The Strifers

Chapter 2: Start from the Trunk

  After reaching my quota, I delivered the wood, got paid a fair amount, and now the hard part begins.

Running through the forest I spun my ax around to fuel her flames and unleash a devastating swing on a dead tree.

"Amazing, it's an odd weapon, nothing I've ever seen. Most Demon Weapons in the world are merely 'pre-charged' meaning you can already unleash some abilities, but yours carefully builds up potential making weaker abilities stronger."

Hearing that reminds me of potential and kinetic energy. I then started to shake Blaze Fury up and down, giving her energy, but at the maximum and the minimum, she dims. I had the idea to spin her like a drumstick and she quickly set ablaze. It was awesome to see my skill grow but I couldn't feel anything but doubt.

"Hey Garosh, when you say abilities meaning I could have more than one, if so could you teach me some?"

"Unfortunately I only how Specter's Sword; no weapon works the same unless it's weapons digress. There's an alternative, learning how to fight properly is better than anything; I remember trovert talking to someone beyond the forest, Jason if I recall, he suggested he could train you, but Trovert refused and forbids you from doing so unless we convince him."

I grumbled under my breath. "Well let's hope this Jason doesn't snitch either. I don't want to get punished. I have to read this long boring book to him, he doesn't know how to read which is his excuse for punishment."

"I'm gonna be honest I'd kill to read again. It's as if I just lost my body yesterday, but it's been years—I forget how many though—I should've never taken it for granted; hey, whatever happens in our journey could you take the time to read to me too?"

What a weird knife; I can't imagine being active until you don't remember; I might've gone insane, but I wonder what keeps Garosh sane.

***

Granted it shouldn't be that hard to find Jason—most of Mammalia is merely an island just off the coast of The Region—he was just beyond

From a distance, Jason was boiling a kettle on the campfire. Sitting on a log I could see his dirty-white armor shine in the campfire's light. He had a bushy-stern face patiently waiting for the kettle to finish boiling.

So this is Jason.

"Approach him with caution, he might not even know you nor recognize you."

I nodded and approached Jason's tea party. Jason stayed calm as his ears cleared up and knew I was there.

"State your business, Tamsin doesn't bite." He prepares his large door-like shield and a long sword—longer than any normal one.

"I am Paulo, Trovert's son, I heard you can train me."

"You know, you shouldn't have told me that, but even so I wouldn't train strangers anyway—they'd die."

Sounds like a cocky guy, but even so, he has an unreasonably sized sword—he's slower that way.

"What if I beat you?" Playing off my own cockiness Jason doesn't react nor make a face. I prepared Blaze Fury for her first fight.

I swung first hitting his shield—that was my mistake—he pushed the ax causing me to recover from that hit, but Jason dealt a devastating slash on my chest. I stood back up catching my breath, blood started to seep through. I pushed myself and swung a hard hit, but it was useless. He parried my hit and grabbed my collar. He took a good look at me and held the sword under my neck and dropped me. "No one can beat me."

Realizing he dropped me near the campfire's log, he then reaches for a bag filled with some kind of medical supplies.

Jason reaches for a cloth and cleaned up my wound. "A kid like you doesn't find a guy like me, who sent you after me?"

I threw the green knife on the ground. Jason admires the blade.

"His name is Garosh, he sort of stumbled into my life."

"Wow, this Garosh friend is a Devil's Knife?"

"Yes... Okay okay, this was a test to uh... measure your strength and now I see it's at the bottom." I can imagine him sweating. "I know this may seem like it's coming out of nowhere, but Stephen is after me; I'm trying the best I can to prepare you for the worst... I can see that it's no good, we can change that. Jason, I've heard that conversation between you and Trovert."

I turned to him as he had a dark expression. I pressed him asking the question, 'who is Stephen?'

Jason's sword shatters the ground as claws grew on his fingertips. He snarls and the tone of his voice changes.

"What a coincidence I do know a man named Stephen, but it's a long story."

"Paulo, I'm sorry if it's all so sudden, but you need to take responsibility and take on Stephen,."

"Are you insane, I can't fight, I can't use these magical, if anything Jason is clearly more capable of taking on Stephen. I don't have anything against this guy."

"It still won't be enough, It's gonna take more than the two of you to kill him."

"Great so we're screwed basically, actually wait hold on, why are we worried, there's no way he'd find us out here on an island beyond The Region, he's not gonna go out of his way just to kill me, that's just nonsense."

"Paulo you're not listening, he'll do anything just to get his hands on me, it's now or never!"

  I handed Jason the knife and went off my own way, this world doesn't need a boy like me saving it.

Authors Note: Hi, I'm a low-level writer and was hoping to share my story, but this isn't where I usually post the chapters, I have a preferred website where I post them. I am merely posting them here just to spread the word, thank you for reading!

https://theregionscom.wordpress.com/