Walking with the sun at my back, I double my pace as to reach the town before nightfall. A Nightscreamer flies overhead, its shadowy birdlike wings leaving trails of darkness in its wake. I start running, not wanting to become the creature's next prey.
Their screech rings out, calling the others to its discovered meal. Still running, I reach into my pack and pull out a torch. Acting as a giant match, I strike it against a nearby rock. Flames licking the sky, I hold it above my head and run faster.
Stealing a glance behind me, I look into the sky to see a flock following me. Gulping, I reach into the air, pulling Particles into my hand, forming them into the shape of my sword. It's always easier for me to Particalize my equipment than carry it around. It only takes a few moments to Summon, anyways. Raising the Thunderstrike, holding the torch in my off-hand, I swing it in a circle, sending out a blastwave of blue energy without actually hitting anything. The light scares some of the nearer Nightscreamers to the back of the group.
Once the light fades, several of the braver Screamers dive at me, forcing me to wave my torch at them. I have to be careful though, if it touches my sword, the torch will explode, meaning I lose my light source and the Screamers have a clear path to capturing and eating me. Sticking my sword in its sheath, I reach toward the ground and command the Particles to move, allowing me to make a hole that I can hide in. Jumping into it, I command the Particles to form a shell around me, giving me time to come up with a plan.
I can hear the screams outside that give the Nightscreamers their name, followed by pieces of dirt and dust raining down from my makeshift ceiling. Thinking fast, I realize that an explosion might be just what I need. Summoning wood Particles, I form a wooden shell inside of the earthen one. After lighting it on fire with my torch, I Summon some more wood to hold the torch to the ceiling. I hopefully won't be needing it anymore. I command the dirt to create a small barrier to hide from the explosion behind. I carefully poke my sword through the small gap I left for it. Barely brushing the still-burning torch, I am deafened by the explosion. Yes, exploding wood is loud. The explosion throws out pieces of burning wood, the sudden burst of light scaring the Screamers away. Commanding away the shell, I turn it into a shield. I send out a shockwave to clear my path and jump out, thankfully not near any Screamers.
I take in the destruction the explosion caused. There are flaming bits of wood everywhere, and some of the Screamers are laying on the ground, holes in their wings or torsos from the light. I surge forward, using a boost from the sword to increase my speed. I feel a quick breeze pass me from behind and spin around, slicing my sword through the air and bring up my shield. The sword cuts into the creature's wing, the Screamer letting out an even louder scream, signaling the others that it is wounded. Gooey black blood trickles out from the wound and onto my sword. I narrowly avoid getting some on me. Screamer blood is toxic. I blast energy from my sword and the creature and it flies a short ways away before landing on the ground with a pitiful cry, it's wing getting caught under its body.
Another Screamer comes to avenge its fallen comrade. It doesn't even reach me before another shockwave hits it, the light damage making a large gouge in its back. It falls too. A group comes at me, all from different angles so I can't just hit them in one shot. Great. Just great. Slicing my sword through the air in a quick cutting motion, I manage to hit most of them. The closest one comes close enough that I have to fend it off with my shield while I fight the others. A few more slices take care of all but the one on the other side of my shield. More come. While I'm busy fighting them off, I feel a drop of something warm fall onto my arm. I turn my attention to the Screamer on my shield, which has managed to bite onto the top. A thin trickle of blood has fallen onto my hand and I scream louder than the Screamers. The feeling of acid boiling away my skin causes me to drop my shield. I quickly sheath my sword and Particalize the blood and raise it out of my skin, taking care to not let it touch anymore of me. I move it out and let it fall to the ground. Glaring at the Nightscreamer from my shield, I throw Particles from the ground at it, encasing it in a shell of dirt and stone.
I pull my sword and hold it in front of me, daring any of them to come close. A few Screamers from the ground try to get up, but their injuries keep them from getting far. A glowing pair of eyes rise up a ways away, the white light illuminating the ground around them. Screamers don't have glowing eyes. I gulp, not sure how much more I can take before I collapse. It has the same bird/bat hybrid shape as a Nightscreamer, but its eyes set it apart. I reach down and pick up my shield, hoping it offers at least some protection from this creature. It opens its mouth and inhales, black goo dripping out. I can't tell if its saliva or blood, but both would be equally bad. I raise the shield in front of me and hold my sword at the ready behind it. It breaths out, along with the loudest scream I have ever heard. It flings the Screamers from the ground and pushes me back a few steps, the goo from its mouth flying everywhere. I duck behind my shield, but it doesn't cover my whole body. I can feel the goo eating away at my pants and then my skin, but I hold my ground, not letting the sorta-Screamer sense any weakness. After it finally stops screeching, I pull my sword and send a shockwave at it, hoping to catch it unaware. It doges my attach and flings it tail at me, sending goo flying in my direction.
Ignoring the burning sensation in my legs, I charge at it, being closer to it allows less time for dodging. Releasing a scream of my own, I make a series of motions with my sword, making a cross-hatching pattern of shockwaves in front of me. I fling them at the Screecher, as I'm now calling it. It tries to dodge but gets a small cut on its back, blood gushing out. It's not black like traditional screamer blood, but rather the same glowing white as its eyes. It screeches at me, flinging more goo in my direction. I don't even attempt to dodge and send another crosshatch of energy in its direction. It gets hit by more of it this time, and I see it inhaling again. Not wanting to be caught in another screech, I come up with a rather stupid idea. I drop my shield.
Using the last of my strength, I focus my energy into the sword, feeling a draining sensation throughout my body. I collapse to my knees, blue sparks flying off the Thunderstrike. Particles from the ground and nearby Screamers fly to it, infusing with its surface and adding to its energy. The Screecher looks at me, perplexed, but still inhaling. My vision starts to darken around the edges, but I keep focusing my energy into the sword. A few of the Nightscreamers manage to get back into the air and start inhaling too, imitating the Screecher. My grip on the sword starts shaking, but I torch them to hold on tighter. The pain from my legs fading, I'm too tired to feel pain. Finally being unable to force anything else into the sword, I release the energy in the form of a bubble, a giant shockwave that radiates out from the tip. My last thought before I black out is that the bubble wasn't all blue, but it had streaks of black as well.
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Hey, what do you guys think of the first chapter of my new story? I have almost no idea where it's going, but it'll be interesting!
I may write chapters to come before this.
Just in my brain dump while I work on the cover.
