Ifrailian Tales

Shade Hunter PT. 1

The laws of the hunt never change, never differ. Always following the same core set of principles set in stone by warriors whose time has long since passed. Even now, miles away from Ifrailia, Layla Moran held these tenants in high regard. 

By her side, was a towering reptilian creature. It’s body was covered from head to toe in scales. A thicker layer of hardened skin formed on it’s forearm, thighs, and created a line on the top of it’s flat head. Jagged horns protruded off either side of the creature's face, as well as under the chin. And the bulky set of steel armor the beast wore, only added to it’s intimidation factor. 

“Why must we stalk and hide like rats,” The reptilian chimed in.

Layla bent down to one knee, brushing a few leaves aside,  “We’re not hiding Maxis, we’re tracking.”

“Bah, the work of cowards. Every abomination you allow to escape harms the well being of innocents.”

“It’s all about perspective Maxis. Sure the Shade’ll attack a settlement. Maybe kill a person or two. But every time we let one ‘escape’ they lead us closer to the den."

Hidden underneath the twigs and leaves, was a footprint stamped into the dirt. Given the size, it belonged to one of the demonic, wolf like creatures she was searching for, a Shade. These tracks were fresh, if she had to guess, her prey wandered through this area less than ten minutes ago. 

The huntress tapped the device attached to her left eye, bringing up a greyed out view of the surrounding forest. Through the lens, the world was dull and colorless, only the tracks were highlighted with an orange glow. She picked herself off the ground, dusted off her legs, and started down a path, “This way.”

“Ughh,” Maxis groaned, but followed after Layla, “Are all human females this demanding?”

“No, are all Ozorks as big of a pushover as you?” 

“In my lifetime I’ve met a handful of humans. And the only ones among them who were capable of ordering me around like this, were women.”

The two of them walked over an uneven dirt path. Climbing over short rocks and fallen trees, all the while Layla was fixated on the tracks. Although faint, she could spot them carrying one for another couple of meters. Heading in the direction of a small mountain peek. She signaled to Maxis where they were going, and carried on. Her Ozark partner followed suit, but continued to talk to Layla. She wondered if he was doing it to pass time, or annoy her.

“The first was a woman with hair like the sun, with a large streak of pink curved across the front of her hair. She claimed to be a dancer, but I’ve never seen an entertainer wield swords with such precision.”

Layla looked over her shoulder whilst walking, “Maxis, how does this girl relate to our mission?”

“Well apart from you both having the same awful attitude,” the male lizard scratched the back of his neck, “She sought the same prize as us. The death of those monsters, Shades.”

“Well I’m here to catch one. You're the one trying to kill em.” 

“A fact which continues to baffle me. We’ve run into quite a few Shades, why haven’t you captured one yet?” 

“Simple, the Shade I’m looking for is special. And the only place we’ll find it is…”

They followed the tracks through the woods, till eventually the footprints disappeared entirely. A few meters away from the hunters stopping point, was a cave. Completely inconspicuous on it’s own, nothing more than a natural rock formation. That is, if you disregard the specific creature Layla was hunting. She broke into a brisk jog and moved towards the entrance. With the naked eye alone, Layla could barely see down the hole. Clearly the sun’s light didn’t reach the depths of the cavern. 

Maxis returned to her side, “Is this it, the den?”

“Without a doubt in my mind,”  Layla felt her lip curl into a smile. Maxis, while not sharing in his companion’s bliss reacted in his own way. He gripped the sturdy handle of the weapon holstered on his back. He started to pull, but Layla turned and shot the Ozork a disapproving glance. With a low growl, he rescinded, slipping the bladed tool back into its hold.

“Patience Maxis. You’d be surprised how effective the concept is as a weapon.” 

The reptilian man shrugged, Layla didn’t expect him to understand. But so long as he followed orders, the Ozork proved to be a valuable ally. Good with a weapon, and with him being a native to this country, Maxis understood things Layla would be ignorant to. And yet for all these good qualities, he was brash, temperamental, just waiting for the next moment he could bury his sword into an unfortunate mound of flesh. The man exhibits tendencies found in ancient, warrior tribes back on Ifrailia. Perhaps this romanization of conflict was inherent in all Ozorks, or it could be a behavior found in Max, and Max alone.

Layla fumbled around in her burlap sack. Within were the essentials you’d image any hunter would carry. Water, bait, a few bottles of painkillers amongst other emergency supplies. Her finger grazed over the smooth, plastic surface of an object. Exactly what she was after, Layla plucked a medium sized rod out. The item seemed to contain a strange chemical mixture inside it’s bland white shell. She clasped both hands around the cylinder, and snapped it like a stick. Instead of spilling the fluids, the outer casing remained intact, with the confined liquid taking on a luminescent glow. 

Maxis picked at one of his many horns, staring intently at the glowing stick, “More human trickery?”

“Pretty sure this is mostly an Ifrailian ‘trick.’ Come on, let’s go.”

Layla descended into the tunnel, using the dim blue glow to guide herself around the uneven geometry. The walls were wet, slick with moisture. The air, unkempt and ghastly, each intake of oxygen felt like tiny shards of broken glass had entered the body. Making matters worse, was the indescribable feeling of dread and despair that wafted out from the depths of the cavern.

“What… What is this feeling?”

“You're the professional right,” Layla wiped the sweat from her forehead, “I should be asking you that.”

“I destroy roaming packs of these vermin. Never before have I ventured into their home.”

Layla took in a breath, “First time for both of us then.” 

A light in the dark, at the far end of the cave Layla thought she saw a bright white light. This was confirmed as they made their way further down, the winding natural staircase finally came to an end. And most alarmingly, the subterranean area awaiting them, appeared to be lit up. Maxis took the lead, ducking under a stalagmite and taking the first step into the unknown.

“Well Layla,” Maxis once more gripped his handle, but this time Layla did not stop the Ozork from brandishing his steel longsword, “Did Ifrailia prepare you for this?” 

Layla pushed past Maxis, “Certainly wasn’t in any textbooks…” 

The area was expansive, were it not for the boulders scattered about you could have fit a whole town within the cavern’s confines. High above, the ceiling was peppered at random with spiral cut rocks. All of this surface area seemed to originate from the same point. At the cave’s midpoint, it looked to be a small pond.

And standing amidst the water, was an unprecedented number of hunched over beasts. Fur black as night, crimson eyes that petrified any unlucky adventurer they stumbled upon, and the corrupted stench which followed them like a cloud. No mistaking it, Layla and Maxis had unearthed an entire pack of these creatures. But as is the case with any animal, there needed to be a leader, an alpha. One who stood out from the rest, someone who posed unmatched strength. Standing at the center of the gathering, stood this pack's Alpha. 

While the other Shades walked on all fours, matching the wolves they resembled, this one stood upright. It’s coat was somehow even darker than that of it’s brother, and it’s claws longer, and sharpened to a fine point. A large tuft of gray, dirt stained fur covered the monster’s chest. Yet, none of these factors were the most noticeable thing about this particular Shade.

"Brothers!”

The rest of the packs insistent growling came to an end. And all turned to face their leader. This obedience pleased the Alpha, once he had attained his subordinate's gaze he continued to speak, “How long have we been made to starve? Days, weeks, months, well no longer!”  

“Maxis… is that Shade… talking?”

“Yes… I never thought I’d see one in person…”

“See what in person?”

“Shades come in a few varieties. The commonly faced, beast like creatures are known as form one. In order for a Shade to progress to the next stage, it must have lived for an exceptionally long time… and consumed the aura of countless beings.” 

“So that’s what I’m looking for…” 

The older Shade rallied his troops, howling out! His fellow animals resounded back with their own deafening cry. Once the sound was done bouncing off the cavern walls, the Alpha spoke up. 

 “Just a few measly miles away, a town of Ozorks and Humans await us! They’ve barely mustered up a ragtag militia to handle us, but it will all be for naught! We have the numbers, and most importantly the hunger. Those inferior creatures will die at our hands! And may their souls taste exquisite in our gullets!”

“Tch,” Maxis squeezed his hilt until the wood splintered in his hand, “They’re talking about my village. We have to stop them, now.” 

 “We will, but try and keep it together. I still need to capture that stage two Shade.”

As the monsters below celebrated, Maxis grit his teeth, “You asked for patience human. I’ll heed your advice, but it had better pay off.”

Layla flipped her bag upside down, completely emptying it of its contents. Now armed with an empty rucksack, she slung the empty husk over her shoulder, and climbed up to the next layer of lopsided stone. Before setting off on her own, Layla snapped back to Maxis.

“It will. Once I give the signal you’re free to murder every Shadow monster inside the cave,” With a quick smile, she ran off, jogging across the unbalance rock.

“Wait, what signal are you speaking of?”

Just before Layla moved out of ear range, she replied, “Trust me you’ll know!” 

She didn’t waste anytime, if Maxis sighed in defeated acceptance she had no way of knowing for sure. But deep down, she knew his mannerisms all too well. And in the end, was there any stronger sign of friendship than blind trust in one another.

Layla scoped out the land, spotting an ideal vantage point. Nuzzled away behind two sharp stone pillars, rested a small offshoot of rock. Overview of the battlefield and well defended, any sniper would feel the utmost glee here. She hoisted herself up onto the rock formation. The high tech monocle strapped on her face started to let out quick beeps. The sounds corresponded with the device pinging each and every beastly creature inside this den.

“Fithteen,” Layla took hold of the empty sack and whipped it downward. In an instant the bag took on a bright, solid white glow. A sound similar to the crunch of broken glass rang out, and the light slowly faded away. Unveiling what had become of Layla’s humble rucksack. It had reformed itself into a sturdy sniper rifle. The frame was painted jet black, a stark contrast when considering the gray and dirtied look of its previous form, “Let’s hope Maxis is firing on all cylinders today.” 

Layla dropped down, mounting her 50. Cal sniper up on the surprisingly smooth surface. Although most likely a downgrade, she pulled the lens off her eye, letting it dangle on the thick wire which kept the device attached to the steel ring wrapped around the back of her head. In doing so, Layla had robbed herself of exact enemy numbers, of the precise calculations of wind speed and bullet drop ratios within the cave, alongside a number of more minor features. All things considered, there was still one minute advantage this afforded her. The skills and instincts of a hunter. 

Through the magnified lens of her sniper, Layla couldn’t get a clear shot at her target. The stage two Shade had long since moved away from his place at the center of the crowd. After his rousing speech, the ringleader had melted away into the horde of animals. She had a rough lock on his location, but nothing that even came close to a clear shot. Moments like this reminded Layla how lucky she was to have a faithful companion like Maxis.

But what she needed was a clear line of sight between her and the stage two Shade. As such she couldn’t take a potshot at one of the random goons. That would alert them to her position, Maxis would begin his attack but this method posed too many problems to be truly viable. Layla still needed something, something that could grab Maxis’s attention, and still leave her undetected. 

She ran her fingers through the short strands of hair that hung off the sides of her face while thinking. That's when an idea lit up inside her mind like a lightbulb. Layla quickly reached into her pocket and pulled out the glow stick. Without hesitation, she chucked the glowing rod in the rough direction of her partner. The stick flew through the air, bumped against a hanging stalagmite, and then rolled the remainder of it’s short journey. Eventually coming to a stop right next to the Ozork’s foot.

Maxis glanced down at the item, “Is this the signal she spoke of?"

The Ozark’s face curled into a distorted grin, his sharpened teeth highlighted. Maxis brought his left foot crashing down on top of the glow rod, splattering the radiant liquid over the ground. The resulting boom of this action rang out.

Simultaneously, the beastly creatures all twisted around to find the source of the disturbance, Maxis. The mere appearance of fifteen Shades was enough to bring people to their knees in fear. But to Maxis, the quantity of monsters eyeing him down right now, were nothing more than trophies to mount on his wall.

“Kill him!” Shouted the leader. 

The hoard of starving animals stampeded towards Maxis. White foam frothed out of the corners of their mouths. Scattered barks and growls reverberated from the pack, yet Maxis stood firm. His lengthy blade held at his side, the Ozork warrior did nothing but wait as the crowd closed in. Thanks to the irregular formation of this cavern, there was only one way to reach Maxis from the crater. A singular ramp of solid rock which leads from the entrance, downward towards the center.

Because of this, the Shades had to funnel in towards him a few at a time. Right now, a small group of three ran up the walkway. With the remaining standing by at the start of the ramp. Still Maxis did not give up a single inch of ground to these monsters. And once one foolish Shade came into range, he slashed upward with his steel sword. Slicing the beast in half at a diagonal. Just when the two sections began to separate, they exploded in a plume of purple gas.

There was no time to catch his baring's, before the violet fumes melded in with the rest of the air. Another Shade was charging in for an attack. It clawed at Maxis, who deflected the strike with his sword and then countered with a downward hack. The sword tore the Shade’s head and midsection effortlessly, ending with a satisfying pop as the creature puffed out into smoke.

The third Shade leapt at Maxis through the cloud of it’s fallen brethren. Maxis didn’t have enough time to react- and before he knew it the monster’s jaw was about to close around his neck. Thinking on his feet, Maxis dropped his bladed weapon, using his now free hand to dig into the back of the Shade’s head. Everything happened in the blink of an eye, Maxis yanked the beast back and slammed it’s face into the rocky floor. Again, the Shade’s existence came to an end with a veil of violet mist. 

Three Shades dispatched, and not even a single scratch on Maxis. To him, that brought about immense feelings of pride. But to the older Shade, well the threat of death was becoming ever present. Maxis picked up his longsword, flicking the sword downward, throwing off any dirt that managed to stick to the blade. The male Ozork’s confidence was clearly skyrocketing, he was more than prepared for the next wave of Shades that were scrambling up the path.

“Come on,” Layla dragged her sight line from one end of the cavern to the next and still nothing. She had lost the commanding Shade once Maxis had made his presence known. They’re distraction worked a little too well, and now she was paying for it. More and more Shades ran to face the Ozork in combat, thinning out the crowded center of the room. Eventually, with only six remaining beasts waiting, Layla found her mark, “There you are you…”

There was no mistaking that tuff of gray fur that marked his chest. She had found the stage two Shade. The corpse of another demonic wolf was tossed down the ramp, and at the leader’s feet. The monster snarled and barked orders at the two Shades by his side. They charged up the ramp to join the battle, Layla couldn’t help but sneak a peek at her partner’s progress. 

And things were not looking good, six Shades had circled around the Ozark. But anytime either side would attack, they were defended against. Two Shades, on opposite ends of the ring attacked at once. Maxis successfully blocked, and cleaved the opponent in front of him in half. But the Shade from behind scored a hit, it’s claws dug into his back.

She winced while her teammate’s cries filled the air. Layla knew she had to wrap this operation up quickly. Otherwise both of them would be overwhelmed by the Shades. She readjusted herself, once more lining up her scope with the vile creatures head. Except this time, there was nothing between Layla and her target. 

She closed her eyes, focusing all of her strength inward. A surge of power washed over every part of her being. Layla often found herself more focused if she envisioned this unseen energy as a physical object. Blue, and round, a ball of overwhelming power which she held within her very soul. Once gathered, she transferred the colorful orb out from the chest, running it down her arms and sending the accumulated magic energy into her rifle.

Her eyes opened, and with a slight finger twitch, she fired off a massive volly of electricity towards her prey. The monster turned at the crackle of thunder, only to be blasted directly in his face. The Shade screamed in agony, as the singular stream of lighting broke off into thousands of tiny strands. All of which enveloped him, and much like a fish trapped in a net the alpha thrashed around. 

“Ngaaah!” The alpha screamed, but he pushed passed the pain and glared at Layla with bloodshot eyes, “I’ll devour your soul--”

---Without warning the body of a different Shade was hurled towards the alpha. Caught off guard, the alpha crumbled against the force. Collapsing to the cold stone floor, with the fresh corpse of another Shade sprawled out on top of him. Layla stood upright, and when she snapped to the right. She saw her Ozork companion, standing tall and proud with his oversized blade stabbed into the rock next to him. The gleam of his metal chest plate was covered in dirt, probably the least of Maxis’s worry given the fact that a solid third of the armor was missing.

“Human’s never finish the job by themselves do they?” Maxis said in between quick, exhausted gasps for air.

Layla rolled her eyes, taking one last look at her unconscious target through her sniper’s scope, before slinking the weapon over her shoulder. Once more it took on a blinding white and transformed the firearm into the mundane bag she held. She ran back the way she came, not a jog but a full sprint. And as soon as Maxis came into view, Layla jumped up! Looping her arms around the rugged skin of his neck, pulling the much taller reptile down to her level, embracing him

“No, no we don’t,” Layla said with a smile, unbeknownst to her this sudden show of affection had rendered her ally utterly speechless. As a result he didn’t return the favor, only stayed still as a statue until Layla uncoiled herself from him, “Good job Maxis.”