Alice Hamanaka vs. The Crystalanians Ch2

Newly appointed Sheriff Blaze and the mayor of Flatstone sat in the mayor’s office, discussing her living accommodations and her duties as Sheriff. Blaze looks at all the little knick knacks the mayor has on his wooden desk; He has a silver .45 caliber double barreled derringer pistol with a black handle laying on the desk, a bobblehead of a vulture, and one of those water bird things that pecks back and forth at a glass of water.

“Well, Sheriff, you’d better be ready,” the mayor worries.

“What exactly do you mean?” Blaze questions.



“You just killed a couple of bandits; when they don’t come back the bandits might send a search party to find out what happened to them. A BIG search party.”

“Heh, doesn’t scare me.” Blaze chuckled, leaning back in her chair and putting her feet up on the mayor’s desk. “Let them send as many as they want, it won’t make much of a difference”



“You’re awful confident. But I guess you have reason to be with that teleport thing you did to those last two bandits. What was that, anyway? And what exactly are you?”

“That wasn’t a teleport, Mayor. That was a Flame Step. It’s like a teleport, but my body temporarily turns to purple flames, transports to my destination, then turns back to normal. As to what I am, I’m a shadow entity.”



“Why, I’ve never seen one before. Shadow entities are pretty rare in this neck of the universe, you know? Anyway, as for where you’ll be staying. You’ll be spending most of your time at the Sheriff’s station, which as you know is now vacant. There’s a bedroom there too, if you want to go get some shut-eye,” the mayor suggests.

“Actually, I think I’m going to explore the town,” Blaze says as she gets out of her chair, excited to see what this town’s all about.

“Sheriff, hold on a second!” the mayor snaps. He holds out the derringer pistol that was on his desk. “I recommend having a backup gun. Tuck this little sucker in your boot or something, alright?”



“Hell yeah!” Blaze exclaimed in excitement, excited to get yet another new gun. “Yeah, I’ll tuck it right in my boot.”

Blaze slipped the derringer into the right side of her right boot, and left the mayor’s office, ready to take a look around town.


Not a moment after she walks out of the mayor's office, she feels a tap on her shoulder. She looks behind her and sees a teenage human standing there. He has mid-length blonde hair, and wears a brown leather vest and brown jeans. He looks about 18.

“You're the new Sheriff...,” he says, staring at Blaze in awe.

“Sure am, what can I do for ya?” She replies.

“Train me. Please. Train me to do that flame teleport you did.” He begged suddenly. Blaze laughs.

“First off, why should I train you? Second, there is no way I could teach you to do a Flame Step. You're human, and it's strictly a shadow entity only power. Even if I were to somehow give you flame powers, I doubt your body would be able to handle it.”

“Please. The bandits... they killed off my entire family because we were hiding weapons. The only reason I didn't get killed was because I was fetching water when it happened. Please, I need power. No matter what it takes, I'll do anything I have to if it'll bring me to your level. I don't care how dangerous or risky it is. I will find the one who killed my family and make him pay. And if you help me you can take all the guns and ammo from my house you want.”

He's just like me! thinks Blaze. Whole family dead... desperate for power to avenge them... Fuck. I have to help him.

“Well.. will it make you feel better if I bring you the head of the one that killed your family?” she suggests.

“No...” the teenager shakes his head. “I want to do it myself. I HAVE to do it myself.”

“You know what... I am a Sheriff now... I do need a Deputy,” Blaze gives in. “Fine, I'll train you. And I think I know of a way that will give you flame powers. But it's an artifact of powerful shadow energy, and shadow energy is poisonous to humans. It'll most likely kill you instead of giving you flame powers... Do you want to take this risk?”

A look of determination spreads across the teenager's face.

“I'll do it... my name is Ryan by the way.”

Blaze and Ryan walk across town to Ryan's home, a shabby looking homestead with a big yard. They stand in the backyard, facing each other.

“Before I give you the thing that MIGHT give you flame powers, we need to do something first,” Blaze pulls her right pistol from its holster, tosses it in the air, catches it by the barrel and holds the handle out to Ryan. “Shoot me. Right in the head” Blaze says. Ryan's eyes bug out of his head in surprise.

“Why? You're not the one who killed my family,” Ryan argues.

“Exactly!” Blaze exclaims. “I need to see if you have the ability to kill in you. If you can shoot me, you can definitely shoot the bandits. The truth is, you don't seem like a killer. I'm not going to give you flame powers until you can prove to me you have a killer's instinct. And don't you worry. If you shoot me in the head, I'll just regenerate the wound. I promise.” Ryan grabs the handle of the pistol. “Just pretend I'm the bandit who killed your family. Picture his face in your mind, and pull the trigger,” Blaze adds. “You can do it.”

Ryan uses his thumb to cock back the hammer of the revolver, looking Blaze right in the eyes. His finger slips to the trigger, a look of determination on his face. He focuses on the rage of what the bandit did to his family, and lets that rage take him over.

BANG.

“Well, shoot!” Blaze exclaims in excitement, purple blood pouring down her face from the bullet wound right above her eyebrows. “You did it!” Ryan hands her her pistol and she re-holsters it.

“...Doesn't that hurt?” Ryan asks, watching Blaze's wound regenerate.

“Very badly, yes. I just have a really high pain tolerance. But you earned it! Get ready,” Blaze says as she takes off her purple flame necklace with the black cord and pulls it over her head, sliding it down Ryan's head and putting it around his neck. They stare it each other for a couple of seconds, until Blaze says, “Well? Does it hurt?”

“I don't really feel anything,” complains Ryan, looking at his hands in disappointment.

“Try snapping your fingers!” she blurts out. Ryan, looking at his right hand, snaps his fingers. A purple spark appears by his fingers. “That's it! Congratulations, you didn't die,” Blaze smiles. “A spark is the first step to doing a Flame Step. A Flame Step first needs friction to create a spark, which will, when you will it to, transform your body to purple fire and transport you to where you want to Flame Step to. What I personally do is click my heels together to create the spark, or I guess I could even use the friction of drawing my pistols to create a spark... I'll have to try that the next time bandits attack the town. By the way, this is another part that might kill you,” she adds. She stands back and looks at Ryan. “Go ahead! Create friction, then will yourself to where you want to go!”

Ryan closes his eyes in concentration-”Don't close your eyes! It's a bad habit!” Blaze scolds. Ryan snaps his fingers, willing himself to appear at a spot about ten feet from where he's standing... and nothing happens. For the next half hour, he tries and tries again to Flame Step. He's tried clicking his heels, snapping his fingers, rubbing his hands together, but he simply can't Flame Step.

Blaze stares at him, and suddenly draws her right pistol, shooting at a spot a few inches from Ryan's leg.

BANG.

“You are going to Flame Step, or I'm going to kill you. Use the Flame Step to dodge the bullet.”

“WHAT?! Are you insane! I can't Fla-

BANG.

A bullet whizzes by Ryan's head, and he stumbles backwards in fear.

Blaze starts to draw her left pistol too, using the friction from drawing it to Flame Step right up to Ryan. She puts both pistols to his head point blank, and pulls the triggers.

BANG. BANG.

Ryan falls to the ground with a thud... because he Flame Steps ten feet into the air right before Blaze shoots!

“Ahahahaha!” Blaze laughs in triumph, shooting her revolvers into the air in celebration.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

“You fucking did it! You Flame Stepped! You're the first human ever to do a Flame Step!” Blaze shouts in Ryan's face in excitement.

“YOU TRIED TO KILL ME!” Ryan accuses at the top of his lungs.

“That's where you're wrong. I purposely missed the first few shots I made to scare you. And if I knew you wouldn't Flame Step when I tried to shoot you point blank, I wouldn't have done it,” Blaze explains. “Honest.”

“Well, I did Flame Step,” Ryan says with a smirk on his face. He snaps his fingers and Flame Steps a couple feet to his right. He then does it again and Flame Steps twenty feet straight up, then Flame Steps in mid-air back to the ground.

“That's how a lot of special powers work,” Blaze explains. “Sometimes you just need a desperate, life or death situation to unlock your true potential. That's especially how my Reaper powers work.”

“Your what?” Ryan asks, confused. Damn it! I can't let any of them know about my Reaper powers, if they know they'll figure out who I really am right away! Blaze realizes.

“My uh... Peeper powers! I have super good eyesight!” She says with a smile.

“Well, that's good,” Ryan uncertainly says.


“Okay, I think I've traumatized you enough for today!” Blaze jokes. “Go get some shut-eye and I'll do the same. See you tomorrow.”

“Thanks for the flame powers, Sheriff.” Ryan thanks her. “I really think I can get to these bandits now.”

“By the way, why don't you carry a gun if you have a bunch in your house?”

“Nobody ever taught me how to shoot.”

“Okayyyy, that'll be tomorrow's lesson then! Oh, hold on, could you go get me about eight .45 caliber bullets?” Blaze asks. “I kind of used up a lot of ammo trying to get you to Flame Step.” Blaze giggles. Ryan goes into his house, and comes back out with a handful of bullets for Blaze. “Thank you kindly. Goodnight Deputy.”

“Goodnight”.

Blaze walks to the Sheriff's station, a building with a big yellow Sheriff's star painted on it, jumps into the bed, and goes to sleep.






“Sheriff Blaze, come quick!”

Blaze wakes up with a start, puts on her hat, and looks at who woke her up.

It's the mayor. He looks terrified out of his mind.

“Sheriff Blaze, there are.. there are Crystalanians in the town.. They're killing people.”

Chills run down Blaze's spine. No... I'm nowhere near ready yet...This can't be happening...