《Lion's Heart》 The beginning Prologue ---------------- 2150 world desolation The land charred with the blood and soot that had accumulated for the past century. Nothing in sight, an endless plane of black with a glimmer of red on the surface as the sun reflected off Astoria. People gasping for air, though the poisonous gas still entered their body. The carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and other harmful chemicals produced by the advanced technology. People fell one by one. A populace of 50 billion collapsed. "Stupid humans," Hommel said, "after observing their progress so much only to fall. A sad tale." Hommel had observed how the humans started off from the beginning to their end. "Hommel do not worry, you know this happens every time." A sweet succulent voice entered the room. A slender figure walked over to his side. Siren said, "You understand that there will be a few humans who will survive to keep their race going." While holding a glass of wine in her left hand. ¡°You are right the old freaks will spare a few hundred thousand," rolling his eyes to the back of his head. Turning his head toward Astoria again. "Siren, I wonder what they will do to solve this problem." "Hommel in the current universe, being stronger than everyone else grants you power. Countless planes and worlds have used this way to prevent such destruction." Siren said. Looking toward her fists as she lifted them up to remind her of getting stronger. In another part of the galaxy. Loud shouts that would shatter the heavens sounded out through space. "The orders are in my hand. No more arguing," The old man said. These Old freaks shivered as the impact collided with their bodies. All 144 old freaks could not stop the order from happening. Above this current council, there are 12 mysterious figures. With one person at the top, the immortal God, he was the one who had created everything. No one dared to bother any of them. Astoria. In space. Two figures were advancing to Astoria. Hommel, who had not yet passed the age of 40. With blueish gray eyes that pierced into one''s soul. Salty hair in a ponytail. Subtle five o''clock shadow, and stature like a barbarian. He seemed like unmovable mountain. Siren who had not yet passed her 30''s stood by his side. A slim figure with ample breasts, which looked like a lump on here chest. Dirty blonde hair the dropped down by her side. Eyes that were as deep as a forest of green and cheekbones set high like an Elven princess. Astoria was in a complete state of disarray. Since this was a desolate, barren land, nothing showed that human life was thriving here. Cannibalism was rampant in every group. The strong survived the weak provided the meat with their flesh. Children abandoned in caves not knowing what to do. Crying filled the air like cicadas in summer. A top Astoria, Hommel spread his mind across the world. In doing so, he found the hundred thousand people who can create the future of the planet. The humans were the last ones left as they either ate or killed everything they could consume. Siren to his left, was in no hurry to help. Hommel focused, with eyes closed as if he wanted to fall asleep there. A bubble appeared around each person. This was a tedious task, even for his level of cultivation. Each person had enough room for it to hold one human. Solid enough for them to stand on, and yet able to act like a sieve. Hommel had control over every bubble like an iron chain holding a chair. Those humans looked astonished as they flew high into the sky above the ground. In their minds, only birds and planes flew in the sky. Everyone looking up towards the sky saw a sphere that had a blue hue. Humans merged with the blue sphere. People converged on the central point of the blue sphere. The survivors scanned every direction to see who had transported them here. Meanwhile, outside the sphere, Hommel opened his eyes. He said, ¡°Siren it''s your turn.¡± ¡°Finally, I can erase the rest of the human race.¡± A single thought showed on her face, Genocide. A Graceful wind swept across the planet, making it anew. Everything erased with a thought, nothing left except the continents. Siren concentrated on making Astoria new just like a newborn baby emerging from the womb. Siren''s face filled with joy as Astoria was new. Her mind moved to the stone ring on her right hand to open the storage within the ring, within the ring was a vast space. The ring contained animals, plants, and any life form needed for a planet to survive. In the next instance, everything that had been in the ring appeared in front of Siren. In touch with her inner women to decorate the planet. Hommel watched with a relaxed stare as she decorated. Turning toward the sphere, he flew towards it indifferent to what was about to happen. Behind him, Siren had a look of joy on her face. The mass of humans whipped their heads to look at the figure floating at the top of them. The wind passed through the bubble. Everything was quiet, even heartbeats slowed to a minimal pace. ¡°To all who survived congratulations!¡± Echoed in everyone''s head. ¡°You are the last of your race. Soon your bodies will change somewhat to accommodate the energy that will fill your body. There are gate entrances that open once the energy fills your body. These include; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and the black gate. Each gate goes up the spine. To start cultivation, you need to unlock the first one of the eight, by sensing the energy in the universe. Creating meridians will cause immense pain, after this process, everyone will have these veins. To gain the energy you will need to sit with legs crossed. The back of your hands against your knees with palms towards the sky. In this position, you need to enter a relaxed and focused state of mind. Now it may take some time to get started." with a wave of his hand a hundred thousand humans screamed in enormous pain as the meridian veins formed. The process took a day to complete. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The next day. "Now that you have meridians, start cultivating!" Hommel said, moving out of the sphere so they could start without distracting yourself "Siren how long until they get past the red gate?" "I would estimate half a month due to them never doing this." Siren said, still content on improving Astoria. Siren and Hommel talked about various ways they could make the new generation stronger. to survive the cultivation world. They placed various libraries on Astoria. The library¡¯s contained all knowledge of the universe, basic skills, crafting, and general knowledge. This could be the most generous act that gave them an edge due to knowledge being power. Reading books improved your chances to gain a new insight. The buildings could not move, books stolen or monopolized for a profit. "I wonder what treasures are on this planet?" Siren said, gazing at Astoria with a cold stare. "Treasures are a mystery," Hommel said, staring into the black abyss of space. "No one knows where or how they''ll appear." "Right Right. Let¡¯s lay down the stone tablets on Astoria. I don''t want to be here any longer than I have to be." Stone tablets rained down from the sky, each tablet was bigger than a car. On the stone tablets Wars happen every 25 years between continents. Rewards, going to the victor of each massive battle. The objectives in each war are different. They''ll appear in the sky above each continent for all to see. Winning means you get rewards. They appear in front of everyone based on accomplishments. "Ugh... done" Siren said, floating to the top of Astoria to view her work. In place of the barren wasteland, a sea of green covered the surface. Blue as far as the eye could see. Various roars, chirps, hissing, and other wild animal sounds filled the air. Above the surface, five continents floated. This elevation could only support cultivators at the yellow gate. You attained the ability to fly or use an item at this level. Hommel entered the sphere, flying to once again talk to the cultivators. ¡°Everyone here should have broken through to the red gate." Spreading his mind over each cultivator to see his or her level. To his surprise, ten percent were almost at the orange gate. One passed to the green gate this made his mouth drop. Knowing that one possessed the talent to get past the first bottleneck astonished him. Which was at the orange to yellow gate and enter into the second made his mind go blank. "Strength, agility, intelligence, and vitality points are in your soul realm. When you inspect yourself, you will find that you can increase, which attribute you want. Unlocking each gate provide you with one-hundred points. To reset points you need a special stone that one person will receive as a reward in the war. Pick as if this was the last time you could put points in. These attributes affect your element that you have an affinity for. Earth, Wind, Fire, Light, Darkness, and Water are accepted by everyone. You¡¯re able to create your own skills with the foundations you provide for yourself. Throughout the world are library''s containing millions of books written about creating skills." Finishing what he said all the cultivators closed their eyes to inspect themselves. Displayed on the wall, all attributes had values of that started at zero. Placing a focus on a value, you increased the value. The entire sphere started to glow with energy due to everyone adding points. Satisfied Hommel divided up the sphere into six different blue bubbles. This time around everyone''s face was calm and collected. Gliding through the air, each one went to a their respective continent. Except one stayed behind, it was the cultivator that had reached the green gate. He wasn''t sent out of the sphere, which put a panicked expression in his eyes. Turning to face the person flying in the air. Cold sweat developed on top of his eyebrows due to the sheer pressure that the flying person put upon him. Looking at the slim yet sturdy young man with wide eyes, slim nose, and a rugged look. Hommel asked, ¡°Cultivator what is your name?¡± As he bowed at a forty-five-degree angle he said, ¡°OH Great one, my name is Harrick¡± ¡°Harrick you have reached the green gate, out of all the cultivators in this realm. Thus, I will tell you my name and post you has a guard to this realm.¡± Hearing this Harrick went numb due to his nerves suffering from shock to many times today. Staring into space with his mouth open not able to reply. Passing out, he fell backward onto the hard surface. Hysterical laughter filled the air from above. Hommel flew down, landing near Harrick to touch his forehead to impart knowledge onto him. "There you go young one, this should be able to help you protect this realm for the rest of its life." Hommel thought to himself. Siren and Hommel flashed like a shooting star across the sky to return home. The beginning has started. --------------------------------------- (AN: Please review. I will gladly take any suggestions into consideration.) Chapter 1 - His Dream The sun pierced the distant horizon, spreading its warm glow across the land. Dew sparkled across the ground creating a mystical scene. A young youth stood in the warmth of the new day. Regis stood on top of an enormous boulder perched like an eagle. At seven years old he did not have much meat on his bones. Blonde streaks flashed in his brown hair as the sunlight caught it at the right angle. He grabbed his self-made bow and arrow, as he reached for the arrow his clothing ripped once again by the armpit. "How many more times do I have to sew together these clothes?" he took a mental note to sew the hole that just appeared. Multiple tears covered his brown clothes with signs of being sewn together. Bright blue eyes darted back and forth in search of prey for morning breakfast. A rabbit darted past his view, he narrowed his eyes, lifted his bow, notched his arrow. He pulled back as slow as possible to avoid detection by the rabbit. His hand aligned with his cheek to aid the precision of his shot. His muscles tensed for a moment before the arrow left his hand. "Swish..." The arrow sailed through the air in a straight line to puncture the rabbit through the eye. The arrow lodged itself into the ground. Regis jumped off the boulder in order to get his food before the heavenly beasts could. Pine needles covered the ground of the forest which provided him with a soft spot to land. He ran to his recent kill only now did he see it hanged on the shaft of the arrow like a dead man from a noose. Happy with his first meal of the day being a rabbit and not herbs found around the local forest he grinned from ear to ear. Rabbits and other small animals were hard to find thanks to the amount of heavenly beasts that lived nearby. He packed the rabbit into his leather bag that had been hand crafted by other rabbit skins. He memorized the forest like the back of his hand, he followed the routes he hand drew in his mind. The village wasn''t really home as none of the people even acknowledge he existed. Only Elder Mo looked after him due to being left at his doorstep late one night. The forest was dense with pine trees that were here since the beginning as such they grew to extreme heights. He followed the route to an open space engrossed by the wood barricade that the local militia had put up. His foot planted into the soft ground to pivot to the left only then did he avoid the wall of wood. He made haste to the only entrance into the village. On top of the gate were two guards clad in farming attire due to it only being manned by the locals. Regis shouted, "OPEN THE GATES!!" hearing a voice they turned to the right to spot the errand boy. They contemplated letting him in. Lazily saying to the other guard, "Should we let him in brother?" A smile plastered on his face he said, "Let''s have him do something for us first. After all, it is his job." It took less than a breath to reach the entrance. Below the gate, Regis had a complex expression he thought he shouted loud enough so that the guards heard him. "Why have you not let me in?" The guard on the right was first to reply with a cold voice, "First you must give us your recent kill." Shock turned to anger as this was his only rabbit he could kill in months. Why would they take advantage of him? "Don''t you think that you''re too overbearing on a young boy like me who has nothing to eat?" his eyes dropped to the ground. Their heads swiveled to stare at each other. The guards reconsider want they wanted as they to knew the struggles of not having anything of their own as they were poor farmers themselves. Sneering at the kid, "Fine then give us the two front legs of your kill." "Deal!" Regis said. He opened his bag to fetch the rabbit out to rip off the front legs for them. With a light toss, the legs arched into the guard''s hands. As promised, they opened the gate for him to enter. As he ran into the village every house needed to be repaired to some extent. Only dirt could cover the ground in place of grass, it looked like a ghost town. With a population of five hundred people most of it elderly. The only sustainable income was farmland outside the gate. Located at the northernmost part of the village where no one wanted to live, Regis''s small hut stood out. Inside hay littered the ground to provide a bed for him to sleep in at night. Few blankets to keep himself warm during the winter months. Nothing else appeared within the shack, except dishes. He lived at the bottom of society. He threw his sack on the ground to dig out and clean it his the rabbit. With a knife in hand, he cut off the head so that the blood could drain, next it hanged upside down. Underneath was a metal bucket that caught the blood that dripped down. The blood would be used later as a lure for his traps. He skinned it in a swift manner to get it done and over with. A fire pit was dug in the front of his hut to cook rabbit stew. While the stew was being cooked Regis practiced his martial arts techniques. "Ah, finally something that can fill my stomach!" A smile that cut his face in half could be seen. He finally got some decent food inside him to fill his stomach, he couldn''t wait. Pouring a portion into his bowl filling it to the rim. He could never predict when his next full meal would be. He ate in a slow manner as if to savor the taste. Three bowls later a food baby emerged from his stomach. Ten minutes later he cleaned up his area. He stowed the stew away for later in the day. Now, time to work. Gathering his materials to do business for the day. Regis set out for the middle of the village near the water well which received a decent amount of traffic during the day. In his bag were the most common of trade materials he could get. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The booth stood with rocks as the legs with brown flat wood as the surface. Across the table herbs laid on top organized so that the people within the village could see everything he had to offer. An old woman who appeared to be in her mid-sixties actually had an age of one hundred and nineteen thanks to cultivating up to the red gate mid-level. She leisurely walked up to Regis saying, ¡°Young man do you have mela?¡± With a glint in his eyes he picked up a few bundles of mela from the table to hand the old woman replying, ¡°Yes, that¡¯ll be five coppers, which is the best price for these fine herbs.¡± Nodding in agreement the old woman took out five coppers for him. Understand that three silver pieces was enough to support people in the village as the inflation didn¡¯t affect them much. In the cities and major towns thirty to fifty silvers was enough for a few months of comfortable living. No hesitation was present in his movements when he grabbed the money from her hand and putting it in his pocket. As she walked away a few different elders came with requests for him to fulfill such as washing laundry, looking for specific herbs, and chores. Today¡¯s business was good, he made fifteen coppers. He wanted to get meat from the local farmers that sold meat for five to ten coppers a pound. Midday arrived with its sweltering heat wave¡¯s pounding on the dead land below. It signaled that he should start helping the local farmers tend to their fields for two coppers an hour. He packed up his goods into the brown bag that hung by his side. He left the table where it stood for tomorrow. He ran towards the southern part of the village to Tran¡¯s farm since he scheduled him for today. Tran¡¯s house was quaint in how it would never fit in this environment, yet it still survived through everything. A flat roof that looked too big for the foundation so it created an overhang of about two feet. No windows to let sunlight flood inside the house or to see outside the house. Only a door stood out in the front and back of the house. Behind the house, an enormous cornfield overtook the horizon. Thump, Thump ¡°Mr. Tran are you here?¡± Regis asked inquisitively as he banged on the door, ¡°I¡¯m here for today''s harvest.¡± Inside a shuffling sound echoed through the walls. In a slow manner, Tran opened the door ¡°Why do you have to be so loud? You know that I still have my hearing!¡± ¡°Mr. Tran I was making sure it was still good,¡± Regis smirked as he brushed past him. When he did the smell of odor flooded his nose, it was liquor. ¡°You should really stop drinking as it can cause you an early death.¡± The door slammed against the frame of the house, ¡°You''re courting death.¡± An aura of fierceness and killing intent leaked into the surrounding room. Surprisingly Mr. Tran could give this feeling despite him being so old. ¡°Alright, Alright I won¡¯t push it anymore.¡± Saying with his hands held up in a defensive position. He was concerned that he might keel over the next day due to drinking so much. ¡°How long do you want me to work today?¡± Regis asked. ¡°Four hours,¡± Mr. Tran replied, throwing four coppers at him. ¡°You will get the other four when you are done for the day.¡± Regis caught the money in mid-air directly walking toward the barn to get his sickle. He trained with the sickle by making precise actions cut the corn stalks. This was another part of his regimen for his martial arts. Willpower alone kept him going for all four hours. It turned into arduous work with sweat forming on his face only to fall to the ground. Shirt soaked like he had just jumped into a pool of water. He ran back to the quaint house and opened the back door to find that the four coppers laid out on the table for him. Muttering to himself, ¡°Must¡¯ve drunk himself to sleep.¡± He grabbed the four coppers and walked out of the house with a purpose. The sun was setting in the distant horizon as the day came to an end. Today he made twenty-four coppers his biggest profit yet. Seven of those would go towards the cow meat for dinner tonight. He bought the meat from Bev who was the only one in town to sell it. Arriving at his little shack did he finally sit down to rest for a moment. That moment didn¡¯t last long for him since the dinner couldn¡¯t cook itself. He cut the meat into cubes to put into the stew. The time it took for it to finish he sat in the lotus position to gather the universal energy. Warmth surrounded his body as it entered his soul realm. To build up a force to open the red gate. This is the hardest part for anyone, as it required the most amount of energy. Thirty minutes later the stew finished as the lid jumped up and down on the pot due to the pressure that built up inside. He finished up absorbing energy, got up, and took two steps to the pot. Removing the pot from the fire to a rock that had a flat surface. There he poured it into a bowl. He ate his stew while looking up in the sky at the glittering stars that filled the night. ¡°Tonight is amazing,¡± he sighed while eating, ¡°I need to change my fate! I want to train to the pinnacle of all martial artist¡¯s. This is my dream and I have to attain it no matter what.¡± These simple thoughts pasted his mind once the spoonfuls of stew entered his mouth, ¡°Though right now I don¡¯t have the power to do so. What can I do to improve my current situation?¡± With that last thought, he cleaned up for the night and drifted off to sleep in his bed made of hay. Little did he know that fate was already working against him. ---------------------------------------------- AN: Any type of feedback is appreciated. Chapter 2 - Ransacked Late in the night, only the wind whistled through the village. Crickets filled it with a gentle music that put everyone into a deep sleep. The militia on the walls also fell asleep at their posts since nothing exciting ever happened to them. A hand cupped each of the guards mouths at the front gate, a gentle wind brushed by as knives sliced their throats without a sound. Once the cut opened, blood sprayed the surrounding wood and dyed it a dark red. Each assassin clothed themselves in a dark blue to better blend in with the darkness. The two at the front gate split ways one to the left and another to the right taking out every guard they encountered along the wall. Neither of them had a hard time taking out the untrained militia. It was like taking candy from a baby. They encountered each other at the end of the circle. The assassin that went to left asked the right assassin, ¡°How many sides does a circle have?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how many?¡± The right assassin answered in a curious tone. ¡°An inside and an outside. HAHAHAHAHA!¡± The left assassin told the right. He fell to the ground laughing so loud he almost woke up the village. ¡°Stupid!¡± The vague outline of the right assassins eyes rolled into his head. ¡°We need to signal the others to take out this village.¡± He took a bottle of oil that clung to his belt with a rope and held it in his hand. The right assassin waited for the left assassin to stop laughing so he could start the next step. In the Forest ¡°What is taking them so long?¡± a female voice whispered to the others. Every single bandit shrugged their shoulders as to suggest they don¡¯t know. On the barricade closest to the bandit group a fire was lit in the night signaling that the assassins cleared out the top of the wall. They knew what to do next, the archers soaked their arrows in oil and lit them. They knelt down on one knee, lifting the bow up at a forty-five-degree angle, drew the bow back with all their might only to release the second it reached the pinnacle. A rain of arrows on fire filled the night sky replacing the stars with fire. Each arrow landed on either the ground or a house with a thud. Another wave of fire arrows rained down on the village catching more houses on fire. A minute later the fires grew until it roared with various pops and hissing noises. Soon the entire village was lit like a bonfire on the beach illuminating everything around it. The smoke from the fire caused several of the elderly to die along with the few babies in the village as it replaced the oxygen in the air with carbon monoxide. It was the silent killer for them. The popping of the wood woke several adults which rang the alarm to let others know to wake up before being Ransacked. Ding! Ding! Ding! Regis woke to embers falling into his bed lighting the hay once it touched. He flew out of bed like a bird taking off into the sky he didn¡¯t want to die here. He slung the leather sack with all his belongings in it over his shoulder before he ran outside. Once outside a scene that fit into hell itself played in front of his eyes. The third wave came in the front gate in a swift manner like a tide rolling up to the shore. Swordsman killed without mercy stabbing each person they came across. Blood covered the sword of each bandit that raided the village. The only ones they sparred were the women and children. This shock hit Regis mentally like a baseball bat to a watermelon. Even though he was alone all his life and trained in martial arts he could not fortify his mind against the attack. His knees collided with the blood soaked ground, head bowed down afraid to do anything else so as to not offend the enemies. One bandit took notice of him slumped over and walked towards him. ¡°Stupid kid you alive?¡± The man said in a condescending tone. Regis only shook his head up and down as any other function of his body shut off. The man grabbed the rope around his waist to tie Regis¡¯s hands behind his back so he would not fight back, ¡°Fine I¡¯ll capture you then.¡± He lifted Regis by the arms to force him to move forward. In the middle of the village, an old woman who was no older than her mid-sixties fought off all the bandits that surrounded her. Her chest moved up and down in a violent motion heaving for a single breath to enter her lungs. Lines of blood soaked through her torn shirt. This is precisely the old women that bought mela from Regis the day before. She commanded the water jets to come out of her hand and fingers whenever she was close enough to cut the skin. Thus, no one got close to her to do any real damage. Surrounding her was the only way to hold her off. It took ten men to hold her at bay while the other bandits collected the villagers. The elderly woman continued to fight until a lone figure walked towards her. The glare in the man''s eyes could kill anything in his sight. His stride gave off a confidence built on years of life and death. Another way to describe it would be arrogance that he had outlived most of his comrades. Everyone of his subordinates admired him. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. As he walked closer to the elderly woman you could faintly see his grey eyes reflecting the fire around him. Black hair that brushed against his shoulder thanks to the wind passing him by. A nose that broke one too many times hooked to his left with a swollen lump in the middle showing how many fights he fought. The fire around him flickered giving him a muscular body due to the amount of shadows it created. A faint hoarse sound exuded from his mouth saying, ¡°Men you can leave her to me, it won¡¯t take to long.¡± waving the other ten away with a flick of his hand. Desperation appeared on the elderly womans face she did not want to die tonight even though her life was coming to an end in a couple of years. She wanted to enjoy that amount of time left in this quiet village. The men scattered in all directions to not interfere with his fight. He continued walking toward her. He bowed slightly to show his respect toward the elderly woman before the fight began. To show the same respect he gave her she did the same. ¡°Before we begin may I ask your name?¡± The elderly woman intuitively asked. ¡°Yes. you may it is Hans.¡± He replied with a smile. After bowing, He kicked off the ground though no marks appeared on the ground. He drew back his left fist aiming towards her gut. She would not go down without a fight. The elderly woman was fast for her age and dodged at the last second to the right to avoid his entire body. A humph came from his mouth as he stopped on the spot where she had dodged. He swung his left leg behind him to deliver a finishing blow to her head. A surprised look appeared on her face as she jumped back a few feet. Once she stopped she propelled herself forward with hands up to block any incoming attacks. Getting closer was not the problem but landing something that would wound him was the hard part. Hans stood still once after missing the attack. ¡°You indeed have some skill only some.¡± He sneered. Mid charge the elderly woman gave a humph with a straight punch in front of her. ¡°I will land one wound upon you Hans.¡± with that the punch she sent out turned into a palm. A water jet could be seen coming out of her palm this is a skill she developed for most of her life. Jet palm would release water under pressure to pierce the skin. Hans squinted his eyes ready to block any attack. He already expanded to much energy fighting this lowly red gate cultivator. He lifted a palm to block the attack head on. At this moment, the water pierced through his palm creating a circular wound through his hand. While everything happened in a span of five minutes a single blur aimed straight for the elderly woman''s heart. That blur was the life ending punch. Her beating heart was in his hands in but a millisecond. He talked to himself out loud saying, ¡°You put most of your hundred points in strength to increase the pressure of the water coming out of your body. Clever idea.¡± The life in her eyes faded once his phrase ended. ¡°Too bad I am at the orange gate while cultivating in the wind element.¡± the last part he thought to himself as she fell to the ground. ¡°Let''s see who we have here,¡± Hans called out to everyone dropping the woman''s heart to the ground ¡°We may have a few who are willing to join us.¡± This scene unfolded in front of Regis. This man ripped out another person''s heart without a second glance. It stunned Regis even more to where his face and eyes had gone blank. The bandit behind him kept pushing him forward to the row of people. Hans saw that the last person to survive was a kid that had no life in his eyes. ¡°This must be the most horrifying thing he has seen in his life. No wonder why.¡± He mused to himself. He walked to the middle of the row of people and talked. A voice echoed through the night saying, ¡°You can join us in making this village into a proper town or you can die here where you kneel. Which one will you choose?¡± Hans looked at every expression that he saw on their faces. It gave him joy Of the five hundred original people fifty were left. After they made their decision, a quarter. The errand boy at the end who had a lifeless expression had not answered yet. None of the surviving villagers knew him personally so they could not decide what he would say. They felt pity for him cause he was most likely going to die. After ten minutes had gone by with no word from the boy Hans walked over. Sword in hand he lifted it up to the boy¡¯s throat and said, ¡°What will you choose?¡± ------------------- Thank you for reading!! Let me know what you think. This was my first fight scene. Chapter 3 - Pain Thank you all!! Sorry, it has been awhile lots of RL things going on right now. You the readers are a tremendous help! Please leave some sort of comment or messages me so you can help improve the story even more!! ------------------- The ten minutes was up now was the time to decide. Regis¡¯s mind came back at a steady pace enough to where he could pick for himself. He looked up with a defiant glint in both of his eyes only one word came out of his mouth. ¡°NO¡± that shout echoed in everyone''s mind. Why would he say no? doesn¡¯t he want to live? Hans who looked the boy straight in the face asked, ¡°Boy don¡¯t you want to live?¡± his sword still hovered on the boy¡¯s throat. ¡°Of course, I do want to live! though I will not live underneath someone else¡¯s hand. I¡¯d rather die than be given orders the rest of my life!¡± spittle gushed out from his mouth as each word was formed. It started to drip down his chin due to how much he spit. ¡°Nice words to say when you''re at death¡¯s doorstep kid¡± Hans snickered as he took his sword away from Regis¡¯s throat. ¡°Get up boy!¡± Hans yelled motioning for the bandit to force him up as well. ¡°Consider this your lucky day. I¡¯ll leave you with a serious injury if you are able to live, come back and find me. If not then just lay down and die like the dog you are!¡± Hans swung the large broadsword across Regis¡¯s body from the bottom right hip up to his right shoulder. Blood spewed onto Hans along with the surrounding area making Hans look like a crazed animal in the middle of a life and death battle. ¡°AHHHH" Regis cried out the moment it registered in his mind. Pain erupted in Regis¡¯s body so much that he almost passed out due to it hurting. His head swayed as the adrenaline coursed through his body making him feel high on pain. A metallic taste emerged into regis mouth. The blood dripped down his body as the tattered shirt soaked it up like a sponge. All of the surviving people gasped as they thought that the errand boy was going to die for sure. Every bandit grinned in enjoyment their boss did this every time to at least one person that was defiant and, in the end, no one has survived. ¡°Lean him over the edge of the well so that he will bleed out some while I explain what is going to happen in this village,¡± Hans said to the bandit holding him. The bandit dragged him over to the water well located behind all the lined up villagers. ¡°To the one¡¯s that survived you will be a part of my dream¡­¡± as Hans talked all Regis could think about was how cruel the gods are to him. Fate played one of it¡¯s tricks on him tonight when he slept soundly in his shack. He mentally checked himself by saying, ¡°I have to survive this ordeal. I have to challenge fate since this can not be the end of me. I have to be the best. Though can I still do all those things?¡± ¡°So let¡¯s begin tomorrow morning bright and early,¡± Hans finished talking with a smile on his vicious blood soaked face. ¡°Let¡¯s make us at home gang!¡± This concluded the night''s events. Blood began to drip down Regis nose and chin as it had found the easiest escape route. Each drip caused the well of water to echo drip. One after another caused his heart to be in pain. He never wanted to die until he was old with a family of his own. Drip his eyes shut thinking about what could have been. The achievements that awaited him in the future, drip. He wanted to, at least, ask a girl out before he died drip. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°All right that is enough bleeding for you kid!¡± A strong bandit grabbed his belt line and the collar of his shirt at the same time. The strong bandit lifted him in the air above his head like a leaf drifting in the wind. The strong bandit walked to the entrance of the village with Regis in hand above his head. Along the way, Regis drifted in and out of conscious at every bump while being carried. Regis was fortunate enough that the strong bandit did not totally lack compassion for other cultivators. He set down Regis next to a natural spring with fish inside it to provide a food source. ¡°Kid I do hope you can, at least, make it out of this tribulation alive.¡± sighed the strong man. With that, he made a one-hundred-eighty-degree turn and walked away from Regis. The area that he laid in created a scenery that was like the heavenly gates opening up to him. Lustrous trees that grew thousands of feet in the air towered over him watching the clouds. Birds buzzed past at a lighting fast pace to catch the prey they located before taking off. The clear water sparkled in the sun. Regis continued to bleed out dying the pure green grass a dark red metallic color. His body convulsed from time to time as it tried to provide the amount of blood needed for him to survive. His heart pumped with a vigor that vibrated his chest. Second by second Regis continued to fade away from reality into a cold abyss devoid of all life except his own. Back at the village the glowing embers of the once broken down houses penetrated the darkness enshrouded it in its claws. In the center where the well was a mound of bodies formed from the people who had died that night. One young villager in her twenties said, ¡°Let us give them a proper sendoff into the afterlife.¡± she shook her head from left to right with eyes closed. ¡°You''re right I will go get the oil for you,¡± said the young man. In the next moment, the young women splashed all the oil on the mound of bodies. A hot ember flew at the mound once the young woman kicked it, she didn''t want to burn herself. Afterward, everyone fell into a slumber again. Chapter 4 - Gains Light encroached upon the bright green grass on the ground forming a light dew. An unknown warmth came across Regis'' legs advancing to his chest with the final step on his pale face. However, his eyes fluttered beneath the thin skin veil that covered them both. He was continuing to fight for his precious life under the threat of it coming to an end in the next instance. An abrupt wave of heavenly energy swept across the entire land within an area of 2 miles. A majestic lion rose from Regis¡¯s body like a fish jumping out of the water after being caught. This lion had laid dormant in his body since he came into this life. It floated an inch above Regis'' chest it seemed like it wanted to devour the person in front of its eyes though it never did. It placed a paw on the wound giving it the power to heal at an astonishing rate visible to the naked eye. A warmed look covered the lion¡¯s eyes. An unimaginable view awed all the animals present to not move a muscle for fear of offending the lion. ---------------------------------------------- ¡°Errrt-uh-errr-uh-errrrrrrrr!¡± roared a roster on top of a lonely shack that had missed the fires the previous night. A figure sat in the lotus position facing the warm glow the sun provided. She had blue eyes that rivaled the sky. Hair that shined with a faint green glow competing with the grass nearby. Slender nose, high set cheeks, and rosy red lips glowed once hit by the sun. This was none other than Orica, co-leader of the bandit group that attacked late last night. ¡°POP¡± ¡°BOOM¡± Mini explosions rang out through the air creating a heat wave that dissipated over time. Orica just broke through to the red gate gaining her natural element of fire along with the one hundred points. Excitement covered her face from ear to ear as her smile broke open to show teeth that gleamed white. She was only sixteen years old. breaking through how special could it be? Understand that a young peerless genius of a rich family would be able to break through to the red gate as early as age nine. On the other hand, genius took 12-16 years while average people took 16-18. After reaching 18 good luck on breaking through. ¡°HAHAHAHAHA¡± ¡°She broke through! What a wonderful talent!!¡± Hans maniacally laughed. He cultivated in the early morning as well. It provided the necessary heavenly fire energy in the surrounding area for one to make steady gains. Meanwhile, all the villagers who were lucky to survive ran out of their houses to see what the commotion was. Since no one ventured to the outside world often many of them never experienced this event. Kicking the door open Hans stated, ¡°Since everyone is out here let us start getting to work.¡± The bandits rounded everyone up into a mass in front of Hans. ¡°Form into age groups so that we can put you to work right away.¡± Han¡¯s smiled to the mass of people in front of him. Today was the day to start creating his dream. They shuffled into the respective age groups of 5-18, 19-40, and 41-65. With these three groups, work could start and no one would be mistreated. Hans looked to the groups with a look that made their scalpels go numb. Looking to a stout man with scholarly robes and glasses on his long nose. Hans said, ¡°Dale take care of these people make sure no is left without work. We need to get this village up and going by next month.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Dale took note in his journal replying back respectfully, ¡°Yes leader it shall be done.¡± He made a sharp 180 and started to direct bandits around to get things done. Orica walked up from behind and greeted Hans, ¡°Master, this morning I broke through the red gate and have gained one-hundred points. Do you have any suggestions on where to put them?¡± ¡°Hmmm, What do you think you should put them in?¡± Hans knew that one should be true to their nature as a person to get the best effect from the point allocation. He wanted to find out if she would be true to herself. ¡°50 in strength, 10 in vitality, 10 in agility, and 30 in intelligence. So as to bring out my fierceness in battle.¡± She had already made up her mind long before breaking through. ¡°Good, now have you been thinking of how to combine strength with intelligence so that you¡¯re not a barbarian in battle?¡± ¡°Yes, I have master.¡± A glint of passion showed in her eyes. ¡°Then please explain your theory on how to use them,¡± Hans said while directing them to a wood bench near his newly attained house. This theory took 2 years to deduce on her own. Pride swelled up in her chest as it was the best theory she could come up with so as to use her natural strength in battle. Orica took a deep breath ¡°Fire is persistent and powerful with enough oxygen in the air to sustain it along with fuel to keep it going. It can combust with a moments notice if the mixture is right. Using this as a base I can draw in the surrounding oxygen into my body to create a fire attack. At any given time I can use the oxygen and qi within my body to produce a force of combustion into each attack or counter-attack. The mixture needs to vary at times so I can create the right amount of force for it to be useful in battle. It will take practice to get the combination right at first.¡± Hans began to ponder her theory. Elbow on knee and chin on fist he continued to think. A few minutes later he shook his head up and down in agreement. Hans laughed while saying, ¡°You have done well. Now add those points to start practicing. I¡¯m excited to see what you produce.¡± ---------------------------------- The mid-afternoon sun blazed down on the earth creating a sensation of being baked alive. Regis slowly opened his eyes to suddenly close them as he was assaulted by the rays of the sun. He thought, ¡° Am I in heaven?¡± Never had he imagined that he would die in such a manner the night before. Once again he opened his eyes only enough to get adjusted before he fully opened them. Blinking he turned his head to his left and right constantly to see where he was. Only to find that he survived by some fluke. In a meadow where plenty of heavenly beasts could have eaten him in one bite. He blocked out the sun with a hand above his eyes. All that appeared to him were trees and more trees. Shocked to find out that he was still in the living world he looked inwards only to find out that he was at the edge of breaking the red gate to gain one-hundred points. A faint voice sounded from the treeline, ¡°It¡¯s surprising that you¡¯ve survived¡±