Fan Fiction ❯ Trancending Death ❯ Marching on the Central Realm ( Chapter 44 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Soulless Wanderer 
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Fantasy / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.20.2006 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 118 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Fantasy / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.20.2006 | Pages: 1 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 118 | Status: Completed
Right before the boar plunged his trident into Aurora’s stomach, a black form jumped in the way. Aurora didn’t need to look to see that her plea had been answered. An angry Shadow now stood between her and the boar demon. Two of the three blades on the trident, were being held firmly in place by Shadow’s black paws. He glared angrily at the demon. His eyes threatening him to make another advance toward his wife.
“Don’t you ever, touch my mate!” Shadow yelled. He rammed the end of the trident into the boar’s gut. He then lifted the demon up by the end of his own trident, and tossed him over the fallen rock formation. Ignoring the hail of arrows, which had thankfully subsided for a second, and the soldiers behind him, Shadow focused his attention solely on Aurora.
“You okay?” Shadow asked, eyeing Aurora with caution.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Aurora replied in a sigh of relief. She wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively. “We could have...just then...we could have lost our....”
“But we didn’t, and we won’t. I’ll make sure of that. Here, take this and try to stay out of sight. I’ll try to talk some reason into these ass holes,” Shadow said, handing Aurora the trident as he did so. He looked at Aurora’s stomach, realizing just how close they had come to losing their child before he was even born. He gave her a weak smile and turned away. “Stay back, I’ll take care of these guys.”
An arrow whizzed past Shadow’s head, only to have it be deflected by Aurora. Another arrow came flying toward Shadow, this one aimed for his head. Before Shadow had the chance to deflect it, Aurora shattered it with her trident. She then stabbed the trident into the ground and stepped up beside Shadow. She looked at him with a determined smile. “Shadow, I’m pregnant, not crippled. I’m going to fight beside you until my last breath. Just as you fight for me, I’ll fight for you. I’m not going to take any unnecessary risks, but I’m not going to let them kill you either.”
Shadow smiled and shook his head. “I don’t think they’ll get a chance too. These are just rookies after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“Haven’t you realized? We’re fighting the Eastern Realm forces,” Shadow replied with a coy smile. Before Aurora could as any more questions, Shadow launched himself into the fray of soldiers. He spun in air, lashing out at all those around him. Making sure that none of his blows were fatal. Even as he fought them he knew that he would still need them if they hoped to try and take down Alex.
Shadow crouched down low and kicked one demon in the jaw, sending him reeling backwards. Shadow then started twirling on his hands, landing several blows on other demons; before finally flipping himself into the air, and landing behind the large group. He launched himself into the fray once more, but this time he saw a blur of brown to his left and he knew that he had company. Both demons spun in the air, their hands and feet striking out at their adversaries. The sheer force of their blows sent their opponents flying into the air. Even at the high speeds that they were moving, the two demons moved in unison. They plowed through the demonic ranks, moving like miniature tornadoes.
Shadow dodged one demon’s claws, and knocked the demon into the air with a powerful uppercut to the jaw. Shadow then spun around to catch another demon with a roundhouse kick to the face. Out of the corner of his eye, Shadow saw Aurora jump into the air and grab the demon who he had just launched up there. A smile crept on his lips as he saw a larger demon coming straight toward him. Without hesitation, Shadow jumped up into the air, just as Aurora launched the other demon straight at the larger one. Both Shadow and Aurora landed simultaneously back to back, ready to fight.
Shadow slammed his fist into a demon’s jaw, stunning the demon temporarily. He then ducked low and swept another demon’s feet out from under him. Shadow watched as Aurora sent one demon flying with a kick to the chest, at the same time flipping in the air, landing on another demon, and snapping its neck.
“Try not to kill too many of them. They are the good guys, honey,” Shadow stated in between exchanging blows with a rather large, muscular demon.
“Good guys? Need I remind you Shadow, these are the bastards that almost caused us to lose our child. I think they can handle a few casualties,” Aurora replied. She slammed her fist into a demon’s face, shattering its jaw. She then twirled around, letting her foot connect with another demon’s skull, and allowing her to use her momentum to punch a demon in the chest with her open palm, shattering his rib cage.
Shadow considered what Aurora had just told him, before finally smirking and saying. “Good point.”
Shadow stopped the demon’s fist, just inches from his forehead. He then backhanded the demon in the head, which resulted in the demon’s neck being snapped in two. Shadow let the body flop to the ground before he jumped over a demon, landing with his back to his wife.
“This has been one Hell of a day,” he stated.
“Something tells me it’s only going to get better,” she replied with a smirk.
The two demons worked in perfect unison. Dodging, blocking, and striking without flaw. The demons they were fighting were being launched in every direction as the wolf demon’s hands and feet connected with their bodies, with terrifying force.
On top of a hill, not too far away from where the battle now took place, stood the form of seven people. One of which’s, solid white mane shone in the now setting sunlight.
An elf stood at the edge of the hill, presumably observing the battle at hand. His keens eyes picked up everything that happened. Every last detail, his eyes saw.
“It seems your men are taking quite a beating,” he said suddenly.
“They are fresh, young warriors. I can’t expect them to be that good. Still, they can’t be fairing that badly against them. The Bloods are fierce, but their numbers aren’t anywhere near as big as our troops. This will be their last training exercise before we march out,” the white lion stated. He then turned to Yaza and Scriar. Both of which, stood morbidly silent in the background. “These are dark times. Even darker if what you say is true.”
“Raion, you know we wouldn’t lie to you about something as important as this. Everything we have told you is true. I just wish Baou and Rire would return so we could do something besides just stand here waiting,” Yaza replied.
Raion nodded, but knowing the sincerity of their words only made him more uncertain about the future outcome of their battle. His mind was so distracted by the thoughts of what might be, that he didn’t notice the increased look of uneasiness on the elf’s face.
“What’s wrong, Eltrio?” Scriar asked. He, unlike everyone else, saw the deepening look of worry that crossed Eltrio’s elven face.
“These Bloods, you speak of. What are they exactly?” Eltrio asked.
“The Bloods were a rather unique group of individuals who we captured recently. They are a group of mercenaries, thieves, rapists. You name it, they did it. They were sentenced to be executed, but Raion thought their talents would be better used to train our new men. Break them in and allow them to see what real life and death combat was all about,” Scriar informed him. He then continued.
“You say they are a group. How many are there?”
“At the beginning of this exercise, there were twenty. Now, there’s no telling how many of them our boys have killed.”
“They are demons, I presume?”
“Yes, of course they are.”
“What kind of demons?”
“Why do you need to know all this?” Yaza asked. Scriar could tell that he was becoming even more impatient, due to all of Eltrio’s pestering questions.
“I need to know if your men are indeed, fighting the right enemy,” Eltrio snapped.
The demon’s eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I see two wolf demons down there fighting with your men. Both neither one of them act as if they are fighting for their lives. In fact, to me, it looks as if they are trying to refrain from hurting or killing your men. That doesn’t sound like the cutthroats you just described to me.”
Scriar paused for a second. “No, there were no wolf demons among the Bloods. Mainly bats, lizards, and snake demons,” Scriar said. He tried to think of why two wolf demons would be there, much less how they would be able to fight the armed soldiers of the Eastern Realm as well as Eltrio said they were. Scriar looked up in shock as he realized who they might be. “Quickly, what color fur do the two wolf demons have?”
“I see one has a black pelt, the other has a brown pelt.”
“Shit! Raion, you have to end this training exercise immediately!”
“Who are these demons?” Raion asked.
“They are wolf demons who serve under, Alex. They are some of his close personal friends,” Yaza answered for him.
It was now Raion’s turn to look surprised. Even though his fur was a naturally light color, it was still apparent that he paled once he realized who they were. “Shit...,” he muttered. He quickly strode toward the edge of the cliff and glared down at the battle below. He closed his eyes and without looking back, gave orders to some of his men. “Lira, go and get some troops and head down to the cave system where we kept the Bloods. Track them down and execute them.”
A female fox demon wearing a green tunic bowed in regards to Raion. She then turned around and motioned to two other guards. “As you wish, it shall be done.”
Raion nodded and then turned his attention back toward the battle. He took a deep breath and with a roar that shook the forest itself, he gave his commands. “Stop this battle at once!”
The instant his command was given, the forces of the Eastern Realm halted their attacks at once. So abrupt was their actions, that Aurora and Shadow both knocked two demons to their knees before they realized that everyone had stopped trying to fight them.
“Part ways, and make a path. Let those two through so they can see me,” Raion ordered.
Both Shadow and Aurora were surprised by how quickly the soldiers obeyed him. The two demons exchanged glances before walking through the opening up toward the hill at which the white lion eagerly awaited them.
“I take it he must be Raion,” Shadow whispered as they walked.
“Sure looks that way,” Aurora replied. Shadow had his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. “He better have one Hell of an explanation for what just happened.”
“You guys okay?” Raion asked as soon as he could see the two demons. Once he realized they were, he quickly got straight down to business. “You two got yourselves caught up in a training exercise. My men thought you were the enemy, I hope no serious damage was incurred, but either way I am sorry for what happened. If there is anything....”
Before Raion could finish his statement Shadow’s fist collided with Raion’s face. Raion stumbled backward and knelt to the ground as blood poured over his white fur. He glared angrily at Shadow, but upon seeing the conviction in Shadow’s eyes, his anger ceased. Raion wiped the blood from his face and stood up. “I’m not quite sure I deserved that, but to save an argument, I’ll say I did.”
“Good, because we really don’t have time to argue. You need to get your men ready, we’re marching toward the Central Realm,” Shadow calmly stated.
“I know you who are, and I know how close you are to Alex; but that doesn’t mean you can just come in and start handing out orders. We’re waiting for two people to come back. Once they do, then we’ll march.”
“Then you’ll be waiting a long time for people who aren’t coming back,” Aurora stated.
“What do you mean?” Scriar asked. He could already tell by the look in the others eyes that the news they carried was one of ill omen.
“Both Rire and Baou are dead. Alex killed them when they tried to stop him. It is for that reason that we need to act quickly. We must stop Alex now, before he does anything else,” Shadow explained to them.
The two elves, Scriar, Yaza, and Raion all looked up in shock at what Shadow had just told them. Yet the truth of his words could not be denied in the way he looked at them. In their hearts, they knew that Baou and Rire were dead. It was this thought that ignited a flame of rage in their hearts. With newfound determination they knew what they had to do.
“Shadow, are you going to tell us that you’re prepared to fight Alex, even if it means to the death?” Raion asked.
Shadow hesitated at Raion’s question, but still he answered nonetheless. “Yes. I will fight him, and I will kill him if it is indeed necessary.”
“And what about you, Aurora? Are your convictions as steadfast as your mates?”
“Yes. I too shall fight Alex, and if it comes to it, I will kill him,” Aurora stated softly.
Raion nodded his head slowly. “Know this, if it can be avoided, I do not want to engage in a fight with him. We will break the forces into two branches. The Central Realm is a big place, with numerous cave systems that Alex could hide in. I want one of you to be in each division. You two are probably the only two that could talk Alex out of this madness. I’ll send the two divisions to scout opposites sides of the Central Realm. If you come in contact with Alex, you two will be the ones first sent in to try and talk some sense into him.”
“You must be out of your fucking mind if you think I’m going to leave Aurora like that,” Shadow growled angrily.
“I asked you if you were ready to kill him and you said yes. I need someone who is going to be committed to do this. That means I need someone who is not only ready to kill for their cause, but to die for it as well.”
Aurora could tell that Shadow was ready to argue with Raion, it was for that reason that she decided to intervene. “Shadow, it’s okay. You said that we’d survive this. I have to do my part just as you do. So don’t worry about it, okay?”
Shadow could tell that Aurora’s smile was faked, but still, he also knew that what she said was true. He hung his head low and nodded despite his better thoughts. “Fine, we’ll do it your way.”
Raion smiled with approval. He then turned to face his soldiers, who were still standing at attention and facing him. “Form up, we’re going to the Central Realm!”
Author's Note: Sorry for the loooooong lag in between updates. My life has been Hell as of late. The program I write my stories on got fried and I lost EVERYTHING!!! So I had to buy a $200 program to try and bring it back up. Lucky for me...it worked. So now I'll post quite a few updates to get you guys caught back up to speed. Catch ya later!
“Don’t you ever, touch my mate!” Shadow yelled. He rammed the end of the trident into the boar’s gut. He then lifted the demon up by the end of his own trident, and tossed him over the fallen rock formation. Ignoring the hail of arrows, which had thankfully subsided for a second, and the soldiers behind him, Shadow focused his attention solely on Aurora.
“You okay?” Shadow asked, eyeing Aurora with caution.
“Yes, I’m fine,” Aurora replied in a sigh of relief. She wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively. “We could have...just then...we could have lost our....”
“But we didn’t, and we won’t. I’ll make sure of that. Here, take this and try to stay out of sight. I’ll try to talk some reason into these ass holes,” Shadow said, handing Aurora the trident as he did so. He looked at Aurora’s stomach, realizing just how close they had come to losing their child before he was even born. He gave her a weak smile and turned away. “Stay back, I’ll take care of these guys.”
An arrow whizzed past Shadow’s head, only to have it be deflected by Aurora. Another arrow came flying toward Shadow, this one aimed for his head. Before Shadow had the chance to deflect it, Aurora shattered it with her trident. She then stabbed the trident into the ground and stepped up beside Shadow. She looked at him with a determined smile. “Shadow, I’m pregnant, not crippled. I’m going to fight beside you until my last breath. Just as you fight for me, I’ll fight for you. I’m not going to take any unnecessary risks, but I’m not going to let them kill you either.”
Shadow smiled and shook his head. “I don’t think they’ll get a chance too. These are just rookies after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“Haven’t you realized? We’re fighting the Eastern Realm forces,” Shadow replied with a coy smile. Before Aurora could as any more questions, Shadow launched himself into the fray of soldiers. He spun in air, lashing out at all those around him. Making sure that none of his blows were fatal. Even as he fought them he knew that he would still need them if they hoped to try and take down Alex.
Shadow crouched down low and kicked one demon in the jaw, sending him reeling backwards. Shadow then started twirling on his hands, landing several blows on other demons; before finally flipping himself into the air, and landing behind the large group. He launched himself into the fray once more, but this time he saw a blur of brown to his left and he knew that he had company. Both demons spun in the air, their hands and feet striking out at their adversaries. The sheer force of their blows sent their opponents flying into the air. Even at the high speeds that they were moving, the two demons moved in unison. They plowed through the demonic ranks, moving like miniature tornadoes.
Shadow dodged one demon’s claws, and knocked the demon into the air with a powerful uppercut to the jaw. Shadow then spun around to catch another demon with a roundhouse kick to the face. Out of the corner of his eye, Shadow saw Aurora jump into the air and grab the demon who he had just launched up there. A smile crept on his lips as he saw a larger demon coming straight toward him. Without hesitation, Shadow jumped up into the air, just as Aurora launched the other demon straight at the larger one. Both Shadow and Aurora landed simultaneously back to back, ready to fight.
Shadow slammed his fist into a demon’s jaw, stunning the demon temporarily. He then ducked low and swept another demon’s feet out from under him. Shadow watched as Aurora sent one demon flying with a kick to the chest, at the same time flipping in the air, landing on another demon, and snapping its neck.
“Try not to kill too many of them. They are the good guys, honey,” Shadow stated in between exchanging blows with a rather large, muscular demon.
“Good guys? Need I remind you Shadow, these are the bastards that almost caused us to lose our child. I think they can handle a few casualties,” Aurora replied. She slammed her fist into a demon’s face, shattering its jaw. She then twirled around, letting her foot connect with another demon’s skull, and allowing her to use her momentum to punch a demon in the chest with her open palm, shattering his rib cage.
Shadow considered what Aurora had just told him, before finally smirking and saying. “Good point.”
Shadow stopped the demon’s fist, just inches from his forehead. He then backhanded the demon in the head, which resulted in the demon’s neck being snapped in two. Shadow let the body flop to the ground before he jumped over a demon, landing with his back to his wife.
“This has been one Hell of a day,” he stated.
“Something tells me it’s only going to get better,” she replied with a smirk.
The two demons worked in perfect unison. Dodging, blocking, and striking without flaw. The demons they were fighting were being launched in every direction as the wolf demon’s hands and feet connected with their bodies, with terrifying force.
On top of a hill, not too far away from where the battle now took place, stood the form of seven people. One of which’s, solid white mane shone in the now setting sunlight.
An elf stood at the edge of the hill, presumably observing the battle at hand. His keens eyes picked up everything that happened. Every last detail, his eyes saw.
“It seems your men are taking quite a beating,” he said suddenly.
“They are fresh, young warriors. I can’t expect them to be that good. Still, they can’t be fairing that badly against them. The Bloods are fierce, but their numbers aren’t anywhere near as big as our troops. This will be their last training exercise before we march out,” the white lion stated. He then turned to Yaza and Scriar. Both of which, stood morbidly silent in the background. “These are dark times. Even darker if what you say is true.”
“Raion, you know we wouldn’t lie to you about something as important as this. Everything we have told you is true. I just wish Baou and Rire would return so we could do something besides just stand here waiting,” Yaza replied.
Raion nodded, but knowing the sincerity of their words only made him more uncertain about the future outcome of their battle. His mind was so distracted by the thoughts of what might be, that he didn’t notice the increased look of uneasiness on the elf’s face.
“What’s wrong, Eltrio?” Scriar asked. He, unlike everyone else, saw the deepening look of worry that crossed Eltrio’s elven face.
“These Bloods, you speak of. What are they exactly?” Eltrio asked.
“The Bloods were a rather unique group of individuals who we captured recently. They are a group of mercenaries, thieves, rapists. You name it, they did it. They were sentenced to be executed, but Raion thought their talents would be better used to train our new men. Break them in and allow them to see what real life and death combat was all about,” Scriar informed him. He then continued.
“You say they are a group. How many are there?”
“At the beginning of this exercise, there were twenty. Now, there’s no telling how many of them our boys have killed.”
“They are demons, I presume?”
“Yes, of course they are.”
“What kind of demons?”
“Why do you need to know all this?” Yaza asked. Scriar could tell that he was becoming even more impatient, due to all of Eltrio’s pestering questions.
“I need to know if your men are indeed, fighting the right enemy,” Eltrio snapped.
The demon’s eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I see two wolf demons down there fighting with your men. Both neither one of them act as if they are fighting for their lives. In fact, to me, it looks as if they are trying to refrain from hurting or killing your men. That doesn’t sound like the cutthroats you just described to me.”
Scriar paused for a second. “No, there were no wolf demons among the Bloods. Mainly bats, lizards, and snake demons,” Scriar said. He tried to think of why two wolf demons would be there, much less how they would be able to fight the armed soldiers of the Eastern Realm as well as Eltrio said they were. Scriar looked up in shock as he realized who they might be. “Quickly, what color fur do the two wolf demons have?”
“I see one has a black pelt, the other has a brown pelt.”
“Shit! Raion, you have to end this training exercise immediately!”
“Who are these demons?” Raion asked.
“They are wolf demons who serve under, Alex. They are some of his close personal friends,” Yaza answered for him.
It was now Raion’s turn to look surprised. Even though his fur was a naturally light color, it was still apparent that he paled once he realized who they were. “Shit...,” he muttered. He quickly strode toward the edge of the cliff and glared down at the battle below. He closed his eyes and without looking back, gave orders to some of his men. “Lira, go and get some troops and head down to the cave system where we kept the Bloods. Track them down and execute them.”
A female fox demon wearing a green tunic bowed in regards to Raion. She then turned around and motioned to two other guards. “As you wish, it shall be done.”
Raion nodded and then turned his attention back toward the battle. He took a deep breath and with a roar that shook the forest itself, he gave his commands. “Stop this battle at once!”
The instant his command was given, the forces of the Eastern Realm halted their attacks at once. So abrupt was their actions, that Aurora and Shadow both knocked two demons to their knees before they realized that everyone had stopped trying to fight them.
“Part ways, and make a path. Let those two through so they can see me,” Raion ordered.
Both Shadow and Aurora were surprised by how quickly the soldiers obeyed him. The two demons exchanged glances before walking through the opening up toward the hill at which the white lion eagerly awaited them.
“I take it he must be Raion,” Shadow whispered as they walked.
“Sure looks that way,” Aurora replied. Shadow had his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. “He better have one Hell of an explanation for what just happened.”
“You guys okay?” Raion asked as soon as he could see the two demons. Once he realized they were, he quickly got straight down to business. “You two got yourselves caught up in a training exercise. My men thought you were the enemy, I hope no serious damage was incurred, but either way I am sorry for what happened. If there is anything....”
Before Raion could finish his statement Shadow’s fist collided with Raion’s face. Raion stumbled backward and knelt to the ground as blood poured over his white fur. He glared angrily at Shadow, but upon seeing the conviction in Shadow’s eyes, his anger ceased. Raion wiped the blood from his face and stood up. “I’m not quite sure I deserved that, but to save an argument, I’ll say I did.”
“Good, because we really don’t have time to argue. You need to get your men ready, we’re marching toward the Central Realm,” Shadow calmly stated.
“I know you who are, and I know how close you are to Alex; but that doesn’t mean you can just come in and start handing out orders. We’re waiting for two people to come back. Once they do, then we’ll march.”
“Then you’ll be waiting a long time for people who aren’t coming back,” Aurora stated.
“What do you mean?” Scriar asked. He could already tell by the look in the others eyes that the news they carried was one of ill omen.
“Both Rire and Baou are dead. Alex killed them when they tried to stop him. It is for that reason that we need to act quickly. We must stop Alex now, before he does anything else,” Shadow explained to them.
The two elves, Scriar, Yaza, and Raion all looked up in shock at what Shadow had just told them. Yet the truth of his words could not be denied in the way he looked at them. In their hearts, they knew that Baou and Rire were dead. It was this thought that ignited a flame of rage in their hearts. With newfound determination they knew what they had to do.
“Shadow, are you going to tell us that you’re prepared to fight Alex, even if it means to the death?” Raion asked.
Shadow hesitated at Raion’s question, but still he answered nonetheless. “Yes. I will fight him, and I will kill him if it is indeed necessary.”
“And what about you, Aurora? Are your convictions as steadfast as your mates?”
“Yes. I too shall fight Alex, and if it comes to it, I will kill him,” Aurora stated softly.
Raion nodded his head slowly. “Know this, if it can be avoided, I do not want to engage in a fight with him. We will break the forces into two branches. The Central Realm is a big place, with numerous cave systems that Alex could hide in. I want one of you to be in each division. You two are probably the only two that could talk Alex out of this madness. I’ll send the two divisions to scout opposites sides of the Central Realm. If you come in contact with Alex, you two will be the ones first sent in to try and talk some sense into him.”
“You must be out of your fucking mind if you think I’m going to leave Aurora like that,” Shadow growled angrily.
“I asked you if you were ready to kill him and you said yes. I need someone who is going to be committed to do this. That means I need someone who is not only ready to kill for their cause, but to die for it as well.”
Aurora could tell that Shadow was ready to argue with Raion, it was for that reason that she decided to intervene. “Shadow, it’s okay. You said that we’d survive this. I have to do my part just as you do. So don’t worry about it, okay?”
Shadow could tell that Aurora’s smile was faked, but still, he also knew that what she said was true. He hung his head low and nodded despite his better thoughts. “Fine, we’ll do it your way.”
Raion smiled with approval. He then turned to face his soldiers, who were still standing at attention and facing him. “Form up, we’re going to the Central Realm!”
Author's Note: Sorry for the loooooong lag in between updates. My life has been Hell as of late. The program I write my stories on got fried and I lost EVERYTHING!!! So I had to buy a $200 program to try and bring it back up. Lucky for me...it worked. So now I'll post quite a few updates to get you guys caught back up to speed. Catch ya later!