As the two cloaked knights appeared and confronted their target, Felkin was engaged in the heat of battle. He twirled and whirled his blade viciously with no avail as his opponent who ducked, weaved, and passed through the perilous steel. He quickly picked up a small stone from the ground and tossed it. Felkin could barely avoid the onslaught of the sharp sting of his attacker’s blade, and as the stone made contact, he timed it with a strike of his sword. The blade of his sword harmlessly passed through particles of sand in the air but the pebble made contact with the masked figure, bouncing off harmlessly. He extended the blade past them and looped back around, encircling them to attack from two points at once. The sword formed a loop around the bandit, and they ducked as the sword enclosed on itself.
The masked bandit was put into a vulnerable spot as Felkin brought down the sword to the ground, but as the sandstorm phasing began once again, he struck. He struck hard, cracking the mask, and blowing his foe backwards, fragments of the mask slowly coming off of it. He turned towards the sounds of the distant battle once again, and saw the knights being overwhelmed by what remained of the bandits. Sethan clearing many with his fire but getting struck by surprise and unguarded strikes. Asralyn slashed down bandit after bandit, breathing hard and tiring. She glanced over as a younger knight’s guard got overwhelmed and as she rushed to assist, an arrow flew through the air and struck them on the neck. She swiftly cut down the offending bandits as her eyes widened at the sight of the remains.
She looked around frantically, spotting other knights struggling and a few were getting more and more overwhelmed by the numbers. ‘We shouldn’t have come here, we should have gone straight through!’ she thought to herself. ‘But what about the people?’ the question popped in her head as she thrust her sword in a bandit’s gullet and parried a sword strike from another before slashing them across the face. ‘A noble sacrifice for the people and the kingdom is the wish of every brave knight. The knights must possess the strength of a Dragon.’ These thoughts came onto her head as she saw her brother, whose flames began to sputter, and whose attacks were sent out slower and sloppier. “Fight! Fight! We can repel them!” Sethan shouted just before a pained howl of another of his comrades resonated through the field.
Felkin fought frantically now, his sword striking in a flurry in an attempt to catch his foe off guard. The masked bandit, threw throwing knives and kept their distance, only occasionally going in for an attack and lunging backwards once more.
An image began to form in Sethan’s head. His corpse, and all of the corpses of his comrades, as well as his sister’s littered the desolate road. Then he saw himself taking the last blow for his sister, and Asralyn looking over his corpse. This outcome was more desirable for him, as he tired, his arms moved groggily, and no more than sparks of flame came out from his hands. Asralyn saw an attacker going up behind her brother, and he did not seem to sense them. She ran forward, the image in her mind, her corpse in exchange for her brother’s continuation of living. She thought of jumping in to stop the blow, but threw her sword instead, striking down the attacker. She picked up another sword and went back-to-back with her brother, who had realized he was moments away from being struck. “Thanks.” He uttered quietly. “I don’t think we’re gonna make it out of this.” Asralyn stated. “So, we should take down as much of them as we can!” He yelled as he speared another bandit.
Felkin looked backward in reaction to the sound of an explosion in the distance. His fears are confirmed as his sight spots the blue colored energy in the distance. He looks around and sees a few of the knights, his momentary companions but companions nonetheless. He sees the ones that remain fight valiantly, in fatigue. While he was ruminating, the masked bandit took this opportunity and sped through the air to strike the vulnerable target down.
A crimson light sparked through the deep blackness of the night. All of the nearby combatants ceased. The emotions in their mind, the thoughts in their head, bravery, anger, savagery and resentment were replaced by a deep fear. The sickle stopped within a few inches of his neck, as he took off the cloth covering his eye. He turned around, and looked at the masked bandit whose broken mask had revealed an eye, trembling in horror. In a split second, he struck them down with his fist and they smashed into the distant roadside, their mask completely crumbling off. He stood still, and raised his hand, and the sword extended and it settled onto the ground, like a snake lengthening on the road, and the blade seemed to move as if it were alive of its own volition, snaking past the corpses of the bandits, and striking each one of them, and breezing past them as they fell to the ground.
All that remained were the knights who fell to the ground in fear, their vision became hazy, clouded by the ominous red light. He compacted his weapon and walked past them, their terrified gazes locked onto him. He walked past them and faced his foe in the distance. The blue demon had just overcome his assassins and possessed a relic in hand. “Now, shall I kill you again?” He said with a smile. He covered his eye and the red light disappeared. He could feel red roots crawling from his eye into his face, and as he put cover on his eye once again, he could feel them receding. “What are you?” asked Asralyn in shock. “Just a wanderer.” He stated plainly.
“I know your tricks. I just need to close my eyes like last time!” They began to walk towards each other. “If you just want your vision to be occluded there’s another way.” “What?” He grinned mockingly. “I just have to rip them out. Your eyes, I mean.” In a flash, Felkin sent his extended sword towards the bandit leader, and he caught it with both hands, startled and slightly pushed back. In a split second, Felkin caught up to him, and struck him hard on the face with his fist, the ‘bandit leader’ not even being able to react. He took the punch to his face without flinching and ran his left arm along the ground, to create a wave of energy.
Felkin jumped out of the way and tried to pull his sword away, but it was still held onto by the crimson hand’s other arm. He was pulled forward and dragged across the ground from his foe’s strength and saw the glint of gold as he saw the cube dropped to the ground when the bandit blocked his attack. He came face-to-face with the bandit as he was dragged onto the ground, dodging a split second before a blue blast of energy created a crater beside him.
Felkin grabbed the golden relic and pulled it upwards at the same time it was grabbed by his enemy, and the relic splintered, creating a burst of golden thread, and forming something akin to a giant golden flower. The giant flower acted as a barrier that separated them. “Tell me, why are you so intent in protecting these fools, these weaklings?” The bandit leader jumped up past the giant flower that had been stuck in the ground and blasted blue energy towards Felkin. He sidestepped with the shot being a near miss and extended his sword, hitting him while airborne and slashing him on the side of the arm. “Why are you so intent on stamping life out!?” Felkin asked.
The bandit leader grabbed the blade with both hands and slammed it into the ground. He stepped on the extended sword and swiftly ran along it, charging up an attack and the red scarring on his arm continuing to slowly grow. “Its not like you don’t kill for your own benefit!” He exclaimed.
Felkin quickly raised his sword up, flipping the blue demon up in the air, he dropped down from the air and struck the ground creating a shockwave, Felkin used his sword as a springboard and launched himself into the air to avoid the blast. “I protect myself; I don’t target the innocents!” He slashed at him with the extended blade and it was flicked away with a fierce energy strike. Felkin slashed at him again and the bandit lord clapped his hands together creating a blast that repelled the sword, and blasted Felkin with a ball of energy sending him hurtling backward. “Then our motives are the same. The world seeks to destroy us, to oppress us! I rise above the dregs of this world and ensure my survival.” He stood over Felkin who was reeling, knocked on the ground.
“Those knights, their kind burn towns and slaughter innocents in the name of their kingdom.” “Who is there to protect their subjects and the conquered when these knights rampage unchecked? Would it be better if I destroyed them all this very moment?” He charged up blue energy and aimed at the knights who were still recovering and helping themselves up. Felkin sprang up, strained, and slashed at the bandit leader's arm. Blue energy leaked out, then a destructive blast erupted.
Felkin landed a little ways beside the knights as the leader of the brigands clutched his arm in pain as energy streamed out into the ground, pooling and scorching the road. He raised it high, creating an intense beam up into the air. Felkin stood up and ushered up the remaining knights and helped some of them up. “We should get out of here quickly! While he’s distracted.” Felkin remarked. “Yes.” Sethan was dumbfounded, staring at the pile of bodies and looking at the stream of blue energy in the corner of his eyes. “Let’s go!” Asralyn shook her brother’s shoulder. She had scratches and pieces of her armor were chipped and charred in battle. The other knights stood around and were weary and weathered, waiting for their captain’s orders.
Felkin had his leather armor and cloak torn and slightly singed from the battle. Sethan stood up and proclaimed: “We have successfully repelled the enemy force, we must retreat at once.” The worn-down knights sighed in relief as they ran off to safety. The crimson hand had his arm spiraling out of control and the beam of energy blasted across the structures of the town and destroyed a part of the road. His arm’s red marks grew more and more until his wound healed and the spreading stopped. He stared at the group in rage and sent out a wave of blue energy towards them.
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Asralyn saw the beam and was contemplating on the decision to dodge the beam, to shove the knights out of the way, or to take any incoming blow. Felkin stuck his sword into the ground and anchored himself to block the blast of energy. “Go! I’ll hold him off.” Sethan and the other knights stared in curiosity and slight fear but Sethan nodded and the knights went on further still.
“Die! DIE!” He focused his beam and as Felkin blocked, his sword’s metal slowly charred. The end of his sword burst out of the ground behind his opponent, the sword flew towards the back of the bandit leader's head. The blue demon caught it, causing a pause in the energy beam that was being emitted. Felkin used both hands and great effort to lift him off the ground, breaking the road where the blade was under. Felkin grasped the blade causing his left hand to be cut and blood to stream down the blade. He remembered his time in the abyssal limbo, and awakened his eye, giving him more strength and extending the blade far and throwing the blue demon off a distance away.
Felkin clutched his eye in pain as he felt red tendrils crawling around his eye. He fell on one knee weakened, and dragged his sword across the ground. He felt his injuries stopped healing and his other wounds began to open. He walked to an alleyway and sat down. He looked around, clutching his sword and began to feel his eyes growing heavy. Before he fell asleep, he saw the distant visage of the girl that had led him out of the abyss. In his dreams he had muddled thoughts of a life he could not remember in a village, and the distant faces of his companions growing slightly more distant day by day.
He woke up to the sound of a distant explosion and saw the distinct blue light in the distance. It had been only a few hours after he slept and tried to stand up quickly but hurt himself in the strain. “Hey, don’t move too fast!” He saw an unknown face, a person that he didn’t know had brown padded cloth armor, had a few assorted pieces of metal armor and was holding a crescent curved blade. ”You!” Felkin pointed his sword at her in surprise. “Yeah, me. You didn’t kill me for a reason. I just thought it was fair to help you in kind.” Felkin was covered in a few bandages and put his sword back on his hip. “Well, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. And besides... It's nothing.” Said Felkin. He wondered why he spared that particular bandit. He recalled seeing a unique light in them that wasn't present in the others. Felkin was slowly hobbling off while the distant sounds of destruction resounded in the distance.
“Well I’ve never been punched that hard before-“ “You were with them. Why didn’t you kill me?” Asked Felkin. “I’m an opportunist, he drove me to a corner and I saw an opportunity.” She had sharp features, and weathered and battle hardened, like the knights, but looked thinner. She had light brown hair and skin, the color of which almost resembled dark sand.
The citizens of the town hid in their houses, in fear and confusion of the recent events, but now some have run out to the streets running away from the rampaging force in the distance. The sounds of screams were faintly heard amongst the explosions. “So, you’re going to leave them just like this, the village wrecked and destroyed?” She asked. “Nope.” Felkin held his sword but struggled in walking. “Then how? You’ll never beat him like this?” “Who said I had to beat him? I just need to take his attention.” Felkin replied.
Enraged yelling and screaming could be heard: “Get back here! Where are you hiding! We aren’t finished yet!” Felkin flicked a pebble at him, he felt where the projectile hit and turned to him. “What exactly is your goal?” asked Felkin, holding his sword in a guard stance. The bandit leader put down his hand as he ceased the destruction of the surroundings. “Well, power of course.” He remarked. “Just that? Pillage and invade, using your abilities?” Asked Felkin. The blue demon chuckled and grinned. “Not any ordinary power granted to man when they assume control, rather only a power special only to our kind. You see, every being has an amount of energy particular to them, that is lost after death. A few beings have the capability of absorbing this energy.”
Felkin scanned the environment, he was at the leftmost edge of town and looked at all corners the area. He then looked at the giant golden flower still embedded onto the ground, he could also faintly hear the faint cries and groans of those who had been trapped under the rubble. “So, you’re just going to pile the bodies of innocents, until you get more strength to do what?” As Felkin talked, he met the gaze of the shotel wielding bandit in the distance. “No, no. Souls from ordinary fodder will not do, the energy from other beings who absorb it or higher beings who possess powerful ones.” Felkin walked to the center of the road and readied in position. “Just like your new friend, the traitor.” He turned towards her.
“Tch.” She sped towards the golden flower and Felkin extended his sword to wrap around the red-scarred left arm of his enemy. ‘At least that confirms my suspicions…’ Felkin thought as he gripped his sword amidst the pain of his injuries. The bandit leader shot blue energy towards her but Felkin’s interception raised his hand far enough that the blast connected with a building just above her. She momentarily turned into sand as a form of defense and continued running when the bandit leader's attack missed. “Enough!” The blue demon reached for Felkin’s sword but he retracted it back, and swiftly struck the bandit on the face. The sword appeared to be embedded in his head, but as Felkin tried to pull it back, the azure light that emanated from his arm shone brightly. The bandit leader leaned forward revealing that he had caught the blade between his teeth.
He raised his palm, but the golden net restricted it. In anger, the blue demon clenched his fist, causing the golden relic to slowly crack. Felkin slashed at him but his sword was quickly snatched out of the air as well. She had both of her hands holding onto the relic, and before Felkin could decide if he would let go of his sword or not, the blue demon tossed them far above the houses and the buildings of the town and sent them hurtling over into the distant forest.
Felkin crashed through the branches and the trunks of the trees before landing on the ground, groaning in pain. She also collided with the brush of the nearby trees but turned into sand to avoid the larger tree trunks. They fell to the ground and she quickly sprang up. “Are you still alive?” She asked. “Yep.” She reached for Felkin’s hand and she helped him up from the ground. She felt the wound on Felkin's hand re-opened and started to slowly bleed. “Was that part of the plan?” She remarked. “At least he’ll be leaving the town alone.” Said Felkin. “Only problem is he’s going here to kill us.” The bandit punched the ground hard and flew into the air towards their location.
“The relic where is it?” Felkin asked, frantically. “He took it!” She replied. “Hide!” They walked into the bushes and crouched in the greenery before their opponent landed down from the sky. They saw him look around and observe the surroundings intently. Felkin who jumped out to initiate the first attack. He used the golden spiderweb to restrain Felkin’s sword arm, and he lunged towards Felkin with the intent to strike. Before his punch could connect, Felkin swatted at him and drops of blood landed on the bandit leader's scarred red arm. The energy on his arm began to fluctuate and spark in response to Felkin’s blood.
The energy began to weaken and flicker and he stared at Felkin before Felkin awakened his red eye, burning through the patch of cloth, and halting the bandit in his tracks. Felkin struggled to free his arm from the relic, as his opponent held on even as they fell to one knee in weakness. The bandit leader slowly struggled to close his eyes, and Felkin pulled harder making the relic start to break. Felkin successfully freed himself, shattering the golden net, and at the same time the bandit closed his eyes and swiftly lunged at Felkin who dove out of the way.
He tried to use an explosive blast to destroy the nearby surroundings, but failed. And as the bandit leader flailed wildly, Felkin struck him right on the head. Felkin covered his eye and closed it, and reeled from the after effects of the eye's energy. The bandit leader opened his eyes and then jumped back. He looked at his hand whose blue sparks waned and kicked a nearby tree to the ground, creating a cloud of dust and allowing him to retreat.
Felkin could barely stand and rested on a nearby rock, sword in hand. “So, being an opportunist again?” He asked. She crept slowly out of the shadows and sighed. “Sorry about that. You know, its just that you might have not survived, and having a getaway option is important in case I might not survived.” “Tch. Just help me up and let's get out of here.” She helped him up and noticed that his hand had already stopped bleeding. Felkin took some of the loose bandage and covered his eye with it, they then walked back to town, with Felkin walking ahead and grumbling all the way and she quietly followed.
Felkin walked slowly, and enough time has passed it to be until it is in early morning. “They’re coming.” “What?” She asked. Felkin did not even raise a finger, but his sword extended as he held it and struck an abyssal beast. She threw daggers and struck another lycanthrope in its eyes, taking it down as it flailed madly and blindly. “Dark beasts. What are they?” She asked. “You’ll get used to them. At some point, they’re just an annoyance.” Felkin remarked. “Guess I’m still unlucky no matter who I go with, huh...” She remarked under her breath.
They looked around momentarily. “There!” Felkin pointed. The beast leapt towards them and she quickly slashed it asunder with her sickle. The creature lay motionless in front of them. “I guess we are to know each other’s names if our alliance continues?” Felkin sighed. “Felkin.” “Kieron.”
Rustling of leaves and crunching of the forest floor foliage could be heard. Two dark hands parted trees in its wake, it towered over them, looking down on them with its featureless humanoid head. It opened its mouth and a dark hand emerged. More hands continue to emerge until the space they occupied was impossible for the interior of the creature to contain. The hands wriggled in the air like feelers, and the two of them remained motionless. And then the creature swiftly closed its mouth and faced towards them and lunged. “IS THIS USUAL?!” Kieron asked. “Get ready!” Felkin looked up, gripped his sword, and readied himself for the unknown foe.