Uriah's Heap.
Uriah's Heap is an old antique shop located in Jericho, small and crammed with different objects such as second-hand cameras, old wooden furniture, antique lamps and, of course, its unforgettable stuffed animals: squirrels in strange poses, mice, rabbits, raccoons turned into tables, among many other things that would make William wrinkle his nose in disgust.
"Mum, I want that teddy bear!"
"No, darling, it's a bit expensive, and it looks a bit strange."
"Oh, it is strange, a handmade item made from animal skin, I suspect bear."
A woman's voice startled the mother and child as they looked curiously at the items in the shop. Connie Jogersen, owner and manager of Uriah's Heap, came in from the back door behind the counter.
An elderly woman with grey hair, somewhat overweight and wearing long beaded necklaces around her neck, held a steaming cup of what looked like tea in her hand and gave off the vibe of being a strange person.
"Good morning, excuse my words, I didn't mean to say that your shop was strange."
"It doesn't matter, in fact it is, all kinds of items end up here, the item that interests the child I can say is special."
Connie took the toy bear in her hands, showing how soft the leather was.
"Mum, ask her for a discount!"
The boy got excited by Connie's words and began to beg his mother vehemently.
"I can give you a discount if you buy two items."
"Perfect, I'm interested in that squirrel dancing ballet."
"That squirrel is kind of scary."
"Be quiet, Caleb, you'll get your bear, so be quiet."
"I'll pack it up for you right away. Are you visiting Jericho?"
"We came because my husband wanted to teach my son how to shoot. It's a shame the forest is closed because of the bear."
(This piece will go wonderfully with my collection.) - Mum -
Lake of the Fireflies.
"A car is coming this way. Did you tell anyone?" - William -
"No bloody idea who it could be." - Noah -
William retracted his spear back to the size of a dagger, while Liu Feng stood up, dust and leaves staining his traditional Chinese suit, the majestic golden dragon embroidered on his suit stained with mud.
"So this is where you were, Noah. The boss asked us to bring you back."
"Who would have thought a teenager would be beating you up?"
"He's stronger than he looks." - Noah -
"Don't be a bloody wimp, I'll take care of him."
Three people got out of the luxury car, two men and a woman. One of the men, the most muscular of the trio, walked with firm, confident steps until he was in front of William. At 1.90 metres (6.25 feet) tall, he was a head taller than William, and with his abnormally large muscles, he was easily twice as wide.
"Now, pretty boy, give me your best shot!" - Cayous -
"Hey, Cayous, stop, the young man is strong." - Noah -
Noah tried to stop Cayous, but his back still hurt, and William wasn't going to miss such a good opportunity. He took a stance, stepped back with his left foot, and his silver armour covered his right hands, the momentum of all his muscles focused on a single point.
*Boom!!!*
(Damn, maybe I shouldn't have done that!!!)
Cayous doubled over like a shrimp and spat blood right in front of William. Cayous' blood stained his white shirt before forming small spheres of blood and dripping through his clothes onto the floor.
William always wore his bear-shaped brooch to hold his tie in place, and even after blood was spat on his clothes, it just slid off the fabric.
"I don't know if you're an idiot or just overconfident." - William -
"That was dirty!!!" - Cayous -
"What is this, a sports competition? There are no rules here." - William -
Just as William's fist, covered in silver armour, struck Cayous' ribs, he gritted his teeth in pain after receiving the blow at close range and could feel his ribs crack.
That wasn't the main problem. Cayous was a martial artist and physically very resilient; his skin was even capable of reflecting a rifle bullet.
The real problem was when Titan drove itself between his fifth and sixth ribs, the section of human bones called true ribs. Titan was only a couple of inches away from slicing through Cayous' lungs.
Both attacks were simultaneous, and Cayous' reaction speed was just enough to tighten the muscles on his left side, successfully stopping Titan's dagger-shaped blade.
"Now it's my turn, try to resist this!!!" - Cayous -
(Tsk, just a few more inches) - William -
Cayous didn't stand still, his enormous fist, the size of a baby's head, shot straight at William's chest, who had no choice but to let go of Titan's hilt and cover his chest with both arms.
"Crackkkk!!!!"
The huge tree William crashed into split in half. His shiny silver scale armour covered his chest, preventing any damage to his vital organs, but his left arm, unprotected by armour, was broken in two.
"Who's the boy?"
"William Stone." - Noah -
"You really messed with a Stone."
"He killed Ashley, Mr Bell and his entire squad." - Noah -
"If he really did that, we all have to work together. Ashley was perfect as support and Mr Bell had the firepower."
The last man in the trio ignored Noah and the girl. Just moments ago, he had seen a dagger pierce his best friend's chest, inches from his heart. This was the man who could break a sword with his teeth, which meant danger for him and his life.
He drew his sword, a long, thin, one-handed sword, an ancient Spanish sabre. Elliott Dish, an expert swordsman, had a short temper.
Elliott disappeared from his position, leaving a residual image that vanished seconds later. He was as fast as the Imp King.
"Where the hell did he go?" - Elliott -
Elliott searched everywhere, but the place where William had fallen was empty. All that remained was a pool of blood and broken glass, and the air was filled with a faint smell of iron.
Road near Firefly Lake.
"I don't know why you had to buy that strange bear."
"It's just a passing whim. He'll forget about it and we can throw it away."
Daisy did her best to reassure her husband. The Benet family was driving to New York, ending their sad holiday in her husband's hometown.
Little Caleb slept peacefully, hugging his new teddy bear, a strange teddy bear made of leather and woven with black thread.
The headlights of the family van barely illuminated the dark road, and the thick fog rolling down from the mountains made the journey home even more dangerous.
"What's that?"
Daisy squinted her eyes in the direction of the fog.
"What is it?"
Her husband adjusted his glasses and looked in the direction Daisy was pointing. He could barely make out a dark shadow in the fog.
"That looks like another car?" (Daisy)
"It's moving strangely for a car." (Husband)
"Could it be a wild animal? HEY BEN, BE CAREFUL!!!!" (Daisy)
Daisy's warning wasn't quick enough. The enormous animal, running easily at the speed of their car, collided directly with them. At that speed, its 3,300 pounds threw the small car around like a toy car. It rolled several times amid fire and sparks until it came to a stop when it collided with a huge pine tree and veered off the road.
Lake of the Fireflies.
"Did it escape?"
Cayous slowly approached Elliott. After pulling Titan from between his ribs, the Mithril spear returned to its normal size. Cayous would have taken it as his own if it weren't for the sudden increase in weight. He felt as if it would rip his fingers off as soon as he tried to hold it.
"Mithril is still as fearsome as I remembered. It cut through my skin like butter."
Cayous slid his fingers over the wound on his left side. His favourite plaid shirt was now a bloody mess.
"Are you sure you managed to hit him, Cayous?"
The only girl in the group approached Elliott and Cayous, accompanied by Noah. She was thin and small, her tight jeans and black boots contrasting with her small size, not to mention the Barrett M95 sniper rifle with expanding bullets she carried on her shoulder as if it weighed nothing.
"He definitely connected with the blow, but he was hard and rigid, so he probably had some kind of armour." - Cayous -
"Great, now apart from worrying about his weapons, we also have to worry about armour." - Noah -
"How do you know he has other weapons?" - Cayous -
"Of course he does. According to Noah, it was a trap, but he still brought his spear. You know how thorough Noah is when spying on someone."
"What was it this time, Noah?" - Elliott -
"My perfume. The target was a 15-year-old boy. It was easy for me to keep using the same one when I was my avatar for this occasion, 'Valerie'." - Noah -
"What kind of Outcast is he?"
"Unknown. I asked around among the students at his academy, but no one knew anything except that he can shapeshift into a bird and a wolf." - Noah -
"The academy records didn't have that information either." - Noah -
"A wolf and a bird is no big deal." - Cayous -
"I saw it when it changed form, that's definitely not an ordinary wolf, its jaws were capable of shaking the Light of the Fallen." - Noah -
"Jesus Christ, what have you gotten yourself into?" - Elliott -
Elliott waved his sabre irritably and adjusted the tie on his tight-fitting black suit. This wasn't a paid job, added to the fact that they didn't have much information about the target.
"Guys, we have company. Something is coming. It's big and fast. Run with the wind."
Soon, the rest could hear the trees creaking as they were split in half and feel the ground shake under the weight of the great beast that was rushing towards them.
"Just what we needed." - Elliott -