The car came to a sudden halt, the force so great that both Dylan and Alex crashed out of the car.
Alex fell face first to the ground. Dylan on the other hand just continued to roll and only stopped when his head crashed on something hard.
He didn't even let the pain register before he quickly stood up. He readied his two daggers and even activated his powers as his shadow could be seen growing darker.
Though Alex didn't have his powers activated, he held onto his trusty long sword, his eyes scanning the whole area for any sign of the enemy; but there didn't seem to be any. And for some unknown reason, he also seemed to be in a daze, like he just woke up from a deep slumber.
Apart from the car which now had its wind screen shattered, the only thing they could see was a forest of tall towering trees.
"What happened?" The two boys asked the same question at the same time and soon after looked at each other in confusion.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" Alex spat out, "Shouldn't you know what happened -."
Dylan raised an eyebrow, "And why is that?"
Alex had no answer to that and could only look toward the direction of the vehicle. Due to them being half human, their senses were better than your average human; and that also included eye sight. And due to this, they were able to see the man driving them slumped on his chair, happily snoring as a line of saliva dripped down his cheek.
"Shit! It turned out we were only been driven by a drunkard. I swear we'll only give him half the payment for this discomfort and embarrassment." Alex yelled as he was ready to open the door of the car and slap the sleeping man awake.
"Wait Alex, I think we should …DOWN!"
Alex didn't know why but he did as Dylan ordered. Immediately he was down, the whole place lit up in orange and red, their ears ringing from the sound.
When the light and deafening sound subsided, the two were finally able to look up only to discover the car they were about to open seconds ago was now nothing but scrap. That's what the explosion turned it to.
"Shit! What the hell was that for?" Alex said as he dusted his clothe, "Thinking about it, wasn't there a person in the car before the explosion?"
"There," Dylan pointed at the man lying a few meters from the completely burnt vehicle, still snoring softly. Surprisingly, there wasn't a little bit of damage on him even though he was closer to the explosion. There was also the question of how he got out of the car.
Soon, they began to notice movements from the corner of their eyes. They turned and could see around a dozen figures all dressed in black clad outfit s and their faces covered in a rectangular shaped mask that only left eyes revealed. These figures surrounded them in a loose semi circle.
"You have been surrounded by the Shadow Ninjas. Drop your weapons and lie flat on your chest, your hands behind your back."One of the man shouted out those things Alex had only heard in movies when the police were about to arrest a criminal.
"Was that your doing?"Dylan asked calmly and pointed at the car.
"Like I said, we're the Shadow Ninjas." The man said like he was expecting a specific type of reaction from them, "And we're here to detain you."
"Detain us?"
The two demigod teenagers were slightly left confused. Why did it sound like they were caught robbing a bank?
The Shadow Ninjas began to move around in a rhythmic manner, jumping from one position to another and using the trees around them for cover.
This move even seemed to confuse Dylan who believed he has eyes as sharp as that of an eagle."
The two demigods were still looking around, trying to pinpoint the location of the Shadow Ninjas when one jumped from the tree behind Dylan.
It was a close call, but Dylan still managed to dodge by an inch. He even swung his dagger but it only cut the air since the Ninja was long gone, disappearing from their view once again.
Dylan was perplexed by this. He was someone who prided himself in his stealth ability. He could use the dark to his advantage and produce deathly sneaky attacks; but these guys were a level above him. Not to mention everywhere was bright and they didn't seem to be using any ability.
The same thing repeated itself for almost thirty minutes. The Ninjas attack, they dodge but the skin, and wait for the next attack.
Alex was feeling tired and frustrated from having to do the same thing over and over again. And it felt like the Shadow Ninjas were also feeling the same way.
Soon, one unfortunate Ninja jumped out of his hiding place, ready to slice open Dylan's chest but to his surprise, Dylan grabbed his wrist and twisted it in an abnormal position.
The man let out an ear piercing scream but Dylan was unfazed. E looked the man in the eyes and asked a simple question.
"Were you sent by the mistress?"
The man tried to kick Dylan away but it only caused him to scream the more as Dylan twisted his already broken ankle the more.
Dylan then looked at Alex, "Alex, have you noticed? These guys aren't monsters and they don't seem like demigods either…"
"They're humans, I know…." Alex could only shake his head as he looked at the unfortunate Shadow Ninja still screaming like a baby.
"But…" Dylan felt something hit him on the neck. He pulled and saw a black object with a pointed mouth "What is…?"
He slumped and fell to the floor.
"Dyl.."
Alas, before Alex could take a full step, he also felt something impale him on his neck Soon after, two more joined in and he soon joined Dylan on the floor, snoring peacefully…like the man driving them…
The Shadow Ninjas waited for a few minutes and once they were sure the two kids were indeed knocked out, they all came out of their hiding place.
One of them, probably the leader then brought out a communication device and spoke directly into its speakers.
"Mission successful. Targets apprehended. The culprits will be sent straight to the base with immediate effect!"
Two Shadow Ninjas picked up the two boys and with their confusing but impressive footwork, they were able to leave the scene, like they were never there.
About three hours later, somebody, something arrived at the same place. He bent on one of his knees and picked the sand. He looked at the destroyed car before looking at the red hound sniffing the floor behind him.
"Are you sure they were here not too long ago. Well it's obvious from this destruction." The person said, "Hmm. We're getting closer and closer. Good job bob, but we can't rest just yet. Let's keep following their scent; I have a gut feeling we'll find them soon."
- - - -
Her eyes were closed. But her lips kept moving as she mumbled words that made no sense to the ears. Her hand lay on an eerily black mirror that looked like it could only reflect the dark side of a person.
As she kept mumbling, the mirror began to shine in a bright light. Seeing this, the woman smiled. But the smile soon curved in a frown as the bright light disappeared just as it appeared, once again making the dark mirror reflect the image of the mistress's somewhat angry face.
"What is wrong, my mistress?" A little girl ran to aid her master.
"Stay back! Jeti!" The mistress staggered but still managed to keep her footing.
"No matter what ingredient I use, what method I try, what spell I cast, I still cannot locate them. It looks like a god is helping them" She thought deeply, "But only a handful of gods can resist my magic. My only guess…
… An Olympian is aiding them. And if that is so, then sooner or later, I might have to involve other gods. Or better still, beings that are as powerful as gods."
* * * TO BE CONTINUED * * *