It was a time of prosperity. A small city out beyond the mountain detached from the rest of civilization. It was a paradise where the line between man and beasts had blurred into nothingness. This was the home to an extraordinary race that looked like any other human.
"Morning, Dhroob!" said the local farmer pulling in a wagon of fresh vegetables.
"Morning," said a tan young man, leaving his humbly small abode.
"Off to work?"
"Yeah. They really need me down at the plant. I'll catch ya later!" Dhroob leapt into the air and instantaneously morphed into a hawk that flew off into the sky. From a bird's eye view, he watched various animals and people going about their daily lives. Pelicans were flying from door to door, dropping off letters and packages. Elephants and oxen were hard at work pulling in their wagons of goods.Every single one of them was a Shifter, blessed with the ability to shapeshift into any other creature at will.
Dhroob began to descend near the waterfront, just outside the power plant. He greeted his coworkers and went inside to start checking on the water wheel. The water was flowing at an excellent rate, noticeable enough for the young engineer to take note of.
"Hey, Dhroob. How are we looking?" said a dolphin poking its head out of the water.
"Things are looking good. The current is strong today, so our power supply is gonna be good for months if this keeps up."
"That sounds great! I'll tell the elders about- By the Gods!" The dolphin and Dhroob looked to the water stream, horrified that it was now becoming a river of blood. "I'm going to alert the guards! Lockdown the facility!" The dolphin swiftly shifted into a sparrow and flew away to warn the rest of the town. Dhroob ran outside and looked to the water, seeing that the blood was stretching farther than he could see. Just marching over the horizon was a small group of individuals dressed in ragged clothes. He knew very well who they were. The Berserker Clan.
Before Dhroob's eyes, the invaders shifted into birds and flew to the heart of town. It did not take long for them to morph into carnivorous dinosaurs that immediately began to wreak havoc on the innocent. Thankfully, civilians were fleeing Dhroob's way.
"Everyone get in the water!" he cried out. In large mass, the townspeople jumped into the bloody stream as fish. Dhroob was prepared to follow, but his heart stopped when he saw all his fellow Shifters float up to the top as dead fish. Further investigation revealed to him the toxic smell of the water. What further spooked him was an elephant being thrown into the hydro plant, before having its neck ripped out by a dragon. More of the berserkers were coming in to rip apart the poor creature.
Dhroob's instincts kicked in and he ran away from the chaos in the form of a cheetah. His legs took him as fast as he could, but a falcon was keeping up with him. Not only was the bird keeping up, but getting ahead. Just as Dhroob was losing stamina, the falcon shifted into a lion on the path ahead.
The big cats were in a standoff. Circling and growling at each other. It was the berserker that made the first move, pouncing at Dhroob to hopefully rip out his throat. A quick shift into a hummingbird saved the engineer's life, allowing him to counterattack by turning into a gorilla and wrestling the lion to the ground. For a few seconds more, they shifted back and forth trying to get the upper hand on each other. It all reached a climax when a blast of fire set the berserker aflame. Dhroob lay on the ground watching his enemy scream and burn alive.
"Interesting, so your kind is susceptible to fire. I should've known that. Everything burns." Fish stepped out from behind a boulder, carrying a fresh flame in the palm of his hand.
"Who... Who are you?!" Dhroob asked the magic man.
"The name's Fish. I'd ask who you are, but I'm more interested in knowing what you are. Now talk, before you end up like your friend over there."
"That wasn't a friend. That was a Berserker. A warrior from an enemy clan of Shifters."
"Okay, so I'm assuming that's what you are. Are there more of you?" Fish asked.
"Yes! There's a whole town of us and we're under attack! Please, sir, you have to help!"
"Hmmph, what's in it for me?"
Dhroob was at a loss for words. He didn't know what he could offer the stranger, but an idea came to him after seeing the burnt corpse next to him. "You'll have plenty of people to burn."
Fish perked up a little and a wicked smile grew on his face. "Deal," he said. "Follow me." Together, the pair went on to go on the offensive.
To Dhroob's dismay, there was nothing left to save or kill. The entire town was burnt down and the bodies of his kin littered the ruins. Fish was utterly disappointed, but watched as Dhroob broke down in the ashes.
"Hmph... That sucks what happened to your home," the sorcerer said. "But it looks like you failed in what you promised me."
"What?!" Dhroob gasped. "Can you not see what I'm going through, bitch?!"
"How about we make a deal? You follow me on my quest and I'll help you on your search for revenge."
Dhroob pounded his fist in the dirt and marched up to Fish. The two had a silent staredown, neither one changing their fierce expression. At the end of it, Fish grinned and extended a hand. The shifter grabbed it and made the deal with the devil.
YOU ARE READING
Equinox
Genel Kurgu"Do you think God stays in heaven because he too lives in fear of what He's created?" The Kayon was a weapon made merely for chaos and destruction. it was given to the hands of mortals for that very purpose. Little did they know, that it could be us...
