A man ran away from whatever was following closely behind him. The pursuer had concealed itself in the dense undergrowth of the red forest. The man continued to run and run until he heard a horn followed by the sound of arrows raining down behind him. The man who was pursuing him was struck by the arrows, and a loud howl of pain could be heard.
"Take lead men, take the beast alive." From the top of the wall, a man who had red hair and two white horns that curved downward and protruded from his temple yelled at someone below.
The doors to the gate slammed open downwards, creating a bridge that enabled a group of people to dash out of the walls and into the woods, where they could hunt down the predator that had just become the prey. The previous man who was being pursued was now lying helplessly on the ground, gasping for air as his eyelids came dangerously close to closing as a result of the extreme exhaustion he had endured during the pursuit.
A man with raven hair, black eyes, and dark purple horns that curved elegantly upwards from his temple asked, "Where is the rest of your squad?" His horns were placed in such a way that they did not obstruct his vision; they were placed to the right of both of his eyes. He knelt down next to the man who had just escaped death and offered him a bottle of water, which the runner graciously took and drank up. The man who had just survived the attack.
"We... We were caught off guard. We were looking into reports of a monster swarm in the southern region, but we weren't expecting to find a group of monsters there when we arrived. There were so many. Hundreds strong, from hellhounds to Poison Fangs " The man shook with fear as he recalled those dreadful monsters and said, "We were out matched and outnumbered." After he finally finished, before passing out.
"I need someone to take this guy to the hospital and make sure he gets taken care of when he gets there. We are going to require his complete explanation," This was the statement that the man made as he stood up and surveyed the crimson forest that was in front of him.
"Wait a minute, didn't we just dispatch a team in there?" The man mumbled in horror as he turned back to the crowd.
"Get two more groups ready to search the forest in order to find the group that had just entered it. I'll give them another call and see what happens," The man with the raven hair said as he pulled out a black horn and made a honking sound with it. The honk of the horn reverberated deep within the forest and made its way to the group of people who were pursuing the monsters.
A man with white hair and a pair of onyx black horns coming out of his temple and curving down backwards yelled out, "Men, stop!" in front of the group.
"Those were orders to return." The leader said while looking behind them toward the location of the wall. "Two watch our backs, and four on each of our flanks," The man yelled out instructions, which were quickly carried out by everyone else as they made their way back to the wall through the blood red forest.
As they made their way back through the red forest, the stench of blood hit their nostrils. They came to a halt and got into a fighting position as the smell of blood hit them.
"Connor. Seraph." The leader murmured, "With me," and the others followed suit. He knelt down, took out his sword, and started advancing cautiously in the direction of the source of the smell of blood while making a hand signal to the two individuals whose names had been mentioned to follow him.
The three crouched carefully in front of the bush that was hiding them until the leader pushed his hand against the bush and pushed the leaves to the side a bit, creating a small opening that they could see through.
"Connor, you're going to have to take point up that tree over there, and you need to get ready to help me." The leader of the group said this as he watched a man get viciously bitten in the stomach by a blazing hyena.
The response from the man was "aye," and then he distanced himself from the other two people.
"Seraph, please inform the others of this, and from this vantage point I will keep an eye on them in case they pick up on our scent." The man to the leader's left was given instructions, and in response, he crouched down and cautiously approached the group of twenty people who were behind them.
Suddenly, a scream was heard, and the leader looked up to see Connor fall from the tree after being attacked by black crows. There were scratches visible on Connor's face.
"Connor!!!," The leader let out a scream as he stood up, and as he did, flames began to appear on his sword. The eyes of the leader were still focused on Connor, who was in the process of falling down onto a group of monsters.
"Jaeger, we're here!!" The leader overheard Seraph, who was standing behind him, shouted. The leader of the group behind him gestured for his followers to attack the group of monsters in front of him by pointing at them and gesturing with his hands. However, before the followers could make their charge, dozens of wolves pounced out of the bushes and ambushed the group that was heading towards their leader.
As his people were slaughtered by the monsters, Jaeger could only watch in horrified silence. The skin of his relatives was shredded, their flesh was eaten, and their blood gushed out, creating a large pool of blood on the ground that stood in stark contrast to the color of the leaves on the trees.
"NO!!!!!!!!!" He yelled as he charged the monsters, looking for any member of his team that was still alive and trying to assist them. He slashed, stabbed, and thrust his way through the horde of monsters, but he was ultimately doomed to a gruesome death when a pack of wolves pounced on him right after he removed his sword from the body of one of the wolves he had just killed.
--Back at the wall--
"Sir, are you certain that they have passed away?" Asked a man who was wearing a helmet with horns that protruded from his temple in a downward facing position.
"Close it George, Jaeger's flame has been extinguished from the records, there is no chance he is alive" The man with the raven hair responded as he made his way back to the castle gate, which was getting ready to shut once more.
"Please convey our condolences to his family on their tragic loss and let them know that we are unable to locate his body." A despondent tone came over the man's voice as he heaved a heavy sigh before turning his back on the soldier and walking away.
After the bridge was raised, the man with the raven hair could only look in agony in the direction of the forest. After a while, he turned around and continued walking back down the road toward the direction he needed to go to reach his destination.
In a place like this, where life is so precarious, you should treasure it along with the people you care about and etch those emotions deeply into your heart. One day, the times you spent with those people will gradually turn into memories, and one day, life as we know it will disappear from the world as if it were never there in the first place.
"Hey Razark!!" A man who appeared to be rough and brusque yelled.
"Hey, Goum, how are you doing these days?" The raven-haired man who's name is Razark replied to the giant brute that stood three meters tall
"Goum is doing very well. Goum has even begun to dabble in blacksmithing as of late," he told Razark, "a joy to make armor and weapons." Goum remarked with a cheery smile as he pulled out a bag.
"Here for Razark as a token of gratitude." Razark received the bag made of leather from Goum.
"No Goum, this is your hard work, and there is no way that I can take it away from you." In response, Razark pushed away the leather bag that Goum was holding, indicating his refusal.
"Don't worry, there are many more in Goum's hut," said Razark to Goum. Goum insisted that Razark take the leather bag in his possession.
"If you say so Goum, but if you ever want it back just let me know" The satchel made of leather was graciously accepted by Razark from Goum.
"Goum is in a good mood." Goum's gift was gratefully accepted by Razark. Goum flashed a gleeful grin, and shortly thereafter, a scream was heard." Goum spun around to face the origin of the screams, and then he looked back at Razark and waved his hand.
"Unfortunately, Goum has to go back to work, but it's great to see Razark again." He ran in the direction of a dark building while waving his hand in farewell.
Razark kept moving forward in the direction of a gray palace that was located in the middle of the city and was heavily guarded by guards.
Razark showed the guard his medallion and said, "I would like an audience with Lesley." The guards exchanged a nod before going into a small security hut.
After a brief period of time, one of the guards emerged from the shack and signaled his approval to his colleague with a thumbs-up gesture. As soon as the other guard placed his hand on the wall, the red light emanating from his hand signaled that the gates should be opened.
"Sir Razark, Madam Lesley is waiting for you in the garden; would you kindly come in here?" I was able to enter the palace after the guard stated.
Razark walked through the gates and barriers to enter the chief's palace. Because their city was known to be subjected to a large number of monster attacks, the chief's palace was heavily guarded. This was done so that, in the event of a monster attack, they could use the palace as a fortress, and because it is located in the middle of the city, people could rush into the palace in order to escape.
"Wall keeper Razark extends his greetings to City chief Lesley." Razark knelt down as soon as he was a few feet away from a woman who was in her early twenties. She had purple hair, hazel eyes, and horns coming out of her temples that were elegantly curving backward.
"I have been made aware of what has taken place. The fact that many monstrous beings have begun to band together is certainly cause for concern. As Lesley spoke, she was organizing a stack of paper and placing it on the table. "Wall keeper Razark," she said."I give you orders to increase the level of security on the walls and the sewer systems. I want you to send more of our men into the sewers, and I want each group to have a minimum of twenty people". Razark was given a command by Lesely in a very serious tone.
"As you wish, madam Lesley," he said, still kneeling in front of her.
"Tell the other cities that these sightings have occurred, and warn them that if we were to fall, the monsters could easily make their way to the faction center." Lesley spoke as the pressure in her head began to ease a little bit; her expression was frowning as she looked at a map.
"Secure the red forest for the time being, and that should be all there is for the time being." Lesley got to her feet and started walking in the direction of her palace.
Razark spoke and stood up while saying, "Long live The Red Sun." He then turned around and walked back to the direction he came from.
As soon as he exited the structure, he started running and continued running until he stopped in front of a dark building. His breathing had returned to normal, and it appeared as though he had never run in the first place. He entered the building and was immediately confronted by a powerful presence, which caused him to take one step back out of instinct. However, he quickly gathered his composure and forced himself to continue moving forward despite the pressure.
As he made his way down the deserted and gloomy corridor, the air pressure continued to rise, and as if that weren't bad enough, the room continued to get darker and darker until it felt like he was walking in a void. After swallowing a chunk of saliva, he looked down and saw a door knob that was white. He steadied himself by raising his trembling arms and then opened the door, stepping into what appeared to be a room where weapons were stored.
Swords, spears, bows, sabers, lances, hammers, great axes, hatchets, and all of the weapons in existence could be seen in the room, but a weapon stood out by itself, a black scythe with a silver blade, and blood red on it's edge, the handle was made out what appears to be rough black wood that was never polished, but it wasn't wood, it was some type of metal. The scythe was chained by four chains that were connected to four pillars around it as if it was a sealed weapon, one that should never be used ever again.
"You've returned" As Razark drew his sword from its sheath and set it down on a table in the room, he was startled by a voice that sounded menacing and dark. The experience sent shivers down his spine. Razark regarded the scythe with eyes that were emotionless as he looked at it. He moved closer to the scythes, and with each step he took in that direction, he had the impression that the weight of the pressure was increasing. It seemed to him that he was trudging along while dragging an enormous monster behind him.
When Razark was standing in front of the scythe's blade tip, he merely asked the question, "What's going on."
"What could you possibly be inquiring about?" The scythe inquired while pretending to be ignorant. The fact that it was so obvious caused Razark's eyebrow to twitch.
"This is not a coincidence, and you are aware of that fact. You awoke a lot of your powers a month ago, and during that month, monster appearance kept on increasing, monsters were starting to band together, and more monster sightings were reported near the walls," Razark growled, his eyes glaring angrily at the scythe.
Razark, however, was unable to continue speaking because he was interrupted by a loud and resounding laugh. This prevented him from completing his thought. Even though the scythe had all of a sudden started glowing red, the chains did not break even though the area around them began to violently shake.
"And why would you think it is necessary for me to keep you updated on anything?" The scythe questioned, but it let out an exhausted sigh as it responded, "You will know in time Razark, a new era is nearing. One that will bring about a great deal of horror within the underworld," The pressure that had been there earlier gave off the impression of simply dissipating into thin air as the scythe began to speak.
"The time is drawing near when you will address me by my name, and I will respond to your greeting; at that moment, we will fuse into a single entity." It spoke in a solemn tone as the glow gradually began to disappear and the atmosphere in the room returned to that of a regular, unremarkable room.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" As Razark took hold of the scythe, he questioned, "What do you mean the day is getting closer?!" Razark repeated himself in a tone that was halfway between whispering and yelling because he was aware that whichever day it was, it would bring devastation to the location that he considers to be his home.
"You are going to find out very soon, but as for right now, I shall wait. "I shall wait until the day that you call for me," the speaker said, gradually lowering their volume after each word.
Razark appeared to be paralyzed as he stood there and stared at the scythe. He had his right hand balled into a fist and was pointing his middle finger at the scythe with his right arm raised. "Fuck you." He spoke sternly and turned around to leave, but before he shut the door behind him, he took one last look at the scythe. "I would never allow such a disaster to occur," he said. "I would never do that."
Razark then returned to his duties as he warned the guards and the captains of the Chief's new orders and the groups were immediately rearranged according to the chief's instruction as the teams sent into the sewer systems were also increased. Despite all that Razar could still feel this uncomfortable feeling suffocating his chest as he walked down the streets of the city.
'The day draws near where you will call me by my name' The voice rang in his head, he shook his head to disperse the voices and then continued on his day, not knowing that the day the scythe mentioned was really close.
The next day was like any other day other than the guards being more strict and the security in the city was more tight. Razark was walking down the streets of the city with a worried expression as he tried to forget the words the scythe had spoken yesterday.
It was just a lie.
A simple provocation to make your guard drop.
Don't fall for it.
Although with all that internal struggle he still couldn't shake the uneasiness in his heart that was slowly swallowing him. But his train of thoughts were immediately disturbed when he saw red smoke coming out from the southern wall.
Green usually means guests.
Orange means unidentified guests.
Yellow means monsters or enemies.
Red means monster hoard or army.
Razark ran towards the wall with his sword ready and he was also followed by a few knights he passed by when he was running towards the wall. In his arrival at the wall he could hear the screams of men and the sound of metal clashing resonating together. Razark sprinted up the stairs and saw black humanoid figures attacking the knights that were protecting the wall. Dozens of corpses from both sides could be seen on the floor, some were killed in one clean strike and others were killed in a much more gruesome way.
The soldiers that followed him saw the black humanoids and readied their individual weapons before assuming a defense formation protecting Razark, but Razark pushed them aside and unsheathed his sword, a look of pure rage could be seen plastered on his face. The soldiers knew that this wasn't the normal Razark they usually chat with, this Razark was going to abuse the hell out of those black humanoids.
"How dare you trespass this holy sanctuary, invading this peaceful city with your disgusting presence," Razark spoke slowly as sparks of black lightning could be seen enveloping him and his weapon.
The black humanoids felt pressure and fear but they didn't falter nor step back. They growled at Razark in retaliation and charged at him together. Ten of them jumped towards Razar, their blades that came out from their arms aimed at Razark.
Razark who was calmly standing there doing nothing swiped his swords to the side gently and the ten black humanoids were slashed in black lighting, their heads decapitated and rolling down the floor, their necks squirting out blood until the floor was fully painted in blood. Some of the blood managed to land on Razark's face and he simply raised a thumb to swipe it off, although not fully as faint traces of the blood still remained on his cheek. The other black humanoids froze in place out of fear, but Razrak simply turned his gaze back at the soldiers that followed him here.
"One of you will go and report this to…." Before Razark could continue his face fell grim and when the soldiers turned back as well all of them gasped as their skin began to pale. Ten red smokes were up and fire could start to be seen from here. Razark tightened his grip on his sword as he quickly charged at the humanoids and killed them in an instant.
"How dare you mere pests invade this city" Lazark spoke in rage and suddenly he split his bodies into eleven.
"Aid the ones in need of dire assistance and one of you go and ask the chief the next course of action to take" Razark's gentle and carefree voice is no longer there to be found, replaced by a cold and emotionless commanding voice. The soldier's shoulders stiffened at Razark's orders but they still saluted him and split up to aid those in need whilst one of them went directly to the chief's palace.
"Did you really think that you would take this city easily?" Razark scoffed as he witnessed the city he swore to protect was slowly burning down, but what he did not know was the growing numbers of the enemies.
In the far north of the wall dozens of mixed up species could be seen. Their bodies were of different species mixed together. The embodiment of a living nightmare and in the middle a human stood there, his figure covered in a dark blue navy cloak and he was holding a black staff with a skull on the tip.
"This city will fall and the rest will follow. Through their ashes this world shall be reborned," The man happily shouted whilst raising both his hands to the red sky as if praying to some God. The red sky, although faint, it was visible. Small and faint cracks could be seen and the poor souls of the underworld didn't know what was coming.
This was going to be the beginning of a new era. The world was slowly changing for better or worse no one knows all they could do is watch, experience and adapt to those changes.