Chapter Three: The Beast's Wrath
1386 Words
The Beast Hunters
Chapter Three: The Beast’s Wrath
Nightfall – The Outskirts of Oko Village, Ogun State
The trees whispered in warning. Crickets stopped chirping. The palm fronds trembled, not from wind, but from something older… something hungry.
Oko village had always been peaceful. Hidden deep in the thick forests of Ogun, its people lived simple lives—farming, storytelling, dancing around moonlit fires. But that night, the moon refused to shine. And the Beasts returned.
A scream cut through the silence.
Then another.
By the time the elders gathered to ring the sacred bell of warning, the attackers were already among them.
They did not walk.
They glided—half-shadow, half-flesh—fangs gleaming and eyes glowing red.
A child tried to run. He was caught mid-sprint and pulled into the dark. Blood splattered across the yam fields.
The Beasts had come for the flame.
---
The Hall of Ash – Midnight
John awoke with a jolt. His brand burned—hot, urgent, alive.
He stumbled from his mat, gripping his shoulder. The pain was like fire under his skin. His heart thudded violently. Something was wrong.
Amina burst into the chamber seconds later, fully dressed in her hunter’s armor, her eyes hard.
“They’re attacking Oko.”
John froze. “Oko? But that’s—”
“Unprotected. Too far from any watchpost. A peaceful village.”
He didn’t need to hear more. The images in his dreams were real. Blood. Fire. Shadows.
The Eldest stood in the war hall, surrounded by the Baloguns. The flames in the torches swirled violently, reacting to their unease.
“The Beasts are no longer waiting in silence,” the Eldest growled. “They move to crush the flame before it fully awakens. They know of John. They know his bloodline.”
Okoye the Flame-Spitter hissed, “We must strike now or there’ll be nothing left to protect.”
The Eldest turned to John. “You will lead the charge.”
John’s heart dropped. “Me?”
“You are the Sixteenth Flame. The enemy is coming for you. It is time they see you can burn back.”
---
The Journey to Oko – One Hour Later
Riding atop the great black stallions of the Order, the Baloguns moved like a storm. Their armor gleamed under the moonlight, etched with symbols from the ancient kingdoms—Benin, Oyo, Nri. Their weapons shimmered with consecrated fire, passed down from generations of warriors.
John rode beside Amina, sweat glistening on his forehead. The weight of his staff strapped to his back felt heavier tonight.
“Are you afraid?” she asked.
He nodded, not bothering to hide it. “Terrified.”
“Good,” she said. “Only fools don’t fear war.”
A war horn echoed in the distance.
They had arrived.
---
Oko Village – Battleground
The smell hit them first—burnt flesh and fresh blood.
The village was ablaze. Huts reduced to ash. Goats lay torn in pieces. Blood smeared across stone walls. And in the center of it all, the Beasts.
Dozens of them. Some crawling on all fours, others standing upright, their faces twisted in mockery of man. The villagers who had not been slaughtered were corralled like cattle, trembling in terror.
At the edge of the ruined shrine stood a figure unlike the rest.
Taller. Darker. Cloaked in crimson. Its eyes burned with something ancient—an intelligence.
“That’s not just any Beast,” Amina whispered. “That’s an Ebon Priest.”
John swallowed. “What’s that?”
“Worse than a lord. They don’t just kill. They corrupt. He’s here for you.”
As if sensing them, the Ebon Priest turned its gaze toward the Baloguns.
“BALOGUN!” it roared, its voice shaking the earth. “SEND THE FLAME!”
The Eldest stepped forward. “NOW!”
The Order charged.
With a deafening war cry, the Baloguns leapt into battle. Fire erupted from their weapons—flaming swords, glowing spears, staffs that hummed with deadly energy.
John charged behind Amina. The first Beast lunged at him. He ducked, spun, and struck with his staff. The flames curled around its body, searing its shadowy flesh. The creature wailed as it fell into dust.
Another came—then two more.
John danced between them, staff glowing brighter with each swing. Amina fought beside him, slicing through Beasts like a whirlwind. Blood—black and foul—splashed across her armor.
But the Ebon Priest stood untouched, watching. Smiling.
Suddenly, it raised its hand.
A shockwave blasted from its palm, sending five Baloguns flying. A hunter screamed as his body slammed into a burning hut.
The Eldest moved in, but the Ebon Priest was fast—too fast. Its claws lashed out, tearing through fire shields like paper.
John watched, breathless. “He’s going to kill them all…”
“No, he’s going to kill you,” Amina growled. “Stay focused.”
John turned—and saw three Beasts closing in on a group of trapped villagers.
Without thinking, he sprinted toward them.
“JOHN, WAIT!”
He leapt, thrusting his staff into the ground. A pulse of blue fire burst outward, engulfing the Beasts in a ring of flames. The villagers screamed, then realized they were unharmed. The Beasts were the only ones burning.
John spun and faced another attacker, channeling the fire through his palms now. His eyes glowed faintly.
Something inside him was waking up.
---
The Duel – John vs. the Ebon Priest
The Ebon Priest finally stepped forward, voice like cracked stone. “You are not ready.”
John stood his ground. “Then I’ll die trying.”
The creature roared, charging with impossible speed. John raised his staff—too slow.
Claws slashed across his chest, tearing his armor.
He screamed, stumbled back, coughed blood.
“JOHN!” Amina shouted, fighting her way toward him.
The Ebon Priest raised its claw to finish the job.
But John’s eyes snapped open—glowing white-hot.
The staff lit up.
He rolled aside, planted the staff, and shouted a word he didn’t know—ancient, powerful.
“IGBONA-AIYE!!”
The ground split.
Blue fire erupted in a wide arc, blasting the Ebon Priest backward. The creature howled, its cloak turning to ash.
John stood, shoulders trembling, blood dripping—but his flame still burned.
The other Baloguns regrouped, pushing back the rest of the Beasts.
One by one, the enemy fell. Some fled into the forest, howling in rage and pain.
The Ebon Priest snarled, its voice laced with venom. “This is not the end, Flameborn. The Ebon King rises. And when he comes... not even the sun will save you.”
With that, it dissolved into smoke—vanished.
---
Aftermath – Dawn over Oko
The fires were out. Survivors wept as they buried their dead. The Order stood in silence.
John sat alone under a tree, bloodied and bruised, staring at his hands.
Amina approached, dropping beside him.
“You did it.”
“I nearly died.”
“But you didn’t.”
John looked up. “What was that power? That word I said?”
Amina looked grim. “A fire incantation. One only your father ever mastered.”
John’s eyes widened. “Then he really was—?”
“One of the greatest Baloguns we ever knew. And the Beasts feared him. They’ll fear you too. One day.”
He looked out toward the smoking village. “Not today.”
“No,” she said. “But they’ll come again. And next time… it might not be a village. It might be Lagos. Or Abuja. Or the Order itself.”
John stood. “Then we prepare.”
---
Far Away – The Beast Realm
In a throne room carved from obsidian, the Ebon Priest knelt before a larger figure—seated, armored in bones and gold, his eyes twin orbs of burning darkness.
“The Sixteenth Flame lives,” the priest rasped.
The Ebon King leaned forward. “Then the prophecy is true.”
He rose to his full terrifying height.
“Awaken the Eldritch Ones. Prepare the Shadow Gates. If the flame wishes to burn… we will drown it in darkness.”
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To be continued in Chapter Four: The Fallen Flame
- Writer
