by Nicol Terra
100 Percent. This was it, this was all of her power she had, in a few seconds she gathered it. She needed it to get to it faster, or else those few seconds can mean dozens of innocent deaths. She groaned and shrieked, throwing the flames below.
The park was engulfed in flames easily a few kilometers in diameter as it swallowed everything into the center. The soil vaporized in an instant, trees incinerated within seconds. In a few seconds, the park was gone. She blinked once, and then she blushed. She was more powerful than she thought.
“When holding such great power, you have the power to protect those without any.” She thought to herself, falling below. The crater was a kilometer deep, taking her a few seconds more to fall to the ground safely. She looked to see the power she wrought. She smiled, content with herself.
“You really are a Golden Ace,” Yas said. Illevetar jumped once more as she turned quickly around her.
“God!’ She said, pouting and stomping her feet together. “What is it with everyone coming up behind me today?!” She shouted, blushing a crimson red.
Yas laughed, he wore a deep blue ornamental suit. The dragon crest and guild mark were marked on his right shoulder. “I apologize; I never expected you to be so jumpy.”
She grumbled, her blush fading as she looked back at the ground below for a moment. The earth seemed to cool down as vapor stopped rushing into the air itself. She looked above to the sky, clouds reaching and covering the moons, she felt even smaller. She knew this was only her first step.
“I know I can protect your people,” Illevetar said. “If I can’t, I would be a shame to myself.’
“You take great pride in this?” Yas motioned his head, tweaking his head. “This park was never used anyway, and with the city left to be abandoned, I doubt we need the city either.” He shook his head, a somber tone reaching her ears.
“How many are still left?” She asked.
“Probably a few thousand or so. The half million or so who lived here left. I got this actually from an old friend when he left.” He said, rubbing his hand on his blue robe. “If you win, he said he would come back, start a new life.”
She said nothing. “Was he… important?”
He shook his head. “Not him, but what he represents is, I would assume.”
“Were you close?” She asked.
He nodded, his smile fading into a small frown. “We were close.”
She frowned as Yas started to walk away. “Just win. I don’t wanna lose anymore friends.”
She nodded, Yas disappearing into the darkness. Illevetar created a flame again in her right hand, trying to push her limits once more.
Illevetar woke up to the sound of gunfire blazing across her ears. Her eyes shattered opened, reflexively opening the curtain of her room. She saw the city ablaze. The buildings were sparking hot, the depths of the red flames even vaporizing the stone streets itself. She gulped, but she also frowned. She knew the city was going to be attacked one day; it was a matter of if rather than when.
She snatched her holosphere, pressing the button on the top and pressed the phone icon. She called Ahn first, no answer. She groaned, dodging a spear of flames and then tried to call Rachel next, no answer. No response from Ahn or Rachel. She cursed, running outside as she snatched her blade near her bed. She ran out to the bottom floor as she saw three soldiers rush at her with swords and guns. She felt their movements appear kind of slow as if they were five times slower compared to her. “Glad to know you guys are reliable.” She said to herself. “I can do this myself.”
In an instant, she sliced through all three, their bodies falling to the streets. She tilted her head, was this the result of her training for almost two weeks? “Or are you guys just weak?” She shook her head, no time to think about her development now is the time to find her friends and make it to the next city, or kill Xin. Whichever was to happen first.
She raised her brow, a few soldiers, unaware of her existence ran through the city. Before she could rush towards them, she ran towards them with flames in hand. She then felt her body being pulled backward. She furiously turned around, only to see Yas and Ahn, next to her.
“Don't; they are weaklings,” Yas said
“We have to evacuate; let's go south,” Ahn added.
“Why?” She asked Yas eyes deepened and narrowed.
“We have to prioritize evacuations and taking out soldiers, not chasing after deserters,” Yas said
“Yeah but-” She started, only for Ahn to put a finger on her lips.
“I get it. I do. But they are heading West; they aren‘t our target.”
She grumbled, her eyes darting away. She nodded in silent agreement. The people needed help immediately.
She rose her head, nodding at Ahn, then at Yas. They nodded back.
“I am going to Raza and then to Tenclo.”
“We are going south.”
“Good luck.”
“Save me a bed.” Illevetar winked, with Yas smiling as an answer. Illevetar and Ahn rushed down the city streets. The flames and kindles of the houses nearby choked the surrounding air. She could barely see, large pillows of black smoke covered the moons, making visibility hard. She heard a scream in one of the houses. She then turned around, her eyes emboldening red. She senses the flames, the houses, the people. She shook her heard and then blinked thrice. She could still see them. Was this her Magic or her Aura?
“I can see.” She said.
“You too?” Ahn asked.
Illevetar nodded. “I can sense and see.”
“When you use your Fire Magick, you can sense flames. I can see too.” Ahn said, flashing Blue Aura.
“With?” She asked.
“Blue Aura, Magic users sense the element, I sense the effects, what they can or can’t do.” He said, his voice fading. She saw him run into a house and in a few seconds, drop a screaming woman. Her arm burnt from shoulder to hands. She saw her wounds disappear in an instant, his Green Aura fading her injuries away. Her eyes widened, the woman stopped screaming rose and dusted off her blouse.
“Go, head North. Find Raza. If you run and keep running, you will make it in eight hours.
She blushed and then nodded, darting away and running past Illevetar.
She smiled. “Aww, so cute.”
He blushed, darting away, faking a cough, “Oh shut up.”
A few seconds passed, the smoke started to disperse slowly. Illevetar then saw billows of flames shot at her. Her eyes widened, grabbing her sword and heating the blade with orange flames.
She then saw the smoke part way. She saw tens of soldiers, pointing guns. She slid her gaze from side to side. She saw dozens of soldiers in front of her; she then smiled.
“That's it?” She scoffed.
“Man, can't even send a Batallion for us.” Ahn said confidently.
“Can they beat us with five squads?” She asked Ahn.
“Well, they did surround us?” Ahn asked. Illevetar smirked, their faceless red eyes shooting through the smog-choked floor. They all had the same armor, the same guns, and the same gaze. In her eyes, they have been dead for years.
“I'll take three.” She said.
“Ugh fine, I'll take two,” Ahn said. Illevetar shot ahead of her as Ahn darted away from her.
Five soldiers rushed at her; she felt their bodies seem sluggish. All of their movements seemed so… slow, far slower than Rachel. Speaking of, where is Rachel?
She shrugged. “Eh, she is the Flash of the West. She can take herself.” She said to herself. She darted through soldier after soldier, smacking these shoulders with the spine of the blade, lighting their wounds on fire, killing them instantly as they were vaporized in an instant. She then felt her head dart back, a small drop of red blood slid down her cheek from her forehead. She then slowly tilted her head downward, a Soldier with a Cap on his forehead. He was a Major. She felt her body engulf in flames.
In seconds, she rushed towards the Major. The man shocked expression only lasted a s
econd as she split him half with her blade.
If she had to protect the people she cared about, she had to be a leader and a savior. She then felt another jab on her right side of her head. She suddenly felt the surrounding flames faded away. The surrounding sky quickly rotated, in a few seconds a drop of rain fell to the ground itself. She then felt the winds snuff out the flames throughout the city, and in a second, each drop of water touched all living things.
Protect. Illevetar heard her head speak softly to herself. The rain stopped as quickly as it began, but the strong winds continued to slam through the city. She felt her mind grow lucid, was that her? She shrugged and then raised her blade in the air.
In seconds, all soldiers surrounded her, and they were engulfed in an explosion of flames. She lowered her blade.
She then saw Ahn, finishing the last soldier by smacking him in the face and knocking the man out. She looked to see a single building, still burning ablaze. The sky scrapped seemed over two hundred feet tall, made of pure steel; it was a Guild Building.
“Hey! That building still has people! Let's split!” She said.
He nodded. “Ill find Rachel and more people, you evacuate a burning building.”
She smiled. “Bingo.”
“See you in a bit, then.” He said.
Rachel VI
Rachel walked down the street of Ramas, the stone cold, randomly assorted colored paved stone roads were filled with dozens of people. Then a loud noise came from the south as Rachel flew her head around to try to locate it. She grumbled. "Wish I had Aura for this situation." She thought.
She saw in front of her smoke billowing in the night sky. Black smoke then shrouded the eight moons, and the smoke choked the sky. She pulsated a massive shock of electricity as it moved outward. A good chunk of the city was burning, and it was mostly empty for the most part.
She walked without conscious thought, brushing past a crowd of a hundred or so people screaming and fleeing. Their faces twisted in sudden horror, which Rachel frowned in response. Yas and Ioja did say a few days before they attacked, they were wrong. Most of the city evacuated, but not everyone has done so. Rachel saw a few dozen soldiers stare at her, pointing their guns at her and the people behind her. They fired, and she created a shield of electricity around her, shocking a few soldiers within an instant as hundreds flew past her
“Run!” She shouted as a few more soldiers rushed at her. She bolted her head back, and then to the right. Rachel jolted forward and through the chest with a blast of electricity. A few moments later, the streets were empty again. She shrugged and smirked.
“Time to have fun in an empty city.” She thought.
The city was quiet, besides the occasional sound of houses scorching into the ground or the sound of fire. Rachel thought combined with all eight moons being full that it would have been a perfect time to walk, but not today. She rushed through trying to go through the smoke-choked city.
The first hour, smoke flushed through the city. She twirled her dagger around and spun it around with an electric current. She felt her energy rise, as she felt her body turn from solid to plasma. The rapid shock of electricity around her rushed out like a storm. Her body turned completely into electricity, and she bolted forward, blitzing through each corner of the city. All of it seemed to meld to her like a giant red or black blur. In a second, she blitzed through the city, knocking the occasional soldier with a kick or punch. At first, she tried to count how many strays were off lighting the city ablaze with her weapons. A few minutes later, however, she stopped counting and stopped.
Surrounded by four massive skyscrapers a kilometer tall, she noticed a few dozen soldiers on the roof of each of them, pointing their guns at her. Then, in front of her on the crimson-soaked road, she was continued to be surrounded by a few dozen more.
"Wait why did you-." Mookaite started. Rachel was caught off guard by her crystal speaking to her, but she merely smiled and sighed.
"No wait, this is going to be good, watch." She said.
She stayed still, and a hundred soldiers surrounded her. They all pointed their guns at her, the smell of dust and smog, and the sight of black smoke and the taste of burnt wood surrounded her.
“Fire!” They shouted, firing blasts of red Aura at her, only for her to jump upward from the ground and into the air below. She created a shield of wind as each of the blasts of Red Aura diverted away from her, knocking them into the massive skyscrapers until they collapsed into the ground. Almost as if time seemed slower to her, she bolted. One by one, she knocked them aside. Covering the entire city block in less than a millisecond, the soldiers were all defeated.
The shield of wind-dispersed as she wobbled briefly, struggling to keep herself up. Becoming lightning and using other elements was a struggle for her. The soldiers confused all struggled to get up as Rachel spun around. Moments later, a giant gust of wind surrounded her and blasted outward in all directions.
An explosion a few hundred meters wide engulfed the soldiers, electricity vaporizing the ground beneath them. She held back some of her power, but she wasn't going to question her morality in a battle zone. She then spat some blood.
"Aww man." Rachel said as she felt a small drop of blood drip across her cheek. She promptly rubbed it off; one of them must have got a lucky punch. "Oh well, first time trying that, I will perfect it soon."
In front of her was a slim alleyway with hushes and voices in the distant. Rachel bolted freely down the circular, empty city square.
She cracked her neck, and then her knuckles. Then she yelled.
“Hey!” She yelled. “Xin! If you are out there, I am coming over to kick your ass now!” She said
In a few seconds, dozens of soldiers rushed down the narrow alleyway. Their loud, metallic armor clanking and heavily brushing against their gun. Three dozen soldiers circled her, pointing guns directly at her. Rachel merely threw her knife in the air, tipping the hilt on her pointer finger and balancing it. Then she heard whispers amongst themselves.
“Is that who I think she is?”
“She is the Flash of the West! I heard she is so fast; she can outspeed anyone with her unique ability!”
“She uses a crystal and has a unique ability, what is it? Why is she called the Flash of the West?”
“Who cares? Ask her to throw her knife on the ground.” Said one in the back.
"You! Throw your knife away!" One of them said.
Rachel couldn't help herself as she raised her hands in the air, her knife conveniently standing on around her thumb.
"Toss it!" Another said.
Rachel smiled, grabbing the spine of the blade and threw the handle a few dozen feet. Then, a man fell in the far back and passed out from blood loss in the shoulder. The rest pointed their guns at her. She smirked.
“Hey, I threw the knife!” Rachel jibbed
“Shoot her!”
“Worth a shot.” Rachel said. She became lightning as she bolted around the battlefield, knocking the battalion of soldiers around her and sending them flying away. Some tried to shoot, but she would dodge and counter in less than a second. In five quick seconds, all of them laid on the floor.
“Thanks to Xin, I learned how to use this crystal more effectively.” She said. Her body pulsated electricity now as she took days to practice. With this, she bolted. As quick as lightning.
She said to herself. She said, running through the south part of the city, trying to look for Ahn and Illevetar. No one was as fast as her; especially now she can become lightning. There are multiple unique abilities for her crystal, and she scratched the surface of her ability. She shrugged and rushed down the snake-like alleys. She stopped, looking to her right to see a house being burglarized and female shriek.
“Yeah, take that off!”One of them said.
“Okay, now that is disgusting.” Rachel dashed in the house and through the front door, knocking it aside. Two Maldition soldiers had a woman pinned down. Rachel's eyes twitched and smacked the two
in a side in a millisecond. She rushed in and kicked them aside. She grabbed the woman and dashed toward the front door.
“Run south or north. North has a camp of people, and the south is where a city is.” She said. The woman, her clothes partially ripped, nodded and ran down the streets. Rachel dashed outward again and continued down the streets.
Then a scream as a tall tower greeted her with the sounds of hundreds in terror and fear.
She tapped her finger on the building. She closed her eyes and felt the electrical impulses of the building. She felt ten floors, as she found hundreds of people lined up in small groups with soldiers pointing guns at some, shooting others or standing still in occupation. She spat and shook her head.
“Time for a shocking revelation.” She said.
She smashed through the front door in an instant. She saw the first floor with ten soldiers in a simple, white tiled lobby. They turned to her, and she blitzed through the ten people with ease.
She rushed up the stairs in the far back. She could no longer ‘see’ the floor and stair unless she looked and admire the scenery. Each floor appeared to be mere glimpses to her as Rachel smacked through the soldiers in each level. Rachel knocked dozens of soldiers out in a millisecond. She got up to the top floor and then rushed back down to the first floor. In that quick period, Rachel sliced through hundreds of ropes that held people together with each other. She scoffed and grumbled.
“Fast.” She said in amazement. “Why are you all so slow?”
The people had a wide gaze. The dark building had no lightbulb, so Rachel created a ball of electricity above them to illuminate the floor.
"Look out!" One of the people said. Rachel swung around as a large man with an ax came near only, only for her to be knocked aside by a blast of Red Energy.
It was Ahn. The people around them bolted outward, leaving the two alone as the sounds of them rushing down the stairs echoing across the dark room.