Okay, before you read this and get confused, this chapter is about a character that will play a MAJOR role in the rest of the story. This whole chapter is about said character. Also… the ending is kind of gruesome. That's why it's rated PG-13.
Chapter 3: The Midnight Assassin
His heavy boots crunched the dirt beneath him as he walked. His polished, golden staff glinted off the light of the moon. His dark, long cloak concealed his body, making him seem like a shadow walking across the pitch-black field. He kept his head tightly hidden under his roomy hood. His trained eyes scanned the area around him. The wind was howling. Thunder was booming in the distance. And still, the man pressed on.
When he reached midpoint of the open area, he stopped. He stood motionless as if he had become part of the foliage, standing just as still as a blade of grass. Slowly, he raised his right hand to the sky. He snapped his fingers. But it was no ordinary snap. The sound produced from the action was as if a thousand boulders had crashed into the ground. The boom lasted for but a second. Then she came.
The howling and screeching of the wyvern was heard vividly throughout the sky. She zoomed through the skies, beating her powerful wings up and down in a steady motion. She ascended higher and pulled a flip, then dived towards the ground. When she was a few feet from landing, she pulled up again and darted in the air once more. Although the night did not make her visible, if it she was in broad daylight her red scales would gleam proudly. Her brilliant green eyes would strike fear into even the most hardened of warriors. Her sharp, fierce teeth could crush almost any substance. Eventually after she was done with her aerial show, she landed right next to the mystical man.
"Thank you, Nethyrz," the man whispered into her ear.
He soon mounted the wyvern. He leaned over and whispered to the creature.
"Seltas."
With those words spoken, the beast began her flight. She beat her wings with intense strength, blowing away the grass around them. She gained momentum and was finally airborne. She dashed ahead, her wings beating fiercely. The man held on and the due sped in the night sky. Her tail waved as she bobbed up and down during flight. Her legs dangled and arms in the air, her sharp claws shining in the moonlight. She opened her mouth and let out a screech that pierced the sky.
They flew onwards, reaching their destination.
"Stay. Hover in the air. We do not approach yet," said the man. His voice was gruff but smooth as he said it in a very serious tone.
Nethyrz stayed stationary in the air right by the small village of Seltas. The man looked closely at the village, admiring every detail. After about thirty minutes, he gave the order to land.
Nethyrz charged at the center of the village. She flapped her wings as hard as she could to gain maximum speed. She appeared to be a bullet shooting through the sky. She skidded for a few feet as she landed and then reached a halt.
"Nice job," the man said to his flyer. He dismounted her.
Within two minutes, the landing had caused a commotion in town. Men charged out of a nearby house, shouting phrases such as "Kill the intruders!" or "Do not let them escape!" They wielded sticks and clubs, a few of them had a rake.
"Silly commoners…" the man said in a cold voice.
He revealed his magical, golden staff from deep inside his cloak. His crisp hands grasped the rod. At the end of the rod was a ruby red ball with earthen brown, ocean blue and amethyst purple swirls. The colors appeared to be a liquid as they moved about and swirled. He raised his arm back with his staff. He muttered a few words under his breath and twirled his weapon, and then thrust it out.
The peasants stopped in their tracks and gazed in amazement. Before they knew what happened, they were all dead. A bolt of what appeared to be electricity was shot out, but it was red in color. The men were instantly electrocuted and dropped to the ground. However, soon the sparks flowing through their body caused a fire. All that was left was a burning pile of corpses. The man smirked and moved down the village road. The cries of women and children did not even faze him. This man could feel no pain.
As he continued down the road, a few more peasants relentlessly attacked him. With a few more words muttered and a twirl of the staff, the assassin slew them all. Each spell he conjured was different, and each held magnificent power. He seemed to mixing the power of Alchemy itself.
At last he reached the end of the road. It appeared to be a dead end. Now there was rain pouring down, and thunder continued to boom. The trees swayed in the vigorous wind. The man reached out his arm and felt the stone wall that was in front of him. He felt each crack and crevice carefully, searching for a clue. His hardened fingers ran down the smooth, wet surface of the unusually polished rock. When he reached a certain spot, he stopped. He rubbed his hand in a circular pattern and muttered a few more words. To finish up the ritual, he tapped the area with the tip of his staff.
Miraculously, the stone began to glow a bright, bright white. The entire wall sparkled and sizzled. The stone itself began to split. With a huge cracking noise the wall was completely split. He entered the newly formed passageway.
The mysterious figure walked down the cold, dark passage. The walls were dripping with a substance he did not know. He looked up and saw a few bats hanging upside down, even though most bats sleeps during the day. All along the walls were strange markings and symbols which even he did not know how to interpret. Eventually he reached a set of stone stairs carved into the ground, heading downwards. He slowly descended the flight of stairs.
At the end he found himself in an empty room purely carved into the earth. At the center was a small pedestal. He approached the stand and checked it. There was an indent in the rock, in the shape of an oval. It appeared to hold a stone of some sort. But nothing was in it.
The man let out a fury of vulgar curses. Obviously he had been searching for the thing that was here. With a furious thrust full of anger and frustration, he pounded his staff into the ground which created a strong vibration. Again he cursed, even more profane than the last round.
He heard footsteps. Slowly he lifted his head and titled it to the side. His eyes were fixed on a man. The assassin stayed completely still.
"Who are you?" the new figure said.
"My name does not matter. All that matters is your death."
"What the hell…" the new man said as he backed up. He had extreme worry and nervousness in his voice. He backed up until he was pressed against a wall.
The Midnight Assassin raised his staff back. He muttered a string of what seemed to be gibberish and did some quick flips and twirls with his staff, and then thrust it out.
A horrible moaning was brought forth. The moaning got louder and louder each second, increasing in intensity. The victim could hold it no more. He screamed out loud as he saw a ghastly figure appear from the staff. The wispy ghost swirled out and took the form of a hideous demon. The demon savagely attacked the man, killing him with a single swipe of his claws. But he didn't stop there. It continued to pummel the innocent victim, showing no mercy in its furious attacks. The mangled corpse slumped on the ground. The demon then ate the man, pulling the tendons and flesh apart and taking in the human parts.
"Sazurite," said the man. His name was Sazurite.