Fury

Preface

Fury

Brim loved the quiet of the morning. Ducking to fit through the small doorway, he basked in the warm sunlight beams breaking over the hills. This was his time. Everyone was still asleep, even the birds and insects. Walking through the Walber Fruit marshes, he carefully inspected the surrounding bushes. It amazed him to see how they maintained their roots submerged in the shallow waters as the fruit grew in the low canopy above. Even though he was prominent in size, he could always find a tall enough bush to crawl under for a quick afternoon nap in the shade. It was almost time for the harvest, and he had to make sure they lost as little produce as possible. The blight hit hard this year, making them burn about a quarter of their crop to contain it. Picking one of the fruits off of the closest bush, he opened his jaw wide and took a massive bite, reaching its core. Sweet, but still a bit tough. A few more days now, and they’ll be ready.

“I told you to wake me up!” an angry yell came from the house behind him. He turned to see Medina standing in the doorway, dressed in her grey work overall.

“Anura save me,” he said quietly to himself, and then louder, “You were sleeping so peacefully I didn’t want to wake you, sister”.

Medina shook her head and started a light jog toward him. As he waited for her, he looked at their small home with affection. His father was adamant about keeping the house in top shape throughout the seasons, and it showed. The wooden structure was sturdy and could withstand the strongest winds or heaviest hail, yet it managed to maintain a homely and inviting look.

Brim couldn’t remember life before the farm. Over the years he learned that his father somehow managed to steal him away from Fury training when he was very young. They’d already started his gene enhancement regime in the birthing pools, but he was taken before it was complete. Brim grew to be much larger than other Anurans but smaller than the Average Fury. His father managed to find refuge on the outskirts of Turim Alba; its alabaster crystal towers loomed over the low hills separating the city and their farm. At first, it was just him and his father, but quickly his mom joined them as well. Medina was birthed into a pool his father made on the farm, a symbol of their detachment from society.

“Daydreaming again, big bro?” Medina said, shaking his leg and snapping him from his thoughts. “Come on already, I want to check on the paddy fields!” she said, running ahead. Brim smiled warmly as he walked behind her. She was so small compared to him, making each of his steps cover the same distance as three of hers.

“Mom and Dad still asleep, Med?” Brim asked as they walked together.

“You know how they are before harvest,” she answered. “Gathering our strength,” she said, raising both hands and making quote signs while squinching her face”

Last winter his father told him the real reason why they were hiding him. He told him of Rend, his older brother, a decorated Fury, and the family's pride. Rend was part of the Magenta squad, a famously efficient unit from Svarga, until the day he died. A few weeks after the Shapers of the Pool designated Brim as a potential Fury tadpole, an assembly of Svargan officers appeared at their doorstep with the solemn news. His mother later told him that his father would not speak to anyone for weeks. His first words to her after learning of Rend’s death were: ‘I am saving this family. This will never happen again’.

Planning their flight from Svarga took over a year, allowing Brim to begin the bio-engineering regime expected of all those with the potential for serving as a Fury. His father would not go into detail about the actual escape, but it involved breaking into the Svargan Birthing Pools, faking Brim’s death, and committing crimes that exiled his father from Svarga forever.

Brim and Medina reached the paddy fields as the sun emerged from behind the hills. The towers of Turim Alba cast long shadows across the rice fields as they began combing through them. Brim and Medina inspected each stem to check if the rice was growing as expected and looked for any blight signs. Brim loved how the sun made the shallow waters of the fields sparkle almost magically. The rice they grew was no ordinary rice, its green stems reaching far higher toward the skies than usual, creating walls of green as tall as his sister. Looking over at Medina, he saw how thoroughly she treated every stem of rice and smiled to himself.

Living alone on the farm made them spend most of their time together. Their family’s only interaction with the outside world came during the harvest when his father would go into the city to sell their produce. Brim, of course, could never accompany him; being so large and not an active Fury usually drew some raised eyebrows and questions. Medina would be coming of age soon and might accompany him on the nearest harvest. Brim was happy for her. His life might be one of solitude on the farm, but he wanted for nothing and was happy with his share. He knew the sacrifices his family made to keep him safe and appreciated them all for it.

Brim felt a poke and turned to see Medina with a mischievous smile on her face.

“Tag, you’re it,” she said and bolted down the row of rice, splashing water as she ran. For someone so small, she could run quite fast.

Brim laughed and gave chase. Just as he got near her, she quickly ducked through the green rice stem wall into the adjacent row. Brim carefully jumped over the row; due to his large frame, he could not go through without destroying the rice itself. When he landed on the ground, he raised his head to see that Medina was nowhere to be found. He straightened out, looking over the entirety of the rice field, but he could not find her. A soft chuckling pulled his attention toward the end of the row he was in.

“Medina? Medina! You have to see this!’ he yelled, smiling. “I think I discovered a new rice disease. The chuckling!”.

The chuckling grew louder and started to deform into flat-out laughter. “Oh no, it’s spreading fast! I think it’s evolving into laughteritus! Where are you, Med you have to see this!”

Brim reached the laughing rice stem just as Medina jumped out with her hands curved into claws in front of her.

“Booooo!” she yelled and burst into laughter.

Brim charged at her and picked her up with his massive hands, tenderly hugging her close to his chest. As she hugged him back, he felt her body relax and give in to him. Placing her down on the ground, he said, “Let’s head back to the house. They should be waking up by now, and we should set the table for breakfast.”

Medina squealed with joy and sprinted up the field toward their home. Brim started after her, but something caught his eye from the corner of his vision. Looking to the right, he saw that the last row of rice in the field seemed to sway in the wind. That’s weird, he thought to himself, licking his finger and sticking it up into the air. There was no wind.

Brim sped up, keeping his eye on the row of rice, seeing the movement become unnatural and decisive. The water around the stems rippled. He broke into a run as the movement cut sharply into the field and seemed to be heading decidedly toward his sister.

At the edge of the field, his sister stopped, looking back toward Brim with her signature smile.

“Hurry up, Brimy! You’ll never catch u—-”

Something monstrous emerged from the green rice stem wall nearest to Medina. A creature as large as Brim burst out, lunging at his sister with murderous intent. Brim watched in horror as the creature closed its massive jaws around Medina’s tiny body, ripping one of her hands with its sharp teeth. The last he saw of his sister was a look of pain and shock as the creature disappeared back into the field, taking her with him.

Frozen in place, Brim stared in disbelief, expecting to wake up from a nightmare at any moment. He felt a guttural scream emerging from within him, but he could barely hear himself over the ringing in his ears. Adrenaline kicked in as he ran toward the spot where his sister stood mere moments ago, trampling over the rice, searching for her. He saw her tiny hand, detached and orphaned on the ground, the blood flowing and mixing with the field’s water, leaving a dark stain in the otherwise green field.

The ringing in his ears dissipated, only to be replaced by a loud sound he didn’t recognize. It sounded like the wind was being pushed forcefully by something spinning. He looked up through tearful eyes to see a massive mechanical machine emerging over the hills, blocking out the sun.

Brim ran toward the house, overwhelmed by what was happening. His father was standing in the doorway looking up at the sky, a questioning look on his face.

How was he going to tell him what happened? How would he ever be able to explain?

Brim heard five popping sounds and looked above to see metallic pods of some sort eject from the mechanical machine. One of the pods landed in the Warble marsh to Brim’s right, crashing the trees and sending fruits and water flying in every direction. The largest Anuran Brim had ever seen emerged from the pod, covered in shiny armor and holding a massive plasma axe.

The Fury charged in his direction, nearly running Brim over. Brim looked to his left to see the Fury collide with one of the creatures that leaped at him from the bushes. He ripped his eyes away and kept running toward his father

“Brim! What in Anura is going on?” his father yelled as he ran down from the house, meeting Brim at the edge of the Marsh. Brim hugged him, crying and mumbling

“Medina dad, she’s gone she’s… It took her… I couldn’t…”

A loud crash from the direction of the house broke their embrace as two pods landed through the roof, breaking the once sturdy structure apart. His father might have kept the house ready for any type of weather, but he never expected Anuran battle pods to be an option.

“Where’s mom?” Brim asked, his voice shaking. His father didn’t respond, staring quietly at the wreckage of what used to be their home.

“No…” Brim whispered“. Realization washed over him.

“She has to be all right; she has to!” He yelled as he ran toward the house. Out of the wooden rubble, a large Anuran soldier emerged, running directly at them. His body was covered in massive armor that seemed to be crackling with power.

“Duck,” the Devout said as he swung his massive plasma blade at Brim's head.

Brim did as he was told, diving toward the ground, dragging his father with him, and burying his head in his hands. The sound of the blade colliding with steel rang forcefully above him, bringing a smell of burnt flesh.

A loud thud to his left made Brim raise his head.

Seeing the monster closely for the first time, the head of the creature lay on its side, its lifeless eyes staring directly at Brim. The head was elongated, mostly made up of a jaw filled with more teeth than Brim could count. Its skin was covered with green scales. The eyes, stuck to either side of the head, looked like black slashes over a yellow background. The teeth dripped with fresh blood, and pieces of grey cloth stuck between them. Realizing this must be the creature that took his sister, Brim jumped backward in disgust. He turned his head around to see the second part of the same creature. The body was covered in metallic armor, leaving most of it unexposed. Only its sharp claws and feet were uncovered. The creature was built to kill, every inch of its frame covered in muscles. It held a sharply curved war glaive in its claw, the hilt built at the blade's center.

Snapping to action, Brim jumped up and grabbed his father, running toward the remains of their house. His father pushed himself out of his grip as they reached the house, digging through the rubble to search for his mom. A small but powerful hand was placed on Brim's shoulder, yanking him away from the search.

“What are you doing here? This area was marked as uninhabited in the tac-maps.” The figure’s tunic spread behind him, giving the Shaper an air of authority. “Your existence here must be unlawful. My maps are never wrong.”

“Leave them alone and come help us fight you imbecile!” a figure appeared to the right of the Shaper out of thin air.

The Shadow looked Brim over and said, with a surprised look. “Well, that’s new. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Fury not dressed in full armor before. I thought they slept in it.”

With that, she disappeared again.

The battle raging through their once peaceful farmland invaded Brim's vision. Tens of the reptilian creatures were clashing with the Anuran squad. The Fury was dismembering them, one by one, using his axe and a blade he must have picked up from one of the bodies. The size of the creatures made it hard for him to fight more than one at a time, but the Fury seemed to be managing.

The Devout was locked in battle with another one of the monsters, using his blade to dismember it, piece by piece. Brim was horrified to see the creatures keep fighting despite losing their limbs. The Shadow, who stood next to him seconds ago, appeared in the air above one of the creatures, dropping down and beheading it with her short blade and disappearing immediately after.

The Shaper stepped forward, forcefully occupying Brim’s view, and repeated the question: “What are you doing here, Anuran?”

“We live here; this is our home,” Brim said weakly.

The Shaper shook his head, clearly unsatisfied with what he was hearing.

“Leave them be, Child of Anura”

A calming voice invaded Brim’s entire existence. He watched as a figure strode up to the Shaper, covered in a long flowing robe and a heavy white hood hiding most of her visage. He recognized her as a Priestess of Anura from the stories his mother used to tell him.

His mother.

He turned to see his father slumped on the ground, crying, hugging a still body. His mother lay lifeless where their bed used to be, her face obscured by his weeping father.

All sensations left Brim’s body as numbness took over.

First Med, and now his mother. Both were gone in an instant. He looked up to the sky with desperation and asked a silent question. What have we done to deserve this? The voice from before took over his consciousness, giving him an answer.

“I know you feel nothing but despair, child,” The priestess said softly from beneath her hood. “You must know that none of this is your fault. Anura can only do so much, and she has, by bringing us to your aid.”

Brim looked at her with a blank stare. Behind her, a painful scream rang as the Fury was impaled by one of the creature's blades. Out of the fields, four more creatures emerged, pouncing at the Fury. Fueled with rage and the priestess’ blessing, the Fury managed to kill two of the creatures before being overpowered and collapsing. The Shadow killed the rest of the monsters, swarming the Fury’s body, barely escaping a few dangerous swipes. She kneeled next to her comrade’s body to check for vitals. raising her head toward the Shaper and Priestess, she shook it, signaling that he was dead.

The Shaper ran toward the battlefield to assist the Shadow as the creature’s numbers seemed to grow endlessly. Regardless of the slew of dead monsters spread across the marsh, it seemed that the Anuran squad would soon be overwhelmed. The Priestess turned her gaze to the battlefield as Brim returned to his grieving father.

“I can’t do this, Brim. I just can’t,” he said softly, tears streaming down his cheeks. “She was everything. She kept me going. She kept us together as a family.”

Brim placed his hand on his father’s shoulders, surprised to realize how large it was compared, covering nearly his entire shoulder with his palm. His father felt fragile under his grip, so different from the force of nature Brim was used to seeing as he worked in the fields.

“How could this have happened? His father continued. “We did everything right. We were humble and kept to ourselves. Why has Anura forsaken us? Where did these creatures come from?”

After a long moment of silence, he said, “Wait, where’s Medina?”

His father’s face was unreadable as Brim, with a shaking voice, told him again what had happened. Rising from the ground, his father turned to look at his beloved farm, dropping his wife’s body to the ground. Brim rose to stand beside his father but lost his balance as he was suddenly pushed to the side. Falling to the rubble, he looked up to see his father smiling a soft, bloody smile, a creature’s blade protruding from his abdomen.

“We tried to keep war away from you, son, but it seems Anura has other plans.” His father said, coughing blood. The creature let go of the weapon, lunging at Brim, making it only a few feet before it was cut down by the Shaper’s drone.

“I know you must hate her for what happened, but I implore you, do not. We are merely the tools of the goddess, and we were foolish to attempt to remove and hide away one of her holy weapons.”

His father reached toward him with a weak hand, falling to his knees. His finger connected with Brim’s cheek, leaving a dark red line running from his eye to his chin as he fell to the ground, lifeless.

Brim felt nothing.

He expected anger, sadness, anything, but instead he was met with a blanket of silence and emptiness. The sound of the battle disappeared as he stared at his father’s still body.

Brim experienced the next few moments as if he was watching somebody else. He watched as he rose, striding toward his father’s body. His hand, looking like a stranger's hand, reached out and yanked the curved crude metallic blade, his father’s blood still dripping from it. He watched as he turned and walked down toward the Fury’s lifeless body, the battle raging around him. Reaching it and retrieving the Plasma Axe, he looked at the creatures swarming the marsh. What was once a peaceful farm was now a bloodied mess of bodies and monsters.

Standing there briefly, his mind drifted to his younger sister. So innocent and pure, she never hurt anyone her entire life. He thought of his mother, who spent every day of her life trying to provide a safe and nurturing home for him and his sister. Of his father, who sacrificed everything to create this safe life for him away from the dangers of being a Fury, perhaps selfishly, yet from a place of love and affection.

His existence merged with his body as he looked down at his hands holding the weapons. Gripping them tightly, he was surprised at how natural they felt. He sensed a hand on his shoulder and knew it was the priestess as her voice filled his mind, breaking the silence.

“Fight, child. Fight to avenge your family and enact Anura’s vengeance.”

Like a rising tide, the silence evaporated, making room for the cacophony of war. Brim was not overwhelmed by it. Something within him had changed. His muscles seemed stronger, and his mind sharper. He reached within himself, searching his emotions, only to find one eclipsing all others. He relinquished control, succumbing to its power.

Brim charged with a pulsing and overpowering emotion engulfing every part of his being.

Fury.