Annaveri

Chapter 4

"HA! JUST GIVE IT UP! YOU WILL NEVER. BEAT ME!" Duck and roll, block, spin, swing. A strong right hook to the face, and hot ball of fiery power following was enough to kill someone, but Zekke laid off. A right hook to the face was just enough. Michael, a local training child who lived not to far from the arena yelped, coughed and gagged. Zekke smirked a little, and opened his fists back up. "Cockiness will get you no where, Michael."

"SHUT UP! I'M GOING TO WIN THIS!" Michael yelled. Zekke's smirk grew, and he quickly got into his fighting stance. Michael opened his hands and formed his power. Blue power balls sharpened and split themselves into long spikes with ragged edges. Angrily, he swung his hands, releasing the spikes and aiming for Zekke, but Zekke simply danced around them, and spiked his dark green power into the ground. It shook the ground and knocked Michael off his feet on his knees, face to face with several of his own spikes. He screamed and threw himself up, but fell back from him throwing himself too hard. Zekke walked up, and held out his hand. "What did I tell you? You gotta channel that anger bud-" Michael slapped his hand away and got up and stormed off, trying not to cry at his pitiful defeat. "Hey! Michael!" Zekke called, but he kept going. With a smile and him shaking his head, he turned and started walking inside. "I try with that boy, but he just doesn't listen. Don't know how much longer I can keep this up." His mother smiled at him and shook her head. "Patience is key, Ezekkeyeil." She fixed her crown on her head and gently braided her hair down behind it. Zekke grabbed her hands away, and did it for her.

"Mom, you don't have to call me by whole first name."

"You don't like your name?!"

"I didn't say that!"

"Your father picked it out! I can't believe you don't like it!"

"Mom!" She giggled as Zekke kissed her cheek. "Im heading back out, I will be back later." He grabbed his stuff and headed for the door.

"Oh wait! How is that friend of yours doing?"

"Siopi?"

"Yeah! You guys have been friends for forever."

"Years. I met him when we were little, remember? He was crying and looked really scared, and you brought him home with you."

"He was so dirty, and he looked so young. He's only older by a few years."

"I'm gonna go see him now!"

"Do tell him I said hi."

"I will!" He left out with a bag over his shoulder, and started walking. Dogs barked and children played. He looked up at the soft red sky and smiled a bit. "What a nice day, I hope nothing goes bad again." He thought out loud, and looked around. "Zekke!" Out called a young voice. It was Ypolous, and he ran straight into traffic without thinking. "YPOLOUS WAIT!" Zekke yelled. He threw his stuff down on side walk and dashed to him. An incoming carriage's skeleton horse neighed loudly, not having enough time and going too fast to stop and not hit him. Zekke jumped in front of him, grabbed him, and rolled out of the way, cradling him tightly in his arms. The carriage swerved and drove off. Zekke watched, panting hard. "DON'T EVER RUN OUT LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN!" He yelled. Ypolous trembled and clung onto him. "Siopi is gone, and there's people in the house! They have weapons and fire!"

"What? Where's Siopi?!"

"I don't know!" A loud explosion hit in the distance, and fires quickly attached itself to everything near. Zekke's eyes widened. "That's Siopi's place!" He mumbled. Another explosion hit next to it. Then another. Then another.  A total of 7 fell into a pattern, a curved line from Siopi's place to the castle. Half the castle crumbled down, and the rest was on it's way. Zekke pushed himself up and ran towards the castle with Ypolous in his arms. "Why are we going there?! We are gonna die!" Ypolous cried. "Siopi is in there! We need to get him out now!" Zekke yelled back. In seconds they were up the steps and in the castle's gates, and met face to face with a dark, shadowy figure ripping apart the flesh of a citizen. A hell hound in form. Zekke froze and backed up. "Shit..!" He mumbled. Ypolous looked at the hound and growled. He remembered how he had snapped that guard dog's neck, and thought to himself "I can and will do it again." The hound looked at them and howled. "No no no no no!" Zekke yelled. The howl alerted more hounds, and 4 giant black dogs joined them. "They're nothing but a meal." Ypolous mumbled. Zekke looked down at him. "What?! You can't take on hell hounds!"