FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (2 page)

THE HOODED MAN

     Lightning flashes across the dark Fallsian sky as the wind begins to turn gusty. Thick overcast clouds obscure the dim glow of the crescent moon. A crack of thunder echoes throughout the heavens. The main street of an obscure town in Eastern Falls Province of the Kingdom of Free Falls is empty of all living souls except for two, a mysterious hooded man and a white polar wolf. The pair walks calmly up the deserted street. As the first few drops of tears fall from above, the residents of this town offer a prayer in their respective faiths. For it is not just deliverance from the two unnatural harsh seasons of drought that they are praying for, but more importantly, from an evil fate that has befallen them as well.

     Even when the rain began to drizzle, the hooded man maintained his calm yet purposeful pace. He was dressed in a navy blue shirt under a thick, black, hooded robe that flowed down to the hips at the front, extended down to the calves at the back and had wide, long sleeves. His lower limbs were clad in thick, black canvas pants bloused into a pair of extra thick black canvas boots. He wore around his waist a black canvas belt on which was clipped a brown, wooden sheath that housed a long, slightly curved hunter’s knife. Also on his waist he had a large, black canvas pouch. He held in his left hand a jewel embedded silver short-staff. The jewels were embedded at one and a half fingers length from the top of the staff and consisted of a ruby, a sapphire, a brown diamond, a white diamond and a golden beryl. On his back he slung a black canvas backpack. On top of his backpack was secured a long roll of black canvas.

     Streaks of lightning and explosive booms of thunder began increasing in frequency and intensity. The white wolf accompanied the man, pace by pace, with his yellow eyes staring intensely ahead. He bared his sharp fangs ever so slightly. A little girl, of the age six, opened the window of her bedroom, but before she could look outside, her worrisome mother grabbed her and slammed the window shut. Reaching the end of the street, the hooded man looked up to a pathway that led to a fairly luxurious house on top of a small hill. Something sinister awaited them there. Yet they did not pause, nor hesitate, as they made their way up there.

     The heavens let loose all that it was holding back. Lashes of heavy downpour struck mercilessly against the hooded man and his wolf companion. The hooded man looked up at the hilltop house, his eyes registering all its intricate details. It was a white double storey stone house with a small garden in front. The area immediately in front of the main door was decorated with a small fountain. The house was completely dark. The ground floor featured a large and thick wooden main door, and from the split-second flashes of lightning, the vague outlines of a study room to the left and a living room to the right of the main door could be seen through their respective large windows. Lines of what one could only assume to be blood splatter were visible on the glass panel of these windows. The top floor, however, was not as forthcoming as the curtains were drawn shut across its windows. Heavy raindrops pounded the red tiled roof.

     The main door opens ever so gently. The two rain-soaked figures step into the house. Immediately, the white wolf begins to snarl. Clearly seen at the end of the dark hallway is a pair of glowing, red eyes. The hooded man raises his right hand and gives a casual wave. Tiny little spheres of flames fly out of his fingertips towards all the torches throughout the house. Suddenly, all these torches come alive with vibrant flames. A motionless and rotting man lies in a pool of hardened blood in the middle of the hallway. His eyes are white and vacant and his body has turned dark brown. The stench that pervades the air is nauseating.

     The owner of the glowing, red eyes can now be clearly seen sitting vertically on the opposite wall facing the main door. It appears to be a male and is the size of an average man but it has a lizard-like head and its skin is scaly instead. Razor sharp teeth and a long forked tongue greet their sights. Its torso is shaped like a human though the long scaly tail and its long sharp claws remind any observer otherwise. Stains of dried blood can be seen on its lower jaw and across its chest.

     The hooded man stares unflinchingly at the hideous creature. The white wolf bares his fangs. A sudden crack of thunder breaks the eerie silence.

     “An Elementhar, I am indeed honoured
!
It would be an insult if they had sent an amateur instead
!
You see, these townsfolk are not too bright
!
All they seem to do is to hide in their homes. Huh
!
As though
that
could stop me
!
Slaughtering townsfolk is a boring sport. Killing Elementhars, however, is a whole lot more fun
!
Though I am fairly surprised that they had managed to find you so soon as your kind are supposed to be rare in this province,” says the lizard-like creature in a husky, hissing voice.

     “Rare _ we are of this but not extinct; and I can see that you have dealt with my kind before,
demon
, as my identity does not puzzle you; though you must understand that you will not leave here alive,” says the hooded man as he removes his backpack and casually drops it onto the floor.

     “Your threats I shall not take seriously as Elementhars these days are weak and relatively harmless. Your pet puppy might even pose a greater danger to me than you. Ha
! 
Ha
! 
Ha
!
” says the demon sarcastically.

     “Puppy _ my companion is not one of him but a polar wolf instead, though you are quite right, he poses a greater danger to you than I can possibly be; but remember this, he is on
my
side,” replies the Elementhar.

     The Elementhar removes his hood to reveal the fair skin of his goateed face. A jewel-encrusted silver headband with a large ruby in the middle flanked by two smaller brown diamonds secures his long dark hair to the back.

     “Indeed he is on
your
side but I fear neither puppy nor wolf nor soaking wet Elementhars
!
  Your presence is merely a sport for me. Your death shall be entertainment. I shall taste your blood and feed on your soul. Your little puppy could be dessert,” says the demon.

     A shiny black sphere of condensed energy, the size of a large coin, bursts forth from a black slit in the demon’s forehead towards the Elementhar. The Elementhar raises his silver staff in casual defence. As it approaches, the energy sphere is halted as though it has hit an invisible barrier of some kind, and then it disintegrates and gets absorbed into the white diamond which had been encrusted into the staff.

    “Attempt _ an interesting one of this though very much futile, for your Dark Orb attack was rather weak, and now, I would like to return the courtesy,” says the Elementhar.

     The Elementhar thrusts his right index finger at the demon. A burst of energy that takes the shape of a fist-sized sphere of condensed fire cuts through the air at an extremely high velocity toward the demon. As the demon leaps sideways, this condensed sphere of fire hits the wall and explodes, dispensing its raw energy violently and completely. A deep hole in the wall comes into being from the explosion and the resultant thick cloud of smoke rises gently to the ceiling.

     “Fire
!
This cannot be
!
Your kind was eliminated 15 years ago
!
Impossible
!
  Impossible
!
” exclaims the demon in surprise.

     As the demon recovers from its shock, a flaming sphere slams into its left shoulder. A spray of black liquid spurts out of the blackened wound as the demon screams in agony. Barely maintaining its balance, the demon sends another Dark Orb toward the Elementhar. As the Elementhar raises his silver staff in defence, the demon moves to its right and smashes through the wall with its right shoulder, blundering into the study room. The stiffened body of a woman lies in one of the corners of this room, an expression of immense fear frozen indefinitely on her rotting face. Then the demon finds the white wolf soaring through the air towards it. The wolf’s razor sharp fangs plunge into the demon’s jugular. A continuous spray of black liquid bursts forth from the demon’s neck as it screams in pure agony.

     In an act of desperation, the demon tries to stab the white wolf with its claws, but the wolf had anticipated this move. In a nimble move, the white wolf releases his hold on the demon and leaps well clear. Barely aware of its surroundings, the demon feels a heavy force slamming into its chest as the Elementhar thrusts one end of his silver staff into it. It stumbles and falls backwards, slamming into the shelf of books behind it.

     The demon struggles to stand up. The Elementhar approaches it with caution. With a sudden surge of strength and energy, it sends another Dark Orb towards him. As he raises his silver staff in defence, his view of the demon becomes obstructed. Seizing this opportunity, the demon spins to its right and whips its long scaly tail towards him. A loud slapping sound fills the study room as the tail strikes the Elementhar’s face. Drops of blood drip from his mouth as he falls sideways to the ground. The demon then discharges a Dark Orb at the white wolf. The white wolf manages to leap away in time as the Dark Orb explodes upon contact with the ground where he had stood only a heartbeat ago. Baring his razor sharp fangs, the white wolf circles the demon, looking for an opportunity to attack. The Elementhar now struggles to get back on his feet. Still feeling dazed, he staggers slightly as he tries to regain his composure.

     Alas, he is too slow. The demon catches sight of him, and with another spin of its body, its tail detaches from its torso and slices through the air to entwine itself on his neck. He drops to his knees, choking. His silver staff falls to the ground as he uses both his hands to free himself of his predicament.

    “Short of breath, are you
?
Soon you will be dead, Elementhar
!
I usually prefer my meals fresh but for you, I shall make a culinary exception. You should be honoured
!
” says the demon in a tone of false politeness.

     Seizing his opportunity, the white wolf lunges at the demon’s right calf, ripping off a mouthful of the demon’s flesh. A tortured scream fills the room as the demon falls to one knee. The white wolf circles the demon yet again.

     The Elementhar’s face is now as pale as a corpse. Slowly, he calms himself down; and forcing himself to focus, he gradually generates a steady flow of flames from both his palms towards the constricting tail. The tail burns and loosens its grip on his throat and finally falls off. The Elementhar coughs violently, and struggles to get air into his lungs.

     The white wolf executes a running leap for another attack, this time the intended target appears to be the demon’s left thigh. The demon prepares to deflect the attack by striking the white wolf in mid air with the claws from its right hand. However, at the last possible moment, the white wolf leaps sideways. A feeling of panic seizes the demon as it realises that the attack is a diversion. As the demon turns to search for the Elementhar, a flaming sphere pierces through the left side of its chest from the front and causes a burst-through explosion within it; sending flesh and blood splattering through the air. The demon’s glowing, red eyes open wide in disbelief. There are no screams of pain this time as it collapses to the ground lifeless.

     The heavy downpour had reduced to a light drizzle. The gusty wind had slowed down to a gentle breeze. Birds began chirping. Yet the silence within a large building in the centre of this town still remained. The twenty-odd townsfolk in this building stared at each other with worrisome expressions. Suddenly, the door swung open and the Elementhar entered along with his wolf companion.

     “Is it done
?
Is it dead
?
” enquired an old man who appeared to be the town mayor.

     “Done _ the task is of this and the demon’s head I have brought for you as proof,” said the Elementhar as he threw a cloth sack, which contained the lizard-like head of the demon, onto the table in front of the mayor.

     A mixed expression of shock and disgust filled the room.

     “Well then, a hundred gold coins as per our agreement,” said the mayor as he handed the Elementhar a pouch.

     The Elementhar took the pouch, felt its weight, peeked inside it to verify its contents and nodded his satisfaction.

     “Will there be others
?
” asked the mayor.

     “Demons _ there will always be of these
!
” answered the Elementhar coldly.

     “How can we find you if we need you again, Elementhar
?
” asked the mayor.