Author's Note: Greetings, Users! Welcome to the second version of Equestria's Human Guardian, which I hope will be a smidge better than the first. As always, if you have any questions, send me a PM, and Ikll try my best to get back to you.
Chapter 1: A Broken Home
"Here's your order, have a nice day." I walked away from the counter with my favorite meal from Wendy's; a Baconator with fries and an Orange Fanta. I don't get these very often, usually whenever I'm celebrating something, which is actually very rare. Today is both a regular and belated celebration, for two reasons. It's belated because yesterday I finally earned the title of Swordmaster. After several years of training with my grandpa, and then his friends after his untimely death, I finally mastered it. My grandpa's friends had taken me before their resident swordmaster, and she made it official. This celebration of one was regular, because it was actually my birthday, and a day I wished I could get around with every fiber of my being. I hadn't seen it as a momentous occasion, ever since my grandpa died, which is also today.
I walked outside, and was greeted by the torrential rain of an Oregon spring. I mounted my motorcycle, and sped on back home. I love my bike. I built it myself, starting when I was sixteen. It took me a year and a half to finish it, but it was more than worth it. If you want to know what it looks like, imagine a dirt bike and a Yamaha YZF-R1 had a love child. The bike is cherry red with crimson flame patterns and it can hit a top speed of 250 mph, which is just over 400 Kilometers per hour, for those that live outside of the U.S. Now, normally going out on a motorcycle when there's a chance of flooding is not recommended, but I didn't care. I stopped caring about a lot of things after Grandpa died.
I missed Grandpa. He was an incredible man and teacher. He was the kind of person who would go out and do random acts of service all day long, and still want to do more at the end of the day. He was a Grandmaster in more martial arts than I could count. He taught me Tae Kwon Do, Karate, Jiu Jitsu, and Krav Maga, and helped me get to Black Belt status in all of them. He was the person who taught me how to properly use my sword, and introduced me to fighting with Tonfa, Kunai and chains, and daggers. He was my anchor in life ever since my mom was killed. After a few minutes, I arrived at my house and was confronted with absolute silence.
I say it's my house when it's really Grandpa's, but he left it to me in his will, along with a great many other things. The house is situated outside of town, in a secluded area in the woods that surround the town's edge, and it is HUGE. It's got an enormous Dojo filled to the brim with everything needed to train a small army. My grandpa loved reading, and because of that, he added a library to the house. It's not gigantic, but it's a decent size, and it contains a vast myriad of books. About half the books in the library are books on martial arts and weapons. These books are translated from the original texts, and their writings hold the original techniques, rules, ideals, and usage of martial arts. Those books got me interested in several other martial arts, and weapons combat. Some of my fondest memories of me and my grandpa happened in the library, when he would sit down with me, find us a good book to read, and we'd read together, usually after a good day of training. Set apart from the house is a large greenhouse where we grow fresh fruit and vegetables year round, and next to that is Grandpa's forge/workshop. Grandpa was a skilled engineer, and one of the last Mastersmiths in the world, a metalworker that has mastered every form of smithing. He and I would spend long hours in that forge, working away at some of our craziest ideas. He taught me Weaponsmithing, Blacksmithing, Metalworking, Welding, Glassworking, Jewelry Crafting, and even Gunsmithing. I haven't gone into the forge since Grandpa died, and I have no intention of doing so again. It hurts too much.
I sighed heavily, unlocked the front door and strode up the stairs to my bedroom. Normally, I eat in the kitchen, but not today. Today, my three friends and I were having our traditional Minecraft birthday session. I unpacked lunch, my laptop, and logged in to our private server. I put on my headset, and was greeted by a storm of chatter.
"I still stand by my original statement; Exodia would completely obliterate Goku, should the two enter a death battle."
"In your dreams doesn't count, Connell. Goku can match Exodia in power, and then surpass him completely." A small grin split my face. James and Nick were back at this again. Nick claimed that Exodia's signature move was a ripoff Kamehameha, which naturally enraged James into all but declaring war on Nick. They've been at this for three months now, and when they go at it, there's no stopping either of them. Well, not until someone mentions Goku VS Superman from Screwattack. The mere mention of it will send Nick into an unstoppable rage with enough creative cursing to make even the most experienced seaman's ears bleed.
"Oi, knock it off you two." My smile broadened a bit. Jesse had entered the chat. "I can't believe this is still going on." I smirked, teleporting my avatar to where the other three were at.
"Ladies, you're both beautiful, now shut up." I interrupted. I watched as all three heads swiveled to face my avatar. "Greetings, Users." I responded.
"Rax!"
"How've you been, man?"
"Good to see ya!"
The smile never left my face. I had met these three a few years back, and we've been friends ever since.
"Same old, same old." I replied. "What's been up with you guys?"
"I managed to hold my own against a Shaolin Master." Jesse quipped. I blinked.
"Are you scamming us, dude?" James put in.
"Nope." Jesse said. "I sent you guys a video of what happened."
"Okay, this I've GOT to see." Nick said, presumably pulling up said video. I was doing the same thing. Shaolin Masters are incredibly powerful, and immensely skilled. I pulled up a second tab, opened up my emails, and found a new one, sent not an hour ago.
"Was this today, by any chance?" I asked, hitting play.
"Yep. Won 900 smackaroos for lasting ten minutes." Jesse stated. I watched in awe as my friend was somehow able to hold against a Shaolin Master. It was end-to-end action from both parties, but eventually a timer went off, ending the fight. Jesse and the other guy stopped, shook hands, and left each other respectfully.
"Wow." Was the only thing I said.
"That was awesome, bro." James quipped.
"Hey, I could've done the same thing!" Nick put in. I could feel Jesse roll his eyes.
"Uh huh, yeah sure."
"Okay, let's get this on, Blockheads." I said, quickly cutting off any other argument.
"Alrighty, let's get to the randomizer." Jesse said, flying over to a small pedestal we had erected. Inside it was a randomizer that determined what contest we would be playing for today. There were seven possible things we could do, all of them epic.
"Alright birthday boy." James said. "Press that button." My avatar ascended the steps to the pedestal, and jabbed the wooden button. A moment later, a piece of paper was dispensed into my avatar's hand.
"The game is…" I began. "Four Courses!"
"Oh HELL yes!" Jesse roared.
"We haven't done this one in ages." Nick enthused.
"Okay miscreants." James quipped. "Let's play!" Four Courses is a play on Four Horses, or Four Horsemen, for obvious reasons. There were four obstacle courses we each had to navigate and get past, each one with different challenges. It wasn't my favorite, but I still liked it a lot. It didn't take long for us to reach the area of the challenges.
"First up, Famine!" I proclaimed. The Famine course was a difficult parkour you had to perform while your avatar was under the effects of an enhanced Hunger effect. However many hunger points you had at the end was your score. I went first, barely making it to the end without falling. Next went Jesse, then James, and then Nick went last. Nick beat us all with a score of 6, while I had a score of 3, James had 1, and Jesse had 5.
Next up was War. War was a fun one. Each of us had to demolish and loot a village as quickly as possible with the tools allotted. Each of our avatars came equipped with a diamond pickaxe, sixteen TNT, Flint and Steel, a diamond sword, two swiftness potions, and a set of enchanted iron armor. I went first, coming up to a total score of 88. James went next, then Nick, then Jesse. Jesse completely destroyed the village, getting a full score of 100, with Nick and James coming in third and fourth places, with scores of 84 and 73 respectively.
The third was Conquest. Conquest was tricky. It was set in waves. Each person started out with a wooden sword and leather armor, and had to work their way up to each new level, gaining better armor and weapons as they conquered. The first wave was a horde of zombies. If you made it past that one, you got a stone sword and chainmail armor and had to fight a swarm of skeletons. Next was spiders, and for this one you got a shield and a potion of strength. You were allowed to stockpile potions as you went along. After spiders, you gained an iron helmet, iron boots, a potion of swiftness, and had to fight a swarm of Witches. After that was the full iron armor, a splash potion of weakness, and you went up against a pack of wolves. If you conquered that, you gained an iron sword, a stack of arrows, a bow, and you had to face a scouting party of pillagers. After that came a diamond chestplate and helmet, and you had to face a full raid with a Ravager. After that came a diamond sword, a potion of strength, a potion of instant health, sixteen golden apples, and you went against a horde of Endermen. Then, if you made it past that, there was the final level; fight seven Withers at once with God Tier armor.
I went first in Conquest, making it to the Ravager tier, which gave me a score of 7. Nick died against the dogs, giving him a score of five. James tied with me, and Jesse died at the Endermen, giving him a score of eight.
Now for the final course; Death. Death was a parkour course that spiraled upwards, full of deadly traps. The goal was to get as high as possible before dying. I got to one of the uppermost parts before I was killed, giving me a score of 9. Jesse tied with me, and Nick and James each got scores of 8 and 6 respectively.
"Okay, we all have our points, now lets total them up." I said. For the scores from War, we divided it by ten, then rounded up or down. Jesse won with a total score of 32, I placed second with 28, Nick took third with 27, and James was last with 21.
"Great job guys." I commended, right as a faint thump hit my ears. My eyes narrowed.
"Guys, I gotta go." I said in a hushed tone. "I think I have an intruder."
"Go for it, man." Jesse said.
"I pity the fool that tries to rob your house." James put in as I logged off. I snagged my Tonfa and crept downstairs. I hadn't walked two feet into the kitchen, when I was ambushed.
"Surprise!"
I yelped, nearly punching a hole through the ceiling with my head. Before I could properly figure out what the hell just happened, my vision went black, and my hearing was instantly muted. I could feel long arms wrap around me tightly, wedging my head into something very soft, and very, very warm.
"Happy Birthday sweetie." A woman's voice purred.
"Umm… thanks?" I tried to respond. I could barely breathe, until someone yanked me from this woman's clutches, freeing up my lungs to start the Hallelujah chorus. Once I cleared my head, I was finally able to take a look at just who was in my house. My jaw dropped and I could feel tears beginning to well up in my eyes. After Grandpa died, custody of myself was shifted over to four of Grandpa's most trusted friends; Steven Francis, Jason Drake, Lily Clearwarn, and Tristan Clearwarn.
I guess introductions are needed. First on the list is Lily Clearwarn, the only female of the four. She's headstrong, hotheaded, quick to anger, and the second most stubborn person I have ever met, the first being my mom. Lily's a bit of a pain sometimes, but she and I really bonded over the years, since we're both orphans. Her parents were killed by pirates when she was a teenager, and she was kept as their slave until Grandpa rescued her and brought her to her uncle and aunt. Grandpa was one of their family friends, and Lily quickly warmed up to him. Grandpa trained her in practical swordplay and fencing, helping her become a swordmaster within a few years, the same swordmaster that named me an official swordmaster. Lily is drop dead gorgeous, with a flawless supermodel figure and is really well… endowed. Her hair is fiery red, and she hails from both Ireland and Scandinavia, weirdly enough.
The guy that pulled me out of Lily's embrace is Jason Drake, an ex-ninja master and one of the sneakiest people I know. He's a master of Ninjutsu and a samurai to boot. Jason was born in Kiryu, Gunma in Japan, but his family moved to the U.S shortly after he was born. Jason turned out to be a Ninjutsu prodigy, but he was also fascinated by Samurai Bushido, and also trained as a samurai. Jason has been quietly employed by most of the United Nations, but retired after a twelve year assassin stint, where he failed to kill Grandpa. Since that day, he and Grandpa have stayed firm friends.
The crazy guy in the outrageous clothing is Steven Francis, a brilliant engineer turned AWOL Army Ranger that's the poster child of extreme ADHD. If you want a clear picture of Steven, imagine a stereotypical cartoon scientist, give him Einstein's hair, two of Mad-Eye Moody's false eye, put him in fluorescent orange pants, neon sear-your-eyeballs-out pink high tops, a sparkly tie-dye shirt, a bright white lab coat, and give him eight pots of coffee. Steven always has his pockets full of enough odds and ends to satisfy a junk dealer's wildest dreams. Or create a mini atomic collider. Or both. He can make any sort of gadget on the fly with those pieces. His life motto is "What's the Point in Being Subtle?" Steven went AWOL because he found being a Ranger too boring, and Grandpa faked his death to end the manhunt.
Last, but certainly not least is Tristan Clearwarn, Lily's adopted Native American cousin. Tristan hails from the Ute tribe, and was kidnapped to be killed by a group of racist radicals, but was saved by Grandpa and introduced to Lily's aunt and uncle. Tristan looks like a stereotypical Native American chief, with strong, angular features, long black hair, and carries himself like a leader. Tristan is a master archer, spear fighter, and one of the best marksman I have ever known.
I jumped around each of their homes until I was eighteen and presented with the keys to Grandpa's house. They come up to visit sometimes, but those visits are few and far between. I haven't seen them in almost a year now. They're the last family I have, and I don't want to lose them.
"Yo Lils." Steven quipped. "Next time, try not to suffocate the kid, 'kay?" Lily glared at the twitchy engineer, her face growing red.
"Who said I was?" She shot back dangerously. Behind me, Jason tensed. Steven snorted.
"Oh please, the kid was beet red and gasping like a fish when Jay pulled 'im out." He retorted. Lily's face was beet red now. Her fists were clenched so tightly, her knuckles had turned pure white.
"It was an accident!" She snapped. Steven gave her a wry smile.
"Sure it was." Lily's face shot from red to purple in an instant as she started to charge the fidgety engineer. Jason was about to get between them, when Tristan leaped into Lily's path. The fiery redhead bounced off her cousin like a superball.
"I cannot believe you would resort to senseless brawling today of all days!" Tristan growled, glaring at the two. "It is Raxtus' birthday and the day Jacob died."
Yeah, my name is Raxtus. My full name is Raxtus Aurelius Williams. My dad wanted a name that stood out from all the rest, but still sounded cool. He agreed to the name Raxtus after my mom suggested it, and Grandpa decided that my middle name should be Aurelius, after the name Marcus Aurelius, who, in my grandpa's opinion, was the greatest Roman emperor of all time. I'm five foot eight and Caucasian with a pretty nice tan. My eyes look like they were made of pure silver, and my hair looks like it's made from the milkiest chocolate. Yes, it's that lustrous. My mom says I got my looks from my dad, all except for my eyes. Nobody knows why they're that color. The doctors are still baffled to this day. I'm pretty sure that Grandpa and Mom knew, but I have no evidence that supports this theory.
After Tristan restored order, the party began. There wasn't too much that happened, aside from Lily eating three Carolina Reaper Peppers in rapid succession, Steven attempting to swallow a shotgun, and Jason somehow stealing my socks while I still had my shoes on. No, he didn't cut into my shoes to get to them. Things finally calmed down after Tristan brought out the cake. I never thought it was possible for a human being to breathe fire, until Lily lit the candles that way. Some things are better off unexplained I guess. I almost ate the entire cake on my own. It was a three tiered red velvet cake, with melted caramel drizzled over the sides, a Bavarian cream filling, and covered in Tristan's signature fondant. I have a massive sweet tooth, but red velvet and caramel are my absolute favorites. My taste buds sang out in ecstasy. I think I ate about a third of the cake, before moving on to presents.
I got The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Ready Player One, both the book and movie, Legendary Films' Godzilla, a new dagger, an extendable and retractable Bo staff, and a brand new pair of fingerless motorcycle gloves, before moving on to the final gift. Tristan handed me a small box, carefully wrapped. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw who it was from; my grandfather, Jacob Williams. "Your grandfather left a hidden message in his will, which told us about this box, and the contents inside. Jacob's message instructed us to give you this when you were ready." He explained as I opened up the card. It was written in my grandpa's swooping, elegant cursive.
Raxtus,
How are you doing kiddo? I hope you're doing well, because if you're not, your mother's spirit is going to kill me again. This gift is special in more ways than one. Its uses will reveal themselves in time, and even though it doesn't look very useful, it will save your life when the time comes. I hope you like what I helped create. I love you Raxtus, more than I could ever truly express.
Your loving grandfather,
Jacob
I wanted to laugh and cry my eyes out. It was exactly like my grandpa to leave a note like this. Not too long, not too short, with a few jokes and plenty of vagueness. I opened the wrapping with trembling hands. My presents from grandpa were never secured with tape, only the ribbon tied around it. Inside a cushioned box lay a beautiful pendant, small enough to fit inside the palm of my hand. It was a triangle made of sapphire, with a Septagon made of white crystal inscribed inside the triangle, and a nonagon made of ruby inscribed inside the septagon, with a miniature sword in its scabbard inside of the nonagon. The scabbard was made of onyx and silver, and the sword's hilt was made of gold, with miniature jewels inserted. Arcane symbols made of emerald lined the outside of each shape. A minuscule silver chain was attached to the top of the pendant. I stared at it, examining every inch of it. Only Grandpa could ever make something like this.
"Well, are you going to put it on, or put it back in the box." Steven's voice cut through my train of thought. I flushed slightly, as I finally put it on. I don't know what it was, but wearing it felt so… right, like I had found a part of myself I didn't know I was missing. After presents, we all went into the dojo to help break in my new weapons. Things started well, but it escalated quickly, ending with Steven somehow creating a fully functional mini P.E.K.K.A to try and stop both Lily and Jason from killing him, and don't even ask what he did. It has something to do with Albuquerque, a Cream pie, and some word I can't even pronounce. Tristan was somehow able to restore order, but only after he had me destroy the mini P.E.K.K.A. I went to bed exhausted, but smiling. Thankfully, I had a dreamless sleep, but that bliss ended when Tristan woke me up.
"Raxtus Aurelius, wake up!" He snapped, urgency and fear in his voice. My eyes shot open in shock. Tristan never spoke like that, period. I shot out of bed, almost colliding with the stoic man's face.
"What's going on?" I asked around a yawn. Tristan turned from gathering my things. The sight chilled me to the bone. He wore an expression I had never seen on his face; fear
"Get dressed, there's not much time." Tristan hurled a bundle of clothes at me, zipping out of my room a few minutes later. I scrambled to get them on. My outfit consisted of black jeans, a plain crimson t-shirt, dark shoes, my favorite black and red Spyder jacket, and my new pendant. I went into the kitchen and ducked to avoid some sparking wires. The scene before my eyes made my blood run cold. Steven was working overtime on about seventeen different things at once, an intense look of concentration on his face. Lily had raided the dojo, gathering every lethal weapon she could find. Jason and Tristan stood over something on the table in silent conversation. All the action I considered normal, except for one thing; everybody was in full battle armor.
Steven's was a giant mismatch of spare parts. It looked like he had taken a bath in gorilla glue and walked through a dump, but I knew from personal experience that Improv carefully crafted his armor to intentionally look like that. It had more concealed weapons than an Iron Man suit. Lily's armor was, with lack of a better word, fiery. It looked like Erza Scarlet's Armadura Fairy Armor, but made of flames and about sixty times as revealing. Jason was in his crimson samurai armor. I don't think there's any more description needed. Chief was decked out in full Wardog gear, with more weapons than I could count strapped to his person.
My blood ran cold at the sight. There's only one reason you would wear this kind of armor; Battle. I'm not talking about a brawl or a scuffle, I'm talking full on, no holds barred, blood drenching the ground battle. The moment I entered the kitchen, Tristan turned to look at me, his face a mask of grim approval. A split second later, a massive explosion rocked the house.
"How much time do we have?" Tristan roared.
"The traps and defenses should hold them back for another three minutes at maximum. After that, it's just us." Steven shouted back.
"Then we'll hold them back." Lily proclaimed, grim determination in her tone. Jason nodded, and drew his katana in affirmation.
"We'll hold them just long enough for Raxtus to escape." He said determinedly. That caught my attention. My head snapped up to the samurai.
"What do you mean, 'long enough for me to escape.'?" I asked. The four shared an uneasy glance.
"Raxtus, they're here for you." Tristan said gravely.
"Why me? I'm nothing special." I said, hoping this was a joke. Tristan looked at me stonily.
"It has to do with your father." I cringed at the mere mention of that asshole who ruined my childhood. The only good thing he gave me was my name.
"It isn't his fault he was turned into that monster." Tristan continued, seemingly reading my mind. I paused at the new information. It wasn't his fault? What does that mean? I raised an eyebrow as Tristan elaborated.
"These are the same evil, twisted men and women that tortured your father to insanity." He said solemnly. I almost fell over. "I know you have a million questions, but you need to go. Follow me." He opened the hall closet and pushed aside several coats to reveal a keypad. Tristan typed in a code, and a section of the wall opened up, revealing a winding staircase.
"Down here, quickly." He urged. We slid on the handrails, to cut down on time, and finally ended up inside a small concrete garage, with my motorcycle in it. Tristan handed me a small, black backpack as I mounted the bike.
"Whatever you do, DON'T come back here, under any circumstances." Tristan ordered, pulling a lever. "No matter what you might feel, follow the path and don't look back." With that, Chief gave me one last hug, then opened the door in front of me. I revved my cycle and sped off into the night.
I was so glad that I added the dirt bike features to this cycle. Without them, I would be left sprinting along the tops of the cliffs overlooking the stormy Pacific Ocean. I sped along the rocky path at 78 miles per hour, making impossible jumps and turns along the way. I was silently praying the new shocks would last the journey. Racing along the path helped take my mind off of the questions that crowded my head. Namely about who were those men who attacked the house, why did they torture my father, and why were the after me? Of all people, why me? As far as I knew I wasn't very special. Aside from my fighting and engineering skills, I was drawing a blank.
My train of thought was interrupted by a massive explosion. I stopped and looked at the mushroom cloud. My heart lodged in my throat. That was where the house used to be. I was about to turn around and head back, when Tristan's words echoed through my head. Follow the path, and don't look back.
As much as I wanted to go back, I had to trust him and get away. I got back on my bike and sped off down the path. A few more minutes into my journey, I was knocked off my bike. Pain exploded inside my head, and I nearly fell off the cliffs. I stood back up, after a moment, but instantly wished I had just fallen into the sea. Standing before me was a man. The guy was immaculately dressed in a black three piece business suit, which immediately set me on edge. A person doesn't just pop out of the woods looking perfect. He had jet black hair, black stereotypical C.I.A agent sunglasses, and a cruel, cold, thin, sadistic smile.
"You know, most people wear a helmet when they go out." The man said, striding towards me. Shakily, I stood back up, trying my best to ignore the pain in my skull.
"Who the hell are you?" I asked in what I hoped was a brave voice. The man chuckled, as rain began to fall in thick sheets.
"Straight to the point, just like your father. He never beat around the bush in a conversation either, just went right to the heart of the matter." My heart stopped dead.
"To answer your question, my name is Tenebris." Dread filled my heart. Tenebris is Latin for darkness and gloom. I stared at him with wide eyes.
"Y-you're the one that… tortured him?" I almost couldn't say it. I know I said my dad was an asshole earlier, but I was starting to feel guilty of that. My mom told me about his better years, which ended about a year after I was born. He was everything a father should be; kind, loving, caring, a good, hard worker, and a family man.
"Yes, I did it. Even I was surprised at how resilient he was." Tenebris chuckled. "Not even our most extreme devices couldn't break him. He only gave in when we threatened to kill your mother. Then he readily gave up the information we needed." Tenebris smiled fondly, his voice taking on a nostalgic tone. "I can still remember his sweet, tormented screams. They were a truly beautiful sound." His smile grew darker and even more evil. "And then there was the look on his face when I made him believe we would kill Natalie. Witnessing anything even remotely close to that level of pain is a rare pleasure." Tenebris' expression fell slightly as he turned his gaze back to me. "Had we known she was carrying you, we would've done it in a heartbeat."
"Why?" I spat, inching my way back over to my backpack. Tenebris' face twisted with rage.
"You are a loose end, and my master hates loose ends. You weren't meant to exist at all. When my master found out he had a son…" Tenebris shuddered at the memory. "It got even worse when your bastard grandfather staged a jailbreak and took your father." Tenebris spat, rage lacing every word. I froze, seeing red. He would've said more, but I surged up off the ground, filling his mouth with my fist. I delivered two swift kicks to his chest, and punched him hard enough to send him sprawling back to the woods. Nobody gets away with saying that about my family. The rain was now a drenching torrent, and high waves were slamming up against the slick rock face, launching freezing spray onto the cliff. Tenebris stood back up, smiling cruelly. There were no words spoken between us, just a single look. And thus, the battle began.
Tenebris rushed me faster than I could see, and it was only my instincts that saved me from his first few blows. I countered by slamming two fingers into his wrist and delivering a powerful hammer fist to his neck. Dazed, the monster froze, and I slammed my dagger into his abdomen. He howled in pain, slamming his free hand into my head, while simultaneously sweeping my legs out from under me.
I slid to the ground, spinning around on the slick rocks, slamming my feet into Tenebris' midsection, further driving in my dagger into his belly. While Tenebris staggered back, I leapt to my feet and whipped my bo staff out of my backpack. Tenebris recovered in time to catch a faceful of metal, followed by a blinding flurry of blows to his torso. Satisfying and sickening cracks erupted from every hit I landed.
Through his haze of pain, Tenebris somehow found the strength to catch my staff and wrench it from my grip. He slammed his left heel into my sternum, knocking me back and the wind out of me. A sharp crack rang out from the blow, and pain flooded my chest. I barely registered the figure standing in front of me until a second crack erupted from my right arm, then my left. The rage I was feeling was gone in an instant, replaced with nothing but a world of pure agony. Tenebris took advantage of my dazed state, and slammed my into the ground. He stared at me, and I felt terror take over. A black, tar-like substance oozed out of the demon's abdomen, select parts of his face, and even from a few places I hit him. His sunglasses finally fell off, revealing red energy where his eyes should be, as if he had plucked out his own eyes and replaced them with Darkseid's, Uchiha-style.
"Time's up, you freakish mutt." Tenebris hissed dangerously, mucous and blood splattering my face. "It's time to die." With that, Tenebris yanked my dagger out of his belly, and plunged it into chest. The air was rent with my shrieks of agony as Tenebris continued his assault, slamming my own weapon into my shoulders and legs. Finally, he stopped, but only to have his hands close around my neck as he pushed one of his knees into my broken ribcage. My breath left me by the score. Pain unlike any I had ever felt before enveloped my mind in one terrifying swallow. My eyes bulged. I tried to scream, but there was no air left to even whisper.
I was about to let go of life, when I could suddenly breathe again. Tenebris was ripped off of me with the force of a hurricane. I rolled over, and saw the impossible; Tristan Clearwarn, alive and well. He had somehow survived the explosion, as shown by the various burns and cauterized wounds on his body. His body was a horror show of slashes, bruises, and burns, but he was still alive, and able to fight. I looked at Tristan's face, and felt hope transform into abject terror. Tristan Clearwarn's face was full of nothing but unbridled fury and rage.
Tenebris took one look at him and his eyes widened, fear, revulsion, and horror in his gaze. Tristan let loose a bone chilling war cry and attacked Tenebris. I never saw Tristan in his "Battle Frenzy" until now. Grandpa told me that when he enters Battle Frenzy, there's no stopping him until he's finished slaughtering his enemies.
Tenebris vainly tried to stop Tristan, but to no avail. My guardian hit him so hard, Tenebris's jaw flew off his face, and one of his eyes exploded, sending black gore splattering across the rocks. The berserker lifted Tenebris above his head, and with a ferocious roar, he ripped the demon in half. Apparently unsatisfied, Tristan slammed both halves of the body into the ground, split Tenebris' head in half with his heel, and slammed a sword into the corpse's chest so hard it sank through the rock like a hot knife through butter. Only the hilt remained sticking out of Tenebris's body. Tristan stood there, staring at his handiwork for a few seconds, then came over to me. I was both awestruck and horrified at what he had done. Tristan effortlessly picked me up, draped me over my motorcycle, and grabbed my backpack. He was beginning to wheel the bike out, when Tenebris's body began to hum and glow.
We stopped and looked at Tenebris's body, watching it convulse and jerk, flashes of evil, purple light sparking around the corpse. The body was in front of us, our backs to the edge of the cliff. Tenebris's body suddenly exploded, severing the cliff from it's anchor points. Hundreds of tons of rock splintered and fractured beneath our feet, sending us plummeting towards the raging Pacific Ocean. Tristan anchored my backpack to my bike, tapped on my pendant, and pushed me upwards. A multicolored light sprung from Grandpa's last gift, growing larger and larger until it encompassed me and my possessions. I hung suspended above the watery miasma, helplessly watching Tristan fall towards the waves, smiling. He looked at me, and I somehow heard his last words through the chaos:
"Now it's your turn to be a hero." At that, Tristan closed his eyes, keeping his smile as he was swallowed by the hungry sea. An inhuman cry of pure pain and anguish exploded from my mouth as the bubble pulled me up, rapidly picking up speed. Everything around me became a blur of color, as my mind shut down, and I finally closed my eyes, tears streaming down my face.