Young Writers Society

Chapter: two

Fighting is the most exhausting activity for the human body. Not everyone is built for it. Martial artists train for years so they can build the endurance that allows them to last in a battle. My fight with The Ripper so far had lasted only five minutes yet my arms sagged with fatigue and my legs felt like jelly.

Drool oozed from The Ripper’s mouth, he had claws the size of daggers, and his spine protruded about an inch out of his back. His arms and legs had grown bigger and were continuing to gain mass as the Prana coalesced around him with greater frequency. In a matter of seconds he had already grown 6ft tall! I really hoped I knew what I was doing.

I stooped into a low crouch ready to spring at any moment. The Ripper took a step forward and just as I thought he was about to attack, a young woman stepped into the cage. She had red hair tied into a pony tail, dark blue eyes, and a petite athletic figure.

“Mabel, what are you doing?!”I yelled.

Mabel ignored me and spread her arms in a pacifying gesture. She had her back to me and reached her hands out to The Ripper without getting too close.

“It’s alright,” she said. “You don’t have to fight anymore.”

The Ripper growled and the crowd booed. “Get her out of the cage!” Somebody yelled. I turned to the crowd of on lookers and noticed the speaker had been my brother Mason. He’d jumped the railing that separated the cage from the bleachers. The Ripper flicked his tail and thrust it at Mabel. I sprang forward, dived into her, and Ripper’s tail stabbed into the floor feet away from where she’d been standing seconds earlier.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demanded as I pinned her to the floor of the cage. “He’s dangerous.”

“Someone has to help him!” She countered.

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” I shot back. We both locked gazes. I had no idea what was going on in her head. She was more comely from this distance. She had freckles on her cheeks and her skin was delicate but tan probably from long hours spent in the sun. The shove I’d given her moments ago had roughed her up a bit so the blue dress she was wearing had gotten dirty. “This is my fault. Please, I have to do something.” she pleaded.

“Alright, alright,” I complied and helped Mable to her feet. I twirled my staff and focused on reverting it back to its original state. When I finished my silver ring was sitting in the palm of my hand; the emerald embedded in its center glinting in the light from Ripper’s Aura.

I put the ring back on to my hand and shot a look at Mason. “Get over here.”

Mason nodded and proceeded to the gate of the cage and carefully navigated his way to my location in the cage. Mason was dressed in a black shirt, blue jeans, and a red leather jacket. When he got close I could see his totem, our mother’s gold bracelet, glowing bright yellow and hanging loosely on his wrist.

“What’s with the grimace?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I said. “Just thinking about stuff I want to forget. What do you think?” I pointed at Ripper.

Mason frowned as he opened up his SIGHT and the bracelet around his hand glowed brighter. Some Alchemists possess the ability to see other people’s Chakra. Mason had been able to do it since we were kids. I never could understand the science behind Chakra gazing but according to our Master it was a rare ability.

“I don’t know,” he said finally.

“Ok,” I scowled. “What’s that supposed mean?”

“It’s difficult to say…” he reproached.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. “You’re the only person here experienced with Human Alchemy. Manny, you gotta know something.”

“Look, there are two sides to everyone’s Chakra: Positive and Negative. Positive Chakra absorbs Prana and Negative Chakra releases Prana. This process is what sustains the flow of life energy into your body. My only guess is that somehow his negative Chakra is no longer functioning.”

“How is that possible?” I asked him.

Mason hesitated before he spoke, “well I may have an idea, but I bet she does too…”

We both turned our heads to look at Mable was in tears and her face which had become red and puffy had a self-reproachful expression on it. She backed up to the gate and slid to the ground.

Her voice was barely louder than a whisper. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “This is…my fault.”

I approached her. “Mable, what did you do?”

Mable sniffed and wiped her eyes. “I…Well….It’s,” She stammered but she stopped and took a deep breath to calm herself. Mason kneeled beside her and put his hand on her shoulder.

He smiled. “Listen Mable, if you know something about this, you gotta tell us or we can’t help him.”

“I know who you two are ok,” she whimpered. “I’ve seen you asking questions around town. You work for King Pendragon right?”

Mason and I exchanged looks and I nodded. “It’s a little more complicated than that Mable,” he said. “But you are right. We do.”

Her expression changed into a thin lipped grimace. “Then stop acting like you don’t know what this is about,” she stated firmly. Mason looked back at me and shook his head.

“Look, we just need you to confirm…things,” I sighed. “The Ripper, your boyfriend, is he using Philosopher’s stone?”

“His name is Ranak,” she said. “And…yes he is.”

“Van…” I faced my brother who was pointing at something. I followed his gaze and saw what he was addressing.

The Ripper was wailing as the Prana collecting around his body increased exponentially. Prana is the sum total of all energy manifested in the universe. The cage, the bleachers, and all the people in this building are all at the basic level composed of Prana and now The Ripper’s Aura was pulling in prana from outside sources. The bars of the cage were melting; the bleachers in the stands were crumbling and falling apart. This caused wide spread panic in the audience. Men and women screamed as they attempted to escape the building’s disintegration.

“Manny,” I yelled over the The Ripper—Ranak’s screaming. “We’ve got to get out of here!”

I clapped my hands and focused on the Chakra in my ring, then place my hands on the cage and created a hole in its wire mesh frame work. Mable’s eyes went wide.

“You’re not making me leave him,” she asserted.

“I’m sorry,” Mason said. His eyes had a sad glint in them as his hand on Mable’s shoulder took on his bracelet’s gold glow. The glow proceeded to spread across her body until it encompassed her then faded out in a matter of seconds. When Mason’s Alchemy was finished he held Mable’s unconscious body in his hands. I nodded grimly and he followed me out of the cage.

We raced out of the cage towards the crowd of commoners huddled up at the doors. There were yells of protest and a couple of men were smashing left over fragments of the bleachers into the door.

“What’s going on?” I asked a woman next to me. It was the women I’d seen hand the chicken to Ranak at the start of the match.

She scowled. “They sealed the doors shut! No one can get out.”

I swore and scanned the crowd. The doors at the exit had been sealed and the announcer along with Vanderbell and his escort were conveniently nowhere to be seen. “I didn’t wanna have to blow our cover like this,” I said to Mason. “But we have no choice.” Mason nodded. He was carrying the unconscious Mable on his shoulders.

“Do what you have to do,” he said.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a golden badge with a picture of an eagle perched on a sword carved into to it, the emblem of Uther Pendragon.

“The symbol of the crown,” the woman gasped. “It’s the Royal Alchemist!” Many of the on-lookers in the back who heard her gazed wearily at the badge, and stepped aside to let me pass.

“Let’s go,” I said to my brother and he followed me to the sealed doors. The men at the front stopped what they were doing and stepped back to allow me to examine the doors. The doors were made of regular metal so there was nothing special about them, except; the place where they parted had merged together as if they’d been soldered. It was a simple transmutation of metal but easy to fix. I focused on the chakra in my ring and placed my hands on the doors. Static shot across the metal as the particles of Prana within the door were separated. When I finished the door crumbled into dust.

“That was good, but a little over-board,” Mason commented.

“Shut up,” I shot back and then turned to the crowd. “Everybody out!”