Erotica: Beyond: Dark Action Romance Paranormal Thriller (Adventure Demon Humor International Interracial Mystery Short Stories)

by Iaz Grant

  “IT’S CLEAR THAT THESE YOUNG MEN ARE GOING TO WASTE NO TIME! ROUND 1 AERO VS GOLEM…BEGIN!!”

  Aero looked across to his opponent. He looked the same age as Aero, with black haircut perfectly even around his face and large eyes and wore a brown one-piece training suit. He was much heavier than Aero and as the match began he reached his arms out to the side, with his hands clenched as fists and began to run straight for Aero. With his hammer in his had, Aero leaped out of the trajectory Golem had coming after him and as he dodged the bulldozing big-boned fighter he swung the hammer high above his head, bringing it down with tremendous force right above Golem’s head.

  Golem successfully moved out of the way of Aero’s hammer, but even still, felt intimidation when he looked at where the hammer did land. Aero could be heard grunting as his lifted his hammer up fro the dent it had created in the stage. He laughed a bit and looked across to Golem who was now launching into an attack of his own. Golem threw a flurry of punches that all seemed to hit Aero rapidly as he tried to dodge as many as he could, but failed. After falling briefly on the ground Aero used the long handle of his hammer to push himself back up, only to see Golem still swinging punches coming after him. Aero watched this time and moved swiftly to meet each of Golem’s punches head on with the handle of his hammer. Three of Golem’s punches later, Golem realized he was punching metal each time he swung and it was starting to hurt his hands. He let out an angry growl as he jumped backwards and shook his body.

  “Fun times over!” Golem said in a low voice.

  Aero watched as Golem raised his hand high into the air and began to let out a yell as if he were struggling to move something. A ring of light began to appear drawing itself around Golem’s body until it became complete, and when it did to beams of brown light could be seen growing around the original light ring. A low humming noise could be heard over Golem’s powering up yells until the Halo completed it’s appearance. Now a bright brown band of energy was positioned around Golem, much like the rings around a planet, this was the power of a Stone Halo. Golem stomped his left foot down like a sumo wrestler, and then stomped his right in the same fashion, shortly after this motion, small pebbles began to rise from the dent that Aero’s hammer embedded in the stage. Gradually the small pebbles became rocks big enough to cause some serious damage, they levitated in front of Golem before he jumped into the air, coming down shortly after and as soon as his feet touched the floor, the array of stones launched forward, hurdling at Aero with great speed.

  With little time to react, Aero began to swiftly move side-to-side trying to avoid each rock as they came at him. He jumped and ducked and maneuvered his way through the field of rocks flying through the air, and a few times, he even wound his hammer back like a baseball bat and smashed some of the stones in mid air. The more Aero dodged, the more Golem stomped his feet, sending more and more rocks after Aero. After a few more flips and acrobatic movements from Aero in an attempt to dodge the rocks, Aero slipped up as one of the stones made contact with his face, slicing open his cheeks and sending him back onto the floor of the stage. The stream of rocks suddenly stopped as Aero lay face up on the stage. Golem was now beating his chest again as the brown Halo around him was surging with energy.

  “Rock Body!” Golem cried out

  Now, the rocks that Golem had sent flying toward Aero, which lay all around the stage, were rising up again, and this time hurdling toward Golem. Aero began to pick himself up from the floor while the stones started to line Golem’s body like armor. Once the rocks had placed themselves around Golem, leaving only his head exposed, Golem jumped high into the sky planning to descend on Aero, who was using his hammer as kickstand to hold onto while he was getting to his feet. Gasps could be heard from the crowd as Golem began to come down, headed right toward the unsuspecting Aero, who was looking around the arena for his opponent. Then when Golem was only a few feet from flattening Aero like a pancake, Aero heard a strange voice.

  “Get outta the way, kid!”

  In that moment, Aero felt himself be tugged backwards as if someone yanked his hammer that he was still attached to. Golem slammed into the ground with a massive impact creating a small crater in the surface of the stage. He looked at Aero with confusion on his face, not understanding how the boy avoided such an attack. Aero was now on his feet, panting hard; using his sleeve to wipe away some of the blood from his check that the rocks had sliced open.

  Though he was dazed Aero was scanning the field to find the source of that voice, but no one had joined the fighters on stage. Suddenly Aero could hear the voice again.

  “Hey! Down here!” The voice rang with a thick accent that was exclusive to someone from a large city

  Aero looked to where the voice originated. His eyes looked down to the floor of the stage where the head of his hammer was resting. As if they were always there suddenly two large animated eyes appeared on the surface of the hammer, looking at Aero with surprise.

  “Man! If you don’t start moving we’re gonna be history!” The voice yelled out, snapping Aero’s attention back to Golem who was now rushing toward him ready to attack.

  Aero realized he needed to act quickly as he jumped into the air, flipping over Golem until he landed on the other side of him. Golem stopped in his tracks angered and began to rush toward Aero’s new direction. Aero wound the hammer to his left side and let out a mighty swing that met head on with Golem as he was rushing toward him, a large smacking sound could be heard as the head of Aero’s hammer collided with the rocks on Golem’s skin. The force from the impact caused Aero to slide back a few feet. Golem wasted no time as he began to run toward Aero again. In Aero’s mind he had already calculated that the rocks that made up Golem’s armor were far too thick to be affected by his hammer and just as he ran out of ideas in his head, Aero could hear that voice again as those eyes appeared on his hammer.

  “Your gonna have to trust me, kid. Use the Blade of Grass you’ve been working on!”

  Aero looked at his hammer in disbelief. After all, the Blade of Grass was a technique Aero had never shown anyone, so how could this voice know such a thing. While he wondered if he was hearing things, Aero could see Golem drawing even closer, so he jumped back and closed his eyes, concentrating heavily on energy around him. Within moments the neon-green Halo emerged around Aero’s body, that let out a quiet hum much more pleasant to the ears than the one Golem’s Halo was emitting.

  As Golem raced closer to Aero, Aero extended his right arm in front of him, holding his hammer with his left, and opened his hand waiting for something to appear. A vertical line began to materialize in front of Aero as his Halo began to sure from energy. The green line became more and more defined as it began to take the shape of a long sword, still glowing emerald in color. When the time was right Aero opened his eyes and tightened his grip on what would be the handle of this sword, solidifying its shape as his grip tightened.

  “Blade of Grass!” Aero commanded.

  The green glowing sword that appeared in Aero’s hands started to expand with energy as he raised it above his head, bringing his arm downward in a slashing motion that cause a large, emerald, crescent shaped shape to appear and travel the direction Aero swung in. The powerful attack collided right into Golem, it’s energy dug into the surface of all of the rocks along Golem’s body, crushing and shattering the majority of his armor. Golem was sent flying backwards as the image of the attack began to fade away. Golem landed off of the stage entirely and was a few feet into the crowd that began to erupt with excitement. The Halo’s around Golem and Aero suddenly dematerialized at the same time, signifying that this match was over.

  Aero fell to his knees while looking down at his hammer, exhausted of energy. The large eyes appeared again on the hammer, this time looking cheerful. As Aero’s vision began to go blurry and his awareness began to fade he could hear the sound of the announcer’s begin to get the crowd going.

  Mayor Cross jumped onto the stage and kneeled down in front of
Aero making sure he was okay. Meanwhile an older man in a long purple coat could be seen leaving the side of the Dean who was noticeably impressed by Aero’s display of power, after whispering into the Dean’s ear, this man, who had long reddish-brown hair could be seen making his way over to the stage. He approached Cross with a smile on and helped bring Aero to his feet.

  “Mayor Cross, you’ve done all that you can, I can assist Aero from here on out.” He said with a calm tone.

  The Mayor was astounded. He knew this man just like many others did, his name was Iliad, and we was said to be one of the greatest fighters in the history of martial arts. He was also a well-known on-again off-again teacher at the School for Halo Arts and a bit of a celebrity due to his high profile career coming up in the martial arts world. Mayor Cross did not hesitate, nor did he defy Iliad’s opinion. After all, Cross was to leave Marcel and Aero at the school, and it had seemed as if Iliad was showing a particular interest in Aero. So when Iliad placed Aero over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Cross helped by handing Iliad the young boy’s hammer.

  “Usually, only after everyone has competed do students get placed into their respective houses but Aero has overused his Halo energy, I need to make sure he is properly taken care of.” Iliad began to explain.

  “After which the boy will be personally tutored by me, I see great potential in him. The Dean said Aero’s power was too dangerous to be integrated into the general population of the school. He can complete his education with me; The Dean has allowed me to take Aero in as my pupil. I’m sorry but I do not have much time.”

  Cross nodded his head in understanding. He ran over to the bench that Marcel was sitting at to grab a small backpack that carried in it most of Aero’s belongings. He rushed it back over to Iliad who thanked him for bringing Aero this far.

  “But where will you be taking him sir?” The Mayor asked as he looked at Aero a final time, patting him on the head.

  “After he heals, I’ll be bringing him to the Frozen Forest. I want to teach him the secrets of the Fire Halo; I have a feeling he will excel at his training. So we must begin immediately.” Iliad replied with a passion in his eyes.

  Iliad turned around and began to walk away from the stage, where Marcel had just started to prepare for his match. Marcel watched as Aero and Iliad made their way through the crowd, wondering if he would ever see his friend again. At the same time, both Mayor Cross and the Dean watched Iliad carry Aero away as well, both wishing the young student luck as he began his journey.

  FIRE IN THE FROZEN FOREST

  When Aero finally awoke he could feel the bumps of a road beneath him. He sat up from his laying down position and began to look around.

  “Where am I?” He said out loud, expecting no one to answer back as he looked around the small room he was in.

  “Your alright. You fainted from using too much energy, you’re on a train.” Iliad’s voice cut through Aero’s confusion.

  Aero jumped up startled, he looked across the seat he was laying in to see Iliad. Iliad was a man in his late 20’s with long flowing hair that was close to Aero’s in color, but much brighter. A faint beard lined the man’s face that was dressed like a warrior. The handle of two muskets could be seen poking out of the man’s coat as well as a short sword being attached to his waist. He wore gloves that left his fingers bare and was chewing on a toothpick, switching back and forth from looking at Aero, to looking out of the large window beside them. Aero relaxed and felt his cheek, where his wounds had scabbed over. He could tell that he was safe, but was still curious about his situation.

  “Who are you?” He asked

  “My name is Iliad and starting yesterday, I’m the guy that’s going to train you for the next 6 years.” He said, “After what Dean Willow saw in the tournament, he worried that your power was not fit for school…and that’s because you are special Aero, it’s why I’m takin’ years outta my wonderful life to train you. You will be a legend… “ Iliad continued with a sarcastic tone. He spoke with a swagger Aero had never really heard before “…The thing is, you and I are gonna have to push ourselves out here, The Frozen Forest. Supposedly, there’s a 1000-year-old demon here, it keeps—“ Iliad stopped to let out a long sigh that shared that sarcastic tone of his voice“—Killin’ people and eatin’ babies and wrecking a bunch of villages, stuff like that, but what’s exciting is…” He leaned up closer to Aero “…That demon is gonna have a whoooole bunch of energy you can absorb!” He finished with an enthusiastic look on his face awaiting Aero’s response.

  Aero wasn’t quite sure how to though, he has read in fairy tales about people with Halo magic absorbing the energy of centuries old monsters, plants and animals but Iliad was really talking about it. So before Aero did respond, he thought about those very fairy tales and how powerful one could become if they knew where to find such creatures, plants or monsters.

  “Do…you mean…?” Aero said slowly before exploding into a plume of excitement.“…A demon, like, a REAL demon? And I can ABSORB its energy and learn more Grass Halo techniques? Can you teach me how to shoot those guns you have? Do you have a Halo?”

  Iliad began to laugh and then gesture for Aero to slow down. “Okay, Okay. Relax. We’ve got a couple hours before we get there, so I’ll explain everything to you. And No, you can’t touch my guns, that’s rule number 1.”

  So, there, for the remainder of the car ride through miles of different areas, Iliad and Aero went back and forth getting to know each other. They exchanged long-winded summaries of their love for martial arts, interest in Halo magic and most importantly, how to properly train and condition your abilities to acquire more Halos. They even spoke about an old legend about an ancient Halo user who mastered all the elements that pertain to Halos: Grass, Fire, Water, Stone, Lightning, Wind, Shadow, Light and Spirit – and achieving a special Halo that only a God could wield the power of.

  At the end of the ride, Iliad had one more thing to say before the exited the sleek van that brought them to the entrance of the Frozen Forest, which looked exactly as it’s name suggested. “It’s gonna be a tough on you, but I promise ya, when we get back to that school, you’ll be the strongest kid there, no doubt.” He said with a reassuring look.

  Aero and Iliad then stepped out of the vehicle and began to walk into the mysterious forest. With thick trees that looked identical to each other in perfectly aligned rows, with thick layers of crystal clear ice wrapped around every surface. The student and pupil exchanged a bump of fists before disappearing into the cold forest.

  ****

  After nearly a full week of walking through the many mazes within the Frozen Forest, Aero and Iliad made there way into a small village nuzzled deep with the forest. Though it was not home to many people to begin with, this village seemed especially empty. Small spherical houses were scattered across the small village with a few large fire pits sprinkled around the area that had large flames glowing on top of them. Before Iliad and Aero could explore much a young woman came out of one of the spherical homes.

  “Hello! Are you here to help with the Wampum Root?” She asked in a playful tone.

  She was a beautiful woman who was taller than most women Aero had seen in his life. She had long wavy hair that flowed down her back and draped down her shoulders, its hue, a bright lavender color that could be seen from far away. She wore a beige long sleeve coat that had what looked like rabbit fur on the inside of both the coat and the hood attached to it, which had two bunny ears sewn into the top to resemble a real rabbit. Aero blushed at the sight of such a pretty woman, Iliad however, seemed to pay no mind.

  “I’m Iliad and this is my miniature bodyguard Aero! Yeah, were looking for that plant demon, do you know where he might be?” he asked as his voice echoed through the seemingly empty village.

  “Quiii!” The woman screeched out in a high pitch raising her fist to the air “Let’s go get that nasty thing! I’m Boe!” she announced before walking closer to the travelers. “That evil Wampum
Root came to this village earlier today and ate everyone here except me, I tried to shoot him with my bow, but he was just too quick! Now everyone is gone…but then you guys showed up, so now we can go kill it!” she said raising her fist into the air again.

  Aero looked to Iliad’s reaction to see how he felt. Iliad placed his hand over his head.

  “Boe, do you think you can help us find the Wampum? We can help you exterminate it.” Iliad asked resting his hands on his muskets. By this time Boe had started to walk in circles around both Aero and Iliad, she had her nose in the air, twitching like a rabbit’s taking in the travelers’ aromas. She leaped sideways quickly and shifted her nose to a different direction, smelling the odors in the wind.