Feeling helpless, Angeni, Prya, and Ling closed their eyes so as not to see the horrific deaths of Jeneta and Heather as the fires from all four of the immense creatures came streaking towards them. Heat like nothing they have ever felt before exploded from the crackling flames, burning the ground where the two girls just stood seconds before to crisp. Then a moment later, Ling....still lying on the ground with the others, dared to open her eyes.
The spot where Jeneta and Heather once stood was smoldering, but to her surprise, she didn't see any sign of the girls, as it was now empty. She lifted her head up and looked around, and to her relief, she saw the two girls just coming down for a landing from their high jump to safety. They landed in a perfect crouch not too far away, their faces set in determination.
"Oh my God! It's them, they're okay!" the Chinese girl shouted, standing up and pointing to them.
Next to her, Prya, Angeni, and Djoser stood up quickly, looking to where Ling was pointing. Angeni gave a deep, audible sigh of relief, and Prya clasped her hands in front of her chest. "Oh thank goodness!" she breathed out softly, relief flooding through her body.
But their celebration didn't last for long as the tendrillias...enraged for having missed their targets, screeched loudly and rushed forward again, their mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth wide open. But no fear showed on the faces of Heather and Jeneta, and turning their heads to look at each other, they nodded, then rushed forward with a battle cry and jumped up high once again, their swords filling their bodies and souls with such strength, such power they had never in their lives felt before.
Their swords glowed bright, filled with the very essence of their souls, and almost too quick for the human eye to see, both girls slashed down with their swords. Jeneta went for the head of the first monster, burying her sword as deep into the neck of it as she could. Then pulling downward, cleanly sliced off its head from its huge body. The head dropped immediately to the ground and rolled, scaring the people who were watching even more, and stopped near a tree, the mouth still wide open in a silent scream. Not even a second later, the body fell to the ground in a loud thud. It twitched once, then lay still, smoke and greenish blood pouring out from the neck where its head was once attached.
Heather meanwhile plunged her sword hard into the underside of the creature that tried to overtake her from above. Thrusting high, the sword struck deep and true into the monster’s belly, then she pulled the sword foreword to make a deep, deadly line as the monster gurgled and convulsed in pain. As Heather landed next to Jeneta, the green blood slowly began to seep from the large gash on its underside that went all the way to its chest. The tendrillia flew wobbling for a second, then with a final shudder and squawk, fell straight down to the ground as a stone, then lay still on its side, smoke rising from the deadly cut.
But then, more sounds of screeching filled the air as the other two creatures left flew forward, their eyes enraged and determined. "LOOK OUT!" screamed Ling, ducking down with the others as the creatures flew over them, and then made a complete turn to come back at Heather and Jeneta. Just as they were upon them and about to open their mouths to release another barrage of fire, the girls dropped to the ground and rolled away, the stream of fire passing safely above them. When the fires stopped, they both got to their feet quickly as the creatures landed heavily, shaking the ground slightly. Then moving almost as quickly as they did in the skies, the monsters rushed forward with snapping jaws, intent on at least having them for food if they couldn't destroy them with their fire.
With a determined look, Heather back flipped away to safety before its jaws could crush her, then ducked low as it turned and tried to strike her with its tail. She jumped high over the tail, crouched low, and waited for the creature to turn around again. When it did, it didn't see Heather at first, but only managed to look down just a second before the blonde girl stood up again and throw the sword expertly right into the middle of the tendrillia's forehead. The monster raised its head in pain and let out a long and painful roar, then dropped to the ground heavily, its body still. Not wasting any time, Heather dashed forward and retrieved her sword from the monster's head, a triumphant look on her face.
In the meantime, Jeneta had just finished doing a somersault to avoid the snapping jaws of the last creature, but wasn't quick enough as it swiftly turned around and flicked its tail. The pointy end of it slashed down and ripped the sleeve of her outfit, leaving a medium-sized scratch on her right arm. The dark-skinned girl grunted with annoyance as she stood up once again, sweat pouring down her face and her heart feeling as though it would burst through her chest. The monster was about to charge again when Jeneta saw Heather rush up behind it and wink. The English girl put her fingers to her lips and gave a loud whistle.
The creature stopped and looked around curiously for a second, then turned to look behind it. Seeing Heather there waving her arms, it forgot about Jeneta and started to charge forward and attack her, but it never got a chance to. The next thing it knew, a long, glowing sword was embedded deep in its side, its lifeblood flowing from the wound. The monster convulsed violently for a moment, then tumbled to the ground dead, its mouth open as though in shock.
Just as Jeneta was getting her sword back from its body, Heather rushed towards her, her face filled with concern. "Jeneta, are you alright?" she asked, breathing hard.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. Good thing we can't say the same for this thing!" Jeneta replied, breathing just as hard. They were quiet for a moment, then looking at each other in a triumphant way, jumped up and gave each other a high five, yelling "YEEEESS!"
"You guys!" The girls turned to see their friends running up to them, Djoser walking not too far behind them. Almost without them realizing it, the bright swords disappeared back into their bodies, ready to defend them when trouble comes again.
"Oh my gosh, that was SO cool!" gushed Angeni, hugging Jeneta hard and going to Heather next. "How the heck did you learn how to do all that?"
"Yeah, it's like...it's like you guys have been training and fighting for YEARS! What gives?" added Ling curiously.
"Gosh, I...I don't know." said Jeneta, slightly confused. "It was like...I was a different person, and I just...knew what to do." She turned to look at Heather standing beside her. "Did you feel that way too Heather?"
The blonde nodded her head. "Yeah, it was really weird. I mean, I did take a couple of gymnastic classes in P.E. in my old school, but NOTHING like what I just did...."
"I think I know why...." Djoser said, coming up to them and standing in front of Jeneta and Heather. "The swords that you hold now once belonged to the Ones Who Are Blessed, the five women who protected our world." He looked at both of them seriously. "It could be that their essence...their very energy they put into training and defending us went into the swords that were in their possession. That is why it's very important that we find the remaining three Sacred Medallions, and the remaining swords. With these, they can be awakened again. Somehow, they have a connection to you. If Kumraa and the rest of his evil forces gets hold of them...all will be lost."
The girls looked at each other nervously, then nodded their heads, beginning to understand the importance of their mission more than ever. A moment later, they began to hear rustling in the shrubbery around them as people began to emerge from their hiding place, looking around nervously.
"It's alright everyone, come on out, it's safe!" said Angeni, beckoning everyone forward.
An old woman, shivering in the chilly wind, slowing walked up to where Jeneta and the others stood, a little boy clutching her hand. "The...the monsters, they're gone?" she softly asked.
Angeni smiled and nodded, while Jeneta turned to see an older black and white-haired man struggling to walk, a bad gash running long on the side of his left leg and blood oozing out. Jeneta was about to rush toward him to help when a loud shout filled the air.
"Father!" They all turned, and saw the woman they had met earlier and told about the attack running up towards them, then envelope the man in her arms.
"He's your dad?" Jeneta asked, watching as the woman placed his arm around her neck.
The woman nodded as she helped him to sit on a tree stump next to them. "Yes, he's the leader of this caravan." she said. "Oh, forgive me, I'm Hun Li, and we were just coming from another country after selling what goods we had and heading back to Xanishia when we were attacked by those...those monsters. Our country is getting poorer and poorer since more villages and countries are falling to Kumraa, and this was our last chance to bring some prosperity to our town, and now...now everything is destroyed." Tears filled her eyes as she looked around at all the damage and carnage to the caravan. Most of the things that her people brought and the goods they traded for were in ruins, and a few women were even crying. Now they had no choice but to return to their already impoverished village with nothing, and that alone made the Hun Li's heart grow with despair.
"Oh, we're so sorry..." Jeneta began, but was cut off when a tall, handsome man, his hair jet black and shoulder length, and the same almond-shaped eyes as the woman, came running up to them, his face worried. He wore basically the same furred coat as Hun Li, but it was much fuller and more masculine, and his furred boots wrapped around thick, muscled legs. A heavy looking sword was attached to his black belt at his side. He looked to be about in his late teens to early twenties.
"Hun Li! Are you and father alright?" he breathed out. When he stopped in front of her, he looked at Djoser and the other girls curiously, but his eyes remained on Ling just a second longer than the rest.
"Yes, we're fine. We were helped by these people here." she said. She then turned to the others. "This is my older brother, Tao. He was up ahead scouting for us..."
But before the others can introduce themselves, the young man just simply nodded dismissively and turned to look at his father's injuries, speaking to him softly in another language that was unfamiliar to them.
"CHH! How rude!" Ling said softly to herself, folding her arms across her chest and scowling slightly. For a second she actually was looking forward to being introduced to him, but then thought against it with his dismissive behavior.
For a moment Tao stiffened, almost as if he heard what the Chinese girl said, then got up and nodded his head to his sister, as though telling her that their father was alright.
"We should all hurry and get what we have left together, and..." He never got to finish his sentence as a screamed filled the air. A moment later, some bushes parted, and with horror, Jeneta and the rest of her friends watched as General Zain and at least a dozen of his soldiers came into view from their right, their black armor gleaming in the dying rays of the sun. When Zain saw them standing together among the chaos, he smiled evilly.
"Well, what have we here?" he said, his voice as cool and sadistic as before. "Looks like today was my lucky day. I was hoping for just a little choas by destroy this pathetic caravan..." His smile grew wider. "But now I guess I get to kill the ones who've been thorns in my side for far too long." Then with a sneer, he pointed them out with a black gloved hand. "Give me the Sacred Medallions and surrender....now!
"Over our dead bodies!" yelled Jeneta, standing strong with the other girls.
Zain sneered evilly at them once more, his eyes gleaming. "Oh, I was so hoping you would say that, my dear," he said gleefully. He raised his hand and casually said "Kill them, kill them all..."
"Wait!" shouted Djoser, stepping in front of the girls protectively as the soldiers unsheathed their swords. His eyes bore hard into Zain, his fists balled at his side. "Before you do that, I invoke the code of Yatsuno Atar. Surely a great warrior like you wouldn't deny me that." A small smirk lifted the corner of the dark-skinned man's lips.
"Yatsuno Atar?" Prya said curiously. "What's that?"
It's a very old custom," Hun Li said as she stood with the girls, worry filling her dark eyes. "When two prominent, skilled warriors or mages meet, it is customary for them to battle to the death if one of them invokes Yatsuno Atar. To deny the other warrior that privilege is to dishonor their beliefs, their family, everything. They must show they are the most skilled warrior, or risk being shamed. If your friend wins, that other man's soldiers will have to let us go. Have you never heard of it? That code is world wide." She looked at them curiously.
"Errr...no, we're not exactly from around here." Angeni said nervously. "So basically, it's like calling the other warrior a chicken?"
But the woman never got a chance to explain more as Zain narrowed his eyes and scowled in frustration. He motioned for his men to sheath back their swords and remain where they were, having no choice but to accept the challenge. "Fool! You have no idea what you're up against!" Angrily he reached up and pulled his helmet off his head. His grey skin shone dully in the last flicker of daylight, and he quickly dismounted his black horse.
"We shall see, won't we?" Djoser answered back. He raised his hand and said a few, short words in a chant, and with a flash, a long, silvery sword appeared in his hand, his trench coat flapping softly in the wind. Zain grunted with malice and slowly unsheathed his sword, his eyes glowing with the chance to finally kill the elusive prince. The two men faced each other in silence for a moment, circled around one another...as is the custom of the ancient code...then rushed each other with a loud shout. A loud metal clang was heard loud and clear as their swords smashed into each other.
For what seemed like forever, the area was filled with loud grunts and metal striking metal as the men fought expertly. Both spun and thrust and parried so fast, the swords were almost a steel blur. Djoser leapt and thrust his sword like he never had before, now fighting for his own life as well as the girls under his charge. There was no way he was going to let any harm come to them, and if he had to give his life for it, then so be it! Sweat poured down his and Zain's face as they continued to fight desperately in front of an astonished crowd.
Come on Djoser, you can do it! Please! Jeneta prayed, her hands clasped in front of her as if in prayer.
But both men seemed to be just as good as the other, as they kept fighting, each dodging just in time out of the way from the fatal thrust of the sword. Then, just as Djoser ducked down from Zain's swipe over his head, an idea came to him. A flash of memory from his boyhood entered his mind suddenly....a memory of him intensely practicing his sword fighting with his brave father, the king. His father had been nearly unmatched in sword fighting, and he made sure his son was just as skilled as he was by training Djoser with a sword from since he was a toddler, barely able to walk. From him, Djoser learned many moves and techniques, and he racked his brain for one as he kept fighting and dodging. Suddenly, one special move came into his mind, and with a smirk, Djoser bent down on the balls of his feet as he got ready to execute his move.
Then...feeling as though he had done this only yesterday, he jumped up high, did a double somersault flip over Zain's head, landed in a one-kneed crouch, turned while still crouching, and thrust out his sword, expecting Zain to be there in front of him and his sword to plunge into his chest. But to his surprise and horror, Zain was not standing in front of him as he thought he was.....instead, Zain was right next to him, exactly in the same stance and position he was, with a look of complete surprise on his face. He had just done the same exact move as he did, step by step!
"Wha...what the...how did you...where did you...?" Djoser quickly got up on his feet and pointed his sword out towards Zain, complete shock on his face. "Where the hell did you learn that move? My father taught that to me and only one other person! Nobody knew about it except for me and my...my..." He stopped for a moment, confusion etched all over his face. But whatever more he was going to say was drowned out by Zain's sudden roar of rage as he swung his sword around to finish Djoser once and for all.
But as though some god was looking out for him, Djoser snapped out of his stupor and jumped out of the way. Then catching Zain off guard as he yelled once more in frustration, he plunged his sword deep in Zain's shoulder, the end nearly coming out through the other side.
With a painful cry, the dark lord fell to the ground, clutching his badly bleeding left shoulder. Breathing hard, he slowly got to his knees, and turned to face his soldiers, who looked shocked and dismayed.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Zain breathed out painfully. "Get them, kill them all!"
But to his horror, no soldier made a move. Instead, one of them actually lifted a hand and yelled "Retreat!", thinking that it was the end for their leader. Quickly the horses of the soldiers reared back on their hind legs, and as one, they all turned and rushed off, leaving Lord Zain alone.
When all was quiet again, Djoser walked up to him, his sword right at the man's neck, and said very softly. "Tell me what the hell is going on here, and I might let you live. Who are you?"
Despair showed in Zain's eyes for a moment. Then just as quickly as it came, it disappeared, replaced by hate and complete evil.
"Filthy dog! You think you've seen the last of me? Next time, I swear I will have your head at the end of my sword! I swear!" With a final grunt, Zain raised his uninjured arm, and a flash of light erupted as everyone covered their eyes. When the light finally dimmed a moment later, Zain was gone.
"Where...where did he go?" shouted Ling, looking wildly around.
"Never mind..." Djoser said, sheathing his sword to his side on his belt. "We should all gather and leave here tonight, in case they come back." With that, he turned and walked off. Jeneta could still see a bit of confusion on his face, but she knew she couldn't ask him about it now.
About an hour later, after all that was salvageable was gathered, everyone decided to travel back to the country together, as it was on the way Jeneta and the others were going. It made her feel a bit safer, but she couldn't help feel saddened whenever she looked at Djoser, and saw how completely lost and depressed he looked. It was as though he was fighting an internal war, and coudln't get himself to believe what he saw when he fought Zain. But she promised herself, as soon as she can, she would find out if there was any way she could help him. Any way at all.
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