Empire of Monsters #1

(In need of artist)

In a dark part of the forest of anchient Japan a lone girl wandered through the forrest looking at a map scratching her head as she looked down at a weathered map of eastern Europe. Her hair was down to her waist and obviously had been devode of any type of care for years, it's dirty blond color only just showing through the various leaves, burrs, and twigs that covered it. The girl's skin had been tanned by long exposures to the sun and her once fine, boyish clothing had been ripped and tangled beyond repair. She had a short dagger strapped to her waist that appeared to have been drawn on several occassions and rather worn. Her rust colored eyes shown clearly through the filth that covered her as she looked down at the map.

"Well this can't be right," the girl said looking at the map and the surrounding woods, "I thought that guy said that he'd drop me off in Portugal. I don't remember being told that Portugal had any trees like this when I set off, damn it I'm still lost!"

The girl moaned sagging a bit before she looked up and noticed something that filled her with hope.

"Oh there's smoke over their!" the girl said smiling joyously, "Fire means people who can tell me where I am! I certainly hope I'm not to far off target!"

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Miles away at the village the villagers were burning insence as they chanted and formed a summoning circle at the top of a cliff overlooking the vast forrest below. In the center of the circle a young girl thrashed an cried out, her bright blond hair showing out against the dark wood she was strapped to.

"Now now Shyao," a villiger said as he painted runes nearby, "There's no reason to struggle. You're just being offered to the demon that summons rains to this area, it is really quiet an honor."

"Than why don't you be the sacrifice!" Shyao shouted angrily trying to kick the man.

"Because the demon only likes little ladies like you," the man said, "He says you taste better and you won the honor of being his offering!"

"Well give him someone else!" Shyao shouted angrily, "I decline the honor!!!"

"You may not!" the village elder said carefully stepping over and inspecting the runes, "This is an honor you have no choice but to take, come now everyone! The demon shall arrive shortly and he dislikes anyone else being to close to his sacrifice."

The villagers all hurried away aside from a young boy with dark black hair and blue eyes that clutched an old katana in his hands. At first no one noticed but soon the villagers began calling, "Ling you fool! Get away from there!"

"Never!" the boy called looking back at Shyao, "The only way I'll ever be able to marry someone like Shyao is if I save her from a monster!"

"Ling please don't!" Shyao called tears in her eyes, "I don't want to see you die as well!"

"Someone get him out of there!" a villager called, "He'll enrage the demon!"

"Don't be silly," the elder said holding out his hand to keep the villagers from approaching, "A single orphan boy will never be enough to anger the demon."

Suddenly all went quiet as the sound of several rocks tumbling sounded and all looked expectantly out at the cliff expecting the demon to appear. Ling clutched his katana tighter as Shyao sobbed and the villagers all waited with held breath. This lasted for about thirty seconds until a small human hand appeared at the edge of the cliff and lifted a ragged little girl that couldn't be more than twelve up over the cliff where she promptly sat down and mutter, "The map doesn't say anything about a cliff anywhere."

The girl suddenly looked up into the shocked faces of the villagers and the blank stares of both Ling and Shyao and squeled running up to Ling and began to babble in some undeciferable language. After seeing Ling's confused look the child spoke in several more languages before finally speaking perfect Japanises asking, "Do you understand me now?"

"Yes..." Ling said feeling confused.

"Good, I'm a little lost, now can you point to me about where I am on this map?" the child asked pointing at an extreamly weather beaten map as she picked several leaves out of her hair.

Ling looked at the map and blinked in surprise saying, "This is a map of Eastern Europe!"

"Yes," the girl said looking at Ling curiously, "What's your point?"

"This is Japan," Ling said.

For several minutes silence reigned on the cliff as the girl looked at Ling with dawning realization on her face.

"I'M WHERE!?!!!" the girl screeched.

"On your map I'd say you'd be over around Shyao over there," Ling said pointing at Shyao who was nearly ten feet away.

The girl collapsed to her knees tears flowing freely down her face around her look of absolute exsaustion and Shyao mutter, "That sound's like more than a little lost to me," before asking, "Exactly how long have you been lost."

The girl straightened up a bit a thoughtful look crossing her face as she muttered, "Oh... Four to six years, maybe more."

Shocked faces quickly appeared on everyone who heard this all thinking the samething, Four to six years!?!!!

Suddenly the demon swooped down and landed on the edge of the cliff looking like an old man with large meaty wings growing out of his back causing everyone to look at him. Shyao quivering in fear, Ling growling as he clutched his katana again, the villagers filled with awed reverence, the girl a look of curiosity.

"Master!" the elder called out, "Will this girl be an appropriate sacrifice?"

"Yes she should," the demon said looking at Shyao and licking his lips, "The rains will continue as needed."

The villagers cheered as Ling charged forward with a shout. The demon glanced breifly at Ling and slapped him aside nearly knocking him off the cliff as he grabbed for purchase. The demon advanced forward reaching for Shyao hungrily until the girl who'd climbed the cliff stepped between them.

"He what do you think you're doing!" the girl shouted fearlessly, "I'm busy with this girl and boy! Get your own!"

"Get out of my way little girl," the demon hissed his voice breifly becoming truily demonic.

"No way!" the girl shouted angrily, "I got here first! These two are mine!"

"Do you even know what I am!?" the demon asked spreading his wings wide as he leaned over the girl.

"Yeah, your a demon," the girl said grabbing the demon's nose and twisting it, "A rather weak one by the looks of it too."

"You little brat!!!" the demon shouted angrily his hand becoming a vicious set of claws ashe swung them at the girl.

The demon gasped as the girl drew her dagger and plunged it into the demon's wrist and began using it to drag him away from Shyao. Everyone watched on in shocked awe and terror as they watched the demon tossed to the ground.

"Now go away," the girl said waving the demon off like he was a fly, "I'm using these kids."

"YOU DAMNED BRAT!!!" the demon howled suddenly dissolving and reforming as a twenty foot tall behemoth of raw flesh and teeth, "THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT OF YOU WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU!!!"

Screaming souls flew from each of the demon's five mouth's spiraling towards the little girl who pointed her dagger at them and said calmly, "Black Portal's Maw."

In the space just before the maw the air seem to tear and warp as a large maw opened up revealing only utter blackness beyond it. The souls began to flow into it and vanished moving to catch the stream as the demon tried to manuver it elsewhere. Finally the demon recalled his remaining souls and the maw closed to show the little girl her rust colored eyes glowing brightly.

"W-W-WHAT DID YOU TO MY SOULS!?!" the demon asked his fleshy mass trembling.

"I sent them away," the girl said, "They might eventually find their way back to you in a few hundred years. That was if I wasn't about to kill you for attacking me."

"NO!!!" the demon cried sreading his wings.

"Single Claw Eviseration!" the girl hissed slashing her dagger through the air causing the demon to be cleaved in two and shriek as he disolved.

"S-sh-she killed him," the elder said trembling, "she's a monster!"

The villagers fled with a wail of terror back to their homes as Ling and Shyao looked at their rescuer and Shyao nervously asked, "W-who are you!"

The girl looked at Shyao and smiled saying, "I'm Sara, nice to meet you!"