~Chapter 3- Ekor~
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It was evening when the children left the grassy plains and began up the slope of Platt Mountain, leading to their home. Much of the grey mountain range was treacherous to travel, it was the reason why few lived among them.
The followed a winding path until they came to the area where their home lied, hidden amidst the mountains. It was built from stone four years ago, with some help from the Densius who lived nearby. A humble abode. Most would consider it odd to live in such a reclusive place, but the children had only ever known homes like these.
Jirro and Aero pulled the wagon along the grey stone, eager to see their fathers. But when the children rounded a corner, they saw their home was terribly damaged, with chunks of it scattered around.
Corri hopped off of the wagon, "What happened here? Where's dad?"
The children rushed to their home and found no one inside. One of the walls of the home was completely blown out, with bricks and stones scattered about. From the way the bricks fell, it appeared as if the house was smashed through from the inside.
"I think there was a fight here," Jirro commented.
"Do you think your dad and ours got into it?" Aero asked, but after a moment, he rescinded his question, "No, if they fought, there wouldn't be anything left of the house."
"Let's look around, I'm sure they're close," Jirro said.
The children split up and searched the surrounding area. Aero and Corri checked on the area which served as a training ground for them. Several rock pillars which had been split in half by their dad, but there was no sign of him.
Jirro checked further up the mountain with the Densius people, but they hadn't seen his father either. Perhaps, he left the mountain for some reason?
The children headed down the mountain, intent on finding their dads before sundown. Jirro and the other children's eyes scanned the landscape for any sign of them. With light dimming, they might have to wait until morning to keep searching. They looked across the grassy plains, and spotted a herd of hyena riders, around twenty of them. They were heading directly towards them.
"I think those bandits in town had friends."
"See Jirro! We should've just left them alone!" Corri waved her finger at him, "Now they're after us!"
Jirro shrugged, "Whatever. If they're anything like those bandits in town, we can handle them."
Jirro watched the ranks of hyena riders approach. There was a giant rotund man with a hand-shaped scar on the left side of his face, and an axe slung over his back. He appeared to be their leader.
Most of them were Ralosians like the kids, but one appeared to be Mecarne, a being with an imperviousness to heat and cold, and metal-looking flesh. This particular Mecarne had a purple tint to his skin, and the setting sun bounced off his reflective body. He was tall, slender and hairless, with sharp and narrow eyes.
The kids stood their ground, unwilling to run away. The bandits stopped just shy of the children and surrounded them. Jirro noticed those two from the bridge were among the group. The rotund man leading them came forward, "I hear you kids have been causing my guys trouble. Is that right?" The man asked with a sneer.
Jirro and the others stared at the man unflinchingly.
"Now, I can't have people thinking me and my crew is a bunch of pushovers who get beat up by children. So you kids are gonna apologize, and give me everything you have. You hear?" The man asserted.
"You can try," Jirro replied.
The rotund man's eyes widened. He nodded and looked back to his crew, "Teach the kids a lesson."
All besides their leader and the Mecarne charged at the kids.
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Aero was the first to attack, knocking away bandits with single powerful blows. Jirro dodged each and every blow from the bandits, attacking whenever they provided a clear opening.
Corri wildly fought them; she hadn't been as finely trained as her brother or cousin. When a bandit had managed to strike her with his club, it only served to agitate her. She kicked him so hard they flew several meters before abruptly colliding with the ground. She did not have the same skill as the boys, but was still very strong.
The bandit leader watched in shock, his crew simply couldn't handle the children. "Fall back!" He yelled with a booming voice. With his command, everyone retreated behind him.
The rotund man looked at the Mecarne, "Mind taking care of them, Temp?"
The Mecarne called Temp nodded, "Sure thing, Ekor."
Temp jumped down from his personal hyena, cracked his knuckles, and walked towards the children alone, "Sorry about this. It's just business."
The children had met very few Mecarne before. Regardless, the kids took fighting stances and prepared themselves. The sun finally fell beneath the horizon.
Temp dropped his guard, and Aero didn't hesitate. He bounded forward but before he could strike him, Temp threw his own hook at Aero, knocking the boy to the ground. Temp smirked, revealing his sharp teeth. Jirro could tell this guy was tougher than the rest.
In a single motion Aero stood and threw a powerful kick to Temp's chin. The Mecarne staggered back.
Temp grabbed at his jaw after the hit. Now he was angry. He delivered a flat-footed kick directly into Aero's stomach, launching the boy into a nearby tree, knocking the wind out of him.
"Aero!" Corri yelled out. She and Jirro charged at Temp in unison, Corri swung wildly, with the Mecarne deflecting each blow. Jirro managed to land a kick to Temp's knee, allowing Corri to follow up with a punch to Temp's jaw.
"Don't let those kids beat you!" The bandit leader Ekor shouted.
Temp threw a harsh punch at Corri, knocking the little girl down. Aero got back to his feet and bounded towards Temp again, throwing all his weight into a punch that landed on the Mecarne's chest. This gave Jirro a chance to follow up with his own kick, knocking Temp onto his back.
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Ekor frowned, "That's enough, Temp!"
Ekor dismounted from his large hyena and began to march forward. Aero charged and threw a punch at the man's round belly.
It landed... but nothing happened. Aero threw several more punches to Ekor's stomach, but to no effect. Ekor simply smiled down at the boy. Jirro was terrified at the sight.
"Aero! Corri! We have to go now!" Jirro shouted. He knew they couldn't beat the bandit leader.
Before Aero could react, Ekor grabbed the boy by the shirt and threw him several meters into Jirro. The two collided and fell to the ground.
Temp shamefully stood up, "I could've handled them, Ekor."
Ekor didn't pay him any mind. He marched towards the boys, pulling the great axe off of his back. The children caught sight of the weapon and forced themselves to stand. Corri rushed behind Aero and Jirro for protection, but none of them had the strength to run or fight anymore.
"I'd rather not hurt people, but you kids need to learn not to mess with us," Ekor said, twisting his axe handle, "This axe needs an offering from one of you. Would any of you like to volunteer?"
The children were terrified, for the first time in their lives in fact. They never felt so helpless. Ekor continued to march slowly towards them.
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"Don't hurt them!" A voice came from behind the children. They turned and saw a hunched-over old woman in dirty white robes. She was accompanied by a brown-haired young man in similar robes, Corri's eyes seemed to linger on him. The two passed by the children.
Where did they come from?
Ekor grimaced at the sight of them. He raised his axe towards them, "Those kids need to pay for crossing us!"
The young man spoke defiantly, "You're going to leave them alone."
Ekor snickered and looked back at Temp, motioning him to 'take care of them'. Temp promptly followed orders, going up to the young man and placing a hand on his shoulder, "If you know what’s best for you, you'll get lost."
The young man's mouth curled up slightly. He gripped Temp's arms, skillfully rolled Temp over his shoulder, and flipped him onto the ground with a thud.
Ekor swung his axe over his head, bearing its full weight down towards the young man.
The old woman's posture straightened, and with quick reflexes rushed in front of him. She caught the axe in her palm, appearing completely unhurt by it.
The kids watched in amazement. If that had struck them, it could've cleaved them in half, but this old woman was able to withstand the full might of it with ease.
The old woman readied a fist and punched the air between her and Ekor. A light burst from her hand and Ekor recoiled back as if the punch had actually hit him.
The woman pulled the axe from his grip and tossed it aside, following up with a perfect side kick in the air. Another faint light emitted from her, this time from her foot. As soon as that light reached Ekor, he toppled over in pain.
"Emil! Grab the boys! I'll get the girl!" The old woman said with great strength in her voice. The young man, Emil, promptly picked up the exhausted Aero and Jirro. He jumped several meters up the mountain, away from Ekor and his bandits. The old woman picked up Corri and did the same, jumping further and faster than Emil.
Emil and the old woman sprinted through the plains southward with the children in tow. Jirro could feel his consciousness fading as he was carried along by these strangers.439Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGaUfyFy3T
