© Ethan A. Blanca 2018
Print ISBN: 978-1-54394-527-0
eBook ISBN: 978-1-54394-528-7
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
A Seemingly Normal Day
Ron’s New Fate
A New World?
Ron’s Journey
The Weird and Mysterious Human
David’s New Fate
Ron’s New Power Realized
The Demon’s Darkness
Nearing the City of Elves
David’s Struggle
The Elves’ City of Malros
The Demon Arena
The Wise Men of Old
Nikud’s Battle with a Cadon
Ron’s Training
The Great Arena Minotaur
Ron Prepares for War
The Truth of Ron’s Sword
The Darkness of David
Journey to the Blood Forest
Hamon and Nikud
The Clan of the Felions
Ron’s Duel with the Felions
A Strange Turn of Events
Demons’ Advance
Acknowledgments
A month before I even started the sloppy, unedited story idea that became, “Amarian,” there were three, young teenage boys sitting in a small tent late at night trying to pass the time. Besides myself, the other two were one of my best friends since I was a kid, Samual Chacon, and my brother, Elias Blanca. Since we couldn’t fall asleep (for various reasons), we decided to play the one sentence story game. Basically, one person would say one sentence, then another person would continue the story with another sentence.
Long story short, this wacky, random story idea somehow inspired me to write the version of the story you are about to read. So, by that logic, there are technically three authors of the book.
I also want to thank all the people who listened to the horribly unedited versions the book has been through. I especially want to thank everyone in art class period three. They were the first group to listen to the whole thing. Again, I apologize for the terrible grammar.
Of course, I want to thank my family. Without their support you would never read these words. They were especially helpful with all the details involving the actual publishing of the book.
And last, but certainly not least, I want to thank my editor, Sandy Armstrong. Without her this book would surely contain an abundance of mistakes. She is such a selfless person, helping fellow students and me with many subjects besides writing.
Author’s Notes
The story you are about to read is from a teenager’s imagination. Keeping that thought in mind, this is also the first book published by said teenager. Personally, whether or not this book gets even a slight bit of popularity, I still plan on writing the entire series. If you are one to stick with something for the long haul, I would be honored if you gave the Amarian series a chance. My skill as a writer will only grow from this experience.
Chapter One
A Seemingly Normal Day
My ears are ringing. My eyes are blurry. I can’t hear myself speak. Wait... am I talking? Oh, I’m not... who is?
“Ron, Ron! Get up!” a familiar voice calls out.
“Who is it?” I ask.
Again, I hear a voice. “Ron, Ron wake up!”
I jolt out of my seat, covered in a cold sweat. “Mmm, must have been that dream again,” I think to myself.
“Ron, are you ok?”
I slowly nod my head. “Yeah, yeah, David, I’m fine.”
“You have that dream again?” David asks.
A sigh escapes my mouth. “It’s hard to forget the past,” I mutter under my breath.
“Yeah, hard to forget, boss,” David agrees.
“Boss, huh? I haven’t had the luxury to be called that in a while,” I remark with a chuckle.
“You were a good one, Ron.” An awkward silence creeps into the car. “Um, hey, I think we’re almost there!” David finally blurts out.
I don’t reply--too deep in memories. “When was the last time we went hunting together?”
“Too long.... too long,” David says with a smile.
As we continue along the road, we suddenly spot a cloaked man walking in the distance. “That’s strange--are there any houses nearby?” I ask.
“Not that I know of,” David ponders with a confused look. He pulls over to speak with the man. “Are you ok, sir?”
“Oh, um, thank you... I’m fine,” the man mumbles.
“Are you sure? You need a ride or something?” I offer.
The man turns down the request, insisting that he would rather walk.
“His choice”, I think to myself. I guess he wants his exercise, but by the look of his skin, he’s been burnt to a crisp.
Continuing along the road, we finally reach our destination, the hunting grounds. “Remember when the whole group went hunting with us?” David asks.
“You better believe it! Those were the days!” I say as I get my hunting rifle ready and place my knife in my boot. Once everything is set, we head out. “Man, I haven’t had the opportunity to do this in a while,” I think as I tread the tall grass.
The morning breeze moves my hair as I advance through the forest. The dew on the tall grass shines in the early rays of the sun. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I feel more alive when I’m out here hunting in the vast forests of the desert outskirts.
David scouts ahead, the way he did back then. After a little while, he spots a deer and silently signals me of its presence.
I nod as I take a vantage point. I aim my scopes at the signaled location. Sure enough, there is a deer, grazing upon the young, green grass. I adjust my scopes for the perfect shot. I breathe at a controlled pace. This always seemed to help me focus back in the day. “Nothing personal,” I mutter as I fire my rifle. A clean shot echoes throughout the forest and plains.
“Nice shot as always, Ron!” David exclaims as he weaves through the tall grass to collect the carcass.
“Mmm, guess I still got it,” I murmur to myself.
Throughout the day, we continue to hunt. Unfortunately for us, the remaining deer are more fortunate than their fallen friend. Eventually, we call it a day and set up camp. I cook up some venison. Though we only managed to kill one deer, its meat is more than enough for the both of us.
“You never cease to amaze me with your cooking skills, Ron!” David remarks through bites.
“It’s nothing, really--I grew up eating food like this!” I explain, holding my hand up in honor.
“Scarlet taught you well,” David compliments.
“Mmm, yeah, she did,” I mumble.
“Well, that venison was prepared so well, it’s making me sleepy. I think I’ll hit the hay, Ron,” David finally says through a yawn.
“All right, buddy, I guess I’ll go to bed too.”
We make our way to our tent. Though it’s a little cramped, we don’t mind. We’re used to it. I mean, compared to a trench, this is a luxury. David falls asleep first, but as I shut my tired eyes, I soon follow.
Suddenly, we awaken to an eerie noise. It sounds close. Grabbing my rifle, I hastily exit our tent, David at my heels. A figure races toward us. “Who are you!?” I shout. “Wait, is that the man that we saw on the road? What is he doing here?” I ask myself as I head toward the man. “What’s going on? Are
you ok?” I ask.
As I speak, the man’s cloak shifts in the cold wind of the night, revealing a wound at his side. The man collapses as I rush to support him. I call to David for assistance. David rushes over and supports one side of the man, as I support the other. “Damn, he’s heavy,” I mumble.
“What’s your na-...” David begins to ask.
The man answers by shouting, “B-be-behind you!”
David and I turn to find a pair of hideous claws at our faces.
“What the hell is that?!” David exclaims as we both dodge the attack, dropping the man in the process.
The man lets out a quiet groan, struggling to get up. Looking up, we witness a dark-haired creature looking down upon us. Its eyes burn with something I can only describe as pure hatred.
Suddenly, the dark figure is atop the cloaked man. Before it can do anything, the man’s hands suddenly light up, as if on fire. He punches the monster, though after a split second, it is again upon him. The man tries to punch it again, only this time the demon grabs the man’s hand.
Before the evil being can attack, David punches it. “I don’t care what the hell you are, you aren’t killing this man!” David shouts, grabbing its arm.
As David wrestles with the dark monster, I bolt for my gun, which slipped from my shoulder when the creature attacked us. Though David is pretty strong, the dark-haired figure easily flings him off, as if he were a leaf in the wind.
Just seconds before I can retrieve my rifle, the creature suddenly appears behind me, grabbing my leg before I can reach my gun. “Damn, it looks like you want the painful method,” I taunt as I slip the knife from my boot, slicing its fingers.
However, the demon doesn’t let go of my leg. A dreadful scream comes from its mouth. Enraged, the evil figure cuts my right arm with one of its long, sharp nails. I scream in pain. Damn, that hurt. “You’re messing with the wrong Amarians!” I yell as I punch it with my freshly cut arm.
The creature barely flinches at my punch, but it doesn’t attack. Suddenly, an eerie voice comes from its mouth. “What kind of human are you? You have a strong fighter’s spirit!” it exclaims.
“You mean “we” have a fighter’s spirit!” I exclaim as David tackles the monster, releasing me of its hard grip.
“Ha, what do you know! You were right!” the shadow-like creature taunts as it suddenly disappears from David’s hold.
“What the-” David shouts as the being appears behind him, slicing his back with its claw. Cringing, David falls to the ground. It hovers above David, as if it were an angel of death.
“David!” I scream, unable to do anything but watch.
Suddenly, the demon glances up. It seems frightened. It peers into the darkness of the forest as though it heard something. I take this chance to crawl to David, who is unable to move because of shock. As I’m crawling, however, vines suddenly shoot at our attacker from the darkness of the forest. Some pierce the skin of the creature. Instead of continuing to fight, the dark figure grabs David and flees into the pitch black of the forest.
I stand and try to chase it with my gun, now in hand. I’m able to take a few steps but stop mid-stride. I can’t move...is it the wound? Struggling to stay upright, I suddenly collapse. “Damn it! That wound that thing gave me stings like hell. It’s as if its claws were covered in poison,” I mutter with a tired breath. As I struggle to keep my eyes open, I glimpse a greenish figure seemingly glide out from the darkness. “Is this really the end?” I think to myself. Unfortunately, before I can utter anything to the figure, I completely black out.
Chapter Two
Ron’s New Fate
“Where am I?” I wonder, surveying the bloody scene before me. As I gaze, my left eye suddenly becomes blurry. “What’s in it? Blood?!” I yell as I raise my left hand to my now blood-covered eye. But then I hear those same familiar words.
“Ron... Ron... Get up!”
I wake up... I’m alive?! How? What happened that night? Was that hunting trip a dream? “No, it wasn’t,” I realize as I notice my arm--it’s covered by vines like a bandage. The wound the thing gave me that night seems to be almost completely healed, now that I examine it.
“It took David, damn it!” I remember as I struggle to sit up. I look around to discover that my rifle is lying on the opposite side of the room. “Damn, can’t reach it from here,” I realize.
Sitting up, I notice the room I’m in. The walls are made out of some weird straw-like material. There is no furniture except the bed I’m on. It’s made of grass. But it’s not rough; rather, soft and comfortable.
As I look around, part of the wall suddenly splits in half like a curtain. A figure walks in. “Wait a minute, she’s the figure in the woods!” I realize.
“Who are you?!” I shout as I go for my knife, which is next to my bedding. Before I can reach it, vines suddenly shoot from the girl’s back, grabbing my knife.
“So, this is the thanks I get for saving your life?” the girl scolds with a pout.
“Oh, um, I’m sorry I-”
At this she starts to laugh. “I’m just kidding. I figured you’d be confused about what’s going on,” she explains. She looks human-like, but she has greenish skin. She also has flowers in her hair, as if they grew there.
“What are you?” I ask her.
At this she has a confused look on her face. “You’ve never seen a treant before?” she asks.
“Um, I’m afraid I haven’t,” I reply. “Um, can I help you with something?” I ask as I notice that she is looking me up and down.
“Well, it’s just that I’ve never seen your species before either. Wait, are you a warrior from the Blood Moon?” she utters, frightened.
“Whoa, calm down, I don’t even know what that is,” I assure her.
At this she eases up. “Then where are you from?”
“Well, I’m from a country called Amaria, and as for my species... well I’m human,” I respond.
Upon hearing this her face lights up. “Y-You’re a human?!” she blurts out with a look of excitement.
“Um, yeah... what’s the big deal?” I ask.
“Well it’s just that I’ve never met a human before, let alone a human warrior,” she admits.
I respond to her words of praise with a chuckle. “Warrior? I’m not a warrior,” I state.
“What?! Nonsense, to fight a demon stalker like that and survive--only a warrior could do something like that,” she argues.
“Well, ok, I was a soldier, but that was a long time ago,” I reveal with a sigh. “W-Well, what’s your name,” I suddenly blurt out, trying to change the subject.
“Rose is the name, but what’s yours?” she cheerfully responds.
“Oh, um, Ron.... Ron’s my name,” I answer. “So, um, Rose? What happened to me, and my friend David?”
“Unfortunately, I was unable to save your fellow human... David,” Rose begins to explain. “That demon stalker took him.”
“Again with that word, demon stalker,” I mumble.
“Yes, a very dangerous shadow type demon. The fact that you survived says a lot about your strength, Ron. Do not worry, Ron,” Rose continues, “that demon stalker didn’t kill David. I suspect it captured him. There have been rumors as of late about the demon stalkers, but I didn’t think they were true.”
A sigh of relief escapes my mouth, followed by a single tear of regret. “I thought I lost them all,” I mumble to myself.
“Ron...” Rose mutters with a look of concern. “May I ask a question?”
I nod my head.
“How did you get those scars on your left eye?”
Chapter Three
A New World?
As soon as she asks those words the events of that day flash through my mind. I fidget where I sit. “Well,” I begin to explain, “these scars are physical proof that I fought in
the Four Corners War.”
“Wow! So, you fought in a war? Just like that man in the forest,” Rose realizes.
“Wait, now that I think about it... what happened to that man in the forest?” I ask.
“Oh, he’s fine. In fact, he is outside waiting to thank you!” Rose explains.
“Why doesn’t he just come in?” I ask with a confused look.
A gleeful smile spreads across Rose’s face. “Well, let’s just say he didn’t want to scare you once you woke up.”
Puzzled, I get up and start walking towards the door.
“I’ve seen a lot, including a demon, apparently. I don’t think he would scare me,” I tell myself.
Before Rose can stop me, I’m outside of the room. I’m immediately greeted by someone. “It’s nice to finally have a proper greeting!” the man remarks. As I go to shake the hand of the person I heard, I jump back in surprise. Standing before me is a tall, red-skinned man with two horns on his head.
“Ok. Not gonna lie. He did startle me for a second,” I admit to Rose as she also leaves the room. “Sorry about that,” I tell the man as I shake his hand.
“Oh, no worries! You took that better than I expected, Ron!” the man replies.
“How do you know my name?” I ask.
“Well,” he begins, “I overheard your conversation with Rose. I’m sorry, sir,” the man admits.
“Anyways,” he says, suddenly kneeling before me, “I, Joshua Hellsfoot, am forever in your dept. If not for you I would have surely perished in that forest. As is custom among my people, I am yours to command, sir!”
“W-Well, I’m grateful for your pledge, but there is no need for you to call me sir. I would rather you call me Ron. I was never fond for formalities,” I explain to Joshua.
“Sorry, sir- I mean Ron,” Joshua remarks with a grin.
“Um, Joshua? Might I ask what you are?” I ask.
Joshua lets out a loud laugh. “Haha! I guess I shouldn’t have assumed that you knew what a fire demon was!”
“Wait, if you’re a demon... why were you running from your own kind?” I point out.
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