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Chapter 11: Reminiscence 2 - God of Death.
In the Airglyph encampment stationed near the town of Arias, soldiers were on full alert. It was a simple barricade made from piles of rocks, but it was efficient enough to guard against medium scale assaults. The war with Greeton had been going on for nearly 2 years now, and tension ran high in the air. Initially, the army of Greeton had held the advantage, flooding into the continent of Gaitt and cutting down all oppositions. Curiously enough, it appeared that most bases located near the borders were unable to mount any resistance. The devastation had forced Airyglyph, Aquaria, and Sanmite Republic to join forces. Positioned in the frontline, the 15th defense base of Airyglyph was most likely to be attacked soon.
"Sheesh, I can't stand this silence, gives me the creeps." An Airyglyph soldier on the north wall muttered.
"I know Anton, I'd rather have the ruckus of battle than this, at least then I know what's going on." Another muttered.
"Shut up you two, if you have energy to be complaining, spend it on standing watch."
A few minutes silence passed by.
"Hey Hugh, Gregory, remember in the beginning of the war, how nearly all of the border camps were taken so easily?" Anton inquired his two companions.
"Yeah, what about it?" Gregory asked.
"Well, there's been a rumor going on that those camps were totally empty by the time the Greeton scumbags got there."
"What? You mean those guys over there deserted the bases or something?" Hugh said skeptically.
"I don't know about that, but keep in mind that these attacks were quite sudden. Heck, we didn't find out that they invaded us until they already broke through the main defense line."
"So what are you suggesting? That the fellas at the border just disappeared right before the fighting began?" Hugh snapped.
"Hey, don't ask me, that's just what I heard." Anton shrugged.
"Oh yeah? Well I think that's completely ludicro-" The torchlights went out.
"What the? Who messed with the-"
Hugh was cut off as his body was split in two pieces diagonally.
"What the hell!" Gregory leapt back in surprise, but was hit by a silvery orb and flung over the wall. Anton frantically backed up. Someone was moving in the darkness ahead of him.
"Who, who's there?" He demanded shakily. The stranger moved into the moonlight, and before him stood a figure clad in black armor and holding an equally black spear. Anton briefly recalled the rumors about a Greeton warrior who was equipped like so.
"I-i-impossible, n-not the G-god of De-" There was a flash of metal and Anton's head parted with his body.
The rest of the guards heard the commotion and immediately gathered at the north wall. Those who were already on the wall charged at the intruder. Limbs and blood soon rained down from the wall. Alarmed by what just happened, the soldiers below the wall all stepped back, just as someone leapt down from it. The guards all charged at the lone figure.
Screams were heard from the camp for a few minutes, then came silence... and flames.
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"Hey sis, back from dinner?" Drake asked as the girl stepped inside the room.
"Yup. I suppose Shuny and Kain aren't back yet." Rena looked around.
The room served as headquarters of the Eradicators, Greeton's special task unit. It composed of about 50 specially trained elites called The Blood Shadows, and was led by none other than the Four Beasts themselves. The Beasts have been involved in many different operatoins since the war began, ranging from assassinations to leading full-frontal assaults.
"Nope, but I daresay Kain would be back soon." The moment he finished his statement, the Prowling Lupine came strolling inside. "Speak of the devil..."
"Hi Kain, how'd it go?" Rena said lively.
"Heh, piece of cake. Those so-called Black Brigade gave us no trouble at all." Kain smirked. He had been dispatched along with a battalion of soldiers on a mission to counter the incoming Airyglyph attack troops.
"I take it that Kirin isn't back yet?" Kain said in an unpleasant tone, looking around the room as Rena had done. The siblings shook their heads. He simply shrugged and left for his chambers. It was common knowledge that Kain absolutely hated Shuyin, not only for beating him in the tournament so long ago, but for all the attention he garnered.
"Sigh, I'm worried about him..." Drake said.
"Well, I know his attitude sucks some times, but he's more than capable of handling any tasks." Rena piped up.
"No, not him, I meant Shu." Drake waved his hand. Rena cocked her head to the side in puzzlement.
"Haven't you noticed? He's changed, he's no longer the kid we met 3 years ago. I didn't worry so much with you since we've been to several battles during our knight times, and Kain fought a lot as a mercenary as well. We are used to killing, well, Kain seems to enjoy it a bit too much... Anyways, in Shu's case, its... well, different." Drake sighed.
"Now that you mention, he seems totally indifferent as to who he kills, or how many. Remember that one time he completely killed off 500 soldiers in a city and didn't even blink an eye?"
"Yeah... He doesn't care who the target is, as long as he is ordered to kill them or if they are an obstacle."
"But I must say, I was surprised that he would go against such numbers without backup. He was all bloodied up by the time we got there."
"That's what I'm trying to tell you. Its like he doesn't hold any value to life, not even his own. Which explains why he would take on all those dangerous missions without a word." Drake muttered bitterly.
The door swung open yet again and this time Shuyin, or Kirin as most knew him now, entered. The Raiyu siblings greeted him cheerfully, to which he merely nodded, before heading off to his own chambers. Drake looked uneasily at his friend and leader. He had changed so much. His clothes, hands, and lance were covered in blood stains. The once brilliant sapphire eyes were now completely feral yellow, and a sharp glint reaking of death shined within them. Whatever air of cheeriness within him had left long ago. What stood before the Lashing Viper and the Soaring Hawk now was an avatar of death.
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Shuyin entered his chambers and proceeded to take a bath. He then began washing the bloodstains off of his clothes and equipment. The mission he had just been on was the destruction of the nearest Gaitt base that was quite heavily fortified and had about 300 soldiers. The Rising Dragon had eradicated the entire defense force and burned the base to ashes within less than half and hour. When the war had first begun, he had shown slight hesitation in killing. But the more life he took, the less he cared, until he arrived at a point where he would hack apart anything or anyone without remorse or pity.
'Life... such a fragile thing... So easy to crush...' a cold voice spoke within his mind. Suddenly the warriors eyes flashed a hint of blue and lost the cold glare, and looked tired and sad. But most of all, fearful.
'Go... away...' Shuyin thought agonizingly.
'Ah, are you sure? Do you want to return to that time? Completely helpless, watching all of them dying around you, about to die yourself? Do you?' The voice taunted.
'No... no... I don't want to...' The red-haired youth thought feebly.
'Yes. Together, we can be great, nothing can stop us... Then no one can harm you ever again."
Shuyin seemed to struggle with something. He brought his hands to his face and moaned as if in intense pain. Then, as abruptly as it began, he ceased. Lowering his hands, he faced the mirror before him. Murderous golden orbs had once again replaced the blue eyes... and darkness settled upon his heart yet again.
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"Our forces are going to commence an attack against the capital city of Airyglyph itself. The king has ordered our presence at the frontline." Drake reported to his fellow young Beasts.
"Awesome! The enemies heart, it must be packed with soldiers." Kain grinned in anticipation of the slaughter.
"Umm... Shu, I hate to say this but, I really think this is a bad idea." Drake said carefully.
"Why?"
"There must be at least 2,000 soldiers, the elites of Black and Dragon Brigade are in that place. The whole area around the city is crawling with them. Not to mention that it is the most heavily guarded fortress we have encountered so far. AND we only have about 300 troops with us!"
"Well, we can just wait for reinforcements can't we?" Rena asked.
"About that... There are none." Drake muttered.
"WHAT! What is his majesty thinking? 300 troops, not to mention FRESH recruits, against 2,000 elites!" Kain blurted out in disbelief.
"I believe that he had gotten rather arrogant. Most battles we had been in up to now were against either small amount of troops or poorly trained ones. He thinks we are so invincible that there shouldn't be any problem. So he left us with only a small amount of men and had most of the army focusing their attacks on Aquaria territory." Drake speculated.
"Thats just crazy! Not only are we horribly outnumbered and outskilled, but two of the Three Captains are in there too! Those guys ALONE are capable of whittling our current troops down in half!" Rena shouted out.
"We have our orders, we carry them out..." Shuyin said tonelessly.
"Oh you certainly can't be SERIOUS!" Drake blurted.
"If you don't want to come that's fine. I'll go alone if need be..."
"Hah! As if I'm gonna let you have all the fun!" Kain sneered.
The Beasts sat in silence for a moment, then rounded up the camp.
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Nearly 1,000 Black Brigade soldiers charged against the oncoming Greeton troops. Glou Nox was leading them up front, engaging the enemy himself. At first, it seemed that the battle would be over soon. But the Beasts tore through the enemy lines, giving the small Greeton force encouragement while stunning the opponents. Within minutes they had managed to pushed back the blockade and entered the city. However, Drake immediately sensed that something was wrong. The city was quiet... too quiet... and empty. Not to mention that the fight had been way too easy and he hadn't seen any of the dragon riders. Suddenly a thunderous cry shook the air. Turning back, he saw the sky filled with abour 3,000 soldiers on dragons. Crap! The Dragon Brigade! He thought and turned to his comrades.
"It's a trap! We have to get the hell out of here!" The moment the words left his lips, Black Brigade soldiers, over 2,000 of them, came pelting out of every nook and cranny in the city and assaulted them.
"Dammit!" Drake swore as he began swinging his Serpent Blade wildly, cutting down soldiers without rest.
The outcome was crystal clear. The Airyglyph troops were massacring the feeble Greeton troops. Within no time, only a handful remained, desperately hacking a path out of the city. Three of the Beasts suddenly stood right before the blockade of dragon riders and raised their hands. The gems began to glow.
"Lightning Tempest!"
"Burning Nova!"
"Grand Spire!"
A hurricane crackling with electricity burned countless soldiers, while more were incinerated by a titanic fireball, and still more were pierced by rocks shaped like sharp cones shooting up from the ground. About 800 soldiers disappeared in a blink of an eye. The destruction threw the riders into momentary panic. The Greeton force seized that opportunity and managed to escape. Only about 20 soldiers and 18 Shadows remained.
"I'm gonna, huff, be having, huff, a looooooong chat with the king about this." Drake panted.
"That was no fun at all!" Rena whined.
"Damn those insects! Using such trickery!" Kain began cursing like mad.
"Hang on a bit..." Drake began looking around, for it felt like something was missing.
"...where's Shu?" His question was answered by small explosions and howls coming from the city they had just left.
"Oh hell, this can't be good."
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One after another, soldiers fell. Shuyin was slashing and stabbing continuously against an endless horde of troops. His yellow glare actually froze some of them motionlessly. He was surrounded by thousands of enemies in the fields outside of the city, which he had punched a hole through a wall to escape. Suddenly a man stood before him.
"I see that the rumors were right about you, Kirin Magnus..." The man spoke to him.
"... Glou Nox, captain of the Black Brigade..." Shuyin muttered.
"Correct." Glou reached for his sword and charged. At the same time, another being emerged from behind.
"I'll be the one to take your head, Black Lance!" Shuyin turned to see Duke Vox flying straigth towards him.
The two captains struck again and again. Shuyin fought back, but the exhaustion was catching up with him. Not only that, these two were among the best warriors of Airygylph, said to be on par with the Four Beasts. As time went by, Glou and Vox were able to score some hits against the young lanceman. The soldiers cheered as they saw the famed warrior falter. Vox was able to smash Shuyin in the torso with the handle of his lance, and the red head was flung back. He got back up, clearly at his limits now.
"You were an admirable fighter, Magnus. How about it? If you join us, we'll spare you life." Duke Vox offered smugly. Shuyin merely glared back at him.
"Very well then." Vox and Glou began closing in on Shuyin when suddenly a gust of wind flung them far away. Glou managed to grab onto Vox's dragon as the gale drove them far back.
"I... will not lose..." Black energy crackled around Shuyin's body. The soldiers began backing away. He then leapt up high into the air, and brought one hand above his head. The black energy gathered in his palm and turned into a black sphere.
"Necrosis Holocaust!" He flung the black ball down upon the troops.
The attack struck the ground, then it exploded in a huge dome of black flame, covering the fields where the soldiers were panicking. They howled as their insides were burned up first, then their entire body began shriveling up. When the fires disappeared, every living being that had been caught in the blast, down to the last weed and rodent, were shriveled and scorched. The field itself had a huge crater blown out of it as well. The survivors shook and stared in horror at the catastrophe before them. Out of the original 4,000 or so troops that were attacking the Black Lance, only 200 remained.
"He, he, he... is tru-truly... the God of Death..." One of them stammered.
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In the meanwhile, Shuyin, who had been flung away by the shockwaves due to his weakened condition, crashed into the ground within the city. He struggled to get up, but his body wouldn't respond properly. Slowly he crawled forward, but soon he couldn't move at all. His vision began to blur, and his struggle to remain conscious was futile. Then his eyes closed and he fainted.
The door of a house nearby opened, and a young lady and a little girl who appeared to be her little sister came out. They approached the unconscious being cautiosly. The young woman knelt down before him while her sister hid behind her. She then told her little sister to bring her father, and the little girl scurried back in. She returned with a man who looked stark white at the moment.
"Amelia, what's the meaning of this? Get back inside immediately!" The man whispered urgently.
"But father, he's hurt, he needs help!" Amelia, the young woman, pleaded.
"Are you crazy! Do you realize who this is! Haven't you just seen that, that explosion and heard those screams!" Her father looked as if he was about to pass out.
"Father, look at him!"
"All I see is a cold-hearted murderer who would think nothing of killing everyone in this entire city!" The father had finally lost controll and bellowed out. Amelia looked at him coldly then called her sister.
"Ameena, come here, help me carry him to my room." The little girl nodded and helped her sister carry the feared killer. They were surprised at how light he was, not to mention that he was a bit smaller than they thought. After hearing all the horrific stories about him, they had expected a huge and scary looking barbarian.
They brought him up to Amelia's room and dropped him on the bed. Little Ameena hurried off to fetch the medicines and other tools. Amelia happened to be a quite skilled in medicines and treatments, but the extent of the injuires was so great, that it took her about 2 hours properly fixing Shuyin up. She let out a sigh of relief and looked at her patient. She removed the long red hairs that covered his face and gasped in surprise. Kirin Magnus of the Black Lance, the famed and feared killer, was just a child. He looked no older than 15. Little Ameena was peering curiously at him until Amelia shooed her away, tucked Shuyin in more comfortably, and left the room. She sighed, just what could have caused such a young boy to do what he did? She pondered in grief as she walked away.
Continued in Chapter 12: Reminiscence 3 - The Value of Life.