The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016

Chapter 8 - Ichi (Part 2)

Minutes later, they stood before the hidden entrance to the Ichi – the home of the Izenth tribe. The entrance was a hollowed out tree that looked inconspicuous among all the other trees but it had a narrow opening in the side of the trunk to enter in. The tree was not very large, and the inside could only hold one or two people at a time.

"Why is the entrance so cramped?" asked Amadeus.

"Security," Rei replied without looking back as he hoisted himself up into the narrow opening. Turning around, his arms stretched out from the opening to receive Amadeus. "If your enemies can only come at you two at a time, two guards can fend off an entire army."

Izumi seemed all too glad to pass him off to her father as she hurriedly pushed him into Rei's arms. He was pulled into the inside of the tree which was full of the aroma of wood and herbs. The inside of the hollow tree was dark, but there seemed to be a dim light high up at the very top. In the middle of the hollow tree was a single vine. Rei plopped Amadeus gently down, leaning him against the trunk wall inside the tree. He then proceeded to wrap the end of the vine securely around one of his legs and reached out to hold the vine in one hand. He tugged on it twice, paused, and tugged on it once. There was a pause and then vine rose towards the tree top and Rei was lifted upwards towards the light. Just as quickly as Rei had disappeared, another vine reemerged from above.

"Your turn," said Izumi, whose face was still turned away from Amadeus as she spoke to him. She carefully tied the end of the vine securely around his waist. She then placed the vine in his uninjured hand.

"Hold on tight."

She tugged the vine sharply twice, paused, and tugged it again once. Immediately, Amadeus was pulled swiftly towards the light on the top of the tree. Emerging at the top of the tree, he was hoisted into a receiving area with a landing that was carved out in the trunk of the tree. A single torch lit up the inside dimly and two sturdy looking Izenth Exiles were pulling the vine up with their bare hands. These must be the guards.

Rei was waiting for him at the top, and helped to untie the vine from his waist before throwing it back down. Izumi came up the vine next, hoisted by the two imposing looking guards. Rei noticed Amadeus staring at the guards with interest.

"They're Izenth warriors, selected from birth and trained to fight." Rei explained. "They are larger than the rest of the Izenth and are only fed the best hunted meat for muscle growth. Their stringent training regime gives them supernatural stamina and speed. Every single one of them is also unmatched in ranged combat, and they are able to hit targets with pinpoint accuracy."

Rei then gestured at the two blades hanging from their waists that look like daggers. "Those are frost daggers, forged from the same ice as my icicles. For melee combat, when the enemy gets in too close for comfort."

Before he could say more, Izumi appeared from the opening and bounded gracefully onto the landing. Without a word, she dutifully picked Amadeus back up.

"Father, I'll take him to the healers," she told Rei in a voice that clearly sounded as if she were holding her breath.

"I will meet you at the council hall after that. We need to report what has happened."

Izumi emerged from the landing area which revealed an intricate network of trees connected by wooden bridges. The inside of the Ichi was bustling with life. Small lanterns were hung along the wooden bridges and a massive waterfall slushed vibrantly into the pool at the center of the impressive hidden village known as Ichi. On the ground, little children were running on the grass without a care in the world and a group of Izenth warriors were training on a platform across from them, sparring with each other with frost daggers.