Nexus

I watch the lake carefully. Every motion on its surface has me ready to let the arrow fly. Poison drips like tears from the arrowhead tainting the grass, which shrivels and dies on contact. This creates a dead patch where I stand. The sight makes my blood boil, even without me touching it, I have to watch it die. Taking a deep breath I refocus. I will do much worse today than kill some grass. Today I get to kill a majestic creature, more powerful and smart than I could ever be, but that does not matter as long as the arrow pierces it. Finally, I see a ripple and draw the bow again, and this time the ripple grows. I can only pray it goes away, that it's just one of the fish that lives in the lake.

Please.

The water dips and a sudden rise now grows into a wave.

Please.

A scaled blue-grey tail rises from the water, it's as tall as a fully grown giant, merely hinting at the massive beast hiding underneath the surface. I try to envision the full magnitude of the beast but fail. The tail is wrapped around some sort of object, too small for me to see clearly. The tail lashes back toward the water and with the speed of a whip, lashes it back to the shore, releasing the object and sending it flying in my direction.

I ignore it, steadily aiming the arrow at the tail that had remained above water. I release the arrow and send it flying, the arrow speeds towards the creature and hits the target dead on, the scales of the tail not tough enough to defend against the extreme corrosion of the poison. An anguished roar sounds as a massive head breaks from underneath the water, angry eyes searching for the perpetrator but I know even if it finds me in the foliage it will not be fast enough to get to me. All it takes is two seconds for the mightiest creature in Pangaea to die.

1.

One more second and my most recent atrocity will have succeeded, another ancient god will have fallen at my hands and my ancestors will have another reason to tear my soul apart. The beast's head swayed side to side as the poison spread through its system weakening its muscles and with one final weak and despairing roar it died crashing into the lake.

2.

Gone, as simple as shooting a deer. The arrow was made by extracting and distilling my blood to create a potent and corrosive poison capable of extracting life even from the gods of the old religion - dragons. I will single handily be responsible for purging their existence from our land all for Lacro, so he can use their blood for whatever magical reason he has.

I whistle three short but loud bursts to signal Rogue that it is safe, we will have to retrieve the blood from the body and he is the only one in the village willing to help, the only one in the village who is not afraid of me despite everything I have done and continue to do.

A twenty-one-year-old blond man with shifting green eyes that always seem to imitate the colour of whatever plants he is in contact with. His face holds a disgusted expression as he looks towards the lake, but he does not balk, instead, he starts walking towards the shore and I swiftly follow him. This next part is up to him. No one in their right mind would enter the lake, and my aversion to this lake runs too deep to even consider it.

Rogue stops at the edge of the forest and kneels touching knotweed, a hollow-stemmed plant. His eyes glow and the weed becomes razor sharp, losing its end and becoming a live hollow needle. Suddenly, the plant stretches, growing at an astounding speed stretching towards the lake.

"Retrieve," says Rogue and the plant obeys swiftly diving under the surface of the lake and burying itself into the arrow wound. It starts to constrict and relax, soon the blood rises through the plant draining the poor beast of its vital fluids. Rogue takes out a large wooden bowl and plants it by the end of the long tunnel-like plant. He creates a small hole, allowing for the blood to exit the plant and flow into the basin.

As Rogue gathers the blood I remember the unidentified flying object and make my way to where it should have landed all the while watching the shore for Cipactli, which will sometimes leave the water to feast on anyone brave or stupid enough to get close. Though they seem to leave children alone and while more than one adult has lost their life to these vile water lizards, no kids have ever been attacked.

Once I get close I notice that what I thought was an object, is in fact, a fairly pretty woman with light blond hair that is saturated with water and tousled across her face, but her petite frame looks very frail. Based on the weird fabric of her dress it's highly unlikely she's a huntress so she shouldn't even be this far from the village. And the next village closest to us is a day's travel away. There is no way she made it this far in this flimsy dress. Inspecting her closer, she doesn't seem like a herbalist either. I can't pinpoint her line of work at all for that matter. Who is this woman and what is she doing out here by the outlawed lake? She should be brought in for questioning.

"Rogue!" I call out. He has to be the one to take her, especially if we want her to wake up. Rogue rushes over to me, and when his eyes land on the woman they grow wide as he simultaneously gasps.

"How did she end up here?" He immediately kneels beside her, checking for any signs of life. He looks at me with relief and a heavy exhale leaves his lips. So she is still alive. She won't enjoy it for very long though, since I'm the one who found her.