THE LAST GATEKEEPER

Assignments

            The sun rose quickly over the eastern wilds Crow had come from. Crow, of course, was the first one to be awake. Ellis came to him whilst he watched the sun rise and put a blade to his back.

            His hand shook the blade and Crow could feel it waver easily with the wind. “I should kill you.” Ellis snickered in a nervous breath. Crow remained silent, he had already responded to that statement and his first reply had not been enough to satisfy the boy. He could understand where he was coming from, was Crohan not hunting down the Demons that brought hell to his home? Crow remained still watching the sun rise. It was beautiful as they usually are. “I should kill you!” Ellis screamed and Crohan could feel some of the boy’s spit touch his neck and now realized that Ellis did actually mean to kill him.

            Crow flickered around quicker than Ellis could move his stuttering arm. Ellis had a face more crimson than a rose blooming in spring and a face filled with anger. His eyes squinted and his mouth hissing he slashed out at Crohan and Crow swiftly side stepped the attack and kicked the blade out of Ellis’ hand.

            “No!” He screamed and threw his arms onto Crow. Crow had to toss the sword to avoid plunging it into his attacker and ran out of time to reject his tackle. Ellis heaved the Demon hunter backwards into a fence that had avoided the fire and therefore held his weight. Ellis swung a long a deep lunge at Crohan but Crohan caught the punch, feeling the full force of the impact in his left arm’s joints. With his right hand he swiftly forced a punch into Ellis’ face and the boy dropped to the dusty ground, limp.

            “What did you do!?” Boris barked and then ran to his brother’s aid only witnessing the part where Crow had knocked his brother unconscious.

            “He tried to kill me.” Crow murmured and Boris picked up his slightly smaller brother and carried him inside avoiding Crow’s words.

            “What happened?” Joseph Baxter asked as Boris set Ellis on the counter.

            “The Hunter knocked Ellis out.” Boris barked. Joseph looked at Crow who stood outside and was continuing to admire the sun rise. He had a fondness of simple beauties like this, they’ve followed him everywhere. Joseph hustled out with a particular strut and said nothing but prepared to attack Crow. Crow caught an arm mid-flight and then weaved the Baxter into a lock like a painter might paint something. Boris saw this and leapt out to do the same. Boris struck once and hit Crow in the face knocking Joseph loose and Crohan backwards. The two regrouped and then attacked. Crohan grabbed both of their collars and twirled them backwards and then to their knees and by the time they were resisting worth any real effort, they were incapable of escaping without knowledge of how to.

            “Stop.” Jack’s voice rang in the air as the final brother, Weaver, strode out to attack the hunter. He stopped halfway between Crow and the back room. “I saw it, Ellis started the fight.” Jack, Crow recognized, was an ally. He had known who’d been watching and whereas the vividly infatuated Azlyn had been watching from the attic, Jack had not been watching. He was defending Crow because he was smart. He knows that if he loses Crohan he loses life.

            Crow released the two immediately and walked around them toward the back, passing within inches of Weaver Baxter whom had a smug look on his face.

            “How’s Jimmy?” Crow asked in a low tone of voice.

            “He’s in need of medicine; I fear if we lose this battle, we’ll lose him.” Jack responded in the same manner. Crow nodded and went upstairs. The attic was lit by morning’s light now but still remained a bit dark. Azlyn was already waiting for him but Jimmy had sweat sizzling off his forehead and the paleness had become a very vivid whiteness.

            “He’s going to die if we fail today. Come with me.” Crow said and Azlyn quickly obeyed. The stairs creaked as they went down and Crow noticed the building was beginning to fail. They came to Jack again and the other Baxter’s were almost regrouped as well. “Who of you is the best of medical treatment?”

            Jack put his fingers to his temples and Boris laughed. “That’d be Ellis, you knocked him out.” Boris said as if Crow hadn’t already known.

“As soon as he wakes up he’ll have to go upstairs and treat Jimmy.” Crow handed Jack a blade from the display set. “I need to see how each of you fight.” Crow said and then went into the back yard of the Weaponry again where Weaver hadn’t actually left. “Who’s first?”

“Jack’ll go.” Joseph said and grinned, patting Jack on the back whilst moving him ahead at the same time. Jack grimaced and unsheathed the blade.

“Alright, alright.” Jack said and got into stance. Crow did the same but merely for show, he’d been able to fight when just before awoken, he needed little preparation.

“Show him whatcha got!” Boris barked from the side and Jack lashed out. Crohan admired this; he had used the distraction wisely and attacked with it. The hunter side stepped the slash and whipped around him. Jack swung low and met Crow’s blade with his own, the clashing effect rippled a sound.

“Say, you’re pretty good.” Crow said and then whipped the blade out of his hand. It clambered against the dirt and Jack smiled.

“Not good enough apparently.”

“You next Boris.” Crohan said but was distracted for a moment and Crow glared off into the distance.

“Crow?” Jack asked with an immediate alert. His pace quickened.

“They’re here.” Crow said and pointed at a fleet of crows in the direction he was looking. “Introductions to your abilities will have to wait.” Crow drew out his blade that always hung low on his waist. “Boris, Weaver and Joseph I want you two with Azlyn, Jack and I will take Dibala.”

“Dibala is Chloe right?” Joseph asked. Crow nodded. The fleet swept upon them like a heave of wind and soon they were nearly above them.

“How’re they flying?” Azlyn asked.

“The wraiths are in their ethereal states and Dibala is partially in hers!” Crow shouted over a newly found rain. It was no doubt an aura that Dibala had made.

“What about Jimmy and Ellis!?” Boris yelled.

“Not enough time!” Crow shouted. “They’ll be fine in there, most likely, just draw the fights away from the weaponry!” And then the first wraith landed before Joseph and before Joseph slashed at it he called out AKIMI!