What's a Good Romance Without a Little Bloodshed?

(Part 1)

Written by Thyme and Wolsal

It had been around a year since the defeat of the God of Chaos- though the defeat of the first god had come many years prior. 

It had however been only a few days since the same God of Chaos had taken siege of the cult so many called their home. It was barren- empty. Nobody had dared to face the prowess of a god- even if a former one. Let alone an angry former god who just found out he maintained power. 

The goat appeared from inside one of the houses in the cult- making his way towards the center of the area. He had seemingly just finished ransacking yet another property. Ichor seemed to drip heavier down his forehead than usual- bugs crawling across his skin. Despite this, he wore a self satisfied smile on his face. A real one. 

It was dusk. The sky was blooming with darkening warm colors, entirely devoid of clouds. The air was hot and humid- a light breeze oh-so softly breathing upon the lone goat.

He traipsed around, eyes loosely scanning his surroundings. Many of the villagers had been evacuated- some in critical condition. Any remaining would consist of those stupid enough to face him. He hummed softly to himself- luckily for him, not many were dumb enough to think they could stand against him. Cowards they were- though better to be a coward than an idiot, he supposed.

Keith sat in a nearby building with the rest of the people who had escaped the Chaos, leaned against a wall, just listening to the people murmuring around him. He needed to find the right time to act, before anything bad could happen. 

Being one of the few who chose to stand their ground, he was privy to conversation of action, and he didn’t like what he’d heard. Keith peered outside the small gap in the trap door- just barely visible, he could see him. And he was getting closer. 

Solomon approached the temple cellar opening- where most of the survivors had managed to hide out. He hadn’t managed to figure out how to get in, but he suspected they were there. His footsteps echoed towards the cellar- audible from below the ground. 

He stood a few feet away from the opening, ears perked up in an attempt to determine if anyone resided inside. He’d checked at an earlier date- he hadn’t found anyone, but he had a feeling that the occupancy status had changed.

Keith swallowed hard- beads of sweat forming on his forehead. It was time

He carefully made his way to the exit, trying to leave as stealthily as possible. He kept low, keeping an eye out for Solomon as he attempted to find the best angle to strike from. 

One of Solomon’s ears perked up in attention- he heard something. His brows furrowed, going stiff as he tried to pick up what he was hearing exactly. Keith steeled himself- now or never, he was about to figure him out.

He lunged, propelling the full weight of his body in an attempt to knock Solomon over. 

Before the goat could properly react, he felt himself toppling over- hitting the ground with a thud and a yelp. He shoved at his attacker, twisting himself around to try and get a look at his assailant-

He felt a sharp pang of rage from within his skull. Without a second thought, he headbutted him. Hard. Not enough to actually do damage, just enough to hurt like hell. 

Keith’s head got knocked backwards a bit, he immediately used that space to throw his head forward, head-butting back. This only served to infuriate him further, retaliating with a bite to the shoulder and a hard knee in the stomach.

Keith scrunched his face up in pain- yep, that hurt. 

While Solomon's teeth were sunk into his shoulder, Keith reached for one of his hands. Sol jerked his hand away, releasing his bite and kneeing him again in the stomach. He shoved Keith as hard as he could, the place his hands made contact with seemed to leave a burning- almost tingling sensation. 

“GET OFF OF ME!” He yelled, voice brimming with unbridled rage. A few drops of a bright green liquid flew out of his mouth as he yelled, landing on Keith. Where it made contact with him, it melted through the cloth. Where it made contact with his skin, it left small marks of corroded and melted skin. 

Keith scrambled to his feet, standing still for a second to catch his breath. “I’m sorry, this has to happen...” He mumbled, clenching his fist as he took in ragged deep breaths.

Solomon stumbled up too, fists clench and ichor spilling down one side of his face. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing.” He snarled, baring his teeth. He took a few steps forward- looking ready to attack at any second. Where he stepped you could see small shoots of ivy begin to twist upwards from the ground- growing ever so slowly towards him. Almost like they were an army waiting for a command from their general.

A pit formed in his stomach. Keith couldn't look Solomon in the face, instead centering his sights on his chest. He lunged again. This time Solomon moved away quickly, diving out of the way fast as he could- hitting the ground in the process. He stumbled up, 

The goat yelled in a mix of anger and frustration. He pointed at Keith before raking his claws against the air, as if scratching a wall. It was almost immediately apparent that this wasn’t for nothing as dozens of thorns shot out at Keith- they seemingly came off the vines that even now still seemed to be following Solomon.

 “I’m going to give you one. More. Chance.” He snarled, face twisted in rage. “Leave.”

Keith frowned guiltily, looking away for a moment. “I’m sorry.” Keith tried to tackle Solomon again, he wasn’t going to give up with what he knew. Once again seeing it coming, Solomon decided on a different strategy. 

He ran at him hard as he could, slamming his full weight into him as a counter-tackle in hopes to knock him over.  The wind got knocked out of him as he hit the ground, everything spun for a second as Keith tried to gain his bearings.

He looked up to see Solomon on top of him. In an attempt to think fast, Keith grabbed onto his torso- arms partially wrapped around him to keep him from immediately running to attack again. Solomon quickly tried to launch himself away, finding himself unable to get away from the grip. 

A flash of fear was visible behind the fury in his face- but only for a moment before the rage consumed his expression once more.

He clawed hard as he could at Keith, spitting a mouthful of corroding acid at him. “LET GO.” He yelled, venom both figuratively and literally spilling from his words. He was growing frantic. Keith held on as tight as he could manage- wincing as acid burned his skin. 

He took a deep breath before shuffling his legs under Solomon to get a better angle. He flipped the both of them so he was on top, Solomon landing with a thunk and with Keith holding him down. Solomon yelled in anger, kicking hard as he could manage, clawing at his arms as he wriggled. 

Flicking his wrist in one quick motion- more thorns shot at Keith with a few strays catching Solomon himself.  

“YOU’RE AN IDIOT. IF YOU DON’T LET GO NOW YOU ARE DEAD.” He yelled as loud as he could, chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. Keith tensed up at the yelling, mentally preparing himself for what he hoped would be the last leg of this fight.

He moved to try and hold Solomon down without his hands- one knee on his stomach and an elbow on his chest. Ignoring Solomon’s protests, he lifted his hands away from him carefully. He began to move to grab Solomon's hands in an attempt to mitigate his attacks.

A stronger shock of fear became visible on the goat’s face- pulling his hands away to dig his claws into his assailant’s shoulders. He swung his head, horns hitting Keith in the side of the head. Once more not enough to do serious damage, but enough to hurt like hell. 

Keith didn’t have the time to think about the fact he hadn’t already been killed, nor that the headbutts had been woefully non-violent, there were far more pressing matters. 

He tightened his grip on Solomon’s wrists- feeling the scarred and worn skin below his fingertips as he took a moment to slow the dizzying in his head from the latest attack. His vision focused in time to see Solomon preparing a second flurry of attacks, perhaps a moment too late as he felt a sharp knee to the gut. 

Without thinking, Keith swung his head as hard as he possibly could into Solomon’s- maybe trying to stun him and buy himself a few moments.

As his head collided with Solomon’s, he heard a dull sound not dissimilar to a crunch followed by the thunk of his head hitting the ground. Keith paused, staring down. Everything had gone… quiet… too quiet.

Keith looked down at his wrists still held in his grip, arms limp and no longer trying to pry themselves free.

“Oh no, no no no shit.” He didn’t mean to go that far- he didn’t mean to….

He jumped off of him and pulled Solomon into his lap, holding his face in his hands. Blood was dripping down his face from where Keith had hit him- fuck. His head. He took in a sharp inhale as reality hit him and he was reminded of the fragility of what was left of that half of his skull.

“I didn’t mean- I’m sorry, I-” He lightly shook Solomon trying to wake him up, receiving no response  “No no no, please no-” He held him as close to himself as possible- one hand still gently pressed to his face with the other holding him against his chest. “Please, no, I’m sorry, I- Please don’t go-” He murmured softly, feeling a single beetle scuttling across the hand that cradled his face. 

He bit back tears as he stared at the motionless body clutched in his arms. He… he didn’t mean to- he didn’t mean to kill him-

The sound of the cellar door practically slamming open rang out, quiet but quick paw steps ran towards the pair sitting on the grass. 

Ratil looked down at Keith, worry visible on their face. He wasn’t in a good way- neither was Solomon from the looks of it. They kneeled down next to him- a mix of pity and questioning painted across their expression. He barely acknowledged Ratil as they approached and knelt beside him, still talking to Solomon in hushed and murmured apologies.

They gently placed a paw on his shoulder, gesturing towards the bloodied body he held in his arms. They didn’t need to speak to be understood if you tried- the question was simple. What happened. Keith looked at Ratil and turned so he was between Solomon and Ratil. He did not understand what Ratil was trying to communicate. They frowned- tapping him on the shoulder again whilst being mindful of his injuries. They once more gestured to Solomon, then at himself. 

Keith still misunderstood, grip tightening on the body in his arms. “I’m not letting him go.” They furrowed their brows, shaking their head. They switched gears, shifting so they were properly sitting down. They gestured towards their ear then pointed at Keith- they’d sit here and listen.

They would under any other circumstance simply just communicate by signing but, unfortunately, Keith was one of the few cultists who… never quite got the hang of the language. So, they’d have to play a makeshift game of charades.

Keith watched as Ratil gestured, hand toward ear and then- oh… Ratil wanted him to listen, he understood that at least. He turned to face Ratil, a look of relief washing over their face that at least that much had gotten through to him.

Keith took a deep breath, following the pit quickly forming in his stomach and growing into his throat. “It was an accident I swear, I didn’t mean to.” He looked at the ground between himself and Ratil- another shaky breath.

“People were talking about killing him, and I- I had to do something, but I’ve gone and fucked everything up.” Their eyes widened in shock, shaking their head. They gestured to Solomon and Keith’s injuries and again gestured for him to go on- at least he was talking now. 

They were trying to gauge from their position whether or not Solomon was alive- though admittedly it was difficult to tell without being able to get close or check physically. Keith continued the long winded explanation, Ratil sitting patiently and listening.

From several yards away, Tyme stepped out of the bunker and also started listening- ears perked up to attention as they watched their uncle converse, or more so talk at the rat. They furrowed their brows.

“-then his head and-” Keith shoved his face into the crook of Solomon's shoulder, stifling a sob. “And now he’s dead, and it’s my fault, and I loved him, and I don't know what to do-” He choked out, looking over at the rat with glossy eyes. They placed a paw on his shoulder, doing their best to try and comfort him. Though truthfully they didn’t really know what they could really do or say. Not like they could do much of the latter.

He turned away from Ratil again. “You aren't gonna take him from me.”

They frowned, shaking their head. They tried to reach out for Solomon’s wrist to even just check if he had so much as a pulse. He twisted Solomon away from Ratil even more so, scowling at them. They huffed, reaching over further. Their tail smacked on the ground a few times in restrained annoyance. They were only met with more resistance 

Seeing the struggle, and having heard enough, Tyme bolted over.

They kept their momentum high as they got closer and closer until they were right behind Keith. They jumped and hit Keith in the back of the head with their knee, letting the built-up speed do most of the work.

***

A doctor, a tall, winged sheep, stood in a curtained off room, notepad in hand facing away from the bed. Gods what a day- between having to re-set up the medical tent and take in a dozen or more patients, they were swamped. And she needed a vacation.

She stood by the bed of one of said patients- a seal, seemingly a frequent flyer of the building, who had gotten several acid burns, bite marks, lacerations, and a potential concussion. She just had to make sure the patient woke up before she could perform the check on the neighboring patient. 

Keith groaned, everything hurt. He screwed his eyes shut in protest to the idea of waking up- the light pressure of a bandage around his head being one of the first things he'd notice.

Zivka glanced towards the bed, raising the charcoal pencil in her cloven hand. She stepped closer. “Sir? Are you alright?”

He opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling, the ceiling of the building he’s broken into too many times to count. “...Ow.” He groaned out rather unhelpfully. The ewe scribbled something down, glancing back up. “Sir, can you hear me right now.” She asked, the first thought in her mind being to rule out a concussion as she observed his behaviour

It took a second for him to process what the nurse said, blinking a few times. “Yep.” She nodded, scribbling something else down. Keith attempted to peer at what she had written, but was unable to parse it. “How do you feel? You were in pretty bad shape when you were brought in…” She half mumbled the last part.

The seal paused for a moment- he started to remember what had happened before he got knocked out.

“Bad.” He replied shortly, feeling his stomach sink. The doctor raised an eyebrow.

“Is there anything we may do to help? Or would you rather stay here and rest.” She furrowed her brows quizzically. She knew the doctors had done everything they could to fix him- bandages had been placed on his head, shoulders, arms, all bite marks and burn wounds thoroughly cleaned. Perhaps they had some pain relieving herbs somewhere-

“No, I’ll be fine.” Keith responded, though it was a lie. Truthfully, he did not feel like he was going to be fine. “Alright, well if you’re sure you don’t need anything I’ll start my work on other patients. If you need us you can just ring that bell beside your bed-“ She gestured to the bedside table. Keith nodded somewhat absently. “Other than that, if you want to, you may also leave.” He gave a halfhearted thumbs up to the nurse and watched her leave. 

He just wanted to wallow in his sorrows. 

She turned and opened the curtain- immediately as she did she disappeared from sight, the sound of a door opening and shutting could be heard. 

…It was only about a minute or so before the door creaked back open and the sound of wheels rolled in, though those sounds were overshadowed by loud yelling and rattling that practically crashed in. Keith listened to the yelling. It sounded like Solomon, but that couldn’t be… maybe he was hit in the head harder than he thought.

“Sir- calm down- we just need to-“ “FUCK YOU- LET ME GO- I SWEAR AS SOON AS I GET OUT I’LL KILL YOU-“ A loud shrill voice came yelling, thrashing and metal rattling resounded around the room. “We’re not hurting you just- if you just cooperate it’ll be over quicker!” The doctor’s response was only met with more angry yelling. The back and forth persisted, the doctors and nurses fruitlessly trying to get the irate patient to calm down.

Keith paused, this yelling person was starting to sound more and more like Solomon by the minute.

He sighed and stood up, opening the curtain to see what the commotion was about.

Zivka was standing over a wheeled in cot, a very pissed off looking Solomon half-sitting up, half-laying down on it.  His hands were behind his back- presumably cuffed given he’d just been caught after going on a 3 day long murderous rampage and would most certainly be going straight to the town jail once he was well enough.

Bandages were haphazardly wrapped around his head, though clearly the nurses hadn’t had time to finish the job before he woke up. They had however had the foresight to fix the cuffs to the guardrail beforehand- and it was obvious that was a necessary precaution given as is he was doing his damndest to escape. “LET ME GO. YOU’LL REGRET THIS I SWEAR-!” He yelled, managing to spit out a bit of acid that landed on Zivka.

Keith stood for a second processing, Solomon was alive, he didn’t kill him! Keith ran up and wrapped his arms around him without a second thought, ignoring the nurses trying to tell him not to. “You’re alive!” 

Solomon froze up in the embrace, momentarily taken by surprise. As soon as he managed to snap out of whatever shock induced trance he was in, he bit down on Keith’s arm the best he could from the angle he was at.

As soon as Solomon's teeth sunk into his arm he let go and stepped back.

“I’m so glad you’re alive-” He spoke, filled with relief. Keith completely ignored the new wound that was given to him. Solomon gritted his teeth, chest heaving. “I swear the second I get out of here you-“

The lead doctor walked up to Keith, holding a roll of bandages and a bottle of antiseptic, sighing. “I can get that patched for you sir, right this way…”

Keith took one glance back at Solomon before exiting the room.