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red_branchCu Chulainn wasn't a patrolman, nor did he ever aspire to be one. He was the guardian of his country in the sense that he would respond immediately to dire threats but he had never been the man to watch every village one by one and butt his head into every squabble he saw. Despite that, he had a keen eye for trouble and countless thoughts about what justice was supposed to be--so, he tended to intervene in problems when they presented themselves if only because of the fickle nature of what justice looked like to him.
Two farmers were arguing over a fairy mound, claiming ownership over a magic bow that sprung out of it. It had been hovering in the air, moving around on occasion from their perspective. Cu Chulainn, puzzled, wondered if the two men were fools--as there was clearly a man in white attire holding the damned thing. He stepped down from his horse to approach the two in the middle of their quarrel, watching the bowman, who was ignoring them as he read from a thin piece of paper held up in front of him. The two men didn't notice the bowman at all.
The bowman met eyes with Cu Chulainn, perplexed.
"You can see me?"
"Yeah. You can call me Cu Chulainn and... I'm curious. Never seen an archer carry that kind of bow, before."
Their exchange of words was brief, if not polite on Cu Chulainn's end. The farmers backed off immediately when they saw Cu Chulainn speaking to what they presumed was a demented ghost clutching the bow and ran when the bow lifted and fired, trying to take off Cu Chulainn's head from the neck. The young man let out a terse sigh, unstrapping his spear from his back after avoiding the volley before making a bit more effort to close the gap and stride towards him. The dark-haired archer was stunned that his shot hadn't landed and even more so when the following dozen bolts were parried and redirected just as easily. He jumped up and kicked the bowman square in the chest, dropping him to the ground before there had been a few popping sounds.
Strange. It didn't sound like the sound of bones breaking--he didn't think he kicked hard enough to do that. The bowman stumbled back, coughing and wheezing, his eyes bulging open as he buried his hand in his clothing to pull out a vial. The thing had broken in the center and little white tablets fell to the ground, dissolving. The shocked expression he wore spoke more about what happened than whatever he could pull out with his strange accent.
"I--I can't stay here!"
He threw a capsule to the ground, blinding light shining and catching Cu Chulainn off guard. He stepped back, vanishing into a tear in thin air, just as a few more of the tablets landed on the ground where he had been standing. Cu Chulainn rubbed under his eyes before stepping over to the remaining tablets, picking them up with a scowl.
"What a pain--fairy mounds are just troubling these days. Nothing good comes out of the damned things anymore--"
As if proving him right, a dozen or so howling voices rose up in the woods, the town, and the mountains all at once. Screaming farmers and milling people came shortly after, clearly bothered by the owners of those inhuman howls. His irritated scowl deepened and he ran off, away from the mound and towards the sound of trouble, "Speak of the devil... and he'll come crawling right away, huh?"
Two farmers were arguing over a fairy mound, claiming ownership over a magic bow that sprung out of it. It had been hovering in the air, moving around on occasion from their perspective. Cu Chulainn, puzzled, wondered if the two men were fools--as there was clearly a man in white attire holding the damned thing. He stepped down from his horse to approach the two in the middle of their quarrel, watching the bowman, who was ignoring them as he read from a thin piece of paper held up in front of him. The two men didn't notice the bowman at all.
The bowman met eyes with Cu Chulainn, perplexed.
"You can see me?"
"Yeah. You can call me Cu Chulainn and... I'm curious. Never seen an archer carry that kind of bow, before."
Their exchange of words was brief, if not polite on Cu Chulainn's end. The farmers backed off immediately when they saw Cu Chulainn speaking to what they presumed was a demented ghost clutching the bow and ran when the bow lifted and fired, trying to take off Cu Chulainn's head from the neck. The young man let out a terse sigh, unstrapping his spear from his back after avoiding the volley before making a bit more effort to close the gap and stride towards him. The dark-haired archer was stunned that his shot hadn't landed and even more so when the following dozen bolts were parried and redirected just as easily. He jumped up and kicked the bowman square in the chest, dropping him to the ground before there had been a few popping sounds.
Strange. It didn't sound like the sound of bones breaking--he didn't think he kicked hard enough to do that. The bowman stumbled back, coughing and wheezing, his eyes bulging open as he buried his hand in his clothing to pull out a vial. The thing had broken in the center and little white tablets fell to the ground, dissolving. The shocked expression he wore spoke more about what happened than whatever he could pull out with his strange accent.
"I--I can't stay here!"
He threw a capsule to the ground, blinding light shining and catching Cu Chulainn off guard. He stepped back, vanishing into a tear in thin air, just as a few more of the tablets landed on the ground where he had been standing. Cu Chulainn rubbed under his eyes before stepping over to the remaining tablets, picking them up with a scowl.
"What a pain--fairy mounds are just troubling these days. Nothing good comes out of the damned things anymore--"
As if proving him right, a dozen or so howling voices rose up in the woods, the town, and the mountains all at once. Screaming farmers and milling people came shortly after, clearly bothered by the owners of those inhuman howls. His irritated scowl deepened and he ran off, away from the mound and towards the sound of trouble, "Speak of the devil... and he'll come crawling right away, huh?"
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Date: 2025-11-17 04:47 pm (UTC)Cu Chulainn followed every twitch and spasm of that man's body with a predatory gaze, his body held tight as a muscle with every intent to sprint. From where he stood in the fjord, water flowing over his ankles stained by a deep crimson from Foich's dripping wounds, he'd simply kept his eyes on their immediate priority. Foich, gasping and retching, was still standing. One hand clutched his side in vain, as if trying to capture something crushing his chest and remove it only to find bloody splinters of bone raised from torn skin.
He wanted to admire that beast of a man for standing as long as he had, whether or not that tenacity came from Medb's spell or not.
It was only then that his thoughts all ceased. In those few moments, he and Yoruichi were forced to take Foich seriously. The man might have had borrowed power but he commanded their focus--their attention. In that short time, Medb and her chariot had vanished. He stood at attention suddenly, turning to face where her chariot had been, stunned by the realization that, somehow, she'd snuck from them silently. It wasn't until he heard the crack of thunder from that same spot that he'd realized she hadn't done so quietly. She'd rerouted in a flash.
"Noticed, eh?" Foich choked out his words around thick clumps of blood as the frenzy began to leave him and the parts of him that were stunted from failure were finding their chance to degrade. Cu Chulainn watched him, wide-eyed. A cold feeling lanced through his heart as he watched that man crumble under the weight of those wounds. "Gave her majesty her chance to... lead her forces..."
no subject
Date: 2026-02-15 01:07 am (UTC)She has no idea about the range of the technique Medb used--how far ahead are they? Are they already at the castle itself? Her eyes fly up to Cu Chulainn's. That wound to his belly is nasty; he's still standing, but that's a far cry from being able to run to head off an army.
But she won't insult him by making the choice for him. "We have to get back." Her voice is firm. She'll go herself if she has to, but this is his home. Yoruichi already knows he'll defend it to his last breath.
"Can you make it?" She's got plenty of energy--they may be able to spare a few minutes for her to at least apply first aid level of healing. But will it be enough?