I looked around the ruins. Fires raged all around me. I searched ,and cautiously made my way through the rubble. I knew he was here. He had to be. I could hear the clicking of claws on stone. I knew they were watching me. They wanted me to know. They wanted me to be scared. I wasn't, I knew I could take them.

I walked to a dead end. A heap of rubble that at one time had been a building stood in my way. I jumped up onto a out jutting slap of concrete, and hauled myself up by a long piece of rebar. I pulled myself to the crumbled roof, and surveyed my surroundings. "hmmm…," This wasn't the highest point. Across the courtyard there was building who received little damage and towered, slightly intact, over all the others.

I grinned. If I knew him, which I most certainly did, he would be there. He would be there sitting, thinking, waiting. I jumped of the edge of the crumbled concrete monstrosity. I neared the ground and forced a downward blast to slow my decent.

I landed with the grace that was brought on by my many years of training. Confidently, on the brink of arrogantly, I strode across the courtyard. The sound of my boot heels striking the hard stone beneath drowning out the noise of the claw clicks. With each proud step I took my sword rattled in its sheath slung diagonally across my back.

I reached the relatively intact building. I stepped to the base and peered to the top. "Volrath," I yelled my eyes not wavering from the roof," You and your people must leave now!"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw him appear from the shadows. A foot first appearing. A huge foot, spread like a birds; yet scaled like a lizards. Obsidian black wickedly curved claws attached to each one of the three toes. The other foot came into view, with that step it carried the hideous creature into view.

The creature wore a sort of leather armor on its chest. It wore shorts of a durable material. Its head was reptilian, it looked like that of a dinosaur. The snout elongated And bluntly formed the muzzle instead of tapering off gradually. Out of this muzzle sharp pointed teeth stuck. Above each eye a scale formed a spike sticking out ward. Its tail was as thick as a heavy duty wench cable. And strong enough to snap my neck if I'm not careful, I thought privately.

In a blink of an eye the uniform black of the scales transformed themselves to a mottled coloring of brown and green. " We shall stay by our masters side," the creature said. He crossed his arms and assumed a determined stance. "We have been waiting for you." He grinned, his forked tongue running through his jagged teeth.

I turned, slowly, and faced him. "Your master," I injected the word full of acid," would want you and your friends to leave… now!" I glared into the crimson eyes of his.

"We shall see," he said. He gave a loud squeal that quickly passed out of my range of hearing. I hate when they do that, I thought. Others of his kind, though not quite as large as himself, stepped from the shadows." Let's go weakling," his tail shot from behind his back quicker than I thought possible. It wrapped around my chest and lifted me off the ground. My feet dangled a good foot or two off the ground.

"Thanks I didn't feel like climbing it myself," I said as I grinned. He gave me a look full of hate and with a mighty leap dug his claws into the concrete super structure, and we began to ascend.

He climbed for about a minute or so, before he reached the top. H climbed to the roof, but dangled me out of site by his tail." He is here master. And he requests that we," I could hear the click of claw against his breast plate armor," leave."

"Go then," a voice said. A soft harmonious voice. Just that voice alone out raged me. I hated it. Volrath turned and began to descend. He held me at eye level long enough for him to glare at me, then he set me on the roof.

A human stood across the roof, his long hair blowing in the wind. A pair of military issue pants tucked into knee length boots. A tattered old tan trench coat covering a plain white shirt. He looked like an average everyday person. The only thing fancy about him was the sword he wore hanging from the left side of his waist. That sword, the sword I had come for." That sword," I hissed through clenched teeth," is my fathers property." He looked not at my face but at my chest I noticed.

"He is dead, he left it to me. It is mine." He said this while he averted his eyes past me and into the scenery." You understand I'm sure," With that he looked into my eyes.

I grinned a cocky grin." Of course I do." I covered the distance between us in two quick steps. I caught his chin between my index finger and thumb." You've been hiding your power." I said turning his face side to side." Why?" I let go of his chin and thumped his chest.

"I've been meditating," he said." Concentrating it not hiding it…"

"I think you've been hiding it!"

"I said I was concentr-…"

"Hiding it because you are scared," I interjected mid syllable." Scared of me."

"If that is what you wish to believe then be misled." He said coolly.

"Well I am here now. Let the extent of your power show. I am curious," with that I crossed my arms and nodded slightly at him.

"Fine," he said. He took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. My mind was instantly buzzing with the sense of his power. The power that we two, and a small amount of others, possessed. We had the power to Manipulate matter, atoms, molecules, the possibilities wee endless. To speed or slow the atoms. To forge unseen matter and use it as a projectile, shield, even a pillow if one so desired.

I felt his power. It was the strongest other power I had ever felt. But it was nothing compared to that of my own. I grinned as I relayed this information to him and added." You mind as well save yourself the agony, and hand over the sword."

"I said it was mine. I do not wish to fight over it. Then again I also refuse to hand it over." With that statement he moved his right hand to the hilt of the sword.

"Silly boy," I said as I reached up and grabbed the hilt of my own sword. I pulled it slowly out of it's sheath on my back. I held it diagonally in front of myself. With my fee left hand I waved him forward. He took a hesitant step backward, then drew his own blade.

My blade was as a broad sword, as wide as my thumb was long: as long as my shoulder to the tip of my middle finger. The hilt was long enough to fit both of my hands on it. It was made for powerful swings and slicing attacks.

His blade was based on the design of a rapier. As wide as my thumb was wide. Ii was around three quarters as long as mine. Unlike mine his was made for quick stabs. He could also manage a deadly slash with it, I cautioned myself.

I thumbed the button resting under the hand guard of my sword. The servo motors kicked in and the blade vibrated in quick order. The Miniscule diamond edges in the sword vibrating at such fast pace made it very able to cut through flesh, bone, and most any armor he may be wearing. A higher pitched whine joined the sound of mine and I knew then that the fight was on.

I came forward with a diagonal slash, he easily ducked and spun out of the way. Continuing the spin he threw a well timed thrust at my exposed side. I created a small barrier and the sword bounced to the left, barely missing my lower chest, as it hit the barrier. He slashed at my head this time, I deflected it with the blade of my sword. I jumped slightly of the ground and created a force to propel me backwards. Instantly I was out of his reach.

"Now you will feel the extent of my power!" I yelled. I raised my left hand palm out, and slowed the air molecules in front of it to the point of a freezing breeze. I added more and more particles to this force and shot it off as a beam, adding more and more particles to sustain it. The beam screamed toward his head.

He was quicker than I anticipated. I expected maybe a barrier, but my blast would pierce through it. I figured maybe he would try to dodge it, but he could hardly move quick enough to do that. Instead he raised his own palm and manipulated the molecules also. Although he sped them to the point of burning. He fired this, but my freezing blast still gained ground. "I'm sorry," he said. My head was instantly filled with the sense of new power. Power stronger than that of my own.

His power expanded. He did what no one had yet to do. He sped his molecules more, past the point of burning, to the point of pure energy. The ice gave way instantly. I formed the strongest barrier I could, I fed all my power into it. It failed and the blast hit my right arm, disintegrating it and my sword.

Abruptly the barrage of energy fell. I was too shocked to move. I saw the flash of metal, then I felt it. I felt the sharp piercing pain through my left chest. Through my heart. My fathers blade stood plunged to the hilt through my body.

My opponent retreated his blade from my body and sheathed it." Killed by my fathers sword." I said with the energy I could muster. I dropped to my knees and fell towards the ground. The young man caught me and cradled my head in his arms. He turned my face to his.

"Our fathers sword," he said with tears streaming down his face." I'm sorry ever so sorry." He said through a tight throat.

"Why? You know I wouldn't be," I managed to get out between labored gasps. Dying didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, and I did not fear it.

"Because I love you… brother," He said his tears covering my face. No those are my tears, I realized.

I managed a weak smile." Bro… ther," I managed with my last breath of air. I sighed and with that sigh went my soul.