Sky Attributer 2: Path of Devastation

Chapter 1 - Preparations

The stick was made of a weaker steel; while bendable, it could only be bent a few centimetres before becoming split apart. It had two holes dug out of its body, equally separated apart, but its master didn't find these useful for the current time. Its tip had been sharpened delicately, twenty centimetres from the end had been cut, sharpened, smoothened out, and finely prepared for this exact day.

The stick was then grasped by the fingers of a hand that bent down for it and pulled away from the bright red tents walls. It was laid horizontally, falling into the second hand of the man in the yellow clothes, and was finally brought to its workplace.

"So you don't need this?"

There was a second man atop the tall, grassy covered cliff. He was sitting atop a thick log that allowed even his tall legs to straighten out yet also stand firmly on the ground. He was holding what looked like a blue covered book, a journal, and he had it opened to one of the final pages.

The cliff itself was particularly empty, the man on the log was close to the front edge but he had no worry for heights. Along with him there was that of a large, multi-room, red tent. It was one of a fancy design which came with its own hard way to set up. Made up of five separate parts in total, each part of the tent had to have been locked together with zips, zipped close so they are joint, and then set up with the poles which dug into the ground. If properly done it would stand up tall with lots of space to behold in its three separate rooms, all of which were empty in this case because Hunch was the type to go all the way into looks and not into decoration.

Hunch was the second person on the cliff, the one with the stick held firmly in his hands as if he was holding a whip. His yellow clothing covered all of his muscles but left his chest and stomach open as to breathe the air around; his reason being that the air often calmed him down. He had no tattoos, no piercings, no decoration on his body at all, he preferred himself to be simple and yet here he was attempting the complete opposite.

"I'm positive, are you that unsure of my memory?" Hunch said without moving his eye even a bit towards the sitting man, his right hand took the stick on its own and began digging it into the ground on the very edge of the cliff with enough force that it managed to begin drawing into the grass and dirt.

"Not at all," the sitting man said.

Dressed like a true warrior, this man was coated in dark red armour that covered every bit of skin on him except his neck and face. The armour was tight, felt every second it was on by the wearer, yet it wasn't uncomfortable to the man at all. It was home, and after a dozen years of wearing it for a good twenty hours daily while he travelled the lands of many realms who could blame him for getting used to it.

His hair, unlike Hunch's bright blonde hair which reached past his ears, was non-existent. Being bold came with two different advantages, your hair didn't get caught and hats or helmets never felt uncomfortable again. He hadn't regretted the decision in the whole eight years since he had chosen it.

"I simply am noticing the complexity of the steps here, some words could possibly be too long for you."

While purposefully said to insult, Hunch felt no harm upon himself in the slightest. His hand moved the stick as delicately as he had sharpened it only the night before, and his eyes were keeping an eye on its path as to make sure he was following the same drawing he'd burnt into his mind from the journal.

"Well, that's truly sad, I expected a reaction at least" the sitting man said.

Hunch brought the stick to a close, one of the three needed circles having been drawn into the ground perfectly, and his eyes immediately moved towards the sitting man.

"You'll be sure to see a reaction when this is all completed."

The sitting man just grinned, the journal being tossed towards the tent and his feet spreading but the knees coming closer together; the top half of his body leant forward towards Hunch in response, "sounds promising."

Hunch didn't offer a return on the smile, the stick struck the part of the dirt within the circle he'd just completed, the stick having landed more in the bottom left of the circle, and with even more delicate hand-movement Hunch moved the stick on its path to create a second circle.

Not a word was said as the circle was drawn and finished, the stick was pull out of the ground while the sitting man stood up on his feet, "Halfway there are we?"

Hunch didn't respond, his eyes were examining both circles as they were, and once finding a spot in the bottom right of the first circle he'd drawn he struck the position of the dirt which would be the start to the third and final circle.

"Not even a gesture of response? Aw."

The sitting man stepped closer to Hunch, slowly and watching where his feet landed, he came within a metres distance of Hunch but was immediately struck on the neck with something that made him wince in pain; the pain, however, just had him smiling.

"So you are listening, I'm happy."

Another spark then hit his ear making the standing man jump in fright, his other ear followed the same surprise and lastly his nose got struck with an identical dose of electricity. The standing man let out a scream, a scream of pain which quickly turned into that of relief, and he fell backwards causing his back to his the log and making his body lay over the log in an almost blissful position.

The stick then came to a halt, pulling out of the ground as Hunch straightened his back to look down at the three overlapping circles. While proud of his work, Hunch didn't make an expression to show it, and simply crouched forward once again so the stick could strike the dirt at the top of the first circle. It scrapped diagonally down to the left of the circles until it reached the bottom of the second and third circles. The stick then horizontally scrapped past, being directly underneath the circles now, and when in its last position it headed upwards on a diagonal route to the left at which it returned to its start position.

The stick was pulled out of the ground for the last time, laid once again horizontally in the air for both of Hunch's hands to take hold of, and Hunch himself finally smiled down at the large set of symbols he'd sketched before him; the symbols for his ritual.

"It's ready, all we need his him now."

The laying man finally lifted his head up from his position over the log, it took time but he managed to get himself back up and on the log in his original sitting position, but the smile hadn't left his mouth; he didn't care, though, and he knew Hunch didn't either.

"And how will that go?"

"According to plan" Hunch said, "like always."

"Even Lexus?"

Hunch didn't answer, he simply stared down at the symbols and then turned his head around to the sitting man, "everything goes according to plan if I'm the one who orchestrates it. Do you doubt me, Sleth?"

Sleth shook his head, "None at all, sir."

Hunch then turned his eyes back down at the symbols. The stick in both his hands was being gripped with greater strength now than before, then without warning Hunch brought up his right knee and sent the stick down onto it causing it to be snapped into two halves. Then, with a toss of both his hands, Hunch threw the sticks over the cliffs edge and they fell down to the ground below where they struck the dirt a final time.