The Battle of Tabatha

Explosions, gunshots, rumblings of battle, and screaming were what rang through the battlefields outside of Tabatha. There were sounds of soldiers fighting off the seamlessly endless hoard of crystal monsters attacking their town. Tabatha was the first village that began settlement before any of the other groups. Once they arrived on the island, construction went smoothly for some time. But it wasn't long before nature started noticing them living off the land. The environment wasn't happy and they they began to grow aggressive towards them, making their day-to-day life more and more challenging.

A young boy was guarding one of the outer walls of the town when a Verno snuck up on him. It pounced after him and the boy deflected its attack with his sword by slashing. After a short struggle, he pushed the Verno down on all fours and it began to stumble. This is when its weak point got exposed, the creature was made entirely out of crystals, but it had one large protruding crystal on its back. After finding this out, the boy took this opportunity to jam his sword down onto its back and shatter the Verno. It fell apart like shattered glass and left fragments of its former self on the ground. After defeating the Verno on his own, it dulled his blade slightly. The boy sported a gray v-neck shirt, gray corduroy pants, brown boots, and a utility belt. His belt carried several pouches for his equipment, a notepad holder for the intrusive notes he wrote down, and his sword sheath. He was very disciplined but also very adventurous. His mind would often wander off, and because of his creativity, sometimes it would get him in trouble. He would be adventuring out on his own, stealing paper from his parent's desk to draw schematics, and he even studied the arts. The boy trained under his father, who was part of the alliance that protected their village in Tabatha. He would train in basic martial arts and amateur sword skills when his father had free time. Due to his father being militant, he often wanted to see his son succeed and tried to drill these skills into his head. Even though he was persistent in teaching his son, he also showed him compassion when he couldn't perform at his best. Although the young boy was able to become proficient in these skills, he was never able to wield magic like some people in the village.

Some people within Tabatha have already been able to tap into this magical power that has been seen across the planet. Some stated to have seen floating crystals, living plant life, disturbing creatures, and unexplainable phenomena happening within their villages. Within Tabatha's science squadron were the early teachings of art manipulation. As they began to study this so-called magic more, they also started to harness it. So because of this, some soldiers within the alliance became equipped with the earliest versions of art manipulation. Some were able to use fire, while others used different forms of ice magic. The boy looked up to them and vowed to himself that he would become as strong as them and help tranquilize the planet one day. At the age of sixteen, he had the heart of an army and the soul of a conqueror. 

The town wall shook from a loud bang as two soldiers got thrown back against it by Vernos. Arka then stepped out from beyond the walls of the town well. A gray button-up shirt, black pants, and light armor covered his body. He had steel-toed boots alongside a sachet at his side, where he kept ammunition and equipment. He had a burst fire pistol with metallic piercing rounds on the left side of his waist. On his left, was a heavy caliber pistol with explosive rounds that he created himself. Once he walked outside the walls, he wrapped his headband around his head and slowly tightened it before two Vernos approached him. He scoffed at the sight of them and tapped a button on his headband that deployed a mask onto his face. This special piece of equipment was gifted to him, allowing him to have increased accuracy and pinpoint the creature's weak spots. Due to its impressive capabilities, it can only be used for a limited time before it needs a recharge, which means, he keeps it in an advanced headband that can recharge it. Arka whispers, "I shouldn't have even called in for backup…but oh well, can't say no to the wife". He then throws a rock up above their head to distract them, and with his left hand, he unholsters his burst-fire Pistol. Each three-round burst hit their heads, and t in an instant. In an instant

As he reloaded, he tapped his headband again to bring up his mask. He then headed over to the men sent flying back and helped them within the walls. 

"Go seek out Nora, she will help you to the infirmary!" 

After he directs them away, he hears someone running up to him.

 "Dad!" 

The boy from earlier was renting from outside the wall. 

"Did you help with the wall?" Arka asked. He nodded and led the rest of the townsfolk inside to safety The boy then told his dad, "Those verno creatures are tough to slice through with a sword, but I found their weakness. They get distracted easily and have an exposed crystal on their back!" 

Arka then patted his son on the head and walked him to the main gate. Arka then revealed, "I noticed that they get distracted early when startled by loud noises. I just took two out by distracting them with a rock I threw. But hey, good work out there, sparky!"

 His son smiled and holstered his sword, ready to use it. He slightly unsheathed it to check its dullness. He saw that his sword was worn down already, but he was confident he could go out for one more trip. The sounds of battle sprung over the walls, allowing the townspeople to hear the horrors that awaited them outside. 

Arka turned to his son and said, "I heard from locals that there was a girl towards the windmill under construction. She was last spotted hiding in a ditch there. She will be compromised soon if she doesn't move, do you think you can get her?" 

The boy's eyes sparked up as he heard this, but without a word and a nod, he sprinted off. The boy's stained grey shirt flapped in the wind like a newly knotted flag of hope. As his boots left imprints trailing behind him he avoided any more fighting with Vernos and headed straight to the girl. He spotted the ditch and was approaching fast, but then he heard a Zzzrp. He stopped in his tracks before Ann verno lunged at him from his right side. He was ready for his second battle, and his hands were itching to take this beast down. He stood in a power stance, having his left foot forward towards the Verno. He quickly slid his right foot and kicked up rocks towards the beast, and within the milliseconds it looked down, he sprinted with his sword in his left hand, sliding the tip of the blade along the ground. The sounds of scrapping and sparks flying up disoriented the beast even more, and he took this opportunity to slide on his left knee and slit Verno's right ankle. 

The Verno yelped out of pain and dropped down onto its left knee. The boy recognized this, and luckily, he ended up behind the Verno after his slide. He turned around and propelled his sword towards the maroon protruding crystal on its back. The blade pierced its back and instantly shattered the creature. 

"That might be the last battle I got in me…" 

He ran back over, swiftly picked up his sword, and headed back toward the ditch. He followed up with another slide down into the ditch, landing in front of the girl. She was shaking with fear, and when he landed next to her, she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. He then wiped the dirt off of his clothes and cleaned off the girl as well.

"I saw you take down the big bad guy, that was so cool! Can you do it again, please?" 

"Thanks, kid, but we need to get you back home first, okay?" 

The little girl nodded and climbed on his back and held on tightly. He began running back to Tabatha but much slower with this new luggage on his back. He looked off into the battlefield, seeing the alliance fighting back the vernos. Scorched ground from fire users, wind gusts flying through the battlefield from other soldiers, it was a mess. Damage control was all they could focus on until backup came. He ran past a few trees and seemingly got tripped by something. He caught himself, but the girl got snatched off his back before he could keep running. 

"HEY, GIVE HER BACK-" 

His words were cut off by the clap of a fifty-caliber sniper shot. It pierced the back of the verno, and it dropped the girl. A soldier of the alliance swooped up the girl and shouted to him, 

"I'll bring her back, just make sure there's no one else!"

The boy, standing in shock, got his sword back in place. He then looked back at the base and saw that the sniper shot came from his dad. He waved, and his dad waved back, but his dad's wave was cut short by someone pulling him down from his post. He got worried that something was wrong, so he started to make a break towards the base even faster.

"Closing in…only a bit more…" 

Then, another close call of projectiles passed his head with a loud fire crackle sound. He looked over and saw that a soldier's fire had burst and hit a crystal, which started to glow. A nearby verno also got hit by the flame and spewed the flames off of itself. 

"Hmm, so I guess fire doesn't work on these guys…slice attacks are weak…hmm, I wonder if-" 

Mid-thought, the screams of more vernos startled him. He then looked off to the east and saw several more vernos approaching his area and he pretended to make a run for it. He kept his sword sheathed and observed as the crystal grew in size while the vernos got closer. The loud sounds of combat in the distance brought the attention of the vernos, but not for long because another explosion soon followed. 

The crystal suffered another major blow from an explosion caused by a stray firebomb cast by a soldier. This explosion caused an electric reaction within the crystal, and it started to wisp loudly. This made the vernos scatter and one of them sprinted at the boy in a last-ditch effort.

As the boy fended off the verno with his blade, it began to beat him in the struggle. He planted his heels and mustered up the strength to push the verno off of him, and as he did, the crystal erupted with an electric blast. Lightning shot out of the crystal in all directions and ripped through the air with sharp static. One bolt struck a nearby tree and another hit a distant Verno and took it out instantly. Before he could react, a small fraction of a bolt moving at the speed of a lightning strike struck through his sword and hit his right eye. This caused him to fly back against a rock, dropping his sword. 

He became blind in his right eye, with no time to process what just happened, and now, with a handicap in the middle of the battlefield, he got himself up on one knee. His nervous system was weak and he was beyond disorientated. He held himself up by leaning on his sword, which was barely holding on. The sword itself cracked from the lightning and started to become brittle. He saw another verno rushing him on his left and grabbed the handle of his sword with his left hand to do a backhand slice to the creature's neck. The left side of the sword started to shatter more and pieces broke off of the blade.

 The verno's red insides petrified the boy; it looked so human, so Earth-like, but so alien simultaneously. He began to hear another approach his right side around the rock. At this moment, fear filled his body as he realized that he now had a blind spot and no peripheral vision on his right side to help him. He messily tried to spin on his knee but collapsed out of exhaustion and landed on his back to see the ravenous creature standing on top of the rock in front of him. With a blind eye, no energy, and a damaged sword, he felt as if it was over. 

He then heard a zooosh go past his body on the left side of him. He turned his head with the little energy he had and saw a trail of lava across the maroon grass that led past and around the rock. While his one working eye began to fade, he thought, 

"I need to get up now…mom…dad…I need to be strong for you…Even with one eye, I'll stay strong…" 

His mind clicked back on, and he sat up from pure adrenaline with his destroyed sword ready at his waist. A new stranger, now on top of the rock where the verno once stood, looked down at him. The boy asked slowly and out of breath, 

"Who…are…you?" 

As he was ready to give it his all and spring forward for one last attack, the stranger answered while looking down at a notepad, 

"Heya! I'm Kali, but one moment please…hmm...Mazura…check, Tabatha…Check, Sg. Arka…check. Well, I don't see "Dead Wyzsta" on my list, so let's get you to safety so that doesn't magically join the list, shall we?" 

Wyzsta responded slightly confused, and got up with the help of Kali. She looked down at her stopwatch and scoffed to herself, 

"Wow, forty-two minutes, I'm getting better." 

She then threw Wyzsta's arm over her left shoulder. They then started to return to the base and transverse the battlefield. Wyzsta looked down at the lava trail and then turned his focus back in front of himself. 

"So..I…" 

Wyzsta interrupted himself with a coughing spell. He then held his free hand up to his eye and clenched his teeth out of pain. Kali looked over and held onto him closer to help him walk straight. 

"Shhh, I know, just try to conserve energy. I'm Kali; I came from the Central Hold to help you guys." 

Wyzsta then caught his breath and felt relief for a moment until a verno started bolting towards them. Kali shot a fireball with her right free hand and obliterated the verno. Or so she thought until it dispersed the flames as the previous one did. Kali, now in a frenzy with an injured comrade on her shoulder, had to react quickly. She dropped several small glass orbs full of ashen smoke and let them shatter. 

"DO IT NOW!" She shouted out to Arka as she brought Wyzsta and herself to cover.

 From on top of the village wall, Arka shot an explosive bullet from his right holstered Magnum. It ignited the ashen smoke and caused a major explosion, leaving a crater where the verno once stood. The two came around from behind the rock to see what was left of the creature, and Kali noticed the crystal that was lodged in its back, somehow still intact. She then walked up to it and looked down at the crystal with disgust. She then lifted her right foot and smasheed her boot down onto it making sure it shattered into a thousand pieces. She then tightened her grip again and held onto Wyzsta before they began to head off again.

They walk through the rest of the battlefield and walk around debris, craters, and the scorched land from the fires. They then finally reach the front gate, and Arka greets them,

"Oh, my poor boy, what happened?" 

Kali helped him inside and responded, "It appears that he lost his right eye, but he is still up and moving, he's going to be unconscious soon we must hurry!" 

The two of them rushed him to the infirmary where Wyzsta's mom, Nora, awaited. The building was still under construction on the main entrance so they had to guide him around to a side door. Once inside they brought him to a secluded waiting room. After waiting for a bit, Nora came to find her injured son. 

"Oh no..no..no..Wyzsta…my boy. Hurry, can someone tell me his injury?" Nora asked while reaching for supplies. 

Kali exclaimed, "I saw it as I was approaching the battle. He was fighting an verno, and one of the crystals exploded. It seemed to strike him in his right eye, It was almost like lightning!" 

Nora and Arka both jolted up in place and looked at each other. Kali stood there confused but waited for a response. The two parents started to talk softly and secretly amongst themselves and tried to listen in but could only catch bits of what they were saying. 

"But hun, there's no way that-" Nora said feignedly to Arka. 

He nodded in agreement and said, "I knew he was crazy, but this, this is adding up too closely. I'm begging that pops is right for once." 

Kali, even more confused, asked, "What's going on?" 

Arka gestures to Nora to work on Wyzsta turns to Kali and says, "I'll explain it all to you, but don't call me crazy. This is all of my dad's doing." 

Then, the room went silent.

Wyzsta, in a daze, woke up an hour later and looked around the infirmary. His right eye was now covered in bandages, and he used his good eye to see his sword over the table. It was demolished; the bolt that struck it cracked it completely. He then lay back in bed, wondering if this was how life would be from now on.

"What could I have done…Oh no…will I need an eyepatch…I mean I'dd look cool at least…" 

Arka walked into the room alongside Nora, and they both smiled when they saw him awake. Arka then sits on the bed's edge while Nora sits in a wooden chair in the corner. Arka then spoke,

"Son, I know you just woke up, and I'm glad to see your recovery, but your mom and I are sure what happened wasn't a coincidence." 

Nora nods slightly, sits forward in her chair, and follows up with, "I know it might sound crazy, but I think your father is right."

Wyzsta is taken aback by what they say and lies there in disbelief. He then asks, "Why?" Arka pats his son's knee and says, "Prepare yourself for what I'm about to say." 

"Did I get cursed? Maybe it's payback for being bad as a little kid? Was it my fault?" 

Arka snaps his fingers to get Wyzsta's attention and then begins, "Well, your Pop Pop Erra has always been a bit cuckoo, and that's why he was never around. I know I've told you before, but He always said crazy things about you when you were a baby. But the craziest thing was that he prophesied that you would be struck by lightning-"

Nora then interjected, "-and that's why we kept him away. We thought he lost his mind and started to spew bad omens onto us. So he moved away to Belio up in the mountains. But now things are lining up too closely, it's scary."

Wyzsta can't believe that this was meant to happen, and he turns and sits up to say, "I can't quite believe it, but even if it's not true, it won't hurt to see him…it's been a while." He grips the sheets of the bed to stand and realizes that he's still weak. 

"Relax, the reinforcements showed up, and they are taking care of the rest of the Vernos. Those beasts were persistent, but their time is done," Arka said while stopping Wyzsta.

Arka ruffed Wyzsta's hair and said, "When you are ready to meet with Pop Pop, let us know." 

Nora covered him with blankets as they both left the room. Wyzsta sat there wondering in his mind what this all could mean. Before he could get into a deep thought, he heard two knocks at the door, "Come in!" He says. 

It's Kali, and she came and sat in the wooden chair. 

"How are you feeling?" She asked softly. 

"Still getting used to having one eye, that's for sure." He said, defeated. 

"Hey, it's not your fault, you fought well out there! You took down all those Vernos all by yourself!" 

Wyzsta laid his head back and said, "Thanks, but I shouldn't have gotten cocky out there." 

Kali could tell he was upset and he could've done more. She stood up and came next to his bed. "It's a.right, trust me. I need. Your dad's help to kill only one, so I'm not better off. Anyways, when you're feeling better, meet me outside at the armory, okay?" 

Wyzsta slightly nodded and went to sleep as she walked out. His sleep felt abnormal, he moved around a lot more during his sleep which isn't like him. He normally slept very militant due to his training with his father, but now he has become restless. After a short while, he finally popped awake and sat up slowly. With half his vision gone, he removed his infirmity clothes and got his normal clothes back on. He then stood up and headed into the bathroom in his room. As he looked in the mirror he adjusted his curls out of his face and then took a deep breath He slowly unwrapped his bandage and was shocked by what he saw. He kept his eye closed out of fear but around his eye was a marking. It looked like lightning coming from his eye in a tattoo-birthmark type of marking. Wyzsta ran his finger over it and just looked at it in awe. He then wrapped his eye back up and kept it in mind before heading out of the bathroom. He then looked over at the table left his sword behind and made his way into the hallway to meet up with Kali. 

He carefully made his way down the hallway and the one flight of stairs leading out to the main lobby. He then checked out and began to make his way to the exit. As he walked outside, the sun hurt his eye even though it was still bandaged. 

"Ahhh…dammit," He uttered while holding his bandaged eye. 

He kept his right hand covered over it and headed to the armory. 

"What is this…? Is it hypersensitive now?" He thought to himself as he walked. 

Kali waved him over and was there waiting for him still. 

"Hey, could we talk inside?" he asked slowly and started to walk in. "Yeah, sure—" she said behind him. Once they walked in, they headed over to a table near the anvils and sat down. 

Wyzsta sat on the wooden store at the table and said, "My eye hurts even when I got a bandage over it. The light from the sun made it unbearable." 

Kali was distressed by this fact and looked around. "I think we need to get you some new gear, then!" 

As Wyzsta winced through the pain, he agreed, and Kali spoke with the local blacksmith, and he offered up a spare sword he had. It was a plain short sword, just like Wyzsta's last, but in mint condition. The blacksmith was overly kind and felt pity for him. Most of the townspeople have heard about what happened due to him being Arka's son. Although Arka is only part of the alliance, he still has notoriety. They both thanked the blacksmith and started to walk out. 

"Hopefully this time no exploding crystals to put holes through it!" she joked, and he grinned at it. 

Then, both headed to the local clothing shop and searched for new clothes. Kali sported the tied-up lab coat around her waist, and She rolled up the extra big pants and got a double belt as well. The only thing her size was her black shirt with a baby ember on it. Wyzsta searched for a jacket of sorts, something preferably with a hood.

"Hey, do you have any jackets with hoods?" He asked the store clerk. 

The older gentleman responded, "Well, there's one old raggedy thing we have, but it's in beat-up condition-" Wyzsta immediately nodded. He didn't care about fashion or price when keeping his eye safe was all that mattered was all that mattered. The clerk brought out the cloak riddle with rips on the ends and holes.

"Um, what is that thing-" Kali said disgusted. "I'll take it!" Announced Wyzsta without a second thought. 

He threw it over his shoulder and offered to pay once he grabbed his money, but the clerk insisted on just taking it for free. Wyzsta appreciated this and shook the man's hand. The hospitality started to brighten Wyzsta's day and he left the store smiling. He then led the way to his house by heading down the main path within the village. The tropical, warm air and the abundant trees and foliage look as humid as ever. The heat of battle was felt across the whole town and its citizens needed a break. Once they reached the front of his house, Wyzsta said, 

"Wait out here while I go in and change real quick, okay?" Kali sat out on the bench and did tricks with her fireballs to keep herself entertained.

Wyzsta walked into the house and headed up to his room quickly. He threw the cloak on the bed and started to change clothes. He figured that since his clothes were washed while he was in the infirmary, he would remain within the outfit. As he changed his mind, he hung up the shirt he was about to wear. He then attached his belt with his amateur pouches and sheath. He slowly sheathed his new sword and tossed all sorts of supplies into his pouches. Last but not least, he tossed on his new cloak and headed downstairs.

As he came down, he approached his parents with his new gear ready. "I'm prepared to head to Pop Pops…I was thinking about bringing-" He said as Arka interrupted, 

"Kali? We know we have been sending her to you already. She's here for a while, so she wanted to tag along." 

Nora smiled and hugged her boy before saying, "My boy is so grown and well prepared…you get that from me now!"

"Now remember, Pop Pop's house is right behind the huge lake. Remember that!" Arka reminds him. 

Wyzsta then nods, and Nora and Arka both say, "Good luck, son!" Wyzsta hugs them both, flips his hood on, and walks out. 

After Wyzsta starts his new Journey with Kali, Nora says to Arka, "You agree that cloak smelled terrible, right?" 

Arka grins and replies, "You wouldn't get it, that's what a real man smells like." 

Nora rolls her eyes and snaps back with, "Then I guess I didn't marry a real man 'cause you always smell good to me." 

Arka feels flattered but defeated at the same time. He dipped his head and pouted while saying, "Yeah, yeah, whatever, you win this time~" 

Nora walked off into the kitchen with a smile only created from victory. The house fell silent and the sounds of villagers working outside flooding into the house windows. Tabatha has been saved.