The blurry image of a titanous mountain was visible, somewhere beyond the thick blue mist. It had always possessed a certain mystery about it, and legend has it that only the brave and the bold could savour its fruits of eternal knowledge, from its lone monestry at its pinnacle, the Temple of Light. There was no doubt about it. He was close now. With one kick to the horses sides, Whirlwind blazed forward, its hooves hitting hard against the mountain passage of grey gravel. By nightfall, he would be able to make it to the peak. The steep mountainous roads leading to the peak was too dangerous to travel by horse. The general couldn't risk it.
He disembarked, tied Whirlwind to a nearby fig, prepared his arms and supplies, and began the tenious hike. It was a long way uphill, but this was not the first time he's been here. Mt Oddysey was Lord William's favourite amongst his kingdom. The late Lord always seeked the advise of the council of the Temple of Light, believing that their wisdom was undetered. It proved out to be right. Every cannal he dug, every fort built, every crop chosen, was all favours from the council's great knowledge. But ever since Lord Phillip claimed the throne, he banished the council, refusing to pay tribute to its gods and fund the temples schools and monestries. Very soon, most of the scholars left Mt Oddysey, and only a handful of the elders remained to pass on their knowledge, or whatever was left of it.
Halo breathed heavy now. He was not as agile as he used to be, his old bones are beginning to ache with every step he took. He smiled to himself. The years he had spent his life on, training for battle after battle after battle. He was a soldier, for King and Country. But Lord William had put the meaning of life back into him. His lordship was the one that shed light into his miserable life, allowing him to tend to the royal stallions, attend his court, and even promoted him to who he was now. Halo stopped, tears seeping from his eyes. No matter. I have swore my loyalty to the House of Mok, for as long as I shall live.
He barely missed the huge boulder. The general slipped from his grasp, and fell into a rocky platform, the huge rock smashing where he hung on to seconds ago into a million pieces. There, up in the skies, he saw it. The gruesome shadow of a winged-demon.
It circulated the skies for a moment. Then, it swooped downwards, picked up another massve boulder with its bare hands, and tossed it towards the general at top speed. Halo dived, once more missing the boulder by a hair's distance.
Halo drew his sword. It was unmistakable. The figure in front of him was a succubus. But... It was male. Somehow, he had seen that face before. He just knew it. But it was different now. Its bloodshot eyes were creepy enough to look at, let alone those ... wings... sticking out of its back.
'You fight well, mortal, for a man of your age.' said the demon, decending until he was in front of the general, its wings wide open.
'Age is wine my friend. That's something your kind cannot comprehend.'
'Brave, but foolish. Can you not see? You are in the presence of a god. Now, tell me where the prince is, or I will have your head.'
'I would, but I shall choose not to, not an abomanation like you,' Halo held his stance.
'So be it, mortal.' With that, the demon zoomed forward with blurring speed, and appeared behind Halo in a split second. It thrust its blade forward, but to its amazement, Halo turned, avoided the blade, and give the demon a strong kick to the shin. The blade fell off its hands.
'How'd you?..' the demon asked, confused. A mortal? Such speed?
Halo got to his feet, and back to his stance, this time, aiming for its heart. With one plundge, he thrusted his rapier into the demon, the tip coming out the other end, blood splurtering in all directions.
'Foolish mortal!' the demon yelled, and pulled at the rapier, with a force that caused Halo to fall a hundred paces backward.
'Impressive, demon' said Halo, getting back on his feet.
The demon wasted no time, and began to chant.
Istomeo gethomisha
Kishyatokuni Juoshina
ESTONITOKUNI JUOSHINA
ISTOMOE GETHOMISHA JUOSHINA!
Immediately, the ground they were standing on began to break apart, and stone as well as ash filled the air. Then, it appeared. A serpent, large as the guard towers back at the South Castle, emerged from the ground, its scales covered in flames. It searched around until it spotted Halo, and then, with lightning speed, it struck.
Halo barely dodged the attack, the serpent ripping the back of his tunic. He barely had time to breath before the serpent struck again, this time crashing into the ground and caused a heavy tremour. Halo jumped in the nick of time, but fell right into the flaming hot scales of the serpent.
'Arrgh!' he yelled, as he fell to the ground, his chest and knees burnt from the intense heat. The demon chuckled.
"Now you see mortal!? Tell me where the prince resides! Or I shall strike once more. And this time, no miracle will save you!'
Halo lifted his chin up, slowly, and faced the demon.
'Over... my.. dead... body!'
The demon's laughter filled the air.
'Take one good look at me, mortal, for I shall send you to the depths of hell!'
The serpent curled, and struck Halo again.
The force of the last attack was too immense to describe, but the ground shattered, forming a large crater where Halo stood. The demon smirked, yet another soul under his belt. It edged towards his victim for one last look.
It happened so fast. Two shots were fired, one to the left eye, and one to his left shoulder. The demon was stunned. Then, out of the debris, Halo stood, very much alive, his tunic shred to bits, holding a revolver bellowing smoke from its tip.
'Im... mpossible.. How'd....'
Then, the demon saw it. The mark on the right shoulder. It can't be. The mark of the Heavens. The blood cross. This mortal.... this mortal was a Slayer!
'The demon who shall be damned, must sell his heart, and be bestowed the heart of pure evil, that sees all evil, and feels all evil - the left eye of the Demonlord. The demon who shall be damned, must sell his soul, and be bestowed the heart of Malice, right in the centre of the mark of the Abyss - the Mark of the Succubus.'
The demon could not believe what he just heard. A Slayer! It has encountered a Slayer! It... it cannot be.
'You've met your match, demon.'
Halo took one last aim, this time at the real heart of the demon, and fired. The creature immediately burst into dark flames, its piercing screams filled the air. And then, it vanished.
From a distance, two young, azure eyes witnessed the whole event.
**********************************************************************************
Lord Jun tried in vain to get up, his arms and legs broken from the impact. Robson moved forward, assisting him.
'I owe you my life, my friend,' Jun said, happy to be alive.
'Say no more. Come, let me first be rid of this undead minion.' that said, Lord Robson moved forward, and approached the demon.
'No wait!' But it was too late.
The demon jumped suddenly, and lunged at Lord Robson with its out streched claws. It missed by a skin of his teeth. Lord Robson quickly drew his rapier.
'But I just shot the damn thing!' Robson shouted.
'Foolish mortal! You cannot harm the flesh of a god!' it taunted, its blood red eyes filled with anger.
'That's what I've been trying to tell you! It cannot die!'' Lord Jun shouted back.
'Oh, now you're telling me!?' said Robson, avoiding another melee from the demon.
Lord Jun turned to one of Lord Robson's man.
'Hey! Give him a hand!'
'No, sire, I might hit him!'
'Its alright, I got it under....'
Lord Robson was thrown right up into the air, his chest aching in pain, before crashing down unto the ground. He groaned. The demon raised his fist, ready for another strike, when Robson lunged the rapier in his hand into the demon's left eye. It screamed in pain, retreated a few paced back, then spread its wings, and took off. Robson's men immediately shot wildly at the demon, but it was long gone.
'Poking it in the eye? Now why can't I think of that?' jeered Lord Jun as he gave Robson a hand.
'Now is not a time to fool around, brother, this is madness! What are those things, and.... what do they want?' cried Lady Veena.
Lord Jun approached his sister and placed his hand over her shoulder, comforting her.
'Its alright... its alright....'
Lord Robson stood up, glad to find that he was unharmed.
'Again, I thank you. But what brings you here to the East?' asked Lord Jun.
'I was on a scout party under the orders of the king. I was patroling the forests of Norshire until we got lost. So we wondered here for days, seeking a way out. Until we saw Lady Veena here...'
Lady Veena was weepng now.
'They... they saved my life. The two knights that excorted me fought bravely, but they didn't make it across the river. I wouldn't have too, is it was not for Lord Robson and his men.'
'It would be a mark of dark history the day Lord Robson turns a blind eye to a Damsel in distress, milady.' he said, smiling.
'Cheeky as always.' remarked Lord Jun. Lord Robson replied with a smile.
They returned to the scout party, and together, made their way out of Norshire forest, keeping silent the whole way. There was a lot on Lord Jun's mind. He glanced at his sister. She too had a lot to think. She did the same, and grasped her brother's hand tightly. Tears streamed down Lady Veena's eyes. He placed his arm around her, giving her the reassurance that it will all be fine. But he knew it was not. Something had just assaulted his castle, killed his man, murdered his general, and now the people of the East are prone to its wrath. He had to do something... but against a force as such.... What could he do?
Dusk was upon them, and it was not long before they found a perfect spot near a river to set up camp. The campfire burned, illuminating the worn faces of the two survivors of the East County. Both sat up all night, praying for the lost lives that sacrificed themselves so that they could survive, paying little attention to the briefing Lord Robson was giving.
'...... so tomorrow, we head for the Castle of the West. If the beast had struck the South and the East, it would be but a matter of time before they strike the West. Messenger, take this and send it to the Guardians patroling the borders. I want every soldier on alert. Signal the riflemen, and fire at anything that flies that doen't resemble a woodpecker.'
The messenger saluted, took the letter, and galloped off into the darkness of the night.
'...and you two....'
Jun and Veena looked up.
'.... will be welcomed as guests to my castle,' said Lord Robson.
Lady Veena smiled, and nodded.
"Thank you,' replied Lord Jun.
'Now, have a good nights sleep. Its a long journey out of here when morning comes. I don't want to have a couple of zombies in the troupe. You there, keep watch. Alert the rest if you see anything.'
The guard saluted, grabbed his rifle, and dissapered into the woods.
Suddenly, there was loud rustling. The guard hurried back.
'Riders sire! There is a pack of riders headed this way!'
'Arm yourselves men, but stay quiet. Take the Lady to safety,' commanded Lord Robson.
His guards drew thier arms, and waited in the silence of the night.
The sounds of rustling drew closer, footsteps at first, then galloping. A horde of galloping! Lord Robson signalled his men to stay hidden, and moved forward, sneaking behind the shadows of the trees.
Lord Robson lay low, crouching as he tried to get a better view. He instantly recognised the crest on the armour of the calvary riding past. The crest of the bear. The House of Nesh was at war!
He disembarked, tied Whirlwind to a nearby fig, prepared his arms and supplies, and began the tenious hike. It was a long way uphill, but this was not the first time he's been here. Mt Oddysey was Lord William's favourite amongst his kingdom. The late Lord always seeked the advise of the council of the Temple of Light, believing that their wisdom was undetered. It proved out to be right. Every cannal he dug, every fort built, every crop chosen, was all favours from the council's great knowledge. But ever since Lord Phillip claimed the throne, he banished the council, refusing to pay tribute to its gods and fund the temples schools and monestries. Very soon, most of the scholars left Mt Oddysey, and only a handful of the elders remained to pass on their knowledge, or whatever was left of it.
Halo breathed heavy now. He was not as agile as he used to be, his old bones are beginning to ache with every step he took. He smiled to himself. The years he had spent his life on, training for battle after battle after battle. He was a soldier, for King and Country. But Lord William had put the meaning of life back into him. His lordship was the one that shed light into his miserable life, allowing him to tend to the royal stallions, attend his court, and even promoted him to who he was now. Halo stopped, tears seeping from his eyes. No matter. I have swore my loyalty to the House of Mok, for as long as I shall live.
He barely missed the huge boulder. The general slipped from his grasp, and fell into a rocky platform, the huge rock smashing where he hung on to seconds ago into a million pieces. There, up in the skies, he saw it. The gruesome shadow of a winged-demon.
It circulated the skies for a moment. Then, it swooped downwards, picked up another massve boulder with its bare hands, and tossed it towards the general at top speed. Halo dived, once more missing the boulder by a hair's distance.
Halo drew his sword. It was unmistakable. The figure in front of him was a succubus. But... It was male. Somehow, he had seen that face before. He just knew it. But it was different now. Its bloodshot eyes were creepy enough to look at, let alone those ... wings... sticking out of its back.
'You fight well, mortal, for a man of your age.' said the demon, decending until he was in front of the general, its wings wide open.
'Age is wine my friend. That's something your kind cannot comprehend.'
'Brave, but foolish. Can you not see? You are in the presence of a god. Now, tell me where the prince is, or I will have your head.'
'I would, but I shall choose not to, not an abomanation like you,' Halo held his stance.
'So be it, mortal.' With that, the demon zoomed forward with blurring speed, and appeared behind Halo in a split second. It thrust its blade forward, but to its amazement, Halo turned, avoided the blade, and give the demon a strong kick to the shin. The blade fell off its hands.
'How'd you?..' the demon asked, confused. A mortal? Such speed?
Halo got to his feet, and back to his stance, this time, aiming for its heart. With one plundge, he thrusted his rapier into the demon, the tip coming out the other end, blood splurtering in all directions.
'Foolish mortal!' the demon yelled, and pulled at the rapier, with a force that caused Halo to fall a hundred paces backward.
'Impressive, demon' said Halo, getting back on his feet.
The demon wasted no time, and began to chant.
Istomeo gethomisha
Kishyatokuni Juoshina
ESTONITOKUNI JUOSHINA
ISTOMOE GETHOMISHA JUOSHINA!
Immediately, the ground they were standing on began to break apart, and stone as well as ash filled the air. Then, it appeared. A serpent, large as the guard towers back at the South Castle, emerged from the ground, its scales covered in flames. It searched around until it spotted Halo, and then, with lightning speed, it struck.
Halo barely dodged the attack, the serpent ripping the back of his tunic. He barely had time to breath before the serpent struck again, this time crashing into the ground and caused a heavy tremour. Halo jumped in the nick of time, but fell right into the flaming hot scales of the serpent.
'Arrgh!' he yelled, as he fell to the ground, his chest and knees burnt from the intense heat. The demon chuckled.
"Now you see mortal!? Tell me where the prince resides! Or I shall strike once more. And this time, no miracle will save you!'
Halo lifted his chin up, slowly, and faced the demon.
'Over... my.. dead... body!'
The demon's laughter filled the air.
'Take one good look at me, mortal, for I shall send you to the depths of hell!'
The serpent curled, and struck Halo again.
The force of the last attack was too immense to describe, but the ground shattered, forming a large crater where Halo stood. The demon smirked, yet another soul under his belt. It edged towards his victim for one last look.
It happened so fast. Two shots were fired, one to the left eye, and one to his left shoulder. The demon was stunned. Then, out of the debris, Halo stood, very much alive, his tunic shred to bits, holding a revolver bellowing smoke from its tip.
'Im... mpossible.. How'd....'
Then, the demon saw it. The mark on the right shoulder. It can't be. The mark of the Heavens. The blood cross. This mortal.... this mortal was a Slayer!
'The demon who shall be damned, must sell his heart, and be bestowed the heart of pure evil, that sees all evil, and feels all evil - the left eye of the Demonlord. The demon who shall be damned, must sell his soul, and be bestowed the heart of Malice, right in the centre of the mark of the Abyss - the Mark of the Succubus.'
The demon could not believe what he just heard. A Slayer! It has encountered a Slayer! It... it cannot be.
'You've met your match, demon.'
Halo took one last aim, this time at the real heart of the demon, and fired. The creature immediately burst into dark flames, its piercing screams filled the air. And then, it vanished.
From a distance, two young, azure eyes witnessed the whole event.
**********************************************************************************
Lord Jun tried in vain to get up, his arms and legs broken from the impact. Robson moved forward, assisting him.
'I owe you my life, my friend,' Jun said, happy to be alive.
'Say no more. Come, let me first be rid of this undead minion.' that said, Lord Robson moved forward, and approached the demon.
'No wait!' But it was too late.
The demon jumped suddenly, and lunged at Lord Robson with its out streched claws. It missed by a skin of his teeth. Lord Robson quickly drew his rapier.
'But I just shot the damn thing!' Robson shouted.
'Foolish mortal! You cannot harm the flesh of a god!' it taunted, its blood red eyes filled with anger.
'That's what I've been trying to tell you! It cannot die!'' Lord Jun shouted back.
'Oh, now you're telling me!?' said Robson, avoiding another melee from the demon.
Lord Jun turned to one of Lord Robson's man.
'Hey! Give him a hand!'
'No, sire, I might hit him!'
'Its alright, I got it under....'
Lord Robson was thrown right up into the air, his chest aching in pain, before crashing down unto the ground. He groaned. The demon raised his fist, ready for another strike, when Robson lunged the rapier in his hand into the demon's left eye. It screamed in pain, retreated a few paced back, then spread its wings, and took off. Robson's men immediately shot wildly at the demon, but it was long gone.
'Poking it in the eye? Now why can't I think of that?' jeered Lord Jun as he gave Robson a hand.
'Now is not a time to fool around, brother, this is madness! What are those things, and.... what do they want?' cried Lady Veena.
Lord Jun approached his sister and placed his hand over her shoulder, comforting her.
'Its alright... its alright....'
Lord Robson stood up, glad to find that he was unharmed.
'Again, I thank you. But what brings you here to the East?' asked Lord Jun.
'I was on a scout party under the orders of the king. I was patroling the forests of Norshire until we got lost. So we wondered here for days, seeking a way out. Until we saw Lady Veena here...'
Lady Veena was weepng now.
'They... they saved my life. The two knights that excorted me fought bravely, but they didn't make it across the river. I wouldn't have too, is it was not for Lord Robson and his men.'
'It would be a mark of dark history the day Lord Robson turns a blind eye to a Damsel in distress, milady.' he said, smiling.
'Cheeky as always.' remarked Lord Jun. Lord Robson replied with a smile.
They returned to the scout party, and together, made their way out of Norshire forest, keeping silent the whole way. There was a lot on Lord Jun's mind. He glanced at his sister. She too had a lot to think. She did the same, and grasped her brother's hand tightly. Tears streamed down Lady Veena's eyes. He placed his arm around her, giving her the reassurance that it will all be fine. But he knew it was not. Something had just assaulted his castle, killed his man, murdered his general, and now the people of the East are prone to its wrath. He had to do something... but against a force as such.... What could he do?
Dusk was upon them, and it was not long before they found a perfect spot near a river to set up camp. The campfire burned, illuminating the worn faces of the two survivors of the East County. Both sat up all night, praying for the lost lives that sacrificed themselves so that they could survive, paying little attention to the briefing Lord Robson was giving.
'...... so tomorrow, we head for the Castle of the West. If the beast had struck the South and the East, it would be but a matter of time before they strike the West. Messenger, take this and send it to the Guardians patroling the borders. I want every soldier on alert. Signal the riflemen, and fire at anything that flies that doen't resemble a woodpecker.'
The messenger saluted, took the letter, and galloped off into the darkness of the night.
'...and you two....'
Jun and Veena looked up.
'.... will be welcomed as guests to my castle,' said Lord Robson.
Lady Veena smiled, and nodded.
"Thank you,' replied Lord Jun.
'Now, have a good nights sleep. Its a long journey out of here when morning comes. I don't want to have a couple of zombies in the troupe. You there, keep watch. Alert the rest if you see anything.'
The guard saluted, grabbed his rifle, and dissapered into the woods.
Suddenly, there was loud rustling. The guard hurried back.
'Riders sire! There is a pack of riders headed this way!'
'Arm yourselves men, but stay quiet. Take the Lady to safety,' commanded Lord Robson.
His guards drew thier arms, and waited in the silence of the night.
The sounds of rustling drew closer, footsteps at first, then galloping. A horde of galloping! Lord Robson signalled his men to stay hidden, and moved forward, sneaking behind the shadows of the trees.
Lord Robson lay low, crouching as he tried to get a better view. He instantly recognised the crest on the armour of the calvary riding past. The crest of the bear. The House of Nesh was at war!
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