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Hejira: Crystalline Hall

By Mantrid Brizon

Episode 10: B.S.T.

Faye walks up to the RIA 1911 that sits in the dirt. She picks up the pistol and brushes it off, noting that Kelly never even took the safety off. She walks over to Kelly and hands him his sidearm and the two collectively push the large branch over enough for him to free his legs. He stands and looks at the swaying corpse that hangs in the tree. Blood runs down the witch’s legs and drop onto the ground, making considerable noise in the eerie silence.

“What was that shit?!” Kelly looks to Faye. “I mean, she was all glow-y, and insane and you were just as bad, and you killed her with the same powers and…” Kelly rambles.

“Shut up.” Faye says, holding up a hand.

Kelly looks at her hand and side steps away.

“You did that shield thing.” Faye point out. “Maybe it wasn’t the sword that was powerful. Maybe it was you.”

“How sweet of you to finally notice.” Kelly chuckles.

“A cemetery means a nearby town, or at least a village. We’re probably not far from people.” Faye thinks aloud, running a finger along her bottom lip.

“As long as they aren’t like her.” Kelly comments.

They walk around the cemetery for a moment as they look for a trail, or any sign of civilization. It doesn’t take them long to find a well-worn path that leads away from the graveyard. They begin hiking down the path, and after only a matter of minutes, turn the corner and exit the woods to see that the trail leads to a small village. They enter the town and hear voices coming from a building. There are no signs to reveal what any structure is, but as late as it is, they don’t know what else to do.

They push the door open and step inside of the building, startling the patrons of a tavern. They look to the newcomers with suspicion, and demand to know where they came from.

“The graveyard.” Faye replies with a cold stare and a colder monotone.

“You’re with… Her?!” A patron cries out in terror.

“That bitch we left strung up in the tree?” Faye asks.

“No. We are not associated with any evildoers of any kind.” Kelly immediately adds.

The patrons talk amongst themselves for a moment as Kelly and Faye look on.

“The witch was ruling our village as a Goddess. Every so often she would come and drain the life force from one of us, to feed her aura.” One patron says.

“By killing her, you’ve done us a service, and freed our town.” The barkeep adds.

The villagers rush outside and head directly for the cemetery as Faye and Kelly sit on crudely carved wooden stools in front of the bar. The barkeep sets down two pints of ale before them.

“I don’t drink.” Kelly says to him.

“I never got that. You’re Irish, but you never drink.” Faye comments.

“I’m also British. The tea totaling loser often wins out.” Kelly smirks.

“A shame…” Faye murmurs.

She reaches out and grabs the pint, sliding it over to herself. Kelly is left in shock by how drastically Faye has changed, and in such a short time. She isn’t anything like the girl that he and Gareth had spent the last ten years treating like a sister. She starts chugging the first pint as she leaves a hand on the counter. It trembles slightly as she tilts her head back, drinking the entire pint without taking a breath. Townsfolk barge back into the tavern, cheering and shouting happily.

“They killed the witch!” One shouts.

“Praise to our deliverers!” Another exclaims.

“Looks like this is all on the house, now.” The barkeep laughs.

The villagers swarm the two and shower them with praise. They crowd around them as Faye seems more annoyed. She clenches her teeth and her knuckles turn white on the counter. The muscles in her arm bulge as she seems to tense up. Kelly immediately notices and leads the villagers away from her, actively talking and joking with as many as he can. After nearly an hour, many of the villagers return home to sleep, but they have all decided to throw a feast for their two saviors the very next day.

The tavern soon clears out and Kelly walks back to the barkeep. Though the tavern hasn’t functioned as an inn since the witch took over the town, there are still beds upstairs. Kelly makes a deal with the barkeep to stay the night, and promises to find better accommodations the next day, if they should be required too. The barkeep is exceptionally generous, and doesn’t accept currency when Kelly offers to pay. The barkeep begins cleaning, leaving the two alone at the bar.

“Alright, Revy…” Kelly begins as he turns to face Faye. “I don’t know what the hell your problem is, but you need to get a grip. Right. Now.”

“The fuck are you talking about?” Faye grumbles.

“You know damn well what I’m talking about. You were adventurous and kind of hard core back at home, but this is something else entirely. I don’t know what has gotten into you, but you’re turning into some cliché action girl with a dark and troubled past, and you aren’t that. You’re Faye.”

“Valentine?” Faye smirks.

“No… I grew up with you. I know you. You hardly ever swore! But whoever you are right now, I don’t know this person.” Kelly says.

“Maybe this is just who I am? Maybe I’ve always been like this? Maybe it took me coming here to realize it?” Faye turns to him.

“No. I went through middle and high school with who you always were. She was an adventurous, spirited, but gentle and passionate girl. She had a heart, and more patience than a chipmunk. She wasn’t Riza Hawkeye, Electra, Lara Croft, or Michelle Rodriguez. She was Faye.” Kelly continues.

“Touching…” Faye says, glaring at him with cold eyes.

“That’s what I’m talking about! Where did that dead stare come from, and why is it focused on me? I’m not the bad guy here, and you aren’t either.” Kelly finishes.

“Maybe this is how I’m coping with the stress.” Faye poses.

“Well killing everyone and everything in sight isn’t a good way to cope, especially when they’re a bunch of innocent people, thanking you for freeing them from tyranny. There are better ways to cope.” Kelly scolds her.

“Whatever. I don’t feel like talking anymore.” Faye grumbles.

“Fine… Just think about what I said.” Kelly says as he gets up from the stool and walks upstairs.

Faye slumps over on the bar and rests her head on the table. She sighs as she stares at the dark, musty wood. She reflects on how she was before the trip to Belize, and how she is now that they are in this bizarre world. In truth, Faye doesn’t even understand why she is acting the way that she is. She is so anxious and upset; she wants to race to the finish line, and blow the mountains up at the same time. Her anger over her situation, and her desire to be rid of this world, are boiling over and turning into pure, unadulterated hatred. It’s all she can feel.

She rises from her seat, and walks slowly up the stairs. She sees a door partially open and peeks inside. Kelly lies back on a bed with a single candle on the nightstand illuminating him. She tries the door across the hall and sees that it is empty. She walks inside and picks up a candle. She shaves a bit of magnesium from her fire starter and rubs the shavings into the wick before striking the flint with the back of her Mora knife, lighting the shavings and the wick. She sits on the bed, noting how uncomfortable it feels compared to her old bed.

“Still better than the ground, I guess…” She thinks quietly aloud.

She lies back and stares at the ceiling. For a moment, she thinks about what Kelly said to her earlier that night, before they even encountered the witch. She wonders what Naomi is doing right now. Is she sleeping? Is she running? Is she even still alive? She ponders Naomi’s fate, and clenches her fist tightly. As she imagines Naomi in the wilderness, cold, hungry, afraid, or even dead, her eyes well up. A tear runs down her face. She forces the thoughts out of her mind and rolls over on the bed.

She takes a few deep breaths, conquering her emotions. She stares at the flame of the candle until it burns nearly an inch of wax away. As her body becomes exhausted, but her mind races. She is determined not to fail Naomi. She blows out the candle and wills herself to sleep.

“Hey, Faye.” Kelly says through the door as he knocks.

He’s been awake for several hours, and the sun is high in the sky. If he had to guess, he would say that it is almost noon. The villagers have prepared a feast in the town square in their honor, and are nearly ready to begin. Personally, Kelly would rather wait until later, but would never turn down free food, regardless of the time. He knocks again on her door.

“Faye. It’s almost time to eat. Are you alive in there?” He calls into the room.

He hears shuffling from within, and after a moment, the door slowly creaks open. A groggy looking Faye stands just inside of the doorway, still fully clothed and wearing her boots.

“Breakfast?” Kelly smiles.

“Sure…” Faye groans.

Kelly turns to head down the hall.

“Hey.” Faye begins.

“Yeah?” Kelly stops and turns back to her.

“About last night… I’m sorry. I’m just having a tough time.” Faye apologizes.

“You and me both… I’ll see you at breakfast. Man, I hope they have steak!” Kelly grins.

Faye chuckles as Kelly rushes quickly down the stairs, before running outside. She looks out of a window and sees the festival atmosphere down below. She takes a deep breath and sighs as she prepares herself. She clenches a fist tightly and tries to contain the burning rage as she walks downstairs. She smooths out her hair and ponytails it before exiting the tavern. A crowd is gathered around, talking to Kelly.

As soon as Faye opens the door, dozens of people notice her and begin talking to her. They praise her and thank her, but the voices turn into a cacophony of noise that vibrates inside of her skull. She moves through the crowd, noticing that many of the townsfolk are surprised that one of their champions is a woman, especially the other females. She finds Kelly at a table, flanked by several young women, who all swoon as he regales them of the battle. She takes a seat parallel to him and collects a plate.

As she places food on the plate and takes a cup of wine, she notes that Kelly praises her skill and fierceness in battle; he doesn’t attempt to exaggerate himself even the slightest. Regardless, he still has a small army of fans, most of them women, and he is certainly not shying away from any of them. Faye remains silent throughout the feast, content to eat quietly and allow Kelly to do all of the talking.

As Kelly talks to the thankful and joyous villagers, he continues to regale them with the witch’s defeat. Several villagers then explain the aura and talents to the pair. They explain the basic use to their champions, and seem rather surprised that they don’t already have full control of their abilities. For once, Faye is capable of focusing on what the villagers are saying to her. While she is interested in learning more about her powers, Kelly is interested in bragging about said powers to the women.

At some point, Kelly leaves the table and talks with various groups of people, moving deeper into the crowd. Time passes by and Faye becomes frustrated as Kelly does not return. Originally, she assumed that ‘feast’ meant ‘eat and leave’ but is unpleasantly surprised when she is trapped in several hours of socializing. She doesn’t care to socialize; she wants to keep walking to road. Naomi is out there, and she needs to find her.

When she struggles to maintain her composure, she moves away from the table and looks for Kelly. After searching the festival grounds on her own for some time, she can no longer stand being around the crowds of people, every single one of whom can’t help but talk to, or praise her. She quickly walks back into the tavern, shutting the door behind her and racing up the stairs. At this point, she is ready to push the bed frame against the door and wait there until she is no longer famous.

She quickly climbs the steps and rounds the corner, walking down the hallway. She sighs in relief as she can finally hear herself think. She nearly forgot what peace and quiet sounded like. She leans against the wall and rests her head on the door frame to her room, when she hears a strange noise. Curious, she pushes open the door to Kelly’s room, where the noise is coming from. Her face flushes as she stands frozen in shock.

Kelly sits naked on his bed with an equally nude girl straddling his pelvis, his back against the headboard. His hands grip her ample bust as she holds onto his shoulders, bouncing up and down atop him. He buries his face between her breasts. Beside them on the bed Faye can see the legs of a second girl, apparently passed out after having been thoroughly used. She steps back as she shuts the door, unnoticed by the lovers.

She heads into her own room and closes the door, sitting down on the floor with her back against it. As she sits there in silence, she can hear Kelly’s grunts and the girl’s groans and moans. She grits her teeth and clenches her fists in anger.

“That selfish bastard…” She thinks aloud. “I can’t believe he would abandon me like that, just to fuck some village whores. He could have at least warned me! He knew damn well that I wasn’t comfortable being their poster girl. Whatever happens next is on him…”

Faye stands up as her blood boils. She can feel her temperature rising by the second. She grunts, and her grunt evolves into a scream as she thrusts her hands before her and throws a focused shock-wave at the bed, shattering the frame. The bedframe’s pieces fly into the wall, jutting out the other side as Faye breathes heavily. The release of energy serves to calm her down. She decides that now is a perfectly good time to train.

She leaves the room as Kelly steps out, a weaved cloth blanket covering his waist and below. He begins to speak, but Faye points the palm of her left hand at him, quickly silencing him. She walks down the steps and exits the tavern. The villagers see her and step away in fear as she walks by. She grins as she feels empowered by their terror. This must have been the reason for the witch’s behavior; she understands fully now, and relates. She walks to the path that leads to the graveyard. Heading back, she is determined to put her skills to the test.

“I’m so sorry for this.” Kelly says as he leaves the tavern, now fully dressed. He passes the barkeep some coins and heads outside. “Did anyone see where Faye went? Where’s the girl I was with?” He asks.

“She went to the cemetery.” A young boy’s voice calls out from the crowd.

Kelly rushes back to the cemetery. He hears headstones breaking as he moves ever closer. He turns the last corner and sees Faye, standing atop the hourglass shaped headstone, shattering tombstones with focused blasts from her palms.

“What are you doing?” Kelly asks, carefully approaching her.

“Practicing.” Faye says with a pleasant smile.

“Oh… You know you wrecked that tavern…” Kelly adds.

“So?” Faye blasts another tombstone into pieces.

“So that’s not good… … What is bothering you?” He asks with a raised eyebrow.

Faye stops and looks back at Kelly. She jumps down from the tombstone and approaches him, weaving her fingers together and bending them backward to crack her knuckles.

“Nothing is bothering me, so just go back and finish up with that tramp of yours. I get the feeling I interrupted you.” Faye snickers.

“Are… Are you jealous?” Kelly asks in surprise.

“Hah! Not in the least, or at least not of you.” Faye laughs.

“So you want to get laid?” Kelly struggles to understand.

“I’m out here relieving stress. I feel better when I do this, so go back and relieve your own stress. It’s not like I’m hurting anyone.” Faye explains.

“Yeah… Except for the people who no longer know where their loved ones are buried.” Kelly says as he shakes his head.

“If they cared enough to visit, they wouldn’t need tombstones to know that.” Faye retorts.

“That’s not the point. It’s the principal of the thing.”

“Look, God damn it! You need to fuck off right now, or the next thing I hit won’t be a piece of meaningless rock!” She snarls.

Unwilling to fight her, he backs down and leaves. He returns to the village as Faye keeps working. She destroys every single headstone, saving the hourglass headstone for last. She finally feels calm, and even a little tired. Now late in the evening, she walks down the path and back towards the village. She stops when she sees Kelly and the same girl from earlier sitting together on the path. She approaches them, looking down at the two.

“Faye, this is Marcella.” Kelly begins. “She’s a huntress for the village and knows a way over the mountains that can save almost a week’s worth of walking.”

“Really? I didn’t know you had time to talk.” Faye taunts.

“In between love-making, we actually shared quite a bit.” Kelly slings back.

“So what’s the catch?” Faye asks.

“I go with you, and we leave right now.” Marcella replies.

“I didn’t know she could use her mouth to speak. Does she know any other tricks?” Faye mocks her.

“Hey, you did my village a favor, but you’re dangerous and scaring everyone. They aren’t happy about the tombstones either, but if you leave immediately, that will be the end of it.” Marcella says sternly.

Faye shrugs, as though she doesn’t take the situation seriously. With twilight fast approaching, they return to the tavern and collect their gear before swiftly departing. Marcella leads them down a road and turns towards the mountains, taking a well-hidden pass with a steep incline. They climb as quickly as possible as the daylight fades away. They eventually reach level ground on the pass.

“We’ll have to camp here tonight and move on at daybreak. It’s too dangerous to travel at night, even with your lights.” Marcella tells them.

“Whatever you say… Marcella.” Faye snickers.

Faye doesn’t care. She’s just happy to finally be moving again. She looks back at the village in the distance and smiles, giving a single hand wave to the pathetic little speck of civilization. Marcella starts a campfire as Kelly gathers wood. Faye leans against a rock and looks up at the sky. She wonders how Naomi is doing, and imagines herself climbing through the mountain pass. Her daydream is only interrupted by Marcella’s and Kelly’s talking and laughter.