The Pearl Fox

The Dreaded Fury

Far along the Silver Snake River, smoke spread by the wind. It grew light in colour, and appeared to resemble a tornado. The forces from Hillside Lake city were dispatched to go and investigate the source of the giant smoke. Cavalry platoons rode down along Silver Road using armoured destrier horses, elephants and rhino. Soldiers from nearby outposts in the mountains and at Kol Monz were slowly advancing towards the column of smoke.

Long before any of them reached the site, a lone white wolf got there earlier to see where all of the smoke was coming from. There were dying fires in blackened rubble, a small crater with black tunnels going deep in the ground, smouldering rocks and glass, and loud noises of cracking stones. Charred human remains were scattered across the grass blown outwards by an explosion that happened beneath the smoke giant. The flattened burned building used to be the Centre Shire Hall. The wolf sniffed the ground. A sudden cold violent shudder passed through her body like nothing she'd felt before. It made her feel sick with fear. Her instincts were to run away, but her very curious nature pressed her to see more.  The hateful smell was on the ground, but not because of the dead. It wasn't a smell caused by the smoke and ash. This horrible other smell belonged to something alive and had walked on the grass. It was quite fresh, and the wolf bared her teeth. She looked around her, and saw nothing but smoke. 

The scent was different to the ones made by the goblins in the previous year. This new scent was so terrible that she lost sensation in her legs and couldn't walk. She tried to get up, except that she couldn't find the power in her. Instead, the wolf growled. So far and so long. 

A lonely lone female wolf that lived in the jungles of Central Diaphry, although she didn't come from there. She left the Temple long ago, forgetting that she was human. She never went back there. She couldn't remember her life as a woman and a priestess of the Sky Lore faith. All she wanted was to eat and sleep. There wasn't any wolves in the jungles of Central Diaphry, and she came close to being killed by other animals and humans. She only knew that her name was Jade.  And this wolf had come to see the cloud of smoke, and she was hungry too, and could eat the dead. 

Emerging from the wall of spiralling smoke was a tall figure, walking from the centre of the destroyed fortress, and heading for the clear track named Tea Side Path. It was like a woman, very slender, draped in a long loose gown of dark shimmering materials, and her hair was yellowish. Her head and upper torso was covered in eight black hairy legs belonging to a huge fat spider creature that was connected to the tall woman. 

This creature didn't care about Jade who was just an animal, and was of no concern. Ebeshka walked along the path now that was leading down into the tea fields, passing farms, forests, a distant coffee plantation and then it would merge with the Silver Road beside the river. Jade got up, able to feel her muscles now. She saw this creature and ran. Ebeshka heard nothing, as spiders only sense vibrations. Then she was on the floor, pinned down by a wolf, stronger than her. The powerful jaws of the wolf tore her throat and killed her instantly. Ebeshka and her spider appendage died. The blood of the demon woman tasted like poison and Jade threw up. 

It wasn't all. Something was running towards Jade, and the smoke blocked her from seeing it. As it got closer, she could see that it was a horse. But it wasn't. It had feathers, and sharp teeth and claws. It charged at her, for killing Ebeshka, and Jade found herself fighting with this strange beast that was like nothing she'd ever seen before. It ripped her flesh with its tusks and teeth. Then she killed it, biting into its soft belly and pulling out intestines. 

As the strange feathered horse demon lay dead, Jade could hear thumping of heavy feet approaching her. Smoke was intense, and blinding her. She fled from the dead and ran towards the east, where the path was more visible and outlines of hills and trees appeared. She turned, and saw a giant muscular man of nine feet tall, who paused over the dead creature. Smoke was less now, and Jade ran further along the path to get away. 

She would've gone further, but she decided to stop and dig. She created a hole, and dug more to make it deeper and deeper. It was almost an hour until the large muscular man was walking near. Jade quickly hid behind some bushes, and she watched. 

The man was hideous. Instead of a human head, were sixteen writhing snakes. As he walked, those snakes hissed and spat pus. Slow, and stupid, the demon fell into the deep hole. Jade quickly started to kick dirt upon the demon in the hope to bury it alive. The sixteen snakes all hissed and struck out at her, and she kept her distance. The bulk found it difficult to move and was struggling to get up. She wanted to kill it while it was down there. 

She decided to leave it there, but then there was a bright flash of lightning. A bolt of electricity lanced straight into the body of the creature, burning a vast hole in it, and all of the sixteen snakes went limp in death. She cowered, as she watched a man appear with a large handled maul covered in spikes. The man was young, with long red hair, and he was dressed in chain mail and armour. 

"Wolf, you must be of this world," he said. Jade tilted her head as she listened to him. "There are more of these things. We don't want demons here."

She could hear a different presence coming. Jade ran along the Tea Side Path, going westerly in the direction of the column of smoke. Whatever it was now had exited from the burned out building. 

It stood larger than a horse, and was black as coal. When this thing roared, it sounded like thunder. Anyone unfortunate enough to live in the nearby farms and hamlets would've definitely heard this dreadful sound. Jade stopped a while, cautiously and looking at her next foe. This creature was not of the Blue Star. It resembled a black lion with two heads, red eyes and razor sharp teeth that glistened in the dim light. This thing could easily kill entire villages of people alone. 

She could hear now, far behind her in the farm field, the voices of humans, and children. They had gathered wagons of their provisions and were in a hurry to flee from the area, as they were afraid. The explosion of Centre Shire Hall triggered off a wave of panic. 

The double headed black lion roared thunderously again, staring out across the field to view the people. Jade couldn't allow it to get them. She didn't want to think of the consequences of what would happen, but she felt that it was right. She felt protective. 

Jade ran and leapt across, colliding with the demon lion. They fell into ash and debris, rolling around with the smoke concealing them. Jade bit the creature enough times. But that thing tore chunks out of her. It was twice the size of her, and its strength was far more. She was soon overpowered and wounded, unable to fight, as the lion ate some of her using both of its terrible heads. Vermin and poison from its saliva entered into her bloodstream. Jade choked and gasped for air, feeling her life blood pouring from her. The monster was winning, and here felt like the end for Jade. She fulfilled what she had wanted to do, she realised, and her human memories and thoughts were coming back while she was slipping away into darkness.