Chapter 9: Yoru

Three heads snapped at Yoru as he rolled away from the hellhound’s jaws. Yoru made a mad dash for one of the sand-stone walls, in a desperate attempt to escape. How does he expect me to fight a hellhound in pjs?!

Yoru tried to stick his hand into the wall, but his hands just barely grazed it.

“Dammit,” muttered Yoru, turning back to the approaching hellhound. “Vael’tharos Taal.” A long slender spear materialized in Yoru’s hand just in time to block and attack from the massive dog.

Yoru tried to run under the hound’s legs, but fangs sunk into the back of his shirt as he was raised over the hellhound’s mouth. Yoru could feel the heat of the beast’s teeth, and the stinging stench of its past victims. The teeth unhooked from his shirt and he was dropped into the hellhound’s mouth. Or, at least he would’ve been. Yoru stuck his spear out, piercing its left mouth and giving Yoru a chance to escape from its grasp. He flipped around and managed to get behind the hellhound, Yoru thrust his spear into the beast’s hide, piercing its skin and causing black blood to flow from the wound.

Yoru ran his hand through the blood. The thick black ichor seeped through the gaps in his fingers, This isn’t natural blood.

“Well, well, well, the little warrior has moves after all,” taunted Randy, leaning over the edge.

The hellhound turned and growled at Randy. Randy stumbled back a few steps, at the sight of the hellhound.

Yoru turned his attention back to the hellhound. His spear flew like a bird, stabbing the hellhound all over. Yoru seemed to be in control of the fight, until Randy happened.

He noticed Randy talking to a few of the people watching him fight the hellhound, Randy was pointing and gesturing towards him. Yoru dodged a bite from one of the hellhound’s maws, but got knocked to the ground by its equally big paws.

Cuts spurred up on his skin, making it uncomfortable to hold his spear. I didn’t start fighting for comfort, Yoru reminded himself. Yoru picked up his slightly damaged spear and charged back at the hound.

Pain throbbed in the temple of Yoru’s head as something solid struck him. Yoru tumbled to the ground again, stunned. He rolled slowly toward the hungry jaws of the beast, its drool dripping down hitting his face. Magma slid down Yoru’s face, burning it.

Yoru tried to find his spear, but no luck, it had tumbled several feet away. Yoru clawed at the crown, trying to reach it, but he couldn’t. The spear was just out of reach, he could touch it with the tips of his fingers, but not quite grab it. He looked up, his face riddled with sweat and black drops of blood.

Then there was a bang, then a crash and it was tied up with a lot of shouting. The hellhound fell forward, its teeth about to sink into Yoru’s flesh. But its body just tumbled forward, rolling over him.

Yoru shot up. He realized that he wasn’t dead, and he wasn’t going to let himself die. Yoru sprinted to the spear, and picked it up, arming himself.

Looking back at the hellhound he realized that there was black-blood seeping from its head. There was a thumping noise as rope was flung into the pit.

Yoru grabbed it and started climbing without a second thought. When he was halfway up Yoru glanced back down at the hellhound, its daze over and getting up. Yoru scrambled up faster and hauled his body over the ledge collapsing onto the sandy stands.

He was tired, his clothes were covered in dirt and he was exhausted. What saved me?

The hellhound was scratching at the sand now, taking chunks out. But it seemed like it couldn’t get out.

“Good, good, good. You’re okay,” said a familiar squeaky voice. Lucas?

Yoru rolled over and saw Lucas sitting over him, his skin paler than usual and holding a rock in one hand.

“Was that you Lucas?” asked Yoru, “were you the one who threw the rock at me?” Yoru sat up, prepared to punch the fourteen year-old if he was right.

Lucas threw his hands in the air and started shaking them, “No, no, no!” protested Lucas. “It wasn’t me! I dropped the rocks on the hellhound, not you.”

Yoru lowered his fist, “Okay. I’ll trust you, for now.”

A kid in the distance screamed and Yoru turned to face him. The hellhound had managed to climb out of the arena.

Yoru shot Randy a look, as if to say ‘This is your fault’ then ran to protect the kid.

“Lagra,” said Yoru, blasting the hound. The hellhound stumbled back a few steps, letting the kid escape. “You’re welcome!”

The kid shot Yoru a dirty look, like this was all his fault. Yoru shrugged it off and fired several more blasts of mana, weakening it.

The hellhound growled at Yoru, ripping up the ground with its claws.

Yoru pointed his spear at the hellhound, “You really wanna go?” The hellhound flexed its muscles, bracing for an attack. But at the last second it turned back and ran. “That’s what I thought, wolfy!” Monsters these days.

Yoru turned back to the evacuating kids, helping them get away from the arena. Eventually there was no one left. Yoru trudged back to his cabin, dragging his feet in exhaustion. He did not plan to fight a hellhound that night.

He plopped down onto his bed. His pajamas were covered in sand but he didn’t care. As soon as Yoru’s face hit the pillow he was out.

Yoru dreamed he was walking through a black barren desert, hellhounds at all sides, growling at him. Ashen trees lay around his path, frail and charred. Flying lizard-like creatures patrolled the skies and a large obsidian castle lay far in the distance, its towers touching the sky.

Every time Yoru tried to take a step toward the castle he was blasted back. He reached down and sunk his hand into the rocky ground, to keep himself from flying all the way back.

A voice whispered in his head, “Obsidian Spire, tall and true. A point between hell and earth you must go, to find the heart and shatter the soul that reaches back.” The voice sounded familiar, yet vaguely different. It was dead yet alive, energetic yet dull.

“Ha-” Yoru felt his conscience being yanked from the dream and tumbling into his dirty bed.

“Yoru!” yelled a familiar squeaky voice, “good you’re awake.”

“Lucas?” murmured Yoru, slowly opening his eyes, “is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” said Lucas. “Come on! We have to go, the hellhound came back.”

What?! Yoru shot out of bed and grabbed his bag. “One sec.” Yoru quickly changed into a casual outfit and ran out the cabin door.

The hellhound was reeking havoc in camp, overturning cabins and throwing kids with its many maws.

Lucas winced back as a kid was thrown over the cafeteria and landed with a bone shattering squelch. “We- we have to help them!” Lucas made eye contact with Yoru, “come on. Let’s go.”