It happened at dawn, the moment the sun caressed the hills and spilt over into the valley. My breath hitched as the ground quaked, knocking me down onto my knees with palms pressed firmly against the ground. I could feel it in the earth, so clearly I could sense it.
Something was terribly wrong.
I just didn't know what that something was, and I wouldn't know until the rise of the seventh day. Between those days, the village was never the same. They sense it in the air, see it where the ground was split open just on the outskirts of town. A deep, long, chasm letting everyone know just how small they were.
The seventh day I finally decided to follow the line where the earth broke in two. I knew that it must have been caused by something supernatural. I eyed the glowing red at the bottom of the crack. It pulsed with an ominous rhythm, and a low hum emanated from it. It was beckoning in a way.
Fully armored, I began my journey stocked with bread, cheese, and meat in the sack over my shoulder and the skin of water at my belt. I knew it would be plenty enough to get my at least to the springs in the mountain. Then I would rest and supply myself with more water.
Things weren't the same after the war. No matter how long had passed, things just never went back to normal. How could they when monsters now traversed the plains in all directions? No more was my family at peace. No longer could they be protected by me. It was one thing to go off and fight in a battle miles and miles from home. But a completely different thing to have the battle come knocking on my front door.
My senses were jolted when I heard the inhuman growl of a beast. I quickly whipped around, drawing my sword and staring into the red eyes of this creature. I'd faced beasts plenty of times before, but there was something off about this one. I could feel the energy pouring off of it as if it were possessed by magic.
It had the head and talons of an owl, but the body of a bear. Instead of fur it's body was completely covered in feathers and it's claws were digging into the ground as if it were getting ready to charge. The grip on my sword tightened as I faced the beast. My nerves were on edge and it was as if the creature could feel my fear.
It reared up on its hind legs, feathers around its neck flared outwards as it let out a blood curdling sound. Something in between a falcon's cry and roar. I'm not over exaggerating when I say it shook me to my core. Terror down to my very soul.
That's when I pieced it together. Whatever that began lingering in the air seven days ago had to do with the pure rage in this creature's eyes. It had to do with the immense power pouring off of this creature. There was still something missing, and that was the root of why this beast suddenly had a supernatural essence.
I'd seen an owl bear before, but never one with so much fury in its eyes. It was ready at that very moment to devour me without a second thought. I had to act quickly or this could be my last day standing. Due to the fact I much prefer being alive, I decided to fight for my life.
I jumped back just in time to avoid the heavy swing of two foot long talons. The sheer size of this creature was made known by the way the earth trembled under it's back feet. It stepped towards me and I swung, meeting it's claws with a noisy clang before pushing against them. I held my ground, doing my best to keep this monster from moving forwards.
My strength only stretched so far and I was knocked onto my back, a beast looming over me with gobs of saliva coating it's razor sharp fangs. No armor that I knew of could save from the bite of this thing. All I had left to do was pray.
I crossed my arms over my head in an attempt to block the attack. I knew it was futile, but it was more instinctively than anything. I took one last breath, knowing it was very well going to be my last, and held it in as the beast struck.
I quickly realized that I heard it strike something, but that something wasn't me. I slowly opened my eyes to find that there was a blue forcefield around me, guarding me from what was to come. I didn't know how or why it was there, but I thanked the Gods for listening to my prayers.
I couldn't help but wonder. Did I create the forcefield? Or was it simply a blessing? I blinked a few times as I pulled my hands down and into view to find that they had a glowing blue light engulfing them. That was when I realized it was my elemental powers awakening.
I tried to learn them growing up, but they never seemed to manifest. I would spend months and months trying to perform even the slightest bit of powers, but alas. Nothing would work.
Of course, this was the time when my life was truly about to end, so perhaps that spurred it on.
I let out the breath I was holding and stared up at the owl bear as it beat on the sphere that kept me safe from harm. I was afraid to move as if it would somehow break the forcefield around me and leave me at the mercy of this beast.
It was completely silent within the bubble, as if the world outside no longer existed. It was calming in a way. About as calm as being under siege by an owl bear can be. But nonetheless, it had a certain appeal to it. I wanted to stay inside of it forever and simply drift away. Ignoring all of life's problems.
I knew I couldn't. I was going to have to figure out how to get this thing off of me and either run away or kill the damn thing. It was truly a shame to have to put down such a magnificent beast, but I had to accept that it was one of my two options.
I let out a yell as I threw my arms down to my side, shattering the force field that encompassed me. It dispersed in shards that pierced into the creature's skin before vanishing altogether. I could see crimson spilling over the white, black, and tan feathers as the beast's breath picked up.
It wasn't giving in, hell, it didn't even slow it down. I knew that running was no longer a choice. I raised my sword quickly and slashed at the underbelly of the beast. It's reflexes were surprisingly swift in comparison to its size.
It struck back, striking my upper left arm and cracking my armor. There was no way this thing was this strong on it's own. Never had I been in a battle that damaged my armor in such a way. The second strike from the beast was much stronger than the first and knocked me a good ten feet away.
I staggered back to an upright position, and ran as fast as my legs would take me. I knew how to pick my battles, and this was one of those times when it was just better to retreat than to risk my own life. It wasn't worth trying to prove to myself that I was strong enough, or brave enough. The only thing I needed to prove to myself is that I was fast enough.
Just then, something came flying past my ear, so close I could hear it whistle by. I heard the beast grunt deeply and heard it's trot slow down dramatically. Looking over my shoulder, I could see that there was a large arrow protruding from the creature's chest. It soon froze before collapsing to the ground.
My eyes flickered around, trying to find where the arrow had come from. My eyes locked onto a girl in the distance, blue hair done up in a long ponytail swaying in the wind. She was my savior with impeccable aim. Where she came from, I did not know. But her timing couldn't have been more perfect.
"You really should pay more attention to your surroundings." She huffed as soon as she was within earshot. I could hear the annoyance in her voice that also carried a tone of anger. What was she angry about?
"There was something wrong with that owlbear." I panted, placing my hands on my knees for a moment as a slouched forward, trying to catch my breath. "Did you see it's eyes?" I paused, breathing heavily. "Solid red."
"Yeah..." She trailed off, walking up to the beast, plucking several gigantic feathers and placing them in a parcel that sat at her waist with the strap over her shoulder. I could get a better look at her when I stood upright. Her armor was silver and white with hints of aqua tracing around the inner parts of each piece. The blue lines formed unfamiliar symbols which led me to believe that they could be enchanted.
"Why are you taking those?" I questioned in reference to the feathers that she filled her bag full of. Her violet eyes met mine for a brief moment before she foraged the larger feathers from behind the beast's ears.
"They sell very well in the city." She replied, topping her bag with one last one. I hadn't been to the city in a long time. My whole purpose was centered around defending my village. At least, that's what the High Guards appointed me too.
I suppose it was better then having to leave home, but my job was boring most of the time. Without elemental powers, I was a bit of a nobody. But I believed that was beginning to change. I blinked a few times as I refocused my train of thought on the girl standing before me.
"The name's Athena, by the way." She said right before I was going to ask. Adjusting the strap of her bag, she questions. "What's your's?"
"Keiji." I replied with a nod before sheathing my sword. "I'm heading north towards the mountains. Where are you headed?"
"Back to the city." She sighed. "I bring in odds and ends most of the time, like these feathers. I often get requests to hunt deer, wild ox, and the like for the butcher's shop. It's not my dream job, but it pays enough." She paused for a moment, looking me up and down. "So you're a knight, huh? Not like you guys to run away from a fight like you did."
"There was something seriously wrong with that thing. Can you blame me?" I huffed.
"Guess not." She shrugged, looking towards the ground for a moment. I could tell she was trying to think of what to say next. She drew in a deep breath then spoke. "Well, I should probably get going. I've got a long trip ahead of me." She smiled. "I hope your journey to the mountains goes well and be careful. If you're ever in the city, don't be a stranger! I'm usually by one of the shops in the square."
"I'll keep that in mind if I'm ever over that way. Take care, and thanks for saving my ass." I laughed.
We said our goodbyes and our directions split, one to the north and the other to the south. I truly did wonder if our paths would ever cross again someday, but I suppose I would leave that up to fate. I turned my eyes towards the mountains, continuing to walk along where the ground split.
It was almost nightfall by the time I reached the base of the mountains, the trail ahead was rocky and not traveled often. It was a dirt path with patches of grass popping through every now and again. I traversed the way, taking short breaks every now and again. Sitting on one of the large boulders on the way.
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