Lost

    He sunk his teeth into the meat that gave off a mouthwatering scent, letting out a groan of annoyance and sadness.

  Still no flavor.

  “Stupid-” he took another bite “-Freakin Magic. Can't do-” another bite- “anything right.” Lost grumbled as he begrudgingly dug into the roasted rabbit.

  Lost looked over at Fen. She happily devoured the rabbit. It was clear that the meat was good tasting, but only if he could taste it.

  He had snuck up on a exceptionally large rabbit and hit it with a fireblast, charring the fur and scorching its side. But it was a small sacrifice for food.

  Lost grabbed another piece of rabbit roasting over the fire he had built and lit. Even though he couldn't enjoy the taste, he still took pleasure in the feeling of filling his stomach and the warm sensation the rabbit left in it.

  They quickly finished the rabbit.

  Fen sat back with a sigh of content will Lost groaned with frustration.

  Lost sat back up and looked at the remains of the rabbit. A devilish grin spread across his hidden face.

  He wanted to test his dark magic.

  Picking up the bones they both stripped of meat, he arranged them on the ground. Grabbing the severed head of the rabbit, he gradually pushed fire mana into it. A few seconds later, his hand burst into flame, startling Fen.

  Lost kept the fire going for a few more seconds, then cut it, reabsorbing it into his mana pool.

  He held a rabbit skull with a its charred skin sticking to it. He pulled the ashy skin off with little effort, revealing a slightly blackened skull beneath it.

  Setting the skull with the rest of the bones, he extended his hand. Lost focused intently on what he was picturing.

  His hand was enveloped in a smoky blackness. As he held it out above the rabbit, tendrils of smoke swirled out of his palm and snakked their way along the bones. The smoke stripped off any excess and leftover meat on the bone, letting it fall to the ground. Once the bones were fully enveloped, he closed his hand halfway.

  The bones were dragged together, clicking it place with other bones. It looked as if the rabbit skeleton was being built up from the ground.

  Once all of the bones had assembled the skeleton, Lost focused on the joints. Darkness coalesced within them, taking the form of muscles. He continued on from there, building more muscle to allow for movement and organs that would tear apart anything inside of them, taking out the mana.

  He didn’t stop there though. He sharpened the bony hands, making them into tiny, but wicked claws. He also made the teeth incredibly sharp, allowing for it to bite into flesh.

  When he had finished, he let out a sigh, lowering his hand.

  A upright rabbit skeleton looked back at him. Black flames in its eye sockets. A thin, barely noticeable amount of blackish mist flowed off it. The muscles and organs he had painstakingly made were near invisible, just a dark tinge around the rabbit skeleton.

  Lost chuckled at the sight.

  A skeleton rabbit.

  His new minion was a bunny.

  The rabbit looked around at the camp.

  Lost commanded it to walk towards Fen slowly.

  It did so.

  The bunny was under his full and absolute control. The technique that he had used was something that he had perfected over years of failures. Even then, he couldn't do much of it. It required a lot of mana and focus to get everything right.

  But the finished product was worth it. He could make skeletons. These weren’t any ordinary skeletons either. They could deplete a magic user’s mana pool by biting into them, or sinking some part of their body into the mage’s flesh.

  The skeletons could also ‘evolve’ in a sense. They would require bones and mana to grow.

  Of course the growth was completely unpredictable and Lost couldn’t change anything after finishing it. There was also the added effect if the skeleton got more powerful than him, he would lose control. Much like Infernos, but the fire elemental had a will of its own.

  Fen looked unnerved by the rabbit slowly creeping toward her, but she stayed where she was.

  Once the bunny was a foot away from her, he stopped it. Then he made it bow.

  Or at least he tried too.

  The end effect looked more like the bunny skeleton was raising its hindquarters in the air then bowing. Both Lost and Fen burst out laughing.

  The skeletal rabbit sat back on its haunches, staring at them curiously.

  Once Lost had recovered, he went silent. He focused on the rabbit, pushing into its mind his thoughts. It walked into the forest, patrolling around their camp.

  “Right, you ready to start training for real, kid?” Lost asked Fen. She looked at him warily. “I'll take that as a yes. Get up!”

  Standing up, Lost stretched with a groan and grimace, massaging his shoulder. He walked a ways from where their camp was, in an open space.

  “What are we doing?” Fen asked Lost, following him.

  “Take out your knife but keep it in the sheath,” Lost said turning around to face her.

  Fen complied.

  “Now, come at me, kid.” Lost said, spreading his legs apart and spreading his knees, waving for her to attack him.

  Fen hesitated for only a moment, before rushing him. She held her knife out in front of her.

  When she was within a foot of Lost, she let out a cry and lunged at him.

  Lost grabbed her wrist  jerking it up and to the side, driving his fist into her stomach mercilessly. Fen let out a gasp of air and fell onto her back.

  “Come on kid! Suck it up and get to your feet! Pain is only a hindrance! It's only there to tell you where you’ve been hit!” Lost yelled.

  He knew this was cruel, but it was necessary. It was how he was trained after all. As his master used to say, “Pain is the greatest teaching tool there is.”

  “Why?” Fen looked at him.

  Lost took a deep breath then spoke, “If we are going to go back into the capital, then I need to whip you into shape. You are weak and feeble, like a child! NOW COME AT ME WITH ALL YOU’VE GOT!”

  Lost watched as her green eyes hardened with determination and anger. She came at him with her knife. He easily deflected it, but Fen sucked in her gut and hopped backwards, dodging the incoming blow.

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  ‘Brohmin was right, it is a great teaching tool. After all, if you burn your hand by touching the stove, do you do it again just for fun?’ Lost lunged forward with his fist. Fen ducked under it and aimed for his armpit. With a heavily armored opponent, under the arm would be unprotected. It was a death blow.

  “Good!” Lost said as the knife came at him, then he grabbed her hand and twisted it, causing her to stop and cry out at the sharp pain. He then swung his leg and swept Fen’s feet from under her, sending her to the ground.

  “Again,” Lost said, stepping back and letting Fen get up off the ground.

  She growled in anger and came at him again and again and again. Each time she was sent to the ground, but she kept getting back up.

  “Don’t extend your knife past your body,” Lost ducked and aimed at Fen’s legs with his fists. She rolled under the punch and went for his neck wit the sheathed knife.

  Lost dodged the knife, getting away from her. “Keep the knife close to your body and-” He dodged one of her strikes effortlessly, “- Keep your opponent near you, where you have the advantage!”

  Lost rolled on the ground, grabbing a handful of dirt and grass. He threw it at Fen’s face. She yelped in surprise and backed away, but while her attention was on the dirt, he struck. He hit her in the gut with his shin.

  “AND DON'T FORGET PLAYING DIRTY IS ALWAYS WITHIN THE RULES!” He shouted, hopping back from where Fen was pulling herself up off the ground.

  Fen rushed him again, aiming for his right side with the knife. Lost went to block.

  She feinted.

  Her dagger aimed for his left side. He twisted around and caught her arm. He smiled, “That’s it!”

  They went on like this for an hour.

  Fen collapsed, breathing heavily.

  Lost, who hadn’t broken a sweat, walked over to her and offered his hand. Fen grabbed it and he pulled her to her feet. Then he aimed a punch at her head for extra measure.

  She twisted away from the punch, keeping a grip on his hand. Then he let her twist it around to his back at an angle.

  “Ahahah! Good!” Lost said, then he kicked backwards, canusing Fen to release her hold. “Thats enough for now. It’s time to get moving.”

  Lost walked back to the camp, Fen followed behind him, huffing and limping.

  “Your insane…” Fen grumbled under her breath.

  “I heard that.” Lost said as he packed up their gear for the trudge to the capital.

********

Ren

  Renhold had been thinking. Maybe to much for his own good.

  His uncle was not a man to lie, but neither was he a man to let others (including himself) stand in the way of what he wanted.

  Ren had been present when Tarquin had offered the princess his deal. He had watched it all in silence, undoubtedly pondering the same things Tessa had been.

  Was this really the right side? Were the rebels really “the good guys” or where they not? Was the poison in the vial deadly or would it do just as Tarquin had promised?

  These thoughts had plagued Ren for the past couple days.

  He had awoken early and couldn’t fall back to sleep with these questions bouncing around in his head. So he decided, while the sun was still rising, to go talk to his uncle.

  Tarquin always woke up right before the crack of dawn, to both work with the rebels and to attend to his noble duties.

  Renhold snuck out of the underground storehouse he had been assigned. He made his ways through the twists and turns of the underground of the city.

  The underground of Valcrest was not the same as the sewers, not entirely. Valcrest was built upon the ruins of an ancient civilization. The city had been built upon the ruins of what historians called the ‘Fae’.

  The city grew on top of the ruins, a large portion of Valcrest sewers were built into these ruins, but not all of the ruins. Many places were forgotten about while others were used by Valcrest’s seedier side.

  Renhold only knew the way to and back from the resistances main base of operations. And even then, he only knew this because his uncle had trusted him enough to tell him and give him a map.

  Many of the Beasters only knew of safe houses and small outposts that belong to the resistance. This was done to help keep any chance of discovery of the main base small.

  As Ren navigated his way to his uncle’s house through the ancient and dark tunnels, he heard the quick scoffing of feet on stone.

  Quickly hiding in a small alcove, Ren held still and looked out he saw a dim light spread through the hallway.

  It passed by, not seeing Ren and vanished up the steps that entered into a wine cellar in Tarquin’s house.

  Renhold hadn’t even realize he had been holding his breath till he let it out. Then he turned to unwedge himself from the alcove. HIs heart nearly leeped out of his throat.

  “GAAHHH!” Ren shouted in surprise and fright but he quickly stifled it down.

  The alcove he had chosen to hide in was in fact not an alcove. But the resting place of a corpse, and this was no ordinary body. This one had almost all but turned to dust, with only bones remaining.

  The skeleton was that of a giant, even by Ren’s standards. It would be a good two or three feet taller than him is it wasn't propped up against the wall. Its skull was large and thick, looking much like a human or elf, except for a few key differences.

  It had a mouth that sprouted pointed, sharp teeth. Horns curled from its forehead around its skull and back to the front, much like a rams.

  Renhold was disturbed to say the least. The body looked very closely like that of demons depicted in art. He knew what this was. It was a skeleton of a Fey. A few had been discovered before. But their discovery really didn’t amount to much money other than exchanging the information of the location to historians for some money.

  While the skull stared at him with it’s empty sockets and smiled its fanged grin at him, Renhold recollected himself and stepped out of the alcove. He had come here to ask his uncle some questions but had found something else.

  Why was his uncle receiving visitors at this hour, much less ones that come into his house from the underground?

  Ren sighed and thought bitterly, ‘Just another question for the pile.’

  Climbing the stairs, he pushed open the door that was cleverly disguised as a shelf of wine and stepped into the cellar. The door clicked back into place behind him.

  He wasn't a particularly stealthy person, but Ren did know how to walking silently.

  As he crept through the house, following the footsteps and light, he stopped at a corner. Peering past it, he could see the door to his uncle’s office close quietly.

  Creeping over, Ren put his ear to the door, trying to listen to what was happening in the other room.

  “Ah! Captain Dylo, what news do you have for me? I hope it is the good news I have been waiting for, did she poison him?” Tarquin's voice sounded eager, like a child waiting to open their present.

  Dylo, captain of the royal guard, sighed. “Lord Fher, she wasn't able to do it.”

  There was silence for a few seconds, then Tarquin spoke again, sounding angry “You mean to tell me she didn't poison him?”

  “No, Lord Fher. She attempted to sneak it into his tea, but he somehow detected it. He was so outraged that he sent her to the dungeons.”

  “What!?” Tarquin shouted shocked, then bang of a fist hitting wood resounding from the room.

  “I can not explain it, but he somehow just knew it was a deadly poison that would kill him. He ordered the guards to through the princess into the dungeon till he said to let her go.” Dylo sounded scared, an edge of fear in his voice.

  “That's not possible! The poison is tasteless, odorless and colorless. It is one of the most deadly on Dragos! It can kill a man within minutes! There should have been no way to detect it! I made sure of it myself!” Tarquin was yelling now, pure anger and disbelief in his voice.

  “From what my men told me, King Nerofix’s eyes were glowing white and that it was like he had gone mad.” Dylo said cautiously.

  The room got very quiet, and it was a few minutes before anything else was said.

  In a quiet, measured and calm voice Tarquin asked, “Are you absolutely sure that your men are telling the truth?”

  “Yes. Do you know what it might mean?”

  “I might.” Tarquin said in a grim tone.

  “Then what is it?”

  “I think King Nerofix may have been able to acquire magic.”

  Ren pulled away. His uncle and Dylo kept speaking, but he didn’t listen. King Nerofix has magic? How was that possible? The Princess was in the dungeon?

  Ren’s thoughts went in circles, but they kept coming back to something his uncle had said. Even though he knew he should be focused on what his uncle had just stated. ‘It is one of the most deadly on Dragos! It can kill a man within minutes!’

  It was then that Ren realized that his uncle had lied.

  When Tarquin was talking with Tessa, he had seemed so sincere. So empathetic. But Ren realized it was all just an act.

  What else could his uncle have lied about?

  Was he even on the right side of this war?

  For some reason, Ren’s mind flashed back to something Lost had said to him while explaining magic.

  ‘Magic has no sides. It is neither good or evil. It has no opinions and views. It does not take one side over the other, for both are the same in its eyes. It is much the opposite of people.’ Lost had said, looking into Ren’s eyes, his face grim.

  It was then that Ren realized that there was no right side.

  That both sides were just of opinions and views.

  Ren slinked back into the shadows, his mind whirling with confusion and betrayal. Disgust.

  Disgust at himself.