On the trail of the soul knights

Part 4

Lou's PoV:
"I don't understand, HE is the master of the earth, I'm one hundred percent sure!", Lou tried to explain to the golden ringleader of the knights.

They had just returned from the attack on Cole in the basement of the ninja monastery and his teammates had immediately told the leader everything.

Then Lou got asked to a one-on-one conversation in the smaller cave again.

"I don't understand how he could defeat us like that without touching us!", Lou moaned and backed away, afraid of what the leader would do to him now that he failed his very first mission.

The most important one.

"Something like that is called telepathy, you probably caught the wrong elementary master", the ringleader's voice was calm, ominously calm.

"Look, I'm sure it was NOT the wrong one...", Lou looked into the leader's face, at least where the face was hidden behind the helmet.

"I know it's him..."

Suddenly a loud, bone cracking, terrible sound shook the whole cave and Lou began to tremble in fear.

It took him some moments to recognize... the ringleader was laughing.

"Lou, Lou, Lou", he chuckled, if that was even the right word for that horrifying sound.

"You are really amusing me"

"Wh-What?", Lou backed up, but the ringleader stretched his big golden hand out to push Lou closer again.

"I know that Cole Hence is the master of earth", he then whispered.

"You know it?!", Lou could not believe what he heard.

All fear was forgotten as he straightened his back and put on an outraged face even though it could not be seen through his helmet.

"Then why did you make me do that?"

"See it as a... test", the ringleader suggested.

Lou huffed.

"Now I know I can trust you for your next mission"

"What will it be?", Lou asked and gulped as his cautiosness returned and he carefully tried to back up again.

"First you need to know why we even need Cole"

"I-I thought you need his powers?"

"That is what I meant", the ringleader said placatory but there was something else in his voice.

"We soul knights lost something a long time ago that only the element of the earth can bring back", he then explained and suddenly his hands went to his helmet ... and he took it off.

Lou fell back with a shriek of surprise when a non-human head appeared underneath.

He had seen the red eyes glowing through the fabric before, but...

No hair and a face that looked charred.

And of course the eyes, burning their way like a fire, right into Lou's soul.

Or at least it felt like it.

He rubbed his chest.

"W .. what are you?", Lou stammered.

"We are soul knights, at least that's the name our culture was given, but ... we are Gmaurin"

"You all look like that?", Lou asked surprised and wished the leader would put the helmet back on.

"The newcomers are all people who joined us a few months ago, like you. Yes, the rest of us looks like that," the leader continued.

"We walk this earth since more than a hundred years and we seeked peace... if it wasn't for... some people... stealing something from us"