《Mourning Star》
Chapter One
Nature. Full of mystery and beauty. Plants and wildlife of all different natures and walks of life somehow cohesively living together in stable environment. A mystery that only the Creator could understand. But the most beautiful of things in nature and society are often the most dangerous. A vibrant flower in the wild forests of the world could be so poisonous that even touching it could fell an elephant. Beauty is often a tool of plants and certain animals for hunting and mating. While some use vibrant colours in self defence like peacocks. A peaceful lake could be full of vicious aquatic predators waiting for something to be foolish enough to touch their waters. Everything that enters nature must follow nature¡¯s most basic rule: The Law of the Jungle. The strong eat the weak.
Many predators abandon their young in order to let them grow strong and wise to the ways of the jungle. But most importantly it is to allow an Apex to be born. An Apex, a being at the zenith of the natural world. The strongest, fastest, most adept hunter of the Beast Kingdom. Only a handful of beings truly ever make it to the peak, most end up dead becoming the stepping stones for others on their way to the peak. But those who reach it are gods among their peers and all know it.
At this time; deep in the tall trees and gnarled woods of the Beast Kingdom¡¯s forests, a shadow was moving. Not just moving but tracking, hunting, becoming an Apex. This contender for the local Apex crown was a humanoid with sand coloured skin, a powerful lean and wiry physique suited for quick and fast movement. The being stood still finally allowing one to catch it¡¯s features in perfect detail as it stood as still as the trees around it. A decent height of about 5 feet tall and weight seemingly around 110 lbs. The creature had small inch long nails that were sharpened into claws of savage utility. An immature face barely settling into its own features showed off this creature''s surprising youthfulness. Mesmerizing topaz and garnet coloured eyes with vertical reptilian pupils made the creature seem even more primal than it''s seemingly human like appearance. Incredibly bizarre: heterochromatic eyes, a childishly handsome face by human standards, long flowing luscious raven coloured hair crowned the being¡¯s head gave it the aura of an natural born king.
Gripping a rusted metal spear with a sturdy wooden shaft, the child wore no clothes but had a large sharpened fang tied to its waist. Multiple scars adorned his body and without clothing the scars stood out as a testament of the brutal life and struggles he had survived through. Slowly lowering his body the being crouched into the tall grass, bring the spear parallel to the ground. Ever so slowly and gently he began to stalk through the grass and shadows of the forest¡¯s boughs. Disappearing from sight as quickly as he had appeared.
In a clearing not too far away from the odd child''s last position, a massive beast grazed on a mana rich plant. The beast had the body of an elk yet it was multiplied several fold from its counterpart. Bulging muscles that could be seen by the naked eye, antlers two feet in length and tipped in a sharp metallic like coating, were only the most visibly abnormal traits of this behemoth of an elk. This ¡®elk¡¯ was in fact a Steelgore Elk that stood at an impressive 6 feet tall not counting its massive deadly antlers. A beast of the Low Order and 2nd Rank. Known for being a herd type of Beast, this single Steelgore idly grazed on the delicious mana fruit it had found. A Steelgore was generally a common animal, yet avoided figure in the forest by even Mid Order beasts of similar rank. Because of their highly tight-knit herd, once one Steelgore sounded the alarm all would rush without heed of danger in response. Charging at full speed with its steel tipped antlers and packing its massive frame behind it, a charging Steelgore was a very fearful existence. Even more so of a herd of twenty or more of the brutes.
Entering the outer fringes of the clearing the Steelgore grazed in, the spear wielding child appeared from the shadows. Slowly and calmly reversing its grip on the spear, the child poised like an experienced hunter. With it¡¯s spear aimed at the unknowing Steelgore; the would be hunter tightly grasped the large dagger-like fang in the opposite hand, balancing it¡¯s body from the length and weight of it¡¯s spear. Breathing visibly slowed the child patiently waited for the ¡®golden moment¡¯ to strike. The absolute best moment to pounce on his oblivious prey. The very moment when any being finishes eating a meal, when they feel satisfied and content. And as the Steelgore ate the last bit of the mana fruit, the waiting hunter let loose a powerful spear throw accompanied by a fierce roar to claim and demonstrate his intent and victory as a predator. The rusted old spear whistled through the air slightly arching but flying nonetheless directly into the wide-eyed Steelgore¡¯s open neck.
With an utterly terrifying force, the spear¡¯s momentum carried the massive elk to the ground with a satisfying thud. If one looked closely they would be able to see the extreme accuracy and precision used in the throw. The spear had hit three major arteries that joined up in the Steelgore¡¯s throat. Matching the unnatural precision of the throw the child instantly launched after his weapon and pounced on the still stunned Steelgore. Jamming the long sharpened fang straight under the Steelgore¡¯s mandible bone and into the brain of the still shocked and bewildered beast, the child swiftly brought the creature''s life to a deadly close.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
No flashy magic. No earth-shaking battle. No suspense and tension at all. This was a true hunt. A part of nature. A dance of life and death where only one partner knows what is happening, while the other is helplessly dragged along. And after dragging along an unsuspecting partner, the other must always take the trophy of victory. The sentient races called this act skinning but in the Beast Kingdom it was simply, eating. Eating every succulent part of your prey that was the right one had as hunter and victor. But this hunter did not do this. He began to work the long fang like a saw directly at the shoulder of the dead Steelgore¡¯s hind leg. After a few short breaths of time the child quickly severed the large meaty leg. Then as quickly as he came he left carrying off leg almost as big as himself along with his weapons back into the depths of the forest.
Leaving prey behind was seen as a most disgraceful thing to the Beast Kingdom. Especially this deep in the Beast Kingdom''s lands, there was no beast that would do this. So why did this strangely human looking child do so? The answer would shock you. This 5 foot tall child was actually the 6 year old Lucifer, that had been thrown into the desolate lands of the Beast Kingdom to accept his paternal inheritance.
An inheritance to prove his worth and right to the legacy of his father''s lineage. Almost all races completed one in order to become part of its own familia or as a right of passage. Some races and species even make their children fight till only one survives, thus ensuring the strongest live on. Others nurture their young in caring environments and teach them how to hunt and survive. An inheritance is usually related to the first case. A savage and brutal way of forcing cubs and babes into becoming true predators, worthy of their name and honour.
The inheritance that young Lucifer was completing was his father¡¯s ancient lineage inheritance. The inheritance of a nephilim. Warriors of legend, Nephilim are said to be the children of god''s and man¡¯s most supreme warriors. Born of divinity and man¡¯s natural adaptability, nephilims were born killers. Warrior and divine blood flowed through their veins, demigods. With a god¡¯s natural indifferent savagery and a champion¡¯s battle sense and instincts, the nephilim were born warriors that made even the divine cower. They were so amazing at slaughtering their foes, that Heaven eventually threw them into the Eternal War between the angels and demons. However that soon became backfired. The nephilim grew too strong to control, and Heaven did something very cruel. They threw newborn nephilims into the Eternal War¡¯s battlefield in hopes to Cull their numbers from the root. This eventually became every nephilim¡¯s trial. Learning to survive on nothing but themselves while surrounded by foes trying to kill them since the day they were born.
So young Lucifer grew up in the forests of the Beast Kingdom without any protection from his family in the savage lands of the Beast Kingdom. He fought, he scavenged, he hid, he did everything possible to survive without the instruction of anyone. Instincts and natural inborn talent carried him from infancy to now despite the inconceivable likelihood of it happen.
Now while Lucifer ran from his kill with only a rusted spear, dagger-like fang and Steelgore hind leg a stealthy figure appeared at the carcass of the still warm Steelgore. The figure was 6¡¯5¡± and cloaked but a large 7 foot naginata was strapped to it¡¯s back and human body gave away its identity. Gazing at the disappearing figure of Lucifer the figure chuckled slightly. Slowly walking after him the cloaked figured seemed to fade into the forest as if it was always a part of it.
After running for a few minutes Lucifer suddenly banked right as the ground; he would have stepped on had he continued going forward, exploded. Rolling and trying to steady his footing Lucifer gazed at the dust cloud caused by the explosion. While bits of dirt rained the near area, Lucifer¡¯s experienced instincts told him he was being hunted. Every hair on his body stood up. His body crouching lower, his left arm discarding his oversized leg and opting for his dagger. Right arm bringing his spear closer to his body, and tilted downward he tensed. Waiting for whatever was after him to come out and reveal itself. Topaz and garnet eyes darting all over for the slightest of movements, ears listening to every sound being made, nose smelling for whatever scents he could track. Then suddenly swiping his dagger in front of his body and twisting his body while jumping back, Lucifer moved. He was dagger slashed apart a fist sized stone that came flying at him, and his body twisting into a acrobatic corkscrew flip. Narrowly avoiding a large poled blade from smashing on top of him. Landing the flip, Lucifer¡¯s eyes narrowed at the weapon that almost killed him. It was a long weapon, much like his spear but this one had a curved single edged blade head to it. It was a naginata. Wielding this polearm was a cloaked figure that seemed strangely familiar to Lucifer, it''s scent held flavours that were strangely familiar to him.
The figure laughed at Lucifer¡¯s bewildered expression, and suddenly launched a series of violent stabs and slashes all aimed at his limbs. Without time to react Lucifer was quickly and very pathetically disarmed. Then immobilized by the shallow cuts directly to his tendons and joints. Collapsing to the ground a roar of unwillingness escaped Lucifer¡¯s throat. This was the first time any animal had mocked and humiliated him in the six years he survived in this forest, he was after all a strong contender for this area¡¯s Apex crown. All that replied to his madness was the butt of the naginata smashing into his temple, rendering him unconscious.
Chapter Two
Lucifer awoke to the bright rays of the morning sun shining directly onto his face. A dream he snickered. A dream of his meeting with his teacher had brought him out of the forest and began his education to the broader world outside of the deadly Beast Kingdom. Three years had passed since then and there were many changes that had happened over the long years. Learning of people, language, society and best of all learning about power. His teacher, Eric taught him everything he would have learned growing up in the civilized lands. From etiquette to just about everything else, Lucifer soaked up knowledge like a sponge.
How to speak, what to eat, how to make money and it''s uses in society, eventually Lucifer learned it all. Eric took it even farther after that though. History, sciences, literature, mathematics, war tactics, philosophy all got thoroughly pounded into the now nine year old''s brain without the least bit of hesitation.
¡°A commoner commits murder, what is his punishment according to the law of the land?¡± Eric grilled Lucifer during one of their lessons in regards to society and law.
¡°Death.¡± Lucifer instantly replied without the slightest hint of doubt in his voice.
¡°What if the murderer was a noble?¡±
¡°Death.¡± Again Lucifer answered without hesitation.
¡°Wrong!¡± His teacher scowled at him for his failure to answer correctly.
¡°Imprisonment.¡± This time Lucifer answered with the penalty for theft hoping that he had only mixed up the two laws.
¡°Wrong! Correct answer is nothing. The noble has committed no crime.¡± A startling answer drifted into Lucifer''s ears at that moment. He could not understand the answer of his teacher in the least. How could murder not be a crime if one was a noble? It made no sense to Lucifer. ¡°Nobles are exempt from most laws, remember not to stir up trouble with them unless you have sufficient backing.¡±
A dull nod from Lucifer was all Eric needed before he continued their lessons. Lucifer still remembered that day as he got dressed and cleaned up for the day. It was still one of the harder lessons for him to accept but he still abided by the teachings of Eric without fail.
After three years Lucifer had grown very well, only a few inches taller coming to 5¡¯5¡± and still maintaining his lean and muscled physique. His hair had grown very long reaching the small of his back even after he braided it and tied the top and bottom off with a thick straps of leather. The once immature face started filling out and his baby fat had burned away leaving only his high cheekbones as well as angular jaw to accentuate his face. The sides of his head were shaved and showed off the sharply pointed ears on the sides of his head. His heterochromatic eyes still were entrancingly beautiful except now they lost their naive sparkle, adopting a more cold decisive look.
Dressing himself in his pitch black trousers before he tied his matching black Beast leather greaves over top of the light cotton pants. Sliding his feet into his boots, he contemplated what he would do for the day. It was the first time he was allowed to enter the human city nearby without his teacher''s strict supervision. Selecting a loose fitting white shirt that had a deep v-neck collar, Lucifer pulled the tunic like shirt over his head before he pulled his lengthy braid free of the shirt. Strapping his pair of black leather vambraces onto his arms Lucifer quickly set about donning a thick three point baldric over his chest. The baldric was for holding his long single edged dagger and the short spear he had grown accustom to using over the years. Sliding the meter and a half long spear into the baldric''s back sheath was easy with the solid heft of the short spear. Tying the over 20¡± dagger''s sheath horizontally onto the hip strap of the baldric was slightly more difficulty. After a minor minute of cursing and fiddling with the sheath Lucifer finally tied the sheath to his baldric before he slid the straight edged dagger into the sheath that sat just above his left hip.
¡°What the devil is taking you so damn long brat! I have business to do in that blasted city! Hurry it up!¡± Eric''s one of a kind voice hollered from outside of Lucifer''s window almost as if the old man knew exactly when he was finished dressing himself. With a small smile and a slight hop, Lucifer ran towards the open window and leapt outside of it like a practiced swimmer diving into the water. Tucking his chest to his legs, he did a full flip before he righted himself and landed feet first on the solid ground. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Eric shook his head bitterly causing his curly hair to bounce slightly as he witnessed his student''s stunt. The child had always been wild even after years of conditioning and training from Eric, who could only attribute it the years of isolation growing up in the forest.
¡°Come on brat, it''ll take an hour to get there if we run.¡± Eric spoke as he gauged the height of the sun and estimated the time.
¡°Wanna race then old man? I say we get there before that church clock chimes ten.¡± A devilish grin broke across Lucifer¡¯s face as he watched the slight twitch happening in the corner of Eric''s eye.
¡°Alright brat. Let''s see what you got!¡± Eric laughed heartily as he took off before Lucifer could even react. Dust and dirt flew into the air due to the rocket like takeoff Eric used to launch himself faster than the average person could keep track of.
Lucifer only laughed louder as he ran after his teacher, blasting through the cloud of dust like a bullet. Instead of causing the same damage to the ground as Eric did, Lucifer seemed to glide over the ground like a skater does ice. Striding across the ground he pushed himself to move as fast as possible in hopes of beating his teacher to the gates of the city.
Vaulting over the large barrel like roots of the massive trees in the forest barely took away from the speed that Lucifer was moving at. He swung his body forward like a monkey to propel himself faster and with his agile footwork he only lost the smallest of fractions off his speed. Sliding underneath a particularly huge chunk of a fallen tree, Lucifer used his hands to throw himself back up to his feet so that he could continue racing after his teacher who still outpaced him by almost 100 meters.
In contrast to Lucifer''s astounding agility, Eric used brute force relying on his superior cultivation rank to rush through all the obstacles in his way. Relying on simple side steps to avoid the gigantic trunks of the trees in his way allowed Eric to rush even faster through the woods. Whereas Lucifer needed to hop, jump, skip and so on to navigate through the still shady woods. Keeping his cultivation suppressed to around the same level as Lucifer kept the race somewhat fair. But the innate power of Eric was something Lucifer couldn''t match even with his supernatural agility and dexterity.
A clap of thunder echoed throughout the woods as several trees came crashing down. The heaving groans of the sturdy wood gave off a foreboding chill down the backs of many of the forest residents.
¡°Fucking brat!¡± Eric scowled fiercely as he dove out of the way of a falling tree. But as he somersaulted over his shoulder a bolt of black and white came whistling past his head. Lucifer had overtaken him just as the tree came smashing down directly where Eric would have been had he not dove to the side.
¡°Using magic is cheating you idiot of a disciple!¡± A deafening shout left Eric as he punched the solid trunk with a mighty punch causing a meter wide chunk of the trunk to splinter into dust before he took off chasing after his student.
¡°Says who ya old fart!¡± Lucifer laughed as he leapt into the air and spun around launching another bolt of magic at his charging teacher. Reddish gold light instantly condensed into a small foot wide sphere before it went flying directly at Eric.
With a stream of obscenities that would make a sailor proud, Eric covered his body in milky white essence and swung his fist at the incoming magical cannonball. With another crack of thunder, the forest was once again covered by the sounds of falling trees as they were blasted from the force of the explosive magic. The sphere of light detonated right before it connected with Eric''s essence infused fist leading to an even bigger reaction than if he had successfully blasted it away with his attack. Lucifer had immaculate control of his prana that gave him the necessary skill to control when and where the ball would detonate. A very basic [Element Blast] spell only downgraded to be used on the fly instead of the normal channeling.
Landing silently Lucifer pushed himself as much as possible to move faster and faster still. He drew the magical essence within his body; prana, to his legs and feet strengthening them superhuman heights. A normally impossible task for most beings in the world; save for beasts and higher lifeforms, Lucifer urged the prana to flow through each of his muscles, trace his bones and flood through his veins and arteries. The magical energy rushed through his hips, quadriceps, tendons, calves, Achilles''s heel, arching through his soles and into the balls of his feet before it cycled back to repeat the process again. Deep red gold light faintly shone around his rapidly moving legs as they sped up even faster after being stimulated with prana.
This unique ability of Lucifer was the only way he could match his insane teacher despite the huge difference in cultivation between the two. Eric had a vastly superior strength because of his extremely advanced cultivation against Lucifer who held the more athletic body and only a fraction of the power behind it.
The two chased each other through the forest hurling bolts of magic and cursing at one another the whole way as they closed in on the city at the edge of the woods. It took a solid thirty minutes for them to burst through the edge of the woods and enter the vicinity of the large walled city of Jult¨¢n. Lucifer smirked as he saw the giant walls of Jult¨¢n ahead of him, without even a glance back at the incoming Eric he gathered a massive amount of prana in his hands and feet.
''Not that spell again¡¡¯ Eric turned pale as he cursed in his heart. Knowing exactly the spell his student was preparing to use Eric released his suppressed cultivation and instantly he disappeared.
A millisecond later a large heavy fist came smashing down towards the back of Lucifer''s head. As if he could see what was coming, Lucifer lounged forward as he swung his hands backwards. Like a horizontal bolt of lightning, Lucifer went sailing through the air directly at the city. His prana acting as fuel for his blindingly fast blitz to the open city gates of Jult¨¢n.
¡°Why does he want to get there so damn fast? Using a spell like that¡ He is just like you eh old friend?¡± Eric muttered as he watched the red gold bolt of light go flying away from him. Running his hand through his shaggy salt and pepper hair, Eric let out a tired sigh before he became hazy and disappeared from sight.
Chapter Three
Lucifer touched down just a few meters from the gates as he laughed with joy at beating his teacher in their race. The guards at the gate only wryly smiled as the watched the actions of the young child running out of the woods with magic aiding him. They assumed he had been chased by some beast and was laughing at his luck to escape back to the borders of the city.
Taking out a iron badge from one of his baldric''s pockets, Lucifer flashed his identification to the guards before he calmly walked inside of the giant charcoal grey walls of Jult¨¢n. He wasn''t completely sure what the iron badge meant but he did know that it was proof of Eric''s approval for him. He got the badge after his third visit to the city and two years of harsh training from Eric. It felt like a graduation gift but the deeper meaning and the extent of what it allowed him to do within the city were left unknown to Lucifer.
Walking down the cobblestone road that led to the inner area of Jult¨¢n was one of Lucifer''s favourite parts of his visits to the city. The morning bakers, butchers, hawkers and grocers always offered him a small treat as he greeted them politely on his way into the deeper parts of the city. The old lady who ran the bakery always made sure to treat Lucifer to a delicious pastry when she saw the handsome youth come to say good morning every time he visited. Thoughts of getting her grand-daughter to marry a boy like him always filled her mind when she saw that even with his age and good looks he still kept kind and polite towards even old folks like herself.
Holding a sandwich of freshly cut roast beef and an apple in one arm, Lucifer began devouring the mouth watering baked apple-cinnamon scone that the old baker lady had given him. The giant butcher had just finished setting out his goods when he saw Lucifer walking bye so he called the boy over and gave him a fresh sandwich of roasted beef and cheese wrapped in a large leaf to keep fresh. And the middle aged lady whose stall was nearest to the gate tossed Lucifer a freshly picked apple when he walked past. Lucifer always enjoyed how friendly the people in the city were to him despite his infrequent visits.
Savouring the delicious breakfast that he somehow got for free, Lucifer strolled through the city making his way to the bazaar. The most active and popular area in the whole city, the bazaar was filled with vendors selling all kinds of goods. From exoctic fruits to even slaves, the bazaar was lively as could be no matter the time of day. Even during the night there were dancers and actors performing and entertaining all who came to watch.
His trip to the city this time was mostly to explore the bazaar without the supervision of Eric who was even more strict when the two were out in public. Lucifer had his own coin to spend from the allowance that Eric had given him the night before so he wasn''t worried at all about missing out on the action of the bazaar.
Being so excited for his exploration of the bazaar made Lucifer completely forget about Eric whom he had left behind at the edge of the forest. Wandering into the giant square that housed the bazaar left him in a complete sense of amazement as he saw the sights and sounds of so many interesting things. The olive skinned men with cloth wrapped around their heads and flashy gold chains and bracelets made him wonder how they moved around with so much extra weight. Seeing the huge armoured mercenaries saunter about with their giant swords and axes aroused his innermost feelings. The lust for adrenaline that came with every fight flushed throughout his whole body as he felt their auras for the strongest of the twenty-something band of mercs.
¡°Hey! Are any of you guys strong?¡± Lucifer called out as he ran after the group. Yet none of the men even turned and acknowledged him, leaving Lucifer to frown as he sped up to get in front of them. ¡°I said, are any of you guys strong?¡±
¡°Brat don''t get in our way! We don''t have time to deal with a baby still fresh of his mother''s milk.¡± One of the mercenaries shouted at Lucifer. He wasn''t too upset with the boy for asking such a question, but he knew how some of the mercs acted when dealing with little ones. So he chose to scare him off with some mean words instead of allowing for the more twisted guys to play with the boy.
Lucifer''s face went ugly at the words that came from the mercenary''s mouth. He had never had mother or father so the insult stung especially harder than the man ever meant it to. The laughter that ensued as well upset Lucifer even more as he tried to hold back his temper remembering Eric''s teachings to not make trouble in the city. He had only wanted to spar with any of the strong mercs but instead he was subjected to insults and humiliating laughter.
¡°If you are strong, then prove it. Make me move out of the way or does the milk smell so bad that you''re too afraid to?¡± Taunted Lucifer as he fought to suppress his anger and subsequently his better judgement.
¡°Oi! The baby thinks he¡¯s all growed up ¡®cause of that got lil toothpick!¡±
¡°Maybe he thinks he''s a knight! Defeating the evil mercs before they ravage them tavern wenches!¡±
¡°Hahaha boy get the fuck out the way, before I stuff that stick up yer ass and send you back to yer sow of a muther!¡±
Jeers of all kinds smacked Lucifer as he stood fuming in anger. He had never dealt with this kind of ordeal when he was with Eric and the only lessons he had ever learned about such confrontations was to demonstrate who was stronger. Eric had always said that ''strength is the true law¡¯ and most of his teachings were in someway about how the law was focused on whose fist was bigger. Only the philosophy, arithmetic and etiquette lessons varied from that.
¡°I wonder do your asses ever get jealous of the shit that you keep spewing from your mouths? I mean I am only a kid asking if you are as tough as you act so I may be wrong, but you seem to only be strong in your ability to talk crap.¡± Lucifer retorted back before he turned to walk from the astonished mercs. They were completely slack jawed after hearing the words that came out of this youth''s mouth.
¡°Boy you sure you want to do this?¡± One of the older mercs spoke with ice running through his words. ¡°There ain''t no way back once you cross that line.¡±
¡°For the love of,¡± Lucifer complained as he pulled out his short-spear and deftly twirled it around before he leveled it at the last mercenary to speak. ¡°God can''t you guys just understand I wanna fight!¡±
Lunging forward with a powerful thrust to the merc¡¯s throat, Lucifer released his pent up frustration. Surprised and caught off guard the merc was helpless to stop the foot long spear head from piercing his neck and ending his life. Lucifer didn''t let his momentum stop there as he pulled the spear back and began unleashing a flurry of rapid thrusts into the crowded group of mercenaries. With barely any room to move the mercs could scarcely avoid the pinpoint accuracy of Lucifer''s spear when it came flying at them. Their large unwieldy bastard swords and claymores became obsolete as they couldn''t use them without chopping their companions into pieces. Some of the quicker witted mercs drew their daggers and tried to parry or deflect the wickedly fast spear. But it made little difference as Lucifer only targeted the torso so even if his thrusts were parried, they still would injure the large bulky mercenaries who could not move as deftly as he could use his spear.
Three mercenaries fell after the initial assault of Lucifer took down five of their group. His spear point effortlessly ripping apart their throats as he continued his one man offense. Sporadic random thrusts left the mercs bewildered and helpless as the spear slid past their defences and sliced apart the thick leather armour they wore. It only took seconds for over eight of them to die before the remaining dozen of mercenaries formed a loose circle around Lucifer. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Who only smiled as he slid his right hand to the middle of the spear shaft and held it akin to a sword with a giant hilt. This style of spear wielding was particularly popular when facing large groups of opponents as it allowed for more sweeping slashes and made better use of the bottom of the spear for blunt force attacks. Lucifer''s left hand fell onto the hilt of his dagger as he visualised the various ways to take down the mercenaries.
¡®Rush right, towards the unarmed merc. Thrust and pivot counter-clockwise while stabbing the merc next to him with my dagger.¡¯
Step by step Lucifer planned out his plan of attack as he began rushing at the mercs to his right.
''Drag spear behind me without stopping to kill the one to try and get at my back. Drop to a knee so that the spear exits the neck easier and I get under the guard of the in front of me. Jump up and forward while slashing the dagger horizontally across the throat then step back into a clockwise spin.¡¯
Seeing the actions inside his head allowed Lucifer to plan three and four steps ahead of his enemies. His spear first thrust straight through the neck of the first victim of his premeditated plan of attack. Sliding his foot along the ground he spun backwards and quickly stabbed his dagger into the unprotected chest of the mercenary next to his first target. With two down, Lucifer continued his rotation while dropping onto his to avoid a diagonal slash from the mercenary directly in front of him. He let the spear carry itself out of the neck of the first merc by keeping the shaft along his arm and back.
The circular motion of Lucifer''s footwork made the spear rip clean through the thick muscles of the mercenary before it swung towards the head of one trying to attack his back. Lucky to notice the flash of silver that heralded the spear¡¯s attack, the mercenary brought his arm up to hastily block the lethal spear from claiming his life.
Lucifer felt the this of his spear cutting into the bones of the merc behind him but that didn''t matter as he let go of the spear. Opting for less bulk to slow him down he revised his actions.
''Uppercut dagger strike followed by a hook kick to the temple. Retreat back to the spear.¡¯
Forgoing step by step planning, Lucifer chose to handle this more on the fly. He had killed four of the dozen mercenaries left and one had his spear halfway through his forearm. It wasn''t bad but it wasn''t great. The longer he took the more issues would arise.
Following true to his expectations the situation did get worse as the mercenaries had enough room to start using their bastard swords. Sneering Lucifer used his hook kick to push himself at the mercenary still screaming from the pain of having his arm half severed. With a quick reverse grip and maintaining the same rotation as before, he pulled the spear free of the man''s arm while he slid his dagger back into its sheath. Left hand in the middle of the shaft he immediately gripped it with his right and brought the spear into a downward slash as another mercenary charged at him.
Hoping to flank Lucifer the mercenary was unaware of the spear that split open his head. Lucifer didn''t let his success blind him from seeing the whole situation, he jerked the spear back into a reverse thrust right into the eye of the mercenary whose arm he almost mutilated. The tempered steel covering the base of the spear caused a sickening squelch as it crushed the eyeball and everything behind it when Lucifer quickly pulled it back.
''Incoming overhand chop, using the shaft to block is best but it stops my momentum. A counter-block would be better then.¡¯
Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, Lucifer timed his actions perfectly. With the exact same speed he slammed the bottom end of the spear into the side of the massive broadsword. A perfect counter-block. Using a sweeping horizontal swing to offset a vertical slashing attack, a difficult and tricky technique that requires tons of skill and practice. If done too lightly it will be useless, only when similar forces are used will the counter-block be successful. So Lucifer used as much force as he could, using his abdominals, obliques, hips, back, pectorals, shoulders, biceps, triceps and wrists to generate as much power as naturally possible.
Deflecting the overhand chop off to the side gave Lucifer an opening to escape the encirclement of mercenaries, which he happily took advantage of. Without a second of hesitation he dove for the opening and evaded the point of another mercenary''s sword as it tore through the space he once stood in.
¡°Hah, hah, is that the best you lot can do? I have seen better from old grannies!¡± Not forgetting to enrage the few surviving mercenaries, Lucifer continued to spit abuse in between his heavy panting. Using up so much prana earlier and fighting in such unfavorable odds was becoming increasingly taxing on his young body. Others his age wouldn''t be able to stand let alone fight after expending so much prana, this was one of the most indisputable facts that Lucifer was becoming an Apex. His speed, stamina, cognitive functions, strength and reaction time was leagues above those around him.
''Six left. Four to the left and two on the right,¡¯ changing his grip on the spear to a standard grip with his left hand leading and right hand supporting. ''Low sweep, counter-clockwise pivot step, rising thrust, overhead 180o slash to, 45o lunge to the left, eight step run, jump as high as possible and twist, javelin throw.¡¯ Visualising his actions made Lucifer slightly more relaxed as he felt the anxiety building within him. Killing the mercenaries was of little consequence to someone like him who lived alone for most of his life, the only issue was that Lucifer felt his stamina draining faster than normal. A sign that he had overdrafted his prana executing that last spell.
Dropping his body low to the ground he bolted towards the group of four off to his left. Using his body like a fulcrum he swung his spear in a low, wide arc directly at the ankles of the mercenaries. The first two were too slow to avoid the debilitating strike to their legs and buckled instantly. The other two quickly leapt backwards so as to avoid the same date as their comrades.
Lucifer stamped his foot into the ground as hard as he could forcing his dash to come to a halt. While he simultaneously drew his back foot into a wide arc and made a perfect pivot away from the two collapsed mercs and into the direction of the two approaching mercenaries. Bringing his spear close to his body he thrust towards the groin of the foremost mercenary before he brought the bladed spearhead up and over his head so that he could use the extra momentum to crush the mercenary flanking him.
Gutting the first mercenary like a fish, Lucifer''s spear sailed through the air leaving a gore and bloody trail in it''s wake as it came smashing onto the collarbone of the mercenary flanking him. The added momentum and the weight of the spear allowed it to cleave through the thick bone and tear through the chest of the mercenary. Keeping his body constantly moving Lucifer took advantage of the great force behind the spear to move his body off to the side, narrowly avoiding a sword keen on bisecting him.
''Three left,¡¯ Lucifer noted as he somersaulted from tossing his body off to the side. The two he had injured were starting to get up and there was one mercenary still standing glaring at him furiously. ¡°Hey why don''t we call it quits now? I killed most of you, you insulted me. Sounds fair to me!¡± Lucifer was barely able to keep the fight up so he thought to provoke them into doing something stupid.
¡°ARGGGHHHH I¡¯M GOING TO KILL YOU!¡± One of the mercenaries roared as he tried to charge at Lucifer only to fall flat on his face. His leg couldn''t hold his weight after Lucifer slashed his ankles.
An evil grin covered Lucifer¡¯s face as he saw the idiot try and run at him. His left hand dropped to his dagger and in a flash of silver, the foot long dagger reappeared piercing through the skull of the mercenary as he fell.
''One down, two to go.¡¯ Lucifer stated in his mind as he raised his spear up to block the broadsword of the uninjured mercenary before it cut him in two. Using the shaft of the spear to meet the heavy blow of a broadsword was foolish but Lucifer wasn''t an ordinary spearman. As the two weapons collided, Lucifer dropped his right shoulder causing the horizontal spear to fall into a diagonal position. This act caused the weight of the blade to fall along the shaft and towards the ground while Lucifer''s spear head came smashing into the face of the mercenary.
''Two down, one left.¡¯ Lucifer lightly tossed his spear into the air and caught it in a perfect javelin grip before he tossed the spear like a rocket towards the back of the last mercenary before he could crawl away.
Sending shivers down the backs of all those in the bazaar Lucifer calmly walked towards his spear and very slowly pulled it out of the lifeless corpse it impaled to the cobblestone ground. No one said a word for fear that this bloodthirsty youth would continue his rampage and murder them as easily as he did those mercenaries. The blood splattered all over Lucifer gave him a demonic appearance, coupled with his sharp pointed ears and unnatural heterochromatic eyes made him appear to be a devil in human skin. The white of his shirt was stained crimson so much so that it looked more like a tunic of blood then anything else. Lucifer paid none of these things much attention only walking towards the corpse that held his dagger, where he placed his foot on the shoulder of the body and abruptly yanked the dagger out of the skull.
¡°Anyone got a rag?¡± Calling out completely oblivious to terror he caused, Lucifer asked rather innocently for a rag to clean his weapons. Eric had always made sure that he knew the importance of keeping his weapons clean. A elderly man trembled as he pulled out a handkerchief out of his pocket and held it forward for Lucifer to take.
Smiling brightly Lucifer skipped over to the man and politely thanked him for the cloth with a slight bow. He then found a place where the blood had yet to cover where he then proceeded to sit down and start cleaning his weapons without a care for the twenty something bodies that lay scattered all around him. The city of Jult¨¢n would soon shake with the news of this event. It was also this one sided massacre that pushed Lucifer towards his destiny and fate, not that he would know of this till much later in his life.
Chapter Four
¡°What the hell do you mean someone slaughtered the Blackstone Company! In the fucking city no less! I don¡¯t care who did it, arrest them!¡± A rage filled bellow shook the walls of the barracks as the Captain received the emergency transmission from one of his corporals about the bazaar massacre.
¡°No! Who the fuck cares if it¡¯s child? Bring him in for questioning!¡± The very walls trembled as the Captain¡¯s essence began leaking out in his rage causing the sturdy stone walls to crack under the pressure of his cultivation.
Captain Westoll, the man in command of all of the city¡¯s internal policing and security. A powerful practitioner known for his stubbornness and terrible temper, but also his extremely just and fair policies. Taking office after the end of the last civil war in the country, Westoll purged the city of corruption and dissenters to the crown. He judged fairly and was as incorruptible as buddha which made him loved by the people and very charismatic for the soldiers under him.
Right now though, the famous captain was fuming in anger after getting the transmission from a group of guards stationed at the bazaar. A youth carrying a short spear and dagger annihilated the Blackstone Company of mercenaries before his soldiers could even react to the altercation. They only heard the screams of some civilians after the youth had already killed more than half of the mercenary band.
¡°Fucking hell!¡± Westoll continued to cuss as he fumed over the incident, it was then he remembered the man who stood in his office. ¡°Sorry Eric, some brat just began a massacre in the bazaar. Can we finish ¡®this¡¯ tomorrow, after I deal with this little shit?¡±
Eric felt the headache coming on that always accompanied whatever stunt his student pulled. Three years of living together gave Eric plenty of experience with Lucifer and for some reason he felt that it was his ¡®little shit¡¯ that was the source of his old friend¡¯s troubles. ¡°Short-spear, dagger, white and black clothing, black leather greaves and vambraces. Right?¡±
¡°What?¡± Baffled Westoll could only gawk at his friend for what he had just said. Those were the exact details that his subordinate had given him, how could Eric know them? ¡°Eric how the hell do you know that information?¡±
¡°God dammit¡ Because I know who your suspect is,¡± Holding his head in his hands Eric complained repeatedly before he finally answered Westoll¡¯s interrogating glare. ¡°My apprentice, Lucifer.¡± The two men stared at each other for some time in silence.
Lucifer cocked an eyebrow as he looked at the thirty soldiers surrounding him with shields all raised creating a cage of steel around him. Swords were kept poised to stab him if he dared to get too close to the shield wall.
''Am I under arrest?¡¯ Lucifer thought as he inspected the matching insignia on the shields and armour of all the soldiers. The Jult¨¢n coat of arms should that they were most definitely soldiers of the city. ''The old man is never gonna let me out on my own again¡ I haven''t even got to the smithy yet.¡¯
Placing his spear across his lap Lucifer only sat there waiting for the soldiers to make a move. He was outnumbered and surrounded so doing anything proactive would just make his situation worse. His choice also hopefully bought time for Eric to come rescue him, Lucifer hoped.
Steadying his breathing and focusing on his prana, Lucifer entered a light meditative state. Not sinking completely into his subconscious but focusing enough to replenish his expended prana. It may seem odd that he would choose to meditate in such a situation but it also was the best option he had open to him. He could replenish his strength in case of a fight, he was calm and rational instead of allowing the anxiety to cloud his judgement.
''I got enough prana for five spells at this point. [Element Blast] will cause enough damage for me to escape but I don''t think I can get to the gate before they close it after-¡¯ Lucifer''s thoughts were quickly interrupted as the soldiers finally got tired of waiting around. He was surprised it took over fifteen minutes till they finally got around to saying anything.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
¡°Drop your weapons and prepare yourself for arrest! Any resistance will be seen as an attack and will be handled as such!¡± One of the senior soldiers yelled at Lucifer.
¡°Don''t you need to see my identification before you arrest me?¡± Lucifer asked quite frankly as he recalled the lessons Eric had taught him about the law.
The soldier almost spat blood out as he heard the immature voice of the youth who just killed every single member of the Blackstone mercenaries.
''Why the fuck do I need to see your identification after you just killed over a dozen people?¡¯ Thought the soldier as he tried to restrain himself from acting hastily. The youth in front of him was obviously ready and willing to kill people regardless of the odds against him.
''He might even attack us if we aren''t careful.'' While that may not make too big of issue, the skill that this youth possessed made it highly likely that the soldiers would lose more than he would in any confrontation.
¡°Only suspects have that luxury! We already know you killed these men.¡± The soldier called back after he calmed himself.
¡°Says who?¡± Lucifer inquired further, he was stalling for as much time as possible before his teacher got here or until someone came that was way out of his league to deal with.
¡°Don''t act coy you cheeky brat! Just surrender peacefully or else we will use force to apprehend you!¡± The soldier demanded as the vein at his temple started throbbing visibly.
¡°You really don''t want to use ''force¡¯ with me Mr Soldier.¡± A vicious snarl escaped Lucifer''s lips at the threat of the soldier.
¡°He really is your student with that temper... where the hell did you find him?¡± Westoll asked as he and Eric stood on the roof of one of the buildings surrounding the bazaar. With their cultivation it was a simple matter to get from the barracks to the bazaar in a few minutes just in time to see Lucifer and the soldiers start brawling.
¡°He is apart of the old Khan clan.¡± Eric simply stated as he watched the tangled battle on the ground below. ¡°That old codger called in a favour, that favour is my idiot of a student¡¡±
¡°That makes this way more troublesome. Does he have your seal? If so I can get him out of this relatively easy.¡± Reasoned Westoll as he weighed the options of letting this whole thing risk getting attention of the higher-ups.
¡°He''s got-shit he is going to use magic!¡± Eric cursed as he launched himself into the fray hoping to stop Lucifer from doing something incredibly stupid.
Westoll paled as he heard the words of his long time friend. Magic. Only the old lineages had the ability to use magic. Like the elves, hyumns, orcs, draconians, and the other legendary ancestors of the humans that currently dominated the world. There still were people that used magic today, but they were next to royalty in regards to status. If this youth was able to use magic then every single person here was now under risk of execution for crimes against him.
Lucifer pushed his prana through his body and began forming the [Element Bolt] spell as he fended off the attacks of the soldiers. A wicked grin broke across his face as he aimed his palm towards the most crowded area of soldiers. The red golden light that denoted his prana sparked into existence at the center of his hand causing it to glow in savage delight. Like molten gold the light swirled into a fist sized sphere of brightly radiating prana before Lucifer thrust his palm forward causing the bolt of magic to go flying at the mob of soldiers.
Just as Lucifer turned to escape from the scene, a large hand came flying straight into his face. Lifted clean off the ground, Lucifer felt like he was floating before the hand smashed him into the ground. Lucifer couldn''t even make heads or tails of what happened before he fell unconscious due to the force of his head smashing into the ground.
Eric could only shake his head as he looked at his student and the devastation that he caused. An entire mercenary company dead, half the soldiers under Westoll lay charred and half alive, the other half had varying degrees of broken bones, the bazaar was destroyed, even the enchanted stone that served as the base of the bazaar was cracked from the force of Lucifer''s spell. Even if he was a scion of the Khan clan Lucifer just left the range of Eric''s influence.
''Only if-no, he is too young to be able to handle that place yet¡¯ Various thoughts were flying through Eric''s head as he searched for a easy way out for his student. Years living together caused him to see the boy as his own flesh and blood. But the facts were impossible to change, Lucifer was too much for just him to handle anymore. Only those places had the facilities and resources need for Lucifer to get a handle on his power. ''I guess keeping him ignorant was only a foolish hope of mine to keep him from the pain he will undoubtedly suffer.¡¯
¡°None of them died eh? Guess we can keep this somewhat under wraps for now.¡± Westoll muttered as he landed next to Eric and Lucifer. ¡°Take him to Bertha''s, he''ll be fine there till I work something out of this.¡±
¡°What good will going to that old coot¡¯s place do? He used magic within the city. Even you can''t cover that up forever, what will you do when it comes out?¡± Snorting in disdain Eric denied his friend''s advice. ¡°Just send the fine to the Khan old codger and I will personally have the boy put under my supervision. That should shut those bureaucrats up before they raise too big a storm for you. I doubt they will make a move on me.¡±
¡°Fine.¡± Westoll shrugged already used to his friend''s blunt personality. ¡°Get that boy into one of the academies. It will take the hassle out of having to look after a magic user, haha¡± However the words fell on deaf ears as Eric only thought of how to keep Lucifer from learning the hard truth that he soon would have to hear.