jules beckons her to come with him, but Lupa refuses. Jules sighs and promises her that he will find Seth and come back for her. Lupa nods and races back into the village.

### Chapter 3

Mere seconds after killing the Champion, Edwards collapses from the bad wound in his side. A troop of four warriors rush into the arena and load him onto a stretcher, carrying him out of the arena and around to its subterranean quarters. The warriors tend to Edwards but are caught by surprise when he sits up and attacks them, breaking the neck of one and swiftly killing the other three with their own weapons. Still losing blood, Edwards is caught off-guard by the Shark-Toothed Man, who forces Edwards to the floor with a single punch. The Man picks Edwards up by his hair and throws him onto a stone table, pinning him. Interith enters and orders the Shark-Toothed Man to stop Edwards from squirming. To do so, the Man forces his fingers into Edwards' wound, causing him to pass out from pain and exhaustion.

When Edwards awakens, it is with yet another terrible pain in his side, where he discovers his wound has been sealed with a hot pike. He barely has seconds to get his bearings before he is grabbed by two priests and carried into Kyther's quarters, where he is thrown to the floor. He hears liquid sloshing and looks up to see a woman with a chalise of liquid in her hand; by its scent, Edwards guesses that the liquid is blood. "*Mi asit, Mye'Akal*" she says. Edwards groans and says he cannot understand her, so the woman leans over him and says, in English, "World-Ender. You have finally come". She then delivers a single punch to Edwards, which is strong enough to force him to the stone floor. Edwards spits blood, "Enough" he says "You people better let me go, or you'll be faced with a force unlike anything you could ever imagine". The woman laughs as she finishes her drink, before saying "They would never see us, not until their throats have already been slit". Edwards realizes that he is bleeding again, and, despite his exhaustion manages to raise himself onto his knees "I won't need them" he says "because it's very simple for me. I'm gonna kill you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow...but I'm gonna kill *all* of you". The woman grins and says "I am Kyther. The Goddess of Death. We are the Norn, given life by Death. We do not fear your blade". She places her hand around Edwards' throat and squeezes "You are *Mye'Akal*. World-Ender. You killed our Champion. You are destined to destroy us. But" she lets go, "You are also our saviour". Edwards says that it does not make sense before Kyther kicks him in the side before beating him into unconsciousness.

When Edwards awakens, he has been stripped naked and chained to the stone table. He looks around and spots Kyther in the shadows, watching him. She approaches and grabs him by the throat "We decide your destiny". Interith suddenly appears and stabs Edwards in the neck with a syringe. His vision blurs instantly as Interith leaves. Kyther then climbs on top of Edwards and proceeds to violently choke him. Edwards fights back, but the serum takes its toll and he blacks out.

Edwards wakes up back in his cell, chained to the wall, having been beaten while he was unconscious. He struggles to breathe and notices that he has continued bleeding. He starts hearing voices, among them Holly and Becky, and he weeps. He falls asleep and has a nightmare of Holly on her deathbed, suddenly reanimating and biting him before proceeding to tear his guts out while he refuses to fight back.

Water is splashed onto his face, alerting him enough that he looks up to see the Wrinkled Woman. She proceeds to break the chains and dresses him. She carries him out into the corridor and brutally slits the throat of an unaware guard. The woman carries him to a rear exit and gives Edwards instructions in her language. As Edwards protests, the woman is quickly impaled with Edwards' tomahawk in her side. Edwards turns to see the Shark-Toothed Man approaching; Edwards removes his axe from the woman's corpse and sprints into the village. He takes cover from many arrows and ducks into an underground corridor. He tackles a guard and cuts his head in half with his axe, but is caught from behind by another warrior. After a brief struggle, Edwards turn him and axes his chest, before his throat opens, spraying Edwards with blood. Lupa appears as the body falls and Edwards holds his axe to her face. He recognises her as the girl from the cart. He lowers his tomahawk and simply says "that's my jacket", to which Lupa smiles.

## Credits

* Harry Edwards
* Lupa
* Jules
* Kyther
* Interith
* Shark-Toothed Man

## Deaths

* 11 unnamed Norn warriors *(7 direct, 2 alive, 2 flashback)*

## Trivia

* First appearance of Jules
* Last appearance of the Champion
* The episode's title comes from the eyes of both Edwards, Lupa and Jules being bloodshot in their first scenes.
* The word "Mye'Akal" is revealed to mean "World-Ender".
	+ The Norn's prophecy decrees that *Mye'Akal* is the "bringer of the Norn's apocalypse, but also their ultimate saviour".
* "Kyther" is revealed to be the ebodiment of the Norn's Goddess of Death of the same name.

 **Part II** | "Feral" • "Lies" • "Worship" • "Sins" • "Wolves"