Feirce

       A shadow lingered across his face as Feirce knelt by the glowing blue statue. He had a medium height and build. His straight, jet black hair fell almost to his shoulders, his eyes; equally as dark. The cloak he wore was soaked. Tear streaks ran down his face. He took a deep breath and wiped them away. The hall of the cathedral was dark and cold. A single blue candle the same color as the statue bathed the walls in an eerie light. Feirce gazed up at the statue of his mother. A funeral would be had tomorrow for her. Feirce had wanted to attended, but didn’t know if he would be able to bear the pain and grief that her death had brought him. He was now the last remaining descendant of the ancient and powerful tribe: the Quitake’. The cathedral was the traditional burial ground for his people. Statues of the same material as his mothers adorned the outcroppings along the walls. The city outside was bleak and rainy. Invena had once been a beautiful and prosperous city but now stood a shadow of its former self.

      Invena was just one of the many cities on the continent of Veros. Each city had one government that took care of the majority of the affairs while a separate organization dealt with the military and security, in a way, the organization was sort of like the muscle for the city. The cities were massive and covered hundreds of miles of land. They were all grand and magnificent in their own element. These were the things Feirce learned in school. No questions allowed. When Feirce was born, he was too young to know the truth about the cities, or how they came to be. They were taught about brilliant scientists who had developed the way to make all the buildings glow and the master architects that had revolutionarily designed Invena, but the day when he learned about what he was, and about the great, powerful, and technologically advanced race called the Quitake’. 

      The people of the Quitake’ tribe had always been kind. They shared their wealth and power with the lesser tribes of Veros for centuries. Great kings and nobles of faraway lands had always been mystified by the powers of the Quitake’ tribe but over the years, the other tribes began to see their power as less of a wonder, and more as a threat. Great wars raged and ravaged over the Quitake’ technology. The Quitake’ people fought and used the greatest of their strength, but against the combined force of a fearing world, they stood little chance. They were outmatched by millions, and eventually their numbers dwindled and they were forced to scatter from their great cities to the far reaches of the Veros. They survived, but so few were their numbers that they feared extinction. For centuries they cowered in the depths of mountains and forests where they hid the greatest of their technology. It was only recently that they found the courage to return to society, but what they discovered was a horrible truth. The other tribes had merged together to form a single society run by a single corrupt and unjust military force called the Hands of God. Their beautiful cities had become horrible places of crime and poverty. The advanced technology they were forced to leave behind was being used to pump out superior military troopers called G.O.D.s. The G.O.D.s was products of a failed research project to create the perfect soldiers. When they were discovered still in existence, the Hands of God decided that they would need the power of a living Quitake’ in order to make their experiments work. They took the Quitake’ away and started a new project to pull the energy source from the body of a Quitake’ tribesman. After many experiments, they became successful at attaining the energy source from the body. They foolishly attempted to use the energy to create the ultimate being, but still their research was in vain as they could go no further than creating a G.O.D. They wrapped up their research, claiming that the bloodline of the Quitake’ had grown thin and weak over the years, and was now insufficient to create an ultimate.

     For a long time after that the Quitake’ who had gone into hiding at the time of the experiments, began to crawl out from under their rocks and lived silently among the people of Invena. The Hands of god were replaced by another military led by an honest man named Inveetus, who helped repair the broken city and its inhabitants, but the Hands of God were far from gone. They convened in secret, going about their horrible tests and kidnapping every now and again. As for the G.O.D.s, well, they were never heard from again. An entire legion of super soldiers just vanished over night. 

      It wasn’t until two years ago that the tragedy began all over again.  

     Feirce had been walking home from school that day. He was only fourteen at the time; life had seemed so much different. It was very dark that evening, and Fierce thought that it might rain. He walked close to the buildings in case he would need to run for cover. The city seemed deathly quiet. All the buildings gave off a bluish glow because there was something special in the ore they refined for the steel the buildings were made of. It was an Ancient technique that the Quitake’ used when they built Invena. It was a long forgotten method of strengthening objects. It had always creeped him out and soothed him at the same time.

      Halfway home, Feirce began to realize that something was wrong. There were no people walking in the streets, the shop windows where all tightly shut and even the market place; usually bustling with activity was eerily quiet. Even the stray animals that slunk around in the alleys at night were nowhere to be seen.

     Feirce crept along the roadways and even took the most dangerous shortcut behind cranky old Mr. Barn’s bakery in order to get home as quickly as he could. He got to his street within minutes and was creeping quietly across the road. For some reason, his instincts told him not to disturb the silence. He saw home and quickened his pace. A few yards from his house, something happened.

       He heard it before he saw it. The low rumbling of something massive and heavy was thumping towards him. Feirce had never heard a sound like it. It froze him in his tracks. The sound was getting louder and soon it would see him. Whatever it was, he was scared. Feirce made a split decision to dive behind a nearby dumpster. It was dirty and smelly, but he was glad for the cover. The object grew closer and Feirce could make out the sound of grinding gears. He held his breath as the noise grew so loud that he knew that the thing must be on the other side. The dumpster vibrated from the noise and chattered Feirce’s teeth.

       And then it stopped. The silence was so complete that it felt like Veros itself was holding its breath. Feirce waited for something to happen. A lifetime seemed to pass.

      Then he heard the distinct sound of heavy feet on pavement. Feirce picked out three very large men walking only a few feet from where he lay crouched behind the dumpster.  Then there were voices. “I’m telling you I saw someone.” One of the men said. “Well I didn’t see anyone then, and I don’t see anyone now,” said a second voice. “Even if you did see someone, there’s no telling if it actually was the Quitake’.” At those words, Feirce’s blood ran cold. He had heard his mother and father talking about that word before. Something about what they were. “I’m telling you it was a young boy that matched the description of one of the Quitake’ we’re looking for,” said the first. ‘They can’t mean me can they?’ Feirce thought. “You admit it was only a glimpse, how can you be sure he matched the description?” asked the third man. “I’m telling you that maybe you’re wrong and this whole thing was pointless!” “Well maybe you’re wrong!” “Get off it!” After a while of the three men bickering and Feirce remaining motionless behind the dumpster, it began to rain.

       At first it was a barely noticeable trickle, but then quickly grew to a thundering downpour. “Great! Now it’s raining! This is all your fault, let’s just get back in the veha and get the hell outta here.” Feirce became hopeful that they would leave, but now there was a new threat. Feirce was fighting back the urge to sneeze. He knew that the smallest sound would alert the men to his presence but it was coming fast. The rain was cold and was chilling his body making it harder to contain himself. He heard something open and close and thought that the men might be gone. He cautiously poked out his head and witnessed a horrible and amazing sight.

       A great behemoth of metal stood before him. It was at least fifteen feet tall and equally wide with turrets set into it. It had six gargantuan legs that were long and thick, made of an intricate and fascinating design. The legs raised the veha about a foot off the ground. The whole thing was a malevolent red-black color and had a symbol of sorts painted crudely on its side that looked like a diamond overlapped by an upside down triangle at the top corner. Feirce thought it looked like a giant beetle. The veha was truly an amazing sight. So amazing in fact that Feirce forgot to stop himself. He sneezed loudly although he tried to muffle it with his hand. “What was that?” “I don’t know, but I think it came from over here.” Feirce’s heart started to race, he could feel the blood pumping through his veins. He flattened himself against the dumpster, hoping that he could squeeze under the thing. It wouldn’t have done much good as one of the men lifted up the entire dumpster with one hand. “Hey! Here he is!” “I knew it! I told you I saw someone!”

       It was then that Feirce saw what the men were. They wore heavy armor painted the same color as the veha. All three of the soldiers were wearing the identical armor but each had a different mark on the chest. Horribly, the marks appeared to be painted with blood. Two of the soldiers simply had streaks across their chests, but the third had an intricate symbol. Obviously the designs were some sort of rank identification.  Each of the soldiers carried large high-tech rifles. Probably the oddest thing about the soldiers was their helmets. There were no eyeholes or air vents or whatever else there usually was on a helmet. They were simply smooth pieces of metal that ran an edge down the center of the helmet and came to a point at the bottom.  Feirce then realized what these men must be. They were soldiers.

       The soldier holding the dumpster laughed as the other two approached Feirce. “No! Get away from me!” Feirce shouted. “Ha-ha! And give up our reward? Fat chance.” Feirce struggled greatly as the other two soldiers grabbed him and carried him over to the Veha. “No! No! NO!”  Feirce screamed as he struggled even harder. “Ha-ha, knock the twerp out 258.” “With pleasure 259.” The nearest soldier apparently dubbed 258 slammed Feirce in the back of the head with the butt end of his rifle. Feirce’s vision went fuzzy and he felt immense pain where the blow had been, but he was able to remain conscious.

      Then a blue light clouded his vision. Feirce figured it was part of the trauma he had surely suffered. Then something else happened. Feirce’s whole body started to glow. “What’s happening to him?” 259 asked. “I don’t know but, AH!” 258 yelled as he released Feirce. He held up his hands to show that the armor that had covered them had been melted away. “What is this!?” he screamed as 259 let go as well, his hands melted in the same fashion. Meanwhile, Feirce lay on the pavement shaking, his body soaked from the heavy rain and an unimaginable fury boiling in his gut. He rose off the ground; body ablaze with bluish light. He floated in the air, held up by an unseen force.

         The soldiers turned to run, but they froze where they stood. Feirce looked up at them, but not with eyes. The light being emanated from where they would have been was so bright it forced the soldiers to look away. Then Feirce’s anger for the soldiers burst forth. The men were disintegrated by a blast that came from within Feirce’s body. The light that erupted from him was absolute, it filled every nook and cranny, purging out the shadows until there were none left.

       When Feirce came to, he was lying in a massive crater in the middle of the street.  The walls around him sizzled and sparked. He looked around for the soldiers, but nothing remained of them. The veha had vanished as well, but it left a black trail in the road where the blast had moved it.

         Feirce remained in the fetal position, unable to believe or understand what he had just done. A small puddle began to form in the crater from the rain. After a while he could hear the distant sound of more vehas coming towards him. He found the strength to pick himself off the ground and crawl out of the crater. At the top he tried to stand up, but fell back immediately. He barely had the strength to crawl home.

        Home was still so far away. He collapsed and felt himself slipping away. It was then that he felt the gentle touch of his mother’s hand on his forehead.

       The next thing he knew, he was lying in his bed. He sat up quickly and searched the room for his mother, but she was nowhere to be found. Feirce pulled back the covers and jumped out of bed and nearly collapsed again. He managed to get back up using the bed as a support.  He slowly made his way down the hallway, pausing every few feet to rest. He felt his strength coming back, but he did not yet trust himself with letting go of the wall. He found his mother in the living room sitting in a chair and staring out the window at the damage he had caused.

        “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to do it.” Feirce said weakly. “Oh honey, I know it wasn’t your fault. We should have told you sooner.” His mother said without taking her eyes of the road. “Tell me what?” Feirce asked, confused. “We’ll save it for when your father comes home.”’ So that’s why she was looking out the window, it wasn’t because of me, it was for him.’ Feirce thought to himself. He took up a chair and sat down next to his mother and watched out the window for any sign of his father.

         The sky outside was still dark when his father finally came home, and the rain had not yet stopped. The blue glow from the buildings gave off a sort of holy vibe. The pale blue light contrasted beautifully with the black night. His father’s motorbike pulled up to the front of the house. It hovered a few feet off the ground, as did all the vehicles in Invena. More Quitake’ technology.

           His father ran inside, holding his cloak collar against the rain. Feirce and his mother both got up and headed for the door. They reached it just as it opened revealing a soaked man, his eyes hade deep bags and it was obvious he hadn’t slept in a long time. Feirce’s father walked in and shook himself, then removed his cloak and hung it on a nearby hanger. “Reis, what’s happening?” His wife asked. “Not here.” He said looking at Feirce. He motioned to the bedroom down the hall. Feirce began to follow them, but his mother turned to him and said “please wait out here honey, your father and I will explain things in a moment.” She said it so sweetly that Feirce stayed put without a fuss. Once the door closed behind them, however, he made his way silently over to it and rested his ear on the door. The voices beyond were muffled, but Feirce managed to make out most of what they were saying. The words would never leave his memory.

       “What do you mean? That can’t be true, can it?” It was his mother speaking. “And even if it was, why would they need us?” “Because The artifact that they found may be the key they need to unlock the machine, But they don’t know how it works, and if they did, they would know that it will only work for a Quitake’.” “This is horrible! Oh Inveetus will never let it happen!” “Inveetus was killed this morning. The Hands of God are telling everyone that he died of natural causes, but I doubt that being stabbed through the heart counts as natural.” Feirce’s mother gasped in horror. “No! It couldn’t have been…” “Yes, the Hands of God. Their taking over again, just like before. His father spoke as if they had all just received a death sentence. “And all this when Feirce is coming into his powers. What are we going to tell him?” she cried. “So that mess outside was him. I thought as much. Well, we’ll tell him the truth, he’s old enough to know.” His father began to walk towards the door; Feirce prepared to move away, but his father stopped. “Neive, we have to fully consider leaving the city, if not for our sakes, then for our son’s.”

         Feirce moved away from the door and pretended to be occupying himself with a loose string on his shirt. His father opened the door and told him to come inside.

         It was then that his father explained to Feirce who he was and the history of the Quitake’ tribe. He also explained that when a Quitake’ tribesman first uses his powers; it is a sign of adulthood. His father also told him that for reasons Feirce would not yet understand, there would be men coming after him. “You mean like those soldiers?” Feirce asked. “Soldiers?” He looked at his wife, “you mean the G.O.D.s were here? I thought they disappeared. . . Then that confirms everything.”  

          After briefly explaining the G.O.D.s and their role as kidnappers, Feirce’s father looked down at him and spoke to him in the most serious voice Feirce had ever heard, “Don’t ever approach them, if you see one; stay low and get away as fast as you can.” “But what if I can fight them again, like I did before? With the Blue light, I-” “No. That power was a once in a lifetime display.” His father interrupted. “It happens only once, when a Quitake’ comes of age. You will never be able to use it again. But you are not powerless. The blood of the Quitake’ flows through your veins. If you are in trouble then you will have the power to defend yourself.” Feirce looked down disappointedly at his feet. “When you are older, I will teach you to control it, but for now, I think its best that we lay low.”

        Feirce had agreed to learn from his father, but a few weeks after that day, his father was taken. His mother cried for months. It took her a long time, but eventually she was able to bring herself to teach Feirce to control his strength. Over the next year and a half, more people were taken. It was difficult for Feirce to control the urge to test out his powers on a few unsuspecting G.O.D.s, but his father’s voice telling him to stay away kept his head clear. He learned to heal wounds and summon shields and weapons. His mother taught him how to move objects without touching them, and to give himself immense physical strength when he was in danger. He sometimes went out at night to learn from experience. It taught him how to move about unseen, and when he needed; disappear. 

         An uneasiness had grown in his heart. Something bad would happen, he knew, but he didn’t listen, why had he not listened? He asked himself that question constantly since his mother’s death. He hadn’t been home that morning, out playing on the rooftops, keeping a close eye on the G.O.D.s that now ran the streets in packs. People were afraid to go outside their homes. A dark cloud loomed over the city like a great omen. It often rained and the world seemed to weep for its lost child. They had come without warning. When Feirce came home, he found the door kicked down, and the house in shambles. His mother: gone. Blood coated the floor and walls. Feirce thought he’d go mad at the sight of it.

       There disappearances every other day, and the Hands of God were behind it all. Feirce clenched his fists tightly at the thought. The Hands of God; this was all their fault, and he would make them pay if it cost him his life.

        

 

 

Reviews

[Syldor]

Wonderful Character set-up. You certainly do a great job of describing the secnery and emotion.