Ashes of the Fallen

Things were simpler that way.

Looking to the sky, a pack of clouds were slowly headed towards the location of the moon. In a few minutes, the sky would go dark. My window of opportunity had arrived.

It was time for the psychological warfare to begin.

As the clouds moved into position the forest expectedly went dark. My eyes were still adjusting to the lack of light when the five men activated light stones around their necks. Magical stones that glowed a soft amber color, working almost as a weak flashlight. They definitely weren't from here.

Five men stood illuminated in the darkness.

Their light stones a beacon, and a target.

Behind them in the dark were two, glowing red eyes.

I let out a howl.

Instantly reacting, the five men immediately turned around towards the direction of the sound. Clearly jittered by the noise, they soon found a pair of floating red eyes hovering in the distance.

All they saw, were my eyes.

"H-hey guys… wh-hat's that?"

"A wolf…?"

"A-animals don't have glowing eyes man," the man stuttered again.

"Who's there!?" shouted another.

I stood still for a few seconds, ignoring their words as they drew their weapons.

"Answer us if you want to live! There's five of us, one of you!" threatened the man with a deep voice. "I'll count to three!"

Keeping my gaze steady, I turned my body slightly as I began to walk to the side. Crossing behind the tree, breaking eye contact, I immediately flash stepped directly up. Coming to rest on a branch twenty feet off the ground, I turned my gaze back on them.

They remained close together, not risking any movements as they lost sight of me.

"You think it's gone?"

"I don't know."

"Uh-h what was it?"

"I don't know man."

Jumping out of the tree, I used another flash step to instantly traverse the distance between us as I materialized slightly behind the group. Grabbing one of the men from behind I flung him between two trees and followed after. Lightning still dissipating in the air, the four men were mesmerized as they stood and stared at the trail of charged electricity that was cackling and cracking around them.

The lone man struggled to his feet, unaware of what had happened as he turned to face me. Raising my head slowly, all he could see was the gigantic wolf head illuminated by his necklace.

Quickly placing my left hand over the light, I then looked him in the eyes.

My red eyes glowing strongly in the darkness, burning an image directly into his mind. Panic stricken the man stared silently with mouth agape, only to stutter and then scream.

The scream, was short lived.

Pulling my dagger out of his throat, he collapsed to the ground gurgling.

The four others turned to the scream and realized their stuttering friend had gone missing. Yells and shouts filled the air as I turned back around a tree and disappeared into the night.

Watching them from the top of a tree, I began to plan my next move.

Death from above.

Seconds later, they had found their friend.

They scanned the area, shouting profanities and empty threats to the sky in an attempt to scare me. The birds cared little for what they had to say… an exercise in futility, was all it was.

Positioned directly above them, I jumped and crashed down on top of the shoulders of a man. The two of us hitting the ground with a hard thud. I hacked into the back of his exposed neck with my one-handed axe and immediately turned around and disappeared with a flash step into the distance.

A quick turn behind a tree and I counted the seconds.

Then, a lightning bolt exploded behind me, having impacted the tree I was using for cover. One of them was a caster, disguised as a rogue.

A hybrid, like me.

They shouted again, short one voice.

Two, if you counted the man who was never able to shout.

My mana was getting low and a thought occurred to me.

Turning back out from the tree, I took position in the open space between two trees. Red eyes aglow, giving away my presence, I waited for the spell to come.

Lightning began to accumulate in the man's hands as he uttered his chanted verse. Miniature bolts of lightning entwining and rapidly circulating between his palms. Five seconds, and he released the four miniature lightning bolts as it impacted directly in the center of my chest. Near instantaneous travel, followed by an explosion and four bolts of lightning arcing and bouncing into the ground.

They cheered, thinking I was wounded, stunned even, from the chain lightning. Two began to charge, believing they had the advantage. The third, began to cast a lightning bolt. It impacted two seconds later, exploding with a shower of sparks as electricity coursed through my body.

Laughs escaped their mouths, as taunts soon overtook the silence. Another lightning bolt smashed into me, but I still had yet to move. The mage, began to laugh nervously as he questioned his spells' effectiveness.

The other two, recklessly charged in.