~Chapter 4~
When Chief Cmar tried to defend his people back in the Bog Woods the Mecarne known as Chill had frozen part of his tusks and with a single blow snapped it in half. That Mecarne had a light blue tint to his reflective flesh, and cold eyes.
Cmar's only solace was that the women had been allowed to escape. They should be staying with the Densius tribe up on Platt Mountain, safe from harm. He was glad that he had sent his son Nout away for training, he would've been captured as well otherwise.
Chief Cmar and the rest of the Phantine men were being held in an underground cavern of cells. Cmar futilely tried to break through the cell bars, but it was made of an incredibly sturdy metal.
Cmar sat in his cell, waiting to see what the next round of torment would be. He had several burns along his back, punishment from that cruel Mecarne, Cook. He commanded him to fight one of his fellow Phantine. He refused.
One the bandits serving as a guard of the Pit's cells walked up to Cmar's cage and spat at him. He had never felt so low in his life.
There was a series of loud noises from outside his cell. It sounded like a fight. A flash of green light came from the right, and a bandit was sent flying past Cmar's cell. A shuffling of feet drew near Cmar's cage and he readied himself. A young phantine boy with a pink tint similar to his own came into view.
"Nout!" Cmar said, tears nearly coming to his eyes.
"Dad!" Nout exclaimed, gripping the bars of the cell. Behind him followed Jirro, Aero, Corri, and a purple tinted Mecarne, "We're here to get you out!"
Aero jumped up onto the bars of the cell and tried to pry them open. The black haired boy flexed his arms but he couldn't bend them, "What is this made of?"
The Mecarne accompanying them tapped the cage bars, "I think it's the same sort of material they use in the prison up north. They're meant to hold incredibly powerful individuals so they need to be strong. Who knows how they got it."
"I'm sorry, who are you?" Cmar asked. All of the Mecarne he had met recently were exceptionally cruel, so he was suspicious of this one.
"Name's Temp. Friend of your kid," The purple tinted Mecarne answered.
Aero searched the unconscious body of one of the guards. He picked handcuffs off of them, but found nothing else, "No key."
"Only those two Mecarne called Cook and Chill hold keys to our cells," Cmar said. The kids all looked at each other with apprehensive looks.
"Okay okay," Jirro began, "By now Coppah's probably warned Cook and Chill. We'll have to deal with them anyways. Aero, Nout and I can find and fight them. Once we get the key off them Corri and Temp can hurry back down here and let everyone free."
Cmar panicked at the thought of his boy fighting those men, "No, you all need to get out of here! Cook and Chill are far too dangerous!"
"Don't worry Chief Cmar." Aero said, "We've gotten a lot stronger since you saw us last. We can handle them!"
Cmar gave him a doubtful look.
"It's our best chance," Jirro proclaimed, "We'll be right back!"
"We'll set you free soon dad," Nout said as he and the others headed back the way they came, leaving his field of view. Cmar prayed that his son and his friends would be okay.
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Cook rested in a large furnace, surrounded by flames, basking in the intense heat. He had an orange tint to his reflective skin, and intense eyes. He was at peace, pulling the energy inside of him. He drifted in and out of consciousness as the fires swirled around him. Until there was a metallic thud from outside the sizable furnace.
Cook groaned, he didn't like being disturbed while he was basking. He turned a dial until the heat dropped to a level that was safe for others. He opened the furnace and stepped out. Coppah and a few other bandits were waiting outside for him.
Cook clothed himself with a kilt that was sitting outside of the furnace, "What is it?" He asked.
"There are intruders on the island sir. They're trying to break the Phantine people out of the pit," Coppah replied quickly.
Cook groaned, another annoyance.
Coppah began, "I'll wake your brother."
"No need to bother him," Cook replied, "I'll handle it."
Cook marched with Coppah and an entourage of the other bandits under his command towards the Pit. Around him were several makeshift wooden houses, built for those that resided there with him. Cook ran his hands through the fire of one of the torches set out on the island. He flexed his arm and shot a spurt of fire from his fingertip towards one of the palm trees.
Cook thought about how he'd deal with whoever was disrupting his sleep. If they were strong, it might be worth tossing them into the pit as well. If not, perhaps he'd toss them into his furnace, see how long they last. Or maybe he'd see what Chill had in mind, his brother was always a creative one.
Out of nowhere a black haired boy in baggy clothes jumped in front of him. The boy gripped the base of a palm tree and uprooted it from the ground. The boy swung the tree like a club at Cook and all of those with him, striking them and sending them flying.
Coppah and the others fell to the ground unconscious, and Cook was sent flying through one of the wooden houses, and it collapsed on top of him. Cook felt a stinging pain across his chest where the boy had struck him. It hurt a little bit. He was almost impressed.
A blonde haired boy pulled some of the debris off of Cook until the keys at his waist were revealed. The boy pulled it off Cook and tossed it to a little red-haired girl.
"Go set them free!" The blonde boy shouted, and the girl ran off. Cook chuckled, it was a band of children that had come here. Maybe it was the same group of kids that caused Ekor so much trouble.
Cook flexed every muscle in his body and let heat erupt from him. The wooden house surrounding him burst into the flames and the blonde haired boy jumped away. The house turned to cinders and Cook stood from its ashes before allowing his body to cool back down.
The two boys and a young pink tinted Phantine were being attacked by a few of Cook's bandits, but the three dispatched them easily. Cook acknowledged the kids must be decently strong.
The young Phantine saw Cook and rage filled his eyes. With a shrill yell the boy charged at him. Cook flexed his arm as the Phantine attacked. The boy immediately reeled back from the intense heat. Cook followed up with a swift kick to the boy's face, knocking him away.
The black and blonde haired boys bounded forward. Cook prepared to heat up his body again but the boys came upon him too quickly. The black haired one threw quick punches to his side, and when Cook tried to counter, the blonde immediately seized upon the opening and struck him in the chin, legitimately hurting him.
Cook was forced onto his heels as the two kids continued their assault. The two were in perfect synchronization, while one attacked, the other covered them. There was a rhythm to their movements. Whenever Cook dared to try and attack, they landed a harsh blow to his body.
These kids were clearly well trained and powerful. Not as powerful as Cook of course, but together they were a nuisance. Cook did all he could to simply defend against them. The two boys relentlessly attacked, forcing him across the island. 345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHCqFTSfqb
