Moonflame

Chapter 1 "Attacked"

Skoll was walking through the Goldleaf Wilds, the brilliant yellow leaves shining in the trees above him from the noontime sun. The bushes scattered along the forest trail had red berries in them and branches crushing them. The trail he was following was made by animals, but it seems to be traversed by human's recently. Boot tracks. Looks like I am on the right trail. The Silver Blades should be right up ahead. Skoll drew his blade and slowed down, watching the tracks carefully. After following the ground for a while, something ticked him off. There might have been a noise, or a smell, but someone was watching him. Skoll looked up and saw the glint of metal to his left, before raising his blade and creating a glowing orange aurora surrounding it as the werewolf hunters leaped at him from all sides.

"That didn't sound like a bear," Hati mentioned to himself. His black stained leather armor, adorned with animal furs and a well oiled pattern welded sword in his right hand made him stand out among the forest's bright colors. He turned towards the sound he had heard in the forest. “That sounded more like swords. Someone’s fighting out there,” he said as he closed his eyes, letting his ears do the work for him. His sharpened senses listened to the sound of the swords and determined what material they were. SIlver. Hatiquickly opened his eyes and raced forward, determined to help the werewolf who he knew was being hunted.

Skoll was losing. He knew it. His left arm was slashed, his back hammered, his right side pierced. Skoll had burned 3 of them and slashed up another 4, but the last 12 were being far more careful than they originally were when they charged him. They had taken out their magical shields and spears, holding him in one place while they encircled him. Skoll looked around at their eyes. None of them had mercy in them, and he knew they didn’t see any in his. Holding his scimitar in front of him, ready to block any attacks, Skoll launched a multi-colored fireball into their ranks. The two nearest it quickly turned and backed up, letting the plasma melt their shields. Skoll took the opportunity to try to run out, but the one farthest the explosion raised his spear while saying an incantation. Just as he got 5 feet past them all, he felt a tug in his gut as he was pulled right back into the center of them all. Skoll was beginning to give up and let himself die, then one of them was stabbed in the gut. A glint of light off a blade, then blood. The werewolf hunters looked around them, searching for the phantom killer, while a knife made of shadows was plunged into the mage’s throat. He collapsed to the ground, dead, making the others break ranks and run into the forest.

“Grrrrr..” A feral growl made them stop and thrust their spears forward at Hati’s werewolf form. A glowing sword stopped them before they could. The spears were cut in half and glowing flames surrounded the hunters. A few seconds later, their heads were caked in blood, their minds blank, but not gone.

“Thanks for the assist, but who the hell are you?” Skoll questioned. Hati reverted back into his human form, exhausted.

“My name is Hati. And it seems we both have the same goal. Destroying the SIlver Blades.”