Crimson-colored skies heralding the darkness should have warned the crew of the night to come, but no one cared much.

There was fun to be had.

The skyship coasted over the horizon. Merrily gliding above the Nether Forests.

Joyous, carefree laughter rang off the hulls of the airship as it trundled through the dusking skies.

The dirt and forest valley from whence I came was one of the few signs of civilization on this side of the world. They think themselves pioneers for holing up in the depths of the Nether.

I wonder if real waves are anything like these frozen, yet shimmering undulations of green and autumn flavored forests. Even the mountains and valleys, seen from this height, are like the massive peaks and troughs of those waves I’ve read about. Water frozen in time.. transmuted into earthy golems… Amazing.

What the? I inhale a sharp breath as a bad feeling crawls down my spine.

“HEY! THERE’S-”

BOOM!!! FWAP! FWAP! FWAP! SCREEEEEEEEEECH!!!

Massive tremors rocked the ship! Bassy sounds of heavy tarp slapping metal as it tore itself apart set the birds and beasts a-frenzy throughout the heavens.

As if taking flight in fright like the alerted fouls, dozens of shadowy forms flitted up from the foliage below seemingly using the the air as propellant.

Shit! Who are they? Hunters?! How did I miss them??!!

No way are they going to mess up my ride! We’re still weeks out from the City!

I run over to the nearest balustrade, grabbing random materials along the way and pulling out my trusty sickle.

I then empowered a rope used for docking and threw it over the edge… right in the path of at least a dozen swiftly incoming shadows.

They immediately swayed out of the way, probably thinking it just some desperate measure.

But of course it wasn’t!

As the rope neared the closest assaulter, it swerved toward it even faster than the perp could change direction! The rope was usually meant to help tether the airship, thus it was at least three arrow spans long and nearly as thick as an arm. Before any of the perps realized what was happening, the rope attached to them as if magnified and then released a shocking static charge! They were stunned in mid-air.

The stun lasts a good 2 minutes on regular folk, but they may throw it off in 30 seconds… plenty of time.

Quick as the wind and fierce as the sun, I threw the handful of small things I picked up earlier; some nuts here, some kerchiefs there, and a few writing utensils. All empowered to cut through the air and release their destructive charge on impact.

At the same time as I threw them, I leaped off the ship and unto the now limp and hanging rope. I slid halfway down, cut the rope with my sickle and rode the momentum back up to the ship.

Heh, now lets see how easily they fly up here.

But just as I began swinging up... a perp looked down at me, smiling evilly, and cut the rope!

“NOOOOO!!!”, I scream, as if it would do any good.

How the hell did one get up there so fast? Did he come with the initial projectile?

“Dammit!!”

I try to empower my half of the rope and throw it back up, but the bastard, the lunatic! He began throwing people down at me!

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Did he round everyone already?!

Just over a dozen people came tumbling down, screaming like maniacs. The evil bastard then ignited the air above us and blew the ship apart!

NO!! My ride! … and all those people!

Now tumbling awkwardly upwards and offcenter I hurtle towards the spreading flames that seem to eat the air, and prepare for the impact of bodies and heated wind.

Fuck it! All out!!

I grab my light-cloak and overcharge it. Unfurling it above my head so that the lustrous side is facing the fire. It explodes forth with enough refracted light to ionize the air; rendering the flammable parts inert. The leftover electricity is swallowed by the cloak itself.

As the cloak is dealing with the disaster above me I try to keep afloat by thrusting my legs down with enough force to send visible shockwaves of energy through the air…

Sht! Its not enough! How the hell did they do it so easily?

Though the force was enough to briefly arrest my downward momentum, I could not get any higher.

The cloak finally discharges all of the fire… only to see dozens of people swiftly falling in terror towards my position!

Nearing the treetops, I clap my hands to generate some sound waves directed at the trees below to shake lose all the leaves from their branches. In the same motion, I then empower the loose leaves to organize into a score of man-sized piles. Landing atop the closest branch, I finally direct the hastily made nets to catch the crewmates of the now destroyed airship.

We all land gracefully onto the ground.

By this time, the previously stunned flitting shadows have shaken off the residual static and surrounds us.

Damn these bastards, how can they mask their auras so well? There are at least twice as much as before… and those are only the ones I can spot…

I can take ‘em!

But that wouldn’t be smart, there is no way I could keep everyone alive… however... they would help a lot if I use them as meat shields and weapons… but… naw… I have to know who these perpetrators are.

I looked at the now ship-wrecked crew with tears of fear and anger. Many were even edging closer to me, as if I would save them from the frightfully silent shadowed people encircling us….The shadowed people were intimidating, but not threatening. They just hemmed us all in... like they were herding cattle....

Heh, they wanted us alive, that’s why they didn’t just blow up the ship or kill us on the way down! Probably why those first dozen were flying up in the first place even after that maniac blew a hole in the hull, to catch us...

Yeah, definitely have to see what kind of powers they are packing… and what the hell are they doing in the middle of the damn Nether Forest? This is the biggest and most hellish wildlands on the damn continent…

And what are those?!... Shadow cloaks!? So damn cool!!

I looked up at the madman who blow up the ship while still on it. He coasted down on his wraith-like robes and alighted right in front of me with a vile grin cracking his shadowed face.

Wait… now way…

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A/N: Kept this one short ... heheh... Please give feedback, suggestions, and reviews!! Lets get the interaction going!!