AN: Here we are, folks; Chapter 3! Remember, I only own Fenris, Orion and Kevin; no one else. Also, there will be swearing past this point, although nothing too severe. Now, here it is…
Chapter 2: The Soul Hunters
Ly ran through the dead forest like a bolt of lightning. Stopping behind the shade of a tree, she placed her ear to the ground, listening for the sounds of any pursuers. Satisfied that she had lost the Hunters, Ly dashed towards another tree. Hiding behind its blackened frame, she began to think about everything that had happened to her and where she was to go next.
It had been fifteen years since Fenris had slain Rayman and taken control of their world. During that time, Ly and many others who had evaded Fenris' clutches had lived as wanderers, watching as Fenris slowly killed the world and drained the life of its inhabitants. She had seen lush forests turn into barren clumps of earth, mighty rivers turn into deserts. Even she had changed.
Although she, like all fairies, never aged physically, that didn't stop her from becoming haggard and worn. All of the horrors she had seen over the past fifteen years had changed her, draining almost all of the humanity out of her and leaving her hopeless and depressed, along with the rest of the world's dwindling population. She had stopped caring about anything but herself, stopped caring about her duties to the world.
Until a few nights ago, when she had had a strange dream…
Suddenly, she heard a sound that jolted her out of her thoughts. She stood still, feeling her blood run cold as she saw a pair of red eyes approaching through the dark night. Her worst fears had been confirmed; the Soul Hunters had found her.
The Soul Hunter ahead of her was one of a species created by Fenris to find the wanderers that existed in the world and drain their life essence. These nightmarish creatures were constructs of flesh, bone and metal, created from the remains of the dead and animated by Fenris' Dark Magic to serve as disturbingly trackers and killers. Their skin was dark gray, with chrome plates dotting their bodies haphazardly and metallic claws on their arms. Their red eyes could see through the darkest night, and they could hear far better than most. It was whispered that they could smell fear, and their capabilities didn't do much to dissuade that rumor.
As the Soul Hunter walked towards her, Ly closed her eyes, employing all of the fairy magic inside of her. I'm a tree, she thought, changing her body from flesh to wood. In seconds, the fairy was indistinguishable from the rest of the dead trees in the forest.
The transformation was not accomplished as quickly as Ly would have liked, however. The Soul Hunter lumbered towards her, staring at her intensely. Ly inwardly shuddered upon seeing the creature's grotesque face, but she kept calm on the inside. The creature then took a claw and raked it across her skin, drawing blood that she had disguised as sap. Although the fairy felt the stinging pain, she kept calm, knowing that she would die for any mistake she made.
The Hunter continued to inspect her, not able to find anything out of the ordinary. Finally, it turned its back for an instant; all the time that Ly needed. Reverting into her normal form, Ly fired a bolt of magical energy at the Hunter, dazing it as she ran away. The lumbering creature ran towards her, but the fairy was much faster than he was and knew the forest far better.
"Come and catch me if you can!" Ly yelled, sticking her tongue out at it. Suddenly, she fell to the ground, weighted by a net thrown by another Hunter.
"Damn it!" She hissed as the Hunters surrounded her. She closed her eyes, preparing for death…
Suddenly, one hunter fell to the ground, transfixed by a large arrow. As the other Hunter turned around, a large figure burst into the clearing, pounding at the Hunter with a wooden cudgel. The Hunter was struck many times by the mysterious stranger, it kept its ground and slashed viscously at the man with its razor sharp claws. Shrugging off the gashes in his side, the stranger gave the Hunter a swift kick in the chest, knocking it off balance. As it was stunned, the man raised his cudgel above his head and bludgeoned the Hunter until it went silent. After he was sure that both Hunters were incapacitated, he turned to the trapped fairy.
"It's been a while, Ly."
"Yes it has, Orion." Ly replied. "We have a lot to catch up on, but can you free me first?"
"Sure thing." Orion grunted, removing the weighted net from the fairy's back.
"Thanks, Orion." Ly said, giving Orion a rare smile. "I'd be a goner if it weren't for your help."
"Don't mention it." Orion said, returning the smile. "Now, I'm going to be going back home. Do you want to go with me?"
"Yes, I would." Ly replied. "But how are we going to get there without us tracking us?"
"Follow me." Orion said, wrapping a piece of cloth around his wound. He led the fairy north until they came to a stream.
"They can't follow us here." He told her. "They can't pick up our trail in the stream." At that, they stepped into the stream and walked inside of it in an easterly direction. Finally, after a few minutes of walking, Ly saw a lantern in the distance. Filled with determination, Ly ran towards the light in order to see what was there. Soul Hunters didn't need light, after all, so it could only be another wanderer.
"Hey, stop right there!" A voice called out to her. "Who are you?"
"It's just me, Orion." Ly's guide replied. "I brought along Ly, a friend of mine."
The man who had spoken to Ly left the shadows, allowing her to see who he was. He was a young limbless boy who looked like a younger version of the late Rayman. His black eyes contained a bitter, cynical nature as he scrutinized the fairy.
"Well, you don't look like a Soul Hunter." The boy said at last. "You can come with us, but only temporarily."
"Don't worry, Kevin, I won't stay long without your permission."
The boy eyed her in shock. "How… how did you know my name? Have we met before?"
"I'll reveal everything to you when we get to your home." Ly assured him.
"Alright." The boy, Kevin, said moodily. "You're going to have to wear a blindfold, though. Orion, if you will."
Orion tore another piece of cloth from his garment, tying it into a bandana and gently placing it over Ly's eyes.
"Come with us, Ly." Orion said to the temporarily blinded fairy. "I'll guide you."
Ly grabbed onto Orion's hand and walked along with him, guided by the sound of his footsteps. After a while of stumbling along on the dry earth, her guide and Kevin suddenly stopped.
"You can take it off now." Kevin's told her.
Quickly undoing the bandana, Ly gazed ahead of her. A large, dead tree stood ahead of her, its barren branches reaching towards the sky. Kevin went to the side of the tree, placing his hand inside of a hole and turning a well-hidden knob. A secret door in the side of the tree then swung open, revealing the traces of a dwelling.
"Here we are, Ly." Kevin said, stepping inside. "Now, why don't you tell us what you came here for and how you know my name inside of here."
"Don't worry, I will." Ly replied, smiling as she stepped inside of his home. It had been so long since she was in any form of dwelling.