AFIRE: fight for the Earth begins✓

16.5 ZURI

***warning - violence, blood, death***

The story so far:

---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija witnesses a strange event one night – light emanating from Rez's body. The kidnapper is after her soul, next, but he leaves her alive and goes away. Another man finds her, he wants to take her somewhere else - Aija though wary of him agrees. Aija learns of the existence of the aliens – the Ytai. Also, about the R'ies and H'eon, Harvesting and Àvo from Etrie. Etrie tells her that the man, who Harvested Rez (Thieron), will now go after her. He tells her that the spy/kidnapper's name is Luka. Etrie asks her to work along with him. Aija agrees to work along with Etrie on Harvest Stopping Missions.

---- Zuri is back at her hometown. She tells Alex why it's important to do well at school - so that they can both live at Innermost and bring their parents there too. Zuri meets with her friends. She admits that she likes someone - a girl. Her friend Amyas tells her that he likes her.

---- Aija invites Zuri on a Harvest Stopping Mission. Zuri agrees to go and leaves her hometown earlier than intended. Zuri is picked up by Kuna, Etrie's partner. He tells that Etrie will erase her memories.

---- Kuna and Zuri reach the place and meet up with Aija, Etrie, and Maya. The Harvesters come and attack them. One Ytai attacks her.

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****16.5 - Zuri****

***warning - violence, blood, death***

Zuri screamed, surprise taking over her. 

The Ytai tried to grab her blade, but she kicked him backward, he staggered back but regained his composure in a second. He lunged for her again as if she just hadn't kicked him with all her force. She simply held out her blade at the very last minute. It pierced him in the chest, and he stared at her in shock. Zuri let go of the blade. She hadn't foreseen that either.

The Ytai pulled the blade out of his chest slowly. She looked on in horror as he threw her blade back at her as if she'd struck him with nothing but a blunt toy; it landed at her feet.

"Not enough," he told her in accented CommLang, smiling as if he hadn't been struck by the blade; like it didn't hurt at all. "Try harder, you filthy human."

Zuri felt her heart pounding against her ribs as she picked up her blade.

"Scared?" he asked, grinning, closing in on her.

Zuri hadn't been prepared for this. She jumped at him, blade clutched tightly in her hand. She struck him, but he just moved to the side, avoiding the blade by a significant distance. She turned around and struck again; her surprise turned to anger with each strike she took at him. But each time she failed, and she realized she was stupid to have thought she could take on a Ytai.

The Ytai deflected her strikes, and he kicked her in the gut. She lost her balance as the pain blazed through her, and she fell to the ground.

"Had enough?" the Ytai taunted a creepy smile lacing his lips.

Zuri flinched, getting up. She was Zuri King; the Kings never gave up. No way.

She ran to him and jumped to kick him. The Ytai caught hold of her leg, pulled her to himself, and punched her hard across the face.

"Zuri!" she heard Aija's voice at the same time she felt the pain.

Zuri fell to the ground again; her tears pricked her eyes. Something was broken – either her nose or her jaw. She wasn't sure which of it was broken or perhaps both. The pain blinded her vision for a moment. She put her hand to her face, and when she was able to see again, she saw blood.