The Shushu charged like an avalanche toward the panicked crowd, laughing maniacally as it cleared all who stood in its way.
Alibert, still processing what was happening, saw something that made his blood run cold.
Yugo was in the creature’s path.
He threw himself toward his son with the desperation.
The Shushu rammed forward like a raging bull, striking Alibert head-on and sending him flying.
His body slammed against the wall, bringing the ceiling down as rubble rained upon him, burying him under a heap of wood and stone.
“Dad!” Yugo screamed.
“Dad, tell me you’re okay!
Get up!”
From beneath the rubble, Alibert struggled to push aside some of the rocks.
His breathing came in broken wheezes and a thread of blood ran down his temple, but he gritted his teeth and tried to force a smile.
“Easy…” he coughed, spitting dust.
“I’ve taken worse hits than this.
But I can’t move too well.
Go, Yugo…
Get out of here, now!”
But Yugo wasn’t listening.
His gaze locked onto the monster with a rage he’d never felt before.
It had hurt his father.
Destroyed his home.
And now it was going after that girl.
The boy clenched his fists, ready to go into battle.
Az, his inseparable Tofu, fluttered around him, chirping urgently, trying to talk sense into him.
But Yugo didn’t budge.
He couldn’t let the monster keep destroying everything.
The Shushu, ignoring the boy, focused on Amalia.
Its lips curled into a mocking smile.
“Well, well…
The little flower is still here.” Its voice boomed with cruel delight.
“Your friend was more of a nuisance than I expected, but I wonder what she’ll do when I walk out of here…
with your head in my hands.
I bet she’ll lose her will to fight.”
The creature raised its gigantic arm, ready to bring down a lethal blow on the young Sadida.
But before it could, Yugo acted.
Driven by pure instinct, he threw himself against the beast and delivered a headbutt straight to its torso.
Not a powerful blow, but unexpected enough to catch the creature off guard.
The Shushu blinked, bewildered at this sudden attack.
Then it looked down at the tiny being that had dared to attack it.
“You?” it whispered, shocked.
Then its expression shifted into a sadistic grin.
“You’ve got guts, runt.
But you’d better start running before I crush your skull.
I’ll give you five seconds…”
Yugo drew a deep breath and forced himself to stand his ground.
“Hey, you big ugly monster!” he shouted with more courage than sense.
“Clean up everything you wrecked and get lost, because I’m not going anywhere!”
He charged again.
But this time the beast was ready.
Its massive arm moved with blinding speed and snatched Yugo by the neck, hoisting him off the ground with ease.
A cold wave washed through him as the Shushu brought him close to its face and bared its razor-sharp fangs.
“Not so brave now, are you, brat?” it sneered.
“You’ll never touch me again.
And now…
I’ll show you what happens when you mess with someone like me.”
The pressure on his neck tightened.
Yugo gasped, kicked, but couldn’t break free.
His vision started to blur.
No…
I can’t…
breathe…
Amalia, frozen until now, clenched her fists.
She wouldn’t let this boy die.
She focused with everything she had and channeled her magic.
The ground shook as thick roots erupted from below, coiling around the monster’s hand and forcing it to loosen its grip.
But it wasn’t enough.
The Shushu snarled and tensed its muscles.
“You really think some pathetic weeds can stop me, brat?” it scoffed.
“When I’m done with this kid, you’re next.”
Amalia gritted her teeth and tried to summon more power.
It was no use.
She wasn’t strong enough.
No…
It can’t end like this…
Then something whistled through the air.
An arrow flew through the hole in the wall, ricocheted off a fallen frying pan, and drove itself straight into the monster’s eye.
The Shushu let out an agonized howl and opened its hand, letting Yugo drop.
“Damn it all!” it bellowed.
“How did they shoot me from behind?”
Its third eye blazed with fury.
It no longer cared about the boy.
There was a bigger threat.
“Come on, Dally!” it growled.
“These lowlifes aren’t worth our time.
We’ll deal with the Cra first.”
With a brutal leap, the creature launched itself through the roof, further shattering the structure and sending a rain of debris crashing down.
Most of the customers had already fled, but Yugo noticed several chunks of stone about to fall right on top of Amalia.
Without thinking, he extended his hand and a glowing portal opened beneath the rubble, transporting it away at the last second.
Amalia, completely unaware of what had just happened, dashed toward the exit and disappeared into the night.
But Alibert, still trapped among the ruins, saw everything.
His eyes widened.
So the day has come…
he thought, heart pounding.
The day that stranger told me about all those years ago…
His son had awakened his powers.
When Yugo and Amalia made it outside, they were met with a harrowing scene.
Evangelyne had just barely dodged another brutal charge from the Shushu.
Though the monster had several arrows embedded in its body, it didn’t appear seriously wounded.
The Cra retreated as fast as she could, but the creature rose again with a roar and launched into another attack.
Amalia was so nervous she could hardly move.
Eva was giving everything she had, but she was exhausted, and a single misstep could mean her death.
Yugo, on the other hand, stayed calm.
His eyes scanned the battlefield with precision.
He’d saved Amalia once.
Now he wanted to see if he could do it again.
The Shushu raised its fist, ready to crush Eva.
Right then, Yugo extended his arm and opened a portal in the path of the blow.
The claw passed through the dimensional threshold, disappearing…
…and reappeared above the monster’s own head.
The effect was immediate.
The blow, redirected by the portal’s magic, struck its own skull with brutal force.
A htundering howl shook the square as the Shushu staggered, stunned by its own attack.
“What was that?!” it bellowed.
“Who dares strike great Rubilax, champion of the Shushus?
You’ll pay for this insult with your life!”
Evangelyne paused, surprised by Yugo’s cleverness.
A spark of hope flickered in her eyes.
That ability…
maybe they could win this after all.
“Nice work!” she shouted to him.
“But if we want to finish it off, we have to hit the eye on its forehead.
That’s its only weak point.
Think you can help?”
“You bet!” Yugo replied, fired up.
“But I’ve got a better plan.
I need you to hit it with everything you’ve got.
I’ll handle the rest.”
Eva blinked, taken aback by his courage.
Any other day she’d have called him crazy, but something in his determination convinced her.
She nodded and began firing rapidly, shooting one arrow after another aimed straight at the eye.
The Shushu raised its arms to protect itself.
The earlier blow had weakened it more than it wanted to admit.
For the first time, it held back.
Yugo didn’t let this opportunity pass.
“Your arrows won’t do a thing, you stupid Cra,” the beast snarled.
“You’re just delaying the inevitable.”
“Maybe,” Eva replied with a defiant smile.
“But they’re not the only thing I’ve got up my sleeve, monster.”
Now that the beast was distracted, Yugo ran as fast as he could, opened a portal at his feet and vanished.
The Shushu looked up…
but it was too late.
Yugo reappeared above its head and grabbed hold of the third eye on its forehead with both hands.
The creature thrashed, screamed and swatted at the air, but the boy wouldn’t let go.
I can’t fail!
he thought as sweat streamed down his forehead.
For my Dad…
for my village…
I have to win this fight!
It was all or nothing.
After a pleasant walk, Ruel Stroud finally reached the gates of Emelka.
He’d wanted nothing more than a hot meal and a well-earned nap at his old friend Alibert’s tavern.
But his wish evaporated the moment he noticed the gaping hole in the village palisade.
He stroked his beard with concern.
That hole was fresh.
Something had happened…
something very bad.
Ruel narrowed his eyes and sniffed the air.
Smoke, broken wood, distant screams.
What should have been a quiet visit had immediately gone sideways.
But he hadn’t survived decades as a bounty hunter by standing around doing nothing.
Without a second thought, the old Enutrof crossed the gate and entered the village.
He’d barely taken a few steps when he ran into a villager sprinting in the opposite direction.
“Hey, good man!” Ruel stopped him.
“Mind telling me what happened here that’s turned the whole village upside down?”
The villager, visibly shaken, barely managed to answer between gasps.
“A monster!” he stammered.
“It appeared out of nowhere, right at the tavern.
It’s destroying everything.
I’m telling you, stranger, you’d better run while you can.
An old man like you wouldn’t last a second against that thing.”
“Old?!” Ruel sputtered.
“Clearly you’ve never heard of Ruel Stroud, the finest bounty hunter in the entire region.
Tell that beast to brace itself.
I’m coming for it!”
The villager stood there, his mouth open in surprise as he watching the old man charge toward the square instead of fleeing.
Clearly that man was either very brave or had gone completely mad.
Upon reaching the square, Ruel was met with a sight that took his breath away.
Yugo, his little Yugo, was clinging fiercely to the head of a massive monster, trying to rip out its central eye with his bare hands.
The creature growled as it tried to snatch the boy and hurl him to the ground.
The old man could not wait much longer.
He had to act now.
Withouth thinking, Ruel unsheathed his shovel and swallowed the gold coin he picked up.
As strength surged through his veins, he leapt into the air and brought the shovel crashing down on the monster’s skull.
The beast staggered and fell on its knees, stunned by such a powerful blow.
Yugo didn’t waste the moment.
He gritted his teeth and pulled with everything he had.
The eye ripped free.
In an instant, shining light erupted from where the creature stood, shining with blinding radiance.
Ruel squinted.
Yugo shielded his face.
Thenm, when the glow faded, they saw a suprising sight.
Where the monster had stood, there was now a red-haired young man with pointed ears who lay unconscious on the ground.
The eye Yugo had been holding slowly transformed into a dagger with a strange eye embedded in its hilt, blinking as though it were alive.
Yugo stared at the scene, unable to believe what had just happened.
I won!
he thought, swelling with pride.
I saved the village!
Ruel, standing at the edge of the square, watched the boy with a mix of surprise and amusement.
Then, he let out a booming laugh.
“Well, I’ll be damned, Yugo!” he said between chuckles.
“How is it that every time I come to this village something weird has to happen?”
“Ruel!” Yugo shouted as he recognized him.
“It’s been so long!
I’m so happy to see you again!”
The boy ran to him and threw his arms around him in a tight hug.
Ruel returned the gesture, a bit awkwardly at first, but with genuine warmth.
Look at how big he’s gotten…
he thought.
Seems like yesterday Alibert found him in the forest.
“How could I miss the twelfth anniversary of the tavern?” Ruel replied with a sly grin.
“Especially since your father usually does special discounts to celebrate…”
“I knew you were the one missing, you old miser!
About time you showed up!” boomed a deep, familiar voice.
Alibert emerged from the tavern entrance, leaning on Amalia’s shoulder.
He was limping noticeably and his face was bruised, but his smile was so wide it looked like pain didn’t exist.
“Daddy!” Yugo cried, racing toward him.
“I’m so glad you’re okay!”
“Easy, son, I told you not to worry about me,” Alibert replied, just before his boy leaped up to hug him tight around the neck.
“Say thank you to this lovely Sadida.
If it weren’t for her magic, I’d be in much worse shape.”
Yugo let go gently and turned to Amalia, his gaze full of gratitude and curiosity.
“Thank you so much for saving my father.
I don’t know how I could ever repay you…
Now that it’s all over, I’d love to know who you are.
But if you’d rather keep it a secret, that’s fine too.”
Amalia blushed, caught off guard by his sincerity.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Oh, right!
We haven’t even introduced ourselves.
My name is Amalia Sheran…” she began.
“Fur,” Evangelyne cut in, shooting her friend a withering glare while pressing a finger to her lips.
“Amalia Sheran Fur,” she repeated firmly.
“And I’m Evangelyne, just Evangelyne.
A pleasure to meet you, Yugo…
that was your name, right?”
“That’s right,” the boy replied with a nod.
“My name is Yugo, and the old man who just saved our lives is Ruel, a good friend of my father’s.”
“A friend who still owes me a considerable amount of Kamas,” Alibert added with a teasing grin.
“He always finds some excuse not to pay me back.”
Ruel rolled his eyes with theatrical indignation.
“Don’t slander me like that, Alibert!
I’ll pay you back once you repay me with interest for the money I lost when you let that prisoner go twelve yeras.
Besides, I just saved your son’s life.
Don’t you think that deserves a generous discount?”
Laughter erupted among them all.
Even Evangelyne cracked a faint smile.
The air filled with relief, a warmth that only comes from sharing danger and surviving it together.
Then Alibert straightened up, raised his voice as though still addressing a full house, and declared with pride:
“For your brave actions in defense of this village and my beloved tavern…
I shall reward you with all the food you can eat!
It’s all the house!”
A cheer went up from Amalia, Evangelyne, and Ruel in unison, while Yugo laughed with eyes sparkling with emotion.
In this village still recovering from the battle, something invisible but unbreakable was forged between them.
These companions, each from such different corners of the world, found their destinies intertwined from that day forward.
On this day…
their legend would begin.
Hello again.
In this chapter, our heroes join together for the first time and gain their first victory.
Fight scenes are always tough to write, especially involving multiple characters, so I hope you liked this one and it felt dynamic and exciting as if you were watching it in a TV show.
I tried to adapt it from my Spanish writing as best I could so any feedback is welcome!
Also, you’ve probably noticed some characters are slightly different from the original.
This is intentional, as my goal is to have better chemistry for the group and make them all feel useful in a certain way.
My story will focus a lot on improving the character development of the main cast, so if you have any thoughts about the characters please share it in the comments.