The Knights of The Sun and Moon

Seagulls chirp in the fresh morning air and pick at crabs in the sand as they come ashore. A wobbly Dru, in now dried nightclothes, leans against a rock for support while the fuzz clears from his head. He looks back at the water, no signs of anyone else.
“Hello!” He yells in hopes to hear a voice calling back to him but there’s nothing, only silence.
Puffy gray clouds hang heavy in the sky, overcast, no rain thankfully, and the cool spring air blows gently across the beach. Not too far in the distance is the treeline, a forest of tall pines lay sprawled out before him but he doesn’t move from his rock. Leaving the others behind is not something he wants to do and even if he did wander off, he wouldn’t even know where to go without the wayfinder so he stands in the sand, barefoot, ripped clothes, bruised, and sliced.
“Dru!” A voice calls out from across the beach. Erikk waves him down. He’s in the same situation as Dru, bruised and beaten to a pulp from the waves.
Dru takes off in a sprint, his wobbly legs becoming stronger, filling him with adrenaline. For a second, he thought he might’ve been the only person that made it through the crash. He pulls Erikk into a hug then examines him.
“Erikk, your eye.” Dru rubs his thumb across the purple and yellowish bruise under Erikk’s eye. “Are you okay?”
Erikk winces, he pulls away. “I’m fine. Are we the only ones?”
Dru sighs, “You’re the only other person I’ve seen so far, Erikk.”
“Should we search for them?” Erikk asks with a hint of fear in his voice.
“I wouldn’t even know where to start. I haven’t traveled beyond the beach and we are weaponless.”
“We have powers, Dru. We do not need weapons.”
Dru takes a seat in the sand, “My powers are channeled through my sword. Without it I feel…useless.”
Erikk drops to his knees beside Dru and lays a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “We’ll find your sword.”
“Hey!” A voice calls out from the treeline. It’s Solara and Ansessa emerging from beyond the forest.
There’s a moment of celebration. Dru and Erikk leap to their feet while the two women sprint toward them. They collapse into a group hug, each happy to see the other. They all look like they’ve gone four rounds in Harthorne Kingdom’s hand to hand arena.
“What of the Captain?” Erikk asks as the group separates.
“His body lay dead in the woods. We buried him not far from here.” Anessa says with somber across her face.
“What now?” Solara asks. “I don’t know how we’re to find Eco-Taj without the wayfinder.”
“We should get our bearings first, I’ll go start a fire.” Dru heads off to collect firewood.
“Do you think anyone knows the ship sank?” Anessa asks, her arms crossed, watching the waves as they lap against the shore.
“How would they know?” Solara slumps down with a deep sigh. “If any of us had an Astoris on us, they’re at the bottom of the ocean now. So no talking to anyone from back home…”
“I have mine.” Anessa takes the circular golden earpiece off the side of her head and rubs her finger across it but it doesn’t work, there’s no holographic interface projecting from it and no way to call others. “It’s busted.” She sighs.
Erikk walks over to Dru to get his mind on other things. He's piling wood into a stack in the middle of the sand, close to the water just in case things get out of hand.
“Need any help?” Erikk asks.
Dru flashes him a smile, “I think I’m okay, but thanks for asking.” He tucks his damp hair behind his ears then rubs his hands together. Dru closes his eyes and a small flame hovers above his index finger. “Stand back.”
“You’ll be okay.” Erikk moves back a little and watches close.
The flame vanishes, blown away by a small gust of wind. “Shit.” Dru says under his breath. He trembles and tears fill his eyes, but he blinks them away. He can’t get the flame to come back and suddenly he remembers what happened long ago when he used his powers. He caught the curtains on fire and almost completely burned down the house.
“Dru,” Erikk grabs his hand and pulls it close to him. “Let me.” He puts his index and middle finger together then shoots a flame at the pile of wood, starting a roaring fire.
Dru sighs, “I wish I wasn’t such an idiot. I feel like I don’t have control over my powers without my sword.”
“You aren’t an idiot. Hopefully this man that’s supposed to train us will help you grow your abilities so you don’t need to rely on a weapon.”
“Watch out!” Solara yells. She leaps beside the two and uses the water beside them to block a fireball headed straight toward them. The blast bursts the water shield, sending it splashing to the ground and Solara flung into the sand.
Not far down the beach is a group of people, a few on horses and the rest planted firmly in the sand. They look like a militia of some sort and they’re all equipped with a sharp blade attached at the hip. Erikk and Dru pull Solara up and onto her feet. The militia slowly start moving closer to them.
“Who are you?” Anessa calls out but they don’t respond back. Their faces are blank, no emotion, not even the twitch of an eye. “I won’t ask again!” Anessa reaches for her bladed war fans but they aren’t attached to her side. They’re probably long gone, gobbled up by fish.
The ground under her begins to shake and a large rock pillar shoots up, almost crashing into her. She rolls out of the way then jumps back to her feet with a scowl.
A man steps forward, dressed differently but not by much, just enough to show that he’s more official than the others.
“You are new to our lands.” He says, his voice booms over the crashing waves.
“We are passing though.” Erikk examines each person, plotting his next move.
“You need to turn back, it is not safe here.”
“We know the dangers. You and your group seem to be one of them.”
The man grins. “We can play a very dangerous game, my boy. If that is what you please.” He turns around, walking off through his group that part with each step he takes between them. He waves his arm at the back of the pack.
“Get ready,” Dru says with a whisper. “They’re going to attack.”
“I can handle this.” Solara says, fists balled at her sides.
Erikk grabs her shoulder, “No, not alone. That fireball almost took you out.”
Two balls of fire launch into the air, break apart in the sky, then come down in a rain of heat and flames.
Solara and Erikk reach for the ocean water and quickly fortify themselves behind a shield of moving liquid. The blast cascades their fortress in a wave of deep red and orange. They dig deep into the sand, holding strong as sweat pours from their foreheads.
“Now, Solara!” The shield dissipates, extinguishing the fire. The two send a fast moving wave of salt water directly at the group, knocking them from their horses. They’re suddenly trapped in a bubble then tossed out into the water.
Erikk and Solara high-five. “Good work.” She yelps in excitement.
“I don’t believe it’s over yet.” Erikk points in the distance at the group’s leader. He’s fuming with anger, embarrassed that half his men are now floating out in the open ocean.
The man walks forward, a look of disdain plastered across his pale, unshaven face. His fists, both clenched so tight, his knuckles become white. His chest pumps slow, then speeds up as his brows furrow and he raises his chin to the sky, letting out a loud roar followed by a large plume of deep blue flames. The man’s throat glows with the intense fire flowing through it. Erikk and the others watch in horror. They’ve never seen something so crazy, or power so strong that it vibrates the very ground beneath their feet. Solara shoots a ball of water but the flames evaporate it almost immediately.
The fire begins to lower, the intensity quickly decreasing as the flames suck back into his throat. He coughs, clutching his neck.
“W-what…what are you doing to me?” He asks in a panic, falling to his knees in the sand.
“What’s happening to him?” Anessa looks to the others for answers but no one has a single clue until an older man steps out from the treeline. His hands are raised, veins protruding from his arms. With his teeth clenched, he does a tying motion in the air and the man crippled in fear coughs his last puff of smoke before falling face first into the sand…dead.
“Are you all okay?” He runs his hands through his short black hair. He turns to the treeline and waves. A few others walk out onto the beach with horses.
“How’d you do that?” Dru asks, looking back at the body in the sand.
“It’s something you’ll learn from Hanzo.” He extends his hand to Dru and the two greet each other with a shake. “I’m Sho Okada.” He bows to the others.
“You’re from Eco-Taj?” Erikk steps forward and Sho nods slightly.
“Your things have washed ashore not too far from here. We’ll collect them while you all head inland. Hanzo will meet you there so you can get settled in.”
“Let’s get off this vile beach…” Anessa huffs.