The solid dirt that made the ground quakes. Ezekiel sat under a huge boulder, exhausted and tired, eyes as dead as a fish, he put out a fake smile as another threat approaches. Arms and legs sore from running away and firing a sorcerers stone, he forced himself to get up and look at the being.
"Let's see what you look like big boy..." He sighed, clenching his lips with an attitude of dissatisfaction in the process. "Would you look at that."
Twelve feet tall. A creature with a huge muscular body, its nerves pop out due to its biceps. It held a terrifying smile with its jagged sharp teeth, with tusk on both sides of its mouth, the creature's lips infatuate upwards. The creature only had one eye. A vapor of white gas came out of its gigantic mouth as it exhaled the cold air of the sullen night.
"Tsk. Never told me about things like this old man." Ezekiel muttered to himself.
Back in Village Magbato people started to worry even more. The disappearance of their fellow villager along with the time of Ezekiel outside left them uncertain of their safety. Near the gate stood Noah. He began to swallow continuously, his body reeked of the stench of sweat, his body shook as he waited. "Damn it. What could take that boy so long to get back?! HE doesn't know the possibilities destruction he can create with that stone." He grunted.
An overwhelming aura of arcane magic surges through the air. Gliding down from the air was the most powerful mage to said walk the world as of the date. Wearing a leather robe and newly shined boots, Hudas landed in the middle of Magbato. With a flick of his gloved hand, the magical energy around him completely disappeared. Filled with complete boredom, Hudas strolled towards the gate where all of the commotions were.
"Well, well, well. Guess who came back." Noah with a rude attitude greeted the man.
"And guess who's got a problem with beasts' they already knew existed." Hudas raised his brow and let out an enigmatic smile.
Noah's lips twisted. He let out a half-smile and pulled the collars of Hudas's cloak. "I'm not afraid of you little crap. Don't you ever forget who caused the other defenders to leave us..." Noah cynically threatened the mage.
"Tsk." Hudas slapped Noah's hands and pushed him down to the ground. "You know why we all left? It's cause 'Kaharian Perlas' paid better and they show appreciation. Ten years of slaying monsters for you bastards and what favor did you give us? Nothing! Village of advancement my ass! You never once cared about your people then you add another species in. Foolish." He glared at Noah with an unblinking eye. Hudas took out a handkerchief from one of his pockets and wiped his gloves. The villagers murmured about the man with their sharp words.
"He shouldn't have come back."
"Who's that Inay?"
"We shouldn't get involved with him again."
"A traitor coming back. Disgraceful."
Without care towards their judgment, Hudas walked towards the gate to exit. "Out of my way." He ordered. Not a single permission from Noah to let him through, but the guards automatically opened the gates.
The wind blows cold air as leaves flew left and right. Branches of trees snap as the creature smashes its way through everything in order to find Ezekiel. "You might be bigger, but that bastard was still way more annoying than a knucklehead like you," Ezekiel whispered to himself as he hid behind a tree far away. "Good thing I packed one of those smoke bombs. Guess I should probably look for that lady."
Only a dress to keep her warm, Anna, a baker in the advance city of Magbato wandered the forest alone as she tries to find her way home. Her eyes teared as the mist enveloped the surrounding. Anna clamped her hands and covered her mouth, she let out her warm breath and rubbed her palms together in order to keep warm. A loud screech from afar pierced her ears. Anna froze and curled up on the ground to cover her ears and eyes.
"Make it stop..." She cried, giving up on everything due to fear.
A rustling bush nearby alarmed her. Anna, still petrified kept her curled up position and didn't move. A sound of a powerful projectile lashing out echoed afront.
"Gah!" A shout of a guy caused her to look up. It was Ezekiel, injured, and full of small cuts. "Let's run. Just run!" He grabbed her arm and started to sprint.
[10 minutes earlier]
Ezekiel pushed himself back up to stand. He leaned forward, showing all interest and eagerness to save the said victim. "The mountain challenge was a lot worse than this. I got this in the bag."
He walked around in search of her. An open field was nearby, out of curiosity Ezekiel went into it. His eyes widened, an uncontrollable urge to shake filled his body, he placed his palm on his head and stared into the wide space. "This is the stuff out of nightmares..." An open space filled with dead bodies of people and various other animals filled the grass with the crimson red color of mixed blood. In the middle of the field stood a skinny pale man, handling his staff while reciting ancient scriptures. He stopped, all attention was now towards Ezekiel. A horde of Aswang was summoned from the ground by the pale man. With hundreds of the creatures summoned, they all screeched out their cries almost leaving Ezekiel to deafen. Alarmed by the sound, the gigantic creature took note of it as well and rushed into it.
"Shoot." Ezekiel turned around in panic. He sprinted away as fast as he could in an attempt to escape the Aswangs and the giant.
Due to its enormous size, the one-eyed goliath manages to catch up to Ezekiel. The young man charged up his sorcerers stone. His exhaustion made it harder for him to control the item, Ezekiel charged a weaker bolt yet one that is enough to take down a normal person. He flipped himself and fired the bolt point-blank at the beast.
"How do you like that?!" Ezekiel huffed. A pint of disappointment releases through his eyes. "Damn it."
Though electrocuted the colossal figure was still alive, he got back up to his feet, this time with even more rage than before. Ezekiel once again ran as fast as he could to escape the giant along with the hundred of Aswangs behind it. Along his run, Ezekiel noticed the victim from earlier in a curled up position.
[Present]
Ezekiel and Anna ran towards the direction of the village. With a goliath and hundreds of Aswangs behind them, Ezekiel thought about his actions twice. A powerful surge of magic aura in the air stuns the young man. "Where is that coming from?..." In front of them strolled a man wearing a leather cloak. He gently pushed Ezekiel and Anna to the side and made his way, welcoming the giant and the horde of savages.
With ease, he pulled his gloves out if his hands revealing his slim fingers. Hudas pulled down his coat, revealing his shirted body. His arms were filled with ancient tattoos, fumes of arcane magic burnt all over him. As he activated his powers, his tattoos glowed into a light blue color, his eyes mimicked. Rows of screaming monsters charged up to him. Hudas snapped.
"H-How," Ezekiel muttered. "That's impossible."
A display of godlike powers was shown as a wave of shards of ice as sharp as knives flown like a tsunami from out of nowhere, stabbing, and disintegrating the flesh of both giant and the hundreds of aswangs. Hudas snapped his finger one more time. The shards of ice transformed into wood. It became duller and duller until it became blocks. Using magic one again it stuck together into two gigantic slabs, crushing the dead bodies into minced meat. Ezekiel remembered the words of Bulawan.
"Summoning meteors, creating shields, and even unimaginable arcane magic. You have a long way to go."
Ezekiel stared ahead as the sight of determination continued.
"Bring it!"