After a surmountable task of capturing some of the Furice and Seaerians we have made a small break through, the power originates not from themselves but an actual contract. Something that doesn’t have a conscious but it has its own intelligence. In saying that, every one of their races is born with a small boon of Djinn, which is how they can use the basic fundamentals of the spatial ‘backpack’. But how does one even gain a contract, is it initiated or is it earned? Can a contract be forced? It also seems only those blessed with natural born Djinn can establish a contract. “Fuck”. Memoirs of General Tyga: Chapter 2 versus 1

Staring down at the increasingly aggressive writing style I can feel her frustration, I place my fingers over the black letters. For a brief moment I feel a tremor through my body, like something pulling at my soul but it disappears in a flash. Shock filters through, “what was that just now.”

It has been 1 week. We are now in the middle of the scorching dessert, resting now at one of the jewels of the sand. An oasis with the purest fresh water, a few days rest and we will continue forward. Nothing much has happened the last week, thinking back to the day of leaving. Baines, Kites, Kiria and Cait all returned in the nick of time. If they hadn’t guessed it, Cait was the guide. I could tell something frisky had happened judging by their silence but what was most surprising was Cait Fox. She was actually in her natural form around the neck of a 15 year old girl. The Finx are a mystery to most, but those who understand them realise they are a very deeply connected race to their feelings. They can judge a person’s heart in an instant.

During the convoy ride, Cait was stuck to Kiria and would ask her about the luxurious life style of Liandrew Prime, which to no end bugged Kites. Even though Kiria was an illegitimate child her mother had glamour cast on her when she was born. But 16 were their age of emergence, the glamour’s would fold into nothing and her presence would have been known to her tyrant father Hon.

Liandrew in her descriptions was heaven, a place of a technological high. Virtual reality, autonomous robots, flying cars, it was all happening in Prime.

I was always not far away, always with in ear shot. It was easy considering I acted as their driver. We had all redressed into the robes of the Lint, garbed and clothed head to toe to keep the suns insane heat from killing us.

“Man, it is HOT.” Baines exhales loudly. The sound of tapping follows quickly after,

*splash*

“HAHA, aw man that is so damn good.” He yells at the top of his lungs. Baines had decided to take a dip in our only source of clean water. “You-you fucking pig,” Kites grates her teeth. I swear her teeth are going to break someday.

“Fufu, I don’t mind a hunk of a man bathing in my drinking water.” Cait shifts into her human form dressed in nothing but a traditional bikini. Her feline eyes reflect her temptress nature. “Ca-Cait are you going in too?” Kiria hesitantly asks, her face turning red at the still vivid memory of her naked form. “Ohh you wanna go swimming with me cutie?” Cait slithers closer reaching for the blonde girls top trying to lift it free. “Hey baby, don’t worry about her, this sex god right here is waiting for you,” a perverted Baines beckons provokingly. Cait stops and glances at the man, who is blatantly trying to show off his ‘guns’. “Uhhhm, in second thought I think I’ll just go over there and lie in the sun with this cutie. A man revealing his desires so quickly are a turn off. Coming kitty?” Cait winks at both girls. Kites just turns on her feet and walks off back to the convoy.

“That was cold, even for you Foxey.” The near naked man whistles, a downcast look also on his face from Caits remark.

“Shit,” Cait mutters. “I forgot about that, it’s been so long.”

“Forgot about what?” Kiria interjects.

“Don’t worry your little head cutie, let’s go.” Her smirk returns and drags the girl to a small spot in the sun away from Baines, giggling all the while.

The lonely figure of Kites walks to a lone rock and sits on it, and begins massaging her left shoulder then her left leg. “Fucking Cait, fucking sand, I hate fucking sand. FUCK!” The girl starts muttering in a small heated rage. I had been sitting in the truck the entire time watching, I know all their stories so I make my way behind Kites. Silently that not even the dead would know I had come. I place my hand on her shoulder. “Is it painful?” I ask her, knowing full well it is excruciating for her.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Mmmmmm,” a soft whimper comes from her mouth. I massage slowly, knowing right where to put my hands to alleviate her pain. A minute charge pulses into her arm, the pain immediately disappears. “Leg,” I state and she leans back giving over her leg for me to massage too. This time no charge is emitted.

“We will have company tonight, I forbid you from making a move. Baines can take care of it.” I massage for another 10 minutes in silence and go to turn around and head back to the truck. “Captain, can’t we you know…?” A dark hunger surfaces in her eyes.

“My heart, belongs to only one, you know that – Sofia`.” A soft voice replies eliminating her lust instantly. How long had it been since she had heard her true name. “Sofia` K Kites”. The lonely back of the Captain looked so heavy and burdensome to her.

Night came quickly, all afternoon I just sat in one of the convoy trucks, smoking. It was a hell of a bad habit but one I would rather indulge in, it also helped me to remember her. Kites had managed to wake up a distant memory, Veronica… A cloud washed over my eyes to anyone that could have been watching him, a tear gathered but never fell.

*boom* *boom* boom*

Magnificent booming sounds woke me from my trance, it didn’t take a genius to work out that the ‘company’ had arrived. “Everyone get down!” one of the convoy men yelled before being blown completely to pieces by a falling mortar. “Mortars!” another yells, the booming continues but never gets too close to the convoy trucks. “Bandits,” I smoke casually as if the outside explosions weren’t of any real concern. The convoy of 60 men had been halved over the 30 second barrage. Everyone had crowded around the trucks for sanctity. The bombing stopped, a low bird whistle is sung. From all directions men and even some women flew in on horses and camels. “Jesus, horses and camels, seriously? In this day n age?” I was more shocked at the surprise of horses and camels than the bandits themselves.

“Everyone hands in the air, we just want the goods and we will be on our little mary way.” I raised my hands in the truck, but amidst the chaos one man stood up. “Haahahahaha,” Baines was in absolute hysterical laughter. “What’s wrong with you boy, you wanna be pumped full of lead.” The ‘leader’ of the bandits points his gun at Baines. Once the weapon had been pointed however, his laughter stopped abruptly.

Kiria had been struggling against Cait during the entire ordeal, but all that met her was a strangely strong resistive powerful field. No matter how much strength she mustered nothing happened. “You need to be still cutie,” the fox whispers in her fox form still wrapped around the girls neck. “But what about Baines, he – hes…” trailing off she looks to the always so light hearted man. But in a mere glance a cold sweat ran down her spine. “I’m going to die.” She fell back in horror, a low glow enveloped the girl, “that man may be a playboy tool, but never, under any circumstances give him a reason to get serious.” The Fox even had a slight trace of fear in her whispered words.

“Fuck the kid, just waste em.” A twisted eyed women next to the man leaned on the leader. You could tell she was a bit ‘cuckoo’.

*bang*

The woman starts to cackle until she realises the leader has fallen. Baines stood. A flint lock pistol in his left hand, pointed at the leader. A ghostly green glow emanates from the weapon the carvings along the handle and barrel glow with fluorescent green. “Emerald Dead,” Baines faint voice echoes, the whisper only ever reaching the bandits but to whom ever heard it – died, never to feel the warmth of life again. The cackling women stares wide eyed at the bodies drop. She may have been evil and twisted but these men and women were her family.

“Wha-wait-wait-stop,” she collapsed. A pool of foul smelling urine stains the sand underneath her.

*crunch* *crunch*

The steps of Baines felt like the knocking of the grim reaper coming for her life. Tears began raining from her. Hysterical wordless ramblings fumbled from her mouth. “I’m going to enjoy this,” Baines grabbed the women and began dragging her away. A look of fired excitement burns in his eyes, the same fluorescent green flares deep within them. “That’s enough.” A stabbing whisper that only he could hear pierces the green man’s heart. The flaming green in his soul vanishes like a small candle in the wind. He drops the women in the sand.

She shivers violently, the fear she experienced was worse than dying. It terrified her beyond anything she could comprehend. The shivering stopped. And then she was dead.

The aura of death vanishes with the green. Everyone just stares at the lone man walking away deep into the desert. Kites watches him walk away, a knowing look on her face. She knew his past and what he had done. No amounts of fake bravado and playful flirting could change his cruel nature.

I stare at the scene left by my helmsmen, hoping out of the truck I go about gathering the bodies. The other convoy’s men not being rookies also begin to help and we pile the bodies. We had planned to stay a day longer to recuperate but it was decided to burn the bodies and move on ahead. Some of the horses were captured. But mostly all of the camels ran for the desert. Tied to the convoys the horses followed behind, hauling with them some of the weapons scavenged from the bandits, a small addition to the auction.

The next week goes by, Baines sits sulking to himself in the back convoy truck staring into nothing. Kites massages her acting shoulder and leg. Cait and Kiria talk non-stop almost like the whole bandit incident never happened. I catch Kiria glancing at Baines every so often, a look of more curiosity than anything else. I did hear Cait tell her to not worry with such strength, that kind of strength is ‘ugly’, Kiria just nodded. But it seemed only to fan her curiosity even more. A seed, a hunger for strength had surfaced.

Emerald dead, an ability of the one named Baines. No one has been known to discover how it works. Only that is can shatter the very soul of its target. Codex Entry 0 Ability – Emerald Dead