《Black & white》
Chapter 1 - The first encounter
Sliding through the mud of the track, the bike came to a halt.
Rachel¡¯s hands were clutching tightly onto the fabric of Ryder¡¯s v-neck. Her chest was heaving, up and down.
Ryder turned his head, and gave her a glance, then he looked away, a smile tugging at his lips.
¡°Hey, Get off now.¡± He patted her arms.
Rachel¡¯s body halted, and her lips pressed together. She slowly moved her head up, staring at Ryder¡¯s back.
¡°Ryder¡¡± She murmured, quietly moving her head around, eyeing the trees around her, ¡°Can we not just go back?¡±
Her face scrunched up further.
Ryder heaved a sigh, and then he was about to stand off the bike, but as he noticed how tight her grip was, he stopped.
He pinched his nose, ¡°I told you not to come. You were the one being adamant as fuck.¡±
¡°Sorry,¡± Rachel said, as she wrapped her hand around his waist, interlocking her fingers, ¡°Let¡¯s just go back, you aren¡¯t going either.¡±
As she clenched on her stomach, Ryder flinched, and almost instinctively stood up. Yet he clutched the handle of the motorbike, ¡°Yo! Aren¡¯t you being too touchy? Do you love me or something? Yuck.¡±
He turned his neck towards her, glancing down at her, meeting her eyes.
¡°Phuf,¡± Rachel looked away, scoffing, as she squinted her eyes, glaring back at him.
¡°It''s a survival tactic.¡±
Then, she shoved her hand further into his stomach, ¡°Just move away now, I¡¯m not gonna ask again.¡±
¡°Hey,¡± Ryder, clasped Rachel¡¯s hands, ¡°Are you¡ Hah! Now I¡¯m definitely gonna go.¡±
Rachel tightened her nose, as she pulled Ryder to the left.
¡°Let¡¯s just ¨C-¡± Rachel said, as she halted.
She stiffened up, as Ryder caught a moment and balanced himself and the bike again.
He turned back at her again, as he noticed her. Her eyes were twitching, and her lips were trembling, as she couldn¡¯t close her mouth.
Ryder quickly followed her sight, and turned her neck to where she could be looking. He could hear Rachel¡¯s breath hastening, and how she¡¯d completely removed her hands from him.
As Ryder looked to the right, his eyes dilated on instinct.
It was a humongous snake. Much thicker than what he¡¯d ever thought a snake could get. Its white scales were mudded, and even standing in the middle of the track, its body was disappearing into the woods.
¡°What the fuck?¡± Ryder mumbled to himself, as he suddenly twitched his head, shaking out of it.
He turned back, and pulled Rachel in, by her hand. Resting her hand over his waist.
Rachel instantly clasped tight on it, jumping forward on the seat, close to Ryder. And buried her face on his back.
Ryder instantly turned on the bike, and swung the handle. With one leg on the ground, the bike drifted on the mud towards the exit.
He just kept accelerating, as the bike zoomed its way through. Ryder said, ¡°Hold as tight as you can, Rachel. Please.¡±
And he clenched the handle of the bike, his muscles tensing up. The bike was springing, and hard to control, in the uneven terrain at such speed.
His face tensed. He doesn¡¯t move his head, but just shifts his eyes down the mirror, and the snake was keeping up.
Ryder¡¯s breath hitched for a moment, as he stuck his tongue out, breathing through his mouth, controlling his panic.
He clenched his teeth, as he accelerated again. He was using every ounce of strength and awareness, from letting the handle wriggle and lose control.
The motorbike was jumping through the path. It flew off a couple of meters, as it raced over a big bump.
As the bike heavily landed from the impact, Rachel whimpered, in a muffled tone. And Ryder¡¯s face scrunched up further.
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¡°Just a bit more, Rachel, we¡¯re here. I can see it.¡±
Rachel sniffed, as she shook her head, rubbing at his back, ¡°Mhm.¡±
Ryder gave the mirror, yet another look, but the snake wasn¡¯t behind them. His eyes instantly moved, fleetingly looking at both sides of the track, which were covered by thick trees.
Not noticing anything, he breathed a sigh, yet in a jiffy, his lips tightened together. His body was aching from the heavy run, and somewhere in it, his wrist had twisted in the handle pretty badly.
He focused forward, where the trail was leading out to the road. As, from the corner of his eye, a blur flew towards him. He reflexively ducked, his eyes closed. Then, he felt a needle poke, and tear through his eyelid.
The pain made Ryder jerk forward, but he bit his lip, as he let out a muffled, ¡°Mmph,¡± in faltering breath.
Noticing this, Rachel looked up, towards Ryder.
¡°What happened, are you fine?¡± She said, hurriedly tapping him on the shoulder.
¡°Mhm,¡± Ryder replied.
Rachel squinted her eyes, looking at Ryder. She gulped, as she slowly turned her neck backwards. When she didn¡¯t catch sight of the snake, her breath quickened, but her lips curled up.
She heaved a sigh, as her breath finally relaxed.
¡°Is that thing gone, Ryder? Did we lose it?¡± She asked, looking up towards Ryder¡¯s head.
¡°Yeah,¡± Ryder said, his voice slightly faltering, ¡°We are gonna reach the hotel pretty soon now.¡±
The bike hit the road, and Ryder turned it to the hotel direction. He then pulled a handkerchief out from his pocket.
Rachel¡¯s hands twitched, as if thinking of leaving Ryder¡¯s back, but then she just leaned in.
Ryder¡¯s eyes moved to the edge, wanting to look backwards, but he didn¡¯t turn back. His lips slightly curled up, but soon, his face twisted in pain again.
Blood drops were about to trickle down to his shirt, when he rushed to put a handkerchief over them, stopping them at his cheeks.
Rachel quietly rested her cheeks over the brown fabric of his jacket, peeking at the scenery of woodland, beside the road.
Ryder, not making obvious moves, wiped the blood off of his face, and wrapped the handkerchief over his right eye. He held the corners of the handkerchief at the back of his head, as Rachel turned her face to look at it.
¡°Rachel, can you tie this up for me?¡± Ryder said.
Rachel immediately pushed herself back, resting her hands on Ryder¡¯s back, to take a better look at it.
¡°What happened?¡± She said, as she peeked through the mirror that he had covered his eye.
¡°Are you injured?¡± She leaned in from the side.
Ryder looked away, hiding from Rachel''s sight as he replied, ¡°A bit. An insect bit me I guess.¡±
¡°Huh?¡± Rachel moved her hands towards his eye, as Ryder clasped it.
¡°I¡¯m still riding the bike, you idiot. Sit still.¡± He said, then he pushed her hand, pointing it towards a building, before them.
¡°See, the hotel¡¯s here too. Just tie it up for me right now. It¡¯s just a bit swollen.¡±
Rachel glanced at Ryder¡¯s face, a bit longer than she intended, as she pulled her hand back, ¡°Don¡¯t grab me like that.¡± She complained, as she took the corner of the handkerchief and tied it for him.
They reached the hotel, and Ryder pulled the bike at the roadside. The building was at a natural platform, so they both took the stairs up.
Inside, they checked in, and both of them, faring each other a good night, trudged their way to their rooms.
As Ryder locked the door, behind him, his body immediately slouched. The pain from the driving, and the discomfort at his wrist, as if it had gone hollow. The constant, writhing and poking pain at his eyelid. It all hit him.
¡°Aah!¡± He unintentionally let out a cry, as his hand reached for the handkerchief and pulled it out.
He ran towards the bathroom, and his fingers tensed, wanting to pull the pain out from his eyes, but all he could do was rest a palm over it.
His hand twitching and his face grimacing from pain, he looked at the mirror, removing his hand. There was a proper strike on his eyelids, as if cut by a knife.
His breath quickened, and he switched the tap on. He rested his hand on the basin, his breath quickening.
He gave another look, to his eye as he looked away, closing his eyes, gathering some composure.
He exhaled, as he reached for the water and splashed over his face. His fingers rubbed at his skin, around his eyes, where there were blotches of his blood.
He continued to splash at his face, not stopping. His breath quickened, and his teeth clenched. The water dripping over his right eye felt awful, but it needed to be rinsed.
After having splashed enough, he leaned himself over the basin again, catching a bit of his breath. As he looked at the wound again. It was much cleaner now.
I need to use the sanitizer. He thought.
He was about to move, but his hand instantly clutched the door frame. A beat of pain rushed through him, like a wave inside. The pain in his eye intensified, but his eyes were closing and his breath was staggering. His body, slightly convulsing.
He was losing his senses, as he staggered out of the bathroom and fell straight over the carpet.
¡°Ugh,¡± He let out a strangled voice, as his eyes completely closed and then, he didn¡¯t move.
Chapter 2 - What is happening?
Ryder whined, ¡°Ughssss¡ª¡±
His right eye was itching restlessly, so much that he wanted to gouge it out. He placed his palm over the carpet, groggily pulling himself up, when his hand slipped.
Trrr! He heard a sound, as he sleepily opened his eyes.
His vision was weird. The left side of his was bright and cheery, like the usual sunny day in the woodlands. But his right view was pitch black, brimming with colorful apparitions. Like colourful shadows, wriggling in the dark.
His brain halted, and he pushed back. His eyebrows tilting up, and the heavy eyelids trudging upwards to open the eyes.
He closed his eyes and shook his head, but the view of his right eye didn''t change. He turned to the left, and looked outside the window ¡ª the day was bright and cheery. But half his vision, saw it like a purple ball, twitching in the middle of the darkest night.
His eyebrows rose up, as he instinctively pushed his hand on the floor with force. Unexpectedly, the same Trrr! Sounded, and he got pushed much farther.
From over the carpet, he had pushed himself straight to the wall, almost from one end of the room to the other.
His back crashed on the wall, and it shook.
¡°Aahssss¨C¡± He grumbled, as he rubbed the back of his head, and looked towards the torn carpet.
His lips parted, and for a jiffy his breath stopped. He put his hand on the floor, to stand up as he heard a Clank.
He swiftly looked to his palm, and his eyebrows scrunched. His fingers had purple nails, fashionably coming out of his fingers, clanking with the floor.
¡°Wohsss¨C¡± He said, as he jumped, weirdly flying from a relaxed sitting, to a stand.
He looked up, and ran his eyes all around the room. Half his view was red, green shapes dancing in pitch black.
He brandished his fingers before him, and they had, purple and sharp, diamond nails.
His brain overrode, as he slapped his forehead, slowly dragging it to brush his hair. Then, the wriggling itchiness of his eye, poked under his eye socket, as he clenched his teeth, and rushed to the bathroom.
His breath was staggering, and his eyes weren¡¯t blinking¡ open, and fierce. The weird, constant itchiness in his eyes and the presence of nails he could feel over his fingers. The constant weird black view, to which he had to adjust to¡ It was all messing with his brain.
He grabbed the metal knob, and clenched on it. The door opened, as he pushed, but the handle crunched along with his hand.
His body stopped, noticing it, but then he just flared his nose and pulled at the handle, his muscles surging on his arm. The handle snapped, and broke, as he flung it back.
He entered the door, and looked at the mirror. And all the pain faded into silence.
His body paused, only a long, and slow gulp forming at his neck.
His right eye wasn''t having a white sclera. But only stark black, over which there was a gleaming, purple iris.
Ryder didn¡¯t know how he didn¡¯t feel it, but the right- half of his cheek was ripped to his ear. And it was flashing, long, white, conical teeth. They started savagely from the red flesh, and their pointy edges were interlocking over each other.
His eyes forgot to blink, as his finger touched his face, feeling the cold texture of the teeth, and the warm breath escaping them.
The half of the lips, which were left, slightly curled up. He watched, as he let the purplish, diamond nail clank with the teeth.
¡°Hsss¨C¡± He hissed, as he stuck out his tongue to speak which was half, slithering like a snake, and half rolling like a human¡¯s.
His half-lips curled up further, as he said, ¡°Ohsss¡ It¡¯ss¡ beau¨Cs-tifulss..¡±
His lips were now curling into a grin he couldn¡¯t control.
A chuckle broke out of him, as he weirdly hissed them out. They were slowly revving up into laughter.
Soon, he was swinging uncontrollably from the laughter. He leaned into the sink to control himself, only to catch a glimpse of his face, and laugh further.
A smell of vivid sourness, as if rotten oranges, sneakily pervaded the bathroom, but he couldn¡¯t stop laughing.
Playfully scrunching his nose, he said, ¡°Itsss¡ sstinksss.¡± As he pinched his nose close.
His smile suddenly paused, as a chill ran down his spine. It wasn¡¯t human sense, but he could sense it.
He could feel it¡ the heavy, purple energy, shimmering just behind him. The source of the stench.
It had pounced on him.
Ryder jumped to the side, and turned back. A gigantic figure had interlocked his oversized palms. Projecting the strike from the top of his head, it was jumping down at Ryder. But Ryder had moved out, so his hands demolished the basin into dust and rubble.
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Crouching at the ground, it slowly turned its thick neck towards Ryder. A wide grin flashed on its face.
Despite its bulky size, and shoulders almost as wide as a truck, it punched swiftly at Ryder.
Ryder twitched, as his heart rate spiked. The punch was fast, but he was faster. He quickly countered the punch with his own.
Their punches collided, and the way Ryder¡¯s punch couldn¡¯t even fully stretch. Ryder¡¯s eyes dilated.
It¡¯s punch bulldozed through him, jerking his hand back, meeting his chest. His heart stopped for a moment, and his bones cracked. A cough escaping from him.
That punch catapulted Ryder back to the corner of the bathroom walls, and the wall cracked open. His head poking out of the hotel building.
Ryder didn¡¯t relax, as he squirmed and pushed his leg, wanting to push himself completely out of the wall. But before him, the truck kicked him in the abs from inside.
For a moment, Ryder blacked out from it, as he was ragdolled out of the hotel building ¡ª straight down the road.
Just before colliding, Ryder opened his eyes, and shielded his face, holding his forearms. From the force, he slid and rolled down the concrete road. He dug his nails in the road, but he couldn¡¯t stop himself from falling into the woodland beside it.
The truck grinned as it jumped down the road, breaking the wall, following behind Ryder.
In the forest, Ryder had stabilized himself midway, digging his nails in the muddy incline. He looked up, standing straight. He scrunched his nose, as loaded his nails.
Somehow, the pain was healing much better than he thought.
The truck came down jumping, as it cracked the tree midway, from the momentum. The tree headed straight down at Ryder.
Ryder, his eyes not blinking, dodged the tree. The monster behind the tree chuckled, as he said, ¡°You guys are always fun to eat.¡±
It stretched its shoulder back, turning his torso, projecting a punch at him. It came crashing down, towards Ryder.
Ryder was barely faster. He dodged to the right.
Like he had planned, his left-hand, went straight for gouging his eye. The truck realized he couldn¡¯t dodge it. Its eyes widened as he reflexively jerked, but the nails tore through its eye.
¡°Aah!¡± It shouted, ¡°You fuck¨C¡±
It went for a quick slap with its large palm at Ryder.
Ryder couldn''t dodge it. He blocked it with his right-hand, tucked to his side, but the force was too much. He flung away.
The monster¡¯s breath was ragged, and its palm resting over his eye, twitching.
¡°Fuck,¡± It mumbled as he watched Ryder, counter the momentum, by digging its nails on the ground ¡ª standing up again.
¡°Does this thing not feel pain? Don¡¯t tell me¡¡± Its heart palpitated, mouth gasping for breath.
¡°Is this one of the mutated ones?¡±
The beat of his life, quickened like anything, watching Ryder, stand straight again. Looking at him, casually swinging his arms.
As Ryder began to run towards him, Truck lost it.
It faced the other side and just thumped on the ground, dashing his way out.
It didn¡¯t look back. It didn¡¯t stop, and just thumped its way out.
Behind him, Ryder, stopped when it started to thump his way out.
What the fuck? He commented, internally.
Ryder swung his body around, in all joints and it felt completely fine.
But then he heard the police siren, on the road above him.
Police?... Oh fuck?... Everything I was doing was real. The damage¡ and Rachel. The thoughts raced inside him.
He gave the road above a quiet look. Slowly, his heart started to pump faster. It wasn¡¯t visible from here, but police would soon be down here.
Ryder paused for a second, as he looked to the other side. Inside the forest, away from the hotel. And he didn¡¯t think twice.
He picked up the pace, and dashed. The power coursing through him.
He leapt on a tree, halfway, as he dug his nails, and anchored them inside the trunk. As he swung, and pushed, chipping the wood away, leaping up at the tree.
He dug another nail, and leapt further, reaching the top, as he landed onto a tender branch.
It recoiled and pushed him up.
For a moment, he could watch the forest of trees, pervading throughout.
He came, blitzing down, as he brandished his fingers, and dug into whatever tree he could, to slow down the moment.
The landing was harsh, but he rolled down, carrying the momentum. He dug at the mud, and pushed more, dashing his way, inside the forest.
Chapter 3 - The black claw
Ryder was seeing it all. The green trees, rustling under the wind, shining under the sun. And, the black world, of dancing colors. His eyes shifted in all directions, scanning for any change, in either of the white or black worlds. His legs tensed, bolted through the forest, and his claws, chipping away the wood off the trees.
He noticed a giant tree on his way, and leapt at it, effortlessly clawing his way to the top. He swung himself, and caught a branch at the top. Though it wouldn¡¯t hold long, Ryder got a view from the top.
In the black world, with wriggling colors blotched all over. He noticed a single place fuming with one large speck of pink.
The branch was about to break, as Ryder noted the direction, and swung himself. The branch broke, but he clawed onto the tree before him ¨C dragging himself down. Then, he jumped back to the ground, and looked up at the tree which he just was in.
Estimating the direction he was looking at, he confirmed the direction, and ran towards it. With Ryder¡¯s speed, the distance wasn¡¯t long, but he didn¡¯t run all in. If he were to get into another scuffle, it would be stupid to lose because of stamina.
As Ryder was several feet away, he could sense its presence. The presence was big enough, not to go unnoticed. Ryder wasn¡¯t positive about being able to hide his presence, but he didn¡¯t want to make him obvious either.
He walked his way through these several meters. Hiding behind the trees, and observing all around. But he could sense nothing, except for the source, which was a small lake, amidst the cluster of trees.
Ryder wasn¡¯t sure why the lake was so speckless, but he didn¡¯t want to step out in what could be a blatant trap. He climbed the tree before him, and waited, keeping his eyes in all directions.
Can there be beings which can hide their presences? Honestly, that purple truck, was stupid as fuck. I got lucky.
Ryder relaxed, and crouched himself on a branch, sneakily looking around.
If that moron could locate me, have the beings here located me already? I¡¯m officially dead, if that is true. Especially if it¡¯s a group, I have no chance. Should I just leave?
But then again¡ fuck it, I don¡¯t wanna go back.
Just then, Ryder caught a color twitching and moving forward towards the lake. It was a deer, slowly and gracefully walking. Ryder, squinted his eyes, and adjusted his posture to look at it.
He followed its movement, as it was sauntering its way to the lake. Idling here and there ¨C perhaps it wasn¡¯t too thirsty. But roughly, around a ten or so feet from the lake, it leapt forward.
As soon as it leapt forward, a speck of white light flashed in Ryder¡¯s black world. The deer transformed midair into a humanoid creature, with six arms. Four of them were spider appendages ¨C a pair from back in the shoulder, and a pair from the lower back. The third pair was just regular human hands.
It swiftly dashed forward, but an arrow, somewhere from the far left zoomed towards it. Again, it was laced with a white energy, twitching through it. The spider monster rolled away, creating a significant distance, but the arrow exploded the ground as it hit.
The spider turned left, and brandished his hand in the air, as a white-flash twitched in the black world. It had shot a stick of web back, as it rushed towards the lake. But then, as if sensing something, it suddenly halted and backed off. In the black world, Ryder could sense a heavy color twitching inside the water now. Much heavier than the spider.
Out of the water, a large paw appeared, striking the ground. The spider had moved away, but it staggered as the mud splattered everywhere. Amidst the mess, a lion-faced monster appeared from the inside. It leapt out, to land a strike at the spider. It¡¯s thick arms, almost half the size of the spider.
Ryder decided to focus on gauging the party''s strength and number. Right now, in his black world, the colors had appeared all around him. Apparently, one of them was perched in the tree just beside his. Other than that, three more appeared to be on his left, and similarly four others to his right. He looked down, and mud had splattered all around. But the spider was doing a good job, dodging.
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If one guy could do the job, why are there eight others? Were they expecting a wholeass team or sth?
Ryder got up, balancing himself over the branch, and quietly clawed to the trunk. He kept an eye, and the monster beside him wasn¡¯t moving.
They must be alert then. But why haven¡¯t they not caught on to my color yet? Do they not have such powers? If not, then¡ Can I take this guy down and run back?But if I run, there¡¯s no guarantee till where they¡¯d chase me.
He noticed again, that in the black world, no color actually moved.
If they are in a formation, waiting for a team, then the best thing would be to make a gamble right now. If another couple of fucks appeared, they¡¯ll kill me for being here. But what if I fight this guy beside me, and throw these colors off. The other fucks appear and they mess these up. I can run away then. Perfect!
Ryder locked his eyes, at the speck of red, twitching on the tree. He pushed down with his leg, at the branch he was standing, and it didn¡¯t crack. He shook his nails, dug into the trunk robustly. Then he moved to the far end of the branch, and dashed two steps, as he tensed his muscles and pushed back. His hand snapping off the trunk, as he launched towards the other tree.
Ryder could see the red color move. When it got into his sight, it looked exactly like the spider down there. Ryder flew down, and caught it with one of its appendages, and pulled him with the force. Ryder wasn¡¯t able to land on the tree, so he pulled the spider along with him. Manhandling the spider, he latched his claws to the trunk of the tree near him, dragging down. He threw the spider, as it fell down. It dug its limbs in the mud, to stabilize.
Ryder loaded his claws, jumping down, ready to strike, when his senses alerted him of the more presences nearby. Both of them turned their heads to look at the group of humanoid monsters walking towards the lake. They had a tiger-headed leader, resting a broad sword on his shoulders.
His color matches that lionhead. Fuck¡ Ryder, think! Think!
Ryder landed and rolled to a stand. The other colors behind him, all came out. The lionhead appeared from the other side, crunching on the spider¡¯s head.
¡°Oy!¡± The lionhead shouted, ¡°Baby¡¯s here after all huh? What¡¯s the numbers? You scared, cat?¡±
It flung the half-head of the spider, towards the tiger, ¡°Yar boy¡¯s are too weak. Might as well feed them to dricks.¡±
And then, it turned to its group, where Ryder was standing as an imposter. It laughed, and they all started laughing.
Think, think, think, fuck!
The tiger swung its sword out of its shoulders, down to the ground. Then dragging the sword through the mud, it moved to the spider¡¯s half-crunched head. It looked down at it, and then up at the heartily laughing lionhead. It crouched, and picked up the head, just looking at it.
It dug a part of the sword in the mud, and then it put the head back on the ground, as it looked up at the lion.
¡°My boy, faced whatever,¡± it pointed at the lion, ¡°Yar shitass will be facing all that too.¡±
The tiger¡¯s team tensed up, scrunching their faces, and flexing their weapons. The laughter in the lion''s team died too, and both the teams prepared for a clash. When abruptly a laughter echoed through, as all the humanoids, instantly turned their faces.
¡°Sshahaszz! Sshahahaaass!¡± Ryder laughed, jolting his whole body. Heaving his chest, almost gasping for breath from the laughter, he staggered forward towards the middle. To his far left, lionhead was glaring at him, and to his front, there was the tiger and its team. Behind him, was the lion¡¯s squad.
¡°Stupidss! Ss-you guyss are funny.¡±
Ryder looked at the lion, and then towards the tiger. He moved forward, now standing in the middle of them all. His arms crossed.
¡°Both-hs s-you, why are-ss ss-you h-e-ere?¡± He said, as he was striving to control his tongue. Half his tongue was rolling, and the other could only slide like a snake¡¯s. Both half, were doing different functions, so his tongue was rolling and sliding, at the same time.
The tiger and the lion just watched him for a moment, not removing their gazes. But then, the lion moved forward, ¡°Yo! What¡¯s this crazy fu¨C¡±
Ryder brandished his palm in the air, towards the lion. His other hand, casually resting in his pocket. The lion paused midway, just glaring at him.
¡°D-s-on¡¯t s-come forward s-if ss-you don¡¯t wanna die.¡± Ryder said.
Yeah, I meant I don¡¯t wanna die.
The tiger pulled its sword out of the ground, as it said, ¡°Yar who? Did ya come from the tower?¡±
What the fuck is the tower now, bro?
¡°S-idiot, I¡¯m s-from the tower¡¯s-s s-faction.¡± He replied, now getting a better hang of his tongue.
¡°Wait!¡± A winged monster, shouted from the tiger¡¯s group, ¡°Boss!¡± It turned towards the tiger, ¡°This prick ya no prick.¡±
¡°Huh?¡± The tiger turned towards it, ¡°bark more, ya idiot. Ya know somethin?¡±
A pale-faced, and tailed monster shouted from the lion¡¯s team, ¡°Ya don¡¯t mean the black claw, do yo birdie?¡±
The bird shouted back, ¡°yo!¡±
The lion shouted from the right, ¡°Y''all, who¡¯s this black claw shit?¡±
¡°Boss,¡± The tailed monster replied, ¡°It¡¯s a richass from the tower¡¯s faction.¡± The tailed monster, looked at Ryder, gulping, ¡°He killed the fucking blue dragon in the west.¡±
The fuck are these idiots! Don¡¯t laugh, don¡¯t!
Ryder interrupted, and spoke in between, ¡°S-I didn¡¯t kill s-it. S-I ss-slaughtered.¡±
I can live another day!
Chapter 4 - Who wins the brawl?
¡°Ya know the shit you¡¯re spatin?¡± The lion roared, to his hench-monster. ¡°Ya wait I¡¯ll fuck you up.¡±
It began to move forward, as the tiger clanked its paw at its broadsword.
¡°Ya idiot cat! See that lord¡¯s stand, he not scared shit of us.¡± The tiger spat, looking at the lion. And from the crowd beside the tiger, an old cat rubbed its beard, and meowed, ¡°True, mi lord. Never seen such a¡ classy dialect. His snake whispers¡ he is truly the best.¡±
¡°Old man,¡± the sickle-handed, cricket monster beside him spoke up, ¡°is ya saying he¡¯s a ranger from tower?¡±
The cat purred, as it glared back at the cricket and slowly nodded. The whole crowd gasped.
What are these idiots? Did becoming animals eat their brain? Ryder glared at the tiger, and the lion, his hands inside the pockets of his polyester trousers. If I have to, I¡¯ll fight this lionhead. It seems easier to defeat. I can act like I am not struggling. It looks stupid as fuck.
¡°Hey, Lion¡± Ryder said, as the tongue was becoming better in control, ¡°and s-you all! Why aren¡¯t s-you all kneeling?¡±
Okay¡ now the lion might attack, be ready. Ryder glared at the lion, who was standing upright in its wideass stance. Its eyes flickered to his group, which was whispering in themselves, their hands relaxed. They clearly weren¡¯t ready to attack. Its eyes shifted to the tiger, and it was holding its sword, but it knew they¡¯d both die than help each other out.
¡°Sir,¡± It slouched slightly, looking at Ryder, ¡°Why ya¡ only taking my name? This cat don¡¯t believe you.¡± It pointed its large paws at the tiger. Ryder followed, and his gaze shifted to the tiger.
¡°¡®Cause -s s- you are ss-stronger, Lion.¡± Ryder replied, both his eyes shifting between both of them. His right eye giving him a constant scan of the black world, and no color was moving ¨C only twitching in their places like they always did.
Hearing the words, a smirk tugged at the lion''s face, as it glanced at the tiger. Tiger didn¡¯t turn, but its whiskers twitched. It lifted its sword forward, pointing at Ryder, and said, ¡°Sir, Ya wrong. I ain¡¯t weaker than this cat.¡±
Great. Ryder¡¯s hissingly chuckled, as he looked at the tiger. ¡°How would s-I know?¡± He took a casual step forward, and pointed his hand at the tiger, ¡°Get this-s ss-sword off my face.¡± Then he gestured his hand to the lion, ¡°Point s-it at that s-cat.¡±
The lion stepped forward, punching its hand together. ¡°Do ya mean a fight, Sir?¡±
Ryder clicked his fingers, ¡°S-Yes! And s-I will be the s-judge.¡± Half his tongue slithered out like a snake, amid his fierce teeth. A smirk tugging at his half-lips. ¡°Whoever dies loses-ss!¡±
The old cat from the tiger¡¯s group shouted, ¡°What wise decision!¡±
A young cat from the lion''s group whispered, ¡°It is?¡± When, the tailed monster from the group, shushed it. ¡°Ya wanna get minced? He will tear yar limbs out, idiot!¡± And then, it turned to the Ryder, who was standing in the middle, and began to clap. ¡°Yo! Woho!¡± As he turned back and whispered, ¡°Clap ya idiots!¡±
Seeing the tailed monster¡¯s dedication, the lion¡¯s group slowly began to clap. Following suit, the old cat began a wave of clap from the tiger¡¯s group. Soon, they began howling, cheering, and soon they started tossing pebbles up, which landed on their own heads.
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Ryder calmly watched them. It''s an animal culture, I guess.
¡°I¡¯ll trust ya then sir.¡± The tiger nodded at Ryder, as it swung its sword in its hand, moving towards the lion. The lion turned to his squad, and roared, ¡°Ya, birdie, throw me yar sword.¡±
The blue-winged monster twisted its shoulder, holding the sword, and flung it towards the lion. It landed beside him, the lion picked it up, smirking. ¡°Ya know, I¡¯m itchin to taste ya.¡±
¡°Aaauuuuh!¡± A wolf monster howled from the tiger¡¯s group, and the fight had started. Lion instantly held up its curvy broadsword and leapt at the tiger. The tiger watched it for a beat, as it dodged the sword, as it landed on empty ground. It didn¡¯t swing its sword, but just rushed at the lion¡¯s chest with its heavy shoulders. The lion received the strike and staggered.
The tiger immediately followed with a swing of his own broadsword. Lion leapt to the right, and dodged it. It swung its sword at the tiger¡¯s neck, but it just stepped back, and the sword missed. Now both of their swords, dragging in the mud, they circled ¨C glaring at each other.
A young, rat-faced monster squeaked from the crowd, ¡°Kill him, Boss!¡± As the other followed in progression, ¡°Kill that lion!¡± And the lion squad joined in, ¡°Fuck that tiger, Boss!¡±
Soon, the ground was squeaking, howling, purring, crying, one and only one word, ¡°Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!¡±
The lion roared, as it charged, pulling its sword up. The tiger, too, projected its sword from the back, and both of their swords clinked. Their canines appeared out of their lips, their teeth gnashing, and muscles flexing in their bare chest. ¡°Aaah!¡± They both shouted, as the white energy enveloped them in the black world. None of them, moving away, they feet at the muddy ground, clawing inside to hold their stand.
Fuck¡ they are strong. Ryder casually walked, keeping an eye on the fight, taking glances. Then he gradually moved to the tiger¡¯s group. The youngsters were howling and cheering, only the old cat noticed Ryder approaching and respectfully bowed.
¡°Greet the ranger lord!¡± It shouted, but obviously, they were all too busy cheering for their boss. Ryder just raised a hand to him, and gestured to him to stop. He closed the distance, and whispered, ¡°Old s-cat, s-you know, s-you have been s-chosen?¡±
Fuck, I am starting to hate speaking! What is this tongue?
The cat¡¯s big eyes suddenly glistened, as it moved towards him, keeping its head down.
¡°Sir, mi lord, I hear right?¡± It purred.
Ryder moved forward, as he swung his hand around its shoulder, ¡° Of s-course, old s-cat.¡± Then, behind them, where the tiger and lion were fighting, a large boom resounded. The cat instinctively turned its head, but held it by its beard and pulled it back.
¡°S-your boss is going to win anyway. Focus here.¡± Ryder said, as a wide grin appeared on the cat''s face. ¡°Of course, ranger sir, of course. Our boss won¡¯t lose. What you want, sir?¡±
Ryder gave it a side glance, as he chuckled, ¡°haha-ss-ha-ss!¡± Then he suddenly paused, ¡°Do s-you know about the one s-hit to ss-sleep?¡± The cat¡¯s eyebrows scrunched up, its nose tensed, as it rolled a hand over its beard, ¡°Sir¡¡± It looked towards Ryder, ¡°No, ranger sir, I have never heard of such a wonder.¡±
An awkward smile, tugged at Ryder¡¯s half lips, ¡°Me neither.¡± And he clutched the cat¡¯s neck from the side, with his forearm, and pulling it towards him, he poked the back of its neck.
I hope I remembered it right.
The old cat didn''t let out a whimper, and crashed out on his hand. Ryder noted from his black world that all the colors were dancing in their places, watching the fight. And by the looks of it, the fight was still going fierce. He picked up at the cat in its hands, and made a run for it.
In the fight, the tiger was pushed back by lion¡¯s upfront strikes ¨C cracks had appeared on its broadsword. Whereas, the lion¡¯s sword appeared much unharmed.
¡°Yo!¡± The bird from the tiger¡¯s squad shouted, ¡°Y¡¯all that lion¡¯s ass is cheatin.¡±
A cat from the lion¡¯s group retorted, ¡°Yar cat is weak as fuck, idiot!¡±
¡°I¡¯ll cut yar ball out, you fuck!¡± The cricket clanked its sickle-hands.
¡°I¡¯ll fucking squash you from the sky.¡± The birdie from the lion¡¯s group squeaked.
¡°I¡¯ll eat mince yar wings up before that ya fucker.¡± The tiger shouted. It was crouching on the ground, having taken a heavy strike, but the fight had paused from the heat surging up amongst the squads.
¡°Ya quack, I¡¯ll feed you to the dirks today.¡± The lion leapt at the tiger.
¡°Yo fuckers, protect the boss!¡± The wolf howled from the tiger squad, as all of them took their weapons out, clenching their grips, and tensing their muscles. They dashed towards the lion.
¡°Let¡¯s fucking end these fuckers today!¡± The lion¡¯s squad¡¯s tailed monster squeaked, as they all brandished their weapons and ran to strike their heads off their body.
Chapter 5 - Who are you guys?
The aftermath of the battle between the two monster¡¯s squads was only blood, and corpses impaled with weapons. Some minced, some ripped and half eaten, some blooded all over. Only the stench of blood, and crowing of the crows was dominant.
Somewhere far off, Ryder had just rested, placing the cat under a tree ¨C resting its body on the trunk. Its heart was beating, yet it was knocked out cold. It hadn¡¯t even let out a purr the whole way.
So, Ryder just decided to loot the cat in the meantime. He got a large dagger. Slightly curvy, it had a comfortable, brown-clothed grip, and glittering edge. He held the dagger in his hand, as the cat¡¯s whiskers moved, and it appeared to slowly drag its eyes up.
Wrr¡ The cat purred, as it lethargically opened its eyes. Its hand instinctively went to its nape, where Ryder had poked a hole with his claws. It tried to recall what happened but its memory was hazy. It looked to the right, and then to the left, as it caught the sight of Ryder¡¯s leg standing before it.
The cat was finding it hard to open its eyes under the sun. It squinted its eyes, shadowing them with its hand. It looked up at Ryder ¨C the face, half torn, and a dark eye, glimmering with purple iris. It instantly gasped, and its body twitched, looking for an escape, only to be met by the trunk at its back.
The cat looked up at Ryder. It opened its mouth, but then paused, and closed it again. It¡¯s whiskers drooping.
¡°Oh are s-you s-starting to recall now?¡± Ryder crouched in front of it, his half-lip slightly curved up.
The cat¡¯s breath became jagged, as its claws came out on its paw,"?T¨² cabr¨®n! ?Hijo de puta! Oh Se?or, s¨¢lvame!¡±
It dug its nails on the trunk of the tree behind it, trying to lift itself up, slowly. Watching Ryder, glare at it with smiling eyes, was making its knees halt it from standing. Ryder pointed the dagger at it. He tilted its neck slightly, ¡°Old s-cat,¡± half his tongue hissed out of his monstrous teeth, ¡°where did s-you guys s-come from?¡±
He pushed the dagger to the cat¡¯s, white hanging beard.
¡°S-If s-you don¡¯t s-cat, s-I¡¯ll,¡± he menacingly rolled the dagger over its beard, ¡°s-I¡¯ll s-cut s-your beard out.¡±
What the fuck is up with my speech? When will it get better!? For a moment, his lips twitched and face tensed up.
¡°Mi lord!¡± The old cat¡¯s brown fur paled, as it leapt forward, and prostrated in front of Ryder ¨C straight as a stick. ¡°Mi lord!¡± Tears started to well up, out of its eyes, soaking the moist ground further, ¡°Please, your grace, don¡¯t cut this old man¡¯s beard.¡±
It lifted its chin up, as it rolled a reminiscing hand over its beard, ¡°This beard¡she¡¯s been with me for long and far.¡± It sniffled, as it lifted itself up slightly, looking at Ryder with its big, tear-wet eyes, ¡°She¡¯s my only companion.¡± And then it shoved the white beard onto its chest, closing its eyes, as if relishing the last moments with it.
I swear I¡¯ll ¨C
¡°Se?or,¡± It said, quietly opening its eyes, warmly looking at Ryder, ¡°Even when I was a spanish lad, I always patted on my beard, though it was black back then. Unfortunately, I got married, but my love for her never died. It only flamed.¡±
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Okay¡ this thing¡¯s sick¡ Ryder¡¯s eyes instinctively squinted, and its lips parted in a gasp.
¡°In the coming years, Se?or!... If I go to heaven¡ I just need her,¡± It pushed up its beard with its pawn again, looking at it. A tear dropped to soak, and droop the bundle of white fur, ¡°So, just kill me, Se?or, pero leave my beard.¡±
This fuck¨C no, it¡¯s just an idiot. A pure idiot. Ryder¡¯s nose flared, but then he relaxed. His eyes ¨C the window to one¡¯s soul ¨C only glinted with pure desperation. A desperation to run away from this situation¡ this cat.
¡°Old s-cat¡ s-I¡¡± Ryder pinched his eyes, landing a hand on the ground, ¡°s-I¡¯m really impressed by s-your love.¡± He made his shoulder dance, up and down, in a rhythm, as if sobbing.
The cat looked up. Its beard fell out of its hands, as it paused. A gleam forming in its eyes, heightened by the beautiful rays of the sun. ¡°Se?or!¡± Its heart palpitated, ¡°Se?or, are you the fellow beardman I¡¯ve been searching for years?¡± It leaned forward towards Ryder.
Ryder¡¯s body halted for a moment, but then he just continued to dance his shoulders. Slowly, it glanced out of his fingers, staring at the old cat¡¯s eyes, and gave a slow nod. Instantly, the cat leapt at him, as both its paws held his hand, shaking it vigorously.
¡°Mi lord, I can¡¯t.. I can¡¯t,¡± Its throat clogged, as its body leaned in further and hugged Ryder. The brow fur, and weirdly grown white beard itched Ryder¡¯s skin. He held its shoulders wanting to push it away, when his black world tingled.
What? Ryder¡¯s eyes dilated, as he instantly pushed away the cat, but it was swift. It had already dug its claws into his arm. When Ryder pushed it, the claws tore through his biceps ¨C lacerating them.
The cat clashed onto the tree. It coughed, lying on the ground, as it pushed it up slightly.
¡°Liar, t¨² liar, you aren¡¯t a beardsman!¡± It brandished its claws out again, glaring at Ryder.
Ryder had his palm rubbing over his biceps, but surprisingly he didn¡¯t feel pain. He could see chunks of his own flesh lying beside him, and blood dripping out of his wound, unceasingly. His mouth twisted, and his teeth grinded together.
¡°S-you fucker, are s-you s-insane?¡± Ryder swung the dagger in his hands, as he stood up, and walked towards the cat, ¡°s-you know I s-can s-cut s-your beard anytime? Huh?¡±
Terror flashed in the cat¡¯s eyes. It¡¯s eyes shiftily looking around, helplessly looking around, finding nothing but trees, and grass. ¡°I¡¯ll claw your eyes out.¡± It shrieked.
¡°Pffsss,¡± Ryder scoffed, half-human, half-snake tongue, flashing out from the middle of his lips. He stopped just before the cat monster. The humane body of the cat, yet its furry face, and its hairy paws, looked insanely weird. Ryder pointed the dagger over the cat, ¡°S-stupid beardsman, s-I just need one thing.¡±
The cat looked up at Ryder, glaring, but its eyes were twitching. It softly growled, flashing its fangs out, ¡°I¡¯ll not give you one thing, I swear on my beard.¡±
I swear I¡¯ll cut this thing¡¯s head off.
Ryder loaded the fingers of his left hand, right one holding the dagger on the cat¡¯s head, as it swung his claws onto the tree before him ¨C leaving its trunk ravaged at the top. The cat monster looked up, as its eyes kept firmly glaring, but its throat couldn¡¯t help but unreluctantly gulp.
¡°Next, s-it¡¯ll be¡± Ryder pointed at its beard, ¡°her.¡±
The cat instantly covered the beard with its paws. Its hands twitching, finding it hard to hold the beard. ¡°No¡ you won¡¯t. I¨C¡± It paused, as Ryder¡¯s half-humane lips curled up.
¡°Oh, s-you bet!¡±
The cat instinctively gasped, its hands leaving its beard, claws trying to roll over the mud, as if wanting to miraculously find an escape. It struggled to push itself back, only to be helplessly met with the robust trunk. It glanced, back at the trunk, the helplessness in its big, cat eyes evident.
It slowly turned back to Ryder, ¡°Mi lord¡ I¡¯ll¡ I¡¯ll tell you anything¡ just don¡¯t kill her.¡± It clasped its beard, and tightly closed its eyes. ¡°Sorry, tiger boss¡ I have fallen to the enemy tactics.¡± It mumbled to itself.
¡°Hey!¡± Ryder called it out, snapping it out of its daze, ¡°Tell me¡ where did s-you guys s-come from? And, how did s-you become this¡¡± He eyed the humanoid, cat monster up and down, ¡°thing.¡±
Chapter 6 - A white wall?
Hah! Hah! Hah! The cat was huffing, and its heart could be heart, hitting its ribs. It looked at Ryder, looked behind him at the trees. Then it turned back to find something, but it knew it couldn¡¯t escape.
¡°Dude,¡± Ryder said, slapping his forehead, slowly squishing his face under the weight of his palm, ¡°z-just tell me.¡±
¡°Se?or!¡± It meowed, ¡°you have to swear on her first,¡± It pushed its beard to the front, ¡°swear on her, that you won¡¯t hurt her.¡±
For a moment, Ryder¡¯s teeth clenched hard, and his hand almost slipped the dagger to the cat¡¯s neck. But he took a huge, relaxing breath and forced a smile on his face, ¡°Mhm, s-I swear on this lovely beard.¡±
The cat¡¯s breath instantly relaxed, as a wide grin formed on its face. It rubbed its arms over its lips, as if trying to hide it, but its face was blooming with a smile ¨C it couldn¡¯t hide it.
¡°Then, I¡¯ll tell you, Se?or, I¡¯ll tell you. What did you want to know again?¡± It looked at Ryder, its ears pricking up.
Hah! Finally!
¡°How did s-you become a s-cat, umm, monster thing.¡± Ryder sized it up again, unsure of just what to call it.
¡°Ahaha, Se?or!¡± The cat laughed, ¡°You joke well. I¡¯m a turo-nine.¡±
Turo what now? Ryder dubiously stared back, ¡°Ah¡ turo-nine, like the s-cat monster?¡±
¡°Yeah, mi lord, you can say that.¡± The cat replied, vigorously nodding its head, as it started to pull itself up from the ground.
Ryder followed it through, quietly waiting for it to drag around, pop a few bones, pulling itself up.
¡°How did s-you become this, old s-cat? A s-cat bit s-you?¡± Ryder hissed out.
¡°How did you know, Se?or!?¡± It said, clasping its palms together, as if ready to get down on its knees, ¡°Are you a prophet?¡±
Oh my god¡ please, god! Ryder cried, yet his face just twitched for a moment, not taking long to adjust back.
I feel like I¡¯ll loose my brain.
Ryder chuckled, hardening his feelings of absolute aversion to the cat¡¯s stupidity, ¡°Did s-you get bit s-in the eye?¡±
The cat, still somehow smiling widely, casually swung its head in a no, ¡°It ate my beard, Se?or. It seems like your prophet skills are still young, and not matured enough.¡± It said, shifting to a face of contemplation, with its plain, old habit of rolling his beard, with its paws.
¡°Ahahass¨C¡± Ryder mimicked the cat, aimlessly and stupidly nodding, ¡°s-you are true, old s-cat, s-I z-just became a prophet yesterday.¡±
I mean I did become a ¡°something¡± yesterday.
¡°Yeah, Se?or! The cat ate my beard, and then it didn¡¯t stop,¡± The cat just kept swinging its head casually, clutching its beard, "It clawed on my throat,¡± It pointed at its larynx, still swinging its head with casual momentum, "it got blooded, I fainted, and then I woke up like this.¡±
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Bingo! Sounds familiar.
Ryder immediately stopped, the muscles from forming his smart smile over his lips, and just stupidly started to swing its head, ¡°Aah, and old s-cat, what did that s-cat look like?¡±
¡°Oh Se?or!¡± It gleefully meowed, ¡°It looked like a tiger and elephant had a baby, and then someone fed it booze instead of milk. It was strong, and crazy. Do you get it, mi lord?¡± It gave Ryder a look, opening its closed, smiling eyes, as Ryder replied with just another casual bob of his head, with a stupid smile on his face. The cat returned the smile, and closed its eyes again, swinging its head.
I guess the cat bit you crazy.
Ryder scrunched his nose up, watching the cat monster stupidly giggling, and swinging its head. He suppressed his truest desire to beat the heck out of this cat, and started stupidly smiling back, ¡°Oh, and old s-cat, were s-you like on the deathbed, and then s-suddently woke up like this?¡± He stepped his stupid grin up a step, as the cat opened its eyes to look at him.
Seeing the prophet laugh so gleefully, the cat closed its eyes again with satisfaction, ¡°No, mi lord, you are still a young prophet. I bit that cat to death.¡± It meowingly giggled, ¡°My teeth were strong even as a human, haha.¡± It said, flashing its canines, as it then began to stupidly smile again.
What the fuck!? Ryder couldn¡¯t help but mutter this within himself. Focus, Ryder, it''s about the goal. I need to know more. Come on¡ this stupid cat is precious right now.
He flashed a smile again, ¡°Of s-course, old s-cat s-I didn¡¯t expect less.¡±
The cat annoyingly giggled, ¡°Ahaha! Of course, mi lord, of course!¡± It suddenly shrieked.
Ryder just helplessly clenched further at the dagger. I¡¯ll eat this shit up once I get the info.
¡°Ahaha,¡± He spat out, devouring his emotions, ¡°and by the way, old s-cat, where did s-you guys s-come from? That wall? Ahaha!¡±
Ryder pointed to a white wall that often flashed in his black world, like a twinkling star ¨C appearing and disappearing. The cat stopped its casual swinging, and leaned in, as it purred, ¡°Mi lord, you are joking right? Of course! The wall is the one that connects earth to our world. Ahaha!¡±
Ryder¡¯s stupid grin faltered, as his eyebrows twitched. With the cat just before his face, wanting to control his expression. He didn¡¯t know how to react. His lips curled up, his eyebrows scrunched, and his face tense.
¡°Old s-cat, do s-you mean the animal world?¡± Ryder said, his casual tone failing, as it was tensing up with every word. The cat noted the ragged breath from Ryder, and it raised its eyebrows, ¡°Sir prophet, do you not know the white wall?¡±
Ryder wanted to casually bob his head, lying his way through, but his head just slowly swung to a no, as the cat gasped. Then, again, rolling his fluffy paws over his white beard, it hummed, ¡°hmmmm¡¡± And soon a smile formed on its face ¨C the same, stupid smile.
¡°Mi lord,¡± It suddenly got down on its knees. Ryder flinched, and moved a step back instinctively. The cat raised both of hands up, towards Ryder, ¡°Sir! Let me be your guide. I would be honored if I could guide a prophet like you to Se?or Turo¡¯s church.¡±
¡°Se?or Turo¡¯s s-church?¡± Ryder spat out, looking down at the cat. He could clearly see its whiskers jumping up, its ears straightening. ¡°And why would you do that?¡±
Ryder noted every of its color movement with his black world. The atmosphere he could see was all silent, only the flares of colors twitching. The world felt so foreign, and dead as if he was witnessing the death of reality. Instead of sun, and fun, only a starkly dark sky, and instead of a form, only flares of colors.
¡°Se?or¡ it would be my and my beard¡¯s honor.¡± The cat purred, as a tear fell out of its big eyes. ¡°And Se?or¡ forgive me for the injury I gave you. I have grown old and cold. I can only do so much to live any longer.¡±
It looked up at Ryder''s face. The sun shining it from the left, and his right, completely torn, monstrous and dark. The eyes ¨C one gleaming with light, and the other black, and shadowed. It seemed to be a perfect blend of black and white. Perhaps, the being who could drive the world out of chaos.
¡°Mi lord¡Let this old cat do a deed that might favour the world, before dying¡ I could only kill when I lived young.¡±
Ryder¡¯s scrunched up face, immediately relaxed. His thoughts, a mess, but his eyes couldn¡¯t help but soften up. Strategically, he should kill the monster right here, especially when he could still see the chunks of his arms lying down beside him ¨C torn by its claws. But Ryder, forwarded his hand towards him.
¡°Old s-cat, s-if s-you mess up.¡± He titled his head, ¡°s-I¡¯ll kill s-you.¡±
Chapter 7 - La Devora
In the soft blow of the cool winds of the forest, Ryder and the cat were standing, before the white wall. Unexpectedly, the wall wasn¡¯t visible to the cat. It couldn¡¯t access the black world unlike him. Though, the white wall wasn¡¯t constantly under Ryder¡¯s view either. It appeared and then disappeared ¨C twinkling.
¡°Young prophet,¡± The cat said, looking towards Ryder with gleaming eyes and an innocent smile, ¡°stand back a bit. You can also memorize the chant. You look¡¡± It tilted its head, as it temporarily clutched its beard, as if he thinks not from the brain, but his beard, ¡°You look enough Zorian, mi lord. Just change your dialect like this.¡± It meowed, as it tensed its throat, spitting out, ¡°Whatcha¡¯ doin?¡±
It relaxed its throat again, ¡°See, Se?or, like this.¡±
Then, it turned in the direction of the white wall. It didn¡¯t see it, but it seemed it had memorized enough to know its direction.
¡°Tur-awn-o de Ae-umeo-ro de P-alal-a-nimolo-mo¡± It started chanting, stretching its tongue out, twisting its tongue in the air, as if dancing with it. It clasped its palms together, gradually getting down to its knees. It kept on chanting in this mysteriously twisted manner, as if the tongue was twisting the air to generate words.
Like something cracked, a power that was just¡ beyond, flashed white light throughout ¨C humongous, as if it¡¯d cover the whole earth. Ryder¡¯s eyes instinctively flared, and his heart lost its rhythm. In the black world, the colors that constantly twitched stopped, as if the flow of time had halted. Then, a white portal, sizzling with a power of its own, appeared in front of them.
Ryder could watch this portal with both ¨C his right and left eye. The cat, which was crouching, almost ready to bawl, after the prayer, sniffled, controlling itself. It politely bowed, gesturing for Ryder to move through, ¡°Se?or, you should take the first foot.¡±
Ryder, not being able to comprehend just the sheer amount of energy he could feel, sizzling in it. His black world gave him sharp instincts to energy. The sheer amount of godly, and encompassing energy he could sense, was stumping him. He did not know if he should move inside, or bow down respecting it, or maybe, just run away.
After his transformation, he had almost stopped feeling the fear. This was the first time he was reminded of the feeling again. When the knees feel hollow, and the hands don¡¯t dare to lift.
Ryder gulped, as mindlessly bobbed his neck to the cat, and walked to the portal. He glanced at the cat again, who was just casually smiling. The same stupid smile. And then, he held his breath and leapt inside.
The world around him warped. Who, what, how, when¡ he lost the sense of it all. He could physically feel his body stretch like a string, and then compress. He was flying somewhere. Aimlessly, yet he was moving forward at insane speed. He couldn¡¯t see anything around him, except a veil of darkness, with grids of a white net all around him. He couldn¡¯t help himself, but scream.
When the fever-dream tunnel ended, he was just plopped down. The sky opened a portal, and he was thrown down. He couldn¡¯t react, even open his eyes, and he was already falling down. When he barely opened his eyes, his head feeling hollow. His back smashed with a solid, wooden structure. With the collision, he broke it, and came falling down further, smashing floors after floors. He stopped, as he landed on concrete, and blood flowed out of his head.
Ryder didn¡¯t feel much pain. His eyes groggily opened, to a sight of a vivid open sky, visible through the broken wooden floors. The scene snapped him back to reality, as he hurried up, and looked around. There were monstrous, humanoid beasts, everywhere. A bullman, a cowgirl, or a sparrowman, they were all there ¨C especially the bullman. They were literally everywhere in this broken tavern.
Yet, not every humanoid beast had a similar look. They were all quite distinct. Most of them looked almost human, except for a horn, or a tail. Some had their head replaced, some their legs, or just looked like beastmen.
Ryder¡¯s eyes instinctively scanned the black world, and they were all twitching colors. But they had a hint of white color in the middle of their colors. In some, a bit more, in some a bit less.
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Before Ryder could finish his world-viewing, he heard hunky thumping on the wooden floor. In the black world, he saw several colors marching towards him ¨C almost in a formation.
He swiftly got up, and turned around. The dagger was surprisingly still in his hand, as he rolled it into an ice-pick grip. He noted the men running towards him were dressed in similar clothing, perhaps uniforms. It appeared to be like red Karate Gi, with a metallic breastplate over.
They all wielded swords, as the tall, bearded beastman standing at the front, leading them, pointed his sword at him.
¡°Who are you? And how dare you cause a commotion in La Devora, under the protection of royal guards.¡± His beastly ears twitched, as he spoke. He looked back, and gestured to the soldiers, to capture Ryder.
What the fuck do I do now? If I start speaking in my stupid tongue¡ fuck that.
Ryder''s face tensed seeing two armed, beastmen walking towards him, glaring. He instinctively pulled his palm up, gesturing them to stop, and they did. They tensed up. Their knees were bent, and they held their stance, as if they were ready to pounce forward, hacking with the sword.
Fuck they are trained!
Ryder didn¡¯t speak. He didn¡¯t want to embarrass himself in front of these beastmen, who had a perfectly clear speech. Heck, they all looked way more humane than him.
Girls would find these dudes attractive... At least much more than me.
Ryder internally sighed, as he brandished his dagger to the soldiers. The curvy dagger, he got from looting the cat. He didn¡¯t know if the crimson-red flame etched into that beautiful piece of work, would work for, or against. But he just gave it a try.
The guards saw the beautiful design of crimson fire, etched into the metallic dagger. Ryder pointed at the design, and then pointed at him, ¡°My blade, dumbasses.¡±
I do definitely seek death at times.
¡°Zorian,¡± The leader mumbled to himself, as he snapped, ¡°Guards, kill him, it¡¯s a Zorian.¡±
Woh! Woh! Woh!
The two guards instantly hacked at him. The people around were casually drinking till they heard the word Zorian, and panic erupted.
¡°O Queen of heavens! A Zorian!?¡± A bunny girl wagged her tail, clutching onto the desk.
A couple of beastmen, and beastwomen, choked on their wine. They flung their fork on the plate, and ran, holding their gowns, or straining in their leather pants.
¡°Mask up, citizens!¡± One of the guards announced, ¡°This dirty beast will infect you! We will deal with this!¡±
As the guard completed the announcement, he rushed to join the rest of the guards, continuing to corner Ryder. The two guards taking the lead hadn¡¯t landed a hit yet, but all Ryder could do was dodge, parry or back off.
Fuck, I¡¯ll loose like this.
Ryder stepped to the right, as the guard attacked, projecting the sword from the top of his head. Ryder met the sword with his dagger, and slid it to the left. The guard¡¯s momentum caused the guard to lose balance, as the sword landed straight on the floor.
Before Ryder could attack the guard, two other guards stepped in, both of their swords ready to pierce Ryder¡¯s chest. He swiftly stepped back, but one of the guards twisted his shoulder enough to let the tip pierce through Ryder¡¯s right peck.
The back of his shirt was already dripping with blood from his head injury. Now, blotches of blood started to cover the fabric over his chest. The guards, obviously, didn¡¯t stop, and marched in further. Three guards dashed in, lifting their swords ready to charge them down.
The ruthless attacks from the guard were a clear attempt at elimination. If Ryder were to lose, he wouldn¡¯t be captured. He¡¯d soon be seeing the world upside down, his head lying on the floor.
His normal sight just wasn¡¯t cutting it out, so as a last call for survival, he intuitively decided to give all the focus on the black world. He stared at the black world, almost completely losing the sense of the world of forms.
His eyes didn¡¯t blink, his breath wasn¡¯t ragged ¨C it stopped. As the three guards collectively striked down, he saw the white light flash. First, the white light flashed for the guard on the left, and Ryder just stepped it.
Not exactly knowing what he was doing, running all on gut, he attacked exactly at the time, the white light was dimming ¨C about to vanish. A flash resounded at the collision of the sword and the dagger, and the guard''s sword was sliced in half. Ryder didn¡¯t think, and just pushed in. The guard was too surprised to react, as he met his end, when Ryder pushed the dagger down his neck.
The white light flashed for another guard, and Ryder just stepped in with his footwork. Again, just as the light was about to disappear Ryder attacked and the slice perfectly cut through the sword. It hacked the hand of the guard, along with it.
The other guards rushed in, but all happened too quickly. The third guard, who was already hacking down, hesitated. His eyes dilated, and the tips of his sword trembling. Ryder was zoned in, about to cut his neck down. But suddenly, his senses alerted him.
The leader stepped in, and Ryder had realized a bit too late. He dodged, but not enough, as the sword went a clean strike to his forearm, effortlessly slicing through it. It left a burning sensation, and his hand along with the dagger, fell to the ground.
Chapter 8 - A paper bundle?
The team leader¡¯s sword was shining with a flaming red color. After hacking Ryder¡¯s hand, the leader changed the trajectory midway and aimed straight for his neck. All Ryder could do was try to dodge.
But other guards rushed in, to attack.
Ryder, somehow wasn¡¯t feeling pain. The back of his head was bleeding from the fall, his chest had a wound, and now his arm was cut off. Yet, he could feel his head lightening up, as if he¡¯d faint. The blood loss wasn¡¯t faring nice for him.
He frantically looked for an escape, and he found a window. The soldiers rushed in, but luckily Ryder had enough distance to jump through. He leapt out of the window, where the soldier behind him, almost caught up.
He somehow managed to do a roll, and continue the run. But the guards were actively following, and they were bound to catch up. Ryder wasn¡¯t losing on stamina, but his blood was incessantly flowing. He was losing control over his body. His breath, so ragged that he was gasping for breath. And eyes shutting down, as if for eternal slumber.
Ryder¡¯s step staggered in the middle of the road from a complete failure of the bodily system. Beastmen and beastwomen, glaring at him from the shops on both sides. All of them were wearing masks, and their eyebrows scrunched together. Their necks lifted up, looking down at Ryder.
¡°Filthy beast.¡± Ryder heard one of the bystanders.
As Ryder was falling, he wanted to roll, and run for as long as he could, but his body refused. He fell face straight, on the road. The momentum carried him forward, and rubbed his cheek over it, as it lacerated.
The guards running behind him caught up. The forwardmost guard rolled the blade in his hand, and clenched the sword with both hands, pointing it down. Ryder made a single flail to get up, but he couldn¡¯t. The guard swiftly stepped beside him, and hurled the sword down. It pierced through Ryder¡¯s heart.
Ryder stopped moving. As the guard pulled its sword out, his panther tail swinging rapidly. Some people in the crowd turned away, and most of them scoffed, turning back to their business, removing their masks. The leader of the team, appreciatively nodded at the guard, and a smile tugged at his lips.
¡°Throw this body into the slums.¡± The leader ordered, as one other guard joined, and both of the guards lifted the body.
They walked with the corpse, all the way to the extreme outskirts of La Devora. The bystanding citizens turned their faces away at the sight, even if they watched down from their mansions.
The scenes started to shift as they walked away. From the posh, lavish shops, and houses, and men and women wearing well-tailored clothes. After sometime, Dust started to well up with heavy steps of the soldiers. Clothless babies could be seen, gleefully running around. Gradually, the vintage cars shifted to bullock-carts, and then, all people appeared to be on foot.
¡°Ugoh!¡± A guard covered his mouth, his beast-ears drooping down. He slowly looked up at the tattered, wooden fence of the slums, which had gone black from dust and dirt.
¡°Let¡¯s just throw this from here.¡± The panther guard said, as the other guard bobbed his head. ¡°Okay, on one,¡± One of them held Ryder with his hands, and the other with his legs, as they swung him, ¡°two, and three.¡±
Both of them threw the body, as it landed inside the fence. The panther guard pinched his nose, wagging his tail, as it patted the other guard on the shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± And they both walked away.
The body lifelessly thrashed on the ground. It rolled a couple times, smearing itself with dust. The thudding made the people peek out of the holes in their huts. Laced with the foul scent of chemicals, the black rats scurried around in groups.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
A pair of frail legs, stepped out of the straw huts. Though not tall, he had to duck from the top of the door frame, to step out. The body was blackened, with blotches of fair skin underneath. Yet, his eyes glinted with a certain youthfulness.
¡°Is it another body?¡± the young man mumbled to himself.
¡°Roland!¡± A thin, faltering voice called out from inside, as the young man glanced back. His head turned just enough to acknowledge the words.
¡°Don¡¯t do it again, you will¡ die like this.¡±
The voice escalated, only to quieten down in the dark.
¡°Why do you do this every single time?¡± Roland replied, as if mumbling to himself. The puffs of breath escaping his mouth, more audible than the words.
¡°Berthe,¡± He turned back to the hut, and leaned on the door frame, ¡°Do you want us to die?¡±
Though, in the dark, and absence of the candles, which were like a treasure pot in the slums. Nothing was really visible, and especially Berthe, as she was hidden in a corner of the room. Yet how she was just quiet today, unlike the usual Roland - Berthe argument. Perhaps, they had starved for more days than they should have.
¡°I¡¯m going now.¡± Roland resigned. He patted the door frame before leaving, as if giving a pat on Berthe¡¯s head. He didn¡¯t look back, and just halted for a moment, looking at Ryder''s corpse.
His eyes squinted, and a heavy sigh escaped his mouth, pulling his chest in ¨C his ribs poking out of his skin. Yet, reluctantly, and gradually, he moved forward.
Ryder¡¯s body was face down on the floor. Roland clutched its shoulder and turned it around, as his eyes laid on its face. Instinctively, sharp talons emerged out of his fingers, and his golden iris glinted with an intent of murder.
A snake beastman? Subconsciously, his lips couldn¡¯t help but part, in a gasp.
Why? He turned his head, looking outside, into the Lylle village. He wanted to call out for people or the guards, but of course, none would hear.
Why would they throw away a snake beastman? He turned back to Ryder, gazing at his face, making sure he was seeing a snake beastman.
My father¡¯s research! He snapped up, and started to run back towards his hut. My father¡¯s research must be having something.
His legs not able to hold him, he staggered inside the door of his hut. Bertha jumped at her place for a moment, terrified by the sudden intrusion. But then she just watched Roland, in the light of the setting sun, frantically leaping towards the old trunk.
It had always remained locked, lying at the corner since their mother¡¯s death. Bertha was clutching on her stomach to lighten her hunger, but her grip lightened. She just watched her brother running around, searching for something. It reminded her of the past decade, when their father was alive.
¡°It has to be here¡ it has to be.¡± Roland looked around, mumbling to himself. ¡°No way the rats took it away. I keep it¨C Ah!¡± He sighed, the corner of his mouth slightly curving up.
He picked the iron key, and leapt at the trunk. He put the key inside, and with two clinks, the trunk unlocked. A bit to the left, and then right ¨C his hand rummaged through it. The trunk was small, and soon, he slid the scales, and compasses out of the way, to find a bundle of paper.
¡°What are you doing?¡± Bertha asked, not moving from her place.
¡°Shh! Bertha,¡± He didn¡¯t look up, ¡°Not right now, please. Shut up for a moment.¡±
Bertha didn¡¯t speak, and just watched her brother, flapping through the pages. She was never interested in dad¡¯s research, unlike Roland. He used to work in the day, for buying a candle each day, and run around to the quiet, smelly hills in the west of the slums, for a quiet read.
¡°Snake, snake, snake. Yeah here!¡± He collected the scattered pages in a bundle, and pulled out a small bundle, tied with threads, marked : Snake beastman.
¡°The snake god¡¯s name is undoubtedly mentioned in Zorian history a thousand times. Au-ule- ro-me-bro¡ these are the current descendants of Zorians. Though, according to my hypothesis. This isn¡¯t the correct name.
Like any race, the snake beastmen were born by the bite of Snake god, and his apostles. But as for why there were only twelve snake beastmen in history. Black claw, the tower¡¯s ranger, perhaps possesses a very thin amount of that blood.
After the Invasion war, and the fall of Zorians, what¡¯s left of them is rowdy hooligans, which only carry their lost weapons. But in my early days, when I used to fly around the world. About seven centuries ago, I met the leading archaeologist at the time. By his grace, I could view a slate left of the ruins.
Years of decoding it, this is all we know about true snake beastmen: Death is the way¡ white¡ black.
I used to lead a lot of research, and talked to a lot of pioneers, but I failed to find any connections. Unfortunately, now I am forever doomed in the slums.¡±