As Deon began to plummet down from the sky, the hole in the barrier that Rai had barely managed to create began to close. By the time Deon finally made it to the opening, it had gone from a hole to a mere crack. Although the force of the barrier was strong, Deon was able to barely make it through into the city, losing consciousness in the process.
The bursts of energy that struck him as he went through were enough to kill a herd of elephants. Deon was lucky to be alive, even with his ability to heal in mere seconds. Another stroke of luck was that Rai was still at the entrance. Rai struggled to carry his brother to shelter before the entire town made their way to the scene.
He found a shack a ways away from the area and plopped down with Deon for a rest. Suddenly Rai passed out from exhaustion. While the barrier did take a lot to break open, there was something else that had drained him. However, that conversation would have to wait until the boys woke up.
On the shore that Deon had previously left from, the crew aboard the ship were beginning to regain their composure. As their fear faded, they began to feel restless.
"So are we really not going?"
One of the crewmen asked. The captain was still busy dressing his wound after having his arm ripped from his body. Despite the grave wound, he and his crew were trained soldiers. Having such a disgraceful defeat and not retaliating would be a stain they'd never be able to wipe from their reputation.
"The minister told us that the barrier was strong enough to kill anything that tried to enter by force. Even that monster has to be fatally injured."
The captain as he tore the end of the bandages. While not everyone was convinced, no one was prepared to just turn around.
"What if he's still alive though?"
"Then you fight a monster with another monster. Wake the Sabbatarian. Tell him it's time to work."
Just as the captain finished speaking, a growl came from beneath the deck. Slowly a colossal figure began to squeeze through the door of the ship. As the door gave way, crumbling under his power, his thunderous voice the air.
"How could I sleep with you makin all this racket?"
His grin made it clear that he was not a normal human. His jagged teeth had been filed till they were sharp enough to crush through rocks like styrofoam. All along his body were bite marks from the same type of teeth that he had. It was as if he had bitten himself hundreds of times in different places.
"How many?"
The captain asked the man somberly
"Seeing as he already tore off your arm and turned your crew into some babies-"
The crewman grimaced as the insult hit home for them
"-he seems to be something you can't handle. I'll need at least fifteen of them. Three of them need to be under six and if any of them are over twelve… I'll take you and your crew as the rest of the downpayment. Whenever you finish changing your diapers, I'll be waiting on the shore."
The floorboard of the deck cracked and broke to pieces as the Sabbatarian leaped from the ship to the shore with one step.
At the same time inside the barrier, Deon began to awaken. As he rubbed his head and groggily looked around, he realized Rai was passed out beside him.
"Rai-"
Deon grimaced as he attempted to wake his brother. The wounds from the barrier still hadn't fully healed. Pushing through the pain, he stood up and felt lighter than usual. Slowly, he reached to his back and scanned the scene. Suddenly he began to panic.
"Wake up!"
Deon yelled as he violently shook Rai.
"If you don't stop Imma fry your nose hairs."
Rai said, irritated about being woken up.
"Don't give me that! Where the hell are my swords?!"
Deon shouted. Rai began to fully wake up and understand why Deon was freaking out
"Calm down! Look, you passed out after you fell through the barrier and I had to carry you here before anyone found us."
Rai began to explain
"Why didn't you just knock everyone unconscious?!
Deon asked
"I- I'm not sure. Something-... something happened before you came but… I can't seem to remember what."
Rai said as he held his head in his hands, visibly in pain. He attempted to stand up but immediately fell back against the wall. Whatever happened took away all his strength.
"Just chill bruh. Here, drink this."
"I'm one hundred percent not drinking your blood dude. We've talked about this."
"It's just a drop stop bein extra."
Deon said in protest.
"I said no! Damn! Quit tryna pour this nasty sh- wait… ASH! Ash is still back there!"
Rai said as his grogginess continued to fade.
"Back where?"
"I'm not sure. I can't remember exactly where but the house is on the outskirts of town."
"Are you gonna be okay?"
Deon asked
"I'll be fine just GO!"
Rai said as he continued to rub his eyes, trying desperately to clear his head. What the hell happened and why couldn't he remember? After taking one last look at Rai, Deon shot out of the shack and towards the edge of the barrier.
As Deon rushed towards one side of the barrier, the Sabbatarian was being led in through the other side. At first, the townspeople didn't approve of the new faces entering their territory but once they saw who was leading them they all relaxed. It was the man who had led the people to betray their former friends. The man who was clothed and fed by the grace of the town's lord. The minister that the crewman had spoken of.
"Welcome to your new paradise."
The minister said, opening his arms to the guests.
The Sabbatarian began to salivate as he laid his eyes on the villagers and as he spoke, everyone began to shudder.
"Payment upfront right?"
The minister looked at the people and began to smile sickeningly.
"Indulge as you please."
The Sabbatarian leaped into the crowd and sunk his teeth into one of the women, ripping her flesh as the town fell silent. For a moment, the only sounds that could be heard were the crunching of bones between sharp teeth, the wet noise from raw flesh being pulled apart, and the deafening sound of the beast swallowing.
After the unnaturally long four seconds had passed, a scream rang out that broke the spell. All at once women children and men began to cry out and run for their lives.
As quickly as the Sabbatarian had devoured one person, he had feasted on three more. As he was chasing a fifth child across the road, he noticed two large stone swords on the ground. He chuckled at his luck. While enjoying his all you can eat feast, he had stumbled over a pair of weapons that were perfect for him.
As he reached to grab his newfound treasures, he realized he couldn't pick them up. What the hell was happening, he thought to himself. There was no weapon he couldn't hold. His strength was his pride, nothing had ever stopped him before. He continued to struggle until a terrifying chill ran up his spine as a voice called from behind him
"If you don't getcho hobo paws off my sword right now…"
All the screams and commotion had caught Deon's attention. Since he didn't know where exactly to go, he figured he should find out what the issue was on this side. As Deon slowly approached the man, he surveyed the scene. People were fleeing for their lives, children screaming and crying, and one child sat in front of his mother's body, defeated.
Deon's course diverged from the man to the small boy. He simply knelt down and put his hands together for a moment. As he stood up, he took the fur that he always wrapped around his waist and put it on the boy's back.
Deon slowly turned and began walking towards the Sabbatarian once again. As he got close, the Sabbatarian's fight or flight instinct kicked. As soon as he tried to run, Deon caught him by the shoulder and forced his legs into the dirt up to his knees. Deon leaned in close and grasped the back of the man's neck and said:
"You know you messed up… RIGHT?