Tristanism
07-11-2003, 01:03 PM
Part 1
A terrible chill fell upon the young man as he threw his foot forward, just barely landing it against the edge of the half-broken tree branch. The spray of rainwater hit his face, accompanied by the monstrous growl of thunder as he returned to normal human speed, peering through the leaves that flowed through the wind with a heavy breath.
Did they see him? Did he get away?
Snap! Before Kyle even realized what was happening, the branch of the tree had been broken away by a streak of darts, sending him rushing down with the rain into the ground, breaking his fall with his back.
But Kyle had no time to worry as he quickly rolled back to his feet just in time to catch the dart that was flying right at him. The slippery grip of his fingers stopped the dart an instant before it could pierce his eye, and he threw it away only to hear that more of them were coming, shrieking out of the darkness from unseen foes. Kyle somersaulted out of the way, easily dodging the flying objects, but was not prepared for the explosions that suddenly burst up from the ground. The darts were filled with explosive powder!
Kyle knew he was in danger, but what could he do against a troop of Shadow Ninjas with the ability to move through the darkness with such grace that they are nearly invincible under the veil of night? He was only a simple Wind Air Ninja, whose powers were useless against such foes.
Kyle held his breath as he shot up into the sky, barely dodging the incredible plume of fire that shot up just behind him. But the explosion was so powerful, it launched him even faster into the air, sending him fly so quickly that he did not know where he would end up until…
Crash! Kyle cried out as he felt one of his ribs crack when hit body smashed through the slab of stone. Kyle gripped his chest in pain, but that was not important now. It was a gravestone he had just crashed into. Was he here? Had he finally reached the legendary forest near the Mountain of Lost Ninjas?
Kyle crouched up on one knee, looking up through the trees to see the mountain, a beautiful pool of moonlight cast onto it’s snowy peak, under the whirlwind of rain. But to get there, Kyle would first need to get past the five Shadow Ninjas, now emerging from the darkness like beings of pure shadow and darkness.
The young Wind Ninja knew he could not survive a battle with five of these creatures facing him all at once. The Shadow Ninjas were once his comrades, his brothers, but like nearly everyone in the world, they were transformed under the power of the first Shadow Ninja, and roam the Earth only to create more followers. Kyle was either next on their list, or just plain unlucky. Either way, unless he could somehow outrun them, the furious beating of his heart would not give him the strength to win this fight.
Kyle stood there, the rain falling down around him, unable to decide. But, in the blink of an eye, his enemies seemed to decide for him- rushing at him with deafening, animalistic shrieks. Like black capes, they flowed across the battlefield with immeasurable speed, kicking up puddles of murky water as their blurred feet pounded against the earth, heading toward the frightened Wind Ninja. Kyle threw up his trembling hands in defense as the first of them approached…
The young man was startled. He could see the pupilless whites of the Shadow Ninja’s eyes an instant before it raises a black fist to strike him. But somehow, the fist did not touch him. Kyle felt an overwhelming gust of wind as a blurred image shot in front of him and a hand seemed to catch the Shadow’s fist.
Flashes of green and black were all Kyle could see as he watched in astonishment as a furious blur of hands shot across the Shadow’s face over and over again, until at last it simply collapsed onto the ground, it’s mask ripped away, face skarred. A great darkness seemed to be lifted from the defeated Shadow Ninja’s body, creeping away back into the shadows- as though the evil itself was retreating from sight.
Kyle looked up to the man that had just saved him, but was only able to glimpse his face before the man flew off to face the other four enemies. Kyle gasped. He had seen that face before. But how could that be? That warrior, the child of a ninja and a samurai, was long dead. Sensei Cameron was gone!
Kyle was unable to follow the movements of the ninjas, who shot up into the trees, shooting through the wind and rain with furious speed as they collided with each other again and again. Kyle felt a swift burst of air fly forward from behind him, only to turn and see a Shadow Ninja go slamming through the trunk of a tree with such force that a large shard of wood was driven through his back before he hit the floor. Cam’s battlecries echoed in the wind as Kyle could hear a devastating fist connecting with flesh and bone, knocking another Shadow Ninja out of the sky. Kyle jumped onto a current of air just in time to dodge the next body that flew his way. And, by the time he landed, the warrior in green garb was already there waiting for him, arms crossed, a smile across his face.
Kyle’s feet hit the forest floor, and he quickly took a step back. The man’s face was haunting. He had never seen him in person before, but knew his face almost as well as his own reflection. Everything about this man there was to know, Kyle knew it. He had studied about him, even when his Sensei did not instruct him to, learning of the time when the Earth was covered in warm, embracing light, and evil was vanquished with a swift hand. He didn’t just know who he was. He ate, slept, and breathed him.
“It’s dangerous to walk around these parts at night alone,” the man said. “C’mon, I’ll take you back to the school.”
“School?” Kyle asked. Didn’t he even know what had happened? There was no Wind Ninja Academy anymore. There were no Ninja Academies anywhere. No academies of ANY kind.
“You are who I think you are, right?” Kyle asked.
The man gave him a quizzical look. “Are you one’a the new kids or something? Don’t tell me Dustin got to you too- I keep telling him, stay away from the new kids, you’ll scare them away, but does he listen?…. I’m Cam.”
“C-Cam? As in Cameron?”
“Nobody calls me that buy my father.”
Kyle looked as though he was about to faint. An incredible high washed over him- one so powerful that it nearly brought him to tears, though the rain drowned it out.
“What is it?” Cam asked.
“You’re... You’re my grandfather....”
A terrible chill fell upon the young man as he threw his foot forward, just barely landing it against the edge of the half-broken tree branch. The spray of rainwater hit his face, accompanied by the monstrous growl of thunder as he returned to normal human speed, peering through the leaves that flowed through the wind with a heavy breath.
Did they see him? Did he get away?
Snap! Before Kyle even realized what was happening, the branch of the tree had been broken away by a streak of darts, sending him rushing down with the rain into the ground, breaking his fall with his back.
But Kyle had no time to worry as he quickly rolled back to his feet just in time to catch the dart that was flying right at him. The slippery grip of his fingers stopped the dart an instant before it could pierce his eye, and he threw it away only to hear that more of them were coming, shrieking out of the darkness from unseen foes. Kyle somersaulted out of the way, easily dodging the flying objects, but was not prepared for the explosions that suddenly burst up from the ground. The darts were filled with explosive powder!
Kyle knew he was in danger, but what could he do against a troop of Shadow Ninjas with the ability to move through the darkness with such grace that they are nearly invincible under the veil of night? He was only a simple Wind Air Ninja, whose powers were useless against such foes.
Kyle held his breath as he shot up into the sky, barely dodging the incredible plume of fire that shot up just behind him. But the explosion was so powerful, it launched him even faster into the air, sending him fly so quickly that he did not know where he would end up until…
Crash! Kyle cried out as he felt one of his ribs crack when hit body smashed through the slab of stone. Kyle gripped his chest in pain, but that was not important now. It was a gravestone he had just crashed into. Was he here? Had he finally reached the legendary forest near the Mountain of Lost Ninjas?
Kyle crouched up on one knee, looking up through the trees to see the mountain, a beautiful pool of moonlight cast onto it’s snowy peak, under the whirlwind of rain. But to get there, Kyle would first need to get past the five Shadow Ninjas, now emerging from the darkness like beings of pure shadow and darkness.
The young Wind Ninja knew he could not survive a battle with five of these creatures facing him all at once. The Shadow Ninjas were once his comrades, his brothers, but like nearly everyone in the world, they were transformed under the power of the first Shadow Ninja, and roam the Earth only to create more followers. Kyle was either next on their list, or just plain unlucky. Either way, unless he could somehow outrun them, the furious beating of his heart would not give him the strength to win this fight.
Kyle stood there, the rain falling down around him, unable to decide. But, in the blink of an eye, his enemies seemed to decide for him- rushing at him with deafening, animalistic shrieks. Like black capes, they flowed across the battlefield with immeasurable speed, kicking up puddles of murky water as their blurred feet pounded against the earth, heading toward the frightened Wind Ninja. Kyle threw up his trembling hands in defense as the first of them approached…
The young man was startled. He could see the pupilless whites of the Shadow Ninja’s eyes an instant before it raises a black fist to strike him. But somehow, the fist did not touch him. Kyle felt an overwhelming gust of wind as a blurred image shot in front of him and a hand seemed to catch the Shadow’s fist.
Flashes of green and black were all Kyle could see as he watched in astonishment as a furious blur of hands shot across the Shadow’s face over and over again, until at last it simply collapsed onto the ground, it’s mask ripped away, face skarred. A great darkness seemed to be lifted from the defeated Shadow Ninja’s body, creeping away back into the shadows- as though the evil itself was retreating from sight.
Kyle looked up to the man that had just saved him, but was only able to glimpse his face before the man flew off to face the other four enemies. Kyle gasped. He had seen that face before. But how could that be? That warrior, the child of a ninja and a samurai, was long dead. Sensei Cameron was gone!
Kyle was unable to follow the movements of the ninjas, who shot up into the trees, shooting through the wind and rain with furious speed as they collided with each other again and again. Kyle felt a swift burst of air fly forward from behind him, only to turn and see a Shadow Ninja go slamming through the trunk of a tree with such force that a large shard of wood was driven through his back before he hit the floor. Cam’s battlecries echoed in the wind as Kyle could hear a devastating fist connecting with flesh and bone, knocking another Shadow Ninja out of the sky. Kyle jumped onto a current of air just in time to dodge the next body that flew his way. And, by the time he landed, the warrior in green garb was already there waiting for him, arms crossed, a smile across his face.
Kyle’s feet hit the forest floor, and he quickly took a step back. The man’s face was haunting. He had never seen him in person before, but knew his face almost as well as his own reflection. Everything about this man there was to know, Kyle knew it. He had studied about him, even when his Sensei did not instruct him to, learning of the time when the Earth was covered in warm, embracing light, and evil was vanquished with a swift hand. He didn’t just know who he was. He ate, slept, and breathed him.
“It’s dangerous to walk around these parts at night alone,” the man said. “C’mon, I’ll take you back to the school.”
“School?” Kyle asked. Didn’t he even know what had happened? There was no Wind Ninja Academy anymore. There were no Ninja Academies anywhere. No academies of ANY kind.
“You are who I think you are, right?” Kyle asked.
The man gave him a quizzical look. “Are you one’a the new kids or something? Don’t tell me Dustin got to you too- I keep telling him, stay away from the new kids, you’ll scare them away, but does he listen?…. I’m Cam.”
“C-Cam? As in Cameron?”
“Nobody calls me that buy my father.”
Kyle looked as though he was about to faint. An incredible high washed over him- one so powerful that it nearly brought him to tears, though the rain drowned it out.
“What is it?” Cam asked.
“You’re... You’re my grandfather....”