Pendalia: Malik - New Beginnings

Malik - New Beginnings - Chapter Two Pt. 2

 Death Dancers were purely evil spirits of the forest that killed ruthlessly, tearing its prey apart and leaving the scene covered in red. They didn't even eat the kill, just their souls and left everything else behind. It wasn't the cause of the disappearance of those other sixty troops, but it very well could have been the disappearance of theirs.

"Malik!," Queen Meabh shouted and Malik turned his head over to see her bleeding and surrounded by three panicked squires. "Stop dawdling! Help them!," she shouted and Malik finally snapped out of it, standing up and quickly heading over to his satchel- as he was running, a knight had been thrown directly in front of him and he fell alongside them. He shook it off and grabbed his satchel, taking the tiniest bottle filled with a light, baby blue substance. He held it tightly in his hand as he looked over at the Death Dancer. It let out an ear piercing, corpselike screech as it threw a knight and squire into the trees. Malik clenched his teeth, running forward with the bottle. "Stand back! Retreat!," Malik shouted at those who still fought the Death Dancer, and they immediately retreated as ordered.

The attention was on Malik now.

The rabbit ran to the Death Dancer, swallowing hard as he crushed the bottle in his hand, the glass shattering and tearing into his palm instantly. The blood mixed with the sandy blue substance, causing it to turn a deep purple. The Death Dancer howled it's morbid cry, hauling a clawed hand above it's head, getting ready to strike.

Malik drew in a quick, deep breath.

"Shadow to ash, ash to light, death be brash, leave it plight," the rabbit whispered, and just as the Death Dancer was about to strike him down, a bright, purple light amid from Malik and burned the shadow demon's hand before it had hit him, causing it to scream another shrill cry. The Death Dancer stumbled backward and turned tail, beginning to run away into the forest. "Tsk!," Malik spat, beginning to run after it. If it wasn't dead for sure, it would come back.

The rabbit dashed after the beast, his hand leaking blood on the ground as he sprinted. However, the Death Dancer was much faster than him. He started to lose sight. He took a turn, two turns. He couldn't see it- it or where he had come from. Malik clenched his teeth hard, looking around his surroundings wildly. The grass was no longer black, and the trees stood smaller than before. He breathed heavily, falling to his knees as he looked up at the sky. His eyes traveled down to his hand, not just blood leaving his body, but an immense amount of magical energy. The world around him began to blur, and as he fell forward to the ground he lost his consciousness.

"Sir, are you okay?! Sir!," Two hands had gripped Malik's shoulders, shaking him violently awake. His eyes widened quickly, though everything seemed to move slowly at first. Leaning over him was a girl with a short, red pixie cut and orange, fiery amber eyes. For some reason, her expression looked determined and serious, though a little fearful. The stranger-

Wait... stranger!

Malik jumped up suddenly, throwing the stranger below him as he reached for his knife- but his scabbard was cast away alongside his clothes. I must have been asleep long enough to change back from conservation form... In his loss for his weapon, the lady kicked him off, standing quickly and pulling a rapier from her scabbard. "Stay there! If you move even the slightest inch, I will cut you!," her voice was stern and unwavering.

The rabbit stayed still. He knew when he had the short end of the stick. "Good. Now- for god's sake, put your clothes back on! And no sudden movements, or I-" "-Will cut me?," Malik raised a brow. She paused, glaring at him. "Yes."

Carefully, as slowly as possible without wasting too much time, Malik grabbed his clothes and stood up, putting everything from the night before back on. Though he hadn't noticed when he first woke up, his hand was scabbed and glass still stuck out of him- dried blood was all over his shirt and arm.

Malik turned back over to the lady, who still held her rapier defensively. She looked odd from a closer look. Just by first glance, Malik couldn't see any... recognizable ears, no horns, no tail, plain eyes, nothing defining her abilities or species. "What... are you?," Malik leaned forward and she flinched, pushing her weapon forward an inch. "Stay where you are! I don't know where you come from, but this land is holy! A demon like you has no place here."

Now he could see it. The girl was adorn in a white dress with blue trims and a white, sheet-like thing over her hair that Malik never cared to learn the name of. Across her neck and laying prominently on her chest was a silver "t" with a blue gem. Without a doubt, she was a deity worshipper. Malik had heard stories of strange, higher-power worshippers, but he had merely thought them a myth.

"A demon? Perhaps... Then why were you shaking me so violently for my life before?," Malik smirked and the lady scowled, looking to the side and back again. "I... I thought you were a normal human at first! You head... thingies... they blend into your hair!," her stance loosened, and Malik took a step forward. She did not strike as she claimed she would. "Then... what exactly, may I ask, are you?," Malik asked. "Well, I'm a healer, of course!," she stated as if it were obvious. "A healer? Sure, sure... but what kind of being are you?," Malik touched the back of the blade, lowering it as he leaned closer. "B-Being? I'm a human being!," her eyes darted to the side again and back. Though she seemed intimidated, her stance still remained impressively firm.

"A human? What an interesting concept... You have no magical energy flowing through you, you're just... regular," Malik was beyond intrigued, but the human girl seemed indignant and angry. "You- You don't know what a human is?! You prey on us when you make us sin!," she raised her voice a bit and Malik furrowed his brows.

"I haven't done shit. Where I come from, we take responsibility for our own actions," Malik looked at the blade again, then back at her. "I hadn't a clue things like you existed, and I doubt the majority of Rya knows either... if any at all. So, are you going to put the rapier down now?," Malik gently pushed the blade off to the side and her grip softened, lowering the blade completely. "How... How is that possible?," the lady sheathed her weapon, looking shamelessly at Malik's rabbit ears. His nose twitched, annoyed. It was considered rude to stare at someone's Namalian features in Pendalia.

"Can... Can I touch it...?," she asked and Malik's eyes widened, appalled. "You may certainly not!," Malik's ears flattened down behind his shoulders. The girl seemed a bit taken aback, but couldn't help her staring at him.

"Your hand...," she mentioned, "It doesn't look very good."

Malik held his hand close to his chest. "Yes. I had a rough journey here."

The lady nodded. "Right then. Well, if you're no demon... evil demon anyway, I wouldn't mind taking you back to my medical office to bandage that wound up for you," she extended a hand to Malik. "I'm Diem, by the way. Diem Becker."

Malik gave a curious look, but cautiously shook her hand in return. "Malik Muir, The Eternal King of Pendalia." Her eyes glimmered slightly. "King?," she asked. Malik nodded his head. "Now then, take me to this human medical office of yours."