Storm's Break (Completed, Editing)

Chapter 15

~Ren~

Everything hurts. The training in the warp - against Eld of all people [how in the hell did Luke manage that one? Oh wait… nevermind] then the mad dash for Luke’s Cube…. Then the deactivation (hint: we fell) and then….

I break off that train of thought, to painful to continue and examine the objects Jasper pressed into my hand. Trying, like I have for the last week or so, to figure out what it means. The first object is a key. An ancient brass key strung on a leather cord. I tried every lock in his room but couldn’t figure it out. Sighing, I drop the key and study the second object on the cord. A coin.

Gold, stamped on one side with a phoenix, the other side a coat of arms. A shield with two spear-type weapons crossed over it. A wolf Prowls around one side of the shield, snarling at the motif of a wraith moving across the shield. A banner is underneath the coat of arms, but it appears to be going up in flames. Under that is a date that’s been scratched over with other and extra numbers. Lastly, around the edge of the coin is an inscription in Ancient Vampiric - latin. Jasper’s half sister Sora translated it for me. Per Nos Ignis Ambulate Per Certa Mors Nos. In Fire We Walk, To Death We Fight.

She said she had no clue what it meant. Then admitted that she wasn’t Jasper’s half-sister, but actually a distant cousin.

Giving up, I drop the cord around my neck and pick up the framed photo on my dresser. It’s of Jasper, Lizzy and I at his birthday last summer. We’d finally convinced him to celebrate it. Took him out paintballing - vampire style. Got the whole coven together, plus a bunch of people from school, rented out the entire facility and played for two… three days straight.

The photo was taken during a break. Jasper was grinning like a maniac, leaning against my shoulder. He’d said something and I spat out my water, laughing so hard. Lizzy was making an ‘ick’ face and laughing. He was coated in paint - we each had five lives. Five hits, no holds barred. Jasper has a paintball bruise on his cheekbone and paint in his hair and he looked so damn happy. 

The flashback hits hard.
~Flashback~

I’m full on crawling through undergrowth, paintball sniper strapped across my back alongside a rifle, paint pistol in hand and a green paint dipped rubber knife clamped by the handle between my teeth. Paint wizzes over my head, pinging off rocks and plants around me as my opponents try to pinpoint my location. 

I roll left and leap to my feet, tagging two people with streaks of green before a faint hiss catches my attention. Instinctually I leap, grabbing hold of a branch above me and using it to swing myself into the trees. Seconds later a black paint grenade goes off. I hiss in irritation and find myself face to face with Jasper, black paint like warpaint on his cheeks. A black dipped paintball knife glints in his hand and several more grenades hang from his belt. 

There’s a splat of fiery orange paint on his mask, his left leg is almost entirely blue - grenade - green on his knee and a lavender knife strike across his chest. I on the other hand have black staining my arm from the grenade, blue paint has cracked my visor and two orange tags on my back.
“Seems all I have to do is get you one more time and the green team is out, eh team captain?” he smirks.
“I could say the same to you team captain.” I return, unsheathing my second paint knife.
“Course… birthday rules I get a second chance - as stated by you.” He says smugly.

I shrug and smirk, twirling my knives with ease of familiarity. Andres appears behind me, paint swirling through the glitch.
“Guess I just have to survive then.”

I smirk, his only warning before I lung towards him, blades flashing. But instead of going for the paint I lash out instead with a spell. Destroy his grenades. Black paint goes everywhere. Covers his visor, everything. And the stuff when dry, does not like to come off. So I used a green fire spell to dry it.