To Find the Infection
Chapter 2: On the Other Side
Complete darkness covered the interior of an open meadow in a forest, a forest that was clearly far, far away from the new alliance. The darkness took the form of a misty fog, thick enough that not even the most naked of eyes can see through it. The fog suddenly swirled around the center of the open space in the meadow, and began to be sucked into the center. As quickly as it had appeared, the mysterious fog vanished, without a single trace. Feathers rained down upon the grass, feathers of what seemed to be a big bird, perhaps a hawk. A feather landed upon a sleeping youth. The young child's eye shot open, and, with a yawn that echoed across the land, the child felt refreshed, almost reborn even.
The boy looked around the meadow. Nothing was there, just him, and his tattered up clothes. His body felt strange, his mind was completely blank. Only one memory remained in the boy's head:
"My name is Erutan…" the boy murmured to himself. "Erutan, what a silly name, but it's my name I suppose." Erutan thought to himself. He began to walk out of the open meadow, to where, he knew not, when he realized the reason for his emptiness. "Hungry…food." He thought. He searched around his environment, everything was inedible. He felt as though he had been starving for weeks.
Erutan turned towards the bushes. He heard rustling, coming in the form of sudden "jabs" at the leaves and ground below the shrub. A foot was then exposed to the boy. It stood a wimpy two feet tall, and bore brown feathers. It possessed a small red gullet that climbed down its neck. Erutan figured out what it was in a second or two.
"Food." Erutan said to himself. "Chicken." He mumbled. He sighed when he realized it would be impossible for him to not only catch, but kill the chicken, with the little energy he had from whatever had happened. He focused on the bird, wishing for a miracle to happen. Fortunately for him, his wish was granted. A small rock shot at the speed of sound past Erutan. He gasped as it shot toward the helpless animal. The chicken turned, questioning what it was, but it was already too late when the animal realized it was doomed. The rock smashed into the chicken's skull, killing it instantly. Erutan smiled.
"Now, a fire." Erutan thought. No longer than he had thought of a fire did a tree fall down. It was sliced into many small logs, and it suddenly combust into red hot flames. The chicken's leg twitched as it roasted on the open fire. Erutan caught on quickly, regardless of how slow-minded and gullible his personality seemed.
"Can it?" Erutan pondered. He raised his hand toward the fire and again concentrated. He frowned, believing that the events where simply fortunate, but his frown quickly became a smile, when the fire shot from the wood and into his hands. "Yes. I can."
"Erutan munched the chicken, not taking his time to chew the food. He burped in satisfaction over his first meal of the day. He looked towards the forest. It was time to explore. At least, it would have been, if Erutan had not heard an explosion in the opposite direction.
Erutan's head spun all the way around, only managing to see some smoke pillars hanging above the trees in front of him. Erutan quickly dashed towards the direction of the smoke. Maybe his day wouldn't be so boring. On the contrary, Erutan's entire life was about to change…
Erutan ran headfirst into a village. It was made of stone, complete stone. The village was destroyed, fire still burning on the ground, and on some of the flesh of the dead. The smell of blood was everywhere; it made Erutan sick to his, and the chicken's stomach. "Something big must've happened here…" Erutan said, with no one able to hear, or at least, that's what Erutan thought. Erutan felt an eerie presence. It was the presence you feel when someone is watching you, the kind of presence that you wished was gone. Erutan looked around, and saw that no one was there. He still felt it though; someone was indeed there, in the dead village. They were just hiding from the boy. "Whoever you are!" Erutan yelled, "Show yourself!"
Erutan turned the opposite way, still searching for the presence, when he heard another voice, a voice that made his spine shiver.
"Up here boy." A man said. Erutan looked up toward the man. He was sitting on a large, thirty foot pole, cross-legged. He bore a broadsword on his back, and his hair was dark black. This new man leaped from his spot, and landed hard on the ground, kicking up some dirt, and even some nearby corpses. "Friend or foe?" the man asked quickly, looking directly towards Erutan.
"Foe?" Erutan questioned. "Are you expecting me to fight you?" Erutan asked the man. That explosion, seen from far away, must have been made by this extraordinary man. He would die if he tried; at least, that is what Erutan thought. "First," Erutan said, "tell me, who are you?"
The Man chuckled, "Heh. Who am I?" The man pointed quickly to a stone wall behind Erutan. He turned to look, and saw a poster, it seemed like a wanted sign, but Erutan didn't know that. It read:
Juggernaut man Majotte uses his Mind to Destroy a Mountain!
Erutan's eyes widened a bit. To be able to destroy a mountain with a physical ability like the previous explosion is incredible, but managing to blow an entire mountain without touching it. It was something that Erutan thought was only fantasy! Erutan instantly became interested in this, Majotte. Of course, after reading this, Erutan didn't feel like dying.
"Friend, Majotte." Erutan said to him. Suddenly, inside Erutan's head, Erutan heard a loud snapping noise, the noise you'd hear from a breaking bone. Erutan's clouded mind was finally not so clouded.
"I'm Erutan, and my ability," he said, raising his arms, "is to control this:"
Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook. Tremors suddenly shot many corpses into the sky, only for them to plummet back to ground. Fire burst out from the ground, and wind began to blow in every direction. Clouds suddenly grew dark, and began to fire hail in very rapid succession. Erutan's hands were glowing a faint red while this was happening. Erutan's hands then shot down to the ground, and everything ceased in a flash of light. Erutan smiled.
"Natural Elements are at my command." Erutan smirked.
Majotte smirked, even chuckled. He'd never seen that kind of power before. It was unique. He then told Erutan, in a booming voice, "Well then, 'friend', shall we go?" he said, pointing towards a path in the South. He began to walk toward the path, and looked back at Erutan. "Coming?" he said, quite irritated.
Erutan looked at Majotte. Not quite the person you want to become friends with, but with nothing else to do, Erutan figured, "Why not?" He caught up to Majotte, and began walking down the path with him, ready to take on any challenge.