"My lord!" Shen screamed as he spotted the creature. They were at the border of the west territory and a troop of divine guards were allotted by Superior Guardian to assist in the investigation.
The atmosphere thickens as the guardsman troop prepares for the potential confrontation, their faces stern and focused. Shen whipped his sword out.
"Wait! Don't attack. Observe." Kenji instructed.
Shen glanced at Kenji and then at the creatures flying above, Chao Xing followed the instruction as soon as it was given.
"Do you notice that?" Kenji asked.
"Notice what my lord?" Chao Xing and Shen asked.
"These creatures are only flying towards the northern direction of this territory." Kenji said.
"What does this mean?" Shen asked.
"Whatever is there in the north direction. Shoot a talisman towards it, provoke it." Kenji said.
"My lord, but we—"
"Do it!" Kenji instructed again.
Chao Xing and Shen swayed their hands in motion and with a swift force they shooted a talisman towards their direction. The talisman seemed to travel in waves and strike one of the creatures, suddenly all of them started soaring a bit lower, a bit more lower and then their features became more clearly visible.
It had a humanoid shape, but it's limbs were too long and thin. Their skin dark and leathery, adorned with strange symbols and patterns that ripple and shift incessantly. It has no eyes, but instead, two large, black, empty sockets that seem to draw all light into them. It had huge feathers which looked like torn fleshes. It moved silently, without a sound, like a shadow gliding across the ground and proceeded to attack towards Shen and Chao Xing, they stood horrified and too shocked to process their arrival, as soon as the creature moved it's wing towards Chao Xing and Shen to attack, a boundary of protective talisman rippled.
"Be alert!" Kenji instructed strictly.
"Apologies my lord, they're horrifying." Shen said as he gripped his sword tightly to fight them. The creatures one by one lining against the boundary of the talisman.
"I will pull away this talisman and we have to fight with all our energy as to chase them, and then let us follow to where they retreat, I'm sure they will retreat towards the north direction." Kenji instructed.
The guards swung their sword in unison.
Kenji extended his hand and pulled away the talisman. The creatures felt it's ripple which pushed them backward. Kenji's hands gripped his sword tightly and with a swift motion they attacked. Fighting the creatures felt like a thousand lives, their wings that looked like torn flesh to the sight were way too powerful and huge. They did not have any energy, neither demonic nor ghostly but still they counterattacked with a strange force. Shen and Choa Xing struggled but soon regained their composure. Kenji extended his right hand towards them letting his lethal fireflies in their direction. One of the creature fell to the ground as soon as it faced an encounter with the fireflies.
The other creatures, numerous of them started retreating upon witnessing their fellow fall down to pieces of rotten flesh from the encounter with the fireflies.
Kenji followed, Chao Xing and Shen close behind him with the guards following them.
"My lord, indeed they are retreating towards the North direction." Chao Xing remarked in shock and confusion.
They followed them, suddenly they lost track of the creatures as the atmosphere started thickening with fog.
"Be alert, keep your weapons unsheathed this can be a trap!" Kenji instructed.
They moved in sync, detecting each other's energy.
They had already crossed the border of the west territory and they did not know which place they were in right now. The mist got thicker as they moved ahead. There was stillness in the air and they could only hear their own steps, no other voice and no other sound. The place was strangely silent. Nothing was visible, not even their own hands, the fog was getting heavier, at first Kenji thought it could be poisonous but it was not.
"My lord, are we on the correct path?" Chao Xing asked.
"I suppose we are." Kenji said, "Keep moving ahead."
"Stop!" Kenji said.
"Move!" He said again.
"Stop!"
"Keep moving." He said.
"What happened my lord?" Shen asked.
Suddenly they saw a glow being aimed towards their left, a loud and shrill scream pierced their ears.
"The creatures are following us now. We are not the ones following them." Kenji said.
"Keep your senses alert, if you focus, you can hear the sound of wet flesh everytime we take a step. I suppose these creatures cannot understand our language. They are following us through our steps."
Another glow of light attacked towards the front. It was Shen who aimed this time, the sound of a creature falling down echoed.
"What is this?" Chao Xing murmured in confusion.
Kenji drew out a protective talisman around. It's golden luminescence piercing through the fog.
"Keep moving ahead." Kenji instructed, after moving for what felt like miles, Kenji stopped.
"Stop!...can you all feel that ripple of energy?" Kenji asked.
"My lo-"
"No!" Kenji suddenly said, he realised that the air was thickening and the atmosphere was suddenly turning darker. It was Liuxing again.
"No no no no, why does he have to be here." Kenji murmured.
Suddenly, the fog disappeared and everything was clear, the dark sky, the pile of dried bones and ropes, the black ground and thousands of caves lining up the mountains and the creatures trying to break in the boundary of protective talisman and.....Liuxing.
"You should not be here, your highness." Liuxing said as he struck the creatures with a wave of force, swaying his right hand. The creatures fell back and retreated.
The guards, Shen and Chao Xing gripped their swords tight and pointed it towards Liuxing to protect Kenji.
"Stop." Kenji ordered, "Do not move out of the boundary of talisman till I say." Kenji instructed as he proceeded out of the boundary, facing Liuxing he gripped his sword tightly.