Chapter Twelve: Natalie. Something Big Gets Through The Chaneque

Here's chapter twelve of the expanding Heroes: The New Level.

Something Big Gets Through The Chaneque
I awoke the next morning to find Simon brandishing a knife.

"What's that?" I asked.

Simon looked at me. "Oh, this? This is my weapon, Cuchillo Sangre. We get them for in case there's an emergency at the Courts. You'll be getting yours later today."'

"Emergency... like an Ahuizotl?" I asked.

Simon laughed. "No, Ahuizotl attacks are seriously rare. Mainly they're for when something big manages to get past the chaneque at the front of Aztlan. Come, now, it is time for the morning tasks. The Tlaloc reps have different tasks than the other reps, though every day there is always something going on that includes every single representative."

I briefly wondered how many other reps there were when a few more people got up.

"Ah," Simon said. "Natalie, this is Phoenix, Melanie, and Tem. They've been here almost as long as Cam and I have. Everyone, this is Natalie Rain, the newest rep to Tlaloc's Court. Just no one say the word Ahuizotl or she might freak."

"Nice to meet you," a girl - Melanie? - said. She was a small girl wearing pink clothes and a huge smile. Phoenix was a big guy with dark hair. I couldn't even see Tem's face under his hood, and the rest of him was completely covered in dark clothing.

"There are some rumors that Tlaloc chose Tem by mistake," Simon added. "Those rumorers say he was supposed to rep for the death god Acolnahuacatl."

Tem shrugged. "Whatever."

"Well, we'd better get moving," Simon added.

"Everyone, get ready!" someone shouted.

"Who's that?" I asked.

Phoenix clenched his teeth. "Paynal reps. Paynal is the messenger of the gods. His reps don't mess around. Remember how Simon said an emergency is when something big gets through the chaneque?"

"Yeah," I said. "Chaneque, nature guardians who attack intruders. So?"

"Something big got through them," Tem finished.

Suddenly a huge lion with the face of a man ran through the halls past the Paynal rep. "Impossible," Simon breathed. "That's not an Aztec monster."

"Then how's it in an Aztec site?" I asked.

"Like I said; impossible. We'll need all the allies we can get to hold this... thing off. Tem, Melanie, you're with me. Phoenix, you take Natalie to the Camaxtli Room to get her a weapon."

"Understood," Phoenix said. He ran past the lion beast with me right behind him. A few more people showed up, chasing after the beast. A girl with copper skin and amber eyes, a darker-toned boy carrying a curved sword, a girl with caramel hair, a guy grasping a pendant around his neck, and an ape wearing a Lakers jersey.

"Um, what's with the...?"

"Don't know," Phoenix said. "Never seen it before."

We came to a door decorated with carvings of wicked weapons and images of great battles. "Door of Camaxtli?" I guessed. "God of war."

"Exactly," Phoenix said. He knocked on the door until a kid came out. "Reese, Natalie here is new and needs a weapon right away."

Reese nodded. "How's about this beauty?" He held up a long blade. "It's name is Maldito. Cursed. Hasn't worked well for anyone so far, which is why we gave it the name. Natalie, right? You might be the lucky one. Give it a shot."

I picked up Maldito. It fit perfectly, balanced. I swung it about for a few seconds. Reese whistled. "A work of art. If you're new... you probably haven't had much experience with a sword. Yet, you took to Maldito immediately. A natural."

"I like it," I admitted. Maldito. My weapon.

"Now let's get back to the beast," Phoenix said. I nodded, and we ran back. One look behind me told me that Reese was coming with us.

The beast was lying on the ground. The boy I'd seen earlier was standing over it, holding his curved sword to the beast's throat. "Who is your master?" the boy said.

The beast grinned. "Feed me and I live, but give me something to drink and I die."

The boy with the pendant looked up. "Fire. Your master has something to do with fire."

"Very good, young one." The beast tunneled further underground and left.

"It got away again," the copper-skinned girl pointed out. "But we're going to find it."

Additive Words
Raymond, Zia, and the Kanes have shown up in Aztlan. Natalie has her own weapon, Maldito. And we've now met three more of Tlaloc's reps. And the old sphinx got away a second time. And then there's the sphinx's master. Something to do with fire. Who could that be? We know Raymond's hosting a sun god and Zia is a master of fire magic, but how could they be the sphinx's master? As for Natalie, what will happen now that the Egyptians have entered her new home? Remember the Tenochtitlan temple? Something must be going on there.

One more question: What's next?

Here are some links.

Heroes: The New Level

Prologue: Lan. It May Start Soon

Chapter One: Tara. Some Weird Kid Fights Something

You'll have to wait until Chapter 13 is ready.