The Crimson Fang

The Altros army began to stir. Every one of them knew they were dead, no matter if they surrendered or not. They had heard of the Crimson Fang allowing Altros live, if they surrendered and had something that they could offer the Crimson Nobles. This would not be the case this time around, though. They had slaughtered the Crimson Nobles, nearly destroying the remnants of their race. They had hunted down any survivors that they could find. The Hunter had never displayed such hatred in battle, according to the stories they had heard about him. He had fought most of his battles, enjoying himself along the way. This time, however, he was not playing; he did not consider this a game. He meant to eradicate the Altros entirely. There would be no survivors. At the very least, if they fought back, their numbers would cause some casualties, lessening the Crimson Fang’s fighting strength, so that the remaining High Lords could finish them off. The whole of the Altros army charged, the Crimson Fang wasting no time in slaying them.

In a matter of mere hours, a pile of Altros bodies lay in the center of the square. The Crimson Fang sat atop the pile, breathing heavily. “That was a hell of an exercise,” Draken panted. “What happened to you guys? You’re severely out of practice.” Geoff placed a large hand on Joseph’s shoulder. “Well it is hard to train, when the Altros have alarms set up. Any time somebody shows a high level of power, they hone right in and strike. We have all been dormant these past twenty years.” A pair of familiar faces approached them. “I trust you enjoyed yourselves?” “King Albert! Elder Simon! You live!” “Yes, thanks to the Resistance. Several members have been aiding us for the last few years. They have been running us between their hideouts. Many have even sacrificed themselves to keep us hidden.” “Resistance?” “Not all humans have accepted the Altros rule. Some have been fighting back. They aid us because, well, obviously we are the biggest thorn in their tyrannous leaders’ sides. By keeping us alive, they ensure that there may be a chance, someday, that the Altros could be overthrown,” Sakura explained to Joseph. “Which brings us to the most important information,” Elder Simon began. “I have discovered a method that will destroy the Altros, once and for all.”

There was a scream, as a tree flew past the Nobles. They immediately spun around to face the direction of the tree. They stared in horror at what they saw. Standing before them was a giant skeletal beast. In its ribcage, trapped, was Lady Seraphina, writhing in agony. “Mother!” Joseph ran forward, blades drawn, sheathed in flame. “I wouldn’t do that, if I were you! I am Cervanthos, Altros High Lord of Imprisonment! If you come any closer, the woman dies!” Joseph stopped, a look of pure anger crossing his face. “That’s right, submit to my will! If you value this Crimson Noble’s life, surrender! Give yourselves to the Altros, in servitude!”

“Joseph,” Lady Seraphina gasped; the pain overwhelming to her. “This creature has been using me to find other Nobles. That is how he tracked you here, so that it may kill you. It doesn’t plan to let you live, even if you were to surrender. Please, if you have any love for me, kill me.” Joseph stared at her. “Foolish woman! It is because of his love for you, that he won’t strike! I have already won!” “Are you in pain, mother?” He was holding his head low, turning his gaze to the ground. He couldn’t bear to look at her anymore. “She is in perfect agony. I do not hold back on the delicious pain that I deal. That was a stupid question to ask.” “Mother?” “Yes.” “Do it, Ami.” Ami’s arrows fired directly into Lady Seraphina, ending her life.

Cervanthos stepped back. His shield was now dead. He watched in fear, as the Crimson Dragon raised his head, bitter hatred filling his eyes. He could see that the flames on the Hunter’s blades were getting brighter; he could practically feel the heat from where he was standing. “How dare you try to use my mother as a shield against me?” Joseph growled. “How dare you think that the Crimson Nobles would ever bow their heads in defeat? How dare you think that we will ever serve you? You will not be seeing the Void of Souls, as the three before you. I will kill you. No, I will DESTROY you! I will erase your very existence from this universe, and it will be the most painful thing that you could possibly imagine. Prepare yourself for the end, Altros.”

Joseph charged at Cervanthos, throwing his blades into the air, and disappeared. The next thing the High Lord knew was incredible pain, as his fingers were torn off, one by one. Joseph grabbed Geoff’s hammer and crushed the skeleton’s feet into a fine powder. His knees were the next to go, as Dragon’s Fire charred them to cinders. As he collapsed to the ground, his shoulders were torn from his torso. He screamed as the pain overcame him. Joseph continued to inflict the agony on the Altros, until he felt his vengeance had been fulfilled. “Are you prepared for death, Altros?” Cervanthos’ scream could be heard throughout the entire city, as his eyes were burned from his skull, ending him entirely.

The Fang moved to Joseph’s side. He stood over Lady Seraphina’s still body. “Elder Simon, you said you know how to annihilate them. They have taken my family from me. Tell me how to end this.” Elder Simon approached him. “Now that you have defeated the last of the High Lords, the Grand Master will be forced to show himself. When he does, the five of you must work together to defeat him. Then, you must all focus your power into him, filling him with more than he can handle. It will be much like what happened to you, Joseph. His body will collapse, and then you can finish him off. You must summon the Dragon’s Ferocity, the Bear’s Strength, the Fox’s Cunning, the Eagle’s Grace, and the Wolf’s Agility. Once the Grand Master has been destroyed, the rest of the Altros will perish with him.

“Wait,” Draken started, “We have to hunt another Altros, now?” A voice carried, seemingly coming from nowhere. “There will be no hunting today. I am here, and I accept, and await, all challenges.” Everyone turned in the direction of the voice, and stared in horror at something none of them expected. A Crimson Noble that none of them had ever met was standing, with a smirk on his face, staring back at them. “No way! A Crimson Noble is the Grand Master?” “That is correct. The last remaining Ancient, to be precise. I am Sephithos! Using the knowledge of my people, I created the Altros! Everything was going smoothly for me; I was sitting upon the throne of the entire world! That is, until the very people I had chosen to spare decided to lead a rebellion against my creations! Then, to make matters worse, they imprisoned me behind the ten High Lords, whom they then sealed away, as well!”

Sephithos walked around the square, the Crimson Fang refusing to lower their weapons. “For eons, I was locked away in that prison, waiting and plotting my revenge. The High Lords may have been created using my sins and vices, but the day would come when they, individually, would be defeated. This was inevitable; there was no way that they could all get along forever. As I sensed them being destroyed, I knew the time was drawing nigh. When the day came that they were destroyed, I would be ready to unleashed my restored power on this pitiful planet and take back the throne that was stolen from me!” He laughed and looked around at those brave enough to remain in the square. “Now, who among you believes you have what it takes to stop me?” Ami fired an arrow at him, letting it fly directly towards his eyes. It disintegrated before it even got close. Sakura, Draken and Geoff took turns charging at him, only to be tossed aside.

Joseph attacked, his fist caught by Sephithos. He attempted to toss Joseph aside, as he had done with the others, but could not. “It is not possible! An Ancient still lives? How can it be? I destroyed all the others, when I created the Altros!” “Who do you think took care of the High Lords?” Joseph grinned. “I’m sorry; does my being here throw a stick into your plans?” “More like a leaf, but I will have to send you into oblivion, regardless. No hard feelings, you understand. It would just be bad for business if you were to live to stand against me later.” They exchanged blows for what seemed like forever. The rest of the Fang had regrouped, gathering beside Elder Simon. “He will not be able to defeat the Grand Master Sephithos alone. The four of you will have to aid him, but you must wait for the proper moment.” “How are we going to know when that is?” “You will know when the time is right, believe me.”

Joseph’s body flew across the square, crashing into a short wall, breaking right through it. Sephithos followed, thrusting a large lance right into him. The Fang didn’t move. They watched, waiting for the right moment. But how was that moment to come, now that Joseph had been impaled? Sephithos pulled the lance from his victim’s body, jumping back over the rubble to the other side of the wall. “Are there any others amongst you who are foolish enough to make the next attempt?” “I am,” Joseph’s voice called from the wall. Sephithos turned quickly, eyes wide as he looked upon Joseph standing there, unscathed. “What? It is not possible! How could anything survive that?” “I will teach you what it means to possess true power. Dragon’s,” his hand raised to the sky, “Fury,” it aimed at the Grand Master, completely paralyzed by fear, “Blast!” A beam of light slammed into Sephithos, but he did not fall.

This is the moment! Draken ran forth, adding a beam into Sephithos’ side. The others, following Draken’s lead, attacked the other empty, unguarded, areas on Sephithos’ body. Eventually, he collapsed, unable to withstand the pain any longer. Joseph walked over to him. “You have been tested, and have failed. You are going to die now, and the blight that you have instilled upon the world shall be snuffed out, like a candle in the wind.” He pointed a finger at the spot where Sephithos’ heart would be, if he still had one. The other members of the Fang followed suit. “Dragon’s Ferocity!” “Bear’s Strength!” “Fox’s Cunning!” “Hawk’s Grace!” “Wolf’s Agility!” Sephithos let out a bloodcurdling scream, as the power overwhelmed him, and he exploded in a ball of light.

When the light faded, the Crimson Fang was laying around a black scorch mark in the pavement. Elder Simon and King Albert ran to them. One by one, they slowly regained consciousness. All, except Joseph. Everyone stood around him, looking down at him. Elder Simon checked for signs of life. He stood back up, shaking his head. “I was afraid of this,” he sighed. “What’s wrong with him?” A voice that nobody recognized rang out. Everyone turned to see where it had come from, and saw Ami standing these, tears in her eyes. The voice belonged to her, and everybody stared at her in disbelief. “He focused his very essence into defeating Sephithos. He may never wake from his slumber.” Ami dropped beside him. “But, that’s not fair! He has done nothing but fight to protect the world from the Altros!” She was crying uncontrollably, now. “All that work, for what? He has done nothing but dedicate his entire life to fighting the Altros and protecting the world, for what? To sacrifice his own life to finish defeating them? Bring him back to us! Bring him back to me!” She screamed at Elder Simon, as loud as her lungs would allow. He just stood there, a solemn look on his face. She screamed and cried for hours, until she no longer had the ability to scream. The others stayed with the two of them, even when the last of the remaining humans had all left, having celebrated their freedom. They just stood there, silently, as Ami wept.

Finally night fell, and Ami passed out. King Albert ordered Draken to pick her up, and Geoff to pick Joseph up. “There is something we must do. We will give him a proper hero’s send-off. A statue will be erected for him, next to his father’s, in Crimsonia. We must also begin rebuilding our home. Now, let us go make the preparations. Once we are ready, I have a final mission for you. You will travel the world, seeking out the remaining Crimson Nobles, and bring them home.” With that, the Crimson Nobles disappeared into the night.