War Beast

Book Three: Chapter 1

Author's Note:

"This will be the final War Beast book, which will wrap up Jenny’s story in the future. I might write more, but for now there are other projects I want to focus on. Each chapter will be better 600 to 1,000 words every Saturday morning. I will post all the available chapters, written throughout the week. Enjoy and witness Jenny’s conclusion. I developed this series idea for years and the process burned me out. But I'm glad I can finish it."

The red hot sun baked the barren dry plains and too baked the human girl sitting in the skeleton tree. Sweat poured down her beautiful face beneath her long blonde hair. Her eyes observed the rocky flats and rolling hills as far as she could see. The mountains rose miles and miles in the distance, but they barely remain visible in the hazy atmosphere.

    Jenny despised roaming through the desert wastelands in the middle of summer. If she wore a heavy cloak that covered her entire light tanned skin, the heavy fabric would roast her flesh as if someone had trapped her inside an oven. Wearing a skinny bikini loincloth kept her cool, and her furry leather boots protected her soles from the scorched, rough terrain. Better than running around naked like a wild animal. No matter how long she stayed in this post-apocalyptic future, full of Beastmen and magic, Jenny didn’t lose her modern civilized self. 

Who knew how long she has been with her only three non-human companions; Huntar, Zena, and Torag. Each day felt like a year has already passed. She couldn’t even tell how old she was now. Maybe she was close to her thirties, but why should that matter? Without a calendar, Jenny stopped caring about time and her age. The only thing that mattered in this savage future was survival.

About one mile, Jenny spotted something running across the flat area. It looked like a hooded humanoid sprinting for its life. Jenny couldn’t tell what sort of animal it might be.

Human? Probably not.

Jenny and her friends had encountered no human survivors since they left the alien base in the jungle. When they reached the unknown desert region, they hadn’t discovered other Beastmen or clans lurking through the heat. Besides giant sandworms and other flesh-eating monsters, Jenny didn’t find any signs of life that didn’t see her as food.

Behind the running figure, four green lizard men charged after the victim. The lizards were armored in ebon breastplates and nasaled helms. Chain-mail hung around their waists while they exposed their long legs without minor protection. They carried long staves in both hands, and their tails pointed up, avoiding the ground. As they roared, their frilled skin rattled around their heads like fans.

Jenny has never seen those types of Beastmen before. But she could tell a bandit pack when they chase a lonely individual. In the middle of nowhere, the helpless easily become the prey.

Jenny slid off the long, thick branch and landed on her feet. She raced down the hill toward her friends, who slept around a rock pile.

She kneeled behind the lion and shook his shoulder. “Huntar, wake up! This is an emergency!”

The lion groaned as he rose his upper muscled body. “You found food?” His stomach grumbled.

They ate a few bugs and tiny reptile creatures to keep their strength in motion. But the desert rodents were only appetizers that couldn’t keep their hunger in check for long.

“No, someone is in trouble,” Jenny explained. “I can’t tell who, but he or she is being attacked by bandits. They are not too far from us.”

Huntar narrowed his golden feline eyes at her. “How can you tell it isn’t a trap?”

Jenny puffed her cheeks in ignorance. “Oh, come on! Why would it be a trap? Nobody else knows we are here. If it is a trap, then why would the bandits wait so long to catch someone off guard? There’s literally nothing out here!”

Huntar opened his mouth wide and yawned at the sky. “Very well… I will wake up the others.”

Jenny hoped they weren’t too late. The bandits might have food and valuable equipment to sell. Not to mention the victim might reward Jenny and her friends for their support.

Jenny, Huntar, Zena, and Torag followed the bandits toward a canyon nested through the desert's plain surface. They sneaked along the edge of the wide trench as they kept their eyes on the running targets.

The victim stopped at a dead end and faced the attackers. The lizards giggled and pointed their spear staffs at their prey. Pretty soon, the mysterious hooded person won't stand for long. 

Jenny spotted five boulders near the edge. They stood directly above the reptile raiders. "Over there! We can push those rocks down. Hurry!"

Torag grinned and marched toward the boulders. With his strength, he pushed two down without breaking a sweat. 

The boulders rolled down and crushed two lizards before they realized their fate. The other two watched their companions’ demise in horror.

Huntar jumped down and tackled the second lizard. He sunk his fangs into the lizard’s throat and ripped out his flesh. Blood sprayed into the lion’s face, but he didn’t flinch.

The last bandit dashed toward the hooded person. He grabbed the victim and held a blade at the hooded person’s neck. “Ssssstay back! Ah, killlllll her!”

The victim’s hood slid off her head. She was a black goat with short, dark horns. Her short black hair hung over her left eye. Oddly enough, her eyes looked ruby red, as if she had never slept for ages. She also looked pretty tall for a female goat. Jenny had seen goats who were shorter than her. Maybe the victim came from a goat tribe that grew taller than their related species. Still, Jenny must save a life no matter how weird the damsel in distress appeared.

She reached the cliff behind the bandit and his hostage. Between her thumb and finger, she formed a small energy white ball about the size of a bullet. It took her days to master her powers, but she figured out how to perform unique tricks. 

With the wink of her eye, her tiny projectile attack flew down and shot through the lizard’s skull. His head exploded, decorating the goat’s cloak with pieces of red gore. The goat screamed as she watched the lizard’s headless body fall to the ground.

Jenny landed near the goat, catching the damsel's attention. "Are you okay?"