The Guardians Of The Earth

[Hunting Rifle]

So, yeah, I'm kind of a critical person, so I abandoned the Daemon Hunter; Instead, I came up with this: An Armageddon scenario with nature turning against the human race. Enjoy.

Guardians Of The Earth

-Chapter 1-

It had gone wrong. Really, really wrong,

Forests cut down, oceans polluted and whole ecosystems brought down. Thousands of species, flora and fauna, extinct.

All by a single, weak-minded species.

The human race.

Worthless as animals, without claws, fur, or any special ability, their bodies had adapted to their consciousness, as if it was all they needed. At least their ancestors had tails and hands and feet that gave them an advantage in trees.

In need for resources, they had dug mines in the Earth, burned forests down and enslaved animals for meat and dairy.

But this was about to change drastically.

He had been thinking it over and over, considering every idea and weighing it against other ideas. But human civilization was way off course. So there was only one option left.
Destroy the entire human race.

Huddled together on a mossy branch, several vines wrapped around it, Storm mulled over his thoughts. He was sitting completely still, like a statue in the midst of the rainforest. Water covered the leaves and vines around, like dew.

His gray eyes flashed from one corner of his eye to another, scanning his surroundings. He stood up, his feet standing firmly on the slippery branch. He looked around one more time, smelling the soot in the air, before shooting of into the sky.

Flying trough the clouds at a speed much higher then sound, vapor streaming accros his face, he became thousands of kilometers closer to his goal every hour. He had no idea where his ‘friends' were, but generally speaking, it was a good idea to be as high as possible when trying to contact them. But it didn't work while flying, so Mt. Everest was the best choice.

He landed softly in the snow, atop of the highest place on the planet. He took a deep breath of cold, thin mountain air and focused his aura, sending out a telepathic message around the world. Strong presences of intense power flared up around him, connecting their minds with his. Fyria, the Spirit of Fire, Terron, the Spirit of Earth, Infrar and Ultrav, the Twin Spirits of Light, Aera, the Spirit of Air. They were all there. Come, my friends. There is something important to discuss.


-Two weeks later; The Netherlands-

‘The normal life in Haiti is slowly coming to a start. Most of the streets are cleared from the piles of rubble, but food and water are still a problem. A lot of emergency hospitals have been set up and most wounded people are treated, but it will take a long time before the population can start rebuilding their homes again.'

Emma sighed and turned off the TV. She still had to finish her homework; they had a history test tomorrow.
She still didn't speak much Dutch, but she was in a bilingual class, so most of the work was English anyway.

She still missed her friends in Florida very much, be she had been able to make some here, too. She didn't really like this country. The weather was cold, wet and miserable. But his father needed to move here for his work.

Somewhere in the distance, she heard a odd, cracking sound. She didn't pay much attention to it. But her dog, Gizmo, jumped up and started to howl. Emma raised her eyebrows. What was happening?

Gizmo started to tug at her jeans, walked to the stairs and back to her. Maybe he had heard a burglar, Emma realized. She took a large kitchen knife from the knife stand and walked up the stairs, led by Gizmo, as silently as she could. She looked in all of the chambers, but nobody was there. Gizmo put his front paws on the first step of the attic stairway. Firmly gripping the knife, she walked up the stairs, but at the attic, there was nothing either.

She frowned. Gizmo always knew when there was something wrong. Maybe the burglar had already fled?
Suddenly, she became aware of a weird, gushing sound, like waves out at sea. She turned on the lights and walked to the attic window.

Trough the window, she saw a gigantic wave crash down the streets, lifting cars and crushing houses in its path, coming towards her house, too.

Ha, they didn't see that coming. The Netherlands are a perfect prey for my aquatic disasters.

Water was suddenly all around Emma. It blinded her, wrapped her in darkness and she couldn't breath, she kicked her legs- air. She took deep breaths, looking around her. Gizmo was swimming somewhere near her. Good thing she had learned him how to. Slowly, the water level dropped. Emma now noticed that she was on the first floor; She had been washed down the stairs.

Images formed in her mind. The tsunami, the darkness. She ran to the window, almost slipping on the mud-filled floor. The streets were covered in water, car wrecks, everything was splattered with mud, houses had been destroyed. Armageddon. Holland's biggest fear had become reality. The dikes had ripped apart, leaving half of the country, which was below sea-level, to the mercy of the water.

My work here is done, Storm thought as he looked down at the small country, before disappearing into thin air.

 

[Secad MS]

Very, very intriguing. This reminds me a tad of a recent bio-thriller in which plants emit neurotoxins that urge people to commit suicide, but a better premise.

What exactly motivated nature to rebel, precisely? I mean, I know that the planet was mistreated, but did some deity say 'Be gone with you humans!'?

 

[Govesk]

Interesting. I would like to see further developments.

 

[Hunting Rifle]

Alrighty, the second part. It's a little vague, but everything will become more clear later.

-Chapter 2-

Chaos was suddenly the norm. The streets were covered in two feet of muddy water, with pieces of wood and debris floating in it. People waded their way trough the water, to escape from their destroyed houses and find safety. Mourning and crying came from all corners, along with sirens cutting trough the air.

Emma stood up. This had to be a nightmare. A really, really bad nightmare. But the smell of salt, the pain of the scratches and bruises all over her body and Gizmo's howling convinced Emma that it was real. She felt like she was going to faint.

Downstairs, everything was ruined. The floor covered in mud and water, furniture scattered trough the room. The walls were still holding, though. Although it didn't seem like it, Emma had been very lucky.

Suddenly, blind panic overwhelmed her. Dad. Emma's father worked in some music company's HQ. It was close by. She ran to the front door, finding it knocked out of its hinges. Followed by Gizmo, who barely reached above the water, she waded trough the high water, trough the streets leading to her Dad's office.

Horrible things were to be seen everywhere. Corpses floating, people mourning over lost family members, people trying to bring their crying kids to safety. A lot of houses had collapsed, and since it was night, a lot of people had been in them.

Emma heard helicopter blades overhead. She stopped and looked up. Had help arrived so soon? Although it was difficult to see in the dark, Emma could see a black helicopter with a ladder hanging from it and a person in a black suit and helmet hanging on to it.

The helicopter lowered, the ladder almost hitting the ground.
The person, along with another man, jumped off and grabbed her, dragging her up the ladder. Emma screamed and kicked, but the man was much stronger than her. The few people in the street looked at her confused, but they didn't do anything, either too busy with their own problems or not sure if it was safe. The other man grabbed Gizmo by his belly, making him unable to escape or bite.

They were brought into the helicopter, which immediately gained height at top speed. Emma didn't know what the hell was going on. The doors were closed and the man let go of her. ‘What the hell is going on?' Emma screamed.

One of the helmeted men, the skinniest one, removed his helmet, revealing that he was actually a she. Not only that, the woman had the exact same features as Emma- straight blond hair with blue eyes. A tear rolled from her eyes as she hugged Emma tightly. ‘Emma.' She said in a quavering voice. ‘How I have missed you.' In an instant, Emma recognized the voice.

‘Mom?'

-Empire State Building, NY-

In the cool breeze, a variety of young teenagers were sitting on the edge of the ‘skyscraper', as humans called it. Nobody said anything- they were conversating telepathically. I'm not sure, Storm. During my travels on the wind, I see that humans know the true meaning of love just as well as the magic population of this world does, Aera stated. I know that, Graceful Wind. But the facts are not to be ignored. This world is rapidly decreasing in health. Can't you notice that the air is polluted? Storm said.

I agree with Storm. Humans are drilling into the Earth to steal her minerals. If we don't do something, this world will be devastated. A third voice, more brusque and much lower. Thank you, Master Ground. Fiery Soul? The beautiful Goddess of Flame folded her hands behind her head, looking into the sky. I have no interest in the non-magical species, Sea Shadow, although discovering fire was their first step to civilization. Do what you want to do. Storm nodded. Lightning Twins? The two Spirits looked at each other and then at Storm in perfectly synchronized movements. Light does not take sides, but does not favor violence. Think before you do.

Well, I guess I can't stay behind. I'll help too, Aera sighed.

Excellent. Here's the plan…

 

[Hunting Rifle]

Ok, part three. Tell me if you like it. Also, I just noticed I write meters and kilometres instead of miles and feet. Should I change that?

-Chapter 3-

The world made so little sense at this moment.

What Emma's father had always told her was that her mother had disappeared when she was about five. The police had spent months searching for her, but she hadn't been found. It was feared that she was dead.

And yet, here she was, sitting opposite of her. After they had picked up Dad, who luckily had been able to escape to the roof, the helicopter had landed on a field near the German borders.
They had been led into a hidden building under the field.

Emma was holding a plastic cup of chocolate milk and several towels were wrapped around her. She was shivering, but not from the cold. Thoughts were swirling trough her head. She was delighted to see her mother- she had never really given up hope- but she was still in shock by the flood. She couldn't help but think about the probably millions of people who had lost their lives.

Her mother had been looking at her without saying anything for an hour now. But Emma could read her emotions in her eyes. It was an ability she had had her whole life. Mom was glad that she was safe and surprised by how much she had grown.

It was Emma who spoke first. Someone needed to break the silence, ‘Mom. What is this place? And who are your teammates? And why did you disappear?' Mom sighed.
‘It's very complicated, Emma. I'm not sure if you can handle it.'
‘After the flood, I can handle anything.' She reflected. She knew it was true. Anyone who would look into her eyes in the future would know see that those eyes had seen too much.

Her Mom sighed again. ‘Alright then. Follow me.' Both Emma and Gizmo, who was still a little wet, stood up. Dad kept sitting. ‘Aren't you coming, Dad?' Emma asked. Dad shook his head. ‘Your mother told me enough to make me sure I don't want to see it.' ‘You mean you knew that Mum was alive?' Emma gasped. Dad took a deep breath. ‘Yes, I did.' He said.

‘I'm really sorry I didn't tell you, but your mother wanted me to keep it silent.' Emma looked back at Mom. ‘It's true, Emma. If you would have heard it, you'd think Dad was lying and you'd get angry. You wouldn't have believed it.' Emma sighed. This was getting weirder and weirder.

Mom took them trough a metal door set into the black stone which the building was made of. It was pitch-black in there. ‘Mom?' Emma asked. ‘Light!' Mom said. The lights went on and Emma could take a look around.

There were standing in a large dome. Several large paintings covered the wall. They looked like characters from a fantasy book; elf-like, with several weapons and each with their own vivid clothing styles.

The first painting featured a young boy. He was holding a beautifully decorated blue bow. A marine cape hung from his shoulders, waving in the wind. He was surrounded by fierce waves and the sky above him was filled with dark clouds.
His mouth formed a cruel smile.

In the second painting was a girl of the same age. She was exceptionally pretty and she seemed to emanate power. Her expression was serious and even a little snobby. Her surroundings consisted out of fierce flames, and she was dressed in a red silk dress. She was holding a flaming red katana.

In the third, a girl was floating in mid-air, a tornado swirling around her. Her face was kind and warm. She was wearing a white toga lined with sparkling silver lines. In her hands were decorated silver discs with sharp spikes that looked like giant ninja stars.

A boy stood in the fourth. His body was very muscled and he wore spike collars around his wrists and ankles. Green armor plates covered his body and two big axes were in his hands. His face was brusque and rough, like it was hewn from rock. He looked very aggressive. He was standing amidst three pillars made of piles of rocks.

The last painting looked much better. Two boys with blonde hair were standing back to back on a field, with showers of sunlight breaking trough the clouds around them. But both of their expressions were emotionless and serious. Two identical golden staffs with a large diamond orb on top were in their hands. They wore light brown satin robes around their thin bodies.

Emma noticed that her mother was standing next to her. ‘Who are they?' Emma asked her. Mom's eyes narrowed. ‘Our enemies.' She said. She pointed at the paintings. ‘The first one is Storm, the Spirit of Water. He's a sharpshooter and the most dangerous of them all. The second one is Fyria, the Spirit of Fire. She's a destructive spirit, who thinks humans are nothing more then beasts. The third one is Aera, the Spirit of Air. She has a kind nature but she's a very dangerous enemy. The fourth is Terron, Spirit of Earth. He's aggressive and though, but fairly slow. The last ones are Infrar and Ultrav, the Twin Spirits of Light. They don't really care about anything, but they're quick and formidable foes.'

Emma wondered why Mom spoke of them as if they truly existed. ‘But who are they?' Mom faced her. ‘Are you religious, Emma?' Emma was a little surprised by the sudden question. ‘No, why?' Mom looked at the paintings again. ‘Well, gods do actually exist. But not the way the big religions think. These teenagers-‘ She pointed at the paintings again. ‘Are deities. Gods of Nature.' ‘Wait-what?' Emma exclaimed. ‘I told you that you wouldn't believe it.' Mom sighed. ‘Of course not! It doesn't make any sense!' Emma said. ‘Have you ever wondered how nature works, Emma?' Mom said. ‘How trees know what they should look like and how to grow? How fruit trees know what tastes animals like? How animals know how to evolve hair against the cold and limbs that come in handy in their surroundings? How instinct works?' ‘Of course, but what does that have to do with… them?' Emma said, gesturing to the paintings.

‘They are the essences of nature. They each represent a certain element.' Mom said. ‘You know the saying that every myth has a core of truth? It's a fact.' She sighed. ‘Dragon's, elves, trolls, they're all myths, but there is a core of truth. They do actually exist, only in different ways then humans think.' She led Emma to another metal door. Behind it was a large chamber, dark as the first room had been. ‘Light one!' Mom called out.
A spotlight went on. Under it was a giant cage. It was occupied by a large scaly creature that Emma immediately recognized as a dragon.

The dragon seemed to be asleep. ‘This is a true dragon, Emma. Take a good look at it.' The dragon was brown and covered in large scales. It was about as big as a minivan. It had talons on his wings and head. ‘How is this possible?' Emma whispered. That nobody in the world knows this?' ‘They are shy creatures, Emma. They usually stay away from populated areas. Any humans they do see, they rip apart most of the times.' Mom said. ‘You're looking at the best predator in the world, Emma. They are able to fly at great speeds and heights. Their talons can be used to engrave diamonds. They have enormous muscle power. And above all, it's stomach produces flammable gases. During it's whole life, it eats as much firestones as it can. The stomach juice turns the firestone into a liquid we call firos, which is directed into two hollow bones in the mouth cavity by special veins, where it sets and turns back into firestone. By rubbing the firestone bones together it produces sparks to ignite the gasses. In that way, it breathes fire.'

Emma was too stunned to react. She had witnessed a giant flood and seen a live dragon on the same day! ‘Are you alright?' Mom said with a worried voice. ‘I'm alright… just overwhelmed, that's all.' Mom laughed. ‘You should've seen my expression when I found out. I've got some more things to show you and then you can go to bed. Light two!' Another spotlight went on.
Under it was a quite smaller cage, with a young girl sitting in it, Emma saw to her dismay. But then she noticed the girl's pointed ears. An elf! The girl hissed at them, showing exceptionally big canine teeth. ‘Ah, the elf species. They're usually a lot more graceful then this.' Mom said.

‘This is a real elf. They're very human when it comes to appearance, except for their ears, of course. They are far stronger, faster and more agile then any human. Also, they're very advanced. Our advantage is that they don't have any advanced weapons, for they are a peaceful race.'
Emma saw tears on the elf's cheeks. ‘Why is she locked up?' Emma asked. ‘Well, we abducted her when she was a toddler. We tried to raise her as a normal child. We sent her to school, telling her that her ears were a genetical defect and that her advantages she had during sports class was a talent. We tried to make sure that she never heard anything about elves; we made sure she never read about them in books or on the Internet and we even made one of our members her teacher. But eventually, she found out.' Mom said.

‘She went ravenous, trying to kill us whenever possible. Not only that, her body adapted to it. She grew talons-‘ She pointed at the elf's unusually long and sharp nails. ‘And canine tooth. It's one of the special abilities that elves have. They can adapt to any situation in a matter of weeks. If you think of their brain as a computer, you could say that they clear their hard disk, their genes, and refill it with the things they need. In that way, they can become extra strong, dangerous, beautiful or tall, or whatever they want to. And they can do it over and over. It costs a lot of energy though, and they need to eat well.' Mom looked at the elf with pity. ‘But don't worry, we're feeding her well and we're not hurting her in any way. We are trying to find something that will erase her memories so she will return to her normal form using a genetic back-up. We'll then give her back to the elves.' She sighed yet again. ‘The elves are not our enemy's but no allies either. We just leave each other alone until we have a reason not to. And that might be sooner then we expected.'

Mom also showed Emma other creatures, including a troll and a bat-man. The troll, according to her, was another humanoid species. ‘We even share ancestors. The trolls evolved from antrophoid apes just as we do. But instead of developing sentience, they became very muscular and strong. Even a young troll can beat the shit out of any professional wrestler.' The bat-man scared Emma. They looked like chimpanzees with a brown fur and giant ears and wings. ‘We think they originated from the first mammals, probably the first lemurs. Over time they evolved skin under their arms to help them glide to faraway branches. Those wings eventually came loose from their arms but stayed connected to their shoulders, creating wings. Those wings became bigger with their bodies.'

When all of the creatures had been introduced, Mom led Emma to a room with a bed, a closet and a toilet room. ‘It's a little bald now, but we'll change that later. We can always buy more furniture. I guess this'll be your house for the coming time. You should get some rest now.' She kissed Emma on her cheek. ‘Goodnight, sweetheart.' She said before she left the room. It was the same thing she had always said when Emma was young.




-That night-

The cave was big beyond belief. So big that the sound of Terron's footsteps didn't even echo, just disappeared into the dark. Terron didn't need any light. Rock was everywhere around him, and he could feel what was in his path. Not that the evaded the big piles of rocks that occasionally blocked his way- he just smashed right trough them.

Terron had known this cave for years. It was one of the biggest in the world and yet the humans hadn't discovered it yet. It lay under the coast of Chili. It had caused a lot of earthquakes over time, becoming gradually smaller with every quake. Because it was at the center of three plates, the Antarctic plate, the Nazca plate and the South American plate, it was a perfect target for him.

He concentrated on the rock around him, trying to find the perfect spot. The best candidate was thirty kilometers away. It would take to long to walk there, so he just teleported.

He arrived perfectly. There were several dents and cracks in the rock here. He concentrated on the rocks and unleashed his energy, making the ground shake harder and harder…

…While Fyria swam trough the magma. She had teleported into the magma deep below the Vesuvius. The heat didn't harm her in any way. Fyria liked swimming trough magma; it was like swimming in a giant bathtub without getting wet. Luckily, she didn't need to breath, because that would have been a problem.

She swam until she had reached the middle of the magma chamber. There, she concentrated on the magma. She upped the pressure and called upon more and more magma from below the earth, until the volcano couldn't take it anymore and erupted…

…Just as Aera and Storm had arrived at the North Pacific Ocean. Aera's idea had been to launch a hurricane from the North Pacific towards the Filipinos and China. But since hurricanes were a combination between both water and wind, Aera had asked Storm to come with her to help her with the water.

In reality, Aera didn't need any help. Sure, it would be easier with Storm, but that had not been the real reason. Spirits often wandered trough the world. Terron loved burrowing under the ground; he had once crossed the Antarctic plate just for fun. Aera loved flying on the winds, often staying airborne for days.
During her flights, Aera had enough time to think about anything. The last time, however, most of her thoughts had been of Storm.

A Spirit, being the most important deity on a planet, often didn't like being in crowds. A lot of elves- and daemons, too- would give anything to have a relationship with a Spirit. It would make him or her famous. But there wouldn't be any real love. There were only two female Spirits and four male, so Aera had four candidates. Terron didn't have a chance- He wasn't cute in any way and too brutal of nature, too. Infrar and Ultrav were much cuter, but they were like statues. So that only left Storm. He was perfect in Aera's opinion. Water was soft and free to move in any direction, like air. Storm was a silent type, and even though he looked like it, he wasn't cruel. Just very protective. He did what he had to do. And he hated humans, which he had every right to.

They were floating several hundred meters above the sea. Aera faced Storm. ‘Ready?' she asked him. He nodded. They joined each other's hands and closed their eyes. They started swirling around in place, going faster and faster. Both started emanating colored rays; their auras. Storm's was a strong, dark marine colour, while Aera's was a soft gray.

The air started swirling along with them. Water vapor started filling the air, forming the beginnings of a hurricane. More vapor filled the air around them every second while the air speed increased equally. Soon, they were surrounded by a large tube of water. Clouds were drawn to it and the top part grew wider while the winds speeds still increased. Never had a hurricane been made so fast. Storm's and Aera's aura's were overlapping now, strengthening the hurricane even more. Then both directed their powers to the East. The hurricane started moving and they teleported out of the eye, still holding each other's hands.

This had been why Aera had asked him to come with her. When their aura's had overlapped, she had read his aura and compared it to hers. They fitted together more then she had dared to expect. Aera was sure their love was meant to be now. She drew him closer. ‘You're very strong, Storm.' She said. It was the truth. He smiled. ‘Thank you, Graceful Wind. Your powers are not to underestimated either.' They both stared in each other's eyes. Then, on instinct, they kissed.