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The War Of The Earthen Empire

Demo

First three chapters free

Introduction The year was 2030, the year that Earth was almost destroyed. Many ancient cultures predicted the end of days but none got it right. It wasn't predictable, it was sudden. For almost a decade before this day: the day the earth collapsed, the world was at a stand still, chaos and unrest ruled the world and discord and disaster followed. Humans fought pointless conflicts, diseases spread far and wide, wars waged for no real rhyme nor reason. It was a decade of hell, and when the world held their breath, praying that it was over. It happened. A cataclysmic event that no one could ever see coming. The ground broke and waves as high as the sky befell the earth. As it is now no one would recognise this planet. Have you ever wondered what the future would look like? I did once but now I wish I never knew. Over a thousand years have passed since the cataclysm, now the Earth only holds two distinct continents for humanity to call home, if you could call it home. Hondon:the larger of the two continents, a supercontinent, Eurasia, Africa and the Americas joined into one , sinking Japan and many other island nations in the process. A landmass so large it covers half the world. It holds many huge land locked micro oceans some filled with salt water and the rest filled with fresh water. This place is an ecological nightmare, any biome you can think of from the uninhabited frozen north to the scorching desert at the centre, this place was not kind to those who made it home. Mir the smaller of the two is a place that should not exist geologically, yet nonetheless it does. A ring of mountains surrounds a huge archipelago of islands. The continents of Australia, Antarctica and South Eastern Asia collapsed in together. The ring of mountains miraculously manage to keep this ordain collection of islands separate from the rest of the world. The last true paradise for human kind. Now why would I say paradise? Oh wait, I forgot to mention the demonic entities that roam the land of Hondon. Once believed to be nothing more than a nightmarish tale: these demonic entities with their deathly red eyes are all too real. They came with a wave of corruption that mutated the land and all fauna and flora, including humans. . Humanity struggles to survive, as these twisted monsters become more and more prevalent, perverting into the dominant force of Hondon. This was the turning point. It was time for us to step back in to help. My brothers, sisters, and all the friends I had made along the way decided to lock the darkness away. However, to do so would require great loss. We shifted the very continents themselves to separate the source of the darkness from its army. What was once some of the largest continents on earth, shifted and we created Hondon. A land that bears the scars of darkness and still feels its sting to this day. We made it as large and as vast as we could to stretch the darkness as thin as possible but it has only done so much. But to help as well we also saved many human lives, and created the last true safe place on earth, Mir. Using what was left of the planet's resources we found a place for them to live and recover but unknown to them they are our last hope. For you see a great secret lies beneath Mir and if it is ever found, it would be unknown if the world will survive. We knew this was only a temporary solution but that is why my friend and I never stopped looking forward to a true future, a future away from the darkness. We held out hope as my nephew with his final breath birthed a prophecy. I still remember it to this day. What once was whole, now torn as foretold, Set upon a quest, with a purpose bold. To unite as one, and reclaim the hold, Through grief and strife, their hearts grow cold. Betrayed like iron, sharp and dire, Two stand as one, to ignite the fire. Darkness weeps as one sleeps evermore, To allow humanity's light to be reborn. This prophecy, it's time is near, I can feel it. I have seen who will embrace my domain, I will ignite the flames deep within his soul to give him the power he needs to stand up to the coming darkness. I too sense my friend has found someone even though he has always been hard to please. He has found someone quite like himself a calm facade hiding a raging storm, stalwart and blunt but caring and capable of great emotional strength. Destiny is calling, so I do hope that they are ready. With luck, they won't falter under the pressure.

Chapter 1

The room is small and clammy with cracks in the walls likely made by the moisture in the thick air, there are no windows and the only light to the room is a flame lit torch by the doorway. The single piece of furniture in the room is a bed that is far too small for Ookonan’s large frame as he crouches over it with his belongings laid out on the bed. Ookonan is a tall man with a thick chiselled jaw, strong toned facial features and high cheekbones, a brutish look despite his elvan heritage. He has deep dark purple eyes like a cosmos, blond hair that sits messily on his head, short enough to show his pointed ears, yet his skin is well tanned from living the life of a nomad. Kneeling by the bed, he is packing away his belongings, making sure to put things away in the most efficient way possible, for his own comfort and the durability of the bag. The last thing he has left are a couple leather sacks, which he puts away in the side of the backpack before closing it and fastening it shut. He slowly stands up while re-adjusting his jacket as he notices someone is in the doorway. ‘Hey, you alright in there?’ Jan calls out as he stands in the doorway. ‘Yeah… What did you need?’ He asks grudgingly, as he continues to organise his belongings without glancing at the man. ‘Are you still coming? To the-’ ‘To the hunt? The Defence?’ He asks abruptly, cutting Jan off as he places his sheathed sword next to his backpack. ‘Yes… aaar you still-’ ‘Just give me a moment.’ He says again firmly, turning his back pack to the side and takes out three leather sacks which he opens to check their contents. Ookonan peers in the side of his bag to double check it. On each sack the contents are written in an Hondonian dialect each containing a thick red powder. He opens the other side seeing 12 smaller leather pouches, all filled with dried plants or other powders. Some are tea and some are herbs. Seeing they are fine and the twine is holding he places his pack aside. Turning around, Ookonan sits on the bed. As he sits down, sparks of electricity come from his fingertips. The sparks are a bright blue as though he is a power conductor or that his hands are being electrocuted. He looks at his hand, confused, not knowing what just happened. Scratching the back of his head, hoping he just needs a little more sleep, yet as he blinks he sees electrical sparks from the corner of his eye, tickling him in the process. ‘Huh.’ He grunts, looking around feeling more confused. ‘Did… Did you see that?’ He asks Jan, who is unmoved at the doorway. ‘See what?’ he asked, annoyed at him, making him wait this long even though this newbee volunteered to head out with them. Jan watches Ookonan, confused and more annoyed as this rough hewn character sits on the bed, still barefoot, without any form of urgency. ‘Must have been my imagination.’ He says with a relaxed tone as he leans forward and grabs his thick leather boots. He glances at Jan who seems to be getting more agitated as he fidgets with his jacket sleeves. ‘Yeah anyway, if you are done making excuses.’ Jan replies, trying to hurry Ookonan along. All he can think about is the men waiting in the building entrance, waiting for the giant to be ready to tag along as promised. ‘Just a minute.’ Ookonan says, rolling his eyes at him. He undoes the laces on his boots and slips them onto each foot. He leans forward and does the laces up tightly before tucking his pants into the boot tops, being sure not to let any of the outside debris touch too much skin. He takes a deep breath and stands up, he stretches and grabs his sword which has seen better days, covered in scuff marks, dents and scratches. He walks over to Jan who seems small next to him as he stands above the doorframe of the old building. Everything makes Ookonan feel like a giant as he stands over two metres in height. ‘He is coming! We will be there soon, do not leave just yet.’ Jan shouted down the long hallway. His voice echoing through the rusted ancient building. ‘Aaahh, what a bunch of clafarging idiots.’ Ookonan muttered under his breath as he followed Jan out the room. ‘Season your homes.’ † Ookonan is escorted by Jan down the hallway and past the rooms of the ancient rusted structure. The hall is full of moisture, cracks and holes that have likely been there and getting worse for centuries. The walls are covered in old fungal-like vines as no sunlight seems to ever reach through the building. Old thick rusted metal beams are seen through the walls, so old Ookonan is surprised they are still there and standing. The beams creak as Ookonan and Jan walk past them and out into an open concealed space still within the ancient building structure. The room. if you could call it that, is very open, with beams of metal holding the place up. Walls are cracked displaced concrete, with panels of wood as covering the outside world. As they step through the small room where the rest of the men had gathered, they fall in line behind Scott, the commander. As Scott walked towards the side door, he opened it to reveal what could only be a small indoor village. There are firepits all around the settlement, both on the ground and hanging, lighting the place up. Along the walls are small wooden houses more like little huts. There are also huts further up the walls, which are built in units and attached to these walls. Ookonan noticed some connected by rope bridges, but he never got to see these closely, as when he wandered in, night had already fallen. Women stand out on the verandahs of the small houses, cooking in large pots and watching children as they run and play. A few even waved to the new face, to his face, as he was part of their city guard, even though it's not much of a city. Seeing this place gave Ookonan a powerful feeling - he wanted to protect it. As they head to the exit Ookonan begins analysing each member of the hunting party. Not including himself there are seven men. Most looked nervous and anxious as if the fear of the outside was weighing heavily on their minds. He could see it, the unbridled fear of what they would see and the fact that they may never return. However, in his observations one man stood out. He was calm, and controlled the level of fear in his eyes. He was scared but it wasn't going to rule him. Jan introduced this man as Scott. As they walked towards the exit Scott mentioned for Ookonan to walk with him. Scott is a tall Human, but like everyone else, he is small next to Ookonan. He is large around the midsection with thin limbs, he is an unfit looking man with a shaved face, he is balding and what remains is blond. He has blue eyes and a round face. He has a keen look of entitlement smudged across his face that suggests he has lived a fairly privileged life. ‘What took you so long?’ Scott said sternly and angrily. He is a man who wishes to be a dictator. ‘Ask him not me.’ Jan says, gesturing to Ookonan, trying to deflect the blame as they reached the exit of the settlement. Scott looks up at the tall Ookonan. He is a smug and angry man, puffing up his chest in an attempt to show dominance towards Ookonan, who is more than a head length taller than him. ‘Hmm’ He almost huffed at Ookonan, trying not to be intimidated by him. ‘You have a strange way of showing appreciation’ Ookonan muttered to him, almost expressionless, as they wait at the gate and the men huddled around Scott and Jan. Scott ignores Ookonan’s remark and proceeds to talk to the group again ‘So we have learned that these things are fast very.. Fast.’ He says, speaking with egotistical assertion. ‘What else have we learned?’ ‘You either die or become one or both, there is no winning with these things’ Jan exclaims anxiously, having never faced one himself. ‘Anything else?’ Scott asks the men loudly. He looks around at the men, all but Ookonan look terrified, each believing they are not coming home after they leave the settlement. ‘If you bothered to listen to me you might learn something.’ Ookonan says, rolling his eyes at the men, feeling disappointed in them. ‘Do we have weapons ready?’ Scott asks the men loudly, while continuing to ignore Ookonan. ‘Are we all ready?’ He calls out again. ‘Okay I guess no one is listening.’ Ookonan mutters to himself. Scott remains in the middle of the men as the gate finally begins to open.The men hold their weapons to their sides. They look at each other buzzing with anxiety as they march out of the makeshift iron and wood gate. ‘They proved themselves to be a bunch of clafarging idiots…. Again.’ Ookonan says, lagging behind the group, recalling this was not the first nor the last time he would deal with a group of people who thought themselves more important than the ones in the settlement. ‘HEY!!’ A woman calls out stopping Ookonan before he could fully exit the gate. He stops walking to look around in search of the woman’s voice. He sees the children playing, and others going about their business until he spots her. A woman cutting vegetables. ‘Huh?’ he hums, feeling slightly confused about where the voice comes from and who would care. The woman points a cleaver at him, she has a stern, sharp look to her. ‘WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE.’ She shouts as she goes back to cutting up the food. As Ookonan turned and looked out after the hunting party he spoke. ‘I stand corrected, everyone in this settlement is a Clafarging Idiot.’ He walks over to the woman and looks at the cut up vegetables on the cutting board as she scoops it all up and puts it all into a pot filled with saucy spicy looking liquid. Seemingly filled with herbs and now vegetables. ‘Are there herbs and spices in that?’ He asks her calmly. ‘WHAT'S IT TO YOU?’ The woman shouts back at him. ‘Hang them around the place, the demonics hate it’ The woman looks at Ookonan, she calms down now realising his intention. She watches him walk away, now catching up to the group of men. As the gate closed behind him he saw not one sack being used as a ward. He sighed to himself and removed one of his sacks filled with red powder, quickly using a hanging vine to tie it over the gate. ‘At least that will give a little protection for them.’ he says as he turned and jogged after the hunting party.

Chapter 2

It’s quiet, calm and peaceful in the continent of Mir, the sun is high in the sky, the air is clean with a soft breeze, along with the sounds of rustling leaves in the large tree which stands in the centre of the courtyard. The tree has thick roots spreading across the courtyard with thick green grass around its roots. Around the courtyard are stone columns holding up undercover walkways, which have stone paths that lead into other buildings surrounding the imperial palace. The grass is cut neatly around the columns, walkways and structure, surrounding and in the courtyard yet around the tree roots and trunk the grass is tufted and wild. Kaji Tohroshatan, a human with Japanese heritage, is sitting in one of the thick branches. He is a fairly large person, with thick strong limbs, dark brown skin. He has curly hair and dark brown eyes that are almost black in colour, soft gentle facial features, a top lip thicker than his bottom, chubby cheeks yet a sharp jawline and a wide nose. He sits on a branch of the old tree reading a book on the ancient origins of Mir, which is written in the Mirish language that talks of old worldly things, and shows a diagram of a Jet Pack FJ-17 on the right page of the book with the text reading. Asi majucha ila na nakish hija ila kunai kanji zaluh kalidap mo yenan ulaji jaku (It is believed that ancient people could fly in machines like these) He looks at the diagram and its description, mesmerised by its design and function. Were the ancients advanced? How did it work? How could it work? Kaji looks at it intrigued. ‘Huh?... So is that what existed in ancient times?’ He leans back on the tree trunk letting his left leg swing off the edge of the branch. He lets the air out of his lungs as he looks at the jet engine diagram trying to understand how something made of metal could lift off the ground, let alone fly. Only birds can do that, it’s just not possible, he thought. He turns the page revealing an old photo of a Kangaroo, with a description of what it is believed to be and where it is from; and it states: Kangaroo: Na pakarigala ila Miron ilana hallamo ko Australia, ilana ila lemb yareheanomohop nakish ramijish tigirinam mo ila nakish. ( Kangaroo: On the outskirts of Mir on the Australian ridge consists of animals that potentially looked like this) He brushes his hand over the text intrigued by the animal and words, and he tries to pronounce the word aloud. “Kan.. Ga.. Roo?” He sighs, looking up and thinks. What kind of animal could this have been? Animals like this just do not exist. The ancient world is a strange one, he thought to himself. Kaji stops looking at the pages, contemplating, realising that he has never been off the central island, the capital, he glances back down at the old picture of the Kangaroo staring at it, studying it and wondering to himself how such a creature would move. ‘Interesting… I wonder if they still exist on the edges.’ He says slowly to himself. From the top of the tree a yellow leaf breaks off and falls slowly to the ground. It twirls and twists through the air, leading through the branches down towards Kaji. As the leaf sways and brushes past him he turns and notices the leaf, he reaches out to touch it as it falls. It brushes through his fingertips, but as his fingers touch the leaf, it starts to turn red with bright crimson embers in the exact areas his fingertips touch. The embers quickly yet slowly burn around the leaf as it continues to fall. He pulls his hand back, shocked. He looks at his hand from back to front, confused. Leaning over he watches the leaf as it falls to the roots of the tree burning up with embers on the way down. Jumping down from the tree to have a closer look at the burned leaf covered with embers, and sitting on a root of the tree, he gazes at his fingertips then back at the embers, confused. ‘Did… that… really happen?’ He asked himself. He touches part of the leaf which lights up the embers again, he pulls back his hand to look at his fingers. ‘How is this happening?’ He takes a moment to consider. This must be a dream or just imagination, he thinks as he watches the leaf burn up and turn to ash. ‘It’s really not like anyone is going to believe that happened.’ He says quietly to himself. ‘Ha, let’s.. Just… Ignore it…. Maybe.’ An unintelligible yell came from the distance shouting for Kaji. He remained still, trying to understand how he set a leaf aflame with his fingers. ‘Tohro!’ A girl's voice called. ‘Are you finished studying?’ ‘Yah… I think.’ He shouted back. ‘You are either done or you ain't’ she shouts. The girl louder as she comes closer to the courtyard. He remains crouched and still, and turning his head he looks at the courtyard exit, where his sister Hono is jogging towards the arched walkway. Beyond the courtyard, hills, lush with trees and emerald grass sloped to cliffs, and beyond these cliffs the sea shone and nearby islands shimmered. ‘Hono… can you come here quickly?’ Kaji asked his sister before looking back at the roots of the tree. Hono’s footsteps become louder as she slows down at the entrance of the courtyard. As she reached the entrance she slowed down but did not enter. ‘Why’ she asked, standing on the edge of the courtyard. Kaji remains unmoved trying not to be stunned by what happened earlier. He hopes that his sister might have an answer to why the leaf started burning up as he touched it. He wonders if there is any form of explanation. He remains still as he looks at the tree roots, attempting to understand what happened to the leaf. ‘Can you come and look at something?’ ‘Fine!’ she said with an annoyed tone, she sagged herself as she walked over to him. ‘But you are going swimming right after I look.’ ‘Yes I know.’ She approaches Kaji from behind, he crouches by the tree. He stares at the roots while still holding a book, she leans over him and looks at the Kangaroo on the page believing Kaji is looking at the book, which is wide open and sitting on a tree root. ‘What is it?’ She asks him, questioning why he called her over. She looks down at the book again now noticing the picture of the kangaroo. ‘Those don’t exist anymore.’ He looks up at Hono dumbfounded ‘Uh..Huh…………’ he hums not sure why she told him that. He looks around himself, realising the book is open. He quickly closes it. ‘Anyway…… Do you think magic exists?’ ‘Why do you ask?’ She asks him, unsure of the question.Hono looks at him puzzled. ‘Well, do you see this on the ground?’ He asks, pointing to the ash on the roots of the tree where the leaf burned up. He notices she is looking at him like he is an idiot. ‘The little ash?’.He asks, trying to reassure her there was a burned up leaf on the root She sighs and squats down next to him to see what he is looking at, she looks around the roots of the tree, she sees nothing but thick tree roots and thick grass in between each root. ‘Tohro there is nothing there but grass… You don’t seriously think you are one of the dreamers do you? That would be ridiculous.’ She stands up and looks down at Kaji. ‘Stop overthinking and let’s go and have some fun!’ Hono takes a breath and squats back down and looks into Kaji’s eyes. She softens her voice while speaking to him. ‘It’s like you have forgotten how to, as you will be taking over father someday’ She grabs Kajis’ shoulders and speaks a little more sternly to him. ‘Forget. About. It.’ He looks away from his sister and relaxes his shoulders. ‘Okay… I mean…’ He says under his breath as he looks back at her. ‘My mind is probably playing tricks.’ ‘Exactly!’ She says. She stands up and helps him to his feet. ‘Now let’s go!’ She keeps hold of his arm dragging him away from the tree and out of the courtyard and into the grassy hills towards the sea. † The sound of the ocean waves is loud and noticeable as it hits against the rocks on the cliffs. They both are running towards the cliff by the beach, Kaji takes off his shirt as they run, while Hono doesn’t remove a thing. The two run towards the cliff edge and they both jump. The world goes silent for a moment while Kaji is in the air, he is thinking about the last time he stopped studying and had fun with his friends. It has been a while. He looks at the water, he sees his feet still in the air and he sees his friends, Alefosio, Koloa and Toasake. He lands in the water and falls through into the depths of the deep mysterious blue. He can see the bubbles around him as the light touches the water creating beams of light, disappearing into the deeper darker blue of the refreshing water. Swimming back up to the surface he shakes his head and is immediately greeted by his friends who splash water at his face. ‘FINALLY TOHRO JOINS US!’ Toasake shouts loudly and happily as she splashes Kaji in the face with more water. Alefosio launches himself at Kaji, grabbing him with his massive thick arms. ‘What took you so long? Busy burning out your brain?’ He asks while rubbing Kaji’s head with his knuckles. ‘Yeah hahaha. About time I went for a swim.’ He laughs leaning forward, smiling brightly and laughing loudly, while also trying to avoid Alefosio's grand head rub. Kaloa splashes Hono with water as she swims closer to the group, she growls at him, he laughs while swimming away, leading her to swim fast after him. Toakase jumps onto Alefosio’s shoulders, only for him to flip her off backwards. The group continues to play and laugh in the deep water, something Kaji has not done in more than a year.

Chapter 3

Ookonan and the men have ventured far from the settlement building and deep into the black forest. The humidity is so high, and the air is just as thick, causing Ookonan to feel uncomfortably sweaty in his large leather jacket. The air is cold and thick as a thick deep mist rolls through the forest, making it difficult for any light to penetrate through the trees. The forest is thick and black with numerous trees that have bark as dark as the night sky. The forest floor is covered with large tree roots, seemingly going on forever. Up within the tree branches hangs slime, a deadly toxic residue that comes from the living death. It can turn anyone or anything into a demonic. If there is no change into a demonic it slowly kills and consumes the infected and everything in its path. The slime covers the trees, the roots and it oozes from any crevices. If life is sensed, the slime would often follow. Ookonan is careful where to step, ensuring he doesn’t step in any of the slime covering the forest floor and tree roots. He observes the other men, who are only slightly aware of the slim, but unaware of its dangers. Several of the men are more cautious of the tall roots of the trees than what else is around them watching their step. Ookonan peers at the last member of the group: Scott or something was how he introduced himself. He seemed like the narcissistic type. He was the only person walking carelessly without a weapon; his steps are loud, he is tripping over roots, he is stepping on the slime, and he is not listening to any subtle sounds in the forest. This man was a danger to everyone who was here. ‘I do not understand how they keep finding us.’ Scott's voice echoed carelessly, giving zero care for the hungry monsters in the still black forest. ‘What do you mean?’ Ookonan quietly asks, not giving Scott the dignity of a glance as he continues to observe the surrounding forest. His elvish ears twitch as he listens for any subtle but almost silent sounds. Scott comes to an abrupt stop, he turns to Ookonan, as he puffs up his chest in an attempt to assert dominance. ‘Shut up… Keep quiet and speak when spoken to.’ He snaps loudly. Ookonan rolls his eyes at him and continues to walk forward, refusing to give the little man a glance. He looks over at the trees ahead noticing large scratch marks all over them. He walks slower, giving himself more time to scan for more evidence of anything in the forest. He sees tracks in the mud a few metres ahead. Scott turns to Ookonan tensed with rage, ‘Shut Up!’ He commands at Ookonan, his mind full of ego, and his chest puffed high. ‘You need to listen to me you-’ ’What?’ Ookonan interrupts as he towers over Scott. Scott steps onto a tree root making a miserable attempt at getting to Ookonan’s eye level. Tto get into Ookonan’s face, he puffs up his chest but still only reaches Ookonan’s chest. His fists are clenched, his face and neck are red and veiny as he fills with unjustifiable rage. ‘You need to listen to me, I know about these things. Ever since I was kicked out of Ques I have dealt with these things-’ Ookonan pushes him off the tree root, cutting him off mid sentence again. He bends over him while keeping his hands off him. He speaks very sternly and softly with Scott attempting not get too angry with him ‘I know more than anyone what “These things are”. I have never lived in a city and I have never stayed in a place longer than a week. These things as you call them are demonics, they used to be living like you or I and I do not see you lasting very long with them. Now let me ask you this.’ ‘What then?’ Scott stutters, shallowing away from the giant man. His cowardness started to show through. ‘Have you actually fought one? Are you a vatpik who tries to be the boss?’ He asks through gritted teeth, his frustration building with each word uttered. Scott trembles, his knees shaking as his hands quiver uncontrollably. He tries to hide his undeniable cowardice. His face no longer red, instead, almost pale, as if the world he knew had been ripped out from under him. But his chest was still high, as he couldn’t deny it, he did think of himself as the boss. ‘No-’ He lied, ‘You have no right.’ He said finally finding his voice albeit barely before it was drowned out by an unholy screech. He quivered away from Ookonan, the last thing he wanted to do was fight any of those things. The screams are followed by sounds of gurgling and scurries in the bushes, frightening the men who are getting tense as they prepare themselves. Scott cowers more with his knees shaking uncontrollably as fear starts to consume him, yet he does not want the people back at the settlement to think of him as a coward. Suddenly, all sound from the forest eerily came to a stopstill. The men slowly moved together, their movements making more sound then intended. As they moved, Ookonan stood vigilant as they moved, his hand poised on the hilt of his blade. His instincts were screaming at him. ‘Did anyone hear that?’ Cephelo asked anxiously. Scott scuffles to straighten back up, the last thing he wants is to show his weakness. He feels the need to assert dominance over the other men as he puffs his chest up. He approached the member angrily, still shaking from fear and hurt over his broken ego. ‘Sshhush. Be quiet and only speak when spoken to.’ He shrieks. ‘I heard nothing.’ Jan says, looking around, his heart is racing as fear builds in him as he looks back at the other men and scott. Another mangled, distorted screech, from what could only be a demonic echo screech loudly echoes from the distance. It sounds deeper, more brutal, and far more powerful. It’s brutal, deeper and more powerful than the last. ‘There!’ Cephelo quietly shrieked. ‘Did you hear that?’ Ookonan remained calm, he’s done this many times before throughout his life. He knows how to remain calm while the other men tensed more. Scott stops and looks around before taking a few steps backwards and away from the group. ‘Get your weapons ready…’ Ookonan exhales apprehensively. ‘They are closer than you think.’ Scott's heart is racing wildly as he attempts to start to walking back down the trail they had come from. Ookonan’s ears twitch, he turns his head to the sound of Scott trying to get away as he scowls at him and approaches him angrily. ‘Where do you think you are going?’ Ookonan asks sternly. Scott stops moving and looks up at Ookonan shaking uncontrollably. ‘N-no w-w-where.. I am going nowhere.’ ‘You always do this. You leave us here to die and you head back.’ Gäff says furiously. He grips his axe and goes to approach Scott, but is stopped by Jan. ‘Where do you think you are going?’ Ookonan asks sternly. ‘N-no w-w-where.. I am going nowhere.’ He stutters. The other men come to a halt, anxious and angry as they all turn to look at Scott. ‘You always do this. You leave us here to die and you head back.’ Gäff says furiously. He grips his axe and goes to approach Scott, but is stopped by Jan who is fuming from his ears. ‘You are a coward who tries to be the boss. I do not think that will be happening again tonight with this stranger helping us.’ Jan sneers through gritted teeth. ‘Today is not your day…’ Ookonan says calmly. He manages a tight and firm grasp onto his shoulder. Scott starts to throw a series of uncoordinated punches at Ookonan in retaliation, however very few land. The punches that do land feel as if they are padded with cotton: soft, weak, and ultimately pathetic.‘Hmm… It also looks like you did not even bring a weapon.’ The growling, gurgling sounds of the demonics get louder as they all move through the forest. Occasionally a demonic would scream, which sounds scratchy but often human like. Scott tenses with every sound he hears, but is shoved forward by Ookonan and jabbed in the back by Jan who puts, forcing him to continue walking with the group. ‘Is this why you would always return unharmed and often without anyone else?’ A member asks angrily. Scott turns his head to look at the member who last spoke, he feels embarrassed and has a clear look of dread in his eyes. ‘Lemicölään.’ ‘Maybe you should not say that to other people.’ Ookonan says directly to Scott, looking down at him. ‘Yes?’ Scott looks back up at Ookonan feeling shameful in his cowardness. He tilts his head back down and looks at his feet walking through the mud and stepping over and onto the roots of the trees. The anxiety of the men grows as the screams and gurgles of the demonics get louder and nearer, as the men can now hear footsteps other than their own. The men stop walking, they look around and see glowing red eyes within the black fog, between the trees, the shapes of demonics can be seen. ‘Do we all have our weapons out?’ Ookonan asks, scanning around them, looking for the demonics. ‘They are getting closer.’ The men all grip their weapons, two men draw swords, while the others just tighten their grip, all except Scott who remains armless. Jan looks over at him and hands him his spare axe, he reluctantly grabs it, shaking, fearful that he will be forced to fight. Ookonan steps away from the men and crouches down below the bushes as he slowly and silently walks to an open space. He watches for the glowing red eyes as he continues silently towards a large boulder covered in roots in the centre of the open space amongst the thick black forest. He places his back to the root covered boulder, catching his breath as the anxiety starts to hit him, he looks back over at the men. Jan has followed him in the same fashion, somehow not as quiet, surprising as the man is almost half his size. Ookonan surveils the forest, noticing that a few of the men are walking out into the open searching for a place to hide, while one of the men jumps into a bush and crouches down. While he did that, another blood curdling scream became audible and vibrated through the opening. ‘How close do you presume they are?’ Jan asks. Ookonan quickly turns his head to look at Jan. ‘Very’ He mutters. Scott, still standing in the thicker part of the forest, looks around at all the other men who are attempting to hide or are standing by a tree waiting for the attack to happen. He walks backwards towards some thick roots and bushes and trees in a miserable attempt to hide. He notices a couple roots between two large and thick trees, still shaking uncontrollably he walks over to the roots and crouches down between them, clutching his weapon while listening to the sounds of the demonics. Cephelo quickly scurries off to one of the trees, placing his back against the trunk. He crouches between the large roots with his eyes peeled on Jan and Ookonan. He waits patiently for Ookonan’s signal before doing anything himself. He grips his axe tighter, focusing on anything other than the dread of the demonics. Gäff looks around, noticing that two men are standing in the open unsure what to do with themselves. He quickly gets into one of the bushes and crouches down, peering through as he watches Ookonan. ‘Just try and listen and hold on.’ Ookonan whispers to Jan. ‘Do you-’ ‘SHH.. Quiet.’ Ookonan whispers, covering Jan’s mouth. The demonic screams and chainsaw-like growls get painfully loud as they echo through the forest. The screams, now deafeningly close as their smashing wet footsteps become audible to all the men, sounding like sledgehammers on the mud and slime. Ookonan closes his eyes as he breathes out, in order to take a moment to collect his thoughts and relax his body and mind. ‘They are here.’ He says grimly. He opens his eyes, his head now clear, he swiftly looks ahead. He gets off the ground, scanning his surroundings as he quickly moves. He thrusts himself forward, as he launches his sword through a demonic. The demonic's skin is black, slimy, and almost metallic like. Its eyes glow bright red and their teeth are as sharp as a knife. It’s almost skeletal in appearance: bony and lacking any flesh on its face. It has long pointed claw-like fingers that could pass off like spiders with fangs for legs, its feet are bony and skeletal with talons for toes, and its teeth are long sharp, jagged and rock-like. It even has flesh hanging off it in places from the death like rot. Ookonan removes the sword from the demonic and takes a step back, placing distance between himself and the demonic. The demonic remains standing, seemingly unharmed, it bares its razor-like teeth ready to attack. It screams at Ookonan who swings his battered sword, hitting it in the head before moving backwards into a longer stance ready to move towards the demonic again. He slices his sword upwards from the crotch towards its jaw, cutting its torso into two. Jan holds his axe with a tight grip, as he launches himself into the air, with his axe above his head, towards a demonic slightly shorter than himself. He slams the axe down through the demonics head smashing through it to the ground, killing it slowly. Ookonan has moved to another demonic. He is low in his stance, aiming his battered sword at its knees. He swings the sword at the demonics lower legs, obliterating them almost with ease. As the demonic starts to fall he swings up at the head smashing through its skull. Cephelo draws out a dagger from his belt as he walks up behind a demonic and stabs it through the back of the head, his blade penetrating through to the monsters mouth. The demonic struggles, cutting him with its long claw-like fingers in the process. He fails to notice he has been injured as he repeatedly stabs and beats it to death. ‘AAAAHHHHH DIE DIE’ He screams. Once the demonic is pulverised beyond recognition he quickly gets to his feet, he looks to his right and runs at another demonic holding both his weapons. The demonic looks towards Cephelo, screaming while it twitches and runs at him, reaching out with its long finger claws. He attempts to dodge them while aiming his daggers towards the skull of the creature, stabbing it through its eyes while getting impaled in the stomach by its long sharp nails; he successfully kills the demonic but falls to his death in the process. Ookonan is moving swiftly through the demonic hordes, cutting through them as he moves. He launches himself at a demonic impaling it with his sword, as he slams it to the ground, getting into a long low stance and preparing his leg to stomp on its head. He removes his sword and stomps on the beast's head, crushing it, effortlessly. He takes a quick moment to catch his breath as he turns his head, noticing another demonic running towards him, both twitching and screaming. He runs towards it and slides against the ground, swinging his sword at the demonic, smashing it in half with brute force. ‘HAYAAAA’ Ookonan shouts loudly, as his sword swings through the air. Another beast is cleaved in two by his own hands. He breathes heavily as he raises to his feet, observing his surrounding area and the rest of his party as he does so. Fresh inky crimson blood slowly seeps out of the grotesque wounds of a motionless Cephelo. He is dead. Scott is nowhere to be seen. The remaining living men are clearly strained and on the verge of forfeit, , with the only true fight left being with Jan. His axe was chipped but defence shone in his eyes. He has a demonic affixed on top of him trying to devour him with its long sharp rock like teeth. Jan screams as he fights to hold it off of himself. ‘VEHHHK. HOLD ON I WILL BE RIGHT THERE!’ Ookonan shouts loudly as he notices Jan’s struggle. He sprints over to Jan, now seeing him defend himself against a Vector Demonic, named as such for the large oozing boils scattered across its body. The puss contained within was nightmarish as it turned any living thing into a demonic within minutes upon exposure. This beast had enough of them to turn anyone into one of these vile beasts within moments. Ookonan launches his sword through its back before ripping the blade through its side, giving Jan a chance to get off the ground and away from any flying demonic substances. The demonic squirms on the ground screaming as it wails its arms wildly. Ookonan examines it briefly before stomping on its face, crushing it into a splattering mess through the mud; killing it instantly. ‘Thanks.’ Jan said, catching his breath. ‘Keep moving.’ Ookonan ordered. He turns his focus away from Jan, and back to the surrounding area, quickly noticing a demonic launching itself at him. Without thinking, he hits it in the centre of the face with the pommel of his sword, knocking it to the ground. Pitch black blood splutters mercilessly as Ookonan stomps on its head and smashes it through the mud. He quickly fixes his stance, and twists around, spinning as he does so, severing a charging beast in two seconds flat. The mangled body falls to the ground, splashing into the mud as its head rolls off into the roots of the trees. Its eyes which were once glowing a bright red are now a dull and lifeless grey, as if they were extinguished like a dying flame. Another loud scream vibrates through the branches of the trees as Ookonan races across the open space towards the other men. A few of the men are looking up at the demonic struggling to get down from the tree branches, praying it never does. It hangs from one hand only letting go when Ookonan is below it. Ookonan puts his blunt sword above his back as the demonic falls, landing on the metallic blade of the sword, partially disembowelling itself before flopping onto the forest floor. Ookonan purposefully strides towards the beast, slicing its neck clean off. As the demonic’s head rolls forward, its lava red eyes slowly dim before going completely blank. He turns back around, taking some deep breaths as he observes the area. Jan is smashing demonics with his axe while shouting at them to die. Three of the men are dead on the ground with horrific injuries, pools of crimson blood expanding below them. While two of the men are smashing already dead demonics with their weapons and stomping on them with their feet. The only person Ookonan could not locate is Scott. Ookonan surveyed the surrounding area, but all he could see was blackish and white fog, some dim light from the sky, trees, mud, roots, and a lot of dead and decapitated demonics. Scott was ultimately nowhere to be seen. ‘Ah, there are a lot more than I imagined around here.’ Ookonan exclaimed while catching his breath. ‘These people are lucky to still be existing with this many demonics… Full blood demonics of all things.’ Echoing through the forest, in the near distance is a blood-curdling roar. Ookonan examines his surrounding area in terror as dread surges through his body. He could feel it in his bones. ‘Oooohh no, no, no not tonight!! That sounds like a clafarging brood mother!’ He exclaims, knowing it will be a tedious fight with no guarantee anyone will be surviving the night. † Scott is crouched alone between the two large tree roots approximately fifty metres away from the heart of the fight as he pathetically cowers with pitiful fear. He can hear the demonic screams and the shouting of the men as they fight. He didn’t want to be seen as a coward, but even more he didn’t want to die. Nevertheless, he has proven himself to be worse than a coward and his prospects of surviving are slimming by the second. ‘Do not find me… do not find me… please…’ He begs under his breath. A blood curdling roar is heard from a short distance away, leaving the forest completely silent in an unsettling and disheartening aftermath. Scott, who is still in his crouched position, looks up as he shakes with fear, plaintively battling the tears which are threatening to run down his rough face. ‘Why wouldn't he just let me leave? Why?’ He shrieks as moisture escapes his tear ducts, dampening his pathetic face. He pushes his back onto the tree trunk, squatting lower between the roots. His eyes squint in fearful disbelief as he scans his surroundings. He can see in the distance a large monster with glowing blackish red eyes. This beast has long sharp fingers on one arm while the other arm looks like a long thick sharp weapon. It looks nine months pregnant, with an enlarged stomach that appears to be moving in different directions as though something is inside. Worst of all, it appears to have a third leg sticking out of its knee, bent and deformed. The monster runs behind a tree showing only its sharp elongated fingers, looking almost like a large spider. Scott’s breathing fastens as it becomes almost uncontrollable. He hopes the Brood mother has not seen him, and he wishes that she never does, yet she moves between the trees as though she is tormenting him. The monster moves rapidly, running behind another tree. All that Scott can see of the beast is the deformed leg that sticks out of its knee. The leg moves slowly, twitching lightly as though it’s waving at him. He drops his axe and watches the broodmother with his full attention as she moves from tree to tree showing off her natural weapons. He no longer remembers where he is as he keeps his eyes locked on the monster in the shadows, lost in a trance as the beast moves between the trees. . She gives off another bone chilling scream before changing her trajectory, heading directly towards Scott with great speed. Its bulging tumour covered belly shifts with its quick strides, while its sagging breasts bounce side to side and its extra leg swings back and forth. He looks from side to side, searching for a potential way out of his dire and hapless situation. He notices that the monster has its eyes on him, but before he could conjure a reaction he is met face to face with the broodmother. She is tall, large and mostly solid, ignoring the slimy liquid that covers her body. She makes him feel tiny, stripping Scott of the ability to think, move and even breathe. She grabs him with her sharp-edged fingers and lifts him to her eye level as she breathes on him with her cold clammy breath. Her teeth are razor-sharp, her eyes are ignited a blackish red, glowing like magma, and her face is covered in black boils. He only notices the tentacles protruding from her back as they brush past his face. She screams at him before thrusting her sword-esc arm through his abdomen and lifting him higher into the air. She looks into his eyes, staring deep into his soul as she watches him bleed and suffer.‘AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ghhgghg.’ Scott screams as deep viscid maroon blood gushes from his dry lips and his fresh wounds as he meets his end. The broodmother lowers her arm as she directs her attention towards the other men; leaving Scott to slide off of her arm and land on the thick roots of the trees below, breaking his fragile bones and splattering his syrupy blood against the mud, mixing brown with red. He lays there motionless as his eyes glass over. She steps on him and strides towards the others. † Ookonan feels the third tremor of the broodmothers roar pulsing through his body. He barely manages to hold back his own scream. His eyes widen and his breathing slows as he looks into the direction of the deafening sound vibrating through the trees. ‘Vekk… Vekk.. Why today? I just can not be bothered… Vvvvekkkkkk.’ He grips his sword tighter, as he readies his stance and takes another deep breath. He knows that he must fight her, because if he doesn’t, all the people he and the other men are trying to protect could perish. ‘What must be done must be done.’ The broodmother pushes through the trees, with her extra leg brushing past the trunks and tall roots. Her bulbous, boil covered belly somehow manages to push through the tight spaces. As she steps out into the open, her glowing reddish black eyes fixate on Ookonan. He can finally see what the monster truly is. His stomach sinks as he realises how colossally large this broodmother is, standing over a metre taller than him. She, like the other demonics, has long sharp rock-like pointed teeth and slimy skin that’s almost metallic. Her arms are longer than her legs, with one ending in a hand with sharp stretched spider-like fingers, while the other ends in what looks like a thick sword. The final thing he notices, which he finds gravely disturbing about her, is that her extra leg isn’t actually an extra leg but rather is her six long wet and slimy tentacles that stick out either side of her pus filled spine. The broodmother falls onto her knees in a temporarily stunned state, as she shrieks with unbridled rage and what appears to be pain. The broodmother stands back up, towering over Ookonan. She grunts and growls at him as she watches his stance closely, keeping an eye on his sword. Somehow her belly seems to reach for Ookonan, with a claw-like hand pushing against the thick boil covered skin followed by a screaming skeletal face. The broodmother has another demonic inside her. Ookonan jumps out of the way as hastily as he can, recalculating his steps and movements. He quickly examines where to move and strike next on this large monster. So he takes a step to his left and changes his stance with his sword, watching what the broodmother does next. ‘WAAAAAHHHHHHRRRRREGGGGR!’ She screams. Loud enough to drown out all other noises in the black forest. He watches her patiently and closely as the broodmothers arm is raised and poised, ready to strike him down at any second. It comes down at full relentless force. A loud whoosh sound was heard as the blade sliced through the air almost too fast to track. She swings it in all directions, banging and thrashing it around.As she moves towards Ookonan, her surroundings fill with debris and shrapnel from the wild strikes. As Ookonan dances around the strikes, he makes a hapless attempt to parry them but instead ends up damaging his blade as the cracks and chips along the metal get noticeably larger. As she readies an overhead strike, he takes a moment to catch his breath. As she swings her arm down with all her might, he masterfully blocks the broodmothers weapon and rolls away. A large explosion of dirt and debris shoots through the air as the broodmothers weapon strikes the ground. She turned and lunged at him. It didn’t matter what was in the way, stone, root or body; all was sliced by this thing, charged with power and speed straight at Ookonan. As he moved to dodge the strike, her other arm lashed out faster than he could move. With her long spider-like fingers, she grabs him and pulls him in close. She screeches with a twisted sense of delight as she flings him through the air into a tree on the other side of the clearing. Ookonan lands with a sickening crack. He grimaces in pain as he manages to stand back up with shaky legs. He shoots off running as fast as he can as the brood mother stalks him, charging at him and trying to strike him. But he is faster, with undying determination. He jumps at a tree, planting himself on it. For a moment, the world stood still. He pushes himself off the tree with all of his might, cracking and denting the trees as he launches himself at the monster. The wind around him propels him forward, as if fighting alongside him, allowing him to move faster than he ever thought was possible. ‘AAAAAAHHHHHHHHRRRRR.’ He roars as he nears the broodmother with his blade raised. Time feels as if it’s slowing as he repositions himself, ready to strike.With the sound of thunder and a sudden ripple of electricity, the broodmother was launched away from Ookonan. It was as though she was hit by the missile of a trebuchet, leaving her to roll along the mud. Ookonan lands with a flourished twirl, the storm still strong around him as it appears to grow in intensity, the forest atmosphere changing and the fog thickening anew. The Broodmother stands, slowly getting back to her feet. Thick black blood oozes from bursted boils on her face. She bares her long sharp teeth as her five remaining tentacles grow from her back. She steadies herself, now ready for him. He rushes towards her and as he does he feels the hairs stand on the back of his neck. His vision goes fuzzy as he starts to see visions. He can see a calm, clean living room with a cool atmospheric feel. The vision morphs from looking down at a book to upwards at the room as he sees three separate people. He sees an older woman, a much younger woman, and a man. They all look very unusual, bearing features he has never seen before. He pushes the vision aside as best as he can as the wind grows stronger around him, water vapour from the ground joins the storm and sparks of electricity flicker in the wind. He rushes, as fast as he possibly can to the back of the monster as he cuts off three of her tentacles. ‘EEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHh.’ She screams in agony as inky black blood oozes from her fresh wounds. ‘I am not done yet, you little derkusi.’ Ookonan exclaims loudly. Small sparks of electricity flicker through the wind around him as he anticipates the broodmothers next move. Tentacles grow from her back as she poises herself, ready to attack Ookonan from all directions. She lifts her hefty arm into the air, ready to strike downwards towards him. He manages to dodge and roll away from the large swinging appendage. He strikes and slashes at every tentacle that nears him, slicing every one of them off her back. She screams in agonising pain as Ookonan ducks between her legs, ignoring her cry. He thrusts his sword deep into her enormous belly as a large surge of electricity bursts through him and his blade.He could feel a rush of adrenaline and a burst of dopamine pump through his veins. He truly felt alive. The electricity fries the broodmother and the demonics residing within her as the gloomy unlit forest surrounding them is invigorated with vibrant blue light. Ookonan’s attention is pulled towards the other men, who are either dead or on the precipice of death. Ookonan is blasted back from the impact he created, leaving lingering swirls of wind and specks of electricity in the air and around the broodmother. He slides along the muddy ground, keeping his eyes on the monster as she stands, almost motionless. Her lower body is scorched and glowing red from the electric blast as a thick black tar like substance oozes from her wounds.. ‘How are you not dead?’ he mutters, both confused and frustrated. The broodmother falls backwards as mud, blood and fluids spray around her in a three metre radius. The broodmother is dead. Ookonan feels a surge of relief flooding through him, relaxing as the wind and electricity slows down right up until it disperses. ‘Woah.’ Jan expressed, amazed by what he had just witnessed. Jan strikes a demonic with his axe as he looks at the dead brood mother. His eyes wander towards Ookonan, as they express monumental shock. He couldn't believe what he had witnessed. He makes an effort to gather his thoughts as he walks towards Ookonan. ‘H-how did you do that?’ Jan asks wide eyed as he stumbles over his own words. Ookonan looks at him, also unsure of what to say. He is just as confused as everyone else. He had never seen anyone do that before let alone himself. ‘I.. I.. I do not know.’ He stutters, catching his breath. The three remaining men walk over, staring at the cooked broodmother, wide eyed in disbelief but relieved that the fight is finally over. Each of them are sideswept in awe as no one has ever seen someone conduct electricity let alone take down a monster like that before. ‘That was insane… impossible. H-how did you do that?’ Gäff asked. ‘Yes.. give us your secret.’ Jan implores eagerly. Ookonan takes a step back from the men, unsure if the wind and electricity was a fluke or if there is something unusual about the forest. ‘Look, I am just as confused as you are right now.’ He examines the exhausted men, who are all covered in fresh yet drying viscous crimson blood before looking over at Jan. ‘This must make you the new leader, I can not see that vatpik anywhere.’ Jan stares at Ookonan stunned as he points at himself. He couldn't believe he was being called a leader, all he was ever called, especially by Scott, was a loser. ‘Yes I mean you, if he has died or run back like a coward, you stayed, that’s a leader.’ Ookonan expresses with sincerity. ‘Well anyway if you are going to ignore what you just did, we should all be heading back.’ Jan states. ‘Ahh, I best be going.’ Ookonan tells Jan. ‘You left your belongings back at our place.’ Gäff says as he steps in front of Ookonan looking up at him. ‘Why don’t you come back, get cleaned up and grab your stuff? Then you can be on your way.’ Ookonan looks down at Gäff and nods in agreement. He scans the area, noticing one man trying to shake some of the demonic blood off off himself and another standing, tapping a demonic’s head with his boot. He agreed with Gäff to bring him back to at least get cleaned up. ‘Okay, I will head back with you, but I am not staying.’ Ookonan exclaims. ‘Also do you lot have herbs and spices?’ ‘Yes….. why?’ Jan asks, feeling a little confused with the question. ‘You need to season your home. It keeps the demonics and infections they carry out…’ Ookonan explains to the men. ‘How many have you lost?’ ‘We have lost a lot of people.’ Gäff declares somberly. ‘Demonics hate paprika the most, but each herb and spice has a function of its own. Demonics particularly hate spices, paprika is an overall winner. Start seasoning your town.’ Ookonan says to the men sternly. The men look at each other, collecting themselves and their weapons. They leave the dead behind and start to walk back through the forest towards the settlement building. ‘How effective is it though?’ Jan inquires. ‘Paprika can keep demonics away by one kilometre if you use it right. You also have cumin, rosemary, sage, salt. Depending on the type of demonic you are dealing with, best to use the lot wisely. The most effective besides paprika is ghost powder and reaper…. But it is hard to get.’ ‘Okay I will let them know when we get back, we must start seasoning our town.’ Jan says to Ookonan and the other men as they all step over the soon to be decayed corpses and the thick tree roots.