Bastial Energy by B. T. Narro

eyes closed next while the rest of his face grimaced.
    Vithos opened his eyes and dropped his hand. “Your judgment has passed. You may leave.”
    The Krepp doubled over and held his stomach for a moment. He quickly rose, trying to walk out with his head high, but he was hunched again by the time he exited.
    “There is one more Krepp awaiting judgment,” Vithos said, glancing at a scroll. “Loggur, have a seat.” Vithos pointed toward the rock in the middle of the room.
    Loggur sat down proudly and the murmuring of the room died down.
    “It says here that you left the tribe, and now you wish to return. Is this true?” Vithos asked.
    “Yes.” This Krepp was either far more prepared than the last, or perhaps just better at making it seem that way. He sat straight, keeping his mouth from quivering and his nose from twitching.
    “Why did you leave?” Vithos glanced at the scroll as he spoke.
    “I thought I could hunt for more meat on my own, and if I found a Slugari in the wild I wouldn’t have to share it.” Loggur kept his eyes ahead on Vithos, making his best effort to ignore the stares of the audience.
    “Did you find any signs of wild Slugari?” Vithos asked pessimistically.
    “No,” Loggur answered, taking a quick glance at the watching Krepps.
    Haemon interrupted, “Because they’re all hidden underground.”
    “When did you leave?” Vithos asked, ignoring Haemon.
    “Almost a year ago.”
    “What other reasons do you have for returning?”
    “If the tribe does find the underground Slugari colony, I need to be part of it. I need Slugari meat.” Loggur clenched his claws at his sides.
    “We’ll find it in time,” Vithos responded as if reading from a script. “You knew you would be punished upon returning?”
    Loggur’s yellow eyes fell to the dirt. “Yes.”
    Vithos nodded to Haemon to show the truth had been told.
    “We accept your return,” Haemon announced loudly for the audience. “The punishment for deserting the tribe is the same for all Krepps. You will be marked with an ‘X’ on the back of one claw. If anyone asks about the mark, you’ll tell them what happened and make sure they know why you returned.”
    Loggur stood, keeping his eyes ahead to avoid looking directly at the enormous Slugari slithering toward him. Haemon was wheezing loudly as he often did before casting magic. Laces of emerald green smoke rose from his small claws and danced toward the ceiling.
    He squeezed his claws together with a grunt. Upon releasing them, a cloud emerged of the same emerald color and quickly dissipated. All that remained in his claws was a thin X-shaped object that shone like two blades of grass in the sun.
    “Hold out your arm and look away,” the Slugari commanded. Krepps in the audience stood and shifted to get a better view around Haemon’s enormous body.
    Loggur did as he was told, keeping his eyes away from his arm and squinting.
    With meticulous precision, Haemon grasped the marking stone, aligned it over the back of Loggur’s hand, and dropped it. There was a yellow explosion when it reached the Krepp’s skin, engulfing Loggur completely for a blink. Then it was gone. Loggur moaned, shaking his claw in agony.
    “Your judgment has passed,” Haemon said. “Endure.”
    “Endure,” Loggur replied, staggering toward the exit. The spectators stood and conversed with each other. Two ran after Loggur. They want to see his new marking , Zoke knew.
    While charred skin still smoking after a fresh punishment was a sight to behold, Zoke had seen it before, and his presence was usually requested by Vithos the Elf or one of the Slugari. This time it was Haemon. “Zoke, come.” The Slugari motioned to him. “We need to discuss something with Doe.”

 
     
     
    Chapter 13: Chosen
    ZOKE
     
    Zoke followed Haemon into Vithos’ quarters, where Doe, the other Slugari leader, awaited. The room contained no more than a bed, a wardrobe, a wooden table with two chairs, and a sullied mirror