The devil's child

When a small town of humans in Arryig come across a different being they decide to kill it but completely underestimate the other being

The Sullivan tavern was busy that day. Men were having drunken arguments and they sang and danced on top of the tables. Ryla took a table at the back, far from any prying eyes. She wore a veil that covered her face and only ever looked up when absolutely necessary. Her kind wasn't welcome around these parts and she had no interest in stirring any trouble. The waitress, a rather short woman with a crooked nose and a belly that had consumed one too many pies, approached.

"What can I help you with?" the waitress asked before resting both hands on her large hips.

"I'll just have some water please" Ryla replied without looking up at the waitress.

"One water coming up" the waitress said as she walked away tossing her hips left and right. A walk that seemed to please the most drunk men in the tavern. Two boys came barging in the tavern. They were in their mid twenties, twins; Larry and chris. They were out of breath. Their clothes were torn and their faces were bruised. Larry had a claw like wound going from his cheek down to his neck.

"Levi!" they both called out repeatedly. The room's atmosphere changed almost immediately. People started whispering to each other, wondering what could have happened to the boys. 

"My boys!" the waitress shouted, terrified. She dropped the plates she was holding, letting them smash to pieces on the floor and ran to the boys' aid. "What happened to you?" she asked, wiping the blood of their faces with a cloth she had untucked from her side.

"Where is Levi Ma?" Larry asked

"In the back, Levi!!" she shouted. A tall man with bulging biceps and broad shoulders ducked into the main room of the tavern. He dried his hands on his dirty apron. 

"What is this all about now?" he asked letting his deep voice resonate through the room. He looked less than impressed at the boys injuries or at their crying mother, it was a regular occurrence and it was usually blown out of proportion by the three of them. "What troubles have you got yourself into this time?" Levi asked

"Don't you talk to your brothers like this, can't you see they were savagely attacked?!" the mother said

"Ma they always get into fights they can't win and then I end up fighting for them" Levi replied

"Go and help your brothers!" she shouted. The giant man murmured his disapproval before undoing his apron and throwing on the closest table. The apron fell over the drinks of some customers who did not dare complain about it.

The twins led Levi through town, trying to rush his pace by pulling on his arms. They arrived in the town square where a crowd was gathered around something. Even with his height, Levi couldn't see what was going on. The people were angry and threatening whatever was in the middle. The twins pushed through the crowd.

"He's here, move out the way!" They said as they led Levi to the source of the problem.

"Leave me alone!" the voice of child became clearer as they moved through the crowd "I just want to leave!" the boy shouted again

"Shut up you monster! you will die today! Burn him alive!" voice shouted here and there. Levi finally arrived at the centre. A vampire? he thought at first then remembered it was still daylight, then again some vampires were day walkers but that wasn't it, the young male, was not a vampire, he had pointy ears like an elf, red coloured eyes and fangs showed whenever he talked. Levi was taken with a sudden hate for the boy, an unjustified hate he had been taught from a young age.

"There it is brother, kill it!" Chris said

"You want to tell me that this little boy did this to you?" Levi asked

"Don't be fooled by his appearance, he's not a boy, that's the devil's child!" Larry said. That remark was met with agreement from the hateful crowd. An old man picked up a rock and threw it at the boy, the boy caught the rock  and threw it back at the old man's face. The old man fell unconscious to the floor.

"That's my dad you b*****d!" a man shouted. He ran to attack the red eyed boy. The boy jumped in the air, grabbed the man's head and kneed him in the face. The man fell unconscious not far from his father.

"You see brother! What kind of child knows how to do that?" Larry said, Levi raised his arms for the crowd to be quiet.

"What are you?" Levi asked

"What do you mean?" The boy asked

"Are you a vampire? an elf? What are you?" Levi asked

"I don't know... Why does it matters?" The boy said

"Because you're not welcome here!" Larry shouted

"I know what he is, he's a demon!" Chris shouted, the crowd joined the twins, insulting the boy too.

"Shut up!" Levi ordered them. they crowd went quiet

"I just want to go, please let me go" the boy begged

"We can't do that I'm afraid, I have to make an example out of you" Levi said

"I don't want to fight you" the boy replied

"You're not going to fight me, I will destroy you" Levi said, the crowed laughed at that.

"You must feel so big fighting me" the boy said

"You have a big mouth for such a small being" Levi said. The boy took a wider stance waiting for the giant Levi to make the first move. The crowed started cheering for Levi as he approached and towered over the boy. The boy ran to attack Levi but was kicked to the ground. He stood up painfully as his chest started to ache from the kick. Levi threw a punch but the boy dodged it, the boy could hear the wind as Levi's powerful fists passed inches off his face. The boy grabbed Levi's arm and jumped to his neck where he sank his long fangs, the crowed gasped in horror at the scene. Levi tried to get the boy off him by punching and trying to push his body away from him. The pain of being drained from his blood was unbearable, he screamed and struck at the boy to make him stop. Someone from the crowd through a rock at the boy, making him lose his grip and fall to the floor. Levi kicked the boy repeatedly until he was motionless, curved with his knees to his head.

"What did you do to me?" Levi asked with rage "Did you try to turn me into a monster like you?" the boy stayed quiet, on the floor, still motionless.

"Finish him" Larry said. He gave a hammer to Levi. The crowed was cheering for Levi, ignoring the fact that he was about to murder a child. Levi approached the boy slowly, is hammer raised, ready to give the final blow.

"Put it down now" a ladies voice said from behind Levi. He turned around to see who was talking to him. Ryla was standing there. Her eyes were full of rage and disgust. She walked pass Levi and attended to the boy. "It's going to be okay" she whispered to him. 

"So I'll get to kill two of you today" Levi said. The crowed started laughing. Ryla, with hands faster than they could see, threw knives all around her. They landed in the faces and throats of the people laughing in the first row, including Levi's brothers; Larry and Chris, they fell to their deaths instantly. The crowed dispersed in terror. They ran and pushed each other trying to escape Ryla's fury.

"No!" Levi screamed with agonising anger. He held on tight at the hammer as he walked briskly towards Ryla, ready to swing at her. She waited for him, looking unimpressed at his size or the weapon he was holding. He swung at her but she dodged the hit easily, he swung again and again without being able to even come close to touching her. "You're going to pay for what you've done!" Levi said. Ryla took her sword out.

"You're the one who'll pay" she said. Levi raised his hammer high up, but before he could strike down, she sank her sword in his chest. Levi fell to his knees. Ryla pull her sword out of his chest. Levi started coughing blood, he touched his chest with trembling hands and saw his blood running down to the ground. Ryla turned around to attend to the little boy but he was gone. He was behind Levi, he had picked up one of Ryla's knives and he used it to slit Levi's throat. She turned around to see the boy now towering over the giant man who was face down in a pool of his own blood.

"What's your name?" Ryla asked 

"Tion" the boy replied

"Are you alone?" she asked

"Yes" he replied, she tried to approach him but he took a few steps back.

"It's ok, I won't hurt you" she said, putting her sword away. "We're the same you and I" she said staring in his deep red eyes. He stared in hers too.

"What are we then?" He asked

"Dark elves, hasn't anyone ever told you?" she asked

"No... I've been alone for as long as I can remember" he said

"Arryig is not a safe place for you to roam alone" she said

"I was doing just fine... Until today... But they started it!" he said slightly raising his voice.

"Don't worry I know... Humans can be very ignorant" she said, she extended her hand to him "I suggest we leave now" Tion looked at her hand, not sure whether to take it or not.

"Where are we going?" he asked

"Somewhere safe, somewhere dark elves can call home" Ryla said. Tion grabbed her hand and they started running, running far away from that place.