After what felt like an eternity Malcolm came back to reality to find that in fact he was truly in the loving and kind embrace of the young woman from earlier who said she was Amara's best friend. Truthfully only a little bit of time has passed since the beginning of the day yet Malcolm felt tired already.
The others had cleared the scene leaving the two of them alone. Malcolm after gaining back his senses inwardly reeled due to how severe his breakdown was and the fact that he really only had himself to rely on once again.
"But maybe not exactly." Malcolm moves his head to look at the girl sticking to him like glue. Her eyes are closed peacefully with evident bags underneath.
Malcolm shakes her gently to wake her up. A small moment passes but Yara wakes up to see a calm face staring at her with a questioning glint to his eyes.
"Hey there sleepy head I just realized I never got your name." Malcolm asks softly.
"Oh.. im sorry Yara. Names Yara..and yours?" Yara said the last part very quietly in Malcolm's ear.
Malcolm pauses for a moment to look at Yara deeply on the surface but truthfully he was using his other senses to see if anyone was nearby. The coast seemed clear at the moment.
"Malcolm. Malcolm Brooks is the full name." He actually mouthed the answer instead of saying it.
Yara gave a wide smile that reached her eyes. She leaned closer till their foreheads collided.
"Nice meeting you Malcolm... and thank you for putting my friend to rest." She mouthed.
A few miles away from the village. Mashallah and the class teacher were currently speeding through the land on foot. Mashallah taking the lead while the class teacher lagged behind slightly. They were each using a movement method to enhance their speed Mashallah using her affinity to wind to push her forward while the teacher simply transformed into a warthog.
The sun beamed high above the land, as if it was meant to rule over all living beings like a great suzerain. At times benevolent, at others unforgiving. The region of Capri is made up mostly a vast savanna that spans to the equivalent of the 7 continents back on earth.
Even after millions of years along with the development of mysticism in human society, there are still vast suaves of the region yet to be uncovered by anyone.
All of this is to say that on one hand while out in this vast savanna there lay opportunities that could shape one for the best this world has to offer, on the other there's dangers that permeates every level from the micro to macro organisms that make a living preying on the helpless.
We come to a small campfire full of such predators. A group of misfits dressed in animal skins and wield spears, axes, and swords that carry a savage aura. One sits in the center of the gathering in what looks to be a meditative position. The man looked to be in the prime of his life but exudes a feeling as if he has walked through the vicissitudes of time, carrying those most ancient memories left to be forgotten by those of today. But overall the man was unassuming even with dark skin and a bald appearance most assumed by first place that the man was a young honest youth.
He opens his eyes at the same moment as a subtle gust of wind passes by the campfire. The man squints his eyes slightly.
"Hey boss how we looking? We got that old bat to move her ass just yet?" One of the others spoke from the right side of the man. He was more built like a small hill then any normal human if Malcolm saw him he'd probably had to look twice before believing what he saw to be real.
The man sat still for a short time before an answer came to the mans question.
"What old bat you speaking of boy im still in my prime." The cold voice of Mashallah could be heard by all of those around the campfire. However the voice couldn't be pinpointed, it was close yet at the same time very distant. The men at once were shocked and shaken up slightly, except for the man in front of the campfire who still sat down calmly with a slight smile and spoke for the first time.
"Grand elder Mashallah of the Ashuwa tribe, former teacher of the great leopard king Ramses and devoted follower of Oya. It is with great pleasure to finally meet you." The man finishes as the wind grows to a small hurricane that surrounds the group of men yet even with the high winds the fire stays lit with not a change in its flickering.
The winds part way slightly to reveal an old woman wearing a red dress clad with the teeth of various animals alongside bits of jewelry. Next to Mashallah comes an 8 meter warthog with large white ivory tusks the size of an average man who stands imposingly.
"Oh look at that beast right there. If I was a guessing man I'd say you're someone important but not important enough for me to know. So you mind introducing yourself?"
The man smiles while looking at the class teacher who only responds with a snort.
"Why did you attack my hamlet boy?" Mashallah spoke harshly while the wind surrounding the group grew faster and sharper.
"That would be Akeem to you and I suggest you give him some respect." The robust man next to Akeem spoke harshly.
The man now identified as Akeem still sat down seemingly relaxed, even the rest of the group were relatively calm.
"Just a little message im delivering from the top." As Akeem finished speaking he tossed a small flag. Mashallah caught and what she saw made her Shutter inwardly.
The flag was pitch black with a man in the center whose only distinct features that were visible were his yellow eyes and white teeth. The man was sitting on a small throne of bones wearing a myriad of ornaments ranging from bones of men and beasts, to various skins that covered his chest and finally a necklace of diamonds. On his left hand he was holding a spear that had multiple spearheads. Then on his right hand he held a huge oval shield that was dyed blood red there was a spiky protrusion on each end of the shield. In the center of the shield there was what appeared to be an eye that was pure golden
Mashallah apon seeing this had a flashback to a day she remembers too well from over 20 years ago. The savagery unleashed by those that hold this flag have been ingrained into the hearts of nearly all of the major factions within the region of Capri and even beyond.
Mashallah gripped the small flag tightly while the teacher next to her had even begun to back away from the group slightly.
The winds reached a all time intensity and sharpness that could cut through steel like butter much less people. However after an intense standoff the winds died down until they were all gone leaving like it was never present.
Akeem still sat down with a gentle smile that reached his relaxed eyes. He leaned back to rest his head on a large stack of animal hides.
"Not bad your at the half step to the 5th realm. Your late disciple would be proud of your progress. To speak a little honestly, me and my little group here only joined the Terra king's clan only recently so we're more or less green, hell I haven't even met the man myself but the reputation speaks for itself."
Mashallah grips her hands tightly at the mention of the Terra king. While the teacher begins to shake slightly at the same time. If he wasn't taking the form of a warthog he would no doubt be sweating as well.
The camp adopts a sinister and malicious attitude and unleashes their auras which are mostly all at the first or second realms. Only Akeem and the burly man next to him are confining their auras.
"Gentlemen gentlemen please now let's be nice to the old lady and her oversized pumba. It must not be forgotten that we are here to just deliver a message after all." Akeem says while snuggling into a comfortable position on the ground.
"Dakari you handle the rest of this, im gonna get some more shut eye. Now yall behave good while I'm resting now."
"Yes sir." The group responds all at once.
Akeem finally closes his eyes shut leaving Dakari the one in charge.
Dakari then walks closely to Mashallah until he's only four feet away from her at this distance the contrast is made even more apparent. On one side stands a small wealthy looking old lady with a giant warthog next to her. Both living beings emanating authority and power that demands respect. Then on the other side there stands of group of evident vagabonds who clearly hold no great power or status wherever they go. They appear at best like beggers and squatters, then at worst they give off the aura of killers and thieves.
Normally such a lineup could hardly be seen speaking on equal terms in the wide savanna and beyond. Now here they stand all weary of each other.
"Elder Mashallah the reason for our arrival in this fashion is that our leader the grand Terra king has given us a mission to recruit you into the clan." As soon Dakari finishes his statement Mashallah flares her aura to the maximum level.
"[Domain Art: Myriad Tempest]"
Mashallah yells while holding both of her hands in a hand sign. The whole world changed at once. What was a vast savanna now has become an nightmare inducing tempest storm that ravages the area everyone is in. What made even more evident to the gang is that the world outside this storm seems to have been isolated by the tempest storm.
They could hardly open their eyes because of the intense winds. What made Dakari tremble on the inside is that the winds they could feel were slowly getting sharper and sharper by the second. Pretty soon they could feel small cuts forming on their bodies.
Everyone was being cut up slowly except Akeem who was for no lack of betters words, sleeping like a baby while fire only experienced slight flickering from the winds.
Dakari gritted his teeth while maintaining his stance.
"Damn.. domain art? This wasn't in the report we were given!" Dakari shouts inwardly while signaling the others to get closer to the fire which keaped the group from suffering any serious wounds.
The figures of Mashallah and the teacher became obscure to the point of them disappearing from sight. One of the others shouted.
"I-I can't sense them! I can't sense them anywhere!"
"Of course you can't idiot! This is a Domain Art like in the stories! Unless your at a relative or higher realm your sensory methods are as good as shit in the face of this enclosure!"
Dakari shouted while a section of wind at the top of the Domain enlarged and shifted to form the face of Mashallah who looked down at the group domineering like an angry and ancient primordial being whose vary power could shake the world to it's core.
"So the Terra king dares to show his face again after what he did to my tribe! Not only that but he.. BUT HE dares to try to recruit me!? The one who wishes to kill him the most!? You bastards attack my hamlet, killing my people to try to get me to JOIN YOU?!"
Mashallah all but roars out the last sentence before the domain closes in further on the group however Dakari stands his ground tall like a pillar in the storm.
He has a stoic expression on his face while he digs into his pouch to grab something. He brings out his now clenched hand evidently holding something of value. The winds around Dakari calm down slightly.
The moment he opens his hand a bright golden radiance nearly blinds everyone around him. Mashallah seeing through the light is thrown into shock, her eyes wide open and she even starts shaking slightly. The teacher due to his relatively low realm cannot see anything besides a sudden bright light thar fills his vision.
"Elder Mashallah what is it? What do you see?" The teacher asks frantically.
"No.. no way. Impossible how I.. how did you..get this? I've searched for so long." Mashallah stutters out with her mind wandering else where.
"Now are you willing to hear out our proposition?" Dakari shouts
Mashallah stays silent for a long time. While the teacher slowly begins to grow nervous at the silence.
"Elder Mashallah whatever it is they want we cannot-"
"Pumba stay out here for a moment I'll head inside to see what this farce is they've put up."Mashallah interrupts leaving no room for discussion.
She then heads inside to domain leaving no way for the teacher to hear or see what's going on so all he could do was as he was told to do.
A few minutes pasted by before eventually Mashallah came out of the domain with a calm look in her eyes. The domain came down to reveal all of the corpses of the small gang to the teacher.
"It's likely not the last of them in the area let's head back to the hamlet to rendezvous with the others and make sure the villagers and the kids are safe."
"Y-yes ma'am." The teacher replies with a hint of fear along with an urge to roll in mud.
They left the area soon after a round of surveying the surroundings.
Akeem woke up after a few minutes to the bright sun overhead. The group sat around calmly conversing among themselves.
Akeem looked over to see Dakari with a slight smile on his face. Akeem lifted an eyebrow slightly.
"Someone seems pleased, I can assume everything went well then?"
"That would be the case indeed boss we all made it out in more or less one piece." Dakari said while Akeem looked around to see everyone covered in slight cuts that bleed slightly.
"Oh damn I thought at least half of you would've been feeding the next beast horde by now." Akeem laughs at the expense of his gang who keeps their frowns inwardly to the best of their ability.