By your powers combined chapter 19

Been busy and unmotivated over the past few days. Finally finished working out this latest chapter. One or two more chapters from this POV before we come back to Tima then one from Aisa before sticking to Tima till the end of part one of this story.

First chapter

Previous: Chapter 18

Chapter 19 (Haunted)

            Ekanli stretched out by the fire, leaning a bit on her side after riding so hard for a week. The city of Feerstor was visible in the distance, but with how dark it was and how hard they’d been riding, none of the group seemed able to ride even five more feet. Plus, the horses were tired, and the city gates appeared to be locked from this distance. Though, there was a large, haunted-looking white tower about half way to the city, a remnant from the time of war.

            With the rolling hills all around, the woods behind them seemed like a dark shadow on the land.

            Igu sat on the other side of the fire and wrung her hands, muttering something about Tima. Beside her, Modaj thumbed through a book, squinting as if that would make the firelight brighter. Weron rewrapped some bandages around Orshis’s middle over by the horses then put feeding bags over their mouths to quiet them.

            The muggy air made each breath feel like drinking a glass of water, and the three moons which were out tonight—the blood moon, the infection moon and the virus moon—and cast their red, yellow and green lights across the land, making it easy enough to see.

            Weron strode over to the fire and placed some skewered meat over the open flames. “Once this is done, we have to put this fire out.”

            “Why?” Ekanli put a hand on her hip as she turned her head to stare at him, her other hand holding her up in the lounging position. She stretched but held her indignant posture, as much as one could while lying down at least. “Didn’t you say we lost those Regime Hunters chasing after us?”

            Igu perked up, looking between Ekanli and Weron. Modaj buried himself deeper into his book.

            Slowly, Weron shook his head. “The explosion allowed us to escape, and the traps slowed them, but there is no way they would give up that easily.”

            “Says you.” Ekanli scoffed then laid herself out flat. She closed her eyes. “We’re so close to the city; there’s no reason to bear it tonight.”

            “You don’t get to make that decision.”

            “And who does? You?” Ekanli scoffed.

            “What about Tima?” Igu asked, speaking loud enough for others to hear for the first time since the explosion that engulfed Ayuhod. Her voice was hoarse and heavy bags decorated her eyes like black purses. “When can we go after him?”

            “That’s impossible,” Weron said in a solemn voice. He bit into his lower lip. “We just have to hope he makes it to—”

            A branch snapped in the woods behind them, and their horses began whinnying despite the feedbags.

            Weron held a hand out to the fire and snuffed it out with his power. “Quiet.”

            Wind roiled just outside the tree line and whipped through the air above their camp. A bolt of lightning streaked down and blasted the fire pit, charring their food and sending a spray of dirt into the air. The blinding light and explosive sound stunned everyone in the circle; though, Modaj with his eyes squinted as they were, recovered first.

            “Get ahold of yourselves,” Orshis said from beside the horses. Unable to heal herself and without a real healer despite Ekanli’s attempts, Orshis moved like a spiderchicken without wings and only one good leg. “We have to go! Now!”

            Weron patted at his ears while Modaj tucked his book into the pocket of his robe. He, unlike Weron, seemed completely unaffected.

            Ekanli shook her head as Orshis led a pair of horses over towards them. Modaj helped Ekanli and Igu onto the same horse then got onto the second horse, whispering something to Orshis.

            Twelve Regime Hunters burst from the woods.

            Orshis spanked the horse Ekanli and Igu were own, sending it into a gallop towards the creepy white tower in the distance. It looked more unused than Old Betty’s Beauty Salon.

            Modaj pointed forward, away from the wave of elements sweeping over their former camp—away from where Orshis and Weron still were. “We,” Modaj said, voice high-pitched, “have to get to the tower no matter what.”

            “What good will it do us?” Ekanli asked as she crafted a barrier of wind around them. Despite using this before, it felt thinner than before, proven so when bolts of fire and stone crashed into the barrier, nearly shattering it.

            Igu went back to muttering under her breath for a few heartbeats then quieted.

            The beating of hooves on hard-packed dirt came from behind. Orshis and Weron were holding their own, but the Regime Hunters, like the smell of ozone that had erased all other smells, were getting away from them. Of the twelve, two were down and four were engaged with Weron and Orshis. Four were riding hard to catch up, and the last two were headed off to the sides as if to cut off any escape.

            Ekanli swallowed. “I don’t think we can hold the tower doors, if they even work in that old thing.”

            “But we delay them.” Modaj crafted shields of stone to cover their backs just before Ekanli’s barrier shattered. But like hers, it was thin.

            Also like before, Igu snarled and started muttering under her breath. It was something about Tima and not being able to live without him. But this time, she just complained over and over again.

           The riders closed in and hurled elemental bolts, blasting Modaj’s shields into dust. Ten feet away and closing.

            The tower was still a good twenty feet away.

            Igu gritted her teeth and held a hand above her head, gathering a ball of fire that could have shaded them from the moons’ light.

            Each of the Regime Hunters’ horses whinnied as they pulled on their reins and scattered.

            Igu flung her hand towards them, but the blast of fire shrank upon leaving its perch above her, and the Regime Hunters easily avoided the stream of fire. She began muttering again.

            They passed through the outer gates around the tower, which were broken pieces of scrap metal. A creepy howl rang through the air. Modaj leaped off his horse and placed both hands on the ground. Jaw set, he closed his eyes, and the ground began to tremble.

            Ekanli climbed down then glanced between the closed doors of the tower and Modaj. “Hurry up.”

            “I’m trying.” His voice was strained. “Get Igu inside, and hide.”

            Igu,, still on the horse, shook her head. A convulsion rippled through her as Modaj’s wall came up to block the entryway, the shaking ground knocking Ekanli from her feet.

            Ekanli scrambled to her feet and pulled Igu from the saddle then hurried to the door, towing her along.

            The ground trembled again, and Modaj growled.

            Ekanli pushed on the door, but it didn’t budge. “We have a problem!”

            “You think?” Modaj said.

            “I mean the door is locked!”

            “What?” He glanced over his shoulder at her, cracks forming in his crafted wall.

            Ekanli sent blades of wind into the lock, but nothing happened. Like most things of war before the Regime took power, this door was power-forged.

            Igu pried her wrist free. “We have to hurry. Find a way to escape and find Tima.”

            “Tima’s the least of our problems right now.” Ekanli took a deep breath then ingested her link, the glow of her eyes intensifying and bathing the door in yellow light. “Step back.”

            Igu did so.

            With everything she had, Ekanli blasted the door with a rush of wind. The gale howled, and the door groaned. Her knees grew weak as her stomach grumbled, but she only pushed harder, ripping the door from its hinges. The light in her eyes died.

            Igu nodded the sprinted inside, disappearing into the flickering lights mounted on the walls inside the tower.

            “Wait!” Ekanli glanced back at Modaj. “The door is open, but Igu ran off.”

            Modaj stood and stumbled over to her. After taking one step inside, the created wall exploded in a spray of stone. “Move.”

            The two of them slammed the doors behind them and bound the doors together with a slate of granite wrapped in wind before working their way in through the maze of rooms, each connected to others by a series of doors as if the idea of hallways was foreign to the original architects. The place smelled of mold and cobwebs, and the walls of every room were a dusty, gray-green to match.

            A low hum came from the ceiling.

            Ekanli swallowed then forced herself to grin. “You here that?”

            Modaj shook his head.

            Boom! The explosion came from behind.

            “Up the stairs.” Modaj pointed to the incredibly dark room in the distance.

            Ringing footsteps came from behind.

            Ekanli only hesitated for a moment then ran into the stairwell, Modaj on her heels. Despite the untold number of floors this tower had, this particular stairwell only went up one flight. Room after room, she ran, saying Igu’s name after each door smacked shut behind her.

            The last room, covered in red, led to another stairwell. The temperature dropped with each step closer to the stairwell, and silence turned each breath into a scream. No footsteps followed.

            Ekanli spun on her heels, chest heaving.

            Modaj was nowhere to be seen.

            The eerie hum started up again, and the hairs on the back of Ekanli’s arms stood on end.

            She stifled a scream by covering mouth.

            “Did you hear that?” an unfamiliar, gruff voice asked from one room over.

            “Don’t let your guard down,” another said.

            Ekanli eased into the stairwell on her tiptoes and made her way to the third floor. Without access to her powers and no weapons, she’d be hard-pressed to defend herself, but with the speed of wind, she could get the jump on them, so she made her way a few rooms away from the stairwell into what looked like a dining hall.

            Like the rest of this tower save for the crimson room, this place smelled like old people with the moldy-colored walls to match. Rows and rows of tables filled the expansive room with a kitchen in the back and a few toppled tables by the door.

            “Perfect,” she whispered to herself as she made her way over to one of the turned over tables.

            “This way, right?” the gruff voice asked.

            “Yeah, I’m sure—”

            A gurgling screech cut off whatever the second Regime Hunter was going to say.

            Rather than crouching in her position, ready to attack, Ekanli huddled, arms wrapped around her knees, her entire body trembling.

            Long moments passed and there were no sounds.

            Ekanli took a deep breath and stood. There was no reason to be frightened since it didn’t sound like the Regime Hunters had caught either of her friends.

            No hum. No voices. Just a cold silence.

            Knees shaking, Ekanli tiptoed to the door into the other room and peeked through it.

            The once gray-green room was now crimson with gore and blood creeping down the wall, A pair of heads rested in the center of the room, one with a beard and one with a pig nose. If they were whole, at least. The heads had been split in two and put with the opposite half of the other, creating a pair of odd creatures.

            Ekanli screamed.

Next: Chapter 20

The prime sentence

So, this is something I teach my students, and it really helps them out, especially when they're trying to figure out the meaning of a sentence or question for their tests and what not. (I teach English as a second language for all ages in Japan, right now I'm at a JHS and about to start at SHS)

The prime sentence helps you figure out where commas have to go. You can add unnecessary commas to add pauses into the sentence; though, most conjunctions and dependent clause markers come with a pause. The same thing goes with omitted words. Necessary commas also don't come with a pause, usually.

For example, how often do you pause when you say, "Yes, I do," in response to a question? Or "Of course, I can." when someone is checking with you? The answer is you don't often pause here, but some dialects do. The pause with a comma is based on dialect, not on a specific rule.

In Japan, we use the trains to get around instead of cars.
-I don't pause for this comma, but it's necessary because the prepositional phrase is out of place.

Do your homework, and study for the test.
-I also don't pause here for two command sentences, but the comma is necessary.

I'm going to speak to your mother and discuss your attitude in class.
-No comma here, but I do pause often before this conjunction. I could add an unnecessary comma here to indicate the pause, but that makes it look/feel a bit choppy when I read through it, as if I need to pause twice.

The prime sentence is simple: Subject+verb makes up a basic sentence. Sometimes you have objects that follow, and sometimes the subject is the understood 'you' in a command sentence. Sometimes you have verb helpers like can/will, but I count those as a verb set.
-I hesitated.
-I swam ten miles.
-I can eat sushi.

Questions with question words are a bit more complicated in this realm, but leading questions are the same. Lead+subject+verb or Be-verb+subject.
-Do you like sushi?
-Can you play soccer?
-Are you here?
-Is John a football fan?

With question words, as I said, it's a bit more complicated. Question word+topic+lead+subject+verb or question word+topic+be-verb+subject.
-What sport do you like?
-Where can I eat the best sushi?
-What time is it?
-Who is that? (This one combines the question word and the topic)

Finding the prime sentence will make sure you never miss necessary commas/semicolons.

I like sushi, and I went swimming.
-'I like sushi' is a prime sentence.
-'I went swimming' is a prime sentence.
-Thus, when combining the two with a standard conjunction, you need a comma.
-Dependent clause conjunctions don't require the comma (I like sushi when I go swimming), but you must make sure the tense of both verbs match when you combine them with a dependent clause conjunction.

I'll probably go deeper into this later on with unnecessary commas and the pause later, but I hope this gives you something to think about when constructing your sentences to help reduce basic punctuation errors)

By your powers combined chapter 18

Been working on revising short stories and doing other work. I should be able to get back to this and hammer out a lot more chapters later this week, but we'll see. Also, Goo has made it his prerogative to take my seat if he can trick me into getting up. This is the face he makes when I just sit down with him.

First chapter

Previous: Chapter 17

Chapter 18 (A fist fight)

            About a day after escaping Blood the second time, I laid Yalrein’s body next to the fire then fed Pentorse and Wholt.

            It had been a hard ride, and Barges was still as groggy as Yalrein, but at least the hammer didn’t weigh like murder anymore.

            After pulling out some food and our bedrolls, I proceeded to kick Yalrein awake. “Stop being lazy. I didn’t hit you that hard.”

            Yalrein gritted his teeth and drew his gladius, eyes still closed and lying flat on his back. He slashed at my shins.

             I scampered backwards then ruled his bedroll, hitting his gut so hard he folded around it, his gladius flopping into the grass. I kicked out of his reach before tossing Barges on top of it and setting the food and my bedroll down.

            Eyes wide open, Yalrein stared murder at me and snarled something under his breath. He tossed his bedroll aside, the edges singing as it passed through the fire. Acrid wisps rose from his bedroll as it caught fire, and the stink of wet paint filled the small clearing. I extended a hand and devoured most of the food that remained in my stomach to quench the fire. It wouldn’t do to come all this way just to have Yalrein get since from sleeping on the cold ground. Ekanli was going to owe me big after putting up with all this—

            Yalrein’s stomach groaned. He was standing right beside me, fire-wrapped fist cocked back.

            The One, Ekanli was going to owe me really really really big.

            Throwing my shoulder back, I slipped under his strike, but the fire tore through my new shirt. Ugh, I’ve been going through way too many shirts recently. I twisted and kicked out with both feet, knocking his legs out from under him. Next time I get clothes, I’m going to get some that are resistant to attacks.

            Yalrein pushed off the ground before he hit and shot back to his feet as I tumbled back to mine.

            “This any way to thank me for saving your life?” I stepped into an orthodox stance, knowing he’d only fought me when I used southpaw. This wasn’t my best foot forward, but it should give him pause. “Really?”

            “Saving my life?” Yalrein hesitated, the fire around his fist snuffing out. “You mean taking away my chance at revenge.”

            “Don’t delude yourself; you know as well as I do that he would have killed both of us.”

            “After you fed him!” Yalrein charged forward and threw a wild, looping punch.

            I caught his wrist and used my shoulder and his momentum to flip him over, slamming him into the ground.

            He gasped.

            I took a few steps away and reset my stance. “As we are now, he would’ve killed both of us well before the villagers showed up to interfere.”

            Yalrein slammed his fist against the ground, leaving a small crater. “I. I. I—”

            “He won’t stop chasing us.” I moved over to him and offered him a hand up, which he took. Reluctantly. “And we’ll have another chance.”

            “To do what? Die?”

            “We’re going to kill that bastard.”

            “I still hate you.”

            Grinning, I gestured towards the fire. “That makes two of us. Should make training fun.”

            “Training? With you?”

            “We can’t go all out until we reach Jutzoran since we didn’t have a healer, but we can get strong enough to crush Blood the next time we see him. Even if it takes longer to get to Jutzoran.”

            “And what’s so different about Jutzoran?”

            “The preliminaries for this year’s Gladiatorium for this region are being held there. We can go all out against one another in the finals.”

            Yalrein licked his lips. “Then what are we waiting for?”

            I reached over and grabbed the food, skewering the meat so we could heat it over the fire. “Dinner.”

Next: Chapter 19

By your powers combined chapter 17

A good day for writing.

First chapter

Previous: Chapter 16

Chapter 17 (Bringing out the monster)

            I pulled on Pentorse’s reins, stopping her several feet from the ungroomed man and his filed teeth, illuminated by our travel lanterns. “What in the One and the void?” I placed my hand on Barges’s handle and prepared to create water spears to fling at the man. Or whatever he was.

            His wicked grin only deepened.

            Yalrein’s horse danced to the side, leaving the hard-packed dirt of the road and venturing out into the weed strewn field to our left. There was a farmhouse lit by several lanterns a good ways down the road, and the inviting smell of grilled chicken drifted on the wind. But other than the distant memory of my words, the area was silent. More silent than the mine at night.

     This was wrong. Wild animals or even our horses should be making some type of noise.

     I swallowed. “What are you?”

            “I’m free,” the man said, his voice half cackle, half grinding wheeze.

            “That makes a lot of sense.” Now was not the time to be smarting off, but maybe it would remove the tension.

            The man crossed his arms across his chest then turned to face me, cocking his head. “Sense? No. Blood. Food. That is sense.”

            “Are you saying you’re hungry, because I can’t really tell.”

            “Hungry? Yes. Something to eat.” He took a step towards me.

            I hoisted Barges, still blocking out the hammer’s voice. “Now don’t get any ideas.”

            “Ideas?”

            “Let’s just go,” Yalrein said. “We don’t have time to watch over him, and I want to get a bit farther away before we rest.”

            “Since when did you become the leader?” I peered at Yalrein through the corner of my eye, not allowing my focus to leave the crazy man for too long.

            “I’ve always been the leader.”

            “Like the void you have.”

            “Shall I put you on your back like old times?”

            “As I recall, you were the one laid out flat in our last two encounters.”

            Yalrein turned Wholt to face me, teeth gritted. “What to say that again now that I’ve got a full belly and nothing to draw my attention away?”

            “The results will be the same.” This was the attitude that always infuriated me when he had trained in Mother’s school. He was so arrogant, and I was going to have to put him in his place before we went any farther down the road. “Why don’t you come a bit closer and see how you like the taste of my--”

            The crazy man was within arms reach of Pentorse, blinking up, arms still crossed as me as drool rolled down his chin. “Food?”

            I started, pulling on the reins, and Pentorse sauntered to the side. “Yes, I have food, but I need to know your name.” That way this crazy person would have to think twice about attacking me. It would make him feel more familiar and friendly towards me. “It’s only common courtesy for those who help you.”

            “Name?” The man cocked his head to the other side and ground his foot in the road. “No name. Just called Blood.”

            “Blood?” I swallowed. I had to think of something to take the edge off this situation. “Like the blood moon, right? The red moon of the four which is the patron of fire crystals?”

            “Yes, yes, yes,” Blood said, practically howling the words. “Yes! That is me!”

            I bit into my lower lip. “Okay, Blood.” Barges’s buzzing was starting to give me a headache, but I refused to listen to his distractions right now. If we helped this poor, crazy man, with the villagers came after us, his story of our kindness would surely turn them off our trail. “I’m afraid the only thing we can really spare is a bit of dried meat and some crackers.”

            Drool rolled down Blood’s chin. “Meat. Meat to feed the fire.”

            That didn’t sound crazy and ominous at all. I shook the thought and reached into my saddlebag.

            Yalrein moved over beside me and grabbed my wrist. “Stop this now.”

            “If we weren’t being chased,” I said, jerking my arm free as I pulled out a piece of meat, “I’d stomp you into the ground where you stand.”

            “Yeah?” Yalrein slapped the meat from my hand, and it flopped to the ground, dirt and grime encasing it.

            “Bastard.”

            “Do something about it.”

            Blood lunged forward and scooped the meat up, stuffing it into his mouth. On his chest, as if part of his chest, were four crimson soul crystals. No wonder he was mad, but where had the other four stones come from? And how was he still beathing?

            I opened my mouth to say something.

            Yalrein drew his gladius and placed the tip of its blade against Blood’s throat. “Move, and I’ll take your head.”

            “Blood’s head?” He nodded as if that we something he heard every day. “Yes, Blood’s head serves little purpose but to store Blood’s teeth. Which leads to Blood’s stomach. Blood’s stomach is important. Ah. Rapture. Connection. I can feel him. Feel them.”

            “What?” I asked.

            “For your kindness,” Blood said, smiling with his creepy teeth, “I’ll just kill you two. No need to eat you.”

            Yalrein shoved his gladius forward, its blade biting into Blood’s neck as fire poured from the four crystals in his chest. Wholt shied away from the heat, Pentorse doing the same.

            The sizzling stench of blood and hair entered the air for the briefest moment. Then it was all I could do to breathe the raw heat filling the area.

            I released the lock I had on Barges. If I consume our link again, can I beat that thing?

            “I tried to warn you about him,” Barges said in a smug voice, “but you just wouldn’t listen to me.”

            So?

            “As you are now, no. If you could work together with Yalrein, maybe.”

            “Yalrein,” I said gritting my teeth. “No.” I may fight to save him for Ekanli, but I won’t work with him.

            “Then run.”

            I took a deep breath and pointed down the road. “Yalrein! Listen; we have to run.”

            “Die in a pit.” Yalrein hopped off Wholt and urged the horse to step backwards. White fire wrapped around Yalrein, and he strode towards Blood, who stood still and just released strings of fire into the air as he laughed.

            “Stop him,” Barges said.

            I leaped off Pentorse, the oppressive heat from both fire wielders weakening my knees. The fields around me spun. Not good. Barges! Before he could respond, I drew his link into my body, ingesting him.

            Peace. Calm.

            Blood and Yalrein charged one another.

            With a snap of my fingers, I created a massive flood in between them, throwing both back with a hiss of steam. My skin turned into ice, and I dashed forward, replacing each section that melted away and moving with more grace that I had before.

            Part of me wanted to crack Yalrein over the head with Barges so hard he would never wake up, but I was able to suppress that voice.

            Blood shot into the air, all the water beneath him evaporated.

            I skidded to a stop beside Yalrin and brought Barges down like a crack of thunder.

            His fire vanished, and his body went limp.

            In one quick twist, I hooked Barges onto my belt and grabbed Yalrein before he hit the ground. His gladius clanged, but I managed to scoop it up and unload another wave into Blood, throwing him back into the field.

            This wouldn’t give me much time.

            I hurried over to Wholt and slung Yalrein over the saddle like I had to go through when leaving Ayuhod then sheathed his gladius. Leanding Wholt by the reins, I hopped onto Pentorse and rode as hard as I could, The consumed link vanishing, Barges’s weight tugging on my side.

            But with Blood howling behind us, and the night lighting again, I didn’t have much choice but to ride as we were.

 Next: Chapter 18