Killing Monsters

by R T Islington

  The vampire sniggered and cruelly joked with Briar. “Finally! Something you wolf boys fear.”

  The warlord had now come to terms with the fact these wolf boys would never be controlled again, nor would they be able to tap into their rabid natures for selfish gains. Having admitted defeat in this aspect and spreading the word to other warlords that the wolf boys, upon reaching the ages of puberty, would become uncontrollable and noncompliant, the warlord turned to the vampire and vengefully spouted, “Kill them, all of them. All the wolf boys must die before they become a threat.” Archibald Walker then left the dungeon.

  The Vampire proceeded to brand and burn Briar with red hot pokers before turning his attentions to Briar’s parents, cutting of their fingers and toes and when the parents would pass out due to the pain, the vampire would use his dark magic to wake them, enabling the sick torturer to start the process again. When all their fingers and toes were gone, he hung Briar’s father upside down, and with a red-hot blade, sliced the stomach of Briar’s father wide open and watched him bleed out slowly. The blood dripped into goblets that were on the cold dungeon floor that the vampire had placed there and would use them to drink from in front of Briar and his mother.

  The vampire set his sights on Briar’s mother and began branding her with hot iron pokers in front of him, her screams bellowed throughout the dungeon and pierced through Briar's ears as he remained chained and unable to help. Tears ran down the face of Briar’s mother as the vampire laughed and when the evil vampire had finished, he snapped the neck of Briar’s mother and she fell to the floor in front of Briar. The vampire laughed and whispered, “That was fun! See, you do have your uses!”

  Upon witnessing this horrific act, Briar blacked out and lost control; his body began pulsating and throbbing all over as if his body was possessed. Briar began screaming uncontrollably and these screams bellowed deeper and deeper, the deep screams then began to sound more beastly and began turning into deep pitched howls. Briar’s eyes were glowing and turned red and his muscle mass and height began increasing dramatically, the wolf king's hands and feet were growing with his teeth and fingernails turning jet black and sharpening. Thick black body hair like the coat of a wolf began spreading all over Briar’s body covering his white skin, the vampire froze, terrified and confused as to what was going on. The sound of crunching bones was heard, as Briar’s face began to take a different shape, his nose turning into a long snout and his head growing ever bigger. All of a sudden, the howls turned into monstrous noises of a beastly rage that rang through the entire dungeon. Briar had completed his transformation into a monstrous wolf that stood upright, reaching a height of what must have been at least twelve-foot, towering over the vampire. The warlord, hearing this commotion entered the dungeon and at this moment Briar used the brute force of this transformation and freed himself from his chains. This monstrous form terrified and shocked the vampire as Briar stood there with his new muscular and broad physique, Briar’s rage had commenced! Briar slaughtered the warlord first, his claws tore through the fat belly of Archibald, tearing the warlord wide open, he continued his assault biting into the warlords head and crushing the skull before picking him up and throwing him into a nearby furnace, the vampire was next, and the vampire knew it! The vampire’s bat-like wings sprouted out as he tried to make a quick getaway, however Briar pounced onto the vampire using great athleticism, reaching a height that the vampire could never have imagined and whilst in mid-air, he tore the wings of the vampire clean off. As the vampire fell to the floor Briar remained on top and snapped the vampire’s neck ironically as he had done to Briar’s mother. Briar continued his assault and left the vampire mauled and in pieces before running to the exit and escaping the dungeon.

  Roars and howls were heard throughout all of Eastern Plate that night, and it happened that all the young wolf boys between the ages of fourteen to sixteen underwent this horrific and equally spectacular transformation, confirming that during puberty their powers are awakened. The wolf boys under the age of fourteen were reported to have lost their minds and became rabid, attacking all the guards and captors. All the wolf boys throughout the East massacred the warlords and soldiers on this night that held them captive and forced them to become weapons of war. Innocent bystanders reported the moon itself apparently turned red as the wolf boys joined forces throughout the Eastern Plate during this regional massacre.

  After the massacre of this fateful night, the boys woke up together the next morning, naked and covered in the blood of their victims.

  Briar smiled, they all smiled and laughed, standing side by side like brothers in arms. “Do you remember?” one boy asked Briar proudly.

  Briar responded boastfully. “Yes, every fucking very second.”

  And so, the wolf boys moved out of Eastern Plate and began making their way to Centre Plate to build new lives, free from the oppression and slavery that they had known. On their way, they visited all passing villages collecting all the other wolf boys they met on the way. Parents who also had just given birth to wolf boys decided to hand over their sons to Briar and his people fearing their babies would be hunted down persecuted.

  The wolf boys were the first mass group to leave Eastern Plate and migrate to the Centre Plate. They created a settlement called ‘Wolf Head Rock’ named after a giant boulder at the centre of their settlement that they spent time carving into the shape of a wolf head. As time passed, they settled and built huts, training grounds and founded a successful community that grew in time. They continued to train as warriors and became experts in combat and due to their strength and transformations they became the ultimate attack force. These wolf boys, now wolfmen have learned to control their transformations and can use them in times of need. The mating agreement in place with the blood maidens saw the rise of new generations of wolfmen. The mating agreement is now common knowledge around Dragons Continent. Wolfmen and blood maidens meet once a year to re-produce, with the baby girls staying with their mums to become blood maidens and the baby boys going off with their dads and becoming wolfmen, ensuring both factions have their ranks replenished.

  The wolfmen now live comfortably in Centre Plate, thanks to the uprising of Briar and his wolf boys.

  Mages

  Mutations appear in all races, and it’s widely known the first human mutations were the young boys who were born with tails who would become the wolfmen. Mages, however, are the result of yet another human mutation. These mutations began to appear around the year 150 and these unique humans were born with the ability to conjure magic through gemstones just as the elves could, it’s believed that it was the mages and their abilities to use magic that really forced the elven king Aronion to consider moving the elves away from Centre Plate and seek out segregation. Aronion was angry and concerned that humans could use magic, as it was said only his elven people possessed that gift. The first mages appeared around the year 150 and though at first their magic was weak, thanks to generations of practice, evolution has seen them now peak and wield wonderous abilities of their own.

  When women became pregnant, the signs of these new mutations became apparent around four months into pregnancy. Mysterious glows of gold would magically emit from inside the stomachs of these women, the wondrous aura would last only for a few minutes and at different times of the day however the sight was magical. Women were never in pain during pregnancy, and in fact reports that were recorded concluded the complete opposite of what would be expected during pregnancy. Women reported that no discomfort was ever felt throughout the nine months of pregnancy, with no body swelling, aches, pains, or fatigue ever being experienced. The pregnant women carrying these mutations told of how they felt boundless amounts of energy, happiness, and reinvigoration during pregnancy, as well as a deeper connection to their unborn children and when sleeping women would report hearing voices in their dreams of a soothing nature which were said to be the babies themselves seemingly communicating telepathically. Pregnant women claimed that when they dre
amed, they could see their unborn babies years into the future and would be able to describe what their children would look like many years ahead of time, even being able to see distinctive features such as eye colour, hair colour and body type.

  The real surprise occurred during labour as the women would lie there giving birth in no pain at all! The women’s stomachs would glow a bright gold with a wondrous blinding aura emitting from their stomachs during the entire labour, which would only usually last an hour as the babies were pushed out with ease and comfort without the women suffering any internal damage or even blood loss. Upon giving birth the babies were flawless, healthy, and beamed with a golden aura which lasted a few hours after birth. Surprisingly, these new mage children needed no milk from their mother’s breast and were content with being cradled and fussed, with their smiles filling the hearts of those around them. These new magical children were quite wondrous and seemed to be destined for great things since their time of birth. The mage babies developed rather quickly, learning to walk and talk much quicker than normal babies as well as possessing strong aura skills which lead to them being able to communicate with people telepathically very early on in life, however as time went on it was their ability to harness magic that saw them rise to new heights!

  As these babies grew, they shared the same resemblance as humans however one thing made them stand out, purple hair and purple eyes! These odd babies were always happy, smiling and laughing and were very intelligent and curious. They were also drawn to gemstones and would use the stones to draw out magic elements such as earth, fire, water, ice, and even lightning. The first recorded incident of mage magic occurred when a two-year-old mage child was seen sitting by a campfire, the child was manipulating the fire and drew out the magic from a ruby on his necklace rather easily. The child giggled and delighted in moving the fire with his hands and caressing it, he was able to shape the fire and walk into it as if it was nothing more than a toy, the child conjured blasts of fierce fire and shot them into the sky whilst his parents watched on in amazement. Another case of mage magic occurred when a family who lived by a lake saw their child walking on water and creating shapes out of the water resembling his favourite animals, his parents clapped with pride and cheered on as their child began creating mini tsunamis in the lake and displayed complete control of water thanks to the power of his blue sapphire. As time passed these children were branded mages and began to strengthen their abilities, seemingly self-teaching themselves and as the mage children grew, they began channelling magic using a variety of gemstones secured to sticks which were referred to as ‘Mages’ staffs.’

  The mage staffs became weapons as well as tools for mages and consisted of thick short pieces of mighty ‘Dragon Wood’ which was found in forests. Dragon wood came from rare trees called ‘Dragon Trees’ and these colossal trees grow higher than any other tree known throughout the lands. The logs are thick and tough consisting of a burgundy colour with blemishes of a faint yellow and the branches are strong and tough, the leaves also grow a ripe green and never fall out! The dragon trees glow a faint silver and are beautiful to witness, those who can, tend to marry under Dragon Trees as they are said to represent strength and unity. Mages who would come across loose chunks of dragon wood would take these, almost as if they were drawn to the positive energy these trees emitted and then they would have them forged and polished, the mages’ favourite gemstones were then fitted into the wood, with one giant gemstone usually sitting at the top of the staff. These staffs looked glorious with multiple gemstones imbued into them allowing the mages to conjure multiple types of magic, the staffs became a symbol of the powerful mages.

  It didn’t take long before people began offering sums of money to mages for their services in battle and also trying to enlist their council and guidance to assure dominion over other groups of people, naturally mages were not interested and therefore began seeking out their own lands and sanctuary. A mage called Faye led this quest and her fellow mages away from the evils of the other races to a promised land for mages to call their own. This place would become the mage homeland ‘Aura Haven’

  Faye was born on the wild and war-ravaged Eastern Plate; she was a gifted mage, and seemed to be drawn to lightning. Her parents would watch in awe of her abilities when storms appeared as she enjoyed standing in the heart of these storms on open ground with diamond imbued jewellery that enhanced her lightning powers, she would wait for lightning to strike before absorbing it and shooting it back into the sky, much to the amazement of her parents and village, by the age eight she was highly intelligent and graceful.

  For many years greedy warlords had controlled Eastern Plate, fighting amongst each other for dominance however, two opposing royal families started to emerge and began murdering the warlords, creating a new wave of death and destruction for their own selfish goals of total dominion. One fateful night when thunder and lightning was battering down on her village, Faye’s village was caught in a crossfire between a regiment of a royal family and an army of a local warlord. Faye’s mother and father were killed, the young mage cried with anger as she laid on top of her dead parents, though she was a gifted mage she had not been able to control her power nor was there anyone who could train her. The lightning raged on and struck her directly, but she absorbed this blast and sent it back into the sky which caught the attention of a certain dragon who flew by, the mighty Valentina!

  Valentina flew down to greet the distraught child and soothingly spoke to her. “Dear child, that’s a rare power you possess. We dragons have heard rumours of human mutations that can wield magic, I think you should come with me. Your parents are dead, and your village destroyed, come with me and learn how to use your powers, see to it you never have to suffer again.”

  Valentina lowered a wing allowing passage onto her body and the terrified mage stepped forward taking one last look back at her deceased parents, an image that would remain etched into her mind like a phycological scar for the rest of her life. On this fateful night Valentina flew Faye to Dragons Watch to meet the dragons and the mighty grand dragon Storm!

  Upon arriving at Dragons Watch the lonely mage was introduced to all the dragons that resided there with them all amazed at the amount of power in such a young child. Valentina took Faye to meet Storm and then explained the tragedy that had befallen Faye. Storm, though agitated that Valentina would bring another being to their homeland did understand why, and that these new beings called mages were vulnerable and so young in this barbaric world. Storm had heard of another powerful mage child that the dwarves had taken in after finding the young boy living rough near Dwarven Peaks, the boy’s parents had become scared of his powers and disowned him, as rumour had it this young boy’s powers were of a unique dark nature not seen before within mages. Storm granted Faye a two year stay at Dragons Watch which would result in her being studied and taught the ways of the lands by the dragons, upon the end of the two years she would then reside with the dwarves.

  Two years passed like minutes as Faye was flown all over Dragons Continent and shown all the different lands and races, Faye was also put through trials and tests at Dragons Watch with different magical spells and powers needing to be showcased in a calm and pure demeanour, she was also schooled on gemstones and the powers they harbour, and on her final day at Dragons Watch, Storm flew Faye around one last time to reflect on her time spent with the dragons, though they didn’t show it, the Dragons had grown quite fond of this child. Storm and Faye flew over something quite wonderous on her last day and this sight would captivate Faye and forever call to her. Situated west of Dwarven Peaks was giant rock that had seemingly crashed into the ground from the sky. The rock was the size of a mountain and was of a pearl white colour and surrounded by a gold aura, this mountain that fell from the sky had become an incredible landmark on Centre Plate. Faye could not take her eyes off of it and noticing this, Storm flew her down for a closer look. Storm landed near the rock and they both gazed up at its magnificence, its peak al
most touched the clouds and the mountain looked as though it was carved from pearl, flowers and cherry blossom trees bloomed beautifully and the grass was ripe and green. It seemed this wonderous mountain of pure energy was giving life to all around it.

  Faye turned to Storm and asked hopefully, “Can this be my home?”

  Storm replied encouragingly, “Home is wherever your heart desires so.”

  The day after this magical trip, the now ten-year-old Mage said her goodbyes to her dragon friends and upon her departure Storm presented a gift! A wondrous staff was given to Faye, it had been forged by dwarves at Storm's request. The staff was crafted out of the finest dragon wood with multi coloured gemstones situated perfectly around the staff, and at the top of the staff was a giant mother of pearl which glowed beautifully.

  Storm spoke to Faye warmly. “First Mage, go forth and conquer.”

  Upon arriving at Dwarven Peaks, Faye was introduced to the dark natured mage, the young boy named Valour and this young boy would need Faye’s kindness and purity desperately! Valour was also very gifted but could not perform magics of purity, instead his powers were of a darker nature. Valour would be seen by dwarves deep inside caves on his own, he would wander off, seemingly being lured by something. Upon entering the caves, the dwarves would witness Valour using forceful and destructive magic to smash and break boulders, he would seemingly enjoy the destruction and what was aiding these powers were dark stones!

  Dark stones are rare, discarded by dwarves and forbidden. Unlike gemstones of purity such as rubies and sapphires, dark stones emit an evil and destructive aura, making them unusable when crafting weapons and armour with dwarves seemingly unable to abstract the magical essence from these stones and causing fatalities if attempted. These dark stones were black, however upon further examination, deep inside the stones were purple glowing shards that looked like frozen bolts of purple lightning. Valour was able to abstract the dark magic from these stones and use it as a powerful force without taking any damage which made the dwarves uneasy, like all mages, Valour had a naturally ability to use magic but he seemed to enjoy the destruction more than the purity, and as time went on Valour’s powers darkened. By the age of sixteen Valour had developed the power to bring dead animals back to life, he was seen leaving Dwarven Peaks multiple times to search other areas for dead animals to bring back to life and he wielded the destructive power of dark stones with ease. Much to everyone’s shock he would walk these dead animals back to the dwarven homelands to the sound of screams and shrieks as the dwarves were shocked by this horror, Valour would calm himself and release the undead animals from his magical grasp and they would drop down dead again however, on one night, Valour’s darkness went too far!