The Hunters (First Draft)

Chapter 11: The Lira

The Hunters

Chapter 11: The Lira

Marius and Trovun ran through the forest towards the nearby town. The passing trees seemed like green and brown blurs. Marius looked over at Trovun and smiled as they raced through the forest towards the Lira encampment.

"Marius, this will be a test of how you handle desperate situations. You will be outnumbered by many powerful enemies. Do well. You'll have to if you want to survive." After saying that, Trovun shot off in another direction.

"Wait, you mean I'm all alone in this?" asked Marius staring off in the direction of Trovun "What the -" Marius could not finish his sentence before he slammed into a tree and smashed into the ground.

"Oww!" he said as he got up holding his head, brushing off the dirt.

Only then did he realize that the forest was deadly silent, except a long low-pitched groan that filled the forest with an eerie sense of insecurity. As Marius looked around the forest, he noticed he was the only creature in it. There were no birds, snakes, bears, deer, or wolves. Even the insects were nowhere to be found. Suddenly, Marius heard a low hissing from behind him. Marius turned to see a womanly figure with its head lowered.

"Whaaaaaat are you doing heeeeeeeeeeeerrree?" it asked as its voice carried an empty echo with a ghostly sound.

"I could ask you the same thing, but it seems that you and your friends have no intentionof telling me or leaving me in peace." Marius replied.

Three more figures slid out of the shadows quickly. Marius smiled as his eyes glowed and his right hand rose in front of his face and revealed his claws as he opened his hand. Marius stepped to the side. As one attacked from behind, Marius simply grabbed his foot and threw him into another lira. As they smashed into a tree, Marius' tail slapped a third lira away. The fourth lira's fingers grew each taking the shape of a blade and began glowing. It darted towards Marius with blazing eyes and long slender razor sharp teeth. Marius leaped into the air as the lira slashed through a tree and turned almost simultaneously with the falling tree. Marius landed and shot toward the lira driving his right claw forth like a spear. The lira ducked to avoid it, but even with that success she didn't notice his tail wrapping around her neck. Marius snapped her neck quickly with his tail and threw her lifeless body away. The three other liras arose once more, eyes glowing as their mouths opened. Displaying their teeth, they screeched in a high pitched noise that made the trees vibrate from the sound. They floated over the ground their legs looked like bone hooks just barely seen at the bottom of their robes. They charged forward, screeching loudly as Marius leapt into the air throwing his head and arms back, then sending an immense blast of flame spearing downward towards the lira. They looked up to see the blast coming down at them. They split off into different directions as the flames from Marius scorched the ground where they were standing. Marius landed, looking for any sign of the lira. He turned just as they charged in a triangular formation. They simultaneously darted right, making several images of themselves to hide in. They darted through the circle of images, cutting Marius body with each pass. Marius thrust his fists out and used his tail like a hammer and smashed into one of the lira, breaking its neck as the others ran into his fists. As the two remaining lira stood dazed, Marius slashed through the first and grabbed the last by the throat, slammed him against a tree and head butted him. Marius smashed the remaining lira to the ground and walked up slowly behind him.

"Where's the rest of your clan?!" Marius demanded.

Something within Marius alerted him as he looked ahead just in time to see another lira flying towards him at full speed. Marius leaned backward as the lira's claws swiped over his head. Marius reversed the attack, jumping into a corkscrew, grabbing the lira by the neck and throwing him into the ground. He drove his tail into the lira's stomach. Without even thinking Marius, turned and grabbed the previous lira by the head. Marius' eyes shined brightly as his mouth opened slowly. He pulled the lira's head to the left then snapped it quickly to the right ripping the lira's head off. The lira's head fell to the ground, as did his body, after spewing blood from the neck for a short time. He turned and glared at the remaining lira and grabbed him by the foot and slapped him against a tree, the lira’s head skid along the ground. Marius threw the remaining lira high into the air, and then jumped after him, following the lira. Twisting in the air, Marius backhanded the lira into a spinning motion. Turning around again, he drove his fist through the lira's stomach. Pulling his fist out, Marius grabbed the lira by the head and dove down, sending the lira in the ground, crushing his bones and imploding the organs. A geyser of blood rushed out of the dead body. Marius stood up and looked at the blood-soaked area of the forest. Marius charged towards the liras.