Doku stood on the outskirts of his hometown, binoculars in hand. A city built up with the guise of the modern Forumscant metropolises. Bright lights and LCD billboards lit up the city and the surrounding night sky with a myriad of colour; however, when compared to nearly all the other large cities within the Forumscant, this one was merely all for show. He himself seemed out of place in it - A short, scruffy looking swordsman with a light build and a baby-face. Looking outward from the city into what should have been a clear night Doku could see nothing aside the ominous crimson aura which had plagued the city for nearly a week. Numerous disturbances and time distortions had continually eaten into the city spreading panic and fear amongst the citizens.
The actual cause had been discovered several days ago inside one of the subway tunnels. A large rift had opened up, devouring one of the trains that ran along the line. When the scientists investigated they too were taken in by the rift and so it had been cordoned off until such time as it could be properly investigated. The blame had fallen squarely on a wanderer who had been aimlessly drifting from town to town, city to city and each time strange events had occurred before the city disappeared. The citizens had been told to remain calm and that it was an experiment gone wrong, however rumours spread like wildfire. The wanderer was coming and the rift was of his creation.
Doku had heard the rumours alter and vary from person to person; it was becoming monotonous and stale however the one thing which hadnt altered was the name. Hed thought it just some bizarre coincidence that the sky had turned red around the same time; however the stories and newsfeeds of cities going missing were something he couldnt overlook right now.
Scanning the horizon lit up only by the aura of crimson, Doku could see the alleged source of all this phenomena. The man, if he could even be called that anymore, donned torn and tattered robes which appeared more like rags sewn together more than anything and what little remained of the hood covered the wanderers face. He was still several dozen kilometres from the city and took slow unsteady steps towards the city, seemingly taking a few moments after each step to regain his balance. Despite this Doku couldnt help but feel uneasy, this unwelcome nomad carried with him an aura of horrifying power which Doku could feel pressing against his psyche.
Lowering the binoculars Doku weighed up his options. It would be at least another day before the drifter would arrive at the cities outer limits. Doku was too young to remember much of the horrible conflict that had followed the rumble. He had been told many stories though, both of noble sacrifice and shameless evil. Stories of a fighter named Kelesk whose brutal attempts to stop the Last Rider once Engar had fallen had been in vain and disappeared shortly after. Only to reappear briefly in a city which had since been wiped from the map.
The stories had played on his mind as a child. Growing up and knowing full well that monsters were real and that at least one was wondering around was enough to make him lose more than a few nights of sleep but now the stories had become a potential reality. Sighing, he turned and headed back to his apartment which sat on the third floor of a rather small block of units placing his weapons on a coffee table next to his bed. He had time to rest before the wanderer would reach the city and so he closed his eyes to rest. Once more the stories of his childhood created destructive images within his mind.
* * *
Doku woke up with sunlight in his face and instantly heard something that made his blood run cold. Women and children screaming, hundreds of panicked footsteps running in many different directions, men yelling orders of various degrees of hostility and fear Some even provocative. Hurriedly grabbing his gear, Doku jumped from his third story window and gracefully landed on the footpath below drawing seconds of attention by fleeing citizens before they continued to run towards the centre of the city. The citys streets shook gently beneath his feet, no thanks to the growing time distortion the city had in its backyard he wagered.
The street Dokus apartment was on was a primary roadway both in and out of the centre of the city, a four lane major roadway which was usually littered with cars. Glancing around he saw practically nothing only a few parked cars with parking tickets on the windows. Briefly allowing himself a sigh of relief he looked away from the city and it became instantly clear why people were panicking. It instantly hit him - Hed overslept. The wanderer was well within the city and walking down the road at the same slow pace as when hed first been sighted. Streams of sunlight shone down some breaking through the rips in his hood lighting up small parts of his scarred facial features.
Doku no longer had the virtue of time to surmise a plan of attack and quickly weighed up his options. The wanderer was moderately well built from what he could guess based on where the robe clung to him with dried blood and mud and judging by his slow and uneasy movements and somewhat hunched figure it was a safe guess to assume he was badly injured. Though if this really was who the rumours had lead him to believe, he didnt want to take too large a risk and underestimate his opponent.
Lord of Chaos! Dokus voice was loud and abrupt amongst the drone of fleeing citizens. It had an air of command about it, like a leader rallying his men for battle. I urge you to turn back. This city nor its people have any quarrel with you.
The hooded figure took another unsteady step towards the centre of the city. Doku may have been armed and standing in his way but from where Doku was standing he might have not even been there at all.
KelesK, He spoke out once more with the same commanding strength. Please leave us be, you will not find what you are looking for here.
Kelesk took one more step but seemed to pull himself up short; another ray of light broke through the rips in his hood, Doku could see Kelesks lips peel back over his teeth into a snarl as well as the large scar over the right hand side of his mouth, some of the flesh missing where his lip should have been. At this distance Doku could also see the extent of what Kelesk had endured; blood and dried mud was smeared over the robes it was almost sickening to think of how badly maimed Kelesks body was.
Doku shuddered suddenly, giving him only enough time to query the reason before raspy words ate into his mind as if someone were screaming in his ear.
Get out of my sight. . . Mortal.
Doku clenched the hilt of his claymore with both hands, raising it in preparation but Kelesk didnt move an inch. It was questionable if he was even breathing.
This is the last time Im going to ask you. Please leave this place. The strength in Dokus voice feigned, this time the request was more of a plea.
The ground around Kelesk suddenly cracked spanning across the roadway as the images of a few banned troublemakers walked past the two - An illusion created by the rift. It was becoming stronger.
Why are you really here Kelesk? Questioned Doku, not expecting an answer. You annihilate town after town without remorse, dont you think its time this stopped?
People had slowly started gathering around the two at considerably safe distances. Some leaning out of windows others looking on from gardens or behind what few cars there were still on the side of the road all whispering amongst themselves.
A small exhale was heard from under the hood, one which sounded like an exhausted laugh as Kelesk pulled something from within his robes and let his arm flop back to his side revealing a small rod-like object in his hand.
Doku looked on in confusion in an attempt to assess the situation but a handful of seconds was all he got. The air around Kelesk rippled noticeably and the people who had shown up to watch began to flee once more.
No. . . The raspy voice was no longer in his head, this time coming from the spectre himself.
It all seemed so surreal for what seemed like an eternity after that. The swordsman could see the small rod extending to the size of a staff and had noticeable prongs at each end. All at once windows cracked and then broke inward spraying what few people hid inside with a hailstorm of shattered glass which tore chunks of flesh from bone indiscriminately before dissolving into nothing more than a sparkling dust. How many windows actually broke, Doku couldnt tell. Cement rendering tore away from steel foundations on the office building to the wanderers left leaving not even a trace of dust as if an unknown force were simply eating into the building. The asphalt beneath Kelesks feet cracked and gave way creating small potholes. Dokus mind began to race, he knew this was it, he knew he had to move.
His own movement felt lagged and heavy. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see people fleeing, bursts of amber energy erupting around them, his eyes blurred, his mind felt clouded and groggy. Willing his body to move he managed to spin around flinging his claymore around towards the unseen presence behind him, slamming it into something hard which shook off the nauseating feeling clouding his head. Kelesk was in his face, the metal staff menacingly pushing towards his head, he could only now see the snarl clearly, the scar that had eaten away at his face.
Out of the corner of his eye Doku could see a pool of blood leaking into one of the fissures in the road from the footpath. What remained of a body was cut up into pieces, blood spattered on the objects around it.
Not until
he lies dead at my feet. Kelesks raspy voice muttered.
The end doesnt always justify the means. Doku replied glancing at other bodies which had been mutilated in the same manner as the first.
Kelesk huffed at the statement, pulling the staff away from Doku and swinging it around behind him and diagonally upward aiming for the swordsmans head. Fully prepared for the attack Doku swung his sword around knocking the staff back in the same direction it came from, seeing a chance to counter Doku lunged forward attempting to stab Kelesk with the large sword. Using momentum as his only ally the spectre swung his body around moving only centimetres to his left before the staff came down and collided with Dokus sword lancing it into a crack in the asphalt and forcing him to stumble off in the other direction. The swordsman wasted no time, pulling his sword from the road and jumping toward the off-balanced deity bringing his claymore forward swapping his main hand to his left as the claymore heaved over his left shoulder in a wide horizontal swipe. Kelesk could only sense the attack coming and knew he had no time left to regain his balance. In the blink of an eye Kelesks body emitted a bright burst of amber energy and disappeared leaving Dokus strike to hit nothing but air.
Grunting as he attempted to pull the weapon up before he lost balance himself Doku managed to hear another burst of energy above him swinging his claymore wildly upward over his head as Kelesks body came spinning down from above. Both weapons swung through the air missing each other and before Doku gave it a moments thought his body rolled on its own to the side, avoiding the point where Kelesk landed driving the staff into the road.
Pulling himself to his feet Doku managed a seconds glance up at Kelesk who disappeared in another burst of amber energy again giving the swordsman no time to react as another horizontal swipe battered into the blade of his claymore followed by a seemingly instant second attack from the rear end of the staff as Kelesk spun around from the impact of the first parry. This one Doku foresaw coming though, throwing himself backwards to avoid the attack spinning on a loose chunk of asphalt that was sitting atop the road and using the gutter to push himself back at the spectre forcing his blade squarely against the staff Kelesk had brought up as defence.
It wasnt much more than a shove but it sent Kelesk reeling backward stumbling several times before he finally tripped over. Doku couldnt help but see the humour in it. Kelesk had been using little more than his energy to keep himself on his feet. Assuming he could stay close to him, Kelesk wouldnt be able to find space to swing the cumbersome staff around. Hed found a weak point.
The spectre lay still on the road, his body releasing small surges of the amber energy. Doku convinced hed landed a decisive blow took a paced step forward stopping momentarily as a large surge of energy sparked out at nearby street sign which had been bent out of shape. Doku could only manage a wry smile, the body hadnt moved at all since it had fallen, not even to breathe, but yet he was still nervous. The sparks of energy didnt help the matter since it had been made blatantly obvious by this point that it was that very energy which was keeping Kelesk on his feet. It would have been enough to make anyone in his situation wary.
Doku took another cautious step forward staring the body down like a hawk. Another small spark of energy ran over the body which had remained motionless for what had been several minutes now. His mind spun in circles of contradicting questions and theories.
Was that all it took?
Is his body really that frail?
No hes bluffing!
Doku shook his head trying to clear his thoughts, clenching his eyes shut and taking a in a long, deep breath of cool night air. He opened his eyes and to his surprise the body was gone the robes left lying on the ground. Looking around franticly he could see nothing which remotely looked like what hed been fighting, looking back at the robes he heard a small grinding sound behind him, spinning around there stood Kelesk, his clothes torn and blood spattered, holding the staff in front of him aggressively. His mouth etched with a menacing grin. Instantly he tossed his claymore on the ground beside him and drew his longsword. Clutching it left handed he lowered into a defensive stance and waited.
Kelesk began laughing, a raspy maniacal laugh which echoed through the now abandoned streets. The swordsman shuddered, it was an infuriating laugh, yet it sent a chill down his spine. Overconfidence filled it.
You think this is funny. He muttered, Kelesk only laughing louder in response. Wrecking parts of a city and killing everyone around you is funny to you?
Doku had noticed blood seeping through the cracks in the road beneath both him and Kelesk. It was sickening in more than one respect. Dokus face scrunched up as he swapped his weapon to his right hand and charged forward, jumping forward metres from where Kelesk was standing and raising his sword to attack with an overhead strike. Only then did it hit him, an uncontrollable sense of fear washed over him the second Kelesk stopped laughing. The radical energy the deity had been using to keep himself on his feet flooded over him like a tidal wave and only then did he realise Kelesk was standing on his own, no support, he was standing perfectly upright.
It was too late to halt his attack, swinging the weapon down violently at his opponent who disappeared in a brilliant flash of amber energy, far brighter than before. Sparks of energy tore at the air where hed once been standing. Spinning around he saw a huge discharge of energy rip into the steel foundations of the building his energy had eaten away at when the fight had begun and there he was standing upright staff held beside him, the front end closer to the ground then the rear which was around head height. The building shuddered in protest and chunks of cement fell from various parts of the building, breaking apart as they hit the footpath.
The spectre said nothing, smiling manically before energy burst outward and he disappeared. Doku raised his sword up in defence without thinking feeling something slam into with tremendous force. The two weapons gnashed against one another violently shaking as Doku tried to push back but he couldnt, barely managing to keep the deitys weapon at bay. Looking his attacker in the eye the swordsman noticed the grin growing, sparks flooding over the staffs surface to the ends. A brief moment of panic set in as he heard two bursts of energy, one behind him, the other behind Kelesk. Glancing downward he saw the cause; two large teeth-like blades of energy glowed menacingly from the staff, arching around behind Kelesk. Two and two set in and instantly he ducked down and Kelesk pulled his weapon towards himself and two large teeth-like blades buzzed over his head taking with them some of his hair. Doku was left in shock for only a second before he heard a discharge of energy, pushing himself away from where he was kneeled on the road and skidding off into the gutter as another burst lit up above where he was and the blades of the now scythe ripped into the road.
Looking toward Kelesk a bead of sweat traced down Dokus features from his forehead. He was barely able to dodge the attacks, let alone see them coming but something was amiss and he knew it full well.
At the beginning of the fight his movements were slower, cumbersome. He could barely stand up. Now all of a sudden after I push him over his body has completely recovered. I just dont get it.
Kelesks body sparked but not in the usual manner, Dokus head ****ed slightly and watched as for only a second the body of his attacker faded and turned to what appeared to look like the static on a TV set. It was only a second but it reiterated the previous thought.
The swordsman pulled himself to his feet and prepared for the next volley of attacks to come but they didnt, Kelesk merely lowered his weapon to his side and held his left hand out to the side slightly, fingers opened.
So does this mean youre giving up, monster? Doku hadnt expected a positive response but he figured it couldnt hurt to ask.
Kelesks face twisted slightly as if a stabbing pain had shot through his body but Doku could tell that was far from what was wrong, the sky, which had since been ridded of its ominous crimson glow was replaced by a solid amber but it wasnt just the sky, the whole area around Kelesk was encased in it. The buzz of energy was ear-splitting as it began to shrink into the palm of Kelesks hand until nothing more than a speck could be seen.
This is where you die, scum!
Doku took a step back, his eye widened in fear. The power resonating from the speck of light was similar to the power he could feel when Kelesk had been approaching the city. It was horrifying, there was no other way to describe it.
Then, as if by miracle it happened again, the freak holding what Doku had thought to be his demise faded once more but this time completely disappeared taking with it all the battle scars it had left on the environment around him, but it was soon replaced by a burst of energy Doku knew all too well. Kelesk flew forward, the modiwan robes Doku had thought discarded were being worn once more. This was the one Doku had considered easy prey. The two locked weapons, the scythe like weapon Kelesk was using no more than a minute ago was nowhere to be seen, only the staff hed originally wielded.
What was that, some kind of mind trick? Doku grunted through the parry.
Kelesk didnt answer, bursting into nothingness once more but this time Doku could sense him. The pace kept up by the illusion had forced the swordsmans reaction time and senses to heighten in order to survive. Spinning himself around Doku swung his longsword violently into where Kelesk reappeared, knocking him towards the ground. Doku stood his ground watching intently as Kelesk disappeared before hitting the ground. This was his chance, quickly reaching down he grabbed his discarded claymore with his left hand and flung it into the open air where Kelesk had been falling, as predicted the sword vanished. Turning around to where the final burst emitted from he saw Kelesk fly backward impaled by the claymore, slamming into the side of a building. A loud clang followed as the staff dropped from his hand to the footpath. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and the wound in his torso where the claymore had him pinned to the building adding fresh blood to his clothes. He struggled for a short period but soon stopped.
In eye for an eye fashion Kelesk threw his hand outward towards the swordsman. Doku noticing the small blur of amber too late as it hit the bottom on his right hand taking with it his fourth and fifth digits a little below the knuckle.
Yelping in pain Doku dropped his sword and clutched his hand, blood seeping from the wounds as he feebly tried to stop the blood. Pulling small silk ribbons out of his coat and tying tourniquets around each with his good hand and teeth.
You were warned to leave this city. Scolded Doku, looking up at Kelesk. I told you I had no quarrel with you but you refused to listen.
Kelesk tried to spit out a mouthful of blood at Doku which trickled down his chin and onto his robes.
At least I know the blood on you is your own. He continued, grabbing his blade with his left hand and standing up, approaching Kelesk until he was only a metre away.
You know nothing. Kelesk muttered. Blood spitting out onto the swordsmans jacket.
Wrong Kelesk, I know this is your end.
Kelesk huffed, managing a wry smile as he looked at the swordsmans bleeding hand.
Do your worst.