Mana Pool Snippets - Keystone

Part 3

More quiet time in the Jeep, and still looking at the house, except Jaruka. Until Katie said it was time.

Scott got out of the Jeep with a cautious outcome. Like the Livingston house, the neighborhood was quiet, almost a deserted feel to it. More bad vibes as Scott thought that all were inside, watching.

Jaruka stayed in the Jeep. After Andrea got out and closed the door, Scott saw Jaruka’s plasma pistol. A huge revolver-type gun that was part steampunk and part technical as two green lights powered on. Jaruka kept it low. He also touched his right wristband and a white shield enveloped him, then shimmered away. His personal shield Scott remembered.

“You know what these places remind me of?” Jaruka/Ralph said through the open window.

“There are places like this?” Scott said, restraining from the “space” part of the mercenary’s life because of Andrea.

“Stuff that can scare the youngling, including Katie. Never liked these sort of places.”

“Can I ask the details?”

“Rather not,” Jaruka said with a serious head shake.

“Fair enough,” Scott said.

“Watch your back. I’ll yell if anything happens.”

Katie thought it was best to leave the totems behind as well, in case talking animals were still a problem for the parents. Arana stayed in the passenger seat and Keeji sat in the back beside Jaruka.

Walking onto the porch, their footsteps made the floorboards creak. Beth Livingston is so crazy for perfection that even the porch gets regular maintenance. Katie and Scott looked at each other catching the neglected chore.

“I got this,” Katie said and rang the doorbell. “Hello? This is Katie, Brenda’s daughter. Look, we need to talk. We found Andr—“

The front door opened so fast the terrans yelled. A man screamed while holding a fireplace stick. Scott grabbed the screaming Andrea to protect her, but Katie was the most prepared for anything.

She stood her ground, brought both her hands up, and concentrated without effort. Blue and white marble colored Celtic tribal tattoos, from her fingers to elbows, emerged from her skin, giving off its own blue glow. Terrans can either choose to speak the spell in their heritage language or think it, but Katie prefers the traditional method.

“Sciath chosanta,” Katie yelled in Celtic.

A five-foot wide shield grew from her palms, casting blue light on the porch and the terrans. Streams of mana erupted from the tattoos and powered the shield. The attacker brought the fireplace pick up and the tip made contact with the spell, causing a short shockwave through the air. Scott felt it with his hairs standing upright on his arms and neck. Scott envied Katie that she controlled magic than him. Even hated the wound on his mana heart to not practice with her.

When the shield’s light died a little, Morgan Livingston stood inches from it in complete shock. Brown eyes wide and his semi-bald white hair was thinned the last time they met him. He was a man that never liked the gym and pride on work and family, so his stomach blew outwards. Morgan even preferred business suits rather casual clothing, to set an example of his accounting firm, but he wore grey sweats. That was odd.

Scott looked past Morgan and into the house. The fireplace stick was stabbed into the second story wall. No sign of Beth.

“Jesus Christ,” Morgan said. “Can’t believe you two changed.”

“We heard,” Scott said. “And for Pete sake you scared Andrea. We need to talk.”

“No! Go away. Especially that… thing portraying our daughter. Got before I call the cops.” It struck the couple how he described Andrea.