Çhapter 92: The gathering storm

Chapter 92: The Gathering Storm

The further through the jungle one went, the more oppressively silent things grew. And so, Warchild, followed by the beautiful Natasha and the young, talented Alison, headed straight to the neighboring villages with the good and bad news: Malrik was defeated, and they were willing to provide aid in reconstruction. The more the jungle was alive and colorful, the more it seemed to lead them, although Natasha had the grim sensation something was waiting behind the corner.

They were careful not to allow the snow in, so they put the artifact in her pack, and its warmth could be felt through the cloth. It was almost like it could breathe and feel the world around it. She found herself stretching back as if to touch it, to confirm its existence, or at least the part of her that it symbolized, was still with her, and it brought her both solace and a weight.

Alison finally spoke, and his voice was relaxed but questioning. "Has it crossed your mind what next?" When all the villages are repaired and the jungle is in its natural state?"

Natasha glanced at him. "I have not had an opportunity to think that far down the line. There's too much to do."

He nodded but pressed on. "You know this artifact… It's not something that you can keep a secret forever, now is it!!! Word will spread, Nat. They will come for it—people more dangerous than Malrik."

Her jaw tightened. Then we will manage it when they arrive. Don't say this power must not be held by the wrong person."

Alison sighed, pulling his hand through the back of his head, and rubbed at his scalp. "And I just hope that we are prepared for whatever that is."

The final signs of the destruction were apparent even from the distance as they got closer to the next village. Tents were overturned, and the scent of smoldering was heavy. The jungle here, unlike the colorful trail they had been treading, looked a little dull. The trees appeared darker; there was little undergrowth as if all the life had been sucked out of the region.

The view that met the party's eyes caused them to pause, although the kind of pause that is best described as tentative.

"This doesn't look like Malrik's work," Alison grumbled, looking around.

Natasha nodded her approval, her fingers twitching towards the handle of her fine-edged sword. "No. This feels… different."

They went in slowly, sneaking, and the ash made the soil beneath their feet barely give a sound. There was no response; no movement, nothing but silence, except the sound of a couple of crows sitting on a broken tin roof that lay on the ground.

Finally Natasha said, "Stay alert."

All of a sudden there was a low rumbling sound. From the door frame of a broken-down shack, a man was revealed—thin, unkempt, and his hair and beard shaggy; his face was ashen and pockmarked by at least two deep cuts. He was writhing, undulating, awkward in fumbling, spasmodic, and symptomatic of a body in rebellion against itself.

"Help me…" The man croaked out, and I couldn't quite hear him properly.

Natasha moved quickly and joined him on the floor, kneeling down next to him. "What happened here? Who did this?"

The man's eyes widened with recognition as he now saw the artifact poking from the pack at the back. He tightened his fingers around her elbow with quite a bit of force. "They… they're coming for it. The Shadow Order… they know."

Natasha didn't get a chance to interrogate the man any further as he began shaking violently with pain. From the scars on his body, black smoke started rising like tendrils of smoke.

"Nat, get back!" Alison yelled and dragged her off as the man screamed like a banshee.

The mist gradually condensed into a kind of shriveled man with fiery red pupils. It growled, and its voice sounded like a growl reverberating. "You cannot keep it hidden. The artifact belongs to us."

Natasha unsheathed a sword skillfully with her hand and stood rigid while she felt a chill down her spine. "It is for the jungle and not you."

The creature made itself move, and at once the figure was virtually dark to the eyes. Alison caught it, his axe being swung in a big circle. The blow hit, and the creature exploded, only to reassemble a couple of feet from the location of the blast.

"It's not flesh and blood!" Alison shouted. "How do we fight this?"

Natasha looked at the artifact; the light brightened due to the appearance of the creature. An idea sparked in her mind.

"Aim me!" She screamed out, stretching for the artifact that was in her backpack.

Alison simply nodded, moving in front of her to face the creature. He started to swing his axe expertly, which made the shadow maintain a certain distance from him.

Natasha concentrated on the artifact, it is heat transferred to her hands. She shut them, trying to concentrate so that the power could come into existence. The light inside it began to shine brilliantly, throwing light to the surrounding area with immense brightness.

The creature growled, and it seemed to pull inward under the harsh light. The artifact released a power, a push of heat and force, which any human would feel, and Natasha did.

When the light went off, the creature disappeared. The village was again as quiet as the grave, with only the snapping of a gradually diminishing fire to disturb the stillness.

He looked at her fearfully, with amazement in his eyes; Alison walked towards her. "What was that?"

Natasha bent her head down and looked at the artifact; the light from it had dimmed. "I don't know. But it felt… alive, like it knew what to do.

Alison frowned. "And the man?"

She glanced around, but there was no sign that the man had ever been there at all; he had disintegrated into a pile of ash.

"No," Natasha whispered calmly. "Well, if the Shadow Order is aware of such a thing as the artifact, then they will not rest till they've gotten it."

Alison touched her on the shoulder with her hand. "Then we'll stop them. Whatever it takes."

They walked out of the village, the responsibility on their shoulders even more this time. Natasha had a feeling that the man who attacked her was a criminal, and she could still hear his voice.

"You cannot keep it hidden."

The jungle looked gloomier now; the friendly aura of the place was gone. Natasha clenched the artifact in her hand, and she frowned in determination. The future was going to be treacherous, and she didn't plan on getting off this road.

For the jungle. For its people. For the world.

This was really only the beginning of the fight.