Noah practiced calling up the whip and retrieving it with a flick of the wrist (under supervision) as they left the sanctuary behind.
They were walking again, more leisurely as Cain didn't exactly know where he was going either.
"That was a nice thing you did. For Noah." Markus tried to start conversation, knowing it was a dead end.
Cain shrugged, a man of many words.
"But you know we're trying to turn him back to normal right?"
Cain's jaw tensed but he didn't react otherwise. He couldn't bring himself to confess that that might not be possible. And he had way too much pride to say that he couldn't do something.
So he raised an eyebrow and shrugged again.
"Nice talking to you." Markus fell out of step with him so he could join Alexis.
He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't notice the way was blocked by two figures, standing out in the open, almost like they were waiting.
He should've noticed something was off but the moment he saw the familiar face, with its dark hair and forest green eyes, he couldn't think anymore.
He faltered for a second, aware that the others were watching before he shook it off, heading towards them. The brunet matched his pace, spreading their arms as they approached.
"Cain.." They whispered.
Cain stopped in his tracks, brow furrowing.
Too late. He couldn't react in time as they grabbed the back of his neck, bringing him in for a forceful kiss.
The other three were too stunned to move, unaware of what was happening. Cain finally pulled the chains out as a warning, forcing them to back away. He wiped the blood off his lips as he glared.
"Oh, right. They don't call you that." The brunet licked their lips, tasting the blood. Their features momentarily shifted to Cain's sharp ones before settling into a more feminine one.
They looked on as a young girl with blonde hair stood grinning, where moments before there was a taller, more masculine figure.
"Sorry about that. Then again, you deserved it." The girl shrugged, looking to her companion, a large man built like a mountain.
"Traitor." He boomed, returning Cain's signature glare.
'I am not. A traitor.' He enunciated clearly, drawing back the chains to show he meant no harm.
"Buddy, don't try it. Arden told us everything. You betrayed us and coming here with normies proves it."
'I didn't betray you.' He tried to speak, his voice failing him, but he mouthed it with conviction.
"Hmm." The girl was clearly not on his side. "Should we believe him, Vic?"
Vic, Victor, drew a broadsword from his back using blood magic, the meaning clear.
"Yeah, get them." She said sweetly, leaping off to one side.
In a split second, Cain had the chains out again, wrapping them around his sword, hoping to disarm him. He did not account for the difference in strength. Vic pulled his sword back, sending Cain halfway across the field before he had the good sense to disperse them. He landed hard on his knees.
'Noah, Risa's a healer. Distract her.'
'How? She's an Arts user!' he thought before he remembered that he too was one. He nodded, sprinting over to her.
"Yeah, they don't like you. Why don't they like you?" Alexis stood on his right, daggers drawn and ready.
"I have a theory." Markus commented, even as he prepared to fight for him.
"Get the weapon away. We'll handle the rest." She ordered, running towards Vic, Markus mirroring her, the mentality being 'can't catch all of us.'
Due to internalised misogyny (he's working on it) Vic turned to Alexis first, thinking she would be easy to take down. She was not.
As he swung the broadsword, she dropped low, hooking her leg behind his knee, then twisted to bring him down. On a smaller man-sized man, it would've made him fall but Vic merely stumbled. The opening was enough for Cain to fling the chains at his leg just as Alexis rolled away from him.
The barbs cut into his leg, making him growl. Instead of falling, he gripped the chains in one hand, an unexplainable move that shocked Cain for half a second. In the other half, he found himself being pulled at high speed, Vic's other hand ready to bring the sword down.
Markus had other plans.
He swung his sword upwards, hard as he could. He aimed for the tip, the easiest way to throw him off balance.
While the immediate threat was gone, Vic still managed to grab Cain by the throat, throwing him at Markus as defence. The guard was forced to move the sword, Cain's body hitting him full-on.
Alexis used this moment to take a running start, and before that infernal sword was brought down, kicked him in the chest, using it as a springboard to smash her heel into his chin.
She flipped back, landing on her feet, stumbling only a little.
"Risa!" Vic gurgled, blood spewing from where a tooth was knocked loose.
In a brutal move, Cain threw his chains around his arm, pulling it right. He yelled, dropping the sword.
Markus lunged forward, punching him in the jaw, the knockout button. He moved back, shaking his fist out, looking over at the other two.