Exploding Stars

Chapter One

The darkness only added to the pounding of her heart. Shadows danced in odd, awkward ways, distracting her from her real opponent. A young woman stumbled through the night onto a moonlit path, her amber eyes wide with fear. The moon shone a eerie blue light on her orange hair, bathing her in a frightening coldness. Her breath came in short gasps, and her gloved hands gripped the handle of her sword.

Suddenly, there was a sharp snap behind her. The young warrior whirled around, her wide eyes narrowed with intensity and concentration. Thick tree trunks snapped in half, making way for the tall, vile beast.

It stood nearly five times the size of the girl, with a bony structure and dark, knobby skin. It's posture was upright like a human's, but on it's face was a long, thin snout with a leathery tongue flicking in and out of the nose. It opened it's jaws, revealing two rows of razor sharp teeth. Another forked tongue shot out from a gap between the teeth. Saliva dripped onto the grass, leaving a patch of blackened ashes where it fell. It had four arms growing from its sides, with three fingers and curved, sharp claws. A small curved bone grew out from it's spine. Rumors had it that the tip was poisonous.

The creature, a Krutuk, narrowed its pale yellow eyes at the girl. It let out a roar and a waterfall of saliva, burning a puddle in the ground. The girl jumped backwards, her hand reaching into a sack at her belt, pulling out five flat discs with spikes sticking out around the circumference. In a graceful movement, the girl flung the discs at the Krutuk. The monster made a small growl as the projectiles came in contact with its legs, but it wasn't enough to hurt him. The girl jumped behind some large rocks, her arms over her head.

"Three. Two. One," she whispered. On "one", there was a white flash and a loud explosion. The monster yowled as the discs exploded his legs, dissembling his lower body parts. As it thudded onto the ground, the Krutuk flicked its nose tongue out, stretching at a magnificent length of five feet, lashing at the rocks that the warrior hid behind. The rock melted away with contact. The girl yelped and scrambled up, hacking her sword wildly as she stumbled backwards. She again reached for her bag, but the Krutuk's second tongue shot out; even longer this time; and pierced through the girl's bag. The girl screamed and ran quickly in the opposite direction, counting the seconds in her mind.

"Three. Two. One." She jumped behind some fallen trees as the rest of her exploding discs were set off, throwing Krutuk parts into the air. She covered her head and coward behind the trunk as body parts rained down on her. The Krutuk skull fell with a thud beside her, its eyeballs half melted in its gaping socket. The girl took a shuddering peek at the head beside her. A slow grin crept onto her lips.

Her test as a warrior has completed. She had defeated a Krutuk, a human engineered beast produced for the sole purpose of coming-of-age tests.

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This is just an introductory chapter, no names pointed out. However, if you read the description, you might be able to figure out that the girl is Randella Misuri Avantvare, and citizen of Mykari. But I don't want to give anything away, so you have to read on for all the details.

Hope you liked this bit. Comment and vote please?