The Shadow Rage Chronicales

The shadow Rage Chronicles: Chapter 7

The Shadow Rage Chronicles: Chapter 7


    Lloyd watched the people at the massive wooden gates at Balka, a man or two looked down at the two of them from time to time, but neither one of them seemed interested in opening the gate for a couple of strangers. Annoyed, he began to lead Laura away but before they could take two steps the gates began to come apart, not for the two of them, though they slipped in anyway, Lloyd looked to what seemed to be causing the commotion.

    A half demon man with dark pale skin and red eyes was standing in front of a white haired Lightbringer holding a sword that glowed in an unnatural gold color. The Lightbringer raised her sword and pointed at the man saying “this settlement doesn’t need beasts like you to protect it, get out!”

    The man stood silently, he grabbed a bandage with his right hand and began to unwrap it from his left. “I have protected Balka from demons for the last eight years and I do not plan on stopping today, I have grown up with the people of this city and I will not abandon them on the words of a fool who charges in where there is no hope.” As the last of the bandage fell to the ground Lloyd saw that the man’s left hand was completely black with blood red claws.
    Lloyd grasped Laura’s wrist firmly as he watched, after the time he and Epheil wasted on her, he didn’t want her to run off and get killed by a stray sword or anything. It seemed that the people of Balka agreed with the half-demon among them, Balka’s defenders seemed to be lining up with the unit of Lightbringers amongst them; it seemed that there would be a battle between humans this day, because of two half-demons.

    As the fighting seemed unavoidable the female Lightbringer suddenly said, “if you can call off your men then I will call off mine, I want to avoid any human bloodshed. The man nodded and gave a quick signal to his men, both the Lightbringers and defenders seemed to relax at the same instant, but there was still the matter of a duel between half-demons.”

    The woman charged first, swinging with her sword, the man dodged the first three strokes and then tried to protrude her on his claws, she parried with her sword hilt and the two of them backed away from each other, as they did so the woman pointed her sword’s tip at the man, a ball of golden flame erupted toward him, the male half-demon had no problem dodging it and dashing up close to the woman for another attack. It missed, but it did scratch her just above the eye, a thin line of blood began to drip down from the scratch. Infuriated, the woman began to charge again, the man caught her sword blade with his left hand and struck her across the face with his right, sprawling her to the ground and taking her sword. “Hold it” a lightbringer called from behind the man, he turned slightly to see two small children, a boy and a girl, each being held at knifepoint by a Lightbringer. Lloyd caught a glance of Epheil hiding behind one of the guard towers, he was watching the two half-demons intently, from the look on his face, Lloyd knew that the woman was his sister, Sarapheil.

    One of the lightbringers with a hostage said “return our commander’s sword to her or these two perish.” Sarapheil rose with a smile and said “yes, now we see your true colors demon.” The man once again said nothing, he tossed the sword, it stuck in the ground at Sarapheil’s feet. He turned to face her, and as he did twin bolts of blue lightning shot out behind him, each bolt struck one of the men holding a child in the face, for a moment it rained bits of brain and bones as the two men collapsed and the children ran away toward their homes.

    Lightning continued to surge all around the man’s body, Sarapheil’s men watched in terror as he clenched his left hand into a fist, the lightning all began to travel to his hand, fleeing all other parts of his body and coming together as a surging representation of all that this man hated. “Leave now” the man warned her, “your men have given me the ability to kill you all in one strike, if you and your men do not leave this place now, then I will.”

    Sarapheil gave her men the order to leave, she turned to the man as her men moved through the gates and said “very well, it is not worth confronting you, but one day soon you will die.”

    The man ignored Sarapheil as she and her men began to leave the city, when they were all gone the gatekeepers shut the gates, locking them out, the man then turned to Lloyd and Laura and asked “who are you two, and what business do you have here?”

    Lloyd responded calmly “I no longer have any business in this place, I simply brought this girl into Balka, where she will be safe, I now go up into the mountains west of here, I have heard rumors that a high demon has decided to call that place home.”

    “Why would you want to go there then?” The man asked as he rewrapped his bandage around his left hand, “it is true, these rumors you have heard, but the demon living there is to powerful for a human to face, I fear that if it were ever to come and invade Balka itself, I might not even be sufficient to stop it.”

    “Do not worry, I am no normal human, and I have an ally who is quite strong, a half demon such as yourself, you know that this place will not survive much longer unless the high demon is taken out right?”

    “I am aware of that” the man said as he finished wrapping the bandage around his hand, “but did your rumors tell you that there were two high demons on the western mountain?” Lloyd shook his head, this was valuable information. “Well then, a human, no matter how unusual, is not someone I would be willing to entrust with the task of slaying a high demon, and I doubt your half demon friend would be able to take on two at a time, however this seems to be the best chance I have, I will accompany you and your friend to the western mountains, if you can wait till nightfall, I wouldn’t want those fools to realize I have left and then to rush the gates in an attempt to conquer the city.”

    “That’s fine with us” Lloyd said as Epheil approached them, the man turned to the other half demon and said “your features look similar to that woman I fought, the two of you would be related then I believe.” Epheil nodded, and said angrily “yeah, she’s as much a demon as you or I, I don’t know what her problem is though, attacking someone like you and all.”
    “We will eat before” the man interupted, “my name is Itomes by the way.”