New Dawn

Highway Caldor

It had been a few days since Tomas's encounter with Crank. He still couldn't wrap his head around Crank's 'prophetic' visions as he decided to call them. Still he ventured on. Tomas camped in the ruins of small village huts, and on the second day he actually managed to find an intact abandon one. The demons seemed to ignore these ruined huts. On the second night a lone demon searched the hut to which Tomas drove the sword straight though the creatures chest ending it once and for all.

When Tomas was younger he never fully appreciated just how far the capital was from his little village. This was a place that he had never been to. He had heard stories of its grandeur, but it was always so foreign to him. The furthest he had ever been from his village was the next one over with his uncle. He always imagined running to the glistening city where he would valiantly rush in and save his sister. These were all in the past now. He ventured further down the road where he eventually stumbled upon a town that was not as much ruin as the other towns he had past. In fact this town still had a people in it!

As Tomas continued forward a line of guards came into focus. As he drew closer an arrow landed squarely at his feet.

"HALT!" He heard a male voice yell

"Please let me through! I have been traveling for a few days and I seek food and shelter," Tomas pleaded

"You are the first to come down this road since the creatures attacked. How did you survive? How many of you are there?" The voice called out again

Tomas began to get frustrated.

"Listen you don't understand! I have a message for the capital I must report it!" He shouted

"You? Clearly coming from the outer villages aren't anyone of noble standing. What message could you possibly have?" The voice laughed

Tomas hadn't thought about the danger and the value of his of his weapon. He knew that if he explained the power he had to defeat the demons that surely someone somewhere would try and take his weapon from him. Without this weapon there would be no way for him to save his sister. Tomas decided in that moment to hold his tongue. Saving Reilin came before anything.

"I know where the source of the demons power is!" He announced

For a moment everything was still. The wind rustled the leaves in the trees, and the forest animals could be heard rustling about in the woods on the sides of the road. For a moment the world felt still. Then a laughter erupted from the guards.

"The Demon's POWER? Boy are you mad?" one of the soldiers cackled.

As the soldiers continued to laugh Tomas began to feel a bit betrayed. These men were supposed to dedicate their lives to saving people in the empire, yet here and now these men were ridiculing him.

The soldiers continued to laugh at Tomas, then the original voice from the crowd called out,

"Sorry boy there will be no refuge for you here! You can't pass. But since you are so confident I'll give you a test. Bring me proof of the death of a demon and we shall stand aside."

Tomas began to slowly walk away from the line of men returning to the path from which he had arrived on. Then he had an idea. He turned and went into the forest.

The trees swallowed him and he felt the greenery slowly digesting him. He continued into the gaping mouth of the woods when he finally spotted what he was looking for. A tree lie before Tomas, it roots snaking in the ground gripping the earth tightly. Tomas could see the little creatures running about making tiny little villages among the massive network of roots.

It was not the tree the interested Tomas. It was the petrified Demon that was positioned beneath it. The creature was rather larger than some of the other Demons that he had come across. Though it was huddled and curling itself into a ball with his wings, Tomas could tell that this particular Demon was different. Had it not been set on killing humanity it almost had a beauty to it. The top of its head seemed to be wearing a hood, but as to the color Tomas could not tell, it was gray like everything else. Sensing the power of the creature Tomas hatched a plan. If he could show the guards of the village that he could actually slay these creatures.