Chapter 11: Surprise Encounter

High in the sky, the sun shone vibrantly upon the land below. The cerulean heaven hung heavily above the dense forest that ran beneath. Flocks of birds flew through the air while the world passed slowly under them.

The trees were just blurry spots in his vision now. Abel couldn't remember how long they had been running. His only thought was that whatever it was that was chasing them was slowly catching up. His fingers held tightly onto Triger's fur while the wind caressed his face and hair. Sweat had been dripping from his forehead but they were quickly sucked up by the burning heat. His breathing was fast and deep; his heart was beating as fast as Triger's speed.

He could sense that the animal was tired. The Trilian had to carry his weight and its own while traversing through the forest, always careful not to trip on the small obstacles that would arise in the road. But even if the beast was fatigued, it didn't show it. It kept its head high and its ears wild as it dashed through the wood.

'I wonder if we'll make it,' Abel thought silently to himself. He looked back and noticed that the gigantic cloud of dust was getting closer and closer.

'Don't be afraid,' said a new voice in his head.

'Who's that? Who are you?' the human pondered as he looked left and right to find the source of the voice.

'It's me, Triger.'

'But how? How can you talk to me telepathically?'

'It is a rare gift that we Trilians have. We are able to communicate to our rider without speaking out loud. It is more advantageous this way.' Triger explained in a deep tone that echoed throughout Abel's mind.

'Can you…' just as the Earthling was beginning to speak, arrows were shot at the speeding duo.

'They're firing arrows at us!' the human said with an air of urgency and fear in his voice.

'Hold on Abel. I am going to try and lose them by running through the wood.'

"But you're too big!" The boy shouted out loud as he held onto the creature's fur as if his life depended on it.

With a shift in its weight, the cat-like beast swiftly changed direction and began dashing through the forest. Jumping over fallen logs and dodging between the long-lived trees, the animal carefully juggle two important tasks at the same time. It had to make sure that the ride would not be rough enough on the rider so that he would fall of as well as making sure that the path was clear to run through.

The human looked up to see the sun quickly passing through the trees. As they spend in a hurry through the wood, he took his eyes off the branches for a second and paid dearly for it as an unseen twig tore across his face and left a long mark on his right cheek. Twitching from the pain, he touched the opening with his fingers and felt the blood slowly pouring out. Ignoring the pain, he looked back and couldn't see the cloud anymore.

'Triger, I think we lost them.' He thought aloud in his mind.

'That's good, because we're going to be back on the path to Ipsen in a second or two.'

The two sprung out from the forest and stopped in the middle of the dirt road. Both looked back to see if they were being followed any longer. The creature was breathing heavily from mouth; its tongue was hanging out to help cool down its body. Sweat continued to drip from the boy's forehead. Giving a sigh of relief, the two slowly turned around when Abel felt a large pain on his stomach and flew back onto the ground.

Triger quickly ran to the fallen boy and crouched in a protective fashion over him as it bared its long fangs at the figures in front of it. Groaning from the pain, Abel slowly rose from the ground and tried to shake the dizziness away. Leaves and dirt fell from his hair as he looked up to see the cause of his pain.

Standing in front the duo were five, large brown horses. They uneasily stomp their hoofs onto the ground. Their eyes showed their fear of the Trilian and its fangs and talons. The only thing protecting them from the ancient beast were their five riders sitting atop of them. The figures were wearing a dark green cloak that extended all the way to the horses' knees. Their hood shielded everything but the mouth. Each one was carrying a bow on their back and next to their waist was a scabbard except for one. The one without a sword was wielding a long, black staff.

Abel's eyes narrowed when he saw the one with the stick. All five were wearing similar leather vest body armor. Their legs too were protected by the same material. When the wind swept through the road, the cloaks danced eagerly in the air and at the back of these cloaks was a picture of a shield. On one half of the shield was a long mountain range with an eagle above it and a sun setting in the east. On the other half was an ocean with a dove flying above while the sun was rising in the west.

Abel slowly stood up from the ground and as he began to make a notion of drawing his sword, the rider in the middle said behind his hood, "I wouldn't do that if I was you."

"Too bad you're not me, or you would have been good looking enough to not hide your ugliness behind your hood," the Earthling grinned as he stood next the growling Triger with his sword removed.

The one wielding the black staff turned over and whispered into the middle rider's ear, "That is Nexstar sir."

Judging by the way one of them referred to the other as sir, Abel presumed that the one who threatened him was the leader of the group.

"Listen kid, if you want to live, give us that sword, and we'll let you and your animal go in peace," the middle one said in a more threatening tone.

The Earthling made no hints of giving up his weapon as he dug his foot into the soft ground.

"Captain, couldn't we just shoot him? Then we could kill the Trilian and eat it tonight for dinner. I heard their meat is really good," commented the rider on the far left, to which the others began nodding and silently conversing amongst themselves.

"I am only going to give you one more chance. Give us the sword now, or die!" The leader said in anger over the boy's stubbornness.

Although fear was beginning to take over his heart, something was holding Abel back from giving away his weapon. Sweat rolled down his face, but a new feeling has overtaken him. It wasn't that of panic, but of excitement. Grinning, he jumped onto Triger's back. As soon as its master was on safely, the beast swiftly charged at the unsuspected group of men and leaped over their head, knocking over their hoods.

'You're right Triger, this telepathic thing is a good ability,' Abel smiled as he looked back to see the emotionless face of the five men.

"Eldan," the captain motioned his finger at the person next to him.

"I'm on it," the blonde hair, blue-eyed man named Eldan said as he quickly removed his bow and drew back the arrow. Seconds later, the shaft sped readily through the air and struck the Earthling on the shoulder. A painful scream made its way back to the ears of the riders.

"Couldn't you have hit him in the head Eldan?" Complained the same one from the far left.

"Come on, we're wasting time. It's almost getting dark. Let's get the sword and get out of here," said the leader sharply as he nudged his horse toward the fallen boy.

A sharp, stinging feeling ran up and down his arm as Abel slowly pushed his legs together and stood up. Looking at his wound on his left shoulder, he could already see the blood beginning to pour out. A sense of dizziness overtook him. His vision wavered as he stumbled back and forth. The ground beneath him shook violently as the five riders approached with weapons ready.

Even with the ill-looking wound, he still was able to draw enough strength to unsheathe Nexstar and he held it in front of him. When the sun struck the brilliant blade, thousands of tiny fragments of light exploded outward, sending shards of blue light droplet into the nearby trees. As the riders rode up on their horses, some exclaimed at the boy's strength of being able to hold a weapon after injury had been done to the shoulder of his left arm, the same arm he was holding the sword with.

Instinctively Triger ran in front of his master and snarl an ever so gruesome sound that the horses were once again reminded of who was the master of the wood. Its tail swooshed to and there, sending light clouds of dust in the air. Its eyes narrowed while its fangs were exposed. Its white body shone vibrantly when the sun's rays struck it.

"Captain?" Said the man with the big staff. His face was round and mannerly textured. His bushy, shadowy eyebrows gave him the complexion of a more naturedly human. His eyes were dark and his face bared the marks and scars of battles fought in the past. A cross-like earring hung from his ears. He had no hair on his head as it was seem to have been shaved bald. At the very top was a gigantic x mark scar that was given to him a long time ago. His age must have been no more than forty, but his eyes showed a wiser spirit. He was man of proportionate stature. His muscles seemed to bulge beneath the cloak that hid it. Even his horse seemed to have trouble at keeping its master afloat.

The leader of the riders slowly jumped off his horse and began approaching the wounded boy to just stop a few feet in front of the growling beast. Unlike the one with the staff, the Captain seemed to be no more than twenty some years of age. He was tall, at least six feet in height. His build was warrior-like; but he didn't seem to have as much muscle as his subordinate. He had big brown eyes and his face was almost kingly. Short, dark auburn hair embraced his head, moving softly in the unforeseen wind.

"My name is Tyro. The one behind me with the big staff is Ark. To his right is Plian. To my left is Eldan and next to him is his brother, Eldar. We are not murderers. The weapon you now hold in your hand is very important to us. Give us the sword, and we will bother you no more. But if you continue to refuse us, then we will have no choice but to take it by force." The Captain said in an almost compassionate voice.

Straining his eyes away from the wooziness, Abel shifted his vision from the one called Ark to the one next to him named Plian. He too was dexterously and muscular build like the rest of his riders. On his head was a black bandana with a skull engraved on it. His eyes were dark but deep. His nose was high but stout. His age too was about as young as his master. His dark hair was short and seemed to have been recently cut.

Moving over, the Earthling looked at the two brothers, Eldar and Eldan. Other than their different eye and hair color, the two looked almost exact alike. Instead of his brother's light, long blonde hair and fair blue eyes, Eldar's hair was short and messy brown, like that of his eyes. But, both appeared to be of the same age of around in the mid twenties. Their nose was short and flat. Eldar had a crystal object ear on his left ear while his brother has the same but only on the right.

With a dry grin, Abel pulled the arrow from his shoulder and bit down on the pain. Tears developed, but quickly dried away as he broke the arrow in half. "Like I said, if you want it, come and get it."

Moving with lightning speed, he dashed right pass the Captain and before the others could have withdrawn their blade, the Earthling leapt at Plian and in one quick move, he removed the black bandana and jumped back to Triger's side. With the same grin on his face, he tied the cloth around his wound and looked back at the riders, "Well, come and get it."

Ages seemed to have passed by before Plian had realized his bandana was stolen from him. Anger suddenly showed itself on his face as he swiftly removed his sword, "Why you little…"

But, with a raised hand from his leader, he slowly bit back his raged as he eyed Eldar and Eldan who was trying hard to hold back their laughter. Only Ark was not amused. His eyes were and had always been concentrated on the boy. Sweat rolled down his eyebrows as he patiently waited.

"I hope the Captain tear you a new hole!" Shouted the angry victim.

"If that's how you want it, then I will have no choice but to abide by it. But remember, I am now not in control of your life any longer," said Tyro as he removed his cloak and threw it back at his comrades. His slender fingers reached down and removed a fine metallic blade from its holder. Three red gemstones were etched into the hilt of the sword.

"No one said you ever were," Abel smirked as he felt his muscles bulging from the excitement. But behind his mask was a surprised soul. He did not know where his courage had come from. Moreover, deep down inside him, something shocked him even more. He was enjoying it. He was excited at the challenge. Whoever he was in the past before he had his amnesia, he could feel that that person was not afraid of a battle.

The four riders still on horseback nudged their horse backward. Triger did the same when it sensed the Earthling's hand on his head. Still precarious, it backtracked in steps but never took its eyes off the remaining four.

Abel held Nexstar out at his side, allowing the blade to catch the full brilliance of the sun. Thousands of tiny blue fragments of light danced in the ground beneath them and in the trees around them. Tyro did the same as the three ruby stone sent of its own majestic colors.

The wind suddenly began to pick up. Swirling gust of dust battered the warriors' body, but they stood still. The torrent wind ripped through the road, sending debris flying in all directions. The multi-color leaves of the forest were torn away from their life giver and were violently thrown in the air. Even the hardened riders could not hold back their astonishment at the beauty of the forest. Hundreds of foliage of all the color of the rainbow rained down from the heaven above, littering the battlefield with the ironic sense of peace. The deafening silence of the forest could be heard clearly when the wind died down to a small gale. The birds stopped chirping, and the animals stopped talking. Even the very sound of a bark breaking off was as loud as an explosion.

The two fighters stood still in the midst of the spectacle. Their eyes never left the others. Their fingers tightly gripped the handle of the blade. Their chest heavily pumped up and down. Their breathing became harder. The once black bandana on Abel's shoulder had deepened into a reddened cloth. But the blood stopped pouring out. His eyes showed of his weakened state, but he stood his ground. And then, the warriors charged at one another.

Both blue and silver sword struck one another in midair as sparks flew from the point of contact. The sound from their contact reverberated loudly through the wood, sending birds into the heavens and beasts deeper into their haven. The two tried to push on their blade but realized the other was just as strong.

"Any of you guys want to bet that the Captain would get him in, let's see, three moves?" Commented Plian as he looked on toward the others.

"I'll take that. I'll give the kid four turns," Eldar grinned as he placed a gold coin onto Plian's outstretched hand. Once the money was bet, all four returned their eyes toward the battlefield as the two enemies fought off the other's advancing attack.

With quick reflexes, Tyro withdrew his sword and spun his body, his blade trailing behind him and swung at Abel's body. The green and blue eyed human parried the assault, and countered with a quick left swing. The Captain ducked his body and performed a low roundhouse kick, tripping his opponent. As the boy fell onto the hard ground, Tyro stood up and swung his weapon over his head and down toward his adversary.

"See, now one more move and I win," Plian grinned as he began counting his victory.

Abel slammed hard onto the ground, which knock his wind out. But with a quick recovery, he saw the metallic blade coming down on him and was able to parry the attack as the dust was once again kicked up into the air by the commotion.

Again, sparks flew when the two swords collided with one another. Tyro stood over his fallen foe, with his blade press against Nexstar to form a cross, while the Earthling was lying on the ground with his own weapon protecting him from his maker. Sensing his advantage, the Captain called forth all his strength and pushed down with all his might at his steel. Pain shot throughout the boy's body as the wound on his shoulder became the centralized point of pressure. Screaming in agony, he realized that he must do something fast if he was going to survive the battle. He swiftly curled his legs and kicked his rival in the stomach, sending the foe stumbling backward.

With lightning reflexes, he jumped back onto his feet while Tyro reeled back in pain. With a quick smile, Abel made a sudden dash right at opponent, swinging from the ground toward the sky. When he saw that his attack was going to be parried, he followed his swing with a roundhouse kick using his left foot. The foot slammed right onto the Captain's jaw, sending saliva mixed with blood into the air. While his opponent was still dazed, the Earthling elbowed his foe right in the stomach, and kneed him again in the same spot, sending the pain-filled leader of the riders into the air and hard into the ground.

All three riders gasped in surprised as they watched their captain writhed in pain on the ground. All saved one. Ark sat silently, his eyes still fixed onto the boy.

"Well, I guess you're wrong Plian," Eldar said as he sat motionless on his saddle.

Tyro rolled across the dirt road, but was instantly up on his feet. He moved his finger over his mouth and looked to see that it was blood. His eyes narrowed at his opponent as rage spread over them.

He quickly dashed at his adversary while screaming with intense hatred. Once more, sparks flew as the two swords crashed against one another. He went on the offensive as he flung his sword towards the Earthling's left side, then again at his right side. Abel speedily countered with a swing over the head, to which the Captain turned while blocking the attack with his sword at his back.

After he parried, Tyro executed a low swing at Abel's foot, which the boy easily blocked. Expecting his short attack to be deflected, the auburn hair human returned a roundhouse kick with his own, but this time his left foot collided with the back of his enemy's head. With cat-like reflexes, he swung his blade at his foe's back but was parried in time by the dazed Earthling. Again, expecting his assault to be repelled, he ran towards his rival's side and with a three hundred and sixty degree spin, he slammed his elbow right onto the boy's face, sending blood gushing into the air from the victim's nose.

As Abel staggered back in pain, the Captain rushed up and kneed him in the stomach, sending him airborne. While the blue and green eye human was in the air, Tyro performed another roundhouse kick, this time onto the boy's stomach, sending him flying toward a tree.

"That should do it," Eldar said dryly, extending his hand at Plian whom dropped two gold coins onto his outstretched palm, "this battle's over."

A hard distinct sound of barks breaking and shattering into hundreds of pieces could be heard as Abel's wind was knocked out of him. Staggering up, he wiped the blood from his mouth, realizing his opponent is a skilled fighter

He snapped his neck back into place, and walked right back into the middle of the road. The pain was shooting from every part of his body now. His shoulder roared in agony while his nose bled profusely of red blood. His stomach was throbbing in anguish yet he was able to flash a smile as he leveled his sword at his right side. Tyro returned that smile and walked back into the middle of the road, only to level his sword at his left side.

"Not yet," Plian wryly grinned as he took back his gold coin, only to turn his eyes back onto the battlefield all the while gazing with admiration at the boy's strength.

The leaves from the tree that Abel crashed into began to fall. They fell with an ardent bright color in them, as if they had been waiting for the day to leave the tree. Now, the battlefield was not the dirt road anymore. The leaves had enveloped the road, leaving the two warriors to fight on dead leaves.

They both looked up, and reached out to grab a leaf. With a newborn respect for one another, they once again charged at each other, their sword at their side, their blood on the ground.