Suddenly Lyra stopped. She turned slowly to look at Sami. The sun cast a long shadow across her face, making it hard to see her. Yet Sami could feel her gaze on him.
"I'm leading us as far away from the city as possible," Lyra whispered. Her voice turned sad, "The monster my team died fighting, is still alive. And if I don't stop it, there's no telling the amount of damage it could cause to your people."
Sami was taken aback, almost tripping over a stick as he stumbled backward. "M-m-Monster?" he stammered. Lyra's face was full of confusion as she stared at him.
"Monster?" she repeated, her voice laced with genuine confusion. "Have you not heard of the attacks happening around the kingdom?"
"I haven't heard of any recent attacks," Sami replied, his voice shaking as he tried to stay calm. "Our city rarely has anything wrong with it since I moved there ten years ago. Maybe a while ago we dealt with a bandit raid, but that was it."
She tilted her head slightly, as if trying to decipher a strange puzzle. "Where... where are you from?" Her eyes scanned his simple clothing, his wide, bewildered expression.
Sami shook his head slowly, his mind reeling. "I... I live in the city called Astrum." he explained, his voice still trembling slightly. "The only monsters I've heard of are from old tales, and myths."
Lyra's expression shifted from confusion to a deep, troubled frown. "Ten years," she murmured, more to herself than to Sami. "Since the invasion, people still don't know the full truth."
She looked back at Sami, her voice began to grow with anger. "To think he would allow a city so close to the capital to remain so ignorant."
A frown creased his brow as the memory of his destroyed village surfaced. "I... I'm a librarian's apprentice and have just recently begun to read up on the history of the Oryan Academy. Even then authors of the books consider magic and monsters to be fake."
She shook her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "Magic and monsters are fake huh? While my friends, and comrades are killed by beast. You live not even knowing those stories are real. Of the sacrifices we make to keep everyone safe."
Her gaze hardened as she looked at the ground, muttering under her breath, almost to herself, "Mercer, these lands are under your protection, what the hell is going on."
Sami's head shot when he heard the name Mercer. "What do you know about Mercer?" he questioned, his mind racing about how his grandfather could be involved.
"Mercer is a general in the King's army," she replied, her eyes now looking at Sami. "Due to some issues, the King granted General Mercer his own lands, along with the responsibility of training and handling all warriors in the western half of the kingdom."
"Is he that important to the King?" Sami asked, his tone full of longing.
Lyra glanced at Sami, wondering why he was asking such questions with the impending monster attack. Sami began to fidget under her look. He wanted to know more about Mercer but didn't know how to ask about it.
"The king owes Mercer a lot.", she answered. " Though now is not the time to talk about this when I have to tell you about the Gbahali that's hunting us."
Sami's mind was racing. He wanted to know more about his grandfather but asked, "What in the hell is a Gbahali?"
Before the warrior could answer, a sound ripped through the air, an almost primal noise. ROAR. It sent vibration through his body, as the ground shook violently beneath their feet.
"A Gbahali is a large hairy monster with very sharp claws," she growled, her voice tight with urgency. She forced Sami behind her as she faced the direction of the noise. "Listen well bookworm, if you see a chance to leave me, take it. I'll hold the monster back for as long as I can."
Her hand clenched into a fist as she stayed close to him. Sami was too scared to speak and just nodded his head as his body began to shake. Compared to Lyra who is ready to defend from the direction the monster's roar was heard. Sami was barely standing, his legs felt as if they were made of lead due to the fear of dying.
The sounds of the forest stopped; even animals couldn't be heard as the seconds ticked by. Soon a blur passed by, but Sami was quickly pulled out of the way by Lyra as the attack came from the opposite way of the direction they were facing.
Lyra blocked the attack with a sword that suddenly appeared in her hand. Saving Sami's life as the Gbahali was thrown off balance completely missing both Sami and Lyra. Sami fell to the ground from the quick movement, his mind was trying to come to terms with how close he was to death. Thanks to Lyra's quick reaction is why he's alive.
Sami stood up from the fall as he felt something looking at his back. He turned around to see the Gbahali. Sami let out a shriek as he glanced upon the horror he saw, as the Gbahali smirked at the fear he was showing. The Gbahali was even more monstrous than Sami could have imagined.
It was a tall mass of muscle and fur, easily twice the height of Lyra, with gleaming red eyes that burned with anger. Its long arms ended in claws that resembled small blades, and its teeth were pointy with meat and metal still stuck in them.
The creature moved with surprising speed for its size, a blur of motion as it charged towards them. Lyra didn't hesitate. With a fierce cry, she shoved Sami backward, sending him stumbling before falling on his butt.
"RUN BOOKWORK!" she yelled, over the Gbahali's deafening roar. In the same fluid motion, she raised her weapon, a long, slender sword that shimmered with a faint, silvery light, into a block.
The Gbahali's first attack was a sweeping swipe of its claw, aimed at where Sami had just been standing. The force of the blow ripped through the air. Lyra met the attack head-on, her sword flashing as she parried the Gbahali's strike. The sound of metal against claw was a screeching, noise that made Sami wince.
The sheer power of the Gbahali was evident in the impact. Lyra staggered back slightly, her feet digging into the earth to maintain her balance. The ground where the Gbahali's claws had struck left deep gouges in the ground.
Sami, still reeling from the shock of the fight.He wanted to run, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot. The reality of what adventures go through, the sheer violence they deal with. It's far more terrifying than any story he had ever read.
The Gbahali pressed its attack, red eyes fixated on Lyra. Sami saw the strain in her movements, the way her sword arm trembled slightly with each block. A sickening crack began to form across the silvery surface of her blade as it absorbed another blow.
A loud voice went through Sami's mind distracting him from the fight. "Power... I can grant you power..."
"W-Who is there?" Sami questioned.
"You... need... power. Right now you are weak," a loud baritone voice echoed in his mind.
Battle could be heard around Sami as he shook his head, scared that maybe he was hearing things. "The power I can give you is real. I can help you with your get stronger! Strong enough to even save your friend." The voice echoed once again.
"THEN SHOW ME HOW I CAN GET STRONGER!," Sami screamed.
"Come to me," the voice commanded.
Before Sami could reply, the world began to turn gray. Around him, everything seemed to slow, the frantic movements of the Gbahali and Lyra stretching into a sluggish dance.
A room materialized around him, bathed in a soft light. In the center of the room floated an ordinary ring.
"Take it," the voice urged, insistent now. "Take the ring."
Confusion warred with fear in Sami's mind. "What is this? Who are you?" he whispered, the world around him now a timeless place.
"Your destiny," the voice replied, a low hum. "Embrace your birthright. As the next ring bearer, you are my heir."
"The heir to what?" Sami screamed, his voice strong though full of fear.
"The heir to everything and nothing. The heir to the truth of the world.," the voice sarcastically implied. "Without my power you and your friend will die here.
Sami looked around the room confused, shouting, "How do I know if I can trust you?"
"You have no choice but to trust me" the voice chuckled. "So take my power, child, your friend, is losing. Once she dies, it'll soon catch you."
"Why are you telling me this?" Sami screamed out. "Do you think my death is funny, asshole, huh?"
"Yes, that anger, my heir, use it. Embrace your destiny as the next owner of the ring. In turn, you'll be able to save your friend," the voice replied.
Save her? He looked back at the distorted image of Lyra, her face full of sweat as she tried to fight. He didn't understand why he was chosen. It sounded like one of the books he hid from his grandfather. The very stories he now knew were real.
"She will fall soon!," the voice pressed, a note of urgency entering its tone. "Embrace the power, or watch her die."
He saw Lyra misjudge her block, the Gbahali's massive claw tearing across her arm, ripping through her armor and drawing a line of blood. Lyra cried out in pain, stumbling backward.
The sight made up Sami's mind. He extended a shaky hand toward the ring.
"Yes..." the voice purred, a sound of dark satisfaction. "We will speak again soon."
The moment his fingers brushed the cool metal of the ring, the room vanished. Snapping time back into place as everything turned to normal. The Gbahali, its red eyes blazing, was poised to bring its massive claw down on the defenseless Lyra.
"NO!" Sami screamed, As he shoved Lyra with all his might, sending her moving her out of the monster's path.
The Gbahali's claw went right through Sami as if he wasn't there. The Gbahali brought its claws back in confusion as it tried again to damage Sami, with it once again going straight through Sami's body.