Alerion
Dark mist and fog covered the thick oaks from the sky above. The quiet evening stood still alone in these Alerion woods. Dead trees and leaves decomposing covered the ground with patches of moss growing over. The sound of the birds normally chirping was silenced by the rumbling ground in the distance as it grew louder and louder. Slowly, more noises could be heard along with it. Men shouting "Hiyah!" grew louder with the stomping of hooves and neighing of tired horses, four in all. Each had a rider, covered in black robes with hoods, from head to toe. Right below their right shoulders, a black cloth tied around their arm with a red circled crest, divided by a silver cross bearing over the crest. In the distance, a looming shadow ran away. The four riders divided, two sticking behind it and one taking the right flank, while the other covered the left. The two trailing behind it in the rear slowly got to their feet on the back of the horse, while the two flanking pulled out swords, black in color with black fog trailing off them and disappearing into the fog and mist around them in the forest. The other two jumped off their horses high into the air, sliding forward into the trees. They moved even faster above, jumping from branch to branch till they were right above the shadow as it flung its arms around in terror. The flanks got alongside it, shooting out from their horses in one great leap towards it from both sides. From above in the trees, the two men could hear screaming from below, followed by a loud crashing noise with a couple trees falling over. They jumped down towards the ground as they came across the titan, blood dripping down from two giant razor cut marks in the back of its neck. Its breathing was labored and its head was turned on its side, with one visible eye following their movements. The other two riders that made the precise slices in its neck were walking over to their prize, blood evaporating with the black mist off the sword.
"A clean paralysis Lucius" one of the men said, removing his hood, revealing his face. He was in his late thirties, possibly early forties. He had a slender face with short cropped sandy brown hair. His eyes were the color of the ocean. "But it needs more work; you damaged this one's core beyond recovery." He said, kneeling over its neck where its incisions where, rolling up his sleeves, reaching inside the river of blood still pouring out of its neck, and ripping out a glowing, but dim red mass. The titan's pulse slowly faded as the orb died off, turning into dust as if blew right out of the man's hand.
"You have taught me well Master Asher, now I must refine this gift." Another man said as he slid his sword away, pulling his hood back. He was an older teenager, about eighteen or nineteen. He had medium length black hair, silver eyes that seemed to cover what could have been deep brown eyes, along with a long scar that went from his right ear down to the middle of his cheek.
"Hahaha, it's not the first time you've fucked up noob." The other swordsman said as he swung his blade back around into its scabbard. "Now make sure you get the next one good." His robes had stains of blood, presumably from previous kills in his work.
"Shut up Dan, you know you were worse off than me when you first started. I've read your after action reports from when you were in your early years." Lucius sneered. The fourth rider whistled loudly and the rider's four horses could be heard running towards them in the distance.
"Enough of the chit chat; we need to make sure we come back with a life force orb tonight" The fourth one said, removing his hood. He had shoulder length white hair and red eyes; the mark of an immortal. His face showed the man in his late twenties, but his wisdom was well beyond the years he showed.
"Well if we trust this kid to do another and he messes it up again, I doubt well even find another Titan. I'd rather go at it with Darius." Dan remarked, looking at the immortal.
"I disagree, Lucius needs the practice and I'm best at staying in the rear to distract and back up just in case something goes wrong on the next raid." Darius replied in a voice that said "I'm a sophisticated, intelligent being that is too good for the likes of scum like you."
"Enough of you all! Stop bickering like little brats and treat each other with some fucking self-respect!" Asher boomed. "Were going out again, and I want Lucius on point again." He said as the horses stopped just short of the men. He mounted his horse, throwing his hood back over his head; starting to riding off into the distance, followed by the other three.
