Kindles of War

by Nicol Terra

“You need to learn these names.” Rose took a pause.

  “Shut up, tell me or else I ain‘t paying for the next drink. ” Tina cooed.

  Rose groaned. “Aww, but I thought you love me!”

  She smiled. “I do, but as a friend, if you don‘t tell me, I'll never buy you drinks again, you Alcoholic.” She said. Tina reached down to grab her pack of Jays. She sparked it and exhaled, coughing. She passed the joint to Rose who took a drag herself and passed it back.

  “Cloud is a dangerous man. He once defeated one hundred thousand men himself by himself. He is…” Rose said, looking away as she clutched her hands together.

  “What?” Tina said.

  “I.” Rose stammered, shaking her head. “It is said, he as a kid once went to the Slums and he would slaughter poor people just because.”

  Tina grabbed her dress, her eyes widening in anger. “Which part of the slums?”

  “The Underbelly, District 214.” Rose said.

  Tina said nothing because she couldn't say anything. She shook her head.

  “That is fucked up. I wanna decline.” Tina said. “Fuck him and fuck someone like him who put him in charge.”

  “What?” Rose said.

  “Fuck his problems and fuck his family. We at best serve the government, not the rich who lose a few trillion here and there.”

  “Tina, we could use the money for our equipment, it is for a good cause.” Rose said.

  Tina felt her anger boil, only for her to look at Rose, her eyes widened in terror as she darted her gaze away, avoiding Tina’s. She took a step back and sat back down at the table.

  “I… am sorry,” Tina said. Rose lifted her gaze up as she tapped the table three times.

  “I get it, I do.” Rose said, taking a brief pause.

  Tina looked up, Rose eyes slowly flew over to meet hers, only instead with terror instead of anger. “But what can we do? They fund the military. We are expendable.”

  Tina and Rose left the bar early and went back home. Tina stomped back to the top as they waited for the Floatski. When the two flew back to the Apartments, both were quiet at each other.

  “Hey, Tina,” Rose said, holding her door open.

  “What?” She said, her tone off.

  “If I pour you a drink, would you have time to talk?”

  Tina raised head upward. Rose looked sympathetic. Tina held her doorknob and pulled away, nodding in agreement.

  Rose’s apartment was clean, a single bed with a kitchen and a separate bathroom tucked in the side. She was a neat freak, everything about her outside of school and the military was nice and orderly.

  As promised, she poured themselves a glass of wine. Tina sighed and then started.

  “When I was younger, I was bullied by Military and Rich boys.“

  “Oh, so Freeroam?“ Rose added. Tina raised a brow.

  “You know it?“ Tina asked.

  “When I failed with Robin, we both went to district 431 to get drinks. We met five new friends and got fucked up, and not in a good way. “Rose said. Tina intensified her glare.

  “Some of them would come to the slums, and ambush kids, beating them up to near death. I was one of them, and then it happened again, and again. I was an only child, and my mom was working full time, trying to support me. I would always show up with cuts and bruises.” She choked, holding back tears as she grabbed her necklace on instinct, only to pull away.

  “I got tired of it. I cracked, and I learned my ability.”

  “Ability?”

  “One time, four of them got me, and they had knives. They said my mom wouldn't miss me and they would love putting me in the hospital. I screamed. And it froze. Time Froze. Like I always wanted it to end. I wanted it to freeze.” She said, looking at her hand, looking at herself and how much different she was because of then. “I was ten. For better or worse, I went to unviersity to master this ability.” She thought. The ability awakened because of the trauma, as most ability Benders or Warpers do.”

  Rose said nothing for a few moments, licking her lips as she stared at the table. “You were a Survivor, huh?”

  “Yes, I was. I used my Power responsibly. My mom then pushed me to school, working twice as hard before. At College, I was a Duelist and a Gladiator”

  Rose snorted her drink. “You? You were a gladiator?”

  Tina nodded.

  “What rank were you?”

  “I was number one,” Tina said, then she scoffed. “Erudite was Number Two.”

  “So, you hate Royals?” Rose asked.

  “Yes. Erudite however is different." She thought, and then she nodded to herself. She was different "She never lied. She was there to pick me up, and I was there to do the same.”

  Rose said nothing, with Tina's eyes watering. Rose grabbed her face, her eyes ready with tears as she pulled her close, rubbing her back as the two hugged each other. Tina rubbed the tears in her face.

  “It is okay. In a way, I paid for this with pain. If I didn’t live the way I did, I would be much different.” Tina said. Rose nodded.

  “We Poorlings have many burdens,” Rose said, as she parted away to grab the bottle. “I am glad you keep moving forward.”

  Tina smiled. “Of course, how else can time move?” She added. Rose smiled and let out a giggle, knocking her brown hair aside.

  “I guess.” She said, she poured two more shots, laying the bottle of Grey Goose down as she brought the shots over. “So, do all advanced abilities awake with trauma?”

  Tina shook her head. “No. I heard you can learn them, but most of them are awakened through trauma, physical, mental or psychological.” She said. Rose handed her the shot as she shook her head.

  “All I know is that as long as I am with you, I know you have my back.” She said. Tina's face was blank as she looked at the clear vodka swishing the small glass. She swung her gaze around to look at Rose, the two clanking their glasses.

  “I know you can accomplish anything.” She said, the two knocking back their glasses.

  Yukari crossed her arms together, tapping her fingers on her hands, waiting impatiently as the other Chief Commanders and Legion Commanders. Ryunsun and Yuki were whispering to each other. She saw Ryo walk in the dark room lit only by a small light floating above her. She smirked as Ryo winked at her.

  “All right everyone, roll call everyone.” Ryo started, as he listed everyone in the room. Each of the Chief Commanders merely raised their hands, keeping quiet. The Legion Commanders were more talkative.

  “Yukari?”

  “You just saw me,” Yukari said, smirking at him, a broad smile inching across her face.

  “Oh my mistake must have been blinded by your beauty,” Ryo said.

  “Or blinded by her Ego,” Yuki said. Yukari flipped her off as Ryo returned to counting everyone else.

  Ryunsun shook his head as Yuki rolled her eyes, her smug expression rolled a smirked across her lips.

  “All right, looks like everyone that needs to be here, is here.” Ryo started. Yukari nodded. The Four Vice-Generals wore their large, white and blue capes that covered their entire body. The motto of Zynthia “Divide and Conquer.” Yukari looked to her, her superior Aguni the shortest of the four. In person, she is five feet even. She was slender, almost petite.

  “Half of our forces will go to take the last thirty-two gates of the city where if we capture them, we get the entire city.”

  “Finally.” Some voices said.

  “We are working hard just for one city.” Another of the voices said.

  Ryo cleared his throats as everyone shut up immediately. Ryo popped out his Holosphere as a map of the city appeared. It highlighted the circular layout of the city green and red. They captured the red territory, a quarter of the outermost part of the circle while the green was the uncaptured city. The inner city was older, far more developed with more technology. I

  “Our plan is to encircle the inner walls, with all eight Legion Commanders leading the charge to capture the city. We
will break in via force and surround the city.”

  “And our opposition?” Aguni asked, slinking her gaze to Ryo. Yukari raised a brow, Aguni rarely asked questions until after a briefing was over.

  Ryo face stiffened for a moment as he sighed. "I expect; A quarter of both Maplesworn and Mysen forces to guard the city.”

  “A mere quarter?” Yukari asked publicly. Everyone turned to her as she raised her hand. “Why are being so cautious of circling the walls if we outnumber them 4 to 1? Why not break in?”

  “Because while their army is missing, Nisandra is expected to make an appearance,” Ryo answered. Yukari stopped as she froze mid-sentence. Their Queen? Maplesworn Queen one of the Five Great Leaders, they are so powerful that they can shape battles with their mere presence.

  The talk started.

  "Nisandra? The Nisandra?"

  "What if she attacks our forces?"

  "Neither Aruma or Eraz are here to defend against her."

  "We are doomed! Their queen is gonna create a storm and drown us all!"

  Yukari winced. "Cowards." She thought.

  “So if we somehow see their Queen, Generals or Vice-Generals, what do we do?” Ryunsun asked.

  “We will bring our Holospheres to maintain constant contact. As soon as we see where Nisandra is, we retreat that from that one gate.”

  “And who fights her?”

  “No one, Aruma is not here yet, and Eraz is uninterested.”

  Silence. That last sentence led to debate and clamor among the crowd as the Vice-Generals talked to Chief Commanders. The leaders were split, conflicted.

  “Eraz hasn’t devoted troops or himself since we started this war a month and a half ago.”

  “Does he care about our safety?”

  “King Aruma is so… corrupt, is he sending us to die?”

  Ryo slammed his foot into the ground as the crowd returned to silence. Even Yukari jolted upward as Ryo face turned stern. She hasn’t seen that serious and desperate look in a long time.

  “You don't need to worry because myself and Dani will distract her while the legion gets away.”

  “How?”

  “We have our tricks,” Ryo said. Yukari knew the trick though. It was him controlling Autumn. She shivered, his Avatar was a monster to deal with. At the very least we have that."

  “Well, we leave in four hours. Get your Legions in your Behemoth or Gigas and get ready for a long battle.”

  Yukari got her Behemoth traded for a new Giga, a giant tank a few kilometers tall and wide. The inside had dozens of bronze pipes, spurting out steam plumes that kept the inside moist and warm. The thousands of soldiers, cramped inside a long row. Everyone was standing shoulder to shoulder with Yukari near the front of the door. The large tank treads dug through the city as they rushed down the city. The inside was echoing with dozens of metal objects clanking on each other. She turned her head around to look down the thousands of soldiers inside rows. She grabbed her Holosphere, pressing the phone icon and then slid her finger down her contacts. She saw each of her Chief Commanders and Commanders grouped as the call. The call ballooned to 22 people as beeps and bloops filled the air. A few moments later, Lara and Victoria answered.

  “Are preparations ready?”

  “Exit ramps are ready.”

  “Should I teleport my battalion inside the walls?” Lara.

  Yukari shook her head. “If I didn‘t need you, I would have teleported us myself.”

  “I am ready.” One of her commanders answered. Then, all the other commanders joined.

  “Ready.” Most said.

  “Since I am on the top level, can we take the position as snipers?” She asked

  “Using the buildings?” Yukari asked. Faye nodded as her image turned static for a moment.

  “Yeah.”

  “Some buildings are too short to be used,” Yukari said. It was a good idea, too bad that this battle will involve Airships and Infantry more so than snipers.

  The tank stopped with the door in front of Yukari swung open. The clouds in the air hid the morning as shots riddled the air. Blasts of wind and flames shot in front of her, zigzagging as she saw thousands of Faeries and Elves holding up on the walls and thousands more rushing toward the tank. Yukari bolted outward, slipping her Holosphere in her pocket.

  The legion behind her followed her outside as Yukari created a bubble of air around her. The clouds warped as the wind grew stronger and fiercer. Yukari swung her hand in the air as the wind became more chaotic. A small, green shroud appeared behind her. The hallowing yellow eyes widened as the windstorm and clouds grew a roaring howl. The wind let out a green mist of Aura that followed the battlefield. A few dozen soldiers running at her tripped and fell, missing their shots. Some others tried to fire their magic, only for their abilities to stop working mid-cast.

  “Ayatolla, swing Chaos.” She said the shroud behind her bowed.

  “Yes, Mistress Yukari.” He said, flying away and fading from her sight as he bolted further down. Earthen Structures formed up in front of her, guarding themselves against blasts of Wind. Some tried to shatter the Earthen Walls Red Aura, only for them to stay strong and sturdy. She cursed. “I wish we had more crystal uses right now.” She said. She grabbed her blade, charging a red beam from her sword and shooting it straight in front of her. The yellow-stained ground split open into thousands of pebbles as dozens of Faeries flew backward, either dead or unconscious. She scoffed.

  “Split into squads now!” Yukari said. “Push them back!” She shouted, her Holosphere bleeped.

  “Battalion flanking right!” Lara said.

  “Company 351 needs backup!” A commander said. “Some freak over here is teleporting and killing us one by one.”

  She cursed. “Hey! 351! I am on my way!” Yukari said, running in the battlefield. She saw blasts of light rush at her from hundreds of meters away. Her eyes widened as Faeries shot beams of light at her. She rolled, jumped and blocked their beams. Each beam of light felt slow, even to her. One appeared in front of her a meter away as she ducked and rolled. Another appeared just outside her blind spot.

  “Ayatolla! Teleport me!” She said Ayatolla appeared in front of her within an instant as he formed a gate of wind, pulling herself inside with a large current of wind as she looked instantly from the towering walls of earth and wall to a bloodbath.

  Her eyes widened, as Faeries and Elves grabbed soldiers, slitting their heads off with their blades or shooting them in the head. Their eyes were manic, their smiles burnt into her head. They were enjoying this victory.

  She saw one of her soldiers in her eye, pleading and begging as an Elf stuck his sword through his stomach, pushing him down like a smores on a stick. His eyes were lucid and terrifying.

  Yukari said nothing. She didn’t need too. Ayatolla swung upward and above the battlefield. The storm howled as space around Ayatolla warped. Within a second, a wormhole appeared above her, reaching into the blackness of space. A die appeared for a second and then disappeared, a six out of six. Then, the soldiers flew upward into the vacuum of space. She eliminated the company of a thousand soldiers with ease. Her eyes were still wide, and her jaw dropped. She looked to her right, she only had a few moments between the start and end, and most were dead. She felt her legs grow heavy as she ran, the bloodstained ground and littered dead bodies burned in her mind. Their bodies were contorted in fear; some had holes in their head. Others had blades stuck inside them.

  Her hands shook as she touched the temple of her head.

  “No, Zynthia is the strongest.” She said to herself. “How can we lose?”

  “Company 951 requesting-” Her holosphere started, then a loud scream echoed and then nothing. She then turned to see the commander, bleeding. Her leg was gone, and her face was covered with blood. Yukari gulped. “Your eye.” She said, walking up to her. She strolled over to her as she held her in her hands. Her slim body contorted, her only working eye opened as her ocean blue eyes stared at her. A groan
formed across her face, and then a grin. She pulled Yukari close to her mouth.

  “This is all your fault.” She said. Then, she stopped breathing. Yukari hands trembled, as she got up, everyone around her was dead. She felt a faint sharp pine echo inside her head. Yukari’s eyes twitched.

  “Company 241 is requesting backup!”

  “I am on my way,” Yuki said.

  “Company 451 is pushing them back; a Time Mage keeps shooting us one by one.”

  “On it.” Said Ryunsun.

  Yukari sunk to the ground. Then, she cried. She bawled as she slammed her hands into the ground. The ground shook at the power, and the surrounding storm grew more fierce. The wind broke sound as she heard nothing. She felt nothing. She was crying because she failed.

  Then, a voice came out.

  “My oh my, the Tainted Knight has feelings.”

  Yukari swung her head around, tears rushing down her face. The first she noticed: she had an autumn leaf on her right breast, and her scornful look made Yukari grab her blade on instinct.

  Yukari let out a laugh, a howling laugh as she grabbed on her blade hard.

  “Good, now I can let out my immense rage on someone,” Yukari said.

  “I never knew one of my Company and yours would dare fight. I didn’t do a thing. I watched them die. I taught them by hand, and you erased them in an instant.” She said.

  “Tanyl,” Yukari growled, standing upward as she wiped her tears with her free hand.

  “Guilty as charged.”

  Yukari eyes widened as she rushed at her. “Kill! I wanna kill you!” She thought to herself. She slashed at her, splitting her in half. Her body became a pile of snow as it fell to the ground. She then felt a large gash cut through her back. She howled in pain as she bolted backward.

  Tanyl waved her hand as she disappeared from her mind. Yukari closed her eyes on instinct as she covered herself with Blue Aura. Footsteps, moving at her quickly from her right rushed in her brain. Yukari jumped backward, avoiding her sword. Tanyl sword severed the ground, splitting it in half with ease. She slinked it over her shoulder as she grimaced.

  “I am impressed. You are the first to avoid that.”