Spark in Darkness: Unworldy encounter/Prototype

Spark 10: Meeting under the moons

"So, this is it, huh." A man spotting a healthy tan grinned nervously.

The tall man with a slightly muscular build beside him nodded. "Uh huh. It's one of the entrance to the Tree of Life."

They looked at the crumbled wall in front of them. It had been a tall wall, but now less than half of it was standing, the debris of the pieces strewn around it. A signpost stood solemnly beside it, pointing to two different directions with two different names. Instead of choosing either road, the two young men walked towards the wall at the forkroad, and walked right into it.

***

Somebody is approaching...I can sense it...footsteps...light...a girl...?

She's coming closer...who is it? How come I can feel it? Wait a minute...this presence...I can recognise it. Weird. I thought I still cannot recognise people...if it's a girl...Rinya Nightblade? Has she come to kill me?

I have to get up...prepare myself...my body feels so heavy...

With much difficulty, Haruki open his eyes. Hie eyelids were as heavy as lead. So was his body. Using all his strength, Haruki pushed himself up.

He heard a low, soft, growl, and looked up.

Into the face of an animal. A pair of large piercing red eyes stared back at him, and a flat snout was almost pressing his face. Two large curved blades were on either edge of his vision.

A puff of air from the snout made him retch, and Haruki's brain, which was late at waking up, finally figured what was going on.

Using all the strength in his body, he leapt to his feet and jumped backwards, keeping a good distance between himself and the boar.

He looked around. The surrounding was dark, but Haruki could make out leaves. He must be somewhere in the tea plantation.

Shaking his mind to keep himself focused, and twisting his body to prevent it from getting too stiff, Haruki lit up his fists.

He could do it with ease now, and with the light source, he realised he was right about his location. He turned his head back to the boar, which was starting to get agitated by the light. It was pawing the ground with its front leg, its head tilted slightly to show off its ivory tusks. The boar was huge, almost reaching to Haruki's chest. If he was to get mowed by this beast, it would be bad.

A growl came from behind. And another towards his right.

If he were to get caught in this between three beasts, bad would be an underestimation.

Haruki went for the bow around his shoulder, only to realise it was missing. So was his quiver of arrows.

He muttere a curse. "That old man took it away from me after drugging me, huh...damn. I don't exactly think my fists can do much damage to these boars by themselves...as to why I got drugged, I guess I'll ask him later. Provided that I can get through this shit alive."

Gritting his teeth, Haruki took a battle stance as he faced the charging boars.

***

Haruki panted to catch his breath, as he wiped the blood off his face. He threw what was in his other hand onto the ground, and the white tusk clattered onto the barren land.

Haruki stared at the motionless animals on the ground, their black blood staining what was left of the tea leaves around them. He almost felt sorry for the animals, if they were not trying to kill him.

Fighting with fists was not easy when your opponents were three huge beasts that could rough you up badly with sharp tusks and strong bodies, but Haruki managed to summon every ounce of skill he learnt from his month-long training. The school primarily taught the students its own fist-fighting technique, and even though it was supposed to be used on humans, or Nayshards, Haruki managed to use them to defeat the beasts.