Archer frowned. “What...?”
“Don’t move.” the Scavenger stared dead ahead. “And don’t laugh.”
Just ahead, stood a queer animal. It had the face of a pig with the legs of a cat. Its stomach was bulging to the sides. In simple words, it was a freak, which made the children almost laugh… almost.
“What is it?” whispered Archer.
“A Faylon,” said the Scavenger. “Don’t be fooled by its appearance. I know it looks funny, but if you move or laugh, it will attack you, and let me warn you, it could be as dangerous as a lion.”
The Faylon growled, but it sounded like a cow mooing.
Archer, Daniel, James, and Matt cracked up laughing. It only mooed louder, and with the speed of a cheetah, it pounced on the children.
The Scavenger was quick to take out his pocketknife and managed to strike the Faylon’s hind leg with it. It mooed and fell, but struggled to get up, and it did, even though it had to drag itself.
Rushing at the Faylon, the Scavenger swung his sword and hit on the pig-snout, making it fall off.
The Scavenger backed away as the Faylon swiped its claws at him. The very next moment, the Scavenger leapt forward and with a lightning fast strike impaled the Faylon with his sword, killing it at once.
The Scavenger walked back towards the children. “Hurry up. We have to quickly reach our destination before there are any more attacks.”
After two hours of exhausting walking, the group stopped outside a cave inside a deep forest.
“This is it,” the Scavenger said, walking inside the cave, followed by the unsure children. Fire lit up on torches as the Scavenger walked further.
“This is the temporary hideout where I will train you,” the Scavenger said. “It has everything we need – a training ground, beautiful scenery, food and place to sleep.”
The group emerged out of the tunnel. A massive hall awaited them. A steel door closed behind the group.
“You can rest for now,” the Scavenger said, his voice echoing in the cave. “You can explore the place in your free time. There are many more tunnels here. Don’t worry, it’s safe inside.”
The children saw many exciting things in the distance – a waterfall, some gardens where a few trees were laden with fruit and additional tunnels. But they were too exhausted to explore them.
The Scavenger directed them to a side area, where a few bunkers were laid out, ready with pillows and blankets.
The children went to sleep as soon as their heads touched the pillows.
***
They awoke after a sound sleep to see the Scavenger staring at them.
“Good morning, guys,” the Scavenger spoke with his hands full of grapes. “Freshen up. Let’s begin our training.”
After half an hour, the children freshened up and assembled. The Scavenger clicked his fingers and the children gasped.
Overhead lights flickered on and the whole layout of the cave suddenly changed. The gardens and the waterfall disappeared to reveal a vast stadium-like area.
“That’s why I love magic!” the Scavenger said cheerfully. He looked around and announced, “This… is our training place!”
A table appeared in front of them, laden with twelve swords.
The Scavenger picked up five swords from the table. Keeping one for himself, he gave the other four swords to each of the children.
“The Dark World now is a treacherous place and you need to learn how to protect yourselves. Starting with handling swords, I will teach you all the essential skills to survive in the war.
“Now, a sword can be used for defending as well as for attack. Its blade is the sharpest among any weapon, and a sword can also pick locks. So, without any further talk, let’s begin!”
The Scavenger twirled his sword, gesturing the children to do so too.
“This will help you get a grip on a sword,” he explained.
After about a couple of hours of perfecting the grip, he took them to the next level and asked them to swipe the sword through the air. The children practiced manoeuvring the sword through the air.
The exercises were painful. The Scavenger gave the children intermittent breaks so that they could tend to the numbing pain. Time flew quickly and, before they knew, it was evening.
The Scavenger said, “Okay. I think this is enough for today. I must say you are picking up really fast. Dinner is ready. Have a stomach full of meat. You deserve a good rest.”
The meat was very tasty. After the meal, the children rested.
The sword routine carried on for about seven weeks. The children progressed further day by day, learning tougher moves, getting a growing understanding of the sword and training hard. Exhausted, they would lay their weary heads on the pillows at night and drift off into deep slumber. The Scavenger brought tasty meals every day, and the children enjoyed the food a lot.
Their training involved handling two swords at a time. The children found the training with two swords far more exciting and enjoyable.
Each day was more stringent than the previous one. The children practiced strikes and cuts for hours until their arms ached.
After further weeks of training, the Scavenger organized live fights among the children. He noted their shortcomings and gave them feedback.
Finally, after about twelve weeks, he proudly addressed the children. “I am satisfied that you have trained very well. You are now some of the best warriors present here. The time has come for you to venture out into the Dark World.”
The children whooped, clapping each other’s backs.
“I may also tell you that soon you will get opportunities to awake some amazing powers within you.”
“Meaning?” asked Matt.
“Everyone in the Dark World has a power, minor or major. For example, I have the power to control the sky through magic. Let me demonstrate.”
The Scavenger led the children out of the cave. He closed his eyes and raised his hands. With a sudden thundering, the sky darkened. Then just as fast as it had happened, everything was silent again.
The children were dumbstruck.
“You are prophesied souls, dear children. You must be having unique powers as
