Flashes of lightning splits the heavens, followed by the booming thunder as the rainstorm continues its onslaught to the world below. The cold chill air feels like a thousand sharp knives cutting through everything it passes.
The young man, standing still, his arm, clutching a bloodied shoulder, staring blankly as his lord father, the mighty Red Lightning, one of the three remaining Balekons in the world collapsed face first on the mud in front of him.
Looking at his father’s lifeless body, Tusk couldn’t even find the strength to cry in anguish. It happened so fast it felt like a bad dream. Only there is no waking up on this one.
Declan stares at the still beating heart of Lord Arsenon Regnum in his hand dripping with blood. Something sinister stirred within the angel, a toothy grin formed on his handsome face, he was quite proud of how his plan worked perfectly. Ars was not the only one observing his opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. The Balekon’s arrogance cost him his life, he let his guard down because he is so sure of his instincts.
Mr. Holden witnessed the horror with his own eyes, but his mind refuses to believe that the new governor, who was just his guest and was exchanging pleasantries earlier lays dead on the muddied ground, facedown. He may be a peaceful man, who’s highest combat experience is only haggling prices with other merchants and traders, but he understands that he needs to protect his family from this monster.
He gathers all the courage he can muster, his heart racing fast, all he can think of is how to best utilize his water spell to at least distract the angel long enough to get his family and Tusk to safety. He knows this might be the death of him, he is no fool, years of being a successful merchant made Mr. Holden, adept at judging situations that decide critical outcomes.
“I am sorry Minerva, Lyn… I love you both with all of my heart…” Terrified and only an average at best mana controller, Mr. Holden attacks the angel, shooting pellets of highly compressed water.
The water pellets did nothing to the angel, it did not even graze him in the slightest. It did however bring the angel back from his contemplation. Declan turns his attention to the pesky man who dares attack him. He walks towards Mr. Holden, claws once more starting to grow as if itching to rip out the throat of this insignificant insect who doesn’t know it’s place.
Up above the balcony of the house, Lyn and Chitose witnessed in horror as Declan tore Lord Ars Regnum’s heart out from his chest. Paralyzed by the brutality, the girls could only stifle their cries lest the angel notice them. Chitose, quickly ducked, pulling Lyn down with her. Hiding behind the bone white marble balusters, hoping that the angel hadn’t noticed them, Lyn nervously dared to take a peek once more.
“No Lyn, don’t…” Chitose whispered, shaking her head. “He might see us.”
Lyn decided to take a peek anyway, completely ignoring Chitose’s warning. Her eyes widened in horror when she saw her father’s head flew off his body as Declan slashed his neck with his razor sharp claws. Blood sprayed out across the wet ground, mixing with the mud, his head bounced off a jutting rock and rolled towards the still paralyzed Tusk.
“NOOOOO!!! DAAAD!!!”
A bloodcurdling scream from Lyn stole Declan’s attention. The angel noticed the two hiding up in the balcony. Flying towards the terrified girls, Declan felt a great sense of satisfaction inflicting terror to what he now deems as lesser beings than himself.
“Look at this… fresh meat for the slaughter…” He said, his bloodlust taking over his sense of reasoning, all he can think is to kill everyone on sight, as he raises his right hand poised to strike.
The angel’s sharp claws came slicing through the night rain, cutting the very droplets of water as it arcs down on the two girls.
Chitose, in a split second, instinctively summons her light katana and swings it towards the angel to block the claws and to keep Declan at bay, trying desperately to protect Lyn and herself from certain death.
Declan pulled his head back in reflex as the katana whistled past his face, avoiding the conjured weapon by barely a millimeter.
“Ooh… so close, hehehe… interesting…” Declan said. His eyes staring at the katana, glowing with an eerie greenish hue and wisps of ghostlike light dancing around its edge with intrigue. He decided to not underestimate such an unfamiliar weapon as it was clearly not of this world. Declan’s gold eyes slowly shifts its gaze towards the holder of the weapon, a girl with silver hair, looking down, his eyes then meet Chitose’s own golden orbs, taking the angel aback.
“Gold eyes! Who are you girl?! Answer!” Snapped Declan, his trembling voice betraying his emotions. Unexpectedly seeing a girl with the same gold eyes as him clearly rattled the angel. Only silence followed. Declan sees that no answer is forthcoming, these girls are already paralyzed with fear.
“Might as well end your suffering, here and now…” Declan said as he raised his right hand once again, getting ready to deliver a killing blow. Suddenly he stopped his action, he felt that something was wrong.
A thin red line slowly formed from the base of his right ear down to his chin, droplets of angelic blood started to trickle down the angel’s handsome face. Feeling an itch as well as a sharp welling pain, his hand which was poised to strike only moments ago nervously touched his right cheek, fingers shaking nervously.
“No…no…no…”
He felt the wet sticky blood on his fingers, his face was a mask of confusion, how did he get cut? Before he can even answer his own question, his cheek begins to feel like being burned, as the wound starts to fester. The skin on Declan’s cheek started to form hideous blisters, forever marring the angel’s handsome face.
Chitose understood exactly what was happening. Her katana’s inherited corrosion ability from the green slime is doing its thing beautifully, giving her and Lyn a window to escape. Her heart pounding unusually strong that she could almost hear it, wasted no time running, she grabbed Lyn’s arm and despite the still throbbing pain in her ankle, pulled Lyn with her as she ran back inside the mansion. Lyn never even got the chance to shed tears for her father.
“You bitch! You won’t get away that easily!” A furious Declan shouted, his hand still holding his face that is being eaten by the corrosive effect of the wound. Eyes seething with rage, he started to go after the fleeing girls when he heard a twang from below, followed by a sharp piercing pain at his back.
“AHRGG! WHAT THE F***?!” Declan screamed. He reached over his back and pulled an arrow. The angel snapped the arrow and looked for the fool who dared to attack him behind his back. He immediately scanned the area, peering through the darkness and rain.
She emerged silently from the shadows, cowl over her head, forest green cloak fluttering with the wind, despite being wet with the falling rain. Her eyes glowing like orbs of fire are the only things visible under the darkness of the cowl. In her hand, a long bow poised to strike, an arrow already nocked in, aimed squarely at the angel.
Silma fires an arrow, then two… three… four… five… in rapid successions, her hands, faster than a blink of an eye. All of the anger, pain and frustration she has kept inside were poured into her weapon, making her arrows fly swift and deadly. Her hand, working mad, pulls shaft after shaft from the quiver on her back, nocking them and firing them in one fluid motion as she continues strafing the angel arrow after arrow.
Despite the speed and accuracy of the elf’s arrows, Declan moved faster still, as he faced the barrage head on, challenging the elf to give her best shot. The angel used his claws, slashing at the arrows as it came streaking towards him, cutting them in midair, his arms moving in an insane blur acting as a shield that no bolt could penetrate.
Running out of arrows, Silma decided that she needed to switch her strategy. She pulled out a dagger strapped on her right thigh, ready to face the angel in a melee.
“Come down here you coward!” Silma called out in a challenge. The elf planted her feet wide apart for balance and positioned her body in a slightly crouched angle, her well toned body muscles tensing, her mind clear and alert like a cat ready to sprung at any moment.
An amused grin formed on Declan’s face. He finds it funny that an insect actually had the gall to call him a coward. He loves challenges however. The angel wasted no time and dived straight towards the elf, claws reaching for her heart like death itself.
Silma quickly sidestepped to the left as Declan’s claw nears her breast. She continued the move by spinning her body a full three hundred sixty degrees turn, positioning herself at the angel’s unprotected back. She deftly flicks her dagger, turning the blade in a reverse grip while her thumb caps on the dagger’s pommel to prevent it from slipping, as well as for additional power. Using the momentum of the spin the elf drove the tip of the blade with all of her strength at Declan’s back, just between his large leathery bat-wings.
She felt the dagger’s point hit it’s mark. She also felt the fine blade shattering into a thousand shards as if it were made of glass… in a fight between an angel and ordinary steel, steel never wins. Turning around, she saw the angel’s face close to her own, golden eyes glaring, full of contempt, full of malice, a sneer forming on his lips mocking her, the festering wound on his right cheek made him look like a grotesque caricature.
Silma swiftly backed away from the angel, putting as much distance as possible between them, tossing away the hilt of the broken dagger. She pulled down her cowl, the heavy rain quickly drenching her dark black hair, plastering it on her beautiful face. She slowly tilted her head to her left side, giving Declan a good look at her pointed ears.
“Look carefully, you scum…” Silma said through gritted teeth, as she started to slowly circle the angel, alert and wary. “Know that your life will be ended by an elf! I will have my revenge before this night is over!”
Declan just stood still, observing the elf as she continued to circle around him. He was unimpressed by the bravado. He already defeated an actual Balekon… What can an ordinary elf ever do to him?
But Silma is far from being an ordinary elf… Boosted by her inherited essence, she is as strong a full grown minotaur and just as fast, combining this with her natural elven agility and grace, Silma is a far more dangerous opponent than what Declan is expecting.
A black claw came arcing through the air.
Silma, reflexively used her enchanted ironoak longbow to block. When enchanted wood and claw met, a dull thud reverberated through the wet night air, making the raindrops shiver in response. Declan continued his assault, as Silma checked a second blow with her longbow, and a third, then fell back a step. Another flurry of devastating blows, and she fell back again gritting her teeth.
Declan’s smile grew bigger, his confidence growing. Toying with the elf at least made him feel a lot better and took his mind away from thinking about the girls who blemished his perfect face. He will attend to those two shortly after he disposes of this worm first.
“Tell me if you tire of this game elf… I would be very happy to end you painlessly…” Declared the bat-winged angel as he continued with his attacks, swinging his claws with abandon towards the defending elf.
Silma’s arms were beginning to ache, enhanced strength or not, the blows were starting to take its toll on the elf’s lithe frame. Calming her mind, she took a deep breath, taking the cold air in, filling her lungs, her heart beating like crazy, pumping precious oxygen throughout her whole body, her adrenaline level rising to insane levels, making her sharper and stronger. She patiently waited for an opening, gripping her longbow tighter than before that it turned her knuckles white.
It was just a split of a second, too fast to notice, but for the elf, it was enough… Declan’s bad habit of winding up his arm before striking was noted by the elf, and in that instant, Silma counters. Gripping both ends of her longbow, she subtly unhooked the hithlain (elven made rope) that serves as the bowstring, and with unholy strength, inconspicuously bended the ironoak bow without the cocky angel noticing it. Silma lets go of the left end of the bow, while her right hand keeps its tight grip as she swings the bow, increasing its speed and power, smacking the angel in his already damaged right cheek.
The sting and force of the blow disoriented Declan, but did not hurt him much; but still, all his eyes can see are light spots twinkling in the darkness. Before he could get his bearings back, he felt a dull blow on his stomach as Silma followed up her attack delivering a strong side kick aimed towards his body. The still dazed angel raised his arms in an effort to block the elf’s vicious blows.
The trees surrounding the Holden Estate stood as witnesses to the fight unfolding under the torrential rain. They looked like ancient sentinels, keeping a never-ending vigil on the world every time the lightning flashes; tall… dark… and ominous. The wind that passed through their massive branches and lush green leaves, creates an eerie whistle that sounded like a keening of a dying person.
Silma relentlessly pushed her onslaught. Replacing her longbow at her back in an instant, the elf proceeds to rain punches at the still groggy angel. Five blows in rapid succession… doubling to ten… her fist a blur too fast for the eye to see, she did not care that her knuckles were starting to bleed from the volume of pounding that she was throwing towards her opponent.
The elf kept her center of gravity in check, converting power from her lower body towards her hips up to her fist, making her attack thirty times more powerful than it should be. She was not just attacking Declan head on, but she was utilizing strange angles from all over, going left then pivoting towards the right, hitting Declan in the most unexpected sides of his body, rendering his blocks useless.
“This elf bitch is good…” Was the thought on Declan’s mind as he frantically fends the continuous barrage of punches. “Too bad for her, she is no Arsenon Regnum…” his upper lip curled in a mocking smile.
Declan parried an incoming punch, slapping it away. He curled his left hand into a fist, deciding to retract his sharp claws and settle this fight the fun way. Declan snapped a left jab, too quick for the elf to follow, hitting Silma square on the lips, busting it open, blood flowing out instantly.
“Too easy!” Said Declan, smiling. He then followed the jab by turning one hundred eighty degrees and delivering a spinning kick aimed at the elf’s pretty head.
The elfmaid quickly pulled her longbow from her back and used it to block the kick, hoping that the enchanted ironoak wood might also break the angel’s leg at the same time.
*CRACK!*
Silma’s precious longbow was the one who broke, unable to handle the force and power of Declan’s kick, shattering it into two pieces. Despair slowly creeps up towards Silma, perhaps she was overconfident that the minotaur essence she inherited would be enough to go toe to toe with an angel.
Enhanced strength or not… a minotaur going on raw power alone against an angel is like a dog fighting a wolf one on one, and Silma’s attacks are now doing more harm to herself more than it does to Declan. Noticing this, she suddenly halted her attack and backed off a few paces away from her adversary, as her arms are getting heavy, tired and aching, her knuckles are scraped so bad that her hands are shaking uncontrollably, yet the angel was just smiling at her like in disrespect. Her red eyes staring at the cocksure gold orbs of the angel.
The rainstorm continued to fall hard and lighting flashes illuminated the otherwise dark night; but only for a split second. The elfmaid who’s already breathing heavily due to exhaustion, is standing a few meters away from the bat-winged angel, completely drenched in the rain, waiting for the other to make a move.
A succession of lightning strikes split the night sky, and the booming thunder that followed broke the stillness, making the atmosphere around the Holden Estate a lot more tense than it already is.
“YAAAAHH!!!” The black haired elf screams in utter frustration, as she charges head on towards Declan, her eyes flaring an angry red creating a trail of fire behind. Silma leaps into the air, then brings her knee up to the front of her body.
Reaching the highest point of her leap, she suddenly pushes her right leg behind her, twisting her whole upper body, positioning her left shoulder and arm forward open palm, while she winds up her right arm, fist tightly clenched all in one fluid motion; gathering momentum for one desperate attack. She wants Declan looking at her legs, making it seem like she is going to kick him, and then sneak the punch in towards the angel’s face.
She decided to pour everything in this one punch, she will gamble her life in this very moment, it doesn’t matter, as long as she kills this monster and satisfies her vengeance, her rage.
Her ploy worked as Declan was looking at the elf’s shapely legs, expecting a kick. The angel placed his guard low, exposing his face, perfectly open for an attack.
“My sister Sunna, my beloved cousin Allana, my best friend Kira. This is for all of them, THIS IS THEIR RAGE!!! AHHHH!!!”
*BLAAM!*
An earth shattering force connected to the left side of Declan’s face. Displacing even the rain around the point of impact, creating a localized dry area amidst the heavy downpour.
“Ahhh!” Cried Silma in pain, she felt like she just punched an anvil at full force, her red eyes watering with tears. The blow was so strong that the bones of the elf’s hand cracked, shooting pain throughout her body.
Declan took the punch at full force. It did little to cause any lasting damage than to successfully make him tilt his head a little towards the right side… just a little. With the elf’s fist still planted on his left cheek, Declan sneered at the futility of Silma’s efforts.
“Time to die elf bitch…” Declan said coldly.
Wide eyed filled with pain and dread, blood flowing from her lower lip, clutching her broken left hand, Silma believed the angel’s words.
