[Dark Elite_H2]

THE MASK REMOVED, A NEMESIS REVEALED.


The morning sky opened with red and orange and the sun peeking overtop the tall hills that surrounded them. Morning dew soaked grass blades, the air soaked from last night’s storm. Birds chirped in to the morning, fluttering off from the damp trees. Stranger felt his mind wakening from his deep thoughts that he held last night, and popped open his eyes. His neon eyes came to life, brightening up with a green tint. He moved around, stretching out his legs and arms. He sat up, shaking off the beads of water stuck on strands of his fur, smacking his lips together. He remembered something that he had nearly forgotten. The bounty of the Steef head. And Sekto. He growled at the name, just thinking of it made him angry to the core. He was the one who started all this, with D. Caste Raider. He would not allow this to happen to him. Then there was Umi. Herself was still up for a bounty, and he knew who by. He would definitely would let Umi down to Sekto, no matter the odds. He looked over to the tree she laid, curled in a tight ball with her hands under her head and her knees tucked tightly in to her chest. He smiled at her sleeping state, trotting quietly to her. Birds scattered off the branches of the tree, droplets of water splattering over her face. She cringed at the coolness, moaning and wiping off the water from her face. She opened an eye, the sun softly peeking in to her eye, then she began to move uneasily around, reaching her arms out, then touched Stranger’s hoof. She jumped, holding herself up near the tree, then let out a tense sigh.
“Scared the hell outta me...” Umi growled, putting a hand on her head and looking down. Stranger scratched his head nervously.
“You’s...uh...” he said, searching for the right words. “...still, mad at me?” Umi looked at him with one eye, then back down, she standing up with her arms around her. She didn’t reply, but looked down at the grass, having a rock-hard frown and her brows furrowed down a little. He knew the answer already. He looked over behind the boulder he slept in front of, seeing a narrow tunnel with lit torches crackling down. “Well, c’mon. We’s got’s a way to go,” Stranger gazed back down to Umi. She didn’t even glance at him, but followed off from him near the tunnel. He sighed heavily. He knew that winning her trust back would be a hard task. The tunnel was practically made of native buildings, built in the walls of the tunnel. Little hand-made stools sat out of each door of the houses and a shelf of carved fishing poles hung off near the end of the tunnel. Painted clay pottery stood off the side from a brick-made ledge, leading down to the tops of multi-colored tin roofs. Stranger stopped at the ledge, gazing down at the bottom below. They recognized the village, from the very moment they looked at it, when they fell out from the Fish-head temple, rescuing Eugene Ius. They fell off the ledge, stumbling upon the Grubb village. Many cheers and excited yells began to uproar around them. The Grubbs of the village began to gather around the arrival of the Steef. There was a Grubb that seemed more powerful to the others, with purple painted stripes on her jaw, and a grand headpiece that looked like horns to me. She had light purple eyes, locked joyously on Stranger. I will now tell you the prophecy of Stranger, and the human.
“Steef! Steef, you made it! Yeah!” the Leader Grubb jumped high in front of Stranger and Umi.
“Made it? Huh? It was you’s, that cut me down, ‘n saved me from them Outlaws?” Stranger asked surprised a little to the excitement of the Grubbs. “Yeah, it was us, dude. ‘Cause, we need your help! You see, this Sekto demon, has stolen our water, and…and he’s payin’ these Wolvarks, to shoot at us if we go back to our village. And now, he wants to kill us all!” Leader made a slicing motion under her chin with her hand. Stranger’s lip flared up in anger. “Sekto…that sicko has a price on mine an’ Umi’s head. Gonna need a boat, to head upriver, to get to his dam…” Stranger then scratched the back of his head, “…you’s guys…got a boat?” Leader nodded. “Uh-huh. See, it’s hidden in the secret waterfall cave, but to get to the cave, you have to pass that Wolvark facility, and, they’re really dangerous, dude. So, you’re gonna have to watch your back,” Leader explained. Then, another Grubb on Stranger’s right approached them, with heavy-looking armor folded upon its arm, and also what seemed to look like a new bow.
“Steef dude, here. A new bow, and some sweet armor,” the Grubb offered the green armor to Stranger. He hesitated for a moment, looking at the Grubb first, then back down to the armor. He picked off the armor first, slipping it over his red overalls, and then turned back around to the Grubbs watching him intensely. It felt as if he was wearing his poncho once again, but not like it. Stretchy green material covered his upper arms to his biceps, down to his mid-section, and close to his calves on his four legs. But the entire armor covered his shoulders and mid-section, and part of his back. When they saw him turn back around with armor, then all got down on one knee, and praised to him, putting their heads down and their hands together. “So, uh, wear this proudly, and for your ancestors! Well, it would make ‘em happy if you just… you know, beat his ass ‘r somethin’…” Leader grumbled down to herself.
“Eh…he’s, uh, kinda scrawny for a Steef, don’t’cha think?” one Grubb spoke to the next one next to it. The Grubb just smacked its arm lightly, glaring at it to shut up. Stranger smiled down to all the Grubbs, and then took the bow the Grubb was holding, and slipped it over his left arm. He liked the new bow, but he missed the one he had made. It felt too smooth to him. Umi, next to him, smiled in some greatness towards Stranger, and his new look.
“Love the green on you,” Umi winked her eye. Stranger felt himself blushing under his waterfalls of fur on his jaw.
“Yeh…Wish I, had my ol’ stuff back…” Stranger admitted, but looked around himself to see the armor around him. Three Grubbs, two male and one female, ran up to Umi’s arm, tugging at her arm.
“Yo, human! Come with us! We got something special for you, too!” the female Grubb led her over to an area with a couple bowls with different color liquids in them, and a shelf racked with different assortments of berries and jarred liquids. Stranger followed slowly behind, watching as Umi knelt down near a small stool of the bowls of colors. The male Grubbs held back her hair, while the female mixed around a bowl and held up a large paintbrush, looking the brushes were made of some type of animal’s fur.
“Ok, ok. Now, hold still…” she said, and bringing the brush up to Umi’s cheek, right at the corner of her mouth, with a black paint. “This is a special paint, human. It is permanent, and will never wash off. If you don’t believe us, take a test,” the female dragged a bucket of water and a sponge floating atop the water. Umi hesitated for a second, then squeezed the sponge, and wiped the mark harshly. It left a red spot on Umi’s face, but the paint didn’t come off. Umi’s eyes were open in shock. “Pretty cool, huh?” the female smiled, and then mixed around another bowl of paint, purple this time. She told Umi to hold still once again, and then lightly brushed another stripe of paint on her cheek, this time it was from her upper jaw to near her temple. She felt the paint dry immediately, and then the female Grubb mixed two more bowls, with a red and a black color.
“Lift your head up, and hold still. Don’t try to swallow too much, or I’ll mess up,” she brought up the brush. Umi did as she was told, and brought up her chin from her neck. The brush touched her skin, feeling the Grubb making an S-shape mark with the brush. Umi kept her throat as still as she could, while the Grubb began to make detail with the S-shape mark. She brought back her brush, stared at it for a moment, then nodded. “All done,” it said, bringing up one last bowl.
“What did you do?” Umi was curious. The Grubb smiled at her. “I’ve seen your attitude in battle before, when you passed by our village. We were ordered to spy, well…not particularly spy on you, but watch you. Since it was so fierce, I gave it the dragon symbol, right on your neck. I’ll show it to you when I’m done,” she looked back to the male Grubbs. “Lift her hair, please,” she said, and the males nodded. They bunched her hair, and lifted it as high as their arms could stretch. Then, the female Grubb brought the brush up to her neck. The cool touch of the paint brush made Umi’s neck hairs bristle. She felt the Grubb brushing all the way to her collar bone, on both sides, then paint it in boldly. She squinted at the marking on her neck, then nodded in satisfactory. “Ok! All done! You can take a look now!” she said setting the bowl down, and rushing to the rack of bowls. The Grubbs released her hair gently over the freshly painted mark, and bowed to her front. The female then brought up a brand new-looking mirror up to Umi. She prepared to see what she really looked like now, inhaling deeply, and reflected her image. Her jaw dropped midway to her chest, amazed to see the new markings on her face. Two black stripes reaching near her chin to the corner of her mouth, two long purple stripes from her upper jaw to her temples, and a small snake dragon, well-detailed in the middle of her neck. Two tips of the red Crescent on her back touched her collar bone. She was more than satisfied with the Grubbs work, more than speechless as well.
“T-thank you, ma’am,” Umi sputtered her words. The female smiled sweetly. “Anything for the Steef guardian’s partner. You’ll make history in a legendary part of a Steef guardian’s life. Believe me,” she whispered in her ear. Umi nodded, looking over to Stranger, he waiting patiently under the roof of the canvas area. “Thank you, once again, ma’am. This is amazing to what you did,” Umi bowed her head down slightly. The Grubb only shook her head. “No, no. Thank you, for helping us,” she knelt on one knee, and bowed low. Umi respectfully took the appraisal, and walked over to Stranger, he staring with impressments.
“You look good,” Stranger nodded. “Thanks,” Umi smiled shyly down. There was silence around them, aside from the yelling and screaming playing Grubb children running around the village, and the adult Grubbs chatting to one another. Leader walked up to them in their abrupt silence.
“Well, now! Don’t you two look nice?” Leader commented, and they both nodded. “Now, uh…Oh yeah! You must now venture forth, to the Waterfall cave, so you can travel down-stream to Sekto’s Dam. Good luck to both of you, and may your journey be safe and successful!” Leader raised a fist, along with the others, cheering behind and praising the newly-found Steef guardian. Umi and Stranger smiled at all the Grubbs, and then Stranger looked down to Umi.
“Well, kid. Yeh ready?” Stranger asked, ruffling her hair gently. She smiled mischievously, nodding towards him.
“Ready when you are, partner,” Umi said confidently. “Well, then. Hope on,” he knelt a little, beckoning her to get on his back. She hesitated. “But…why? Won’t I be heavy fer yer back?” Umi raised a brow to his eyes. He let out a small laugh. “Nah. I’m stronger than yeh think, lil’ missy,” Stranger grinned. She still hesitated, he still slightly knelt down to her height. Then she put a hand over his spine, and kicked her leg over his back. She then sat comfortably on the upper half of his back, crossing her arms over his stomach. It felt like sitting on a horse, but had arms to accelerate faster than a regular horse. Then she felt him kick off the weak wooden ramp up to the village, and rode down on the flat lands, away from the village. The Grubbs behind still cheered for their guardians, hoping only for the best for the Steef and his partner.