Bladewarriors Book 1: Refresh

"And you'll never guess what he did after that!"

"Did he laugh?" Flare replied mockingly as he half-listened to his friend's story as they both – or, more actually, just he scanned the sand dunes spreading out from the village, still searching for any signs of approaching trouble.

"Yeah!" Jenna exclaimed, reaching out to slap Flare playfully on the shoulder. "He laughed! Now really, would you laugh at that joke?"

"That travesty of a piece of comedy?" Flare replied, leaning forward on his palm as he lazily watched the horizon. "Not if you paid me, Jenna."

"Exactly what I thought, too!" Jenna shouted, sounding far more excited about the off-handed insult than she should have been. "So what do you think, then?"

"About what?" The fiery headed teen replied, blinking slowly as he turned to face the exuberant teenage girl sitting near him.

"Weren't you paying attention to what I was saying?" Jenna furrowed her brow in annoyance as she glared at her friend.

"Of course I was." The lookout sighed as he turned his eyes back out to the dunes, watching as the sand around them was shifted by a gentle breeze, scattering one of the small dunes a ways off. "You told Brat some stupid joke about some cat and a cobbler."

"You're simplifying it way too much!" Jenna yelled, stamping her foot on the floor. "It was 'what did the cobbler say when a cat wandered into his shop?'"

"Shoe…" Flare answered with a sigh, shaking his head.

"And his name is Brant, Flare." Jenna added, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

The fiery teen sighed, reaching up to scratch at his head as he continued to look out at the desert dunes, watching as the wind picked up, shifting a few more dunes around. He didn't really care what the guy's name was. Whether it was Brant or Brat, the guy was still a spout as far as he was concerned. He had known Brant almost as long as he had known Jenna. And he had hated the jerk almost that same amount of time. If he thought back, and searched his memories really hard, he could almost convince himself there was a small period of time that he had possibly liked the snob. And then the bastard had ruined their short lived burgeoning friendship by opening his mouth and talking. Sometimes, though, Flare remembered the three seconds before his spoke fondly.

"Yeah, yeah." The lookout replied, turning to stare at Jenna again. "You know what the 'n' stands for, right?"

"Flare…" Jenna sighed, closing her eyes.

"Nauseating." Flare replied with a grin, not waiting for a proper answer. "Or nasty! Or nuisance! Or—"

"Flare!"

"What?" The 'comedian' responded as the girl shouted, taking a moment to finally acknowledge the peeved expression glaring back at him.

"Stop it." The teenage girl replied irritably. "He's not that bad."

"Sure he—"

The lookout cut himself off as he blinked, staring at the girl in front of him. He'd be honest if anyone else had asked him, and admit that he hadn't really been paying much attention to Jenna while she had rambled on about Brat, which is why he hadn't noticed it before.

Flare quickly stood, turning to glance out at the dunes in the desert, watching as they slowly edged their way toward the wall. The lookout then spun his head back to Jenna, staring at her hair.

It was sitting completely still.

"Jenna--!" Flare began to yell out his deduction when a loud explosion cut him short. The redhead sitting beside him jumped to her feet as well as they both turned not to the magically autonomous sand dunes, but toward the town in the opposite direction. Rising from the center of Char was a large billow of smoke and sand, a nest of fire clogging its base.

"No way!" Jenna shouted, rushing toward the opposite railing, leaning out toward the explosion. A few moments later another burst erupted near the site of the first one, sending up another cloud of destruction.

"How'd they get inside!?"

Flare spun his head around, glaring at the moving dunes as Jenna shouted the question. There was no doubt in his mind there was more coming still, too. The lookout gritted his teeth, spinning back toward the town as he burst forward. His hand swung up, finding the handle of his sword as he leapt up and over the railing of the watchtower.

"Sound the alarm!" He shouted as he soared through the air, plummeting to the town below. As the earth grew closer, the lookout ripped the sword from it's sheathe, brandishing it before him as he crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. His role of watcher was over; now it was time to be a warrior.

"There's more coming!" he yelled up to Jenna as he dashed into the town, aiming straight for the chaotic cauldron of fire that had, moments ago, been the center of Char. Buildings blurred by as he past, moving at speeds inconceivable for most people as the warrior quickly navigated the streets and alleys, dodging villagers and other obstacles as he aimed for the town's center. Flare's eyes remained trained on the rising pillar of soot and dust, a few more explosions ringing out as he continued his approach, pushing his legs as fast as they would allow him to go. Even with his enhanced speed, though, the swordsman still took around three minutes to reach his target.

Flare slowed to a stop as he neared the fountain which marked Char's center, turning to glance around the area. The buildings and houses in the immediate vicinity were burning, the walls nearest to him broken in by what the young warrior could only assume was an explosion. The villagers had fled the area, leaving it lifeless and covered in the shadow of the smoke rising all around. The teenager felt as if he had walked into the middle of a warzone.

A sudden sensation shot up the young warrior's spine as he stood in the center of town, causing him to instinctively spin about, slashing upward with the Flame Sword. As he did, the edge of his blade came in contact with a ball of fire hurdling toward him, causing the orb to burst as his weapon made contact. Though the flames began to expand quickly, the explosion didn't have the chance to reach its pinnacle of destructive force as the flame-shaped sword sucked in the fire energy, absorbing the blast as it passed through the burst. The fireball gone, Flare was left staring at the source of the attack.

Standing roughly twenty feet from the young warrior, leaping from the destroyed ruins of what was once a house, was a man wearing a drab, brown cloak. As the stranger carefully stepped down from the rubble of the collapsed building, Flare eyed the man's bright red hair – almost as bright as his own – and sinister looking yellow eyes. Beneath the outlander's eyes, running down to about the middle of his cheeks, were two red marks, almost like tattoos.

"The wanderer…?" The words crept over Flare's lips as he stared at the man, recognizing the distinct features of his face as the figure came to a stop after climbing down from the rubble, staring at him. "This was you!?"

The man blinked his eyes running Flare up and down, taking in the human that stood before him. The fool was just a boy – barely eighteen if he was a day – and nothing to impressive. While his muscles were toned, and his body was limber, he looked more 'scrawny' to this attacker than anything else. What was of particular interest to the man, though, was the oddly shaped sword gripped in the boy's hand.

"So it's you." A dry laugh seemed to follow the words as the man spoke, shaking his head. "After all the stories I'd heard, I was expecting something more… grandiose."

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" The Flame Swordsman shouted back, boiling with anger at the destruction this man had caused. "We welcomed you into our town – gave you shelter from the sun – and this is how you thank us!?"

"I suppose I can see it a little, though." The man took a few steps forward as he ignored the boy's screams. "The hair does almost make it seem like your skull is set ablaze. And you do possess the look of a demon in those eyes of yours. But…I was still expecting something much greater after everything they'd told me. And after all the minions you'd managed to slaughter."

"The hell are you talking about!?" Flare screamed back.

"My minions." The man answered, finally paying attention to the boy's words as the curious expression that had covered his face was quickly replaced by a piercing, wrathful glare. "You've slaughtered them, time and time again. You've finally forced my hand – I had to do what I haven't done in nearly three centuries and come down here myself."

"You're not making any sense!" The swordsman yelled back, shaking his head. "Who are you!?"

"I am ruler of this realm! Master of the Fire Element!" The stranger grinned, revealing a row of pointed, razor sharp teeth. "I'm The Salamander."

Flare blinked, tilting his head to the side, as the image of a salamander popped into his mind. He lifted a finger, pointing casually at the stranger.

"But… you look nothing like a salamander." He replied skeptically. "Salamander's usually walk on four legs. And they're usually scaly or slimy. And they're usually… smaller."

The stranger sighed, shaking his head. "Ignorant human. I shed that primitive form long ago. I am Din's Salamander."

"Yeah… I'm just not seeing it." Flare frowned, shaking his head. A twitch of annoyance twisted the strange man's face a moment, but quickly calmed as he sighed once more.

"Then allow me to show you!"

Flare gasped as the figure of the man vanished from his vision, replaced by nothing more than a small cloud of dust where he once stood. The warrior felt the familiar sensation run down his spine once more and spun around again, finding the wanderer poised behind him, barely two feet away, his hand outstretched in his direction. The swordsman's eyes focused in on the small glowing ball of flames that hovered an inch away from the man's palm as a wicked grin twisted the stranger's lips. Flare clenched his fist down tight around his blade, trying to twist the sword up to intercept the attack, but at that close range, he didn't have the time. His eyes widened as the glowing orb burst forward, flying towards him… and then stopped.

The small glowing orb of fire quivered in the air less than an inch from his arm and Flare could feel the intense heat of the attack against his skin. Had any hair been there, it surely would have been singed off. He stared in disbelief at the small orb a moment, wondering if this was somehow part of the attack, but a quick glance up at his adversary assured the warrior that the stranger was just as awestruck by the event.

A second later the fireball shot to the side, both of the warriors turning to follow its path as it flew over the ground, coming to a stop above the palm of another.

"Jenna!" Flare smiled, happy to see the girl as she clenched her hand up around the orb of fire, extinguishing and nullifying its power. The maroon-haired girl smiled back at him.

"You gotta learn to watch your back, Flare!" Jenna turned her eyes away from her friend, eyeing the wanderer ruthlessly as she quickly spun around, flicking the hand she had just extinguished the man's attack with toward him. A burst of fire cascaded out from her palm, growing in size and intensity as it burned through the air. The Flame Swordsman leapt away just in time as the massive stream of flames engulfed his attacker, leaving a wall of fire taller than he was in it's wake that continued to burn even as the teenage girl lowered her hand.

"But that's what I have you for." Flare joked as he stared into the inferno his friend had created. "I wouldn't want you to feel useless, after all."

"Gee, Thanks." Jenna replied sarcastically. "As much as I appreciate the sentiment, I'd rather not have to save your ass all the time."

"Well then don't look at it as saving my ass!" Flare turned away from the wall of fire, grinning. "Look at it as saving this beautiful face time and time again. What could be better than that?"

Jenna sighed, laughing slightly as she shook her head at her fool of a friend. The swordsman simply grinned, mentally thanking the gods for sending the girl after him and allowing her to arrive in time to protect him once more.

"So that's it."

A chill went down the warrior's back as the voice echoed from the inferno beside him. The joyous nature of the moment evaporated as Flare quickly dashed forward, pushing toward his friend as the girl's eyes widened in surprise as well. It was only due to his incredible speed that Flare managed to repay her favor as a massive wave of fire pushed out from the flames Jenna had created. The swordsman skidded to a stop in front of his friend, waving his sword upward just in time to slice through the moving wall of fire, allowing his sword to absorb the portion that might have otherwise roasted both of them alive.

"No way…" Flare stared into the flames as they suddenly bent and parted, revealing the stranger that they had consumed moments ago. "That's impossible…"

"I told you I was the master of Fire." The wanderer replied. His cloak was now tattered and burned, crumbling off of him as he moved forward. Beneath it, now revealed to the light, was a suit of thin red armor, encasing the man's chest, waist, and the upper portions of his legs and arms. As Flare stared at it, he almost thought it looked like the armor was a part of the man's skin. "An attack like that has no effect on me."

"Flare… who is this guy?" The girl behind him whispered the question as the warrior felt her clench at the back of his shirt, pressing up close to him.

"He said he was The Salamander…" Flare's tone was no longer casual and playful as he talked about this man's identity. "I think I might be starting to believe him, too…"

"I see now, though." The Salamander spoke commanding their attention as he continued to slowly approach the two humans before him. "My minions spoke of how fire refused to touch you. Of how you could attack from behind them while standing in front of them. At first I thought maybe it was the power of your blade, but now I understand. It was that girl behind you."

Flare stole a glance backward, eyeing the defiant gaze that covered Jenna's face. Despite the strong front she was showing this stranger, though, the tight grip she had on the back of his shirt told Flare she was more than a little frightened.

"My minions didn't fall to you alone, Flame Swordsman. They fell to the power of you and that girl." The Salamander laughed, stopping a few feet from the both of them. "I'm a little relieved to see that, really. I had begun to worry you actually knew how to use that Mystic Blade properly."

Flare raised the flame-shaped sword in front of him, eyeing the confident look coating his opponent's face as he gripped down tight on the handle.

"Jenna," he whispered, trying not to be heard by this strange man, "get out of here."

"What!? No!" Jenna answered excitedly, but while trying to keep her voice low as well. "Flare, you can't—"

"Jenna!" The name came out loud and strong as he stared down The Salamander. He risked taking his eyes off the Master of Fire for a moment, giving the girl behind him a commanding glare before quickly turning back.

The maroon-haired girl lowered her eyes, staring at the hand which still gripped tightly to Flare's shirt. She knew what he was telling her – she had known him long enough to be able to read Flare's eyes. But she didn't like it. She didn't want to let him go.

"I'll be fine."

The warrior said the words forcefully, but Jenna wasn't sure she believed them – she wasn't even sure Flare did. But she was sure of one thing: If Flare intended to fight The Salamander seriously, then she would likely just be in the way.

"You better be…" She chocked out as she released her grip, turning to run in the opposite direction.

The Salamander laughed, eyeing as the mage dashed away toward the edge of town.

"As if I'd let her leave." The strange man lifted his hand, another small, condensed orb of fire appearing in front of his palm. A second later, the ball of tightly packed flames shot forward, targeting the fleeing girl, but it never made it to its destination.

Flare shifted quickly to the side, intercepting the blast as he waved his free arm, smacking away the ball of fire with the back of his hand. The orb spiraled away through the air a moment before exploding harmlessly to the side of the warrior.

"Oh?" The Salamander's eyebrows rose slightly at the sight, his interest growing. "You didn't even use your Mystic Blade that time."

"You're a fool if you think this sword is the only strength I have." Flare shifted his stance, raising the weapon in front of him.

"And you're a fool if you think that's the extent of my power." The Salamander grinned as he held his arm and hand out parallel to the ground. Once again, the same compressed ball of flames appeared above his palm.

"You say that, and then you summon up the same attack?" Flare scoffed, eyeing the fiery energy with distrust. "Are you all talk?"

"The same attack?" The strange man laughed, shaking his head. "No, I assure you, this attack is different."

Flare began to feel an intense heat grow around him – so hot that beads of sweat began to form on the Flamian's forehead. He tightened his grip on his blade, an uneasy feeling passing over him.

"I'm sure you know the legend of The Dragon King's rise to power?" The Salamander asked, grinning as the small orb in his hand began to grow brighter and brighter, and hotter and hotter. "At the end, when the first of your pathetic kind to take up that blade had failed, The Dragon King gained the Mystic Blades, and stripped them of some of their power."

Flare was panting now, the heat becoming nearly unbearable for him. Around him anything that was ignitable was beginning to burst into flames from the heat alone. He was sure the only reason his clothes didn't combust was from the protection provided by the sword in his hand.

"He then gave those powers out to us, The Creatures of The Gods." The Salamander continued to grin as he raised the orb in his hand slightly. "Allow me to show you one of the powers your blade once possessed. For something that was meant to protect, it's amazing that weapon was once capable of something this destructive."

The sweat on Flare's forehead was evaporating as quickly as it was produced as The Salamander held his attack aloft above his head.

"The Dragon King told me this power's name… is Flash Fire."

The Salamander quickly swung his hand out from underneath the ball of flames whose intensity rivaled that of the sun. The beast quickly leapt back, vanishing from sight as the white-hot orb fell to the ground. The swordsman stood fixed, eyes following the orbs plummet. He realized he had no time to run – even with his incredible speed. His only chance was to try and defend against it. He raised his blade, preparing as the orb touched ground.

Instantly he was surrounded by fire and a heat so intense he felt his skin beginning to burn. He screamed out in pain, but focused on his sword, willing its power to protect him, forcing it to absorb the overwhelming flames. Around him even the dirt was lit ablaze. If he tried to look in any direction, all he could see was fire. His mind began to wonder how far this attack spread – he wondered if Jenna was far enough away.

He screamed again as the flames began to lick at his knuckles, burning the flesh from his fingers. As hard as he concentrated on absorbing the heat and fire, it wasn't enough. It was slowly edging in on him, breaking through the autonomous protection the Flame Sword usually provided him from such things. He realized, suddenly, that he wasn't going to last much longer.

From the top of the distant city wall, The Salamander peered out at the mass of white flames that had consumed the center of town. He wondered absently as well whether or not that girl had managed to escape the blast, but in the end he didn't care. After all, his whole reason for coming had been that boy. He had let that child run amuck in his realm, swinging that sword, killing his minions for far too long. The Dragon King had not been pleased when he had discovered a Flame Swordsman had been running about for nearly a decade under The Salamander's watch.

But it mattered no longer as the white flames dissipated. Where they had sat for only a few seconds, there was now nothing more than a black scar on the land. The buildings, and people, and even the small fountain that had once rested there were gone without a trace, their cinders burned to ashes. Those ashes burned to dust. And that dust burned until nothing was left. Not even a swordsman.