Legacy - Christopher Pastrana (books to read in your 20s TXT) 📗

name?"
        "I stopped using my last name when my family was murdered. I have no use of it now." A long silence fell over them. Briccio didn't know anything about this man, but he had managed to save him from the four winds so he guessed they were both on the same side.
         "I have a family back in Duzee. A wife and a son. I opened a shop up in that Duzee city and we had a good life going. When you entered my pub I knew there was something different about you, something strange. When you refused to let us fight the Duzee soldiers I knew you were a decent man, I couldn't let them take you to be tortured by that damned master."
         "I do appreciate what you have done for me Briccio, but you put yourself, and your men, in the harms way to save someone you don't know. You had no way of knowing if I was worth saving." Silence fell over the campsite again as Reinhardt began sharpening the tip of his improvised weapon. Briccio felt a strange tiredness sweeping over him again, but he didn't feel like sleeping and decided to force himself to stay awake. Stopping what he was doing, Briccio could tell that Reinhardt had something on his mind, and waited for him to speak.
         "What do the words on the sign above your shop mean? I don't understand your language."
         "An té nach bhfuil láidir, ní foláir dó bheith glic. It means whoever is not strong must be clever. It's something my father used to say to me and it just kind of stuck. I've never been a great elementalist so I took the saying to heart. Without the gifts my father had with the use of his shifting, I had to use my mind."
         "You have done a great job at adapting Briccio. You managed to defeat one of the four winds, that alone shows that you are not as weak as you think you are."
         "Thank you Reinhardt but I know where I stand in the grand scheme of things. My father was a great leader, and an even greater warrior, capable of moving a mountain if he had to. The only person in the whole of the country who was stronger was the master. When I was finally old enough to start using my power I found out that I would never be able to be like the man I admired most, and that crushed me."
         "Even though you can't move a mountain doesn't mean you don't measure up to your father."
         "Again thank you Reinhardt. I just hope my son has more skill than I do when he grows."
         "You have a son and you still risk your life for no cause?"
         "I lied when I said I didn't have a cause. We're trying to end this war, and to do it we need to stop the feuding between the empires. We were on our way to the Duzee capital, and the goal was to assassinate Master Astraeus, the father of the four winds. Astraeus has been using the winds to fuel this war since he came to power. Along with the ice master this war could have ended long ago.
         "How will killing two of the six masters help anything? From what I understand about the masters, their power will just jump to the closest person capable of handling it."
         "Killing them will be a good place to start, and for the issue of their abilities jumping to a new host we have found a man capable of handling the wind masters power. If we can kill him and replace him with a better man than we can help change this nation. Otherwise this war will continue to rage until the planet is beyond repair." Briccio couldn't shake the strange feeling running through his body. Fighting the urge to fall asleep he tried to sit up but couldn't get enough strength to move any of his body. Giving up on the desire he forced his eyes to stay open.
         "Reinhardt, I want you to help us. The only thing we have not been able to figure out is how to separate Master Astraeus from the four winds. Each of them is strong enough to take the power of the wind for themselves when he dies. To have a real chance we need to get them away from the master. You can do that for us and help us end this whole mess, and maybe then you would feel that your name means something."
         Reinhardt though about the offer for a while before offering. "What does a name matter anymore? Everything I had was taken from me. Everybody is gone, dead. Even death couldn't end my suffering. The only thing I have left is this draw, a need to find the sea, and whatever lies within its waters."
         "What will it take to get there?" Briccio asked fighting the strange tired feeling in his head.
         "The masters themselves will not keep me from where I am headed. I will leave the bodies of anyone who stands in my way behind me."
         "Maybe you will have reconsidered in the morning. I'm too tired to stay awake anymore. If you don't mind can I rest, at least for a little while?" Briccio was warm enough in front of the fire to sleep, and he was still too tired to move. Reinhardt watched him carefully and nodded. Putting a sleeping matte over him he stood to let him rest.
         "Briccio, you don't have to wait till morning. I will help you in this. Just remember that you owe me for my help." His smile made Briccio smile, wearily. After he closed his eyes Reinhardt waited for a few moments before putting out the fire. Putting his cloak back on he faced the horizon, and the strange draw that ocean.

          "I will help you in this, and know that your life was not wasted. You haven given me a direction. I will end this war, and make sure your family will be safe forever." As he walked away from the camp, Briccio's already dead body laid silently in the darkness. 

Face Off

         Having finally left the strange dark forest he had been walking since leaving Briccio at the campfire, Reinhardt was able to watch a group of birds fly by gracefully. A gentle breeze rolled over the tops of the grass, pushing them back and forth playfully. The sun was clearly visible against the dark blue sky. Everything around him still seemed perfect, even though his friend had died mere hours earlier. The world would never stop turning, and even when all of the humans that inhabited this planet died, it would still live on.
         Even though the thought was calming it didn't calm the fire burning in his chest. Not sure if it was the hatred for the people who took Briccio, the people who took his family from him, or the insatiable desire to reach the coast. No matter where the feeling had originated, it all seemed to mix together and grow. He was beginning to see that everything was linked to the elementalists and the chaos they created with their unique gifts.
         Watching a large dog bound above the grass line, Reinhardt brought his mind back to why had had come to where he was. As he walked the night prior he had seen lights in the distance, probably from a campsite, and considering where Briccio was heading, he was hoping that this was the group he had been sent to meet. If it wasn't then it would probably be the encampment the four winds were heading towards.
         Hoping against the second option Reinhardt stood from where he was kneeling and moved towards the dog, circling out of its way to avoid startling it. As he approached he could feel eyes watching him from somewhere nearby. The sound of paws scurrying away covered the soft sound of grass rustling. As the dog began to move further and further away the sound was hidden less and less. Until he knew he was surrounded.
         Hoping nobody had moved to close to him yet he unlocked the Dragon's Tail and with only a few flicks had it circling through the grass around him. Finally being used for one of its actually purposes, a large circle near Reinhardt was cut away, giving him a large area without cover, or hiding spots. Pulling the weapon back to his arm he locked it and waited. Whatever was near him would have to come to him in the open now.
         A small ball of fire erupted from the grass line and flew past Reinhardt's arm as he moved out of its path. Realizing that the attack was far to easy to dodge he turned in time to see a much larger ball of fire come flying towards him. Having ignited the grass behind where he was standing the fire shifter now had more to wok with.
         Flames jumped to and from the fire as it spread around Reinhardt. Not able to move in from where he had cut the grass away, it roared around him in a perfect circle. Feeling the oxygen starting to be pulled out of the air he needed to stop the fire before it made him black out. Having wanted to leave his own power a secret he decided that he didn't have a choice anymore. Reaching out into the fire he found the essence of the element and destroyed it.
         Almost as if it hadn't been there, the entire fire suddenly vanished. Burning embers fought for life but Reinhardt had successfully managed to completely pull the energy from the fire. Whatever elementalist was nearby would been very surprised about now.
         “Who are you?!” A voice called out from in the distance. He couldn't put his finger on it but the voice sounded different than he had expected. The fire had managed to burn more of the grass away, almost doubling the area Reinhardt had managed to cut down himself. Finally moving into the opening a small band of outcast looking men eye him suspiciously.
         Each of the men had a long spear at their side, and strangely they all wore clothes similar Briccio. Assuming he had found what he was looking for he decided to lower his guard and take on a friendlier pose.
      “My name is Reinhardt, I