Heat

The familiar smell of smoke filled my lungs and my eyes flickered open. THE SMOKE WASN'T A DREAM! Coughing violently I frantically searched around for my knife, sachel, and pants. Distortedly stumbling out the door tripping and finding my face in the cool mud. What happened? I thought distraught with the knowledge that my house was up in flames was very frightening if not disturbing. It was eerily quiet except for the roar of the flames. Lifting my face from the ground I surveyed the damage. The village was almost unrecognizable ash and crumbling huts a thick smog hovering above. Looking down I gagged countless bodies lay sprawled across the ground most were recognizable I recognized the rough face of my boss an experienced fisherman, the soft face of one of the girls that worked at the bakery auburn hair spread in waves across the ground. The smell of death was horrific and the once warm feeling was gone. walking to the edge of the cliff that plunged into abyss I finally realised that I had no shirt. Strolling over to the nearest body which happened to be a guard and flipped him over. To my surprise he had a relatively uncharred body the only injury although not big was very big, on his neck was a bubbly sore that was clearly poisonous so I did not touch it but carefully I removed his helmet and armor took his shirt and put on the leather jacket which in the town was worn under a chainmail shirt but was left because of added weight. In the seconds following I realized my best friend Takashi could be dead! frantically I searched the bodies trying to recognize the friend I might never see again. after several hours to no avail I could did not recognize any to be him, but this gave me hope because this ment he could be alive. As I began to set up camp outside the village I found a strange man that I had not seen in the village before. He was wearing a leather jacket, a white shirt and jeans. Stripping him of his jacket I quickly ran through the pockets an in the left pocket I found a stone foreign to this land. Turning it in my hand I saw little leg looking things stuck to its under side or that's what I thought. Suddenly with a buzzing it started to move, and came alive with razor sharp claws dug deep into my arm. Letting a cry of pain escape my lungs I desperately scratched at it but it wouldn't budge. Looking closely at the thing which at that point was just a blue jem with a rocky frame sticking out of my arm I gave up hope on ever getting it out. Seeing that

his jacket was better than the one I had on I grabbed that and the shirt too. With a pang of horror I realised that I had left my sword in my burnt hut. rushing back to the hut I frantically searched through the rubble. half way through my bed I found the chest that stored my prized possessions. But looking down at the lock I remembered that I didnt have the key. Grabbing a rock I smashed the melted lock Rummiging through the trunk I found a couple Items of interest, my sword a straight sword forged by monks living near the village. created with the purist iron it was said to have many abilities but the knowledge of many of them was lost to time. Given to me by my father I had cherished it not using it much at all for the years after his death. Exiting the collapsing hut, I proceeded to a smoldering log and collapsed onto it taking me to a restful place for the first time in what felt like days.