In the City of Giants - Chapter VI

             Amare was unfortunate enough to have seen someone die in front of xem before. Xey could not see the face of the killer, although they recognized him as the carpet guide from the previous day. Bard had a shocked look on his face sprinkled with blood.

            “I believe some introductions might be needed,” said the killer, wiping off his bloody fist on his clothes. “I am Jin, and my client has hired to watch over some of his various operations, making sure no one reveals his identity,” he said in a way far too calm for someone who had just brutally murdered a man. “It’s a shame about Autca here. He had quite a bit of money himself before my client hired him. He could have easily hired me to take out annoying pests like you. But orders are orders.”

            Jin swung a right hook at Bard. Bard ducked and weaved. Bard let out a small whistle that knocked Jin off the neck of the armor. Bard jumped from the rim of the armor’s neck and made a piercing motion with his rapier. Jin dodged. The rapier was embedded into the ground. Jin tried to rabbit punch the back of Bard’s head, but Bard was quick enough to perform a leg sweep and knock Jin onto his back. Jin vanished in a puff of smoke. He reappeared in the air above Bard, and swung down with his elbow onto Bard’s head, hammering him into the ground.

            “When I heard you were coming, I did some research on you and your history, fighting style, everything. I wouldn’t say you are no match for me, but boy are you not prepared,” snarled Jin.

            Bard kicked himself out of the ground, spraying sand in Jin’s eyes. Bard extended his arm and delivered a reverse lariat to Jin’s neck. Jin fell to the ground, but before he made impact with the ground, he pointed his fingers and jabbed Bard between his ribs, stunning him. Jin hit the ground, while Bard was hunched over in pain.

            Jin locked eyes with Amare, before xey or Bard could react in anyway, Jin vanished in a puff of smoke, and then reappeared behind Amare, gripping xem tightly around the neck. Amare was only getting the minimum amount of air xey needed to breathe. Shabaka tried to tackle Jin, but she was swiped away with seemingly not effort. Bard stood facing Jin twenty feet away, in front of the spot where is rapier was upright in the ground.

            “No one move or the half-breed gets it!” barked Jin manically. He pointed at Bard. “Hands on the ground, I will leave and that will be it. You and your inhuman children can go about your lives.”

            “What?” growled Bard.

            “Yeah, I read all about you and your messed up kids too. An elf with a half-life, a virgin succubus, a dwarf who cannot grow a beard, a dragon who can’t fly, the world’s smallest orc, and a cat boy who thinks he’s a girl. Honestly, I would be doing a favor killing every last stinking one of you. But let me go, and no one else must die,” rambled Jin. Bard was still just standing there, but Amare could tell something was different. A switch had flipped in him, and now it was someone else.

            Amare had never really been able to connect with xyr father, partially because the idea of parents were foreign to an elf. They were aware of who their biological parents were, who was the egg and who was the seed, but they were no more important in a child’s life than the other adults in a community. Amare had never sought out Bard for xemself but for xyr siblings. At first it had been a selfish curiosity, but as xey met xyr younger siblings and the women Bard had loved xey decided all needed to be brought together. Since then, Bard had been ever protective and present for his children, even Amare. Amare felt guilty because he was unable to reciprocate that feeling of devotion.

            “Let, them go!” screamed Bard to the heavens, as mountains of fire erupted from his body. Jin’s arms fell limp, as he let out a whimper of fear.

            From Bard’s flames came a hand which reach forth and grabbed Jin around the torso, pulling him face to face against Bard.

            “Fight me all you want, try to kill me if you must, but the second you even think about hurting my children, I obliterate you!” roared the thing that Bard was. This was Bard’s ultimate power, the Fire Essence trapped within his heart, the thing that gave him the nickname the Fury of Sound and Flame.

            “You think I wasn’t prepared for this either?” laughed Jin. “You fell right into my trap!” Jin once again vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing behind bard and unsheathing a knife. Jin lunged forward.

            Bard didn’t turn around, as much as he dematerialized into flame, and reappeared facing Jin and grabbing him by the temple.

            “WUKONG CROWN!” roared Bard in a godly voice as a blast of flame engulfed Jin. Bard tightened his grip around Jin’s cracking skull, incinerating every last bit of him to ash. Jin had not even time to scream in agony.  

            When the foe was killed, Bard’s flames subsided, the job was done, the hero had saved the day, and Amare was afraid of him.