#clann 1

Seemed like the only thing that could improve Jordan’s mood was imagining that stupid grin on Michael’s stupid face plastered onto the punching bag before her. Sweat flew as her barrage of punches and kicks pounded the bag, yet that incessant grin never faded.

Think you’re so cool? Jordan placed two quick jabs at his sternum, which would have bent him over for lack of breath, then smashed his nose in with her dominant hand. Think you can talk like that to me, a Peace Keeper?

“Don’t worry,” Michael had said on the first day, voice oozing with mockery, “I’ll get whatever you can’t handle.”

Jordan huffed as she threw more punches. That grin morphed; now pitying eyes looked down on her.

“You really think he won’t run away if you go charging in like a twister?” Michael had said after she’d first told him how they were going to storm their mark’s – a thug who loaned tremendous sums of credits to people then extorted incredible interest fees – place of work.

Jordan hunkered down, sending a barrage of quicker punches onto his cheeks.

“What?” Michael had said just an hour ago, outside the police station after dropping off the garbage they’d collected, the same unearned, out-of-touch confidence he’d carried himself with all week. “No ‘thank you for your service’ or ‘great job out there’?”

Jordan roared, pivoted on one foot, then threw her back into the next punch. Her core chilled and her skin grew brittle as her right fist glowed a brilliant orange. Jordan’s fist sailed clean through the bag. Jordan blinked, but didn’t move. It took only half a second longer for the lower portion of the punching bag to fall while the rest of it burst into flames.

Shit.

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“Thanks,” Maren said, taking the stew. “Will do!”

Neirean Stew, an easy but delicious favorite of hers. Packed with meat, potatoes, onions, and carrots, this hearty stew had always supplied her with a warm heart and a full belly. Her stomach howled, voicing its vexation. Maren delighted in calming the irate organ, her mouth cheering as the savory stew began to ease her hunger.

“Must’ve had one hell of a run,” the food truck proprietor said.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Maren said.

Linick’s northern skyline came into view not long after she left the dumpsite zone. Maren had wanted to get to the city as quickly as possible, but she’d known she would need to conserve her energy as much as possible for whenever she would inevitably run into more abominations. So she compromised, sometimes jogging, sometimes walking. Regardless, it had taken over four hours to reach the city and she was exhausted. She couldn’t remember the last time she worked her legs and lungs so hard!

She’d even used up all of her…

“I’m sorry,” Maren said. “But… my water?”

“Oh, right, sorry,” the man said, ducking behind the counter then giving her four full large bottles of water. “My apologies.”

Maren placed the stew down, then filled her enlarged canteen. There was a little left over, which she took slow, even sips to finish off. She took her stew, then leaned back and looked out at the small city park.

Read the rest of CLANN: The First Greeting scene 5

The world shook as Mav charged into the dark room. He bumped into something gooey which overlayed a large and metallic object. The darkness obscured everything. But darkness always fled from Mav. 

“Guiding Light!” 

Flames shot from his shoulders into the air. They were meant to rest on the ceiling to brighten the room, but they spread as more tendrils caught flame. 

Mav’s heart pumped in, his hair beginning to rise. The room had only two features in its center: a permanent table or operating bed that Mav had bumped into and some horizontal pod. To the right, a long cabinet ran along the room’s length with shelves overhanging it. To the left, a gaping hole led to a completely different room. From the hole, hundreds of dark tendrils snaked across the floor, wall, and ceiling, burying everything beneath it. Lumps on the floor likely represented rubble from the destroyed wall, though one in the far corner moaned in pain. Mav’s heart pumped out, his hair on end. 

“Cleaning Fire.” 

Like candlelight to spider’s silk, the controlled fire vanquished the cursed roots in a wave. Something massive churned through the opening in the wall, but the pod before Mav drew his attention. 

A warm, dull glow emanated from a glass portion. As Mav walked closer, he trod upon wires and tubes connecting the pod to the metal table. What was inside seemed to remove all the cold that had built up in Mav’s body. 

“Wait...” a man – the one beneath the tendrils – croaked, feebly reaching to Mav as he gripped the pod’s door. “You’ll ruin everything.” 

Mav’s fingers melted the pod’s hinges, then he wrenched the door aside. 

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Read the rest of scene 26

Maren took long, controlled sips of water. Despite every fiber of her being pleading for her to chug, she controlled herself. She wouldn’t be much use in a fight if she cramped up or choked. 

But this one glass wasn’t nearly enough to make her useful in a fight, either. She needed much, much more. 

“I.” Mav roared as the monster’s tail dragged him away. “Defend.” The tail – with Mav inside it – slammed into the wall. A deep orange glow emanated from within the tail and hissing sounded as smoke rose to the ceiling. “The weak!” 

An explosion ruptured the tail and sent Mav hurtling behind Maren. The middle-aged woman gasped as Mav’s body landed on... was that the monster’s arm? Maren hadn’t noticed it creeping up on them. A second later, that arm the size of a tree trunk would have snagged the woman. Then... 

Those man’s screams echoed in her head. 

She ditched the glass and held her mouth beneath the faucet’s stream. The time for self-care was over. 

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Read the rest of scene 25

“Those morons!” Sekko’s CEO yelled. “Attacking a Wielder in the street?” 

“We’re within our full legal right to apprehend civilians trespassing in forbidden zones,” the man who’d reported the security guards’ activity said. 

“No Wielder is ever just a civilian, Tobias! If we were seen assaulting a Wielder, on today of all days...” 

“She’s a Wave Leaper, sir.” 

The CEO slammed both palms onto his desk, red in the face. “That doesn’t fucking matter!” 

The man, Tobias, put a finger to his ear, then nodded. “They got her. Took most of our guys, but she’s been apprehended.” 

Which meant Mav hadn’t made it. Koda opened up his arm protector, then found a map of Linick on the screen. There was a high probability that they were dragging her to the other kidnapped victims. He marked the spot in the sewers which connected with the secret tunnels. He’d send it to Mav shortly. 

“Where are you taking her?” Koda asked. 

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Click to read the rest of scene 20

Excited to announce chapter 1 of CLANN: The First Greeting has reached 500 views!

Mav knew why Koda wanted him to wait, as things had the odd habit of exploding or at least catching flame whenever he tried to be stealthy. But it didn’t mean he had to like it. 

What he couldn’t understand, however, was why he had to wait so far away from Sekko Research’s building. Attempting to stay away from suspicion was one thing, keeping backup over a mile away from the action was complete overkill! 

If they needed help, instead of being around the block, he was near a bunch of high-class restaurants where rich civilians were enjoying the first courses of their thanksgiving feast. 

To top it all off, Mav couldn’t even exercise to deal with his nerves. So instead he paced, causing many civilians to shift nervous glances at him. 

Koda has a plan. It became a mantra, beaten into his brain over and over again during the hour he waited. There’s a reason he’s keeping me far away. I have to trust him. 

Click to read the rest of scene 19