By Bone and Blood
A Short Story
By Kenz Brewer
Set in The VTL-UAF WAR
The fire burned as it rippled from my exposed hand, scorching the wild beast and sending it to the ground, writhing in pain. I turned and saw several other wild beasts, their teeth exposed and their eyes intense. I said nothing as I raised my hand and released a volt of black magic, sending the beasts into a retreat, their tails hanging between their legs. I step towards them, holding another blast of black energy in my fist, ready to release it. The small, fur-coated beasts decided collectively to flee, turning to run.
Before they could all escape, I shot a blast of lighting into one, stopping its heart. I stepped over to it and placed my palm against its chest, taking a deep breath and zapping it again, restoring its heartbeat. It snapped, knocking onto my back and snarling. I held it from ripping out my throat by mere millimeters, rolling onto my side and restraining it with shards of earth. I stared at the beast, its maw was still howling for my blood.
"You and your pack are vicious," I said to the fur-coated monster, smiling somewhat and taking out my notebook. I sketched it and wrote down the different characteristics of the agile being. I waited a few seconds and backed up before releasing it from its binds, only for it to leap out a nearby window and take off. I sat down and looked around at my surroundings.
Before I had entered the jungle-ridden city, I had found a sign that read "Chicago", so I figured such a name would be appropriate. I had journeyed for several days, looking around the rubble for meanings and for information. It didn't matter, as I could never return home, but I figured that if they found my corpse, they would find my notebook as well.
I looked around the room, seeing a bird fly into the window and perch, looking at me as I looked at it. I smiled simply and nodded to the aerial rodent, standing and pulling up my cloak. I walked over to the door and watched as the bird flew away. I entered a room where it was nothing but pure darkness, with no hints of light with the exception of the different marks that I was wearing on my chest, a sigil of my finesse in combat and with dueling other mages at The White Sun. I walked along the darkened room, releasing small bursts of fire occasionally to get a sense of direction.
I heard it early. Footsteps. They were running and they were wearing cloth on their feet. I swung myself around and released a wave of fire into the air, exposing multiple eyes that were hidden in the dark. I ignited my hand in pure flame and I stared at the only pair of eyes I could see.
"Do you speak New English?" I growled, aiming the flame at him.
"I speak English, I don't know about New English." He snapped back holding up a primitive rifle.
Through exposed teeth, I snarled, "Lower your rifle and let us walk to a place where I can see, I have no issue with exterminating your tribe. After a tense moment, he lowered his rusted rifle and he flicked a switch, exposing at least fifty others, one with the barrel of their rifle at the back of my head.
"What are you doing here?" he demanded, staring at me intensely.
"I was exiled from my home in The Royal Land, to come here and study life and death."
"What is the Royal Land?" he questioned.
"A land far away, called Europe by the Ancients. His Majesty, The Emperor, rules over the land with grace and mercy," I stated. "We are in an eternal war with the United Asian Front, which is a mixture of lands formerly known as Asia."
"We have no love of tyrants." The Leader stated and I smiled somewhat at his response.
"A distaste for leadership rarely comes from a distraught leader." I quipped and he looked at me confused. Suddenly, there was a howl and the tribes' men all turned looking at the lowering sun.
