Amari's Escape (not canon) (part 1)8/9/2020 Amari story (reddit spin off promotion)
Amari's eyes felt heavy as boulders, and she could feel something cutting deep into her wrists. Her head was limp on her own shoulder, cheek pressed into her clavicle, and she felt inexplicably exhausted. Her eyelids peeled open, still sensitive to the light as she slowly came to consciousness. An eerie dripping sound of water from a rusty grate above them was the only thing echoing through the chamber. drip. … drip… She felt a drop of liquid tickle her forehead and down her skin, nearly slipping into her eye. "Finally, you're awake." She heard a gruff voice from behind her, startling her so much she nearly jumped. If she could. She felt the jingling of metal cuffs wrapped around her wrists like steel snakes. "Where…" she started, still groggy and confused. "What happened…? Where are we?" "Well, we were in the middle of a fairly intense duel," The voice continued. "When we were both knocked out by some sort of psychic sleeping spell. I've never been K.O.’d so quickly before." Amari tried to adjust her focus as she slowly overcame the heavy, exhausting feeling that still plagued her swirling, aching head. It felt like a bowling ball rolling around her brain, touching each corner of her skull trying to burst out as the headache ravaged her brain. She examined her surroundings with her deep, bright red eyes. They were in what looked like a holding cell in a prison, and her wrists were held firmly behind her back, metal digging into the insides of her wrists. She could hardly move her arms at all, and sat mostly upright against a tall, skinny steel pole. She felt another body's shoulder softly pressed against her own. Her hands could feel another person’s hands bound close to hers. She closed her eyes, trying her best to ignore the migraine and focus on using her magic, but her energy felt like it had a cork on it. Her chakra seemed plugged in her body, unable to be channeled by the magic runes on her body. "Why can't I use magic right now?" She asked, confused as to why the runes tattooed up her arms weren't activating on demand. They usually did when she wielded her array of different powers. "I'm not sure, but these cuffs must be enchanted with a sealing rune. We can't use our magic at all." The voice behind her replied. She tried turning her head to see the identity of the voice, surprised at who it was. "Holy shit, Michael? Where the hell are we?" She asked again. "Well, a jail cell of sorts, I thought that much was obviou-" "Alright, smartass." She interrupted. "Fine, dingus, who did this?" She rephrased. "Angels." Michael replied dryly, in a defeated tone. "Betrayed by my own race! What a world... I guess it's what I get for keeping my head down my whole career." "No, it's probably karma for siding with murderous rapists." She said coldly. "Okay, fuck, then what's the plan?" "Plan?" He said, annoyance in his voice. "Here, let me just walk on over and ask the guard outside the door if you want a fucking pillow, or something." "I swear to God, Michael, do you want to get out of this or not?" "I've come to terms with my execution. I guess my time has come." He replied. Amari turned her head, trying her best to at least make side eye content as her wrists were bound so closely to his. "Well, if you want to be a martyr, be my guest," she was not in a negotiating mood, so she was as blunt as she could be. "But, you and I both know our only chance of getting out of here is working together." "I would rather be executed." He replied. "Bullshit." She said, calling his bluff. He huffed in defiance. She blinked a few times to let her pupils fully adjust to the light. She scanned the cell around them, searching for anything they could use to undo the restraints. The cell was mostly empty, but the bars were old and rusty. The cell looked a hundred years old. One would think Angels with their absurd amount of wealth could at least build a decent holding cell. Her red eyes scanned the room, Amari's horn bouncing off the metal pole they were both bound to with a 'ding'. The small bump reminded her of her splitting headache, regretting the careless movement. She stretched her aching legs out, blood rushing back through them and causing an annoying tingling sensation. "Any ideas?" Michael muttered, swallowing his pride. "A few…" Amari replied. She chuckled, but not in a mocking tone. Genuinely. "Not ready to die yet then, huh?" "Don't get cocky, demon. We simply have a common goal. If we somehow get out of here, we're finishing our little duel." "We can worry about that later. Now quit being an ass, and help me find something we can use to get the hell out of here." Michael rolled his eyes and sighed. Angels were such a prideful race, and Amari just about had enough of him, but remained patient. “How much wiggle room do you have?” She asked him, leaving him with a confused look. “Excuse me?” “How tight is the cuff on your wrist? My wrists are smaller than yours, but the cuff is the same size as yours. Since we’re cuffed together, if you twist the other way, maybe I can slip my hand out.” “Pretty tight.” He paused in thought before continuing, suspicious. “But how do I know you won’t abandon me here?” “Because unlike you, and your race’s empirical tendencies, I possess at least some sense of empathy.” She turned her head to him, meeting his gaze. “Believe it or not, I don’t care to kill you. If we get out of here, we can go our separate ways as wanted criminals. Deal?” Michael grumbled to himself before repositioning how he sat, pulling his knees to his chest. “Stand up with me.” He said reluctantly, finally on board. Amari pressed her back to the pole they were cuffed around and slid up to a standing position. “If I can get my hand out, I can break the rune seal on the cuff capping our chakra.” She said, twisting and shimmying her wrist in the cuff. “Twist your arms right, and I can probably slip my left hand out.” Michael complied, awkwardly bending his torso to create as much space as possible for her. After wiggling her hand in a circular motion, she finally was able to squeeze it out. The process cut her hand, but that was well worth her freedom and use of magic. “There! Got it!” She said, turning around and immediately a fire rune symbol glowed on her arm as she had control of her powers once again. She touched the cuff around Micheals hands, still bound behind him around the pole, using the fire rune to super heat the metal with her fingers. The twisting metal snaking around his wrists glowed yellow, then a fiery red, to a flaming hot white. Michael pulled his wrists as hard as he could until the metal snapped off, freeing them both and sending the cuff clanking to the ground. They stared each other down for a moment, unsure whether to continue their alliance or try to escape together. Amari extended her hand. “I’m willing to be allies until we’re out of this mess. Fuck God, and fuck heaven. Am I right?” He closed his blue eyes and shook his head, hardly believing what he was about to do. The angel extended his hand and firmly shook it with Amari’s. She put her other hand to her chin in thought. “Ok, so here’s the plan…”
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The Witch in the Woods8/3/2020
Amari felt like her lung was going to fall out of her mouth with how hard she panted. Her thin frame was drenched in sweat, her brown, hooded coat sticking to her body like melted cheese. I think I lost them… She wiped her damp brow with her forearm, still struggling to control her breathing as she put her back to a tree for support. The woods around her sat eerily quiet, with nothing but the occasional bird’s chirp filling the air. She could feel the rough, scale like bark on the back of her head, tickling her curved horns. Her red eyes scanned her surroundings for danger. Paranoid. Her eyes bounced from every branch and tree around her, looking for any hidden pair of eyes in the leaves. She closed her eyes and sighed in relief, slumping down the tree trunk to a sitting position. She looked up at the leaves swaying in the wind above her, tumbling like snowflakes to the ground. It was autumn, and the half naked trees looked ablaze in a fiery display of red and orange. That was way too close. I need to be more careful next time. She sat in deep thought for a moment, body heavy and exhausted from running as she planned her next move. Her pursuers couldn’t be too far behind, and if she stayed hidden, perhaps they would lose interest. Amari was growing tired of the exhausting game of cat and mouse that her life had become. She cleared her throat and rubbed her temples, pounding from the adrenaline still filtering out of her system. She adjusted her belt and denim pants as she stood up from the ground, untying her long hair from the bun she had it in. It fell gracefully from her head down to her shoulders, and she ruffled it back to its normal, comfortable state. She slid the hood over her head, and began crunching through the leaves at a steady pace. She was blessed to have escaped with her life. She had been spotted in town through her hood by some bounty hunters while she had been snooping for information on her brother's whereabouts at the local pub. The angels had followed her and nearly killed her, but she narrowly escaped and lost them in the woods. The winding twists and turns of the forest helped her out maneuver them. For now. She looked at her surroundings as she trudged through the woods, trying her best to determine which direction was North. The sun was in the dead center of the sky, and wouldn’t be very useful to help her navigate for at least a few hours. Its rays pierced through the branches above. For now, all she could do was stay hidden until she was positive she was alone. Her blood halted in her veins as a male voice echoed in the distance. They had somehow already caught up to her. Amari froze, her eyes and ears frantically searching for the source. “Hey! There she is!” A deep, raspy voice boomed through the trees, nearly shaking the leaves. Amari whipped her head around like an owl at the sound. A hundred yards behind her stood the bounty hunter. He was an Angel, but he appeared to be younger and hadn’t grown his wings in yet. His leather boots and vest were dark green, camouflaging him into the fall colors around him. “Get her, men! Don’t let her get away!” He barked at his nearby companions. Two other angels emerged from the trees behind him. One had a sword dangling at his hip, and the other was clearly the older of the three. He was lanky, wearing light clothing, so he could fly with ease. His wings spread out, prepared for flight as his eyes locked onto Amari like a hawk. “Shit…” Amari whispered to herself, back pedaling a few steps before bolting through the woods as fast as she could once again. She could hear them rushing behind her, but Amari expertly weaved through the scattered trees. She nimbly vaulted over a large stone in her path, then dipped into a slide after to avoid a low hanging branch. She scrambled to her feet, still keeping her momentum, and continued sprinting through the forest. Her lungs and chest grew tighter with every breath. Suddenly, she felt a bola wrap around her ankles like a boa constrictor, sending her crashing to the ground. She screamed in surprise, tumbling through the leaves and twigs, covering her in cuts and bruises before rolling to a halt. “I got her!” She heard over her head. The angel with the wings flew in circles just barely under the treeline. He landed on a branch high above, pointing her out to his buddies with his lanky finger. This is bad… Amari thought, beginning to panic. She clambered over in the leaves, immediately tearing at the ropes that were tangled between her legs. Her foot had almost come loose from one, but she felt the hard back of a fist ram into her cheek. Her hood flew back, revealing her beautiful, curved horns, and a trickle of blood ran down the new cut on her lip. The blow left her disoriented, and she held her mouth as she tried to scramble away. “Nope! Not this time, you filthy demon!” The leader said, drawing his sword. This is REALLY bad… Amari frantically tried to think of a way to escape, but was drawing blanks. Her feet were still awkwardly held together by the bola, and the other two angels had caught up to her. “What do we do with this one, boss?” The second angel said, looking over Amari and pricing her in his head. “I reckon we could get a couple pieces of silver for her if she can read.” “But look at her horns!” The angel in the tree above them chimed in. “You could get a fine price for those!” Amari was sweating bullets, still holding her swollen lip. “You both don’t understand the profit margin here.” The leader said, voice loud and raspy. “The demon slave trade is too full at the moment for any good price.” He shook his head, unsheathing his sword out of its scabbard, grinning. “We simply need her head. I have an old associate looking for a mantel piece.” Amari anxiously tried to clamber away from them, but it was no use. She was utterly helpless.. “Now hold on guys, we can talk about this…” She began to say, quickly regretting her choice. “Oh, look! It talks!” The angel with wings exclaimed. He appeared to be the muscle and scout of the group. “Let’s play with it a little!” Uh oh. Amari gulped. The winged angel grabbed her by her ankle suddenly, and Amari clawed the ground beneath her to no effect as he took off into the sky with her. His powerful wings ascended up to the tree line a few stories above the ground. He was laughing the entire time, swinging Amari around carelessly. “Put me down! You angel piece of-” She began yelling, frantically kicking her leg out of the bola and flailing around in his grasp. She felt his hand suddenly let her ankle go before she could finish. She felt weightless for a moment before free falling towards the earth. “If you say so!” The angel said, laughing still as she plummeted. She screamed as she tumbled through the air, flailing to the ground. She made impact with the earth with a heavy thud. She couldn’t breath as the wind had been knocked out of her, and her left knee was exploding with pain. She wasn’t sure the severity, but she was fairly certain her leg was broken. She tried to push herself up off the ground, but felt a boot press her face back into the mud and leaves. “Oh quit wasting time, Brian.” The leader said, twirling his sword in his hand once. “The sooner her head hits my clients mantle, the sooner we can get paid.” Amari pinched her eyes shut with tears, praying for something, anything, to save her from the nightmare. Her leg felt destroyed, and it’s explosive pain had a groan escape her lips. “Ahem...excuse me, boys?” a small voice croaked from behind them all. The three angels turned their heads to a little hooded figure standing behind them, hunched over with a walking stick. It appeared to be an old woman of some sort, but she seemed too short to be an angel or demon. Most of her features were concealed by the hood. “Now, what do you fella’s think you’re doing with that young lady there?” She asked from under the hood. Her voice was old, but sweet. She shook her head in disappointment. “That’s not very nice, boys.” Her tone was condescending, as if they were children she were scolding. The leader of the three wrinkled his nose and frowned. “Get out of here you old hag! Mind your own damn business!” He yelled. “Yeah, get lost!” The winged angel backed him up. He turned to the old lady and began walking towards her. “Maybe we should teach the bitch a lesson too!” The large angel said, cracking his knuckles with each step. The captain rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Amari. She sat silently holding her throbbing leg, watching the events unfold. The old woman held two bony fingers up. A faint, purple glow radiated from one tip, and the other green. The large angel froze where he stood and his body shook. His muscles seemed to pulse and twitch in place. “Hey boss...I can’t move! I can’t...Ca…” His voice drowned in his throat and his chest began to convulse. His leader with the sword turned around to see the winged angel crumple to the ground. His chest was violently jerking and he began to foam at the mouth. “What did you do to him!” The leader said in surprise. The old lady calmly lowered her hand. “Now, now…” She said. “That was just down right rude.” “I’ll cut you to pieces, you old hag!” The leader roared, marching towards her angrily. The old lady sighed impatiently, raising her hand again. Her fingers glowed once more, one purple and one green. She calmly held her hand out and snapped her fingers. Snap! A loud pop was heard, and the angel advancing towards her cried out and collapsed. His leg at the knee was bent at an inhuman angle, and he writhed in pain on the ground. The injury was a much more severe version of Amari’s own injury. Karma had come. The third angel trembled in his boots at the sight of his leader screaming in pain on the floor. He looked over to his winged friend who now laid still on the ground, foam still eerily dripping from the side of his lips. A drop of blood oozed out of his left nostril and down his pale cheek. Amari sat on the floor shaking, her knee still throbbing relentlessly. She still couldn’t tell if the old woman was an angel or a demon. Her face was still concealed, and she seemed way too short to be either. Amari squinted to get a better look at the old woman, but she knew what the glowing from her fingers had to be some form of magic. Who is this woman…? The last of the three angels slowly back peddled, passing Amari on the ground. His eyes were shot and fearful, terrified of the harmless looking old lady that had dropped his friends effortlessly. “Please...don’t hurt me!” The angel’s voice croaked. He turned tail screaming, and ran as fast as he could into the forest, dropping his weapon and abandoning his friends. The woman ignored his cowardly escape, focusing her attention on the leader groveling in pain beneath her. “Your mother would be ashamed of you, boy.” The woman scolded, her fingers glowing again. “She would beat you with her shoe senseless.” “Please! I’ll do anything! It was just a demon!” He whimpered on the ground, trying to crawl away from her. “Just a demon?” The old woman repeated, all sweetness leaving her voice. He had clearly struck a nerve with her. “Then you are just, a corpse.” She said in a dark tone, slowly pinched her two glowing fingers together. The soldier tried to yell, but his voice gargled in his own throat. He desperately held his neck, trying to draw breath but none came. His body convulsed a few times before laying still. Bright red blood oozed from his lip and down his neck. Amari sat in the leaves shaking. Two bodies were on the ground next to the old woman, who had already lowered her arms. She turned her attention to Amari silently. She noticed the old woman’s fingers on her left hand began to glow green. Oh no, she’s killing the witness! She thought to herself in a panic. She wasn’t sure how the other two angels had dropped dead, but it did not seem like a pleasant way to go. The old woman’s crooked smile peeked from under the hood as she slowly advanced towards a terrified Amari, as her lanky, wrinkled finger extended towards her. (To be Continued…) Written by Brandon Denhartog (B the Rapper) BEnjoy my little collection of short stories :) I make these when I'm bored and imagine my characters in random, alternate scenarios. ArchivesCategories |