A Boy on a Quest

Christian Ventrick carelessly kicked at a small rock in the small city of Alston. Small creatures roamed here or there. Not much to worry about; they were small, mouse to chicken sized beast roaming around, but with the help of his Moon Blade, and trusty Sun ring, he could ward off any monster to roam his way. His dusty, tan cloak flowed behind him, as he walked through the unkept streets, his hood covered his dirty, short, dirty-blond hair, that stuck into spikes at his forehead. His grey-blue eyes were hidden in the shadow of his hood, protecting his head from the midday sun. Up on the roofs, there were reconstruction builders, like there were in every civilized place, fixing the buildings from the first strike, the strike where it all began.

He was thirteen then. Playing his video games, wondering which door would lead him to the inevitable boss-fight. Then the beam of lights came down like rain, craters formed where grass and trees once were. The creatures filled the country-side, the army protected his small town, but soon the American regiment fell to the Demon’s might.

Sword’s and magic replaced guns and tanks. Ancient arts were rediscovered, and society itself succumbed, leaving each civilization to fend for itself.

Christian set out long ago, determined to put an end to all this madness.

Some say he’s insane.

Others say he’s a savior.

Whatever the case, he and hundreds of others have begun wandering the land, searching for a chance to strike back at the alien Demon’s. He and hundreds of others are known as Travelers.

He smiled as a young boy ran up to him, gently and quickly stroked his smooth, crescent blade, before being scolded by his mother, who retrieved him out of fear for the unknown.

The Item shop wasn’t very interesting to the warrior. A couple healing herbs, and Antidote leafs were all he could afford, and the prices at the weapon shop was unbelievable.

“What can I get ya, stranger?” the Pub-keeper asked.

Another smile met Christian’s lips. He remembered the times of old, where identification was needed, a license to buy or drink. Such was lost now.

“Whisky.” he stated plainly.

“Here ya go.” the chunky man slid him over the drink. He eyed him more closely, “A Traveler ‘huh?” the chubby man chuckled to himself, “You’re mission is pointless; what can you possibly hope to do?”

Christian took an immediate dislike to this man, rage welling up inside him like a volcano, but he kept his voice calm,

“Perhaps nothing... but perhaps you’re mission is pointless. Perhaps you’re to lead a normal, relaxing life is as pointless as my endless travel.”

He finished his drink and gave his the money.

Money, that was another thing that puzzled him. Although the presidents, and the government turned their back’s on the citizens long ago, people still kept the concept of money.

Christian left as silently as he came.

He felt like he was all alone. And he liked it. He enjoyed seeing passerbyes whisper too each other as they eyed him carefully, unsure of his power or what he could do. He enjoyed when people asked him about his journeys, what the world was like outside of their tiny little town.

He walked through the streets a loner, and thats how he was treated by people.

“My baby! My baby!”

It wasn’t even a minute after Christian left the pub that he saw the cries of a helpless woman, on her knees, helplessly watching as the gigantic bat swooped down, and grabbed the screaming toddler from his mother. Arrows sticking out of it’s side from the town guards, the avian assailant stole the child away.

Horrific in it’s sight, the huge, leather like wings stirred up the calm dust on the street leading through he town, as it’s two horrific fangs scraped up against a building. The hair on it’s body collected some loose dust before the bat let lose a screaming echo, shattering glass, and giving the monster time to fly away while the men armed with bow-and-arrows guarding the town were on their knees in pain.

Ignoring the blood dripping from his ears and running down his neck, Christian ran over to the helpless woman, as she broke into tears.

He hated too see people cry. He didn’t have anything against weeping, it just seemed... unnatural. But probably the main thing her had against crying was that it didn’t get anything done.

The teen knelt next to the defeated woman,

“Ms.-” Christian started,

He couldn’t get a word out of her, she just kept repeating:

“My baby... my baby... he was so young... so young...”

He tried to shake her gently, to get some sign of life out of her other than her sobbing, but it was hopeless.

The hatred boiled up in the journeyman. This was why he fought the demons...

And this was why he was going to save that child.

* * * * *

The monsters in the field before the obvious cave were nothing to Christian. His moon blade, and bladed disk, the Sun Ring easily dispatched of the foot high spiked little beasts, and the occasional Lizard here or there really wasn’t any concern of his. The grass of the open plains were unkept and tall. They felt good against his toes that were uncovered by his brown sandals. Dragon-like creatures flew high up in the skies, cutting through the clouds like a hot knife through butter. The beasts were huge and dangerous, but had never bothered Christian or any people.

Slowly, the tall grass seemed to lessen. It became more damp and murky. And up ahead was the Cave. The entrance of it was horrific enough. The beastly critters running along the sides of the stone walls made him cringe when he entered the darkness.

This was the home of the King Bat.

It was indeed dark, but one fling of his grandfather’s Sun Ring gave enough light. The brightness revealed a stack of torches to the side, almost seemingly put there for him. Lighting a flaming stick, he continued along the moldy tunnels, fighting off countless numbers of bats and Lizards.

The Lizards didn’t concern him. Their spines on their backs, and stingers on their tail were no match for his Moon Blade. Neither were the bats. One was simply a nuisance, but their attacks weren’t singular. Always attacking in groups of five to ten, he was forced to flee from more than one encounter with his winged opponents while the surrounded him like a living mist. His blinded fleeing only left him finding himself even more unsure of where he was in the never ending maze of tunnels, steps, and doors.

The monsters had a small refuge in this cave. People from surrounding towns didn’t dare enter the monsters territory, knowing they had no business if the monsters didn’t terrorize their town.

Christian smiled to himself as he hacked another avian target in half. Even when the monsters did attack towns, most civilizations were too weak, or too frightened to make a counter-assault. One of the most shown today was Alston. A child was abducted right in front of, right out of the arms of the baby’s crying mother, and the town had done nothing, the woman herself had done nothing... her husband had done nothing, well, supposing she had one.

“Wait a second...” Christian said aloud.

A screeching cry echoed through the cave. What was it, another bat? No, it was too loud for a bat... or a normal sized one...

It was the giant one!

Without thought, the warrior sprinted to the source of the sound, ignoring the occasional treasure chest that littered his path.

There he was... in his horrific glory.

The King Bat turned from the screaming child, Christian was surprised the kid held out this long.

“Get away from the child!” yelled Christian, not expecting it to responded, as he leaped at it, drawing out his blade.

Swinging his blade in an arc, he came down on the battle-ready bat, but it’s hard skin held fast, retaliating with a flying rush, knocking Christian down.

Still tired from his previous encounters, he quickly swallowed a healing herb, and breathed deep as the healing effects rushed to all his wounds.

The Bat took the opportunity to attack Christian with it’s fangs, but the journeyman was ready and rolled out of the way, pulling the Sun Ring from his belt. Flinging it at his flying foe, the bat kept it away by beating it’s wings, flinging the disk back at Christian. He caught it, his experience making it instinctual, but it didn’t stop from wounding his hand, and he screamed as blood rushed from the open hand wound.

/SCHRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!!! /

The King bat opened his mouth in anger, and instead of the traditional roar that usually came from wounded monsters, the piercing scream came lose from the beasts mouth, shaking the walls and ceiling of the came, knocking Christian on his face, and taking the toddler away from consciousness.

“Gyah!” the warrior cried in anguish, as he slowly arose. He ducked another attack by the winged beast.

“THAT IS IT!” Christian cried out, raising his blade above his head.

Calling guidance from his long dead grandfather, Christian forced his blade into the air. Magic swirled in the air as the Sun Ring slowly rose from his belt. Stopping right in front of Christian’s raised blade, he cried out:

“Light Smash!” echoed through the cave. As the aincent technique empowered his two weapons, he leaped into the air, and pausing just before he came down upon the King Bat. The two weapon’s, for one instant, became one magically enhanced tool, and he came down upon the beast, striking him dead.

In one gigantic scream the beast lay motionless. He twirled his sword around in a victory movement, just to please himself, then turned to the motionless child. The boy was unconscious, but breathing. He considered whether to use one of his fairly precious healing leaves on him, and did. He could always buy more with how much that bat’s tooth was, and if he hadn’t have used it, the boy probably wouldn’t have made it out of the cave still breathing. He ripped out the tooth, and made his way (with the child in his arms), out of the winding cave.

The mother was almost too grateful, and probably would have smothered the toddler with kisses and hugs, but the doctors of the town pushed her aside. They started treating his bite, bruise, bacteria, and cut wounds with almost every item in the shop outside.

Christian quietly left the house, marveling at it’s size and beauty but not caring much for the boy, or the town, only caring that he once again stole a victory against the monsters that had robed him of everything.

His town, his life. All were destroyed in the first attack by the metallic monstrosities. He was dragged away from his parents, screaming and kicking. Pulled to the northlands, the astound base for the demons from the heavens. He was strapped down... rays of light, rays of darkness, all running over him, experimenting chemicals, as he watched others next to him unconscious or dead. He didn’t know, he was too scared to care. A ray sent him unconscious, and the last thing he remembered was wanting to die.

He woke up, everyone around him was dead. He was in a town he didn’t recognize, and people around him, mutilated, bloodied and broken.

Only one he recognizesed: His Grandfather.

Next to the old man was a note, a sword and a metal ring.

“To Christian,” The note began:

~I knew this day would come. My family, friends... they all thought I was crazy... senile. Funny how now I feel at peace knowing I was right. I write this message with my dying breaths, and pray that you will heed it. I knew that the day when guns and bombs would be shunned would come, and thus I have prepared, all my life, making these weapons. My grandson... if you wake, take these weapons, fight the demons from the sky.

Christian please...~

The cinders smoking of what were once buildings. This town or city, was the first place in the world to be destroyed by the metallic abominations, and would not be the last. Hundreds, thousands of cities and towns were taken down by the alien visitors.

Christian Ventrick rose, whipping the blood off his forehead, took the weapons, and began on a journey that would lead to his destiny.

“It’s 30 dollars for a night, you still wanna stay?” the thin girl asked him. She couldn’t be over fourteen, and looked upon the 16 year-old journeyman in awe.

“Yes, here.” he put the amount on the table, and retreated to his room. Organizing his things, he glanced out the Inn window. He could never understand city people. Why would one choose such a simple, pointless life?

He shrugged. Perhaps it was stubbornness on his part, but he couldn’t understand why one would resign to such a boring living style. Well, if no one was to do it, he would have none to run his nightly Inns.

It wasn’t late yet, but the adventurer slowly drifted into sleep. Two days of almost non-stop travel, and fighting gigantic monsters took it’s toll on the young teen. 30 miles of walking made his feet sore, and taking blows from a two ton bat made it felt so good to just lay back and forget his troubles.

It was a dream of the old times, one he had felt many times. His subconscious trying desperately to undo all the tragedy, and bring back his old world.

~Go to the place of this old continents leader, a girl who will change the new world there will meet her.~

A heavenly voice, one he had never heard spoke in his dreams... it said again:

~Go to the place of this old continents leader, a girl who will change the new world, there will meet her.~

The next morning, Christian gathered his things.

“How’s the child doing?” the adventurer asked when he came to the boy’s house. A guard stood in front of it. He decided not to push past him or anything like that but was curious as to why one would protect this home.

“The boy died last night. Our medicines weren’t enough for his inner wounds.”

The journeyman held back his emotions.

“I see...” he said slowly, “Send my regards to the mother.” he asked, as he turned to leave.

/Chalk up another victim for the Demons./ was the last thought he gave to the boy.

Buying a couple more items from the shop, Christian left the town.

The journey to the old Washington D.C. would take days, weeks even. Even on a horse it could take a while. A Zeppelin or Blimp would get him there faster if he were lucky enough to stumble near one.

He could only hope.

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(OOG: Well, what did you all think? Unlike most fantasy stories, I took the chance of having this story take place in the real world. Comments? Questions? Please send to dsadlocha@hotmail.com)