UzumakiJake
Kage in the Making 👑
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2008
- Messages
- 10,200
- Reaction score
- 314
Jace woke to screaming.
The kind that froze the blood in your veins.
Dust choked the air, each breath scraping his throat. His ears rang from an explosion still echoing somewhere beyond the ruins. He was lying on cold, broken stone, the ground vibrating faintly under distant impacts.
Then memory struck.
The horns. The black shapes blotting out the sky. The first fireball that tore through the market. His mother shouted for him to run.
“Mom… Dad…” His voice cracked as he pushed himself up.
The world around him was unrecognizable. Buildings leaned drunkenly against each other, half-collapsed and burning. The street was a jagged line of rubble and ash, littered with motionless bodies. The smell burnt wood, burnt flesh—hit him like a punch.
A roar shook the air.
From the shattered city gate, a Netherkin brute emerged seven feet of muscle and malice. Its skin was the color of storm clouds, stretched taut over jagged bone armor. In its hands, a club made from a splintered tree trunk. Around its legs, smaller goblin-like Netherkin darted forward, yellow eyes gleaming.
A man tried to run past the brute. The club came down once, and the man was gone.
Jace’s legs wanted to move, to hide, but then he saw her.
A little girl, maybe seven, froze in the street. Her ankle was bent at a sickening angle. One of the goblins spotted her, grinning as it crept closer, spear in hand.
Jace didn’t think. He ran.
The goblin turned, surprised, as Jace slammed into it. They tumbled into the rubble, the spear skittering away. The creature hissed, snapping at him with jagged teeth. Jace shoved hard straight onto a splintered beam jutting from the wreckage. The goblin convulsed, then went still.
He stared at it, chest heaving. He’d just… killed something. The shock mingled with a rush of pride.
He turned to the girl. “Come on!”
They ran. They ducked behind rubble, crawled through ditches, smeared themselves with mud to hide their scent. Arrows and mana bolts sliced the air above them. Twice, Netherkin passed so close Jace could smell the rot clinging to their armor.
Finally, they spotted an abandoned horse tied to a shattered fence.
“We can make it”
The blast came from nowhere.
The world spun. Heat and pressure slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, blood trickling into his left eye. The girl lay nearby, gasping.
A shadow fell over them.
Another goblin, taller and broader, approached slowly, a serrated spear in its hands. It licked its teeth, savoring the moment.
Jace’s body screamed to run. Instead, he grabbed a broken stick, planted his feet between the goblin and the girl, and raised it like a sword.
He thought of his parents. Of the promise he’d made "no one else dies" if I can stop it.
The goblin chuckled and stepped forward.
A sharp whump cuts the air.
From above, a squadron of blue wings descended, gliding through smoke like hunting birds. Each pair of wings shimmered with mana, but none alike—some small and flickering, others broad and steady.
The largest shadow dove fastest. His wings stretched nearly twelve feet, their translucent blue feathers edged in silver mana. Each beat of them sent arcs of wind and grit swirling. He struck the goblin mid-step, blade flashing once. The head rolled away before the body even knew it was dead.
The man turned dark-blue armor trimmed in silver, eyes sharp and assessing. The wings folded slightly but remained, their detail breathtaking compared to the simpler, dimmer versions on the soldiers landing behind him.
“You’re injured,” the man said. “And unawakened.”
Jace swallowed. “Who… are you?”
“Auron Talik. Instructor of the Blue Falcon Alliance.” His gaze flicked to the girl, then back to Jace. “You stood your ground knowing you’d lose. You kept your head under pressure. That’s rare.”
The soldiers behind him spread out, their varying wings flaring as they launched upward again, striking from above. The battle around them shifted—the Netherkin startled, unprepared for the speed and precision of aerial assault.
Jace looked down at the girl. Her chest was still.
The strength went out of his legs. He knelt, hands trembling.
Auron stepped closer. “The Netherkin have done this to countless cities. Countless worlds. Will you gain the strength to stop them?”
Jace’s voice was raw. “Yes. Train me. I’ll end them all.”
Auron extended a hand. Jace took it.
“Blue Falcons!” Auron shouted, his wings beating once, lifting him into the air. “We may be late, but we end it now!”
The squadron roared in answer, their wings blazing brighter as they surged skyward. They struck like lightning—slicing through goblins, ramming brutes from above, carrying any Netherkin that tried to retreat.
When the last Rift pulse flickered and died, the air grew still.
Auron landed beside Jace. “Come. The real fight starts now.”
Jace looked back only once at the smoking ruins of his home—before stepping through the shimmering portal with the Blue Falcons.
The kind that froze the blood in your veins.
Dust choked the air, each breath scraping his throat. His ears rang from an explosion still echoing somewhere beyond the ruins. He was lying on cold, broken stone, the ground vibrating faintly under distant impacts.
Then memory struck.
The horns. The black shapes blotting out the sky. The first fireball that tore through the market. His mother shouted for him to run.
“Mom… Dad…” His voice cracked as he pushed himself up.
The world around him was unrecognizable. Buildings leaned drunkenly against each other, half-collapsed and burning. The street was a jagged line of rubble and ash, littered with motionless bodies. The smell burnt wood, burnt flesh—hit him like a punch.
A roar shook the air.
From the shattered city gate, a Netherkin brute emerged seven feet of muscle and malice. Its skin was the color of storm clouds, stretched taut over jagged bone armor. In its hands, a club made from a splintered tree trunk. Around its legs, smaller goblin-like Netherkin darted forward, yellow eyes gleaming.
A man tried to run past the brute. The club came down once, and the man was gone.
Jace’s legs wanted to move, to hide, but then he saw her.
A little girl, maybe seven, froze in the street. Her ankle was bent at a sickening angle. One of the goblins spotted her, grinning as it crept closer, spear in hand.
Jace didn’t think. He ran.
The goblin turned, surprised, as Jace slammed into it. They tumbled into the rubble, the spear skittering away. The creature hissed, snapping at him with jagged teeth. Jace shoved hard straight onto a splintered beam jutting from the wreckage. The goblin convulsed, then went still.
He stared at it, chest heaving. He’d just… killed something. The shock mingled with a rush of pride.
He turned to the girl. “Come on!”
They ran. They ducked behind rubble, crawled through ditches, smeared themselves with mud to hide their scent. Arrows and mana bolts sliced the air above them. Twice, Netherkin passed so close Jace could smell the rot clinging to their armor.
Finally, they spotted an abandoned horse tied to a shattered fence.
“We can make it”
The blast came from nowhere.
The world spun. Heat and pressure slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, blood trickling into his left eye. The girl lay nearby, gasping.
A shadow fell over them.
Another goblin, taller and broader, approached slowly, a serrated spear in its hands. It licked its teeth, savoring the moment.
Jace’s body screamed to run. Instead, he grabbed a broken stick, planted his feet between the goblin and the girl, and raised it like a sword.
He thought of his parents. Of the promise he’d made "no one else dies" if I can stop it.
The goblin chuckled and stepped forward.
A sharp whump cuts the air.
From above, a squadron of blue wings descended, gliding through smoke like hunting birds. Each pair of wings shimmered with mana, but none alike—some small and flickering, others broad and steady.
The largest shadow dove fastest. His wings stretched nearly twelve feet, their translucent blue feathers edged in silver mana. Each beat of them sent arcs of wind and grit swirling. He struck the goblin mid-step, blade flashing once. The head rolled away before the body even knew it was dead.
The man turned dark-blue armor trimmed in silver, eyes sharp and assessing. The wings folded slightly but remained, their detail breathtaking compared to the simpler, dimmer versions on the soldiers landing behind him.
“You’re injured,” the man said. “And unawakened.”
Jace swallowed. “Who… are you?”
“Auron Talik. Instructor of the Blue Falcon Alliance.” His gaze flicked to the girl, then back to Jace. “You stood your ground knowing you’d lose. You kept your head under pressure. That’s rare.”
The soldiers behind him spread out, their varying wings flaring as they launched upward again, striking from above. The battle around them shifted—the Netherkin startled, unprepared for the speed and precision of aerial assault.
Jace looked down at the girl. Her chest was still.
The strength went out of his legs. He knelt, hands trembling.
Auron stepped closer. “The Netherkin have done this to countless cities. Countless worlds. Will you gain the strength to stop them?”
Jace’s voice was raw. “Yes. Train me. I’ll end them all.”
Auron extended a hand. Jace took it.
“Blue Falcons!” Auron shouted, his wings beating once, lifting him into the air. “We may be late, but we end it now!”
The squadron roared in answer, their wings blazing brighter as they surged skyward. They struck like lightning—slicing through goblins, ramming brutes from above, carrying any Netherkin that tried to retreat.
When the last Rift pulse flickered and died, the air grew still.
Auron landed beside Jace. “Come. The real fight starts now.”
Jace looked back only once at the smoking ruins of his home—before stepping through the shimmering portal with the Blue Falcons.