Villainous

His squadmates were laughing and chatting in quiet voices even as they scanned the trees for signs of movement. Captain Don took point, stretching his senses to the limit in order to keep watch for strong predators. They had devices and elixirs to keep away pests and weaker creatures, but they would have no effect on meaner beasts. As a middle Rank 1 Captain Don was the strongest in their unit, and most likely to detect anything hostile approaching.

How could they all be so calm? Otto shivered and looked down. After the heinous a.s.sault on the estate, the smiles of his companions seemed different. Colder. Sinister. Their eyes were as scary as the forest.

He was just a new recruit on his first field mission and couldn"t bring himself to pull the trigger on crying civilians. His belly was full of hesitation, regret, fear and disgust. The others thought it was rookie nerves and kept making jokes to which he could only force a smile.

The unit traveled in a diamond formation with Otto on the left point. They protected Stefan in the center, who kept his eyes on a device searching for the hidden research facility they were ordered to find.

Otto heard a rustling noise above, nearly jumping out of his skin with fright. He didn"t notice the mocking joke Stefan directed his way because he was far too distracted watching a small black shadow plummet from an impossible height, landing squarely on Ross walking in the back. Ross screamed in surprise and pain, a noise that transformed into a disgusting wet gurgle before the man fell completely silent.

Another slightly bigger shadow charged from between the trees at the same time, a shrieking and flailing Bernard dragged into the darkness where his cries of pained fright were abruptly cut short.

Otto stumbled back, the shiny new rifle falling from his hands as the small shadow that took down Ross launched itself at Stefan. The bigger shadow reappeared only long enough to steal the dropped rifle, disappearing once more into the trees.

It all took place in a manner of seconds. Stefan barely had time to turn around in alarm before he was knocked to the ground by a sudden force hitting his back, a strange rough dagger stabbed into his throat before the shadow used him like a springboard and launched itself back. Blood flooded down Stefan"s neck and chest from the severed artery, and he died in moments.

Captain Don quickly threw away his rifle and drew his sword, activating the enchantments to wreathe the blade in flames - the rifles were powerful but intended for fighting at a distance, too much recoil and a significant firing time made them inappropriate for melee combat or self defense.

The small shadow held out its hand and summoned a strange metal staff with one pointed end. It made a provoking gesture at the captain as it walked forward, one small bare foot stomping on Stefan"s head to drive it into the ground. Captain Don charged with a roar, swinging his sword in a mad craze. He was a large man almost two meters tall with strong musculature, watching him charge an enemy made Otto glad he wasn"t in the enemy"s shoes.

Rather than trying to parry or block the blows, the small shadow moved its body to dodge the blade, striking with its staff whenever it found an opening then dancing away before the captain could inflict any serious damage. The shadow would dart away, jump up onto some tree roots, and use its vantage point to launch itself at the captain before he could take more than a few steps in its direction. When the captain blocked with his sword, the shadow used the momentum to bounce away again.

Captain Don started throwing handfuls of fire whenever the shadow backed off, his accuracy and force obviously applying some pressure to the nimble opponent. More than a few struck the shadow"s thin body, burning holes in its clothing and filling the air with the stench of burning flesh alongside flying orbs of hot flames. Despite its wounds the shadow never slowed or stopped in its flurry of attacks, tirelessly striking at Captain Don again and again.

Otto found himself mesmerized by the fight, his entire body shaking. With his rifle stolen all he had was a sidearm and a short blade, neither of which he was overly proficient with. He was just a rookie, a high Rank 0 out for field experience on a relatively easy mission with a more skilled temporary unit! Otto knew was in no way qualified to interfere in a fight of Captain Don"s level. If he tried to interfere he was just as likely to hurt the captain or cause him to mess up.

So the rookie stayed out of the way, and hoped against hope the bigger shadow forgot about him.

While Otto was trying to make himself small and unnoticeable, Captain Don finally found an opening. He waited for the shadow to launch at him again, and took the blow on his shoulder in order to grab the shadows arm. What followed was a fierce grappling match, kicks and punches and elbow strikes exchanged with vicious frequency, both sword and staff abandoned on the ground.

Captain Don"s hands erupted in flames, one attached to the shadow"s arm like a locked vice while the other mercilessly struck every inch of the opponent"s head and shoulders. The shadow snarled in pain, using its free arm to protect its face while its feet kicked every bit of the captain"s legs that it could reach, squirming and jumping around like a captured monkey struggling to get free.

The bigger shadow returned, darting out from the darkness to jump at Captain Don"s back, huge sharp claws slicing through body armor and sinking deep into flesh. Otto finally saw the true form of the bigger shadow: a teal Fera with pink spots and a s.h.a.ggy fur coat, tiny crystalline nubs indicating the creature"s youth.

At the same moment as the Fera initiated its attack the smaller shadow drew a rough dagger and slashed at the larger man"s face, slicing through his left eye. Captain Don staggered under the combination attack, grip loosening on the shadow"s arm just enough for it to slip away. The Fera jumped away, tearing chunks off Captain Don"s back with its long sharp claws, causing the large man to roar in pain and fury. He wildly grabbed and flailed to try and regain his hold on the shadow, but all the captain managed to grab was the black scarf off its head.

A child!

A young boy with messy short red hair and a fierce expression on a charming face. Captain Don was stunned at the realization of being fought into a corner by a child, and in that moment the boy darted forward and shoved a dagger into the larger man"s throat. Captain Don coughed, an expression of disbelief frozen on his face as he fell to the ground.

The child turned to Otto, who felt his blood instantly run cold. He tried to back away, scrambling at top speed on all fours until his back hit a tree root. Approaching with slow steady steps, the boy was unperturbed by his own myriad wounds or the sight of Otto fumbling to draw his sword.

His expression was odd, nowhere near as fierce as when he was looking at the Captain. There was no sense of pressure, no killing intent, and as such Otto found himself unable to lift the weapon in his hands against the boy even when he leaned forward and...

Sniffed.

Sniffed again.

His b.u.t.ton nose wiggled, almost like a rabbit"s, as he sniffed the air. The child stood upright and Otto saw a flicker of cyan blue light in his cat-like purple eyes for just an instant. The Fera stepped forward, a low growl rumbling in its throat as its s.h.a.ggy fur bristled in agitation, but stopped when the child shook his head.

He pointed a burned finger at Otto"s face and spoke in a bold, confident, and slightly hoa.r.s.e voice. "You work for me now, and are gonna follow me. Try anything funny and the Fera eats you. Try to run, and the forest will eat you instead. Got it?"

Otto, his mouth dry and lips cracked until they bled, managed to nod in understanding. "Anything you say, Brother!"

The boy"s expression turned strange again, and he exchanged a bemused glance with the Fera who narrowed its eyes and snorted. Shrugging, the boy turned and started looting the still warm bodies of Otto"s deceased teammates. Body armor, weapons, and magitech devices all vanished after a moment of scrutiny, revealing the boy had a storage artifact of significant size on his hands.

What exactly was this fearsome kid"s ident.i.ty? And what was his purpose? Otto felt cold sweat dripping down his back, dreading what unknown mess he got himself caught up in.