December, 2011

  It was the weekend as Collin and his family arrived at a Trampoline Park named Cloud Zero. Pop music pyed from the speakers and the pce was crowded. They were given grip socks and wristbands, after signing the waivers they went jumping. Collin hasn't been here for two years as he did a backflip on a trampoline. Now that football season was over his family seemed more rexed.

  His siblings are trying to focus on their health and hobbies before getting their master's degree. Mom is busy with her podcast and his dad might be getting a new project soon since the animated movie is doing well overseas. After jumping off the trampoline Collin saw his sister doing the obstacle course, she almost made it through the 4th obstacle but fell into the foam blocks.

  "Almost," Collin said as he held out a hand.

  Inaya struggled before grabbing his hand and getting out. "Thanks."

  I think I saw Ezra by the Zipline, he continued as they swerved through people.

  "Hey...is there something going on between you and Helena?" Inaya asked outta the blue. "I mean it's obvious she has a crush on you and you mentioned a few things about your boyfriend in the past."

  Collin froze like a deer in headlights. He knew his sister studied psychology, but he thought he was acting normal whenever Helena was around. Was he being too friendly and outted himself? Collin didn't wanna lie to Inaya or insult her intelligence. "Uhh, it's complicated."

  "Not that complicated," his sister shrugged. "Although, I have no grudges against Helena. Our parents are a different story and it could go 50/50. But did you and Rafhael break up?"

  He sighed and told the truth. "No, were actually in a Poly retionship right now."

  Inaya said something in a different nguage. I could give you good and bad scenarios, but we'll be here all day. Casper will always be a thorn in our parents side and they'll never trust that man again. But like I said they might have mixed feelings about you and Helena dating if you ever tell them."

  "I understand," Collin answered.

  "Are you happy though?" his sister asked.

  "Yeah," Collin admitted. "But not about the lying."

  "Thats the tricky part isn't," Inaya smiled as she hugged him. "Just know I love you and I'll support you."

  30 minutes ter they did basketball, video games, dodged moving obstacles, tricks on the trampolines, swung on ropes, dodgeball, and Zipline. After a few minutes Collin and his brother stood on a battle beam with battle sticks in their hands.

  "On your mark, get set, go!" shouted their mom.

  Collin and Ezra inched forward as they swung their battle sticks. There was a thud as they both tried to push each other off, his brother swung and he blocked the attack. After multiple hits Collin knocked Ezra into the foam blocks and did a little victory dance.

  An hour ter, Collin, Helena, Casper, and some guards flew through the sky in a fancy carriage. He had on cozy winter clothes and timbernd boots. Griffins were pulling the carriage as he gazed out the window at the snowy ndscape. They were heading to the Terebinth Kingdom for a annual dinner party that Helena and Casper been skipping for awhile.

  But Helena's been giving him the silent treatment ever since they stepped into the carriage and it's been an hour. Was she upset that he rejected her offer? Collin did tell her the reason and she was pretty understanding. This secret retionship was making him feel guilty. But just because he couldn't do THAT with Helena doesn't mean they can't do other stuff, he did a few things with Rafhael.

  "You look pretty," Collin whispered to Helena who blushed and pushed him away.

  "Shut it," Helena huffed indignantly. She had on bck and pink winter clothes with knee-high boots.

  Casper yawned and a few minutes ter he spoke. "We've arrived."

  As soon as they nded they got outta the carriage one by one as the guard announced. "King Casper & Princess Helena of the Xenovia Kingdom has arrived with their Maverick, Sir Collin!"

  The giant stone castle was wrapped in trees and vines with two bull horns sticking out the sides. Around the castle was a moat and there was also a drawbridge with two Terebinth fgs. Collin heard trumpets as the arch door was pushed open. A 20 foot-tall Orc with green skin and messy bck hair walked outta the castle dressed like a Viking.

  "Greetings, King Eskander!" Casper bowed.

  "King Casper," King Eskander ughed. "I'm gd you finally accepted my invitation after all these failed attempts, we have much to chat about. Your third to arrive."

  They were escorted inside and taken to a sitting area where more guests were waiting. Collin guessed that some of these people were King Eskander's kids because they had unique skin colors. The other two families had several guards with them.

  "Let me introduce you," King Eskander said as he gazed at Collin. "These are my children and that man leaning against the wall over there is our Maverick, Brooks. My eldest son Nehemiah is 18, my daughter Baylin is 14, my second daughter Mikko is 10, and my youngest son Usher is 8. Kids, this is Collin. He's a Maverick of the Xenovia Kingdom."

  "It's nice to meet you all," Collin greeted with a smile.

  "Next is the RainStar family," King Eskander continued. "This is King Jax, Queen Matilda, and their 17 year-old son. Prince Kamran Odysseus RainStar of the Etora Kingdom. That man holding the spear is named Taylor and he's their Maverick. Lastly, we have the EmberHeart family. This is Queen Luna, King Fausto, Prince Nicoz, and Princess Zariah of the Shigeru Kingdom. Blonde woman in the hood is their Maverick, Phoebe."

  Collin had a lot of questions to ask the other Mavericks and he was happy to see Phoebe again as she waved at him. Since his cssification was Knight he wondered what the other categories were. Maybe, he'll get some answers at dinner?

  "Like always," King Eskander's deep voice interrupted his thoughts. "The Meridian family will arrive st and make a grand show. Please enjoy yourselves and tour the castle, dinner will be ready soon."

  30 minutes ter, Collin and a few guests decided to py ice hockey to kill time. This was Nehemiah's idea as he smacked the puck into the goal with his metal hockey stick. Nearby little kids were having a snowball fight. On Collin's team was his girlfriend, Zariah, and Kamran. While on Nehemiah's team was Phoebe, Nicoz, and Baylin. The score was 15 to 30 and his team was losing. Kamran was able to block Nehemiah's team from scoring again and making him the goalkeeper was genius.

  After that Collin and Zariah faced each other as Nicoz counted down. "3, 2, 1, go!"

  They fought over the puck before he stole it and skated across the ice. Collin gnced around and felt something dangerous as he twisted, a shadow flew past him and he realized that was Nehemiah as the orc tried to regain his bance. Up ahead he saw Princess Baylin as she guarded the goal. Just like in football there are tricks in every pybook. At the st minute he passed the puck to Helena and she hit it, the puck flew past Baylin and soared into the net.

  On the sidelines one of the guards was keeping score as he announced. "Sir Collin's team has 20 points while Prince Nehemiah's team has 30 points!"

  Just than colorful smoke lit up the sky as gospel music hummed. A gold and bck carriage flew through the air with several winged unicorns pulling it. Is this what the Orc King meant when he said the rulers of the Arabelle Kingdom love to make a fshy entrance?

  "Damn!" Nehemiah shouted with irritation as the guards came forward.

  An hour ter, Collin and the rest of the guests sat around a long table with delicious food and drinks. While eating he learned about the different types of Mavericks. There's a Priest, Berserker, Gunslinger, and Necromancer. Collin also found out the Queen of the Terebinth Kingdom died several years ago during childbirth and now the King is a single father. After drinking from his mug he gazed around the room.

  The King and Queen of the Arabelle Kingdom couldn't make it to the event, so the grandparents came instead. Next to the couple was a 15 year-old African-American girl and a 9 year-old African-American boy with purple angel wings. Their names were Justice Meridian and Jericho Meridian. Helena told Collin that she used to go to magic school and ballet css with this girl. But he's never heard of purple wings on an angel. Collin also learned that Kamran is a hybrid too, half werewolf and half dragon. That's pretty awesome.

  "So, who won the hockey match?" King Eskander asked.

  "Nobody," Baylin said as she grabbed the BBQ sauce. "Nobody made it to 50 points."

  The Orc King frowned. "Are you serious?"

  "Yeah," Nehemiah stabbed a piece of meat with his fork. "Collin is skillful, he was able to counterattack me."

  "Really," King Eskander grinned at Collin. "You must be good at sports?"

  "I am," Collin answered. "Just recently I won a championship game for my school's football team."

  "That's impressive," King Jax spoke. "You must be a good fighter as well?"

  "Sorta?" Collin shrugged as he ate his food. "When I was little I got bullied in school because of my Vitiligo spots, kids called me a dalmatian. My brother and sister taught me the basics of fighting, but thanks to Captain Irving my combat skills have improved."

  "Love to hear it, love to hear it!" the Werewolf King smiled. "When I was a d I went to battle school and I dominated my css. The Terebinth Kingdom trains the best warriors while the Etora Kingdom trains the best alchemy schors."

  "What about the EmberHearts and the Meridians?" Collin suddenly asked.

  Queen Luna answered. "We specialize in porcein ceramics, horseback riding, MMA, and enchantments like potions and protection charms."

  "Cool," Collin said.

  "Our family creates prosthetic limbs and does entertainment," Madame Meridian picked up her drink. "Like themeparks, circuses, and the performing arts. We've trained many talented people."

  He nodded. "That's really amazing. But I have another question for you, Madame Meridian and Lord Meridian. Why are your wings purple?"

  Lord Meridian grinned. "So, you noticed."

  "Yea," Collin frowned as he expined. "Traditional angels have white wings and fallen angels have bck wings. Why are your wings different?"

  "It's a long story," Lord Meridian answered. "We fought in Heaven's War and won. For my cn's bravery we were given a blessing and after our departure we became revered. These wings are a testament of my cn's faith."

  Collin nodded. "I see."

  "What events will be at the Spring Festival Games this year?" Zariah and Nicoz asked at the same time.

  "It's a surprise but this year's games will be spectacur," King Eskander promised.

  "You never told me what your family does," Collin whispered to Helena.

  Helena kissed him on the cheek. "We own an import-export company."

  "How are you feeling, Kamran?" King Fausto asked. "What did the doctors say about your condition?"

  Kamran gave a sad smile. "Nothing has changed, I still can't breathe fire because of my asthma."

  "Are you gonna keep him in magic school or transfer him to battle school?" said King Fausto.

  "It was hard convincing my te dad to send me to battle school instead of magic school because its been a family tradition for years," King Jax expined. "But I made a promise to Kamran's grandfather that Kamran will become a schor, so he's staying in magic school."

  "What about you Casper?" King Eskander ughed as he slurped from his giant mug. "Isn't it about time you get married, friend!"

  Casper crossed his arms and frowned. "Absolutely, but I've been avoiding the final step."

  "Don't feel too glum," the Orc King continued. "It's not easy finding the right wife candidate. My wife...I miss her very much and so do my kids."

  The room fell silent.

  "It's ok dad," Mikko said.

  King Eskander wiped his tears and grunted. "I should have gathered more healing stones."

  "We understand your pain King Eskander," Helena spoke. "Losing someone special is very heartbreaking."

  "I'm sorry and thank you," the Orc King told everybody. "Um, if everyone is done eating we can move onto the friendly duel."

  30 minutes ter, Collin and the other guests stood outside the colosseum. The duels were decided by drawing straws and he would be fighting Phoebe. In the arena right now were Mr. Brooks the Berserker and Miss Valerie the Gunslinger. At first Collin wondered about the snow, but didn't see any inside the colosseum. That's when he noticed a glowing sigil on the brickwall.

  "Remember the rules are as follows," King Eskander announced. "Make your opponent yield or knock them out, no murder."

  "Are you ready?" Princess Mikko shouted as her dad ruffled her hair. "Let the duel begin!"

  Mr. Brooks and Miss Valerie didn't waste any time as they used their weapons. In the gunslinger's hand were two pistols as she fired a ghostly beam at her opponent. Reacting quickly the berserker used his cw gauntlets to redirect the attack.

  This went on for a few seconds and then the ground shook as a rock spike appeared in the arena next to Mr. Brooks who rolled out the way. Collin saw blood and realized the berserker got wounded. Another shot was fired by Miss Valerie as Mr. Brooks blocked it, suddenly, he cpped as a sonic boom rippled through the colosseum. There was a rumble and a cloud of dust as the gunslinger stumbled away from the broken earth wall, she was covered in debris as blood trickled from her ears.

  It was an intense stare down as both opponents unleashed their superpowers again. Mr. Brooks and Miss Valerie were hit directly as both Mavericks colpsed to the ground. That st attack was pretty chaotic and didn't the rules say Mavericks can't kill one another, maybe they also have a healing ability?

  Nobody moved in the arena as they waited for one of the Mavericks to get up. The Kei family and the Meridian family were both shocked by this outcome, but not King Eskander as he started the countdown. "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, it's a stalemate!"

  After regaining her senses Madame Meridian shouted at the guards. "Go, go and check on them!"

  Nearby, Collin noticed Usher and Jericho talking with each other. On the other side he saw Helena talking with Justice and Kamran. This time he didn't see contempt on Helena's face, his girlfriend looked very friendly right now. A few minutes ter several guards cleaned the colosseum while two did first-aid on Miss Valerie and Mr. Brooks. Even though Collin didn't love fighting he could appreciate the sport as he watched the guards use medieval gurneys to carry away the unconscious people.

  After a few seconds the next round was announced by the Werewolf King. "Collin the Maverick vs Phoebe the Maverick!"

  They both stood in an empty colosseum as the sky changed colors. Collin was dressed in merchant clothes with a pendant around his neck, glove bandages, and a sword was slung across his back. Sitting in the first row of the colosseum were the 5 royal families and he stretched.

  It's been months of training and he finally leveled up. He really wanted to test his abilities as he stared at his opponent. The person he was fighting was Phoebe and she was cd in bone armor.

  When Collin unsheathed his sword a pop-up window appeared. [ Objective: Land a hit on your opponent to earn 10 training points ]

  "Are you ready?" yelled King Jax. "Let the duel begin!"

  In a fsh Collin disappeared and reappeared in a new location as he closed the distance between them. There was rumbling and glowing as 8 skeleton warriors climbed out the ground with stone daggers.

  He parried two attacks, sshed the head off a skeleton, and dashed towards Phoebe. Two skeletons blocked his path as Collin felt a searing pain on his side. Blood drenched his shirt as 5 skeletons surrounded him, he yanked out the dagger with a grunt and lifted his sword.

  There was thunder as bck shadows radiated off Collin and for a moment the pain he was feeling vanished. When he swung his sword 4 skeleton warriors were hit with a Shadow Wolf Blitz. Collin noticed Phoebe summoning more skeletons and swung a blitz towards her, when the dust cleared he saw her in a defensive stance.

  Ding. [ Reward: 10 training points ]

  "Congratutions!" Phoebe decred as she wiped the blood off her face. "You forced me to use my weapon."

  Her weapon was a curved bone bde with a gold hilt. They rushed at each other and the melee was intense. Collin wasn't bleeding anymore thanks to his healing ability and because of this close combat Phoebe couldn't summon her skeletons.

  "You're pretty good!" he complimented.

  The necromancer blocked his attack and grinned. Just then something grabbed Collin by the ankles, it was 2 skeleton warriors as he parried Phoebe's strike. More started popping up as his opponent backed away. "Surrender or be knocked out."

  Collin only hesitated for a second before he took his weapon and stabbed it into the dirt. All of a sudden the ground under him cracked as 10 skeletons were yanked into the air by an invisible force. Bones spun like a tornado before falling to the ground. When it was over it was like a graveyard as Collin kicked away a skull. He just used telekinesis.

  "I don't know," Collin taunted and felt the temperature drop. "Maybe you should give up."

  Out the corner of his eye he saw something fsh as he barley dodged the ambush. Most radiated off Phoebe as she summoned ice, this was her special ability as he swung his sword. Collin breathed heavily as he tried to avoid the onsught and do a counter attack.

  But he was tackled by a skeleton as ice froze his legs. The wind was knocked out of Collin and before he could raise his sword Phoebe trapped his arm, and upper body in ice too. At this point his eyes were getting hazy and he was gonna pass out due to hypothermia.

  "Collin!" a familiar voice screamed.

  When Collin regained consciousness he was in a super comfortable bed with a fluffy pillow and a animal pelt as his bnket. The room he was in looked very modest, he was shirtless with bandages wrapped around his chest and stomach.

  After sitting up Collin sneezed and then he remembered he was almost frozen to death. Phoebe had crazy power and if Grace and Lucan were here they would have a lot to say. There was a knock as someone opened the door, it was Helena and she was holding something in her hand.

  "You're awake," his girlfriend said as she hugged him.

  "How long was I out?" Collin asked as they hugged.

  "20 minutes I think," Helena expined. "Phoebe tried to make her attack painless...but you still got hurt with jagged ice."

  He smiled. "It's fine, what's in your hand?"

  "A potion," his girlfriend answered. "I was worried and thought you might need this."

  Collin didn't stop smiling. "Thanks, but I'm okay. You're a great girlfriend."

  Helena blushed and they kissed. "Come on, we should let everyone know you're awake."

  After changing his clothes again he held hands with his girlfriend as they walked around the pace. They stopped near the sitting room where everybody was gathered. When everybody saw them the talking stopped and was repced with a round of appuse. Collin was confused because he definitely lost that round against Phoebe, but even the necromancer was cheering.

  "That was the best duel in ages!" Queen Luna said. "You have incredible potential."

  "Phoebe achieved level B a few weeks ago and Collin hasn't been a Maverick for long," Queen Matilda spoke. "But I really had no idea who would win, the battle was captivating. Power without technique means nothing and you both surprised us."

  "Are you coming to the Spring Festival Games?" Prince Nehemiah asked.

  Collin shrugged. "When is it?"

  "March," Nehemiah answered.

  He frowned. "Maybe."

  The Orc Prince grinned. "If you do show up I want a challenge."

  "No problem," Collin said and gave him a fist-bump.

  "Now that everyone is here we can have dessert," King Eskander cpped.

  10 minutes ter, Collin and the other guests returned to the dining table. The dessert was Hot Chocote Cheesecake and everybody was given a cup of bck tea. It was very good as he shoved another piece into his mouth, but the only people who weren't given a slice was Helena and Casper.

  "Did you run out?" Casper asked.

  "No," King Eskander expined and then he whistled. "I just have a different dessert for you, consider it a token of goodwill."

  Within seconds the dining hall door creaked open as 8 people in chains were escorted inside by a dozen guards. Some were burley, short, skinny, tall, and was dressed in prison clothes.

  "My gift to you," the Orc King sipped his bck tea. "These are the worst criminals we have right now."

  Casper's blue eyes glinted with something dangerous as the criminal's faces paled with realization. "How kind, thank you."

  "Yes," Helena stood up as her eyes sparkled with the same deadly intent. "Thank you very much."

  The first criminal was pushed forward as Casper grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground. The guy squirmed when he saw the family crest and Casper's fangs. For a second the criminal glowed as a bright light appeared infront of the man's dead face, it was his soul.

  Collin watched the bodies drop to the floor and he felt sick because it reminded him of his siblings. This timid feeling was back again and he finally understood the reason. Everybody knew Helena's brother was maniputive, but was he truly heartless? Would Casper have let Inaya and Ezra die in that hospital?

  "Sir Collin, are you alright? You look unwell," said King Jax.

  He did his best to act normal and not throw up. "Just tired since a lot happened today...I might go home early."

  Five bodies were sprawled on the floor with their eyes rolled back. Dead, Dead, Dead!

  DawnOfTheMoon