12 TENSION in the JUNGLE (2/2)

”No young masters,” whispered Kudos as they saw him having his arms buried on the ground like Narra did earlier on. A black metal hand immediately appeared on the ground grabbing their foot to a still.

”Stop it Kudos!” shouted Karus unsheathing his sword. ”If you don't remove your hands, I will cut them in half!”

”I'm sorry young masters! 'Dis is out of 'yer league. If you interfere 'den I can no longer protect you from S'ihiku. If you do 'dis 'den you will peris' and I can't let 'dat happen!”

The two can only just watch as the angry snarling Shihiku regained his consciousness to stand up and shout in fury!

”PATHETIC MORTAL! I WILL ASSURE YOU THAT YOU WILL NEVER EXPERIENCE A QUICK AND PAINLESS DEATH!”

”You cannot kill me. Not now, not ever,” replied Narra with a bit of smile as if his dire situation isn't troubling at all.

”Hah! You have the guts to say what's inexorable!!!”

”You can TRY,” he shouted with mockery as he limply stood up summoning all strength Bathala can give him as he bled all over, ”But I assure you, my time has not yet passed!”

The insulted Shihiku angrily smiled as he dashed in fury!

”DIE YOU CRETINOUS FOOL!”

He jumped dashing to Narra with his dark long claws to a kill.

Karus, seeing this, just closed his teary eyes. He knows the inevitable fate of his grandfather. Being a sword master, he knows that he cannot expect to defend himself from his vengeful claws. With all hope lost he just whispered to pray.

”Bathala, please, please save gramps!”

-------ooO0Ooo-------

A blinding light appeared out of nowhere that threw Shihiku far far away from Narra. A miracle has sprung out in the open and that lightened the twin's faces with their teary eyes almost instantaneously disappearing.

They saw a man standing in front of Narra. A man with his short clean-cut hair swaying at the evening breeze and a calm smile that gives Narra his guarantee. He's wearing an expensive silk garment with a royal crest embroidered at the back while an intensifying white light glowing on his forehead lighted the dark gloomy clearing as bright as day. He looked at the twins smiling as if glad to see them alright and then turned his attention to the now confused panther with much cautiousness.

”Artemus? How -!?” mumbled Shihiku.

”Glad I made it in time, father,” he whispered to Narra again with his usual silent, calm but cheerful face still looking at the immortal panther.

Narra just gave a silent nodding coupled by a very weak smile trying to imply that nothing's too serious in his situation - which he's totally lying about considering the continuous gush of blood that's been accumulating on the ground. Narra continued by putting his clenched fists at his chest and nodded his head - a customary way for giving thanks to a respected individual.

”Just sit back. I'll deal with this,” Artemus continued having much concerned eyes after glancing over his bleeding father-in-law.

”So, you've finally decided to end youre miserable life, Artemus, Son of Light? For disrespecting me and my kill, I'm going to include you too in my list tonight!”

With this he ran towards the two with claws wide open! Sadly, for his part, he got thrown away again by a bright ball of expanding light like a huge bubble bursting before even reaching five feet close to them. And every time he tries again and again, the same happens and this somewhat mocked and hurt his pride as a powerful immortal.

”I am truly sorry Shihiku, but the basis of your vengeance is found without substance. Narra, I believe, is the most religious, respectful and rule-abiding man alive. So, whatever it is that he did, he did it out of necessity not out of malice against you or any other holy being alive in this jungle.”

”Stand aside or I will annihilate you together with him!”

”No disrespect but you of all people should know that no one alive can ever hope to destroy my ultimate defense,” he looked at his left eye almost giving him a hint which annoyed Shihiku even more. ”I'm not here to fight you again, I'm here to settle your misunderstanding.”

”Hah!” shouted Shihiku while heaving heavily as if feeling stressed looking as though fear has eaten his majestic and intimidating presence. ”You're no mediator! All mortals are two-faced backstabbing creatures that continuously defile the lands of Bathala! You all deserve to be punished and I will exact that justice with the claws that Bathala gave me!”

”Stop this, Shihiku!” shouted Artemus with much respect in his tone. ”I will forgive your acts if you forfeit this absurd rampage of yours!”

”Wha-? You! YOU'LL forgive ME???!!!”

”Let's call this to a truce and then discuss it when all of our heads cool down.”

Shihiku, insulted by Artemus's remarks, stood tall and just smiled while again slowly turned into his gaseous state but now appearing into a reddish-black cloud. The twins saw him now moving away from Artemus and Narra. This created a weird excitement and fear for the two. They have read that Shihiku's Lightning Blood Lust Skill turns him into a reddish-black cloud that shreds anyone he comes in contact with, with much precision and speed, leaving anything standing his way to turn all chopped-up gooey and liquefied. They're confident in their Father's powers so the thought of danger escaped them and was replaced by a weird sensation of excitement upon seeing the activation of the skill. That made their eyes sparkle with awe, revealing a weak smile as a result.

”Even in your lightning blood lust form, you will not be able to break through my Impenetrable Shroud! I implore you to listen!”

”Oh no, Artemus,” smiled Shihiku devilishly, ”I know how your skill works. You needed to stand still near the area that you want to protect so I need you to choose...”

Artemus just smiled with confident eyes gazing directly to Shihiku, assured that he will not succeed but this frightened Narra with his eyes wide open looking directly at the twins and was perturbed at the reaction of their father.

”The Old Mortal or your PATHETIC OFFSPRINGS!!! LET'S SEE IF YOUR PRECIOUS PROPHECY PREDICTED YOUR DECISION!!”

”SHIHIKU!!! YOU TREACHEROUS COWARD!!!” shouted Narra crawling on the ground.

Artemus just snickered as if amused feeling indifferent.

The two princes now feel the loud thumping beat of their hearts racing in both fear and anxiety. They are unsure as to why their attention is directed to them and they immediately noticed that they were the new targets with the crosshairs etched on their foreheads.

The hands that bind the twins now disappeared as Kudos grabbed his sword to a ready.

”Run now 'yer highness. I will not risk 'yer lives in 'dis affair even 'dow he's 'da master of my master. I will try to delay him if I can!”

The two was surprised with Kudos's revelation but they found that it isn't the time to reply and discuss the matter. They know Shihiku's powers from the stories that are rumored all around Nagozul and they know that they cannot hope to just run away in his territory blinded by fear. They know that he'll eventually catch up to them no matter how fast their dashes are, so the chivalrous side of them sprung out. They decided that it's best to be there fighting for their lives instead of cowardly running to save their skins. They just grasped their weapons and concentrated their energies in their Amplifyers to be ready to summon every great elemental technique that they know; hoping to counter what is inevitable.

”Bathala has already predicted your fate Shihiku,” said Artemus doing nothing, still standing in his place, ”and I promise you, you will fail.”

”Putting your offspring in this kind of risk for your theoretical predictions is not very fatherly, Artemus. But I assure you, Bathala has got nothing to do with you or your decision and in the end, you will regret them.” And with this he smiled then completely turned into his gaseous dark-red cloud state and zoomed to where the twins are!

A massive explosion wrecked the whole area at the edge of the clearing. A thick cloud of dirt was dispersed making the whole of the clearing a little bit foggy. Narra were puzzled as to why it is so. Clearly Shihiku's skills are precise so the extent of the damage that they saw was way beyond him.

They immediately saw Shihiku being thrown out of the thick cloud of dirt, and apparently injured. He smashed on the ground scraping the earth to land right next to Artemus, near the center then they all heard an angry roaring bellow of a wolf.

”The prophesized ones will not be harmed! We all agreed to that, Shihiku!”

The thick dirt cloud began to turn into a mist and then they all saw a figure of the great wolf beast. A black wolf standing at least a foot shorter than Shihiku but is as majestic as he is. His muscular build gave him a terrifying and aggressive posture. He has the same scary quality as Shihiku's but with less smugness. He has a thick shiny fur that is rumored to withstand any weapon or explosion of any kind which was proven at that exact moment to be true.

Artemus bowed as he put his clenched fists to his chest giving his thanks and respect to the majestic immortal Wolf, the said appointed ruler and commander of all the Mythical Beasts of the Lands of Bathala.

Shihiku stood up limply, growling angrily at the sight of him meddling. Heaving more heavily, infuriated by the humiliation that he suffered in front of them.

The twins can't believe the luck they just had. They are very glad to have survived their inescapable deaths and are thankful to Bathala for his quick save. They are also very excited that they are behind the most powerful beast in all of the Holy Lands. They wanted to disprove the rumors about Grog's hair being thin metal sheets that can cut anyone it grazes on, but they always fail and were literally shut down by anyone because their basis were just mere theoretical assumptions and conjectures. Now, while he was behind them in this very rare opportunity, they decided to look into each other's eyes and created an understanding of touching it to rid of those myths once and for all - Of course, for the benefit of all Nagozulian scholars. Karus won in their split-second argument, so he grabbed a group of fur in Grog's hind legs which then Grog noticed.

”Pull my fur one more time and you'll regret it, mortal child” whispered Grog with his vibrating growl that is disturbingly frightening. Karus jumped in fright but was very satisfied with his acts as he ran towards Kayzar.

”So? How'd it go?”

”Yep. Soft as a dog's hair,” and they both smiled nodding their head cheerfully.

”STAND ASIDE GROG!” shouted the malevolent Shihiku.

”OR WHAT?!” replied Grog with his serious eyes, now standing confident on his ground stomping to make his point.

”YOU DARE TO CHOOSE THEIR SIDE TO OURS!?”

”I do not choose any side! I choose the side on what's right! DIRECTLY OPPOSITE TO YOUR SIDE!”

”You really believe the predictions of their KING?” shouted Shihiku as he snickered smiling as If mocking his beliefs, ”Is this what's it's all about?”

Grog stomped once more and growled loudly to Shihiku. ”Watch your words carefully Shihiku! Do not forget your Blood Oath! I can let you pass for mocking my authority but if you try pushing me to the edge, I will promise you that you will regret it!”

”Oh! If Cal'Bao was here...”

Grog roared as he vanished immediately teleporting to Shihiku's giving him a clean jab with his paws. Shihiku was thrown to almost forty feet away.

”DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO INVOKE HIS HOLY NAME WITH YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!!!”

The ground started to shake as a strong rattle gave the whole grounds a sharp quivering noise. The two immortals are seen as if glad and their faces immediately changed to a calm and neutral one.

”Brotherssssss...” whispered a thing from underneath the earth. All of them were shocked and surprised to hear the flowing echoing voice of Ulrihis the Poisonous Serpentine. He is said to live in solitude underground for a thousand years after the Great Elven Rebellion and is never seen or heard from ever since, but this new development caught everyone's attention, especially the immortals'. ”I have long wept for the injusticcce of the mortalsss and for our diminissshing exxxissstenccce. If we try to dessstroy eaccch other, our sssurvival will sssurely fall to the everlasssting abyssss of darknessss...”

”Ulrihis, you have awoken?!” roared Grog as if smiling with a hint of gladness in his voice.

”Yesss... I have newsss coming from our immortal brother Bakunawa... I need you to call our remaining brothersss for I have to reveal the mossst terrifying revelation that he gave me...”

”Shihiku! Collect our brothers to the north, immediately.”

Shihiku bowed as if their little misunderstanding never happened and immediately vanished in the air turning again into a river of dark smoke disappearing into the dark woods.

Grog's serious eyes turned to Artemus's looking as though he was saying his goodbyes. Artemus, again, gave his gesture of thanks and respect.

”Your debt is finally extinguished my great friend,” Artemus smiled.

”No,” Grog said shaking his head, ”What you did can never be repaid.”

He howled and turned into a white beaming figure that fade away like a star blinking in the skies. The twins, upon seeing this feat were shocked. It roughly looked like Reus's technique and that gave them a slight smile on their faces.

Artemus knelt down and picked a small medical kit hiding behind his red silk robe and started treating Narra's wounds with the White Angel.

”Dad!” shouted Karus and Kayzar as they finally caught up with them at the center of the grounds. Artemus, seeing them there, hugged them both tightly with the love of a true father yearning to be with his sons.

”We really miss you father!” shouted Kayzar with teary eyes.

”Yes, please don't send us back there!” added Karus who squeezed him tightly.

”Yes, yes. I won't,” he pushed them out gently and smiled. ”When we arrive at the North, we'll be discussing this further. Right now, it's important that we sustain the damage on your Gramp's injuries.

Luna, who's now back in shape, went to Artemus's side and purred tapping her little paws to get Artemus's attention too.

”Wow Luna,” acknowledged Artemus as he pets her head gently, ”Look how you've grown!”

Luna gave a glad meow and Artemus laughed as he was surprised how cute she was being so smart. ”Well, I miss you too.”

They all smiled as they put away their teary eyes and helped Kudos, who's now finished cleansing Narra's wounds, to seal the lacerations with their White Angel Solution.

Artemus stood up with his eyes squinting looking afar while developing a great smile on his face.

”Oh look! They finally arrived!

Ten men gathered in front of them kneeling before Artemus. They were wearing their Nagozulian Gold Battle gear giving the impression that they are Earth Molders. They were all wearing wide-brimmed bronze conical metal hats, which is so low its shading their eyes. These are called Salakot which they thought to have been widely discontinued hundreds of years ago and this surprised them. Their father Artemus not only made changes in the Nagozulian Army's discipline, he made them wear their traditional battle-gear that can be traced back to the Great Nagozul's grandfather. They synchronically gave their salute as a sign of respect to their Grand General by pulling their right arms before them leveling it to their eyes in a curl and bowing. Artemus pulled his palms towards them and he spoke giving them orders.

”Claim and secure target, turn him to the casters and report to me immediately.”

”Understood, Grand Commander!” they all replied then scattering around to prepare Narra like buzzing bees snappily securing him and immediately running away again to the deep jungle.

”Wow! Great soldiers Dad,” applauded Karus impressed at their speed, reaction time, and coordination.

”Well, a lot has changed since I became the Grand General.”

”And the Salakot?” Kayzar smiled. ”When did that happen?”

”Full metal helms are not of Nagozul, they are foreign. Our ancestors have been going out of the Holy Lands in our Rites of Passage incorporating our culture with the foreigners when they should have been only observing the foreign land's condition and gain an understanding of their current state of humanity. I think we should try and stick to our culture even in this modern time. The Salakot is a reminder of what Nagozul was and that, I think, is a small step in reclaiming what we've lost after thousands of years of borrowing cultures from other nations.”

The two was inspired with what he said. While it is true that the primary purpose of the Rite of Passage is to understand and observe Mortal's propensity for evil and how to overcome this, their ancestors have been gradually shifting from this thought to just visiting and observing foreign mortal's cultures and development. Clearly, the Rite of Passage now has been reduced to the acquisition of foreign culture and an examination on how it could be incorporated with theirs. That's why they share the same sentiments with their father. That's why they were inspired, waiting eagerly on their turn to leave their homeland in order for them to fully understand the foreign mortals' beliefs and convictions.

Artemus walked away after picking up his medical kit towards where the soldiers ran earlier.

”Well, aren't you all coming?” he asked as they all stood there almost confused in him walking to the north to exit.

”Dad?” asked Kayzar, ”They are all back at the camp south from here. I think we should head back to Yosh and Reus. We're certain that they're all eagerly waiting for our return.”

”Well you're probably right but I think your mother, Anagea, has beaten me to them. Seeing as how competitive your mother is, they are all probably at the clearing, up north, waiting for us.” He took them both on his arms and hugged them at his side while walking towards the north followed by Kudos who is smiling at the back.

”Hah, mother? Is she still that hard-headed?” smiled Karus.

”I believe so, yes. Never changed. Not one bit.”