Biest
Paradise Lost
Chapter 1
Riley Evans sat down in English class like she normally would. It would have been a normal day despite the fact that it was very grey outside.
There was a knock on the door and everyone looked up, including the teacher, Mrs. May.
"Hello, may I help you?" asked Mrs. May.
"Sorry for being late to your class Mrs. May, I got held up with a little…doggy business and had to chase our dog, Tinkle, around the neighbor" –
"No excuses Mister, just tell me your name." Mrs. May cut him off.
"My name is Daniel Smith, and" – Mrs. May cut him off a second time.
"I said no excuses. Please take a seat next to Miss Riley Evans in the back right corner of the room."
Daniel reluctantly slunk to the corner of the room, and when he arrived next to Riley, she scooted to the edge of her seat. She felt bad when he sent a hurt expression her way, although that didn't change the fact that she would rather have some girlfriends sitting by her than Daniel. It was the beginning of the year, Daniel was cute, and she wasn't ready for a boyfriend yet. That was that.
Later at lunch, Riley was disappointed that she couldn't find Daniel anywhere from table A to table Z, although she was surprised to find a beautiful pink rosebud in my lunchbox. Everyone at her table gasped, eyebrows raised at the sight of the rosebud when she pulled it out, but they dare not joke her about having a crush on anyone, for only the truly cool people were welcomed at table A.
Riley hurriedly crammed into her car when the bell rang and took off for her house. When she arrived home, she decided to take a stroll in the forest.
Riley had been walking for fifteen, maybe twenty minutes when she saw a flash of white behind the tree that towered before her. She took a couple more timid steps closer and had begun to round the tree when the thing came and knocked her down. It's claws dug into her skin, soaking her white shirt with blood. Riley shrieked in pain.
Riley unsuccessfully tried to evade the creature, and about at the most awkward moment for something like it to happen, the creature dispersed into thin air.
The even weirder part was that when this creature slithered out it's snake-like tongue, she felt it even though the creature was invisible. She felt it's bodyweight on her. Riley still felt the pain of the claws as if they were still there. She heard it's growls
The creature reappeared where it had been just seconds before it had disappeared. Riley was suddenly overcome with a superhuman wave of strength. She saw the creature howl as it went up, up, up in the air, her arms and legs extended out in front of her like straight sticks.
She scrambled up and ran back to her house. She went and changed into a little mini-skirt with a short sleeved top that were cute together. She was glad she had because she walked down the stairs to see Lily Smith, a famous singer, sitting on Riley's couch so casually that it looked like she lived at Riley's house.
"Hi," she said.
"What are you doing on my couch?" Riley asked inquisitively.
"Giving you a little prep," Lily replied.
She jumped in the air and landed on her belly. She had the body of a cobra, and the tail of an alligator, with the head of an eagle. When she jumped and turned back human, she gave Riley a book with a keyhole on the front and a key, and said she was an Ecole.
"Look up any weird animals you see in this book. It will tell their abilities and show you how to exterminate them."
Riley immediately scanned all the pages for that white creature until she found the white creature she had seen that day. It was called a puchwau. It is a medium sized, sharp sensed animal with the tongue of a snake, the body and paws of a white bear, and the head of a tiger in white. The abilities were listed in a straight line:
sharp hearing,
camouflage as patch of snow,
excellent sense of smell.
The powers were listed in the same format:
Can turn head in full circle if in transparent (invisible) mode.
The weaknesses were also listed in the same format:
In the center of the belly with a sharp or pointed object,
The pupil (eyes)
Riley couldn't stop staring at the book. This was a lot to take in. She thought she was crazy.
"We'll see you tonight at the Vial of Night, home for biests. Try to arrive in front of your door at midnight."
Riley would have made a retort, but it felt like her tongue was tied; She couldn't say anything. Lily dashed out her front door before she could get her tongue straight.
She wandered outside, wishing I had some sort of collection of weapons to prepare her for her new life. She pictured a wooden board with all the weapons she could dream of on it with her eyes closed. She hadn't expected this to happen, but when she opened her eyes, she found exactly what she'd imagined right in front of her. What could I store it in it, though? She wondered.
She pictured a basement underground with her eyes closed and sure enough there was a metal floorboard right in front of her. Riley opened it to see a large ladder going down at least twelve feet with metal walls, floor and ceiling.
Riley manifested a flashlight so she could see what she was doing and where she was going. She found nothing in there but her weapons board. Riley felt she would be in need of this someday. It would be like preparation for the danger of the wild biests.
It was beginning to get dark outside.
Outside of her basement it was so silent and cold, she could hear the last birds flying off. Winter was coming.
Riley climbed out of her basement only to be greeted by a mischievously evil grin from a plump body and plump faced bald man. She ran rapidly back down the ladder and grabbed her flail. She took a mighty swing at the thing with spikes down the center of it's back. It dodged the attack by an inch.
It followed her down into the basement and she made the ladder vanish behind it.
It was nearly midnight and Lily would be there soon. She wanted Lily to see her fighting this ferocious monster. Lily would know she was ahead of everyone else.
Suddenly the monster was surrounded with flames and grew gigantic gold wings. Riley was starting to get scared, but that didn't mean she was going to give up. She took another swing at the half dragon.
This so called person had horns on it's head, spikes down it's back, and worst of all, talons on it's gigantic golden wings and a golden body, the body and wings surrounded in a cross of flames when it reared on it's hind legs and roared.
Chapter 2
Lily heard a roar halfway to Riley's house. Oh, no. A flaemon must be at her house. She sprinted the rest of the way to Riley's house in fear that Riley would perish.
When she arrived, she didn't see anything and panicked. Oh, no. The flaemon had killed her and dragged her off with him. Or at least that was what she thought until she heard a roar underground and saw a metal floorboard with a handle. She yanked it up and open.
Lily gasped at what she saw as soon as she opened the floorboard. The flaemon's body. It was alive and fighting, but blood was dripping down it's back from a gash in the back of it's neck.
No one she knew, not even at the Vial of Night, has been known to put so much as put a mark on this deadly biest. Even the best trained troops in their armed forces had been known to die when working together or alone while facing this biest of eleven and a half feet tall.
Riley was lucky that her basement was metal, although Lily wondered how they got down there, or how Riley even got her – wait, was that a flail?! They were so rare!
She watched as Riley took one last swing at the flaemon's neck. Riley made another gash as the flaemon took it's last breath of fire and collapsed to the ground, it's head separated from the body.
The flaemon was in human form now, but no matter the form now, Lily was shocked at Riley's skill, and, even more, how she got a flail.
When Riley came out of the basement, she thought she saw Lily, but she was dazed and wasn't sure what she saw. Before she could process everything, she collapsed on the ground and the world went black.
"Omigosh!" Lily exclaimed in a whisper. "I only just tracked her down, she can't have passed away now!"
Lily carried Riley's limp body a mile, racing back to the huge building. She took Riley inside and delivered her to the infirmary where she woke up an hour later.
"Thank goodness you're awake, Riley!" exclaimed Lily to Riley.
As soon as she had received the news that Riley was awake, Lily had rushed to Lily's bed in the infirmary.
"She is under shock," said the nurse Lisandra Paye.
"Thank goodness she is awake after killing a flaemon," Lily said.
"She killed a flaemon?!" cried Lisandra. "I don't believe it."
"It's true. I wouldn't have believed it unless I saw it myself."
"Wow," said Lisandra, clearly shocked.
"Wait until you hear what she killed it with."
"What?"
"A flail."
"She did not!"
"She did; I saw it with my own eyes," said Lily. "I know, it's hard to believe."
Riley sat up and kicked her legs over the bed.
"Where am I?" she asked, chaotic.
"You collapsed climbing out of your basement," Lily replied. "I brought you here to the Vial of Night."
Riley noticed Lily and Lisandra were looking at her with awe. Was it because she killed that thing? She didn't think much of it.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Lily and Lisandra?"
"Because you killed a flaemon, what even our best armed forces cannot outsmart, even when working together," Lisandra replied. "By the way, how'd you know my name?"
Riley shrugged;
"I don't know, I just… knew it."
"Well," Lily interrupted. "You're going to be late to the classification ritual."
"What is that?" Riley asked.
"You'll see."
Riley and Lily walked down the hall lined with other young teenagers. One guy caught Riley's eye. He was both handsome and cute. He was a slim man with short blond hair, and amazingly beautiful skin.
"Here we are," said Lily. "When they open the big bronze doors, you will be led into a hall where everyone will be called by name and asked questions. Your answers will determine where you are placed.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise of doors opening and everyone turned to look at the bronze doors being opened. A male voice rang out unexpectedly; Let all those who have come to begin their new life at The Vial of Night, please come forward.
There were claps and cheers from all the tables as Riley walked forward with the crowd of people. Names were called:
Tethers, Lenobia
Blubrett, Kathrine
Sebers, Forest
Lorona, Curtis
The names went on and on until finally I was called. The interview questions went like this:
What kind of music do you like?
Do you like challenging people or getting into fights?
Do you like to read?
Do you like to relax or get exercise and move around?
What are your favorite types of books?
What is your favorite subject in school?
After asking the six simple questions, they told them which house to go in. Lenobia went in Ravinull, Kathrine went in Birvellin, Forest went in Calverin, Curtis went in Bodinclaw, and Riley went in Calverin, of course, she expected that since people were looking at her with awe because word had already spread like a forest fire that she had taken down a flaemon.
Students were also assigned mentors. Lenobia was assigned Arianna Lythena, Kathrine was assigned Karena Witherell, Forest was assigned Nicholas Curet, Curtis was assigned Tyler Stanfill, and Riley was assigned Claire Delaplane.
As soon as everything was assigned and done, Claire and Riley walked out of the hall.
"I am lucky to have such a skilled young student like you," Claire said to Riley.
"Thank you," said Riley modestly. "It was nothing really, I just took two swings and the monster was dead.
"Where did you get a flail?"
"I manifested it along with a bunch of other weapons, why?"
"Flails are very rare, we don't even have a single one in our weapons stock. Actually, do you know what is even more rare than a flail?"
"What?"
"The ability to manifest things. We haven't had a student with that power since… 1789. It was such a long time ago, they died of old age in 1883. I wonder if you know how long it's been from then until today in 1997."
"So," Riley said, trying not to sound as shocked as she was.
"How did you even know the flail was the correct weapon to kill the flaemon?"
"I didn't."
"Let's go to the arena."
They tore across the tall grass to the large training arena. It was made out of metal, and was 10x10 in feet. Behind the huge vault in the arena stood Gildron of all kinds, anticipating the vault being opened so they could slaughter a student.
When they walked in the arena, Claire asked Riley, "Do you know what a froemon is?"
"It is the opposite of a flaemon."
"Wow, how did you know?"
"Logic."
"I am going to let one out, and manifest the weapon you think best to kill it with and try to demolish it. Ready?"
"Yes."
"Three, two, one," and Claire opened the vault.
Riley manifested the flail again, considering the fact that even though it was a different Gildron, it was very similar to the flaemon.
She hid behind one of the various metal boards in the arena, and when it's back was turned, she ran toward it and hit it's neck with the flail. It bled bad and was very angered. It stormed toward her.
With one graceful leap, Riley went over it's shoulder and slashed open another gash in it's neck on the opposing side. The froemon was just like the flaemon, except it was white. On Riley's way over it's shoulder, it was surrounded by some sort of white flame, but it was cold like ice.
The froemon uttered a groan of defeat and fell to the ground.
"I half expected you to choose a different weapon that time," said Claire. "It was a different Gildron, but your intelligence told you that since it was the opposite, they were like brother and sister. Related, but opposites. If someone told each of them they did not seem like family the way they acted, that would probably oppose both of them with the same remark."
"That's the exact thought that flashed through my mind right before I manifested the flail."
They heard a deadly roar just beyond the realm of the Vial of Magick.
"I'll go investigate," volunteered Claire bravely.
"No, let me," said Riley.
"Okay," said Claire.
Riley raced back through the tall grass in the direction of the roar. She saw another flaemon.
I must kill this flaemon, she thought. It will threaten the safety of not only the realm of the Vial of Magick, but anything else it would – was that another flaemon behind it? And another? And yet another flaemon?! It was an army of flaemen!
Riley knew what she had to do. She carved the most difficult rune of all into her hand and it looked like this:
The illusion rune made it seem as if there were more of her, and each would actually hit them for damage. She manifested a flail and it appeared that each form of her had one. The flaemen groaned in distress because they were encircled by lots of facsimiles of her.
Riley swung back and forth with her flail and soon enough the army had departed.
Afterwards, shd ran back to Claire, the vine clutched securely in her hand.
"Where did you get that?" Claire asked. "Did you manifest it?"
"No, I carved the rune into my hand."
"Whoa, I have an amazingly talented student that can manifest, defeat flaemen, and carve even the most difficult runes?! Wow!"
"It's really nothing," said Riley reticently.
"Yes, it is. It is a rare ability that most individuals cannot master."
"And all along, I had no idea!" Riley exclaimed.
Just then, the cute boy from the hall showed up just outside the arena. He eyed the vine Riley held in her hand.
Chapter 3
The boy approached the arena while his mentor asked Claire if they could train with her and Riley. Her mentor, Claire, declared that she was skilled enough to become a full biest and grow out of the title of tyrobiest, despite the fact that she was ineligible to become a biest until after at least one year of training, and that Riley didn't need the arena as much as him probably.
The max it can take a student to become a full biest, unless unable to learn from a mental problem, is eight years.
Claire and Riley trotted quickly away from the arena, followed by the close sound of a flaemon. She stopped in her tracks and glanced back. There, behind the boy in the arena, stood a stone dead flaemon.
The flames evaporated from the dead flaemon's body as it transformed into a human. The flames twirled like ribbons curling around each other. When the flames stopped twirling, they showed a magnificent, bulging heart.
The boy's mentor shot and arrow through the heart, making it stick right in the center of the heart. It was a brilliant bravura. He glanced at me and motioned for me to come over and stand by his apprentice, so I did.
When I reached the boy, The heart burst into many hearts with arrows through the center, circling us. Two doves appeared above us, each holding a rose in their beak. Between the two of us standing in the medium of the arena, surrounded by hearts, with doves that have roses clutched in their beaks above us, we were a dazzling sight.
"What is your name, my love?" he asked Riley.
"Riley Evans," she replied.
They held hands and danced beautifully inside the fringe of the circle. As they danced, a huge black box that looked like a box that held a necklace or a ring appeared in the center of the circle. On top of the box in bold it said:
Your future
We counted to three and opened it up together, and both gasped. Inside we saw a man and a woman getting married. It was us!
"By the way my darling," Riley started. "What is your name?"
"Daniel Smith."