Chapter 31: Neban|Obsidian
When the glass finished falling, and the group did not hear anything else, Neban stood up with Theo in his arms. Theo was gripping him tightly, setting his head on his shoulder, not wanting to pick it up.
The others were also standing up as Neban started to walk to them, only to stop when a loud 'roar' sound outside; the noise was near the home.
Theo whimpered while Owain, Isona, and Wey stiffened at the sound.
'The sound is too close.' Neban thought as he looked at the door. He knew it would be better to stay inside and have the other hunters near to take care of the monsters.
But what if there aren't enough hunters near the area and a monster comes into the house? Neban wants to protect his son. And not only that, he wants to protect the others in the home too.
So, after a second of thinking, he walked closer to Wey. "I am going to go outside and kill any monsters that come near this area. I want all of you to find a place to hide while I do this.
"Wey, can you take Theo?"
Wey nodded while Theo tightened his grip on Neban, not wanting to let go. Neban pulled his son back, making Theo's grip loosen so that they could be face to face.
"Theo, I need you to go with Wey. I promise I will be back, but I have to make sure that it stays safe for you." Neban told Theo.
Theo pouted with teary eyes, wanting to say something but decided not to as he nodded and hugged Neban before letting go.
Neban kissed Theo's forehead before handing him over to Wey. Wey grabbed Theo and held him in his arms.
"Go hide and keep Theo safe," Neban told Wey and the others.
Once the group walked out of the room to move somewhere to hide, Neban pulled out Siren and the mask he used to wear when he was Obsidian.
'Are you ready to eat?' Neban asked Siren as he put on the mask.
'Yes. When the clan and Mother cross over soon, I want to be at full power again.' Siren replied.
Neban hummed, walking to the door, opening it as he stepped out, closing it behind him.
When he stepped outside, three vast monsters walked down the street, bumping into cars as they let out another roar that caused the glass from the vehicles to shatter.
The monsters were completely red, with hardened scales surrounding their bodies. When they opened their mouth, their teeth were sharp all around, almost like a shark. And they had four legs with two heads.
One head was roaring while the other was creating shock waves that caused the glass to shatter.
As Neban observed the monsters, he did not know what they were since he never came across something like them before.
'They are Kaazums, pets from the Conla Clan, a clan made of reptiles or monsters with reptile abilities. The clan uses them as scouts to test what they are getting ready to walk into.' Siren explained.
'So, are they mostly harmless?' Neban asked.
Siren was getting ready to answer when one of them spotted Neban. The head that sent shock waves opened wide as the wind started to pick up around it.
Neban quickly moved towards a car far from Isona's house, ducking down as the Kaazum released a blast made of wind.
The blast hit the car, causing it to flip over as Neban laid flat on the ground, rolling away from the vehicle so that he wouldn't get hit.
The car hit a pole as the blast flipped it over; the vehicle's alarm was going off. Due to the noise, the Kaazums bent down before rushing forward, coming towards Neban's location.
Neban stood up as Siren began to change its form into a bow. 'You have a minute.' Siren spoke.
'A minute?' Neban thought, wanting to question Siren about the time limit, but could not as the monsters were coming closer.
He put the bow in front of him, positioning it as he pulled back the string and swiftly let it loose. An arrow, with a surrounding black aura, came out before splitting into three.
The arrows struck their targets, hitting the three monsters in their neck. But that only slowed them down; the arrows didn't even go deep into the skin.
'Shit!' Siren cursed as the Kaazums' second heads opened their mouths, building another blast before letting them go.
Neban copied the Warrior, quickly putting up [Warrior's Shield] as the three blasts hit them. Due to it being a copy, the shield was not perfect as it caught most of the blast but still blew Neban a few feet back as he almost hit the flipped car.
'How much time do I have left?' Neban asked Siren.
'45 seconds.'
'Okay, I have a plan.'
Neban moved from the area he was in, using [Shadow Travel] once he saw the monsters advancing towards him again.
He was a few feet from their right as the Kaazums let out roars as they looked around for him. Neban quickly used [Shadow Web x2] on the ground, making sure it was big enough to capture the monsters.
When he heard a roar, followed by wind blowing his hair back, he knew that the Kaazums finally spotted him. Neban looked up as the monsters were already rushing towards him.
'20 seconds.' Siren mentioned.
Neban did not say anything as he waited for the creatures to come closer. He would copy a Mage's spatial abilities, but he needed the monsters to get closer because his range was minimal compared to a Mage.
'10 seconds.'
As the creatures took four more steps, Neban put one of his hands over the web as he used [Spatial Transfer], causing the clear ground under the monsters to disappear and get replaced with the web.
'5 seconds.'
The Kaazums tried to move, but the web kept them in place. The second heads were already opening, getting ready to blast the ground as Neban was already pulling the string back, releasing an arrow that split into three.
There was black fire coming from the tips of the arrows.
After Neban released the arrows, Siren turned back into a sword. And before the monsters could release their blast, the arrows struck inside their mouths, causing the Kaazums to close them as they choked.
Once the arrows were inside, the bodies caught on fire. Both of the heads on the monsters were letting out shrieks of pain. The black fire was different from other fires as this one was eating their insides before completely burning them.
As the creatures were dying, Neban was getting ready to walk back to the home. He only wanted to get rid of the monsters near there to make sure the others, especially his son, stayed safe.
But as he started to walk, Neban quickly turned around, blocking a hit with Siren. The force of the move between him and the person who attacked caused it spread out, throwing the surrounding cars back.
The sound of the car alarms seemed to intensify the area.
In front of Neban was a man that was extremely pale as his long hair was a purple pastel color. The man's eyes were an intense yellow as the person was smirking, showing off sharp fangs.
The man's sword was still being blocked with Siren as they looked at Neban's weapon with glistening eyes. "Ah, how lucky to hold the Mother's weapon in your hand." The man spoke as his voice sounded deep mixed with honey that someone secretly laced with poison.
"Who are you?" Neban asked.
"You must earn my name."
The man quickly pulled back his weapon before moving with a speed that Neban could not catch as the man kicked him in his stomach.
Neban flew a few feet back, hitting one of the cars in the street as he slid to the ground, coughing. He turned to the side, spitting out blood as he winced while picking himself up, grabbing his stomach in the process.
'Siren, who is that?' He asked, but Siren did not answer and remained quiet.
He was getting ready to ask again when the man appeared in front of him. The person was already swinging his sword towards Neban, aiming for the same spot he kicked.
Thinking under the spot, Neban used [Shadow Travel] to move from the area as he appeared behind the man. Ignoring the pain in his stomach, Neban aimed his sword towards the man's arm, only for the person to swiftly turn around and block it.
"How interesting. You, humans, will be fun to play with." The man spoke before licking his lips with a forked tongue.
Neban swallowed the disgust surfacing in him as he moved back, wanting to blast the man, but the person followed his movement as he swung again.
Neban kept moving back with the man moving forward; they exchanged a few blows, and neither wanted to step down.
The man started to laugh as his smile got wider before he turned into mini bats, quickly moving behind Neban as he transformed back into his original form while pressing his sword to Neban's neck, moving closer.
Neban was slowly and stealthily moving his free hand up as he tapped into playing the Mage once again.
The man pressed his sword closer to Neban's neck, drawing a thin line of blood as he moved closer to the back of Neban's ear, whispering, "Little human, I say that you have earned my name. I am Lorka of the Lynai Clan."
Then Lorka opened his mouth, getting ready to bite down on Neban's neck.