Posted by Leif G.S. in Amott's Hearth Series, Fiction, Flash Fiction, Sci Fi | 0 Comments
Sci Fi Flash Fiction: Amott’s Hearth (Sacrifice)
The 17th entry in the Sci Fi Flash Fiction series Amott’s Hearth; this time we turn up the heat a little higher and get into the meat of the fight, as it were. I hope you enjoy this piece and thanks for reading!
Jay swung at Craig, hitting him square in the jaw with raw brute power. Craig tumbled back and bounced off the rubbery surface, flailing through the air as he traveled farther than Jay had anticipated. The man in green turned to his alternate reality clone and whistled, pointing to the sky as he raced toward his prone opponent. Jasmine nodded and spread her arms out wide, bringing up a large green energy force field under Jay’s feet.
The platform lifted Jay from the ground, allowing him to jump through the air and land a devastating kick to Craig’s head with the tip of his boot. The red Nano-tech suit did what it could to deflect the blow, but Craig’s head snapped back and caused him to bounce away once again. Jasmine floated up in the air and shot multiple bolts at Craig as Jay wove his way through the errant attacks.
Craig shook his head and groaned as he ran his right hand through his hair. He turned just in time to see the first green bolt hurdling toward him. He swore and rolled out of the way as the bolt dissipated across the surface with an intense crackling sound. He pushed himself off the ground and turned to see Jay charging at him. “Anytime you want to wake up and take over; I’ll be more than happy to let you do so.”
Don’t worry, kid. You got this. I’m gauging what they can do and how they can do it.
Craig ducked as Jay swung another fist at his skull. He used his attacker’s momentum to flip him over his back. He felt the Nano-tech suit compensate for his lack of strength by boosting the power in his arms. He stood and spun Jay on his shoulders, letting go once they spun around in a full circle. Jay flew across the ring, bouncing every few feet before he came to a stop. Jasmine continued to shoot her bolts at him, though she climbed through the air and rained her attacks from near the stadium’s top level.
The crowd booed and jeered as Craig danced around, the attacks narrowly missing him. He rolled away from another attack and sprung to his feet, charging toward Jay as he was starting to rise to his feet. Jay turned in time to receive a knee to the gut before becoming trapped in a front chokehold. Craig turned and looked at Jasmine with a wry smile as he whistled to her. “I wouldn’t shoot anymore if you don’t want to hit your friend. . .clone. . .whatever this asshole is to you.”
Jasmine stopped her volley and nodded. She smiled and flew around the top ring as the energy balls around her hands grew larger. The hairs on Craig’s head stood on end as he felt Jay struggle against the hold. He could hear the niggling voice of Tiamat in his head as the crowd screamed in terror and retreated to a safe spot. ”You know; you might want to let go of him and try to take care of her before she electrocutes us both.”
“That’s the point; she won’t. She is trying to put on a show of power to make me feel vulnerable. She is trying to remind me who is in command.” Craig replied aloud.
“I gave you too little credit. I thought you would have fallen for the show of power trick, but that wasn’t all she was doing,” Jay dropped forward, allowing his body to bounce off the rubbery surface. He used his momentum to loosen the hold around his neck, swing his body around, and slam a swinging kick to Craig’s forehead. As Craig stumbled backward and held his forehead, Jay spun around and hit a massive kick to the jaw that sent his opponent bouncing across the arena until he slammed against the wall with a loud crash. “You really need to make sure you follow through on your plans. The moment you become distracted is all I need to turn the tide on you and make your life a living hell.”
Jay looked up at Jasmine and blew three shorts whistles followed by two long bursts. Jasmine stopped circling and opened her hands, allowing the energy to dissipate from her fingertips. She drifted to the ground, as though she were a feather floating through the air. Green energy arced from her feet as she touched the ground and with every step, the same energy leapt from her limbs to the rubber.
Jay turned and smiled as he squatted, placing his hands over his knees as he spoke to Craig, as though he were a disappointed parent. “I have to give you credit; you did better than I thought. I was hoping to have a challenge, but I can understand you were too scared to show me everything you had in this fight. It really wasn’t fair. I know. I only do what I am told, I hope you understand that. I’ll give you a warrior’s death and make it nice and painless while you are standing on your feet. Does that sound appealing to you?”
Craig groaned as his leg twitched. Jay stood and smiled as he motioned for Jasmine to build up another charge. “I am going to take that as a yes. I am sure the gods here are going to be disappointed in their investment, but I will make sure a real human can show them what the Earth can do.”
Jasmine lifted her right arm and pointed at Craig. A large green ball built up from her fingertip. Arcs of energy crackled and buzzed as the crowd chanted for their champion to rise. Jasmine spun around and threw the ball toward the unconscious ascendant.
Three loud screams erupted from the stands, followed by two streaks that shot across the surface and slammed against Jasmine and Jay respectively. The two figures tumbled away, but the energy ball still sped toward Craig. A third streak stopped in front of the ball and held her arms out. The azure scales bristled, and the small tentacles on her head writhed. The energy ball hit her extended arms, causing her to scream in agony as the smell of burning flesh filled Craig’s nostrils.
The scream stirred Craig enough for him to roll over and see Asedum absorbing the energy in her sheer blue Nano-tech suit. Craig half scrambled, half stumbled toward the serpentine woman as she tumbled back. He managed to catch her before she hit the ground. He smiled and ran his hand across her pale cheeks, feeling the heat growing unbearable to touch. She fluttered her eyes and offered a faint smile as blue blood welled at the corners of her mouth. “I’m sorry. . .I didn’t want anything. . .to happen to. . .to. . .”
Craig let her rest on the surface, cracked his neck and stood. He turned to see Asedum’s play pals returning to her. He looked at his hand and scowled as he felt something washing over him. He turned and charged at Jasmine as his voice boomed with the tone of a thousand nuclear bombs, “No one touches my friends!”
If you’d like to read more Sci Fi Flash Fiction: Amott’s Hearth, click on the picture above to start from the beginning or click the link provided.
