Shadow Slayers
Written by: Nico/Yonne Okseltonne/Lytraxyx/Knorl (You pick :P)
Ever since our early youth, we are taught to go home as soon as the sun sets. That there are creatures, monsters, who will appear and kidnap us. We have been taught, we have been told, that the day is ours, but the night is theirs. It is one of the teachings of our great God, and both we and them must abide to these rules. But of course... children have their curiosity. They want to know, they want to see, the very thing that strikes fear into the hearts of their parents.
Shadow Slayers 4th Chapter: The Night, Part 1 of 2
A person most likely does not remember their own birth. No... Instead, we tend to record our lives and surroundings in our mind, starting at some point between the age of 2 and 4. Call this a "second wake" in life, if you will. My best friend... he was an extra late bloomer with this. At the age of six, his Second Awakening was horrifying.
" Quickly, Ysrin, we have to go!" Ysrin remembered his mother pulling him out of his bed in the middle of the night. His first memory, is one he wishes to forget to this very day - But it is one that haunts him. This makes him put on a brave face, yet hiding the deep fear within him...
" Mommy... what's wrong? Why do we have to g-" Before he could ask his mother, he saw this giant claw appearing out of the shadows, digging its nails into her, and dragging her into the night. Young Ysrin was thrown away.
" RUN! LIVE!" His mother shouted to him at the top of his lungs. However, the monsters surrounded him. He spotted one of the monsters still chewing on the leftovers of his father.
" AAAH!" present day. Ysrin woke up.
" You ok, pal?" Sandir approached him. " You told us you needed to rest for a while..."
" I-I'm fine now, Sandir... just..." Ysrin looked at Rang. " It's... just some old memories."
" You ready, though? Sun is setting."
" I've got your back, bro. Count on it!" With a smirk, Ysrin placed a reassuring hand on Sandir's shoulder.
Strange noises surrounded the area, which the companions knew did did not belong to mere animals. Rang stepped back from the noises out of fear.
" We won't blame ya if you run back now, kid." Sandir said grinning. " But my pal and I would rather die than to miss an invitation into their tribe. "
" I-I-I'm not af-f-fraid, ok?" Rang stuttered.
" We'll see about that... look. Here they come." Ysrin pointed in front of them. Creatures of the Night approached them.
" My fists can crack human bones. So as long as my opponent is physical..." Sandir smashed the skull of one of the monsters. " ...I've no reason to back down. "
Ysrin changed his look. The very same creatures who haunted him with the hellish first memories that still roamed through his mind, the ones who took his family. Quicker than ever, he passed two of the creatures, both of them bleeding all over. Ysrin revealed two daggers, grinning in the moonlight.
Rang stepped back, tripping over a rock. Two huge arms slammed right next to his head, and Rang found himself staring into a creature's eyes. Fear overcame him, which empowered the monster.
" I was... such a fool... I mean, a hero? ME? This battlefield is no place for a coward such as myself!"
Teeth dug themselves deep into one of the creature's arms. It was Ben, trying to save his friend. But the monster easily shook off the little canine, punching him against a tree.
" BEN!" Rang shouted. " Get out of here!"
" What's this.." Sandir wondered, looking at his fists. He managed to beat down three of the sixteen monsters, but his fist went right through the fourth one, as if it was a shadow. " Hey, you're CHEATING!"
" Oof..." Ysrin tried to catch his breath, after taking down two more challenging monsters.
It was clear now that Sandir was a pure physical fighter, who had yet to learn ANYTHING about energy. As his foil, Ysrin had enough energy, but wasted too much of it in combat, burning it all up and exhausting himself.
Rang noticed this. Somehow, he could read, FEEL, all the energy around him, for a little while. The trees, the grass, and the small animals living in them. The little energy left in Ben and Ysrin, the yet untapped energy burning in Sandir. The Energy of the remaining shadows, and... something that amazed him the most: all the Energy, slumbering and hidden within himself. It took control of him, smashing the Shadow who trapped him, up in the air, until it was unseen. When it blew up, Rang rose up, gazing at the monsters.
" Destruction awaits those who, from this point on, even THINK of harming my friends.." Rang said, looking around. Four of the monsters actually faded away. Their ranks were not prepared to face a power such as this. They would return that very same night with proper reinforements. The remaining three monsters, the ones that were left, were interested in and obsessed with slaying. Rang could read their Energy, and thus their intentions.
" What is this..." Aevre watched from a distance. " This boy's... Energy... I have never figured he was hiding such an amount... he's the strongest down there, for sure. He's unique... aside from a member of our tribes, nobody has ever possessed so much power. My heart... it is... could it be... is... is he the one?"
" Human..." One of the monsters began to talk, stabbing its claws in the backs of the other two Monsters, as their bodies dissolved and got absorbed into its own. " You are but an overconfident whelp. Allow me to remind you what fear means."
" You may have gained four times more power by backstabbing your allies, but face it. You are no match for me." Rang raised one of his arms. Energy surrounded them, materializing into some kind of weapon.
" WOW! Is THIS that shy coward!?" Ysrin said smiling.
Sandir grinned " Another strong friend and worthy rival. Ysrin. Prepare yourself. This night is far from over"
