A/N: This is based in the fictional world of Gaia, a world of my own creation. So if you don't like that, you can stop right here. Disclaimer: I do not own Peeta, Obviously.
Chapter 1: The Axe
Peeta Mellark dusted off his hands and stepped out into the warm sun. Taking a deep breath, he was assaulted with the many smells of the city. Galonia, although the capital of Altria was rather small for a major city. Instead, the reason for it being the center of trade and government for the region was the Magic University located at its heart. As a result, the city benefited greatly from any marvel the students and professors managed to create. One of those marvels was the Crystal Chimes that announced the time and could broadcast messages across the entire city. Peeta stretched his bulging muscles and noticed something strange about the city. The people were subdued and not nearly as energetic. In fact, he had been hearing strange stories from the people who stopped by his shop. Stories of disappearances, or others of mysterious murders that left even the most hardened of investigators gasping for air. He shuddered thinking Though, people always gossip, and the way those things go... Peeta looked at a cloud overhead The first hand was probably somebody's cat going missing and showing up with a claw torn off.
Peeta yawned and rubbed his arms. Suddenly, he heard a noise in the distance but the two o'clock Chimes drowned it out and he turned to get back to work. Mid turn, Peeta noticed something out of the corner of his eye and he jumped. Standing in front of him was his neighbor, Investigator Thomison, peering intently at Peeta. Before Peeta could formulate a response, the investigator said, "Peeta, how are you doing today?" his manner didn't change, but the fact Peeta had jumped made him curious as to why.
Still recovering from the shock, he looked at the willowy investigator and replied, "I'm doing decent enough," Now that the chimes were gone Peeta could hear the noise again... except now it was even louder. "How about you?"
Thomison breathed in, "Not so good unfortunately... the cases I've been working on are quite gruesome. They're worse than just plain murders, unthinkable things have been done to the victims," he shuddered with a barely contained anger, "When I catch whoever committed those atrocities, I'm going to do a real number on them." Peeta watched the normally cool and detached investigator unconsciously grasp his Magigun.
Peeta was taken aback, "You mean those rumors are true? The ones about the horrible murders?" Peeta glanced over his shoulder, the noises were drawing nearer... he could almost make out what they were. Then a thought occurred to him, "Do you think it might be something inhuman committing the crimes?" Peeta had heard stories of otherworldly beings as a child that passed from realm to realm attacking hapless children.
The investigator looked at him sharply, "I had considered the possibility, the Magic University has been doing some controversial research into alternative planes. One of my sources from on campus has told me they uncovered an artifact beneath the spire of Essua. He hinted that it could be an interplanetary portal, that acts much like the intercontinental portals that our society relies so heavily upon." Suddenly his body tensed and he closed his eyes. He held his breath and immediately removed his Magigun from his holster. "Friend, do you hear that ungodly noise?"
Peeta almost wanted to cry, he hadn't been imagining the noise after all, "Yes, and it seems to be getting closer. Do you know what it is?" Peeta hoped it was a new breed of songbirds.
Thomison's eyes narrowed, "Yes... though it has been many years since I've heard it. It is the sound of death. Well, more accurately, the dying cries of a great many people." The investigator moved quickly down the road to, well, investigate the noise. Peeta watched him turn the corner and felt his blood freeze.
The investigator was a no nonsense guy, if he said something was happening, it was happening. Peeta grabbed his head thinking What about all the bread I just finished cooking! It will all go to waste! Immediately Peeta straightened up. What the heck am I thinking? Thomison said that sound was the sound of death and here I am worrying about my bread? Suddenly, Peeta was quite happy his family was out of town for the week, visiting relatives back home. Looking around, another thought occurred to him What about all these people? He looked up and down the street, taking in the faces of all his neighbors. They're in danger and they don't even know it. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. That man in blue, the woman in green, the performer on the corner, the beggar in the alley; all of them were moments from being thrown into a panic.
Suddenly, that moment was upon them as he heard the sound of a gun being fired. Peeta whirled to look at the T-intersection to find the investigator backpedaling firing his magically powered gun. Different colors of light shot out in a beautiful but terrifying display of power. "Back fell beast! Return to the land you came from!" the investigator roared, both terror and hatred burning like a raging inferno.
Peeta heard the thundering approach of metal boots on the pavement and whirled to see guards running from the other direction. "Men! To the investigator! We must stop this beast's unholy advance!" A group men wearing the outfit of the guards, a magically enhanced steel plate armor, charged down the pavement brandishing swords.
Suddenly a roar drew Peeta's attention to the corner and he found himself staring at a gigantic, blood covered beast. The creature had dark black fur that was missing in places, revealing bloodied bones beneath. Peeta had ice in his veins, standing ten yards from him was a hellhound. A creature straight from myth, that actually existed. The world around him was spinning, as people pushed past him screaming. In moments, the road had cleared of everyone except the people fighting the horrifying behemoth. The creature stood ten feet tall, even without rearing on its hind legs.
A voice drew him out of his petrified state, "Boy! What are you doing! Grab your axe and get out of here!" The investigator yelled at him and shot a round at his feet. "Get your sorry butt to safety! We can handle this thing!"
Peeta was taken aback and thought My axe? What does that have to do with anything? Deciding to figure out what the investigator was talking about, he ran through his shop to the stump with his family's axe in the backyard. The axe was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It looked like silver with intricate designs of vines curling from the handle all the way up to the blade where it changed into the blade. It was a hatchet and they had always used it for cutting wood, which Peeta had always thought wasn't befitting of a thing of its beauty. However, it had never once needed sharpening over the years and it was sharper than any of the knives he had ever held. Bending over his hand grasped the hilt and he yanked hard on the axe. It didn't budge. Panicking for a moment, he calmed down and lowered into a proper stance. He yanked again, this time with all his strength. Even so, it didn't budge.
He glanced over his shoulder anxious to get out of there, but feeling this axe was vital to something. Pulling up his sleeves he heard a light giggle coming from the axe. Leaping backwards he looked at it warily. "Okay I must be dreaming... maybe I fell asleep when I went on break." Peeta slapped himself on the face.
Again he heard the giggling, "You aren't dreaming." Peeta looked at the axe like it was a viper.
"Well then what am I doing? There's a hellhound out front, and my axe is talking to me. You can't expect me to believe all this stuff." Suddenly, the thought occurred to Peeta, I'm talking to an axe. Shuddering he turned to leave, more than ready to be quit of this nonsense.
"Wait where are you going? Don't leave me!" The axe called out to him and he felt himself turning back around.
"Huh? What am I supposed to do? I couldn't pull you out of that stump, so I guess you're outta luck," Peeta turned around to leave again.
Before he could take three steps, the axe cried out, "I'm sorry! I was just playing a joke on you! I thought you were just coming to chop some wood, I didn't realize there was a hellhound outside!"
Peeta whirled, "You can choose whether or not when to come out? Woah, an axe that can talk, and one that can control whether it can be pulled from a stump. Impressive... now can we go?"
Peeta walked back to the stump and tugged viciously which evoked an indignant cry from the axe, "Geez, not so ruff mister!" Ignoring it, he stalked back inside the bakery. He arrived at the front door pausing to peer out over the display cakes, checking to see if the coast was clear. Not seeing anything he grabbed the doorbell to stop it from ringing and stepped outside. Approaching the corner of the entryway, he peered cautiously around the corner. He was unprepared for the sight, the guards had been slaughtered and Thomison was slumped against the wall of a shop across the street. The beast itself was standing over the remains of one of the guards, pawing at the steel plate. Its fangs were covered in blood, and its eyes were slitted, like a snakes. The thought made Peeta shiver. As he watched, the hellhound lost interest with the guard and padded towards the investigator.
To Peeta's amazement, Thomison got to his feet and started backing away and raised his hand blasting the fiend with orbs of fire. Rearing backwards, the dog roared in anger and lowered its head charging Thom down. Thomison braced himself summoning a red trishield to protect him. The Hellhound rammed into the shield and cracks of energy started shooting off. It isn't going to hold! Peeta thought searching for something to do to help his friend. His eyes looked every which way.
Suddenly, a glint of greenish metal caught his eye lying a couple feet away. Thomison's magigun! If I can get that to him he might have a chance! Taking a deep breath Peeta dashed out into the road picking up the gun. Immediately, the beast turned to him. Peeta could feel it eyeing him up, and could picture it thinking Fresh Meat! Gulping, he shouted out, "Hey! Big boy! Come get a load of this!" He grabbed his arm shaking it as if to show the amount of grade A beef on him.
Thomison looked at Peeta with shock, "Boy! What are you doing! Get out of here now!" his chest had three claw marks on them, severe injuries.
Peeta stared at the wounds shivering thinking If I get hit by those claws, I'm done for. By now the beast had given up on the willowy man, and now was staring down his new foe, The Baker. The axe at Peeta's side quivered with excitement and Peeta glanced down at it.
Suddenly, a flash of black brought Peeta's gaze upwards and he found himself looking at a bloodied claw on its downwards arc. Leaping backwards, Peeta felt a lance of pain in his chest. Landing awkwardly, his back hit a stone wall. Frozen, back glued to the wall, he watched the hound rear to its full height. It began making a horizontal swipe at Peeta and he dove forward between the creature's legs. Peeta felt the wind from the blow and came up in a roll behind the beast. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Peeta swung his axe into its hind leg burying it deep. Yanking the blade out, he stumbled backwards as it howled in pain.
The hellhound whirled around looking at Peeta with unbridled hatred. Realizing he had the gun in hand, he raised it and watched as the beast cringed. Huh, It would seem it doesn't like this gun very much. Unfortunately, only magi can use magigun's... Who would've thunk it. He held the gun out, hoping the bluff would hold as he tried to get to a point where he could easily throw Thomison his gun.
Suddenly, the hound's eyes narrowed as it caught onto the bluff. In an instant, it charged at Peeta. Terror flooded through Peeta's veins as he instantly made the decision to dive to his left. Mid dive, he tore his eyes away from the creature and found Thomison watching the scene with rapt horror from his spot directly across the street from the bakery. Peeta called out, "Take the gun Thomison!" he flipped the gun from under his chest out to the investigator. The gun landed at the man's feet and he reached down picking it up. Immediately, he turned and fired upon the beast, hitting it in the side of the head. Enraged, it turned to look from Peeta to Thomison to Peeta again. Hatred burned like an inferno in its eyes. Snarling, it charged at Peeta again. The fear in his blood had dropped a notch now that it was two on one. Boldly, he readied himself. Just chopping wood, just like chopping wood, just like chopping wood... like a mantra, he repeated those words to himself. This time, as the beast reared onto its hind legs, Thomison shot it in the ankle, causing it to waver momentarily. Peeta immediately pounced swinging his axe down on the foot of the hound. Yowling, it brought its immense fore paw across Peeta's chest sending him crashing through the window of a shop.
Grabbing his forehead, he saw the beast bearing down upon him. Making an attempt to stand, he pushed off on the broken glass of the display with his hands. A fiery lance of pain shot through his hand, and he got to his feet with a cry. The dog was mere feet from him and he thought Well, this is the end, I'm done for. He closed his eyes and waited for death. It never came.
Opening his eyes, he found a series of barriers between him and the fangs of the beast that couldn't close around his head. Yanking back, he found the beast was just as shocked as him. Not wasting a moment of this gift, he brought his axe up high and brought it down on the neck of his adversary. Expecting more resistance, he tumbled forward off balance as the axe cut through its neck, just as easily as it would a loaf of bread. For a moment the beast continued staring with evident hatred before the eyes glazed over and its body collapsed. Looking around for his saviour, he found a group of students of the University come running down the road.
Five people dressed in student garb came running towards him shouting, "Are you alright?"
Peeta smiled pointed towards his friend and then collapsed in a heap, his world going black. All he could hear were voices.
"Alexei is he going to be alright?" Thomison asked one of the students.
"He should be, Gwin is one of the best healers you'll ever meet," the man named Alexei spoke, "What do you think sister?"
"He'll be fine, Alex, you should go tend to your investigator friend." Peeta found the smooth alto voice relaxing and faded ever deeper into unconsciousness.
"Will we be alright Alexei?" a new voice inquired.
"Always, friend," the mysterious mage replied.
A/N: You'll find out who these mysterious magi are in the next chapter. I hope you enjoyed this revision, if you had the patience to read the original version. Read and Review, the next chapter should be written in two-three days.