One Flesh, One Soul. Part I by FellFireFan

---

Chapter 8

---

Chapter Warning: Gruesome descriptions of brutal violence. 

  The old slaughterhouse stood abandoned and silent, its rusted equipment bearing witness to the passage of time. His sense of smell returned first, assaulted by the stale air and the foul stench of decaying wood and earth. The sound of the gentle clanging of metal tools echoed eerily in the light breeze. Dust and debris filled the air illuminated by the rays of sunlight streaming through the gaps in decaying wooden walls, causing him to cough. Aegnor's vision blurred as his eyes slowly began to open. Rows of grisly, rusted implements used for chopping and cutting livestock hung ominously above him, glinting menacingly in the dim light. Plates of dirty glass hung haphazardly from above, adding a touch of eerie reflection to the desolate space where he found himself a captive.

 "He's coming too," one gruff voice echoed.

Aegnor's vision finally cleared. Slowly, he managed to lift his face from the rotten wooded floor. Dazed, he felt the weight of the shadow that loomed over him.

 "Wakey, wakey!" Hagrath jeered, his chapped lips stretching into a most chilling grin.

 Aegnor slowly sat up, dazed. He tried to pull his hands free, but the coarse rope bound them firmly behind his back. His malicious grin still pinned on his face, Hagrath rose and returned to his men who were stood around. Aegnor searched around him, scanning the room, searching for anything that could aid in cutting his binds. But his attention was abruptly caught by the sight of Andreth, who stood, gagged and tied to a contraption a afew feet from the men. Her tear-stained face sent his fury a blaze.

  Summoning his strength, Aegnor rose to his feet, his towering presence commanding the centre of the room. His gaze locked onto Hagrath, his eyes burning with cold determination. Hagrath's voice cut through the silence, laced with derision and arrogance. Aegnor watched with a seething scorn as he stroked her head, causing Andreth to recoil in discust. Then suddenly, he unleashed a vicious slap across her delicate face. Andreth yelped loudly. Causing Hagrath the snicker.

 "Come on, elf! Rescue your fair maiden!" Hagrath jeered, mocking Aegnor. Aegnor could only seethe with impotent rage as he watched on helplessly. He struck her again, and her sharp cry cracked the air. Hagrath laughed  his malicious cackles reverberating his Aegnor's hot, red ears.

  "Aegnor, that's your name, ain't it?" Hagrath called, his voice dripping with disdain.  Aegnor glared at him, his eyes, icy and vacant.

 "You see this?" Hagrath held out his hand, the glint of Aegnor's cherished blade clasped firmly in his dirty fingers. A twisted smile played upon his lips.

 "That's real pretty," he mumbled, admiring its perfect beauty. "Look at this thing, ain't no mark on it, not even a scratch. I don't think you're a fighter at all." Aegnor chuffed and licked his tense lips.

"Then untie my binds, and I'll put your mind to ease," Aegnor hissed. Hagrath burst into peels of hysterical laughter, his crooked, yellow teeth illuminated by the dusty sunbeams. "You needle eared little prick!" He jeered, "I wanna see you beg me first!"

Aegnor's eyes narrowed as he regarded his captor, his voice low and grave. "Nay, you are mistaken in your presumptions. For I have already perceived the flaws in your design. It is clear you have no true understanding of the peril you now face. The path you take now matters not, for I have already discerned the means by which I shall bring about your demise. Your capture of me was but a fleeting victory."

 He paused, his gaze piercing. "So choose your next move carefully, mortal, for I assure you - it shall be your last." Hagrath's sneer faltered. He briskly attempted to regain his composure. "What flaws do you speak of?" He asked.

Aegnor's eyes locked with Hagrath's, his voice dripping with icy resolve. His words laced with a bone-chilling certainty as he replied, "Leaving me alive,"

A deathly silence followed as Aegnors gaze locked onto Hagrath like a predator drawing upon its pray. Words spoken with such icy stillness left even the most hardened of the group shivering. Without another word, Hagrath turned and slashed Andreth's face with it. Her voice collapsed into a high-pitched shriek, and the kiss of the blade stung into her flesh, drawing her blood across her cheek. Aegnor's icy calm shattered.

 "Nooo!" A piercing roar of horror and rage tore through the air, emanating from the depths of his being.

  Like a wild animal trapped in a cage, Aegnor was unleashed. Seething, his wild eyes darted around as the men closed in on him. Driven by a need to prove himself, it was Baryn who inflicted the first blow. But Aegnor was too swift for the younger male.

 With lightning-quick feet, Aegnor gracefully dodged his strike and delivered a stomach churning blow to Baryns stomach with his knee. Knowing he was being watched by his mentors, the infuriated Baryn recovered quickly and, drawing a knife and he lunged toward the battle hardened elf once more in a frantic fury.

    He proved to be no match for the agility of the Eldar as Aegnor bended far backwards, his shoulders hitting the ground just as Baryn had reached him. With one long, swoop of his strong leg, Aegnor launched Baryn over his head in a well timed back roll. The young man shot head first into an array of assorted, rusty tools. Breaking shards of sharp glass that crashed around him. One spiked tool that hung upside down above his head was knocked from its hoisted position and fell downward and straight into Baryns skull. The room was enveloped in a dramatic silence before the convulsing youth slumped against the wall of abandoned tools. The life left his body as blood oozed in slow tendrils down his gaunt face.

    The room was enveloped in a haze of dust and the echoes of shattered glass. The rest of the gang of men, enraged by the events, grabbed the distracted Aegnor. Together, they cast the bound elf onto the shattered glass he had wrought, pinning him down upon it and began mercilessly beating him with brutal force.

Loud thuds, slams, and grunts filled the old slaughterhouse as Aegnor was subjected to their vicious onslaught. Andreth cried and writhed against her bounds, desperate to protect her special friend. Who was utterly powerless to defend himself.

   As assault persisted, Aegnor proved to be far more resilient than they anticipated, refusing to submit his dignity.

   "Come on, break him!" Hagrath roared loudly, cheering his men on. "I wanna hear that pompous elf bastard screaming!"

   Amidst the chaos, muffled words escaped from Andreth's gagged mouth as she desperately called to Hagrath. Reluctantly, he removed the gag that silenced her, allowing her voice to emerge once more.

  "Stop it! Please, Hagrath, just stop it!" She pleaded with him, "Aegnor is no common elf! He is a lord of the realm! A prince! He is part of a circle of powerful lord's who will comb every leaf and road in search for your head if you don't stop!" Hagrath listened intently, his tired, red eyes fixed upon her while a tear of desperate sadness fell from her pleading, vacant gaze. "Please, take me instead, I won't resist, please... please don't kill him!" 

  "Ooo, little rabbits got feelings for her pretty elfman!" He jeered. "I knew it! He's been getting cosy with my girl!" Grabbing her chin, he leaned in. She flinched as he pressed his cracked lips to her ear. "First, I'm going to make him scream, then, he's going to beg, then he's going to die!"

    Andreth slammed her head into Hagrath's face, the force knocking a tooth loose. With mouth dripping with blood, he spat out his tooth before locking eyes with her, his furious glare warning of what was coming. She jolted as his fist slammed into her face, nearly knocking her unconsciousness. He quickly gagged her once more as she slumped against her ropes in a semi-conscious stupor.

   Gasping for breath, the men finally halted their relentless assault, their battered knuckles throbbing with pain. They dragged Aegnor to the centre of the floor, throwing him to the ground. His bruised face hung down, eyes closed.

   Crimson blood streamed from his nose and brow. Towering behind him, one man stood brandishing a menacing rod over Aegnor's head. As if patiently waiting for Hagrath's command.

   Slowly, Hagrath approached the elf, who sat silently before him on the floor, whose demeanour was so disengaged it appeared as though he was sleeping. Aegnor's precious blade still clasped in Hagrath's hand glistened brightly in the sun. Hagrath whistled at Aegnor in an attempt to get his attention. But Aegnor did not respond.

   "Wake up!" Hagrath taunted. When Aegnor did not respond again, he picked up a small rock and threw it at him. It pinged against Aegnor's forehead. Yet still, he made no move.

 "Is he taking a nap!?" Hagrath asked, confused. His men snickered."I get that he's thousands of years old, but that's just plain rude!"

 His men laughed loudly, their cackles filling the air as a tear rolled down Andreths cheek. Hagrath slammed the wooden ground twice.

 "Hey!!" He yelled

  Aegnor slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes. Locks long hair spilt over his eyes. His gaze hard and his face stiff. Hagrath nodded to the man standing over Aegnor. "Let's try this again!" He hissed

    Aegnor jolted as the metal rod was forced into his neck. Pulled upward, It crushed his throat, jamming the elf's head against the henchman's abdomen. Aegnor released a sharp pitched yelp as it was pulled tighter. The henchman then yanked the rod upwards, which forced Aegnor's head to lift also, exposing his unprotected throat.

   Hagrath grinned wide, relishing in his power over Aegnor. He knelt before him, bringing his face but mere inches from Aegnor's. "Let me devour those eyes," he hissed.

   Aegnor glared at him, his gaze, fierce and unwavering while Hagrath gazed lingeringly back, almost longingly. Then, Hagrath traced the cold, sharp tip of Aegnor's blade along the edges of Aegnor's toned, smooth cheek. He stopped when he noticed Aegnor's lips. Their plump curves and moist surface draw his sadistic gaze closer

   "You must capture a lot of attention from women with lips like those, even the fair Andreth, you have her wrapped around your little finger, don't you!" He grinned. "For six whole years she has rejected my advances, her father outlawed me, only now to offer me a warm place between her legs just to save your pathetic life!"

   Sudden peals of scornful laughter burst from Aegnor, a sound that carried between them as he blatantly mocked his capture's revelation. His laughs were met with a loud slap across his face by an enraged Hagrath, the resounding crack split through the room.

   Aegnor squirmed as the rod was yanked hard into his neck, crushing his throat and lifting his head as high as it would lift. He felt a sharp, cold kiss of an object upon the exposed area of his vulnerable throat as Hagrath teased it with the blade, sending Aegnor into a heightened sense of alert. Andreth burst into muffled sobs, watching helplessly as she witnessed what she believed to be the demise of her special friend.

   Lost in his sadistic, carnal pleasure of witnessing Aegnor's torment, the knife Hagrath held to Aegnor's throat was unconsciously pulled away. Aegnor's eyes bore into Hagrath's , and he flashed a sinister grin.

 "Fool!" Hissed Aegnor,

Aegnor suddenly pulled from behind his back a large shard of broken glass. That he had used to secretly sever his binds and launched it into Hagrath's head. A sickening cry erupted from Hagrath and he collapsed, convulsing violently from the shard of glass stuck through his jaw. Aegnor then grabbed the rod at his throat and threw his torturer over his head. He hit the ground with a painful thud and quick as light, Aegnor was upon him, holding the rod. The man screamed an begged for mercy but his cries went unheard in the elf's ears. Aegnor impaled the rod through his stomach with such force that it went through the floor below, nailing the man to the wood. Aegnor then quickly retrieved his weapon that Hagrath had dropped, and in a callous, cold move, he plunged it into the henchman's head and his loud screams silenced immediately. He retracted the blade ad plunged it again and again in a violent rage until there was no bones left in his face. Andreth flinched at the scene before her. unable to watch such brutality.

   His murderous gaze then turned to the last remaining man. The sight he beheld in Aegnor in that moment caused his veins to turn ice cold. He beheld not an elf but a wrathful demon, hungry for revenge. The man fled the scene. Aegnor pursued him. Flying at the man with such speed, the wind he created rattled more hanging tools. Seizing him behind, Aegnor slashed his throat from ear to ear with such brutal force it nearly severed his head completely. Andreth watched in horror as the man gurgled, and blood spurted from his throat. Aegnor haphazardly dropped the lifeless body, which slumped to the ground like a sack of rotten potatoes. Andreth watched, utterly petrified by the scene before her. Aegnor stood motionless, his back turned to her, his heavy breathing slowing to a normal pace, until he slowly turned back to Andreth. She remained bound to the metal pole, her face etched with terror, frozen in fear. Blood splattered across Aegnor's face, clothes, and hands. The intensity of his monstrous visage swiftly dissipated, and cautiously, he approached her trembling figure. Tenderly, he raised his hand and gently stroked her cheek, offering reassurance.

 "Are there more of them?" he asked, his voice coarse. She shook her head, her eyes filled with tears, and Aegnor proceeded to cut her bonds with his bloodied knife. As soon as her arms were free, she lunged at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his body, sobbing loudly. Aegnor embraced her, allowing her tears to flow freely despite the protests, but he didn't dare wince, knowing the solace was desperately needed.

   Low, guttural grunts and yelps echoed through the air, originating from Hagrath. Aegnor and Andreth abruptly separated from their embrace, and Aegnor, grasping Andreth's hand, followed the sounds to their source. Hagrath lay sprawled in a pool of his blood, desperately attempting to crawl away while a fragment of glass protruded from beneath his jaw, tainted crimson. His breath came in erratic, shallow gasps, and his wide eyes quivered with fear. Aegnor's fury reignited at the sight. He grabbed Hagrath and flipped him onto his back, and stood over him, lifting him off the ground by his garments. Knife in hand.

   "Aegnor!" She cried,  his head whirled, locking eyes with her tear stained face. "No!" She whispered, her head shaking. He hesitated for a brief moment, but the cut on her face, the wound Hagrath inflicted upon her, served to remind him otherwise. That could not go unpunished.

 "If you do not wish to witness, then look away!" he growled. She did so without resistance, understanding that now even her pleas held no sway in him.

 Heaving furiously, Aegnor turned his attention back to Hagrath. Despite Hagrath's weak whimpers for mercy, Aegnor emptied his rage upon him, ruthlessly mutilating, disembowelling, and desecrating his face and body. Every slice, hack, and blow was an explosion of fury unbridled. Continuing his brutal assault without stopping until there was nothing left to sever. Finally, Aegnor's vengeance quenched. Blood saturated his hands and clothes as he stepped away. 

   "Let's go now!" he uttered, his voice heavy. He stormed past Andreth, who had averted her gaze throughout the entire ordeal. When she finally turned around, her hands covered her mouth, stifling the scream that threatened to come out. Piles of mangled organs, blood, and dismembered body parts were strewn about, remnants of what was once Hagrath. His broken skull and fragments of his rib cage were exposed, while his severed limbs lay scattered like discarded dolls. The only recognizable feature amidst the carnage was strands of his sandy red hair, severed and scattered near his head.

    After a prolonged pause, she turned back to Aegnor, who stood waiting on her, her eyes wide with terror. Aegnor, seeing the fear in her eyes, gently extended his hand to her. After a long hesitation, Angreth responded, taking it in hers, and Aegnor led them into the warm embrace of sunlight and the cool shade of the surrounding trees, leaving the old slaughter house behind Strewn across its decaying ground, the lifeless bodies of the men who had dared cross Aegnor and to Andreth, a testament to the lengths he would go to protect her.

 

○○○

The gentle trickle of the stream sang tranquil songs surrounding Andreth as she sat silently by the bank. She watched Aegnor cleanse himself in the flowing water. The crimson stains mingled with the current. His wet hair, unbound and loose, cascaded down his back. But it was his shoulders that commanded attention, sinewy and powerful, displaying the strength that lay within. A gentle breeze whispered through the air, softly tousling Andreth's hair and dress. Her eyes remained vacant, the weight of what she had seen still settling upon her.

  Aegnor turned his head, his eyes meeting Andreth's in a silent exchange. In that fleeting moment, a world of unspoken words passed between them. His gaze was soft, a plea for comfort in any form. He longed for her understanding, for the solace only she could provide. There, in the depths of his eyes, Andreth could sense the raw vulnerability that seeped from him, his need for her unwavering support in that one look. 

 Rising gracefully to his feet, he threw his thin shirt over his powerful shoulder and made his way towards her. The setting sun bathed him in a warm orange glow, accentuating his every contour. His black leggings clung to his narrow hips, and he bared his skin in front of her, his muscles bent and flexed with every graceful step. As he approached, Andreth couldn't help but notice the large scar on his left shoulder, a mark of their shared history, and a testament to his unshakable commitment to her. She noticed a silver carved pendant, glistened against his chest, swinging freely with every stride. Settling beside her on a log, Aegnor draped the thin shirt across his body, his movements tense and guarded. The charged silence enveloped them, and Andreth's gaze was drawn to his hands, blood seeping between his fingers as he discreetly tended to a cut palm.

   The weight of his presence settled upon the log. Aegnor's stormy gaze stared into the distance. The silence grew heavy until, finally, his voice broke through, laden with frustration.

  "Darkness comes soon... we must find my horse and return you home," he growled, still avoiding her gaze. Andreth's heart tightened, a mix of apprehension and longing filling her.

 "Perhaps we should make camp..." her fragile voice spoke, "and look for her in the morning," 

 "Nay!" Aegnor barked, shaking his head. A heavy silence enveloped them, and the gentle trickle of the river sung its lonely song. "I do not regret what I did to him!" He hissed, his eyes darting at her. "He will never harm anyone again!"

  Gratitude and tenderness filled Andreth's voice as she whispered, "Thank you..."  

  Aegnor's silence persisted, his eyes distant, consumed by a storm of thoughts. They sat side by side, enveloped in a heavy silence that carried the weight of unspoken emotions. She trembled, her voice laced with concern. "You're hurt..." she whispered, reaching out her hand in a sincere offering of help. Aegnor stubbornly ignored her gesture, his face hardening with stoic resolve.

  "It is a mere wound," he grumbled dismissively.

  "You are bleeding, Aegnor. Let me at least bind it for you," she insisted, her voice firm yet laced with genuine concern.

   Aegnor's stormy temperament darkened further, his gaze avoiding hers, his features etched with restrained fury. Leaning forward, Andreth extended her arm, her touch gentle as she clasped his arm, her voice beckoning him with compassion and understanding. The sudden, unexpected contact jolted something within Aegnor, causing him to explode with an intensity that sent him yanking his arm violently out of her grasp.

  "Stay your hands! I welcome not the touch," he roared, rising swiftly from his seat. Andreth quailed, retreating from him. "Do you hold your life so fleeting?" he bellowed, his voice cracking with the tumult within him as he paced vehemently around her. "Once afore, you were beset by that loathsome parasite, yet you venture forth from the sanctum of you dwelling without an escort, knowing he still stalked the land!?" Andreth remained silent, her eyes wide with stunned terror, Aegnor heaved, his eyes glowing fiercely as he continued, "I have seen the face of true evil, and men like that-," his arm swept forcefully pointing in the direction of the old slaughter house, "are the very embodiment of it!

 "Please, Aegnor, do not yell!" She pleaded.

 "What dire fate would have befallen you had I not been there?" he roared, his voice coarse with pain. "Andreth, what would have become of you?"

 "I don't know!" She yelled in retaliation. He stared at her in silence as if waiting for more words from her, but she had nothing else to say.

 "Nay Andreth, such an answer falls short!" he retorted, his voice tremulous and filled with anguish rattling the silence between them.

  He turned away from her, distancing himself from the scene, his silhouette fading as he sought a moment of respite in seclusion along the tranquil banks. Meanwhile, she stood there, her heart pounding within her chest until the echoes of his footsteps were swallowed by the distance he had put between them. Alone, the weight of her burdens became too much to bear. She crumbled, consumed by a tempest of anguished sobs, her fragile form trembling in the grip of despair.

 

​​​​​​​