Contents
Title Page
Copyright
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
Afterword
About the author
BEASTMASTER:
OMNICIDE
KORY SHEN
Beastmasters: Omnicide is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2019 Kory Shen
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.
CHAPTER 1
"You kids stay here and watch," Drake Ember said. Our instructor stood at the lip of the roof, his hulking silhouette contrasting sharply with the abandoned city's jagged skyline. He stepped into the open air. A birdlike creature on his shoulder squawked as they both plummeted out of view.
A moment later, a silver dragon the size of a small plane rose into the air before us, beating its wings furiously. I had to crouch to brace myself against the rush of air. The dragon roared, then raced off into the sky, leaving the rest of us on the high rooftop in the middle of the urban ruins.
Nikki cried out in dismay as she tried to untangle the long blue hair that had whipped around her from the sudden wind. Her rabbit, Bun-Bun, shivered in the safety of her arms. Claire moved behind Nikki to help pick apart the twisted strands of hair.
"Show off," Julie muttered, neatening her own shoulder-length brown hair. She walked to the edge of the rooftop and scanned the rubble of the concrete jungle before us.
We were on a live training run. It was strictly a watch and learn deal. The Beastmasters were shorthanded, more so than usual these days. Even though Drake had taken over our teaching duties, he would be called away to deal with patrol activities now and then. We would tag along for the occasional low-risk mission for educational purposes.
Stella, Kayla, and Mia moved to join Julie's side at the rooftop's edge. I stayed behind with Claire and Nikki.
Enjoy the view? Zoe asked.
You know I hate heights.
Zoe glanced meaningfully at the four girls in tight combat suits standing with their backs to me.
And you know that's not what I meant. Zoe padded over to join the four girls, leaping to sit on the short wall lining the roof. The wall was about a foot tall where it wasn't broken, hardly enough to keep someone from toppling over.
Zoe stuck her head over the side of the building, staring straight at the ground beneath. An image of the fifty-story drop flashed in my mind.
I wobbled briefly from the sight.
Zoe! Not funny.
Zoe sent a mental chuckle, then proceeded to gaze about the landscape. Headquarters had sent Drake here to deal with a Grade D Mekanic sighting, only twenty miles from the edge of Third York. Mekanic sightings near population centers had been increasing lately. They weren't outright attacks, more like foraging missions, as if the Mekanics were searching for something.
Found it. Look. Zoe sent a picture of the horizon.
Don't do that here. I don't want to risk tripping from this height. I made my way closer to the edge of the roof. Where?
Zoe shifted her head, directing her nose at a cluster of fallen skyscrapers. There.
I stared but couldn't see anything at first. Then, something shifted, the glint of sunlight reflecting off metal.
"Over there," I said to the others, pointing. "Movement."
"You've got sharp eyes," Julie said. "I can barely make anything out at that distance."
Zoe purred.
I heard Claire and Nikki join us from behind.
"I see them," Claire said. "Two Mekanics."
"Show off," I muttered.
Julie chuckled.
"My Raptor's Sight," Claire said, tapping the side of her head. "I notice everything, Dustin. Like how you were staring at Stella's—"
I coughed loudly. "So how long do you think Drake will take? I say five minutes, tops."
I caught Stella glancing over at me, a slight smirk on her face. Her ferret, Miney, wound about her shoulders and made chittering noises at me.
"Five?" Julie snorted. "The asshole likes to showboat. At least fifteen."
Drake had seemed cool when he first arrived, but his attitude and training style had worn out his welcome soon afterward. Julie, in particular, had butted heads with him on more than one occasion.
"Ten," Mia said. "He'll draw out the fight to let us analyze Mekanic tactics." That was Mia, tactful as usual.
"But we can't even see anything from here," Nikki whined. "Except for Claire and Dustin."
"Pick a number, Nikki," I said.
"Okay. Six," Nikki said.
"Nine," Claire added, nudging Nikki with her elbow.
Nikki looked at her with a confused expression.
"Six. Nine. Sixty-nine," Claire said out loud.
"Oh…" Nikki giggled.
I shook my head. "Stella? What do you think?"
"I think we should focus on the mission," Stella said, still scanning the horizon.
"Boring," Claire called out.
"One minute," Kayla said in an icy tone. "That type of guy — all smoke and no fire? They can never last more than a minute."
Some of the others made hooting noises. Zoe sent a mental whistle.
Ouch.
It was no secret that Kayla didn't like our new instructor, either. Given her recent history, I didn't blame her.
"Keep it down," Stella said. "We're still on a mission."
I could barely make out Drake's dragon form circling in the sky high above the Mekanics. The others silently turned to watch.
The Mekanics must have spotted Drake. The sky lit up with blasts of bright energy beams as they attacked. Rather than dodging the attacks, Drake dove straight for their source.
Next to me, Claire yawned. We knew Drake could make short work of a pair of Grade D Mekanics. Further down, I spotted Stella still studiously looking over the scene. I stepped away from the edge to move closer to Stella.
Dustin!
I froze at the urgency in Zoe's message.
What is it?
Humans. Looks like civilians.
I rushed back to the edge of the rooftop. Where?
This time I didn't complain as Zoe sent the mental image. Three figures were hiding in the shadows of what had once been an apartment complex. One of them had longer hair, probably a woman. They had some kind of equipment in their hands, but I couldn't make it out.
"Heads up," I said, pointing towards the apartment. "There's people over there. Claire, can you tell what they're doing?"
"Raiders?" Stella asked. We had yet to run across any of the scavengers who lived among the ruins.
"Unlikely," Mia said. "They avoid active Mekanic conflicts."
Claire's mouth fell open.
"What is it?" I asked.
"They're…recording the fight?" Claire said. "It looks like they're using video equipment."
"Thrill seekers?" I asked.
"Or wannabe journalists," Julie said.
The surviving governments had made it a point to control and limit all media surrounding the ongoing War. Whether the trio below were a bunch of college kids or news reporters, what they were doing had to be illegal. Not to mention stupid.