Sons of Thaera

“My father once said that with the evils that we commit die also parts of our conscience” says Miriad… a rogue hunter by trade. Though strong at heart he often feels somewhat insignificant. "Curses, human who would have thought it, what was he? A preacher of some kind? Hmhmhmhm" The Emodian replied with a delicate laugh… pink purplish eyes and all. Despite of his sharp yet laid back appearance with his long black hair and light colored skin, Loozch is actually a rebel in his own way. He had studied history and law at the great city of Torannia only to find that the only justices being served there are those of the high in power. “No, he was a hunter just like I am’ says Miriad again while helping himself to some food from the bonfire, “and a good one at that. He had taught me everything I know, well most of it anyway”. Soon after hearing that Loozch’s eyes turned a bit brighter and then replied again “hmm your old man might be a hunter, its too bad he wasn’t a cook Hahaha, but I guess this will be good enough though” he said as he hardly gulps down another chunk of slightly over burnt deer meat. Miriad loved his father Gard very dearly and had followed all of his teachings; he took pride in telling about him. But somehow a frown never left his face all the time that he was thinking about him, as he couldn’t recall anything about his father other than the hunting skills that he had taught him. No, not about whom his friends were, not about his relatives, nor why they were constantly moving from place to place, it was as if…Gard had never known anyone else other than him. And then finally the night takes its toll. Amongst it the echoing sounds of howling night wolves.

“Where is the boy? Where is he?”. A locked memory, a scorned child, an entity of fire…with the voice of many, a man half dead with both arms ripped limb from limb, burns all over his body. ”Tell us hunter!!... or will you die in your silence??”. With gasps of heavily taken breaths the man says “He won’t come for you now, but someday he will, and vengeance will come with him”. Then out of rage the being screamed “by our hands… you shall burn, by our fangs… you shall perish!! A frightened child, hiding behind the bushes, closing his eyes as he heard the painful screams, weeping yet scared… enraged yet helpless.

Chapter 1: Claws of Despair

“Sssshhhh wake up human… it’s almost time, for a hunter you’re quite loud when you sleep you might as well call the damned things”. Even then as Miriad opened his eyes he still laid speechless having the sight of his father being tortured to death right before his eyes, over and over again. ‘What on earth was that demonic being? What does it want?’ He asked himself. Ten years have passed since that day, ten years of searching... ten years of nothing, and not a day has passed without him longing that his next hunt… will be the hunt to even the score.

“Hmmm midnight already, just about time but still no sign of anything. judging from recent casualties I believe we are dealing with more than one night shifter here” says Loozch as they hid behind some lush bushes, “yes three of them, but there’s another one who rarely comes out… the female, I’ve followed their tracks back to their lair the other day, we’ll just wait for them to come out for food and lead them to the path where I’ve set the trap” uttered Miriad silently. “That old shaman better be right about those binding ropes or else we’re going to have quite the hand full on our selves” replied Loozch with a slightly concerned look on his eyes. Then, amongst the silence… a small hurdle was heard along with vague lust full breaths and distant growls.

“This is it, they’re coming out, I can hear them, three of them… no, four” the hunter says as he places his ear close to the ground. “I don’t think the spell can hold them when they morph, Loozch prepare your longbow while I lure them in” he says again, now with a little more urgency in his tone. “Make haste human, and be cautious” Loozch replied, this time with darkened eyes.

And off he goes… swift like the wind cutting through the forest equipped with nothing but light armor and a short sword made of sanctified silver. As he got there the hurdle had stopped, and the night was silent once again. All Miriad saw was a cloud of dust right in front of him. But then slowly they emerged… the vague silhouettes of three wolf like creatures walking slowly towards him… two in front of the other one, their eyes black as the night… a reflection of their souls. “My oh my, heheheheh look at this poor bastard standing here all alone” says one of them “Ohh and is that a sword in your hand?” It pauses awhile and then says again “You’re the one aren’t you? The one they’ve sent for us!!”

‘Hmm only three of them… Where’s the other one?’ Miriad thought to himself as he pointed his sword straight at them and said “come at me you dogs, you hounds of the abyss!! This sword shall bathe in your foul blood tonight”. GRAAWWWLL!! “Such big words for a road kill…” the bigger one says while licking its teeth. ‘Where’s the other one? Could I have sworn I heard four’ thought Miriad. Meanwhile on higher ground not far from the path, Loozch was settling down trying to get a good aim ‘well now, which one of you meatheads is the man of the house hmm?... is it the big one? Surely you would have more share of the food, or is it the one with the loud mouth… or is it you… the calm one at the back always thinking two steps ahead? It is you isn’t it’ he reckoned while pulling his bow string ... ‘Oh but where’s your lover?’

‘Curses!! MIRIAD…NOW… BEHIND YOU!!’ the channeled thought echoed straight into Miriad’s mind triggering him to turn his head sideways and look behind, then with flashlike reflexes he turned just in time for a fierce backhand slash with both grips firm holding his weapon, screaming with every muscle flexed, his armor stained with blood… demon blood.

The fatal blow across the chest forced the demon back. Seeing an opening he quickly decapitates the stunned night shifter while it was holding its chest wound, leaving it lifeless on the ground. ‘Ah so it’s a planned attack… that female morphed and I didn’t even know about it, they knew I was near and then tried a trick on me’. Seeing that, the once calm one at the back started howling vigorously followed by the other two; their bodies began to morph as they move slowly towards Miriad. Their howls grew even louder, it was almost like they were screaming, and it didn’t take long for Miriad to realize that the screams were actually a cry… a cry for battle.

Their front and back legs grew larger and longer, their furs went back in, revealing their growing muscles inside their pale skin, their paws turned into something like hands and feet… their claws sharp as blades, their bone structures changing with every cracking sound almost resembling the form of three big strong hairless humans with knee long arms, wolf like fangs and long sharp claws.

‘Hmm they’re much stronger than that other one… now just a few more steps and they’ll be inside the circle’ thought Miriad, keeping his guard up all the time ‘well emodian its all in your hands now’. As the unknowing demons walked upon the hidden rope circle, Loozch was setting up his long silver pointed arrows again waiting for the right time to strike. ‘It seems to be working; I feel the magic weakening them down… I’m going to fire when they’re weak enough, you will aim for their heads just as planned’ he said to the hunter through mind channeling. And moments later out of nowhere an arrow flew straight to its target, sinking deep right between the shoulder and right chest of the big night shifter completely paralyzing its right arm, the demon growled in pain and then tried to pull the arrow using its other arm. Seeing it as the greater threat while the others seemed less threatening, the emodian struck him first. Catching his cue, Miriad sprinted straight into the circle aiming to slice off the demon’s heads by which is the only way to kill night shifters. The weaker one tried to cut his path and attack from the side forcing him to bend down and dodge a lunging hook, but again loozch’s arrow doesn’t miss… this time straight through the heart from behind leaving it open for the kill, once more a backhand slash across the neck separating the head from the body.

‘Two down, two and a half to go’ mumbled loozch to himself, ‘I’ll have to work on my timing though, that was a close one’ he added in his thought as he put out a faint smile. Witnessing another one fall the big night shifter became desperately furious. Charging, attacking blindly with all out blows in each strike, Miriad barely able to dodge them with just a few flesh wounds, he landed a few slashes through counter attacking, and some of Loozch’s arrows sunk in its backside causing it to weaken... then soon after that it grew so tired and could barely stand, it fell to its knees swarmed by arrows one after another, but unfortunately so could Miriad. As he was moving in for the kill he realizes that the leader was cunning, it had known that they’ve fallen into a binding trap and that someone was aiming at them from above just to make them even weaker, it was saving its strength all along by keeping itself out of sight until the very last moment. At long last it came out… screaming as it approaches. Then as Miriad watched it tenaciously running for him he stood helpless, he watched as loozch’s arrows pierced its kneecaps forcing it to go down to the ground, but still it goes on moving… crawling fueled by rage and despair. Then another arrow landed, now straight through the back of its neck but the arrows just slowed its pace down, it still moves… breathing heavy growls and choking sounds every time it inhales. Then as it finally reached him, he somehow finds the strength to lift up his sword as he turned to its side for one final strike through the head just before he fell unconscious. The last thing he saw that day was loozch picking up his fallen sword and slaying the bigger demon that was already helpless on its knees.