The Four Territories
Author: Stevie Collier
Date: 2017-10-10 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy
Description: In a world divided into four territories, each with their own unique sun, color, race, and culture, Esh is born and abandoned in the cruelest of all. The red territory of Reah. A land in which every day is an absolute struggle for survival. One day, an elderly man discovers the boy mortally wounded on the side of the ash-filled streets and takes pity on him, a kindness unknown in the land of Reah. Then, using unorthodox training, he beats the skills necessary for the boy to endure the harshness of the territory. Skills of a master assassin. Combat. Sorcery. Alchemy. All is going well until a d

Contents

Copyright

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Bloody Beginnings

Act 1

1 - Loathed

2 - Land of Sin

3 - Savior

4 - Training

5 - The Choosing

6 - Undesirables

7 - Deceiving Looks

8 - The Wisps

9 - Secrets of a Trash Worker

10 - Breakfast with an Assassin

11 - Barda the Assassin

12 - Sorcery Takes its Toll

13 - Pleasant Complications

14 - An Odd Team

15 - Downstream

16 - The Cooling Sword

17 - The Rektops

18 - Inner Demons

19 - The Bells

20 - Alchemy Lesson One

21 - The Warlock

22 - Exile

23 - Esh's Trial

24 - The Training Begins

25 - Murderous Intent

26 - Revenge

27 - Mission Complete

Act 2

28 - Socially Awkward

30 - Barish

31 - The Arena

32 - Let the Bloodshed Begin

33 - The Magnificent King of Reah

34 - Crash Landing

35 - Unfamiliar Kindness

36 - Betrayal

37 - The Underground Battle

38 - The Great Escape

39 - The Purple Territory

40 - The Potion of Knowledge

41 - The Wailers

42- The Dark Prince

Act 3

43 - Vexdor

44 - Surprise Visitor

45 - Harmonious Sorcery

46 - Party Crashers

47 - The Trial

48 - The Banquet

49 - The Lurid Link

50 - The Severing of Sorcery

51 - Healing

52 - Bion

Message to the Reader

Dedications

About the Author

Copyright © 2017 Stevie Collier

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Any resemblance to persons, places living or dead, is purely coincidental.

This is a work of fiction.

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Bloody Beginnings

Esh gazed at the crimson river flowing from his gut. Confused as to why this was happening and unable to fully comprehend such a level of pain. A group of humanoids huddled around him with mixed glances. Some wanted more, he could see it in their eyes. Others stood at a distance, not able to process what had just taken place.

The wound began to transfer from random spurts of blood to a full on gush that mirrored his heart beat. The world began to fade and he was no longer able to distinguish the faces around him. He did not cry, and was not scared for the darkness that crept over him was welcoming.

Act 1

1 - Loathed

Esh, eight years old and small for his age, leapt from the orphanage entrance and out onto the streets. Ash fell from the sky and covered his already dirty hair. He was a happy kid, though he had no one to share this happiness with. No one liked a purple-haired freak like him. No one liked a humanoid who broke a sweat under the Red sun. He wasn’t like them. Not entirely.
Trying his best to make friends, he followed the other children down the street, struggling to keep up. His breathing intensified as the Red sun whipped the back of his neck and dried the air around him.
“Esh!” cried the orphanage head mother. He turned around. “You forgot your mask!”

She was right; he had completely forgotten in his excitement. The ash in the sky had already begun filling his lungs, and he had started to cough. He ran back and grabbed his breathing mask, which was a simple crafted sort of thing made of linen.

It clasped around his head with a pinching elastic string making it look like he was wearing a muzzle. It was large, bulky, and made the air so much hotter to breathe.
“Thanks,” he told her shyly.

She bent over and peppered his forehead with her nasty kisses, but he was happy to have them. Any affection would do. Everyone hated someone as different as he was, and out of all the humanoids he’d known in his lonely eight years at the orphanage, she was the only one who didn’t treat him like a monster. Her fat made her fun to hug, and her giant boobs were great to stuff a crying face into. He called her his fake mother.

He turned and raced to catch up with the other kids, the mask’s strings already rubbing the back of his neck raw.
“Eww, it’s following us,” he heard one of them cry. “Ugh, he’s gonna freeze us,” said another.

It was true that he was always much colder to the touch than the other kids, and that he could not take the heat. As far as he knew, he was the only one of his kind who had to wear this annoying breathing mask which made it even more difficult for him to make friends.

“Guys, wait up!” he gasped, holding his side as they began to cramp.

It didn’t take long before he was on his knees, pulling back the elastic band of the mask with one hand to give the back of his neck a break. He turned his face up to the sky and squinted at the fiery red ball that stared right back at him.

Ashy sweat filled his eyes as he turned his gaze to the other three orbs in the sky which, in his opinion, were much more pleasant-looking. It wasn’t that they were more beautiful, but that it was actually possible to look at them without your eyes melting.

In the North, Esh could see misty blue dust floating around the sapphire sun, and if he looked closely, he could make out the waves that moved and crashed against each other.

In the West was his favorite sun of all, the Green sun, which looked like a giant furry Green booger. Some of the kids said certain animals actually lived in the forests upon its soil—but they may have just been screwing with him. He had no way to discover whether it was true, because the library close to the orphanage had no photos of any other territory but his own. His fake mother had told him that once, a long time ago, the library had carried such photos, but they had been purposely put to the flame.

The last sun, which resided in the North-West, was the dead sun. It was rotting and falling apart, casting a dark shade over its territory, and one could almost smell its decay. The sun looked as if it might, at any moment, just tear apart and fall onto the territory it had once nourished. Even if it had been possible for Esh to visit this territory he wouldn’t have wanted to, but the sun was still very beautiful in its own creepy way.

When he was rested, he got back up to his feet, and was disappointed to find that his fellow orphans—his companions, as he thought of them—had all run away. He decided to just walk until he saw or heard them.

As he walked he made sure not to step on any of the bugs that crawled into his path—not for fear of squashing them, but of hurting his own foot on the sharp metallic outer shells which protected their soft gooey parts from the dreadful sun.

‘Dreadful sun’? What he meant was the all-powerful sun of flames, the life-giver, the source of the strength and knowledge of the humanoids of Reah. That’s what his schoolteacher would have made him say.
He waved to a butcher who was holding down a non-compliant metal animal, which he was about to open up with his large sharpened-bone-blade. At Esh’s friendly wave the butcher dropped his blade, and it crashed to the floor as he lifted his hands to make a horribly rude gesture. Seizing this opportunity, the animal leapt from the table, speeding past Esh.
Lessons in the Reahlic language were taught at his school, once in the morning and once before school let out. Esh took this opportunity to learn as much as he could in order to become more like his race, more like the humanoids of Reah.
However, despite his position at the top of the class, Esh still struggled to gain acceptance from his peers and having a good command of Reahlic wasn’t helping.
He looked down at the ashy road he was walking on, and wondered what it looked like under all the black soot. It was impossible to find out, for he knew that even if he dug a deep enough hole, it would soon be covered up by one of the molten rains that the massive volcano, Gurgamosh, vomited out every so often.

Humanoids who’s profession it was to predict Gurgamosh’s combustions and warn about upcoming molten rains would blare the announcement of impending doom. Everyone would then scatter to the shelter of their metal-covered huts. The humanoids of Reah could tolerate the heat, but the rain was different. If it touched your skin, you would melt, and once it got on you it was impossible to shake off. You just had to let it take its course down your body, devouring flesh and bone alike. It was no wonder the great aristocrats of Reah had chosen this as the method of their death penalty.
Finally he heard it, the laughter of his fellow orphans just around the corner, too. He took off in the direction of the sound.

As he rounded the corner he stopped in place. The kids were having fun alright, but not the kind of fun that he himself enjoyed, not at all. The mean orphans had found the trash worker, the lowest and most degrading job that can be given to a humanoid of Reah. Esh had seen this old male before and the only reason he had noticed him was because he was the only humanoid who had never once shot him an evil glance, spit at him, or called him names.

The elderly male, not paying any attention to the derogatory remarks thrown his way by the children, picked up the trash on the side of the road. From broken liquid canisters to rolled up fume sticks, the worker picked them up and placed them in a bag over his shoulder. What was astonishing was the way he picked up the trash. To Esh’s amazement, the Elder slipped his food under a slimy looking piece of trash and swooped it straight into the air while turning his back just at the right angle to catch it in the sack on his back. He did all this without breaking a sweat and with his eyes closed!

Esh seemed to be the only one who noticed this graceful motion for the orphans, realizing their words were having no affect, began to throw stones.

“Look at this piece of shit,” said a taller and fatter male child, picking up a sharp looking stone and hurling it towards the trash picker.

The Elder still paid them no mind and was dodging each stone with the least amount of effort and movement while picking up trash. Was he dodging? Or was it by accident?

Finally, one of the stones reached its destination, hitting the Elder in the chin.

“Yes! Take that shagra shit!” said the taller one picking up yet another stone.

“Stop it!” Esh screamed with his high childish voice making every orphan turn towards him.

“Oy! You don’t like it? Why don’t you come here and make me stop!” said the tall kid walking towards Esh. However, he was stopped by one of his ugly comrades who pointed him towards where the Elder had been… Had been… He was gone!

Esh was shaking, he knew what was to come. He turned to run but the older orphan had gotten to him. His name was Mehch but Esh always called him nasty ears because of all the ear wax that was stuck inside them.

Mehch gripped Esh’s shoulders so tight that it made him squeak in pain. “Look what you have done little kid! That old fart was able to slither away on its belly because of your dumbass interruption!”

Thirteen year old Mehch pushed Esh hard into the dirt and held him there with his left hand while using his right hand to rip at Esh’s shirt. With a few tugs, Esh’s back was completely exposed. Mehch bent over and Esh could feel his heavy sinister breath.

“Soooooo,” Mehch said, shoving Esh’s face into the ash, “Why are you still alive?”

The question sent Esh’s heart racing. Half of him did not understand the question and the other half completely understood. Why was he still alive? Why did everyone hate him? Was it because his hair being a different color?

He started to sob.

“That’s right, that’s right, cry you baby. You know you’ve done wrong. Your birth is a slight against us true bloods of Reah!”

Mehch flipped Esh onto his back. He could now see into the yellow eyes of the monster before him and that’s when he noticed the flip bone knife in his right hand. Mehch, following his eyes grew a very devious smile. His eyes gave away his plan.

Esh began to shriek. He went completely delirious with fear, calling for anyone, anyone at all to come and rescue him. And humanoids did come, oh yes, but not to help. They came to watch.

“You aren’t one of us, you aren’t pure! You belong to the loathed!”

Esh heard only half of what was being said, for he was concentrated on the mini bone-blade being lowered to his chest. He squirmed harder and harder to no avail as Mehch was far too strong. He felt his hands and legs being pulled apart from his body, his arms held by his fellow orphans and his legs… by adults.

“This is long overdue, you piece of shit. You need to be marked with the sign of the loathed! The sign of the despicable!” Mehch cried, finally touching the skin under Esh’s shoulder with the fiery tip of the blade.

The adults and orphans began to chant Loathed! Loathed! Loathed!” which evolved into laughter as Mehch’s blade pushed deeper, making cold blood rise to the surface. Esh screamed and screamed but nothing made the pain stop. Mehch’s hand drew the blade slowly from the upper shoulder, down his chest, and to the opposite hip filleting him wide open.

Esh stopped screaming and his eyes stopped focusing. The adults and orphans released him and stepped back. Some even left out of boredom. He wasn’t able to lift his head but used a hand to touch his torso and trace the river that had been carved across his body. There was no pain.

Esh had somehow always knew this would come. He was despised by all and should never have been born. He deserved this he supposed and let himself smile. Finally, it was over.

Mehch spit on the ground and turned his back to Esh. He flung the blade into the air over his shoulder. The bone-blade spun in the air until it stuck deep into the middle of Esh’s river in the center of his gut. Still, no pain, only cold pressure.

He was all alone, or at least he thought he was alone. Then the hallucinations began. Some sort of animal crawled up next to him, brushing him with its hard metallic body. It began to howl or cry, Esh couldn’t tell. The beast probably wasn’t even there at all, but either way it kept him company throughout his transition to eternal bliss or eternal suffering.

Esh was sure that the sun would be the last thing that he saw, until a sudden darkness was over him. Had the sun finally gone out? Or had he? Were these his final moments?

He smelt a mixture of dirty stench and alcohol. Was this what hell was like? He deserved it… He wasn’t true a Reahlic.

2 - Land of Sin

Flames danced around Esh’s body, leaving charred black skin that instantly dried and cracked to reveal new skin ready to go through the frying process all over again. All around him were humanoids in the worst pain imaginable. To his left was a group of humanoids being suspended by hooks through their abdomens. The hooks moved on their own, sticking the closest victim. If the hook had any trouble getting through the bone it would simply back up and charge again and again into the previous hole until it forced its way through. When the victim opened his mouth to shriek small hooks flew inside and, Esh imagined, had morbid fun inside the victim’s guts.

To his right there was a line of humanoids. All were nude and trembling, waiting for their turn to have their limbs attached to two giant four-legged beasts made of black energy. Without warning, the beasts would snap into a sprint and tear their victim in two. Sometimes the pull was fast and killed the client instantly or they would choose to take their time, step by step, and let the skin rip oh so slowly. It was sort of like tearing a shirt apart, but instead of cloth fringe it was shreds of skin.

In the distance was a sort of giant circular trench with a massive wheel of spikes that continuously rolled in circles on its perpetual path. Massive red circular eyes and a red smile rested on the flat side of the wheel. It had a face, a face that did not turn with the wheel itself but kept its eyes looking below as it crushed the humanoids unlucky enough to have been dropped in. After death, the bodies would reawaken only to be put through the same death over and over again by the spiked wheel. The only sign of relief they would have from this pain was the fresh batch of bodies that were pushed into the trench by three foot black energy goblins. Humanoids pleaded with them, on their knees even, but this just made the leverage better for kicking them into the course of doom.

The only substance that covered this land besides fire was the blood, blood that dried instantly giving off a smell that could easily have been worse than some forms of physical torture.

Esh became aware that all of the torturers were the same, or at least made from the same stuff in the idea that they were all… without light. Just dark dirty clouds that took murky shapes of beasts, goblins, and hooks. These creatures often turned to black gas to move on to another form of fun because they had become bored with what they were currently doing.

But something was wrong. As soon as Esh appeared in their realm, they turned their attention to him and only him. There must have been thousands upon thousands of sinners with their eyes long ago melted by the heat, that were present and ready to be tortured, but it was Esh who the torturers wanted. He could tell by the way they looked at him with their little envious red eyes.

Finally, it was his turn. Hooks pierced each of his shoulders, not a perfect piercing either, but through the shoulder blade. Esh opened his mouth to scream but there was no air in this land, and no air meant no scream. He was lifted into the air, higher and higher. He had the best view of this park of horror. The hooks stopped a moment and Esh could see two other humanoids hoisted from two different parts of the park and they both headed towards him, traveling by hook. Both of these humanoids soared towards him at an insane speed. They hit him, their cauterized bodies sticking to his and leaving a large part of their flesh behind when they swung backwards.

Esh gasped.

Even without eyeballs and with cracked teeth Esh knew these humanoids. He couldn’t recognize them by their appearance but he could feel it. They were his parents.

Before he could even reach out to touch them he was hoisted away. He was now so high that at some point he couldn’t even see the land of sin anymore.

His eyes slid open ever so slightly, letting light seep in. One figure was hunched over him and it took his eyes several minutes to adjust. However, he knew instantly by her voice that it was his fake mother. He could feel her tears plop onto his face.

“Oh Esh! You’re awake! I thought… I thought…”

She began to speak far too fast in Reahlic and even others who were fluent in Reahlic probably couldn’t have understood her anyways for she had begun sobbing and trying to talk at the same time.

He really hoped she wouldn’t start touching him for the pain had started to reach his brain now. How was he alive? Hadn’t he just been to hell? Had it all just been some crazy nightmare induced by his traumatic experience?

He coughed up blood and it was wiped from his face, but not by the hands of his fake mother but by someone else’s. Esh summoned all his strength to turn his head and was shocked to see the trash worker sitting by his side. Before Esh could ask any questions, the male raised himself with the same graceful movement Esh had seen earlier and was out the door before two seconds had passed. Esh let his head drift back. What was he doing here?

“Who did this to you?” asked mother in the common language, her speech finally understandable.

He didn’t answer, and he didn’t think mother expected him to anyways.

There was silence in the room for a few minutes, his fake mother still stood over him crying. He wasn’t surprised that there wasn’t a doctor in the room treating his wounds. For all he knew, one of the adults that held him down could have been a doctor.

“I think you should know,” said mother, “that the elderly male that just left was the one who brought you to me.” Her wrinkly face twisted as she stepped back and really took in the mess that Esh was in. It wasn’t pretty and it was highly likely he would be dragged by his feet back to the depths of sin land.

Mother left the room and came back with a canister of compressed liquid. Esh shook his head, knowing how precious liquid was this far inland but mother ignored him. She pressed the tip of the canister and spray wet her hands. She carefully let the liquid drip from her hand to his wounds. This seemed to worsen the pain.

She added soap that she had found, an also valuable resource, and cleaned his wounds. He tried to get her to stop, for the pain was too much and he knew she would get into trouble with Korp, the head master.

She finished the cleaning job and went to the worst part of all. The sewing.

As far as Esh knew she had no skills as a nurse but she did have skills making clothes for the children. His skin would be her fabric.

The procedure took an hour and the pain began to make Esh convulse, his eyes often rolling back into his head. He would pass out and she would wake him up with liquid, stopping completely until he was awake. Oh how he wished she would just finish the job while he was mentally away.

When the job was done she went to clean herself up, leaving Esh alone with his sobs, dull pain, and… anger… Yes, lots of anger. He was tired of the way he was treated and swore to himself, that if he lived, he would get revenge on Mehch.

Revenge would keep him alive.

The door opened but it was not the elderly trash worker or his fake mother who entered, but the handsome Korp. His smile was always ear to ear, teeth larger than normal, and wearing a black tunic. Smoke floated from a very thick fume stick that he kept in the corner of his grinning mouth.

Esh had just left hell and yet the devil had found him.

“Hi dearie,” Korp said, shutting the door behind him.

3 - Savior

“Poor baby… Poor sweet baby, all hurt and… vulnerable…” Korp said, walking up to his bed’s side.

“I just don’t understand, who could do this to such a sweet little baby as yourself.” Korp started to rub the skin around the freshly sewed wound, his eyes not leaving Esh’s.

“Who did this to you? Tell me! I’ll make sure justice is served!” Korp’s fingernails began to scratch Esh’s stomach. The devil wanted him badly this sun-cycle.

Korp had a reputation. A reputation that even made the great sculptor Mehch piss his trousers. Korp loved his adolescent males, but loved them a little too much. Esh had heard stories of orphan males being sent to his office for a scolding but they never returned.

“Why don’t you wanna tell me? Do you not trust daddy?” Korp said, his eyes coming to angry points and his huge muscles flexing under his tunic. “Don’t fucking ignore me, Shagra shit!” he hissed, slamming his fists on Esh’s bed and sending ripples through his body, tears coming to his eyes.

“Oh Creator, I am sassy this sun-cycle! Ignore me, son. Ignore my silly silly blunder.” Korp’s hands returned to Esh’s stomach, but much lower this time. Even the pain couldn’t mask his discomfort in this situation.

The door opened and in walked mother. Korp’s hands were off of him immediately.

“What the hell happened here, Meyaderah?” Korp asked, his tone much deeper and professional.

Meyaderah bowed with both hands out, as all the employees were expected to do and answered, “Head master Korp, one of our own orphans did this to Esh! They… They sliced him up!” she cried and ran up to hug him but he pushed her away.

“How could you let this happen? How? How Meyaderah?!”

She dropped to her knees and started to sob hysterically. Esh had already figured she blamed herself. Blamed herself for even letting him try to belong. When and if he ever healed, he would hug her and tell her it wasn’t her fault.

Korp turned to Esh, “I assure you my son, we will get to the bottom of this!”

The head master turned on his heels and was out of the room.

Sleep wouldn’t come. It was dark in his new cell and every time he moved on his squeaky bed the beast on his chest would awaken. He could feel something cold running down from the sides of the wound. He lifted a finger and carefully swabbed the wetness. He brought it to his nose and nearly vomited at the smell. It was the smell of death.

He couldn’t remember what the room he was in looked like for he was pretty much delirious when he had first awoke. By the time his mind had cleared up the room had been pitch black. There were no lights under the door and no moonlight shone through any window. The darkness began to play with his head, often morphing into strange shapes, creatures or even humanoids he knew. He wasn’t safe behind closed lids either, the creatures of the dark found him there too.

He heard the door creak open. There was a pause and then he heard quiet footsteps begin towards him. Please, not Korp. Please… Not Korp. Not the devil.

Esh began to squeak and wiggle but an unfamiliar, “Shhhh,” took him by surprise.

The figure was to his bedside in half a second.

“You’re dying, lad,” said the stranger.

This wasn’t news to Esh for he had already died. Or at least, he thought did.

“Should have kept to your own damn business.”

The young male’s eyes widened. Was this? Couldn’t be. How did he get in? What was he doing here?

Esh tried to sit up but was instantly held down by his neck.

“Stay down, will ya?” the stranger whispered, removing his hand to start fiddling with something in the darkness.

Esh complied but so many questions buzzed in his head. This could be only one humanoid, the trash worker. But why was this old male here? Who would want to visit a dying loathed?

“You aren’t going to like how this tastes lad, but it will save ya it will.”

A canister was held to his lips and before Esh could resist the trash worker sprayed something foul down his throat. There was an instant wooziness that overtook him and he wanted nothing else but to spit it back up. However, the trash worker would have none of this and covered Esh’s mouth with a hard pressed hand.

“You need to drink, dammit. I’ve risked too much to come here for you not to cooperate,” the Elder said, applying even more pressure. “Now, I’ll let go if you promise to swallow.”

Esh shook his head and the pressure was released. He forced himself to swallow the snot textured sour liquid. The room began to spin.

“This outta stop the infection and speed up the healing process.”

Esh heard the male stand followed by footsteps headed for the door.

“Wait,” Esh managed to say and the footsteps stopped.

“You will see me again,” the male said.

The door opened and closed, leaving Esh in complete darkness.

If the healing process was sped up by the nasty medicine, Esh couldn’t tell. He was in bed for what seemed like forever and little red sores began popping up under his back side. He had no books, no games, and no company. Except, that wasn’t true for Esh did have company every moon-cycle.

About an hour after all the sounds of the orphanage ceased as everyone fell asleep, Esh’s door would open and Korp would slither in. He wouldn’t say a word, he would just walk over to a chair in the corner and plant himself there for a very long time. He spent this time smoking fume sticks and…… watching him. Esh hated how the only light in the room was his yellow eyes. They say the more yellow your eyes were the more the blood of the sun of Reah had blessed you.

Esh never truly knew when he would fall asleep, he would just open his eyes and the sunlight would creep through the halls and into his room. Korp would not be there, not even the ash of his fume sticks.

Sun-cycles went by slow, slower than Esh thought possible. He found himself counting seconds, minutes, seeing how long he could go before getting distracted by vermin escaping through cracks in the wall or bugs being caught by bigger bugs. And with his time alone, with this punishment for being sliced open, his anger grew. He didn’t know what exactly it was he wanted to do but he did know one thing, he would change. What else did he have to fear? The worst had already been done to him.

Did he want to kill Mehch? Did he want to perform the same procedure on him? He didn’t know. All he knew was he grew more and more angry each sun-cycle and could only stuff all of these emotions down deep inside him. If he caught himself becoming too angry he would run through his verb conjugations and vocabulary of Reahlic. Anos, to have. Sentas, to feel. Chakras, to dream.

Finally, mother came in. He was mad at her too. Why didn’t she come to visit him? Was she too busy eating? Esh took that thought back instantly and felt like ash for thinking it.

She did not look good, as if the life Esh received daily was donated directly from her. Black circles under her eyes, and… was that a bruise on her cheek? She limped over to his bedside, a limp that had never presented itself to Esh before. What was going on?

He was able to sit up by now and asked her what was going on.

“You don’t worry!” she yelled, making him jump. Her cheeks were red, but the softness returned in her eyes. She pulled up a seat next to him and they sat in silence. Her presence was so soothing that he began to cry. Mother tried to hold it in but could not. This was their therapy and besides, crying indoors was a treat because tears outside would evaporate before they even left the lid.

She had only been in the room for a few minutes before Esh looked up from his bed to see Korp’s head peering through the door, his eyes wide in horror. As soon as mother turned to see what Esh was looking at, Korp had changed back to normal and he entered.

Meyaderah… Outside… Please,” he said.

Mother rose slowly, her chin to her chest and she slumped out of the room. Korp closed the door slowly, staring at his favorite young one.

There was a loud smack and a cry of pain.

4 - Training

Life continued and so did mother’s beatings. After Esh’s release from his cell, the other young males had left him alone entirely. However, the struggle wasn’t over yet. Lying in bed for such a long period of time, often in his own excrement and urine, left his body covered in leaking sores.

The first thing Esh did was run to the nearest mirror to take off his filthy bandages. What he saw made him drop to his knees.

A large scar started at his left shoulder and crossed his entire body to his right hip. It was thick, shiny, and very soft to the touch. Esh did have to congratulate Mehch on his handy work, he had created a masterpiece.

And yet it wasn’t the scar on his chest that made him drop, but the two circular scars on each of his shoulders, exactly where the hooks had punctured him in the land of sin. It took a few seconds for his breath to return to him.

This couldn’t be possible. Maybe Mehch came back and added these accessories while he had been passed out. He hoped this was true.

His time at the orphanage did not change and everyone around him acted as if nothing had happened. Nothing at all. Esh didn’t have any scars and he for sure had not be opened up by a bone-blade for all the humanoids of Reah to see his insides. Didn’t happen.

Esh no longer chased after the others, or tried to win their acceptance. He stuck to himself. The only thing he had to look forward to was the Choosing in which all fourteen-year-old males and Females were given the position in life that would fit them physically and mentally.

He would become a soldier, yes! A soldier. He would show them all how tough he was, how worthy to be of the land of Reah. But how? He was 8 years old, shorter than most of the other males and was by far the weakest. Yet the eight-year-old pictured himself in the gigantic armor of the army of Reah, the Red sun gleaming off the metallic pauldrons. And no set of armor is complete without the large heavy sword all soldiers had strapped to their backs, ready to be unsheathed and swung into action. He pictured all the humanoids clapping and cheering for him as he walked the streets, his purple hair completely forgotten.

He would have to train, and train hard. He would start this sun-cycle.

And Esh did train hard. During the unsupervised recesses, while the other males and females played, Esh was doing pushups. He couldn’t even do one, so he figured he could do them on his knees… barely. One knee push-up turned to 50, and one regular push-up transitioned to 50.

On his ninth natal sun-cycle, Esh treated himself to trying to do a pull-up using one of the bars that clothes were hung over. Training would be his natal sun-cycle gift to himself. However, just like the push-up, he just hung there, his face scrunched with effort.

So he swung, and swung until he was able to swing his chin over the bar. After two weeks he was able to do a single pull-up. After a month he could do ten!

By age 11, Esh made himself pick up every single heavy object he found. He would walk around the playground picking up all the heaviest stones he could, even picking up a few of the other smaller orphans as well. He kept up with his push-ups and his pull-ups.

Push-ups, pull-ups, and lifting heaving objects wasn’t all but he would run and he would run fast! Orphans would watch him start at one end of the street where he would sprint back as fast as he could until his legs failed him. It came to a point that he was running so much that his lungs soon forgot all about needing protection from the ash in the air. Esh, himself, did not notice the change. It just so happened that one sun-cycle he had forgotten to dawn his mask and since his lungs gave him no issues he never thought to use it again.

Every moon-cycle Esh would crash onto his sweat stained bed and fall asleep immediately. That was, until, one moon-cycle upon falling onto his bed his head hit something hard underneath the sheet. He tore the sheet off expecting to find a stone placed there by one of the orphans, but that wasn’t what he found. There, on his bed, was a brand new copy of Reahlic grammar. He instantly felt guilty. He had been slacking tremendously in his studies, sometimes not even showing up to class.

But wait, how did this book get here? He couldn’t think of anybody who had the money to buy such a shiny book, or even anyone that would do such a kind thing. That moon-cycle, when all the other orphans were asleep, Esh opened the book.

To his amazement, he did not find Reahlic grammar on the pages inside. No, but instruction on the grammar of the language of the Green humanoids. Vivreonish.

He couldn’t believe his eyes for fake mother had told him all of these books had been put to fire. All knowledge of the other territories was forbidden and those who hid such pieces of information could face time in the prisons. What was even more interesting about this book was that the cover seemed to not have been altered, as if this book was made to deceive the eyes of others.

His bottom lip quivered and tears fell from his eyes. This was the best moon-cycle of his life. He opened the book and read, forgetting completely about the generous stranger and his fatigue.

Esh was now age fourteen, ready to be chosen, ready to become a soldier. He never quit his training and never gave himself rest unless he was ill. He began to steal too.

When unsuspecting orphans were turned away Esh would take their food and scarf it down. During moon-cycles, he would sneak into the pantry and eat until his heart was content. He was pretty sure his mother suspected him, but said nothing. He had become stronger and had even went through a growth spurt. The only orphan that matched him in height was Mehch, who had become even fatter and lazier. Esh nearly laughed out loud when Mehch declared he was going to join the army and become general. “Not with that belly,” Esh had thought to himself.

Esh would also pick fights, using them as practice. Bruises were the norm and he was soon feared just as much as hated.

He would have tried to pick a fight with Mehch, but he had always been under the protection of Korp. The orphanage headmaster left Esh alone, he had found his new toy. Mehch liked it.

Esh’s stolen food helped a lot with his growth, but he was still always fatigued due to the extra studying he was doing. He became top of his class once again and not just in Reahlic, but mathematics and history as well.

Mother became noticeably less attached to Esh, and this hurt him so bad. Yet… he knew why. She brought him trouble and he brought her trouble. He knew Korp beat her and beat her hard. He would come back one sun-cycle and stop him, no matter the cost.

5 - The Choosing

Esh sat with the other 14-year-olds under a metal roof held up by four tall poles. He looked down at the shoes he had spit shined earlier that morning to see that they were now smudged with soot. The ash in the air marked the shirt he had tried so hard to freshen up with excess liquid cans he’d found in random garbage bins around his neighborhood.

This was the happiest sun-cycle of his life, replacing the time he had found the secret grammar book on Vivreonish. Soon he would be leaving the orphanage for good and would be heading in the direction of prestige, to respect, and to acceptance. He was confident that he would be chosen for the role of soldier.

Three lieutenants came to the orphanage four weeks ago to run all the orphans through some sort of crazy physical test. They were forced to climb ropes, run long distance, fifty push-ups, and even had to complete a session of hand to hand combat with each other. He wasn’t surprised that he was the only one to make it through the running section. He had been training for this. Mehch didn’t even complete the rope climb, falling after making it five feet. Esh had to stifle a laugh when he saw how red the fat bully’s gut had become from rope burn.

Since no other orphans had made it to the fighting part of the test the three lieutenants were forced to bring a few other kids who had passed the test from other schools and orphanages. Esh took care of each of them rather quickly, especially after he took off his shirt revealing his scar and using it as a tactic of fear. Two of his opponents had even refused to fight, choosing to cry instead.

As Esh sat straight up in his chair, he felt a sense of pride for the first time in his life. He couldn’t help but puff out his chest around the other kids.

In front of the waiting fourteen year-olds was a podium surrounded by about thirty chairs where the kids’ future bosses would be sitting soon.

Kids chatted with one another excitedly. Through each of their mannerisms, Esh was able to tell which kids were from Reahlic royalty and which had been drug away from juvenile gangs.

It wasn’t long before a nasty fight between a royal and gang member erupted and ended quickly with both of them bleeding but it was the royal who was now missing an ear.

“What the hell is going on in here!” screamed a fat sweaty male who had just entered under the metal roof. Behind the fat male walked behind him two large males porting the menacing shiny armor and Esh instantly forgot about the fight. The fat important male turned his head and yelled over his shoulder for someone to call an emergency care unit.

The ceremony didn’t get started until the royal and gangster were transported out. The gangster didn’t go without a fight, but it only took one punch to the gut by one of the armored soldiers to silence him. Esh heard a crack and was sure the blow had broken a few ribs.

“Now…” said the fat male, wiping sweat off his forehead. He wasn’t hot, he was just too big for his body to handle, “We can start the ceremony!”

Strangers dressed in all sorts of different uniforms began to pour into the makeshift auditorium, most of them were not happy to be the representative of their trade. It was just another sun-cycle of work for them. The orphans were the only ones cheering, the other kids seemed unhappy to leave their homes or wherever they came from.

“Everyone sit down!” demanded the fat male, his eyes running through the crowd of orphans in disgust. “Last year’s ceremony took too much time and as you all know, the humanoids before you have work to do. So without further blabbing, let us begin.”

With a flick of the wrist the male had pulled a large piece of parchment out of his pocket and placed a monocle over his eye. Esh doubted the important gross male needed glasses at all, it was just another way of placing him higher in the hierarchy.

“Rotz!” cried the male and a young male in the back stood. “You are hereby sentenced to maintenance. Congratulations.” Before anyone could clap the male had read another name and then another.

“Grond! You are sentenced to guard duty at the prison. Darurah, sentenced to midwife.” The male began to read faster and faster and soon two or three kids were standing up at once. “… sentenced to painter! … sentenced to surveillance! … sentenced to mail! … sentenced to…”

Esh’s excitement began to lessen and lessen as the ceremony dragged on. Had they forgotten about him? The auditorium was now only him and about twenty other kids.

“Mehch!” cried the fat male and Esh’s head raised. The sentence came quickly, “sentenced to the army!”

Mehch squeaked and he fell over getting out of his chair. As he ran up to the two armored soldiers he turned around and gave Esh a smirk. How could this be? Mehch didn’t even make it up the rope! He was almost as fat as the male sentencing the kids and was no better than a piece of shit dropped on the side of the road by a shagra!

Esh made himself shake it off. He had come too far to let something like this get in his way. He knew he would make a better soldier than Mehch and he would prove it.

“Esh!” cried the announcer.

Esh’s heart raced and he stood with lightning speed, startling the fat male before he could even read the sentence.

“Err, um, yes… Esh, let’s see. Oh! Yes, sentenced to garbage duty. “Chindrah! Sentenced to…” and that was that.

The young, hardworking, scarred and mentally abused orphan stayed standing, sure of himself that he had heard incorrectly. He had just been sentenced to soldier, ya, that’s right. He would become an excellent soldier. He would walk down the streets and humanoids would yell his name. Lieutenant Esh! Lieutenant Esh!

Yet reality began to melt back into place. He realized everyone was staring at him, including the announcer who had stopped reading.

The ceremony was over and everyone was walking out with their new employer.

Beads of sweat mingled with tears at the end of Esh’s nose. He was all alone now under the metal roof. His misery took all of his attention away from the sun-cycle’s heat, heat that was more intense than usual.

How was it possible that he had not been chosen as soldier? He was by far the best! He was even smarter than them! It wasn’t fair! All that hard work… and for nothing.

Esh fell off his chair and pounded his fists into the ash, splashing the black all over his body. Tears ran down his cheeks as he kept smashing his fists, ignoring the pain. It was only until he noticed his fists were bleeding that he did stop. His head drooped and his forehead rested in the dirt. He closed his eyes.

But he knew why he hadn’t been chosen, because of his hair, his eyes, and… his parents. He would be punished yet again for being bred by a traitor and a loathed.

Ten minutes must have passed by before Esh realized he wasn’t alone. He could feel a presence behind him, and he opened his eyes.

Through his legs was the Elder, the male whom Esh had helped six years ago. His white beard had grown longer and he now wore large black sun shades.

And he was asleep.

The Elder was snoring very loudly which made Esh wonder how he had not heard it before. He stood up quietly and tried to make his escape before the Elder awoke.

The snoring stopped and the Elder leaned his head forward.

“Not too happy are you, lad?” he asked with a smile. His teeth were surprisingly white, too white for someone of Reah.

“Why didn’t you ever come back?” Esh asked, turning back towards the Elder. It was the first question that popped into his head, a question he hadn’t even know was important to himself. But it was important.

“I never came back because I never left,” replied the Elder. He pulled a long cane he had strapped around his shoulder and placed it in front of him. “Why would I leave when you are so interesting to watch?”

Esh was instantly creeped out and at that moment he wished he could go back in time and stop his eight-year-old self from ever getting in the way of the orphans and their crude game.

“And besides, who else would protect you from that mean ole Korp.”

Esh’s eyes widened. This Elder actually knew about Korp? How could he?

“What do you know about him?” Esh asked, momentarily forgetting he was just sentenced to garbage duty.

“All I know is that he is very strange and very dangerous. He has problems in the head, I think.”

Esh was starting to believe Korp and this Elder were both crazy.

“However, I never did have to step in. Looks like he found someone else to play with,” said the Elder, standing up and turning his back to Esh. “Come along, we have to pick up all the undesirables that Reah has left on the street.”

“You might as well place me in that bag of yours,” Esh said under his breath. The Elder, with lightning speed, turned around and slammed his cane into Esh’s right temple making him crash to the ground.

He lay there holding his head, his body stunned. His cheeks burned out of pain and embarrassment.

The Elder bent over and put his face directly in front of his. Esh could smell alcohol on his breath. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again,” he hissed. “Do you understand me, lad?”

Esh nodded his head and the Elder gave him a hand up.

“Let’s go, we have work to do.”

6 - Undesirables

The job was much worse than Esh had ever imagined. He wasn’t used to being under the sun for so long and it was really starting to get to his head. Luckily, the Elder brought along plenty of liquid canisters for him. Esh found himself pouring through ten maybe fifteen canisters a sun-cycle. The Elder didn’t seem to notice or even care for that matter.

What was worse about the job were the humanoids. By the end of his first sun-cycle he had been nearly drenched in spit which had cooked under the heat forming into a sort of film on his skin. The Elder was somehow able to dodge the attacks and make it home dry.

Esh never thought he would find himself wanting to return to the orphanage so badly, which was a luxurious mansion compared to where he now slept… on the street. It was true that most humanoids of Reah actually slept were they worked for it was a sign of hard work and loyalty to one’s chosen profession.

The Elder was no exception to this rule, therefore, Esh was forced to sleep on the sidewalks next to the street. He was essentially a homeless garbage male with no pay. Apprentices didn’t get paid until they were at least seventeen years old and had learned their trade. But what else was there to learn?

A month had gone by since the ceremony and Esh had changed a lot. He was stronger, leaner, and his skin color had darkened. He was now able to dodge a lot of the spit attacks from the citizens and even spit back when the Elder wasn’t looking. He also tried picking up trash in the graceful way that his mentor did. He didn’t like calling the Elder a mentor for was it really possible to train someone in the art of trash? Yet Esh really did only have two options, make the best out of this shitty job or kill himself. He thought he would try and make it work.

After the end of another long sun-cycle, Esh and the Elder retired to their usual spot by a bridge that let humanoids pass over a flowing river of molten lava. He was about to roll out his sleeping rug when the Elder grabbed his wrist.

“Are you tired of sleeping on the streets yet, lad?”

“What do you mean? As if I really have a choice,” Esh replied, looking down at the Elder’s fist. His knuckles were white with scars.

“Tell me lad,” said the Elder, his grip tightening. “What do you want in life?”

The question was unexpected and took Esh completely off guard. Why was this old garbage male asking what he wanted in life? As if he was supposed to answer that his life long dream had been to pick up all the trash left by the nice humanoids of Reah. He didn’t answer.

The Elder released his grip and threw his sleep rug to the ground and laid on it. Esh did the same and they spent the moon-cycle silently. However, the young male couldn’t sleep for the Elder’s question wouldn’t allow it. Had he really and truly wanted to be a soldier? Or was that just a mere facet to gain the love of others. What did he want in life?

The next sun-cycle was scorching hot just like the sun-cycle before and the sun-cycle before that. They made their way along the street until they found themselves in front of the army base which was surrounded by a handmade metal gate. Through the cracks Esh could see all the young males who had been lucky enough to be chosen training outside. The instructor would yell something out and the males would fall to their stomachs. The instructor would yell out other commands which had the young soldiers rolling, jumping and doing push-up after push-up.

And then he spotted Mehch. He was still fat and looked utterly miserable. This made Esh very happy.

The two males’ eyes met and Mehch made the same smirk that he had made at the ceremony. His demeanor changed and he picked up the pace, still smiling at Esh.

“What are you doing?” the Elder asked, picking up a dead animal, its face covered in the treads of a boot.

“Oh, um… I never have seen the army base before now,” he replied.

“No, I know exactly what you were doing. You were checking up on that Mehch child,” the Elder said, stopping his work and walking towards Esh. “That’s the one who gave you the scar, isn’t it?” He poked Esh’s chest.

Esh’s eyes fell to the ground. After a moment of silence, he nodded.

“Hmm… I’m sure good male Korp gave Mehch the punishment he deserved. Am I right?”

Esh looked back through the gate at Mehch who was still pretending to enjoy his boot camp training. “No, he was never punished. He actually became Korp’s right hand orphan.”

“I see,” said the Elder. “I don’t think that’s fair, do you?”

“No, not at all.”

The Elder smiled, put his hands on his hips and squinted up at the sky. “I don’t think you will ever get over this Mehch business if you don’t get a little payback.”

Esh’s lips parted and he looked up at the Elder. “Huh?”

“You heard me. Now, I am not a male of revenge but… come on, lad! This kid sliced you from your head to your leg!”

Esh smiled. Maybe it was revenge that he had wanted all along.

7 - Deceiving Looks

They waited until the sun revolved to its darkest side, the moon-cycle. The Red territory was dark. A few weeks ago, the King of Reah had passed a curfew, no one was allowed outside during moon-cycles unless you were involved in some sort of maintenance profession.

Taking full advantage of this curfew, Esh and the Elder found it easy to make their way to the base without any humanoids spotting them. They did, however, have to figure out a way to get inside.

Esh was coming up with all sorts of plans, such as climbing the fence or even cutting a hole. When he tried to convey these ideas to the Elder he would just stick a finger to his lips and shush him. After the third time Esh gave up and followed mutely.

They ended up at a door on the side of the building. The door opened and a soldier walked out. Before Esh was seen, the Elder had grabbed his collar and yanked him behind the wall. Again, the Elder put a finger to his lips.

Esh and the Elder peaked around the corner and saw that the soldier had turned his back, busy lighting a fume stick. Esh barely had time to blink before the Elder blurred before him and was behind the soldier within half a second. He twisted his arms around the soldier’s neck and choked him. The soldier, who looked quite bulky, didn’t have the strength required to even budge the Elder behind him. After ten seconds he had succumbed to the choke. The garbage male put the soldier down gently, turning to wave Esh to his side.

Esh didn’t move, his mouth open in amazement. What the actual four hells was that? Did this Elder, who looked to be in his mid-seventies, just take out a soldier almost three times his size?

“Will you come on!” the Elder hissed at Esh.

This time he listened and ran towards his mentor with his head down.

“How?”

“How did I do that?” the Elder asked, opening the door and shooing Esh inside.

“Yes, of course! How did you get behind him? How did you know how to do that?”

“These questions would be better asked later.”

Esh knew he was right and pushed the questions aside, focusing his mind on the task.

They slowly made their way across the dark hall. Esh couldn’t see worth a damn but it seemed as if the Elder knew exactly where he was going. Soon, they made it to another door, took a right, another door, took a left. How did this Elder know where he was going? It was like walking through a pitch black cave!

Finally, the Elder put a hand on Esh’s chest to stop him.

“We’re here,” he said and cracked the door open. They crept inside, luckily the room had a window and moonlight was able to shed some light on the dozens of beds stacked on each other. The Elder continued his stealthy strode, his nose in the air as if he could smell exactly where Mehch was lying.

Esh slammed his shin against one of the bed posts and both of them froze, both of their eyes wide with terror. The Elder turned and gave a look that said, “What the four hells, lad? You tryna get us killed!”

The room was still dead, not even a break in the snores. So they continued to tip toe. Esh’s eyes were more accustomed to the dark, enough that he could tell the faces if he squinted hard enough. They probably passed twenty sets of bunks before they found him.

Fat, wearing nothing but his underwear, and food still on the corner of his mouth. Now that they had found him Esh was dumbfounded as what he should do. He wanted to kill him, that was true, but he couldn’t do it here.

But before he could ponder on how to move Mehch from his bed, the Elder pulled out a small liquid compressor which had some sort of make shift needle at the tip and shoved it into Mehch’s neck. The fat male’s eyes and mouth shot open, his tongue flopped out and his irises disappeared leaving only the whites.

“Whuh,” Esh muttered, but the Elder shushed him once again.

“He’s not dead!” he whispered, and quietly hoisted the male over his shoulder.

They were on the move.

This time they were faster. Esh didn’t remember the way out but luckily his garbage mentor did. His heart pounded, not sure if he was excited or scared or both. They got to the exit exactly when the whole base lit up with screams from other soldiers.

“Intruders! Intruders! The undesirables are here! We are under attack!” was being repeatedly cried out by the guards on duty.

The Elder and young one looked at each other.

“Dammit, I knew I should have held that choke longer,” said the Elder with a shrug. “I guess you lose what you don’t practice.” He readjusted Mehch on his shoulder and before Esh could ask him what he meant the Elder busted into an unnatural sprint.

Esh could barely keep up and he wasn’t the one holding the heavy sack of lard! At first he thought they were heading for their spot by the bridge, but the Elder made a turn which directed them to the Igneous Plains. The army base was alive and so now was the city of Zel. Humanoids walked out of their metal-roofed huts to see what all the commotion was about. The Elder was smart in that he chose all the alley ways that kept them in direction of the same destination but with fewer witnesses.

With one more turn they were spit out of Zel and into the Igneous Plains. Tiny moon-cycle creatures fled out of their way as the Elder ran deeper into the sleeping desert of dried magma.

The Elder stopped his sprint and came to a fast paced walk. They must have been running for half an hour! If Esh hadn’t been training for so long to be a soldier he never would have been able to keep up. Then what would have come of him? He would surely have been captured.

They stopped and Esh put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. There was a tall mactus behind one of the giant dried magma stones. A mactus was a plant covered entirely of metal and grew to be around fifteen feet tall and were very rare. Herbs usually had to be grown indoors by chosen Reahlic herbalists, except for this species which had adapted to the heat with a hard metal shell that coated its body. Esh had heard stories of humanoid bones being found near their stalks having died of thirst while trying to carve their way into the liquid filled meat.

The Elder pulled out a rope from his bag and tied Mehch’s limp body to the mactus. He then proceeded to blind fold him with the young male’s own underwear.

They waited.

After a while, Esh’s stomach growled very loudly. The Elder must have heard for he threw some sort of food bar that of which Esh caught like a starving animal.

“What was that?” Esh asked, nibbling on the bar. It tasted so bad that he thought he might rather eat some of the garbage they had been picking up.

“What was what?” asked the Elder, giving his own protein bar a disgusted look before taking a bite.

“What you put in his neck, what was that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? A sleeping aid, just a really powerful one.”

“Oh. When will he wake up?”

“Hmm… Not sure, really depends on him, doesn’t it?” The Elder took another mouthful of bar. “But I sure hope he wakes up soon… Once the sun rotates back and shines over that mactus… Well… your buddy here is gonna fry. Probably tastes better than this shit, I bet ya.” He took another bite.

This whole ordeal seemed to be no big deal to this old trash worker. Who was he? First, he’s choking soldiers half his age to sleep and now he doesn’t even care if this orphan male basically burns at the stake? Question was, did Esh himself care? He kind of liked the idea of seeing the one responsible for this hideous scar get toasted by the sun.

“What are we gonna do when and if he wakes up?”

The Elder gave Esh a confused look as if he should already know the answer. “Well, we give him an ultimatum of course.”

“What’s an ultimatum?”

“Well, it’s a kind of question, just a bit more severe. The way you answer it can have dire consequences, or at least for this kid it will.”

“So… What is the question, er, ultimatum we are going to ask him?”

The Elder looked at the sky, the moon side of the sun was reflected in his eyes. “I’ll leave that up to you.”

The Elder and young one both slept apart. Esh was surprised how easily sleep came considering that they had just stolen a fresh soldier recruit and had him tied up naked to a metal plant out in the Igneous Plains. Yes, sleep came very easily to him and no dreams soiled his rest. The only thing that did interrupt his sleep was the surprised squeals of a very brave young soldier.

“What the cold four hells is going on? Where am I? Who are you?! I’ll have you know I’m a decorated soldier!”

The Elder was still snoring when Esh shook him awake.

The trash worker awoke with a jolt, coughed a few times and said “Oh, well it looks like our friend has finally joined us from the land of the dreams. He’s probably gonna wish he stayed there, isn’t that right, Esh?” He pulled out another canister, one that looked ragged and well used. He lifted it to his mouth and a dark colored alcohol poured into his mouth.

Mehch’s mouth dropped upon hearing his past victim’s name. “You! You’re the one behind this?! You filthy piece of shagra shit! Untie me right now so I can give you another scar!”

Esh didn’t say a word, he couldn’t. He was disappointed, disappointed that he was actually frightened of Mehch’s words, even though he was the one in power here.

“You aren’t a very bright one, are you?” the Elder asked, poking Mehch’s belly. The fat child flinched and made another squeal as he tried to break his bindings, his gut bouncing.

“When they come for me they will execute ya both! An I’ll be there! Watchin’ the whole thing!”

Esh tried not to listen. This was his time, his moment. He could do whatever it was he wanted! He could cut off Mehch’s toes one by one and then move onto his fingers. Or he could gut him, give him a matching scar. He could even beat him to death with his fists. No one would hear this demon scream.

It was then he knew what he wanted.

“You have a choice, Mehch. I’ll give you one chance, once chance to save your worthless life. You hurt me and hurt me bad and all I ever wanted was to be accepted!”

“Let me stop yuh there,” Mech said, his smile looking funny with blind folded eyes. “There isn’t a single humanoid in the land that would accept a half bred like yuhself. You’re ash! No! Worse than ash, you’re shit. A plague on this-”

Esh interrupted him, “You either apologize to me… or I gut you and leave you here for the glint fliers.”

The Elder gave him a surprised look. “I’m impressed, lad! Gut him and leave him to the glint fliers, an excellent choice.”

Glint fliers were three feet long winged animals. They were called glint fliers because they used their metal bellies to create a glint of light in eyes of their small prey. However, they’ve been known to pick the flesh off wounded humanoids and animals alike.

Mehch did seem nervous now, but was trying his best not to show it. “I won’t… I won’t do it. Not to uh monster like you!”

The Elder stroked his beard whilst looking at Mehch and then back to Esh. “Looks like he’s made up his mind, lad. Do it quick.” He pulled out a hidden dagger from his hip and flung it into the air. It twirled a few times before he caught it softly and accurately by its blade. He then handed the handle to Esh, all without taking his eyes of Mehch.

Esh held the dagger out in front of him. Its handle was shaped in a way that fit his hand perfectly as if it had been made exactly for him. At the very top part of the hilt was a blue gem that glowed without the help of reflection. It was beautiful and enticed him to keep looking and looking… He couldn’t take his eyes off the-.

“Stop!” yelled the Elder, bringing Esh out of the trance. “Don’t look at the blue, just do the job.”

He was right, Esh had to do this. But why was he hesitating? And what the four hells was that gem?

“Get on with it!” the Elder said impatiently. He walked up to the tied up soon to be corpse and poked it hard. Mehch screamed out loud and flailed like an animal caught in a trap.

“Nooo!!!” Mehch cried, tears coming from under the underwear blind fold.

The Elder fingered a large X shape on the fat gut, “Right here, Esh. Do it here!”

Esh was almost giddy. But he was also scared and this created some strange mixture of crazed adrenaline. He walked closer and closer to his prey, his own murderous smile creeping across his face. This was his time.

Esh reversed his grip of the dagger and held it over his head. He took a deep breath.

“Good bye, demon,” he said, and brought the dagger down.

8 - The Wisps

He couldn’t do it. The tip of the blade grazed Mehch but nothing more. He dropped the blade into the ash and stepped back.

“No… I won’t… I can’t… I am not like you,” Esh said, tears running down his face.

The Elder blew out a puff of air and picked up the dagger, placing it back in its hiding spot.

Mehch began to laugh despite the pain he must have been from the scratch Esh gave him. He laughed so hard that it began to hurt Esh’s ears. The young male was beside himself with pure ecstasy. “I knew it! You’re not only a piece of hot shit, but a coward as well! You don’t know how happy I was when you got chosen to pick up the garbage! How fitting for a piece of garbage to pick up a piece of garbage!” This was followed by more laughs, laughs that sounded like screams.

Esh sat down and the Elder knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“I was right about you,” he said. “You’ve passed, Esh.”

It was the first time the Elder had called him by his name in all the time they had been together.

Esh was just about to ask him what he meant by that when the Elder jerked him up in one abrupt movement, his face a sudden seriousness. He brought Esh close to his body, but not in a hug, but more of how a father would hold a child when danger was near.

“Oh no… No, no, no…” the Elder whispered to himself, looking up at the sky and down at the ground. “Not now.”

“What? What is it?” Esh asked, following his mentor’s gaze.

The Elder dove for Mehch and began cutting away at his bindings.

“Run Esh! Run!”

Esh didn’t run, he just stood there blind and confused as to what was happening. The ground abruptly started to shake sending vibrations all the way up Esh’s spine, but he stood his ground. He wanted to run, but something deep inside himself wouldn’t let him leave his mentor.

The Elder released Mehch who fell flat on his chest still in a fit of hysterical laughter. He tried to pull the male up but to no avail. Mehch wasn’t going anywhere with them, especially not without a fight.

“Shit, no time!” cried the Elder. He pulled the dagger back out of his robes and with one swift movement he cut the throat of Mehch. Blood gushed out almost immediately and the dying child gave a questioning look at the life pouring out of his throat.

“What did you do that for!” Esh screamed, his knees trembling more from the sight of blood than the quaking ground beneath his feet.

The Elder turned to him and grabbed his arm. “Go!”

Before Esh could protest the Elder wrenched him off his feet and was carrying him underneath one arm. The ground grew more and more turbulent and cracks began to appear. The Elder was forced to jump over several of the larger craters just in time before they had become too wide. Esh made the mistake of looking down one and could see nothing but darkness.

The Elder probably carried him a good two hundred feet before stopping and dropping him.

“Look,” he commanded, grabbing Esh’s head and turning it towards the dying Mehch now twitching on his side. So much blood.

What came next would change Esh’s life forever.

A black shape emerged from the ground in the shape of a gigantic mouth. With a gooey like texture, the mouth formed long spiked teeth that slowly enclosed themselves around Mehch. The mouth closed but Esh could still hear Mehch’s muffled screams. How was he still alive?

The black mouth chewed its prey twice, silencing the young male’s screams and sending a red spray from the side of its lips. It raised itself from the ground just enough that Esh could see its red eye. The same eyes from his dreams, his dreams of the land of sin. A dream come true.

The demon descended back into hell.

There was silence for a few moments. The Elder put a hand on Esh’s chest and said, “Calm your breathing, you are the master of your body.”

“What was that… that thing? Did that really just happen?” Esh asked in a panic, trying to stand up. The Elder wouldn’t let him.

“You first need to relax, lad. You won’t be able to comprehend anything at your current state. A panicked mind creates a blind eye!”

“How can you be so calm? Did you not just see that… that… that demon! It just swallowed him whole!”

The Elder stared at him. “You’ve seen them before, haven’t you?”

Esh didn’t say anything. He turned away from his mentor.

“Of course, why didn’t I see it before! You’re a half breed! That must be why… I’m guessing they’ve sought after you in the dream world too, huh lad?"

Esh began to calm down and the Elder sat in front of him, his hands on Esh’s shoulders. “They’ve visited you, haven’t they?”

“It was just a dream.”

“It wasn’t just a dream!” the Elder yelled, shaking him. “They visit half breeds in their sleep! They try to… lure you.”

“Lure me? What are you talking about?”

The Elder was quiet, his mouth opened and shut multiple times as if trying to find words to say. And finally, “We should go to my home. I’ll explain to you everything there. Everything.”

“You have a-,”

Something grabbed his ankle and ripped him out of his seated position and started to drag him away from the Elder. Ash kicked up into his face as the unknown force accelerated faster and faster. Esh struggled to look down and saw a black hand sticking out of the ground and gripping his leg, its sharp finger tips digging into his skin. He could hear the Elder running after him calling out his name but Esh figured he would be long dead before the Elder was able to catch up. He was on his own and he had to think fast.

He leaned up, his buttocks now taking most of the damage. Balancing against the high speed, he bent down to wrench the grip open, but it was no good. His hands disappeared into the black mass and was only able to feel his taught ankle.

The hand released him and he found himself laying on his back with the ground rumbling beneath him. The Elder’s cries were barely audible and Esh knew this was the end for him.

He tried to lean up and get to his feet but the turbulence had started back up and made it too hard to stand. The ground opened up to his left and right and with quick thinking he tried to jump as far as he could but something reached out and caught him by the abdomen. He gasped, seeing that he was now being gripped by the same hand but it was now much larger as if a giant lived underground and had just shoved his entire hand through the surface. The black gooey hand did not squeeze tight this time, but just enough to let Esh know there was no escaping.

Black strings formed and slapped against his face. Esh tightened his mouth as hard as he could, but it was a futile attempt. The black strings hit the corners of his lips and forced themselves inside. He gagged as they flew to his throat and down into his stomach. And then there was nothing. Esh hit the ground just as fast as the black hand had disappeared.

He sat up and brought his knees to his chest. He reached for his ankle but felt no pain. In fact, he felt… rather well. He stood up and found that his fatigue had left him and so had his fear. His stomach felt full like he had just eaten a very hefty meal.

It was a long time before the Elder finally caught up to him, clutching his knees and trying to catch his breath.

“What- What was that all about? How did you-,”

“I didn’t do anything,” Esh replied. “It just kinda…… let go of me.” He thought it best to keep the matter of him consuming demonic goo to himself.

The Elder gave him a wild look. “The Wisps don’t just let go of their prey, lad. You must have done something.”

“I’m telling you, I did absolutely nothing! I tried to get it off of me but my hands just went right through it.”

The Elder stared deep into his eyes as if he could smell the lie. He then closed his eyes and let out a big puff of air. “Let’s get outta here, lad. You got lucky once, don’t bet on getting lucky twice.”

9 - Secrets of a Trash Worker

They walked back into town without saying another word. Esh was absolutely exhausted and his brain was having trouble functioning. He figured that at any moment he would wake back up in the orphanage surrounded by snoring and farting orphans. But if this was a dream it was to continue for they had made it to the middle of the town and he hadn’t woken up.

The Elder brought them in front of a horrible looking shack of a house. It looked as if at any minute it was going to collapse in on itself, killing all inside of it.

“Here we are. Remember how to get here?”

Esh nodded but wasn't sure if he even wanted to remember how to get back here. He must have been delirious, making jokes in his head right after seeing a demon swallow a kid whole.

The Elder pushed the door and it opened with a loud creak. “Come on in,” he said, letting himself in first.

There was absolutely nothing inside, no bed, no chairs, and no kitchen. Esh didn’t care. He let himself lay down and was almost to the brink of passing out.

“What are you doing? A bed isn’t good enough for ya, lad?”

“What bed?” Esh asked, his eyes closed. He heard the Elder walk across the room and open another door. He opened his eyes and saw the Elder descending down under the house. Nothing surprised him anymore.

A light was coming from the hole in the ground and Esh couldn’t help but crawl towards it for he had never seen anything like it. He poked his head down the hole and what he saw about made him fall. There was a whole other space beneath the shitty hut!

He felt along the hole and found a rope attached to the side. He shimmied down as fast as he could and landed in something soft. He looked down and saw that he had sunk into some sort of powder that covered the entire room. He looked up and jumped at the sight of large humanoid like dummies that had been installed in random spots of the room. He looked to his right and an astonished gasp escaped him. Weapons! He’d never seen so many! There were axes, batons, large sticks, swords, and daggers that were fastened to the wall leaving hardly any open space.

“What do you think?” asked the Elder, picking up one of the large bo staffs from the wall.

“I… I certainly… um, wasn’t expecting this. What exactly is this? Where are we?”

“Well, my home of course!” He swung the staff at Esh and hit him square in the chest, sending him backwards into one of the dummies. He looked up to see the Elder charging after him. Esh was barely able to dodge out of the way of the crazy Elder’s next attack.

“What are you doing! Stop!” Esh cried, holding his throbbing chest where he had been hit.

His foot got stuck in the strange grainy substance and he fell. The Elder was over him instantly, the butt of the bo in his face.

“Great, now that you’re awake we can talk.”

The Elder backed away and placed the weapon back on the wall.

“What the hell is wrong with you!” Esh yelled. He began to cry out of exhaustion. If he hadn’t agreed to seeking revenge against Mehch none of this would have happened. Now he was being attacked by some crazy senior who had just slit a fourteen-year-old male’s throat.

His mentor crossed the room and sat crossed legged in front of him. He looked just as exhausted as Esh.

“We have a lot to discuss, so when you are done crying we can begin.” He pulled out a small compressed can and pressed it to his lips. ‘Hot Slag’ was the slogan written on the canister, the alcoholic beverage of choice by most of the workers in the maintenance class. After he took his sip he offered it to Esh.

The young male sat up and took it. He dried his tears with the back of his forearm and sprayed some of the liquid in his mouth. His tongue and the inside of his cheeks burned but it was the taste that about made him vomit. He forced himself to swallow and the heat traveled down to his stomach.

He felt better, surprisingly. “Ok, let’s talk.”

“We are sitting on something called sand. It isn’t from Reah, but from the land of the forest under the Green sun. Basically, sand is just rock that has been broken up into trillions and trillions of very small pieces.”

Esh grabbed a handful and let it pour out of his fist.

“However, you probably know it as ‘bosh’.” He took the slag back from Esh and took another drink.

“Bosh? That’s Vivreonish!” Esh said excitedly.

The Elder laughed, “Yes, yes it is, lad. You must be pretty good in Vivreonish to know words like bosh.”

The child’s heart stopped. He had completely forgotten about his grammar book of Vivreonish. He had left it at the orphanage on the sun-cycle of the sentencing. It was probably in the trash by now.

The Elder stood back up and crossed the sand to some barracks in the corner of the room. He picked up a black item and tossed it to Esh.

It was his grammar book. “How did you- “

“You do realize that I am the reason you are here. I chose you. Rigged the system and everything just to make sure you would be placed under my care.”

“You… did what?” Esh demanded, dropping the book. His anger turned his vision red. “Are you telling me that you’re the reason I’m not going to be a soldier?”

“You don’t know what you’re sayin’, lad. Give me a second to explain.”

But Esh didn’t give him a second, not before he was charging straight for the Elder’s legs. It was a complete failure. The Elder side stepped effortlessly out of the way and grabbed the child’s ear with amazing accuracy, nearly ripping it off.

“Ahhh!”

“You are going to listen to me and you are going to listen to me right now!” the Elder yelled, yanking Esh’s ear to his mouth. “You would have never gained what you were looking for in the army. If anything, you would have been worse off! The army is filled with humanoids who want to kill the undesirables, and YOU are HALF undesirable. Do you hear me?”

Tears started up again, they were cold against his cheeks. His anger faded.

“I have been watching you ever since that sun-cycle you stood up against the other children.”

“Oh ya, well where were you when they cut me open!”

The Elder let go of his ear, his face looked hurt and he took another slug of slag. He took a few deep shaky breaths before saying, “You’re right. I should never have left and I’ll never forget it. It may be the biggest mistake of my life, lad.” He began to pace. “I wanted to forget about you, wanted to move on with my life. But I couldn’t. I saw you laying on that table every moon-cycle when I shut my eyes. And… I’m sorry.” He turned his back away from the young male.

Esh didn’t say anything, what could he say to something like that? The Elder could easily have saved him, but who would have imagined that the humanoids of Reah had it in them to cut open an eight-year-old male?

“What was that thing back there?”

The Elder took a deep breath, “That thing was pure black energy, an ancient energy that has no emotion and feeds off the souls of this world.”

“In my dreams, the demons, or, these black energy things… They seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. How can that not be emotion?” Esh asked.

“They do not have emotion, but they do have intelligence. They use those sorts of dreams to weaken the half breeds. You see, the souls of half breeds are more nutritious for the Wisps.”

“The Wisps?” Esh asked.

“Yes, we call them the Wisps.”

“Who’s we?”

The Elder scratched his head, “Oh, right. You don’t know anything do ya? Well, I’ll make you a deal. You hear me out and hear me good. You let me tell you everything my job on this world entails, including all the hardships and sacrifices one has to make in order to protect the innocent. If you hear me to the end I will give you a choice. You can either join me and endure my training… or I will rig the system back to where it should have been and you will be placed under the army.”

Esh nodded his head in agreement and the Elder continued.

“My association is called the Order. We are a group of like minded assassins who understand the threat that lives with us and underneath us. The threat with us are the humanoids of Reah, who will, one of these sun-cycles, rage a war against the other three territories, a war that will devastate this world. The enemy beneath us are, as you probably guessed, the Wisps. The Wisps desire to farm us humanoids. They let us give birth and only eat when they need. However, now that they know they are in danger from the Order, they will soon try to fully eradicate every race with a soul that lives on this world. Just like they have before.

“Before? Before what? And wait… you’re an assassin?”

The Elder lifted an eyebrow, “Ugh, yeah… The whole assassin thing should have been obvious by now. I have a WALL of weapons, lad. Old farts like me don’t just have a collection of shiny objects made for killing. And yes, like before. This isn’t the first world the Wisps have visited. In fact, the Order’s philosophers believe they have destroyed many others.”

“But how does the Order know this if you can’t speak to them?”

“You should know the answer to this, lad. You’ve spoken to them yourself.”

Esh slowly shook his head, “No I haven’t, I’ve only dreamed of them.”

“And like I’ve told you before, they only visit half breeds in their sleep. If you can learn to lucid dream you can actually speak to them, and they will be more than happy to communicate with you.”

“Why would they want to speak to someone who is part of the Order?”

“Because the longer you speak to them the more they can grasp control of you.” The Elder grimaced. “I remember long ago when we were forced to kill one of our own. He must have lost track of time in his dream, became too confident in his abilities. He gained so much information from the Wisps, but the information never made it to our ears. His body had slowly begun to turn black, his veins becoming more and more visible through his skin. He started to attack us, killing four and wounding three before we were able to bring him down.”

“Is that why you killed Mehch?” Esh asked.

“No, I killed him because of what he was about to endure. If your soul is consumed by a Wisp then it stays with them for all eternity. I’m sure you saw what work these Wisps can do to their prisoners.”

Esh knew exactly what the Wisps did and he never wanted to see that again.

“But I was too late. I’m pretty sure the child wasn’t dead before that Wisp got to him.

“Let me get this straight. You’re part of a secret organization that fights against these black demons who now want to kill off everyone on this world?

“When you say it like that it sounds ridiculous, but yes, you have the general idea.”

“And half breeds like myself can actually speak to them?”

“Exactly,” the Elder said, trying to take another drink but was disappointed to find that the canister was empty.

“Ok, but why did you choose me?”

The Elder threw the canister to the other side of the room. He turned and grabbed Esh by the shoulders, “What you did that sun-cycle when you stopped those orphans… You did what no other humanoid of Reah would have done. This land is a corrupted monarchy, where freedom isn’t even a dream because it has never existed. Do you know why the land of Reah hates the other three worlds?” Esh shook his head no. “Because they cannot control the other three! That is where the big raids come into play.”

“What raids?” Esh asked.

The Elder let go of his shoulders. “Do you even know what the soldiers do when they march out of this land? Humanoids hang out of their windows and give praise to these brave soldiers, but do you even know what they do? The raid’s main objective is to kill as many undesirables as possible, it’s as simple as that.

“I thought the raids were to take care of possible terror threats?”

The Elder laughed, “If by terroristic threats you mean the killing of innocent villagers, females and children, then yes.”

“I don’t understand,” Esh said, shaking his head. “If there are no terrorist threats, why kill the innocent?

“To incite fear in the three territories with a hope that they will one sun-cycle bow to the humanoids of the Red sun.”

“Is that what you think happened to my parents?” Esh asked, looking down at the sand.

The Elder rubbed his temples and sighed, “There is another reason I have been watching after you, Esh. You having a role in the Order is something your parents didn’t want. In fact, they made me promise that if anything ever happened to them that I would make sure you would live a normal life.”

“You knew my parents?” Esh asked, his eyes widening. Until this very moment he had never heard a single thing about his parents. He honestly never even thought about them much, only occasionally. His fake mother even told him that no one really knew his exact date of birth. “Tell me more!” Esh demanded excitedly, standing up, his heart pounding. “I want to know about them!”

The Elder stood up too and put his hand on Esh’s head. “First, I need you to get some sleep. You have a lot to think about and a choice to make, probably the first choice anyone has ever given you. I made you a deal and I plan to stick to it. If you want to join the army, I won’t stop you. Or… you can stay here with me and maybe even join the Order one sun-cycle.”

“How can you possibly think I could sleep after you just told me you actually knew my parents!”

The Elder walked over to two beds that were already made up. He pulled back the covers of one and slipped inside, clothes and all. “We will talk about it in the morning, after training,” he said.

“You can’t do this to me!” But it was too late, the Elder was already snoring.

10 - Breakfast with an Assassin

Esh’s nose woke him up from a dreamless sleep. The Elder was across from him turning a large spoon in an even larger pot. Whatever he was cooking smelt amazing.

“You’re not a very good fighter,” the Elder said without turning from his stew.

Esh raised himself up with care, surprised that he felt no pain or fatigue. He actually felt very well rested. “What’s that you’re making?”

“Just something quick before we start our work. Lots to be done.”

“But I didn’t say I was going to join you yet,” Esh said, rubbing his eyes.

The Elder turned to Esh and dried his hands on his robes. “Ok, well let me finish this food up and I’ll go and put you on the army roster.” He called the bluff.

Esh sunk his head back down to his pillow, his cheeks hot. “I… I don’t want to go to the army,” he mumbled, feeling like a child.

“What makes you think I haven’t changed my mind? Why should the Order accept someone with your attitude and lack of skill? This isn’t a game, lad.”

A string of thoughts pushed themselves into Esh’s head. He jumped out of bed and stuck out his chest, he knew now what he wanted.

“I want to make a difference! I want to be different!”

The Elder stared at Esh and his head began to slowly nod. “Alright, I’ll give you a chance, lad. You’re training starts this afternoon. For now, let’s eat and discuss where you came from.”

Esh stood up and took in his surroundings. The walls were bare except the one with all the weapons. All of the light that the room had came from several hanging torches that gave a surprising amount of light but he still couldn’t shake the eerie feeling he was stuck in some dungeon. And the sand, although nice at first, quickly became a nuisance. It was in his hair, his mouth, and in his bed.

“Let me give you a tour,” his mentor said. “I’m sure you already know what this wall is for.” He pointed at the wall with all of the weapons. “You will become accustomed to all of them through time. You are too weak for most of them, but we will start small and work our way up.”

The Elder walked towards the only exit in the room and Esh followed. “And this is the kitchen,” he said, gesturing to a lone table with four chairs and then over to his steaming pot that sat over a much used fire pit. Above the pot was a handmade chimney made from lava rock. “There is no bathroom so you will have to leave the pit and do your business outside.”

“The pit?”

“Yes, I call this humble home the pit. Looks kind of like a pit, wouldn’t you say, lad?”

It did look a lot like a pit, but was still somewhat nice. Nicer than the orphanage anyways. The beds looked to have clean sheets and the sand seemed to have been freshly raked. “So, this is where you have been living?” Esh asked.

“Sure is,” he replied.

“And do you actually use all this equipment?” Esh gestured back at the wall of weapons.

“I don’t use each one every sun-cycle, don’t need to anymore. Each of them has become sort of like extensions of my arms. I just… know how to use them.”

Esh didn’t quite understand, but he walked up to the wall and found the dagger that was used to kill Mehch and picked it up. “What power does this blue gem have that you can’t even look at it?”

The Elder stroked his beard and smiled, Esh hadn’t noticed before that his mentor was missing a couple of teeth. “Well before I answer that question, answer one of mine. Do you believe in sorcery?”

Esh furrowed his brow, “Sorcery? What’s that?”

The Elder didn’t look surprised, “You see, sorcery is like power. A power that can be manipulated at will. Now I’m not talking about political power or power that a certain rank gives you, but a power to bend the rules of the Universe,” he said all of this with one of his eyes making a crazy twitch.

“I won’t fall for your tricks, Elder. You just want to see me get all excited for nothing.” Esh tried to put the dagger back on the wall but couldn’t. His grip grew tighter on the dagger’s grip and his arm moved without his brain telling it to. The dagger came closer and closer to his own neck, finally the edge of the blade was touching the skin at his throat.

He tried to scream for the Elder’s help but his head and face were frozen in their position. His head began to turn itself against the blade, making him look over his shoulder. What he saw behind him was the Elder’s arms pointed directly out wards and his eyes shut. There was a violet star of light between his hands.

“How do you-” the Elder huffed, obviously struggling to make words, “-do you like… my sorcery?” He finished, dropping his arms and the violet star disappeared. Esh was able to move again and he quickly replaced the dagger back on the wall.

“Ok, I believe you,” he said, rubbing the spot of his neck where the blade had been. “Now show me how to do that!”

The Elder was holding his knees and breathing heavy, “Sadly, I am not the best at this kind of stuff. I will have to refer you to another for proper training.”

“Oh… Well what else can sorcery do?”

“That’s enough for one sun-cycle on sorcery, lad,” he said, waving the subject off with his hand. “Let’s go have breakfast.”

The stew was nothing like Esh had ever had before. It had the perfect ratio of liquid and meat, meat that he had never tried before. Stew in the land of Reah was highly sought after, for having enough liquid to make it with was scarce. By the time ten minutes had passed he had successfully devoured four bowls and was on to his fifth. The Elder was barely finishing his one, his mouth and eyes wide as he watched the ravenous child drain the pot like a starving animal.

“Did they even feed you in that school of yours?”

“You mean the orphanage?” Esh said with a mouthful of meat. “Ya, but not nearly enough.” He took one last bite before flopping back in his chair and letting out a burp. “And nothing ever that good! What meat is this?”

“I hunt different types of animals out in the Igneous Plains, and only during moon-cycles. As of now, the land of Reah has been overpopulated with predators so I’m just doing my job as a citizen to even the odds out for the prey… Plus, rektops taste mighty delicious!”

Esh’s eyes widened. “You’re telling me that that meat was from a rektops?” He knew that rektops were very large aggressive animals that stood on two feet. Their arms had three joints and could spin three hundred and sixty degrees. What made them dangerous, however, was the fact that they used a large spike on their head and two other large spikes that grew out of their arms to maul their prey. They were also faster than any humanoid in Reah and were very smart.

“How did someone like you take down a rektops?”

“Well, just like any enemy you have to know how they fight, know their pattern! And… wait, what do you mean someone like me. I’ll have you know-,”

“Sorry,” Esh interrupted, holding back a laugh. “So, where do you keep the meat?”

The Elder didn’t seem like he was listening, he was too busy trying to pluck out a flying metal insect from the air. “Well, I do all my hunting on the first sun-cycle of every sixty sun cycles. I then usually have enough for the next sixty sun cycles, so I salt down what I have and hang it up to dry. Turns out that this was the last pot of stew until we get us another batch of rektops meat.” He caught the insect with one fast snatch and looked at it curiously, moving its outer metal shell around with his index finger. He let it loose.

“You mean you’re gonna go out hunting soon?”

“Correction,” he said with a crazed smile. “We are going hunting soon.”

The Elder grabbed his bowl, finished it off, and wiped his mustache with the back of his hand. “So, let’s talk about your parents.”

Esh forgot about the food in front of him instantly. “Yes… Please.”

“Where to begin?” the Elder asked, more to himself than anyone. “How about when your mother and father met?”

Esh nodded his head and gave the Elder his full attention.

“Your father was the leader of the Order, appointed by his fellow comrades. He started in this association around the age of 14. He had been sentenced to the army in which, shortly after, he was converted to the Order and began his training right afterwords. Your mother, on the other hand, was an enemy of the Order. She despised the way that we handled our affairs, and I am not gonna lie to you, lad. We do kill humanoids.”

Esh became more and more like an excited little child hearing an adventure story, but this wasn’t a story at all! He was actually a part of this story! He leaned in to the table so he wouldn’t miss any detail.

11 - Barda the Assassin

Barda was a very strong male of Reah and he’d always been strong. As a child, he was always bigger than the other males, always out competing them in every way. He grew up with two wealthy parents who owned many of the liquid plantations in Zel. However, the money never spoiled Barda for he was always a kind male and very passionate about whatever it was that he wanted to do. He often helped others before he helped himself.

Growing up, his parents never paid a lot of attention to him, always busy running their business or enjoying fine and expensive alcoholic drinks. Despite this, he was still raised with utmost care, not by his parents, but by one of their bodyguards. Barda’s parents always needed protection for they were always at risk of being robbed. Barda’s mother always wore the finest jewelry and his dad dressed as if he were the King himself.

The bodyguard noticed that Barda was given no attention, so he took it upon himself to fill the gap Barda’s parents had created. Upon seeing the bodyguard’s affection for Barda, the parents made him a sort of caretaker for him.

By the age of 14 years old, Barda had been taught all four languages of the world, along with being able to write and speak the common language with proper grammar. The bodyguard, a master of the martial arts, taught Barda to fight in two different styles. The young adult could even behave properly at a fancy dinners and affairs.

At the age of fourteen he was sentenced to be trained as an officer in the army. What the soldiers did during their mass murdering raids was no shock to Barda, he knew his Red race all too well and he wanted nothing to do with it. He often voiced his opinion to the other officers in training about the raids and how he believed them to be pointless and abominable. He was never messed with or laughed at in front of his face on account of his size, but Barda knew he was becoming disliked. He was soft in their eyes.

He spoke these concerns to the bodyguard and they both came to a decision. He would desert the army, an act punishable by molten rain execution. However, Barda didn’t leave the army just to find work in odd places or live on the streets. The Order had taken a liking to him, his demeanor perfect for their line of work, and hired him immediately. It turned out that the bodyguard had held a very high title in this resistance group of assassins but never wanted to push his views or share his ideals with Barda. He had wanted the young male to make his own choices.

The bodyguard became Barda’s mentor in the Order. They trained all sun-cycle, only resting to supplement their bodies with nourishment and liquid. By age sixteen, Barda was completely fluent in all four languages, excelled in mathematics and had the killing capabilities of a true assassin. His weaponry technique could have used some work but he was ready for the final test.

Upon completion of the Order’s training, Barda was given a choice. The first option was that he could assassinate a Reahlic leader of his choosing, one who strongly believed in the corrupt monarchy of Reah. This humanoid had to have been at fault for taking innocent lives and share the ideals of putting the world under the tyranny of Reah. The other option was to be relieved of duty as an agent of the Order. He would then be allowed to choose any career he wanted. The Order would change his identity and rig the system to make it so.

Barda chose to assassinate a male named Quad Ozerus, a very powerful middle-aged ruler of Zel. Quad only answered to one male, the king.

At first, the Order denied this assassination plot as it was far too dangerous. Quad was always under complete and total surveillance. Never would there be a time or blind spot that Barda could get in and complete the job.

Finally, Barda’s mentor was able to convince the higher-ups of the Order of the young one’s abilities. Besides all this, they all knew Barda would do it anyway. They accepted his assassination request and Barda was given all the information that they had on Quad Ozerus.

Before the moon cycled to its sun side, Barda had shaved his head completely, placed fake eye lenses in, and even used a small pocket dagger to cut small flesh wounds on his own face. He left his home, which was also his place of training, to complete his mission.

He knew, through personal surveillance, that every morning Quad enjoyed a long walk around the city with his twenty or so guards. He pleased himself by sticking the homeless with a long blade that he pulled out of his cane. Some would die from blood loss while others died from later infections. Quad gave no mind to this, he just liked the feel of his blade going inside humanoid flesh.

Barda turned one of the thousands of corners in the city of Zel to see Quad bending over a sleeping male. Quad was unsheathing the already bloodied cane blade. Barda simply began walking towards him. He wasn’t afraid or nervous, he would save the adrenaline for when he was making his escape.

So he walked his casual walk, genuinely tired from waking up at the crack of dawn. Some of the guards were yawning from lack of sleep, probably from drinking the moon-cycle before.

Barda stepped right up beside Quad who didn’t even look up, he was far too busy with his sick little hobby.

It was over within half a second.

Barda stuck a dagger right below the ruler’s ear. The blade slid in and out of the male’s head without even the use of a pound of pressure. Quad remained standing while blood poured from the side of his neck, flowing down his shoulders and onto his shiny velvet garbs.

It was a whole eight seconds before the guards realized what had happened. Some started to yell and draw their swords while others tried to stop the bleeding. If they didn’t save Quad or capture the assassin they would surely be put to execution.

And so they gave chase.

Barda was out of half of their sights within the first two corners he turned, and had completely vanished by the fifth.

The young assassin took out his eye lenses which had begun to irritate him and walked the rest of the way home. His heart was racing from his first blood.

12 - Sorcery Takes its Toll

It wasn’t long before the whole city knew about the death of their ruler and were neither sad nor happy. They were indifferent to their ruler for they knew he didn’t make actual important decisions himself. Those decision were saved for the king. The only decisions Quad ever made was what he wanted for dinner.

Barda was accepted into the Order and quickly rose up in rank. Most brand new agents stopped their training and just focused on taking jobs within the Order. This was not the case for Barda, he thought it was ridiculous that training was no longer mandatory after being accepted. So he kept training and he kept learning.

He focused on his weapons training in order to get it up to par with the rest of his abilities. He was especially skilled in the art of sorcery, which was unusual for a male with such a large body. Sorcery was more prevalent in the smaller humanoids. The thing about sorcery was that it was an extremely broad and mysterious topic making it difficult to teach. Sorcery was also different for each humanoid, you either had the ability to manipulate its power or you just did not.

Sorcery was only a myth for many of the humanoids of Reah, but the Order knew it to be very real and very useful. There was a catch, however, for there was only way to see if a Reahlic humanoid held the potential to manipulate. It was a sort of process, a process that took about twenty-eight sun cycles long and completely incapacitated the humanoid. This wasn’t the worst part which was that it killed about half the humanoids that tried.

The Order, losing more than half of their applicants to these trials, stopped them altogether. Barda wouldn’t have any of this. He was very stubborn and didn’t like to be told no. He did his own research and asked the right humanoids and it wasn’t long before he figured out how the trials of sorcery were completed. It was just a simple injection of rektops blood directly into the heart.

At this time, he was living by himself in a small hut outside the city of Zel. He hunted his own rektops, which was an extraordinary feat in itself, and prepared himself for the twenty-eight sun-cycle hibernation. He left a letter in front of his mentor’s door telling him of his plan. Someone would have to feed and bathe Barda while he was asleep. He dared not tell his mentor himself because he would only try and stop him.

Barda laid himself down on the ashy floor of his hut and stuck a syringe canister filled with the beast’s blood directly into his heart and went to sleep. He was right to entrust his old mentor with the care of his body for he awoke with the male living in the hut with him.

Barda had survived.

The lucky humanoids who lived would then have to figure out which abilities they could manipulate. Users of sorcery could usually only manipulate specific abilities such as conjuring, empathy, control, illusion, elemental, capability, telekinesis, and telepathy. Barda, however, was unique in that he could manipulate two types of sorcery; capability and conjuring.

Through the power of capability, he was able to make himself three times as strong by forcing his muscles to become much more efficient. He could jump higher, run faster, and gained tremendous amounts of stamina. Through his manipulation of conjuring he was able to call forth weapons out of nowhere or even sometimes food and other random objects. Yet, all of these new powers took tremendous amounts of mental energy and he could only do one or the other, never both. If he used too much of this power it could leave him severely weakened and even cause him to black out. Perhaps, even die.

Barda had an extremely skilled assassin and was well liked by all members of the association. Nevertheless, the Order was shrinking. It was becoming harder and harder to keep up with the amount of soldiers the army was recruiting for raids.

Barda was soon given his own squadron of assassins to prey upon military raids and that is when his life became pleasantly more complicated.

13 - Pleasant Complications

“Three assassins knelt down low on a large tree branch high up in the sky. They used the forest to their advantage to stalk their targets. However, the army was smart and they learned from their mistakes. They began to train many of their soldiers in ways that they could discover members of the Order. Trees became very dangerous places for the assassins and they had to be much more careful. Barda had a plan though and he would use this knowledge to his advantage.

Barda had always loved this territory. There was a lack of red here and was much more pleasant on the eyes. Once the initial fear of being somewhere so different had faded it was easy to lose yourself in the beauty of this territory. One could traverse just a few miles and find a breath taking river of running liquid. Strange birds flew high above even the tallest of trees while all sorts of animals lived below under the thick vegetation. All things here lived under an unspoken code of harmony. Sure, there was crime here. Sure, other animals ate other animals. That was life. However, all these things happened in a natural cycle under the law of nature. Unlike the Red territory, where all laws were created by a fat king to serve his and his aristocrats’ desires. The opinions of the lower class did not exist. Greed was the code most humanoids lived under in the Red territory.

“Here they come,” Xep whispered over to Barda, interrupting his thoughts. “From the sound of it there must be around forty, maybe fifty foot soldiers.”

“Easy pickings,” replied Barda, his hands out in front of him pulling energy out of the air and into his body. His eyes rolled to the back of his head revealing the white. He hadn’t brought any weapons this time, he would rely solely on his sorcery.

“I’m surprised the Order accepted this plan of yours,” said Drodroh, knocking an arrow into his bow and stretching it back and forth which Barda knew to be his nervous tick.

“Oh, they don’t know,” Barda said calmly, trying to focus.

“What?” Drodroh hissed. “Um, Barda, what the hell do you mean ‘They don’t know’?”

“I mean I did not tell them. Now please, I need to concentrate.”

Drodroh was a by the books kind of humanoid and was easily flustered. Barda usually wouldn’t have chosen such a humanoid for his team but Drodroh was a master archer and was by far the best in the Order.

Xep, on the other hand, listened and trusted Barda completely. He was the definition of assassin. Barda could never read him because his face was always solemn and never gave away emotion. Xep was also a highly talented poison alchemist which paired nicely with his exceptional dagger skills.

Neither Xep nor Drodroh had been through the trials but were still nonetheless exceptional agents.

“They’re coming into view now,” Xep said.

Barda’s eyes came back to normal and could see exactly forty-six soldiers marching their way in their large eco-suits that regulated their body temperatures in colder worlds. It wouldn’t be long before they spotted the assassins in the trees. The three of them were also wearing eco-suits which were customized to be smaller and less bulky but they were still very noticeable

“Everyone ready?” Barda asked, his hands now had a large yellowish glow around them. Xep and Drodroh both nodded.

“Captain! Up in the trees! Assassins!” yelled one of the soldiers in the distance.

“Archers!” shouted the captain, “Release at will!”

Half a second passed before a small volley of arrows flew towards them. All three of the agents dodged them easily with minimal effort. Drodroh sent back two of his own arrows for each one of theirs, killing five of them.

Just a little further and the soldiers would be right where Barda wanted them to be.

“We need fire!” commanded the captain. The soldiers began to light small torches and charge towards the tree the agents were perched on.

“Barda!” Drodroh cried.

“Not yet,” he replied calmly. “Pick off the closest ones.”

Drodroh didn’t hesitate and pierced the necks of four soldiers with his arrows. One soldier, before dying, flung his torch at the tree hitting the base of it.

“Now!” Barda cried as loud as he could. Thirty agents revealed themselves from all directions, exploding out of the bushes and attacking the Reahlic soldiers from the side. Their movement was quiet and efficient, each of them sticking their weapon of choice in their prey’s jugular or temple.

With only about fifteen targets left, Xep and Barda leapt off the branch onto two terrified soldiers. Barda let his prey take the full force of his fall. His boots landed onto the male’s shoulders and he grabbed onto his head for stability. He heard the soldier’s spine crack and used his capability power to crush the male’s skull just enough to compress and kill the brain.

Drodroh hit another soldier with his arrow and the body fell directly on top of Barda.

“Watch your back!” Drodroh yelled form above, already fitting another arrow.

Barda saw that the weight of Xep’s boot on the soldier’s head had killed him instantly, most likely breaking his neck.

Xep killed two more soldiers with his daggers and Barda punched one male’s throat and broke another one’s face with an upward palm fist.

It wasn’t long before the agents were standing around forty-six bloodied bodies. There was no cheering or any other form of celebration. They began to dig graves for the fallen soldiers. The Order believed all whom they killed for the greater good had been deceived by the king and his wretchedness and they counted themselves lucky that their minds had been forced open by the talented recruiters of the Order.

Barda walked up to Xep and Drodroh and started digging a grave beside them. “Good work, team,” he said, his mind already plotting his next plan of action.

“You’re one crazy bastard,” Drodroh said with a smirk. “I don’t think I would have had the guts to do what you did. Don’t you think the Order is gonna be upset with you?”

“Nah,” Barda said, waving it off. “If they want to get mad at me then they have to get mad at the other thirty agents who agreed to it as well.”

“Wait, are you saying I was the only one who didn’t know that this wasn’t an approved motion?”

“You were the only one who didn’t ask,” Xep said without a smile.

They had a pretty good system, half the agents dug while the other half drug the bodies to the hole. They even had a specific agent to read the dead their rights to pass on to whatever deity they believed in.

Barda, sweating and his lower back aching, went off behind a tree to relieve himself. He had just finished his piss when he sensed something small heading directly for his face. His hand zoomed out in front and caught whatever bug that had been charging him, a slight sting shot up his arm.

He opened his hand and his eyes widened. This wasn’t a bug! It was a poisoned dart! He tried to call out for help but his throat felt like it had collapsed and the trees began to spin around his head. His body went straight into full paralysis and he fell backwards only to be caught by a pair of hands.

“We got him,” said a voice in Vivreonish.

“Good, let’s get going. Quick, before he suffocates,” said another.

He was hoisted up with ease, which shocked Barda for he must have weighed with the suit at least three or four humanoids worth. His throat began to close faster and his breath turned into wheezes and the wheezes turned into sharp breathless gasps. He was dying.

Two minutes passed and they sat him down softly. Barda couldn’t make out the figures standing over him because his eyes refused to adjust. One of them stuck a sharpened tube like stick straight into his throat and air was immediately allowed access. He heaved as fresh air soared into his lungs. He wanted to sit up but his body was still not responding.

The two figures laid out some sort of net and rolled him over on top of it. They then lifted each side of the rope and began to carry him as if he were freshly hunted meat ready to be cooked.

Barda, having trained for instances such as this, began to work a tooth out of its socket. Luckily, his jaw could move just enough for him to jiggle one of his canine teeth. Many agents took it upon themselves to have a few teeth pulled for situations such as these, replacing the real tooth with an alchemical counterfeit one. Lucky for Barda, he had decided to do this long ago. It would have been impossible otherwise to pull out a regular rooted tooth. Still, it was agonizing work, but if he wanted to survive this is what had to be done.

The tooth finally gave way and he let it trickle out the side of his mouth with a wad of blood and spit. As he was carried through the forest he let bits of his blood fall onto large leaves. His captors, whoever they were, were obviously either not paying attention or were oblivious as to how the assassins of the Order worked.

Barda took a guess that they had been carrying him for at least an hour. The blood in his mouth had ceased and he was dreading on having to pull another tooth out. He began to work on his other canine tooth before his captors came to a halt and placed him down. His throat was no longer closed up and his vision had cleared up as well and yet he still could not move. He took this time to observe his surrounding and found that both of his captors were wearing large Green tunics that covered their faces completely, all but their Green eyes shown through.

One bent over him and removed the tube in his neck, quickly replacing it with some kind of sticky gel in which he attached some sort of leaf to stop the bleeding. Barda tried to talk but was still unable. He began to feel very strange, and not in a good way. He could feel his body break out in a chilled sweat and a huge migraine began to take hold.

“Did anyone follow you?” asked a soothing voice behind a tree. A female walked from around the base of the trunk, her arms crossed. She also wore a tunic that matched the forest around her. The wind pushed the tunic to her body and revealed her physical form. She removed the tunic from her face and Barda would have gasped if it had been physically possible. She was a goddess! Dark Green hair fell below her shoulders, the jade coloring of her eyes was sharpened from the contrast of her pale skin. The elvish pointed ears that were prominent for the forest humanoids stuck straight up through her hair.

Barda bit his tongue to bring him back to reality. His feelings for her were strictly primitive he knew and his sexual intonations could blind him and could cost him his life. However, seeing her did take his mind off how awful he was feeling. She was that beautiful.

“No ma’am,” said the two captors, bowing their heads.

“Good,” she said, walking up to Barda and placing the back of her hand on his forehead. It was soft and he could smell her delicious scent. “You idiots!” she hissed, “He is covered with sticky perspiration! Where did you stick him? Hurry!”

“He caught the barb with his hand, ma’am,” one of them said stupidly.

She hoisted up his arm and opened his palm which had turned black and each of his veins pulsed a deep blue.

“How much of the paralysis urine did you apply to the barb?” she asked, placing the palm of his hand to her mouth. She began to suck and Barda couldn’t help but smile. She slapped him with her other free hand.

“Well… um… we sorta just… um…… soaked the whole barb with it.”

The female rolled her eyes and kept sucking, taking breaks to spit out a black liquid which had stained her teeth. As she bent over, Barda could see the pale flesh of her breast and he felt as though he would lose his mind with envy. Here he was, on the edge of death and all he could think about was caressing this female’s body.

She spat out one last wad of poison and took a swig of liquid from a low hanging leaf. She swished the liquid around her mouth and spit that out as well.

She felt his forehead again and nodded to herself. “Do you know why I have had you brought to me?”

He just stared up at her, his body was in pain but his mind was in bliss. His mix of emotions was confusing and for the first time in a long time he had no idea what to do.

“Your humanoids are killing my humanoids for no reason,” she said, the kindness leaving her face and a vengeful visage taking its place. “Have you ever been tortured before?”

Barda hated himself for actually liking the way she was talking to him, but he had to try and remain level headed. The pain was slowly trickling away and he found that he could move his head. He nodded at her.

“Look, I’d hate to mess with such a handsome face,” she said, stroking his shadowed facial hair, “but I won’t have to if you give me what I want.”

Barda’s skin turned to goosebumps and he prayed she wouldn’t notice. If he could only tell her that they were on the same side, if only he could speak one word. But would he even be able to talk? His brain was already mush with her intoxicating aroma that flushed over him. The way her smooth lips moved would have made his toes curl if that had been possible.

There was a ruffling in the foliage far behind them. At first, Barda figured it must have been either Xep or Drodroh, but then he realized that neither of them would have made a single sound. It must have been something else.

“Did someone follow you two?” the female asked, turning furiously towards the captors. Both shrugged their shoulders and stared at where the sound was coming from.

The female didn’t waste any time. She wrapped Barda’s feet with some sort of cord putting the other end of the line over her shoulder. “Run.”

Barda was dragged across the forest ground behind the female’s astonishing strength. Dirt and bugs flung into his face and hair. His body was being scraped over large roots and sharp rocks.

“Found some, sir!” yelled an army scout.

“Kill ‘em!” answered another.

The forest erupted with arrows, barely missing them. However, his two captors weren’t as lucky. One was struck right through the head which nailed his body to a tree. Three arrows zoomed right through the other captor’s gut spilling his insides out and spraying blood all over the Green ground. The female didn’t slow down for either of them, she was either cold hearted or very smart. Maybe both.

Once they were a good way ahead of the squadron of soldiers the female stopped behind a tree and pulled off her tunic. With a few slashes of a dagger she had ripped the tunic into two parts placing one over Barda and the other over herself. Barda could feel her weight on top of his enviro-suit and his heart began to beat fast once again.

“Your humanoids are ruthless,” she breathed into his ears.

“I… know…” he managed to cough out. Her eyes widened and he could tell she wanted to ask him what he meant but the loud crushing footsteps of the soldiers were close now. She put a finger to her lips and rested her head on his chest.

The soldiers broke through the forest in an unorganized fashion trying to sweep as much ground as possible.

“Regroup!” the commander of the squadron called out. “Circle up!”

Barda could hear the grunts double back. The female on top of him swore under her breath and he could see sweat begin to trickle down her face.

“Our scouts tell us that there is a Vivreonish civilization around two kilometers from this very position. The Vivreonish female running away is no doubt proof of this.”

The female’s hand began to squeeze Barda’s shoulder pauldron so tight that he thought she would actually crush the metal underneath her fingers.

“Our scouts also have reason to believe that this medium sized village is home to a large terrorist threat group. Our orders are to burn it down! We will take the southern part of the village and begin offensive maneuvers when we see the black smoke. Understood?”

“Yes sir!” responded the others.

“On me!”

The commander took them off in another direction, their footsteps began to fade but Barda could still hear the destruction of the forest as they made their way to the village, the same village he had come here to protect. Now, his new mission was to save himself, to live to fight another sun-cycle.

The female jumped off of him and leaped to the nearest tree, her fingers digging into the bark as she began to climb.

“Wait!” Barda tried to cry, but he was only able to make an embarrassing squeak, but the female did hear him.

She jumped down and pulled a dagger from the side of her leg and brought it to his throat. “Who are you?” she demanded.

Barda could only look up into her beautiful Green eyes. He wanted to tell her that he was on her side but he knew he would never be able to make the words happen.

The female bit her bottom lip and looked in the direction the soldiers were heading and she made her decision. She pressed the dagger to his throat and he could feel it begin to break the skin.

“Shhhh, shhh, this won’t hurt a bit,” she said pulling the dagger across his throat. She had made the choice Barda would have made, the humanoids of Reah could not be trusted.

With a blur of motion, the female was side kicked directly to the head. The kicker turned around and Barda had never been so happy to see Xep in his life. Drodroh was already over him, untying the cord that bound him.

“Lose something?” Xep asked, holding out a bloody white tooth. Barda smiled a gory toothless smile.

Drodroh lifted Barda up as Xep went through the unconscious female’s clothing. “I think I found the antidote,” Xep said, opening the cork of some small vile. He smelt the contents, nodded his head and threw the vile over his shoulder. Drodroh caught it, opened it and poured the juice in Barda’s mouth. Drodroh then closed the jaw and massaged Barda’s cut throat until all the liquid had passed to his stomach.

The effects were almost instantaneous, as if he had never been paralyzed in the first place.

“Welcome back, Captain,” Xep said in his quiet serpent like speech. “What should we do with… her?” He was already pulling out his dagger before Barda put his hand up to stop him.

“She was just doing her duty,” he said, bending over her and slapping her face. Her eyes squinted open and looked directly into Barda’s. She touched his face with her finger tips and brushed his face in her stupor. It wasn’t long before she realized what she was doing and evaded from underneath him with a backwards somersault.

She reached for her weapons but they weren’t there. Xep whistled to her and dangled her daggers in front of him before clipping them to his belt.

“What now?” Drodroh asked, walking up to Barda’s side.

“The village is about to be sieged by other platoons, platoons we were unaware of,” Barda replied.

“There was more than one?”

“Correct.”

“We have to contact the Order!” Drohdroh said, pulling an arrow back and facing it towards the female. Her hands shot up as she scanned each of their faces. She was obviously looking for her chance to escape.

“No, there isn’t time. You and I both know this village will be flattened before any reinforcements arrive.”

“Orders, sir?” Xep said, his arms crossed in front of him as he leaned on a tree.

“We evacuate as many humanoids as possible before the soldiers start their burning.”

The female walked towards Drodroh making him flinch and take a few steps back. “Who are you humanoids?” she demanded. The way she moved made her look as if she were a trapped animal and Barda guessed it was because the humanoids of Vivreon were very in tune with the animals that surrounded them. After all, they were the humanoids of nature. He could also understand her fear, for in front of her were three humanoid males of Reah, and humanoid males of Reah were much larger than Vivreonish males.

“I would have explained to you earlier but unfortunately, as you know, my face wasn’t working properly,” Barda responded with a smile. “We are with the Order. Long story short, we fight against the raids that the army of Reah sends out. We are against the king and despise his tyrannical ways…” He shrugged his shoulders. “And that’s about it.”

Her face showed nothing so Barda didn’t know if she believed him or not. Xep walked over and placed some sort of medicine on his neck which stung for an instant and then dissipated.

“What are we going to do with her, Captain?” Drodroh asked.

“Well we aren’t going to kill her, that would be defeating the purpose.”

“I understand that, but shouldn’t we tie her up or something?”

“Let’s ask her,” Barda said, walking up to the female. He extended a hand, “Hi, I’m Barda and your village is in terrible danger.”

14 - An Odd Team

The Vivreonish female eyed the large Reahlic man with suspicion. “I’m Chesna,” she said, extending her hand cautiously.

“Chesna… Beautiful name! I have a question for you Chesna. What do you think we should do with you?”

This broke Chesna’s deadpan expression and she looked half confused and half surprised. He was letting her choose her own fate, something she didn’t think was possible from a male of Reah. The question took her off guard and it was a while before her brain was able to process. Finally, she said, “What do you three plan to do?”

“Save the village, of course,” answered Xep without looking at her.

“Do we really look like those army fools? I honestly thought our armor was way fancier looking,” Drodroh said with a smirk. One of his eyes was still closed as he focused his arrow on her chest.

She was now even more confused and she began to feel disappointed with herself. Growing up she had always pictured all the humanoids of Reah as primitive beings who only cared about killing and mating. Now, in front of three of the red haired, red eyed humanoids, she knew now that she had been just as racist as the army that now marched towards her village.

She dropped to her knees, both fists on the ground and she stared at all three of them, “Forgive me. I almost killed your captain out of cold blood and now I see my mistakes. Please, help me save my village.”

Barda put his hand on Drodroh’s bow and he lowered it. He then grabbed Chesna’s hand and lifted her to her feet. “Please, lead the way.”

She turned without hesitation and jumped onto the same tree she had climbed before sticking a dagger to Barda’s throat. This time she didn’t look back and neither did the three agents of the Order. Each of their suits had claw like blades that attached to the forearm piece and flung out with a flick of the wrist. These claw blades were good for two things: climbing trees and cutting down enemies.

They followed her, Barda first, followed by Xep and Drohdroh taking the rear. She was fast, much faster than the three Reahlics. Barda remembered the first time he ever saw a tree and that its magnificence had sent a mixture of fear and respect. He remembered half thinking that it would pull its roots out of the ground and charge him if he had gotten too close.

That was three years ago and now climbing trees had become second nature. However, seeing Chesna in front of him drained his confidence. She mimicked the movements of an animal, using all four limbs to catch, jump, and land, each of her limbs in sync with the other. Barda tried to copy what she was doing and nearly fell. He could hear Xep and Drodroh snickering behind him.

Chesna jumped to a large tree branch and came to a halt. Barda was at his top speed and nearly slammed right into her but dug his claw into the bark behind him just in time.

“We’re here,” she whispered, looking out over the forest.

Barda could see nothing but the tops of all the trees and the different types of birds that flew overhead. However, he knew that that was exactly what the humanoids of Vivreon had intended when they had built the village. This was a form of protection against the larger carnivorous birds, the ones large enough to carry off a humanoid.

He took this chance to look at the Green sun of Vivreon, which, in his opinion, was by far the most beautiful. It looked as if he were gazing up at an enormous mirror for the Green sun looked just like the forest Barda now sat atop. The sun took up half the sky and was so large that one could even make out trees that grew upon it. Could he actually see animals flying over those trees? Or was his mind playing tricks on him?

“We have to warn them,” Chesna said, bringing Barda back to reality.

She began to get herself ready to descend when he grabbed her arm. “Where are you going?”

“Someone has to warn them!”

“We need a plan, Chesna. Let’s say we are successful helping all the villagers escape, they still won’t be safe. The army will just follow them and continue with the extermination. You have to understand that the army isn’t just out to destroy the village, but it’s the villagers themselves that they want.

Her eyes were wide with horror and her body became rigid. “What are you suggesting?” she asked, looking back down over the trees. Barda could see tears build in her eyes before she had a chance to wipe them away.

I’m suggesting we slowly kill each and every last one of them.” Barda looked back over at Xep and Drohdroh. They both nodded at him in succession.

15 - Downstream

Their first idea was to figure out a way to call for reinforcements, but none of them could figure out a way to signal for help without also alerting the army. Barda knew it was probably impossible to kill off four whole platoons of soldiers with just the four of them. His only choice would be to send one of his own and so he sent Drohdroh back for reinforcements. Chesna gave herself the job of evacuating the entire village and was off before the rest of the plan had even been formulated.

There wasn’t a whole lot Barda and Xep could do but slow down the platoons. They turned and moved the way they had come in order to meet the soldiers half way. They descended to the forest floor when the loud marching became audible.

Using the thick foliage for cover, Barda and Xep’s first targets where the torch bearers, whose primary job was to share their flame with the rest of the foot soldiers.

“Halt!” cried the commander. “Do you grunts hear that?”

Barda and Xep stopped breathing. How the four hells did they hear them?

“You grunts are in for a treat! I hear liquid!”

The soldiers cheered and Barda realized that most of them had been just like him three years ago. They had never seen flowing liquid. No Reahlic ever took liquid for granted, not the poor, not the aristocrats, not even the liquid plantation owners. One just never knew when the Red sun would take that precious resource away from you.

Barda was so preoccupied with tracking the platoon that he had closed all his senses to his surroundings. His old mentor would be disappointed in this error. Xep turned to him with a face that Barda read to be something like “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Barda nodded towards him and they waited patiently for the soldiers to pass before they started moving. He led the way to the large body of flowing liquid, which he knew the Vivreonish called a river, while Xep began pulling different leaves and roots from the forest ground. There was no path here which meant they had to be extra quiet making their way through the dew covered bushes. They ended up at a small liquidfall which was loud enough that it would drown out any noise they might make. Barda heard laughter and chatter of the soldiers as they approached the river bank. Xep had heard them too and he quickened his pace juicing the leaves and grinding the roots into his transportable alchemy kit.

A few soldiers had already drunk from the river before Xep had finished his work. Barda made a mental note of which ones had done so. They would have to be taken care of separately. Xep grabbed a handful of the dark Green goo he had just made and stuck his fist in the river using his closed fingers to steep the substance slowly into its flow. Barda could see strings of the slime float towards the unsuspecting soldiers.

Six of them had drank from the river before the poison had been released. Barda began figuring out which ones he would take out first based off their estimated ability to fight and of course their size. His mentor had always taught him that even though the larger were slower that they still packed the most dangerous punches and could land powerful blows. Even if there was no martial finesse to these larger foes, one lucky hit could mean an abrupt end to a fight. He would take down the larger targets first using stealth and then… — Xep made a heaving noise and Barda turned to see him holding his wrist. The skin of his hand was melting off the bone.

“In my bag,” Xep said between gritted teeth. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe. “There is a capsule of blue powder.”

Xep didn’t have to say anything else. Barda crouched behind him and searched his bag, finding four capsules of blue powder all in different shades. He placed them in front of Xep and he pointed to the correct one with his eyes closed. He began to go in shock, his body trembling and his eyes turned bright red. Barda had to force the alchemist’s mouth open which had been clenched shut involuntarily. The powder bubbled as it touched Xep’s saliva, the foam ran down the cracks of his mouth. Barda massaged the assassin’s throat but was afraid that the antidote might have come too late.

Xep went stiff and Barda laid him down in the dirt. He felt for a pulse and exhaled with relief. It was there just very weak. He looked down river and saw that the soldiers were finished with their drinking and were now just taking a quick break, completely astonished by the beauty of the river. How could they go from being in the presence of something so wonderful and inspiring to marching on a village with orders to destroy?

His mentor had explained to him once that most soldiers are not only brought up through the propaganda of the monarchy but that these views are reinforced even more so through the rigorous training. Not just physical training, but mental training as well. Barda had even heard rumors that the raids would bring back prisoners of war to be used as target practice just to further numb the idea of killing another humanoid.

Xep coughed and tried to sit up but Barda wouldn’t let him.

“Why…” Xep struggled to say.

“Why what?” Barda asked.

Xep looked up at him with a questioning face and then he smiled, “Why did you pour it into my mouth and not my hand?”

Barda smiled and couldn’t help a small chuckle. He had made the mistake through fear of losing his friend, his mind just wasn’t in the right place this sun-cycle. Thinking back, he now realized that all of his mindless mistakes started being made right after meeting Chesna. Did she have some power over him? A curse of the forest humanoids? Just thinking of her face and breasts made his stomach feel strange.

“Don’t worry about it, Captain,” Xep said in a normal voice without struggle. “I’m good to go.”

Barda looked down at his hand which was now covered in dead skin that Xep peeled off and threw to the side. Out of all the things Barda had seen in his life, this made him gag.

“You okay, Captain? You’re a bit Green.”

“I’m fine.”

They both began to hear coughing fits coming from the direction of the soldiers. Some started to spin and others grabbed their knees as gushes of yellow vomit projected from their mouths. The six who had drunk the liquid before the poison were walking from victim to victim confused as to what was happening. One of the six happened to be what looked like their commander. He was larger than the rest and the front chest piece of his armor was covered in tiny medals. In his mouth was a fat fume stick which he kept puffing on even though most of his squadron was dying.

“We have company it seems,” Barda heard the commander say.

The commander put his hand behind his back and unequipped his massive switch blade. With a quick movement of his forearms the blade swung out into fighting position. The Green sun’s aura reflected off of the steel.

“Looks like we have a pretty good fight ahead of us,” Xep whispered.

“Can you take the other five?” Barda asked him.

“Captain, you insult me.”

Xep began to move on his own towards the soldiers with one hand behind his back grasping a dagger with a Green gem inside of it.

Barda also started to move. He put his hands out in front of him and started to conjure a weapon he had grown accustomed to. Pieces of material appeared in the air and floated to his palm crafting a firm hilt. Then, molten metal appeared, took shape, then hardened before falling onto the top of the hilt he now gripped tightly. Barda’s short sword was a lot smaller than the commander’s switch-blade but it was by far much faster. He would be able to use his physical speed to whip around his prey and his blade would move in a blur of motion.

Xep had made his way around the soldiers and faced Barda from the opposite side. He made a few hand singles through the grass which stated that he was going to take out the two closest soldiers while distracting the big one. Barda gave a slight nod.

Xep merely stood up and shoved a dagger through the back of the head of a puking soldier. The soldier’s eyes widened and relaxed, the last bit of vomit dripped from his bottom lip. Xep pushed the male’s head off his blade, spun around and shoved the blade up the next closest soldier’s jaw sealing his mouth shut.

“There you are,” the commander said nonchalantly. He walked slowly up to Xep, the switch blade out in front of him. He whistled and the remaining the soldiers surrounded the assassin.

Barda took this chance to attack and with blinding speed he swung at the commander’s back, but the commander was ready for him. The large male swung his blade behind his back and blocked Barda’s oncoming strike.

The commander turned his head and smiled. “So, you’re the leader of this traitor group.” He swung his body and brought his blade down upon Barda who was barely able to dodge in time.

There was no way he could block this giant’s weapon, not unless he wanted to break his wrists.

“Where ya going?” the commander asked, the fume stick still stuck in his mouth. “We ain’t through here!” He whirled the blade at Barda’s abdomen.

Barda pulled his stomach back and hopped backwards watching the edge of the blade swoosh past his gut as if it were in slow motion. He then sidestepped and slashed at the commander’s ankle, sticking his blade half way inside the meat and bone. The giant howled in pain, his fume stick fell from his lips and hit the ground.

Barda looked up at Xep who had already killed the other four soldiers and was now looking through their armor for supplies. Enough playing around.

Barda released his control of the short sword which dematerialized into a golden gas that drifted upwards. Using his mastery of capability, he manipulated his body for speed and strength. The commander’s eyes opened in shock as he watched the fragments of the blade become smaller and float away in the wind. Barda took this chance to juke around the giant, climb up his back and grab his head.

“Ehh! Get off of—,”

CRACK

Barda spun the commander’s head with all his strength and now his head was facing the wrong way, his expression dumbstruck with fear. The body fell to the forest floor.

“Do you always play with your food?” Xep asked, sliding his dagger into the back of each dying soldier’s neck. He did this as if he were on a casual stroll.

Barda rummaged through the commander’s armor and found a crudely drawn map of the village that was to be put to flames. There were four sections labeled with an X, one to the north, south, west, and east. They must have taken care of the east platoon and he believed the west platoon would be closest to their current position.

They climbed the nearest tree and began moving towards their next set of enemies.

16 - The Cooling Sword

Esh listened to the Elder’s story all sun-cycle long as he continued to tell it all the way through their work, pausing only to describe minute details that Esh would not remember. There was just too much for the young one to comprehend. He would often have to rub his eyes due to lack of blinking. His father sounded legendary and he felt proud to share his blood. Maybe he too could be a warrior just like him.

“I think that’s enough for one sun-cycle,” the Elder said. “It’s getting late and we have work to do come sun-cycle.”

Esh’s head whirled around taking in his surroundings. He was just now realizing that they had made it home and had already made it through the work day. “What? No! You can’t just tell a story and then decide to quit!”

“I can and I just did, lad,” The Elder said as he piled up their dishes. “I cannot believe I let that story get in the way of your afternoon training.” He let out an air of disgust with himself.

“But what happens to the village? Does Chesna get the humanoids out? How do I do sorcery?”

“Another sun-cycle.”

That was the last thing Esh knew he was going to get out of his ancient mentor.

He walked over to his bed and sat on the edge. He kicked the sand off the bottom of his feet before putting them under the thin sheets.

“Have a good sleep, lad.”

Esh felt a sudden warmness in his chest. The only humanoid to have wished him a good sleep had been his fake mother. He wondered how she was doing. Did she ever think about him? Was she alright?

“You too,” Esh responded.

He waited until he could hear the Elder’s breathing slow and deepen before he quietly made his way out of the bed. Unlike the orphanage’s creaky floors, the sand made his footsteps completely silent. What he was looking for he didn’t know, but after that story he knew he would not be able to sleep.

He walked to the wall of weapons which were still illuminated from the torches that hung from the wall. Did the Elder forget to extinguish the torches or did he keep them on in case of intruders?

Esh walked along the wall, touching each weapon that he saw. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help himself. Each blade, bow, spear, looked as if it had just been cleaned and polished that sun-cycle. He wasn’t used to things that hadn’t already been covered in the filthy soot of ash.

The flames of the torches flickered over the shiny blades and hilts which sprinkled the rest of the room with random slashes of moving light with their reflections. Something glinted off one of the larger weapons and it caught Esh’s eye. His curiosity moved his feet towards it.

Nothing. Where the sparkle had come from was just an ordinary hilt that looked to be made from some sort of hardened dark brown material. At the bottom of the hilt was a carved growling beast of which Esh had never seen and was glad for it. He would have taken the weapon down from its place but it looked to be too heavy and he was afraid it would fall straight from his grip and crash to the ground, waking the Elder.

A flame from one of the torches danced in just the right rhythm to send another flash of light over the hilt revealing what had caught his eye. It was a name written in an old script which disappeared before he could read it. He waited for the torches to do their magic again but nothing was happening. Finally, after losing his patience, Esh decided to try his luck in picking up the weapon.

He stood on his toes and grabbed it, a sudden coolness ran through his body and chilled him. This scared him and he let go instantly. It didn’t hurt, but was actually soothing. It was the sudden rush that had spooked him.

He grabbed the sword again and let the chill flow through him once more. He stood there on his toes enjoying the coolness and forgetting about the mysterious script for a few moments. He then put his other hand under the sheath of which the blade was hidden in.

He had been right, the weapon was extremely heavy, but he figured he could pick it up long enough to bring it over to the light. He lifted the weapon and hugged it to his chest. As slowly as he could, Esh backed up and began to turn. His heart stopped as the Elder stood in front of him with his arms crossed. Esh dropped the sword and the Elder caught it with the top flat part of his foot, kicking it into the air. It flipped about six times before the Elder caught it by the hilt. He held the sword out in front of him and stared at it like he himself had never seen it before either.

“I believe this is what you were looking for,” he said, putting the hilt directly into the light of the flames. The script came back to life and Esh read ‘Barda’. “This was your father’s, made by your mother.”

The Elder held the sheath by his hip and slung the blade out of its sheath. Nothing spectacular happened, in fact the exact opposite happened. Nothing.

“Your mother was a very talented weapon smith, but this,” the Elder said, looking the blade up and down, “was her masterpiece.” He put the flat side of the blade on his forearm and opened his palm to show Esh the hilt. “This is made up of one of the oldest trees in the forests of Vivreon, the material is called wood.” The script, upon seeing the light, reawakened. It was as red as fire and seemed as though it were burning itself deeper into the wood.

“The blade,” the Elder said, pointing with his nose, “is made of granite.”

Esh made an audible ‘woah’ sound as he let his finger tap it. He had never seen granite before, only heard of it. Apparently, the king’s entire castle was made of granite, from his furniture to his outhouse. It was by far more beautiful than Esh had ever imagined for it held different blotches of Green mixed with darker shades of grey.

“This granite is special, however. Your mother knew better than anyone that granite was by far too heavy to be wielded, but she used her elemental sorcery to inject millions of tiny air bubbles into the granite, making it nimbler than any other sword it’s size.”

“Where does the cold come from?” Esh asked.

The Elder looked at him as if he were crazy. “What do you mean?”

“You know, when you grab it and then your body gets all cold. Don’t you feel it?”

The Elder sheathed the weapon and held it out in front of him once more. He tilted his head and then stared blankly at nothing. “No lad, I sure don’t.”

“Then why do I?” Esh desired to hold the sword once more.

“Your mother or father must have put a special charm on it… Especially for you.”

“Let me see it! Let me see it!” Esh said, jumping up and down.

The Elder shook his head and put the sword even higher up on the wall. “No, no, no. You’re already lucky I don’t whip you for sneaking around my home. Now get in your bed,” he said, walking to his own.

17 - The Rektops

The next morning’s training was more brutal than Esh was ready for. They began before breakfast and he was handed one of the large bo staffs which turned out to be just a piece of hollow pipe. He was taught a few slashing moves which was just making a simple X shape with the tip of the bo before he was thrown into the action.

“Move your feet, lad!” the Elder would say, charging at him with a very dramatic thrust. Esh would try to move but would still get hit in the gut or the side.

“Your weapon is your arm, your limb! If you drop your weapon you lose an arm and losing an arm merits punishment.”

Esh didn’t know what the Elder was talking about until his bo was flung from his hand across the room.

“Come here, lad,” the Elder said, waving him over with his fingers. “Give me your arm.”

Esh extended his arm and it was slapped hard with the Elder’s pipe bo. He fell to the ground in agony holding his arm thinking it might be broken.

“Get up! Again!”

Esh stood with one foot, gritting his teeth in anger. Instead of running to his weapon he attacked the Elder’s legs but it was easily dodged and he was hit over the face with the butt end of the bo.

“How pathetic. Go grab your weapon!”

The Elder lifted the bo over his head to bring it back down but was met with a face full of sand.

“Ahh!”

Esh crawled between the Elders legs, his head accidentally hitting his balls.

“Oomph!”

The Elder fell to his knees now holding his groin. Esh grabbed his bo and pointed it at his head.

“That was some cheap move,” the Elder groaned. With a snap of motion, the Elder palmed the tip of Esh’s bo and pushed it directly into his solar plex, removing all the air from Esh’s body and sending him again to the ground.

“Two notes. Great job on the cheap tricks. As you can see,” the Elder said, catching his breath, “they work. Note number two, always finish the job or be prepared to be finished yourself.” He cracked the bo over Esh’s head one more time before saying, “Time for work.”

His mentor allowed him to rest his face in the sand while the pain subsided. He wanted to cry but was too embarrassed to let the Elder see his tears.

As they worked through the heat of the sun-cycle the Elder would allow Esh to ask questions when no one was around. Esh asked how the Order recruited its members.

“Well it’s easier than you’d think. We keep our ears open for humanoids who have been used and abused by this tyrannous system of ours. Some of our recruits actually have found us just by asking around and our agents hearing them. You also wouldn’t believe how many prisoners are jailed for the slightest slights against the king. These prisoners often beg to join our cause.”

Looking back, the orphanage had seemed like a lot more like a prison rather than a place for children to grow up in. There was less freedom in the orphanage than there was in the real world.

By the time the sun-cycle had ended it was time to go back to the hut.

“Now the real work begins,” the Elder said as they walked.

“What do you mean?” asked Esh.

“I mean you ate the last of our Rektops meat and now we have nothing for dinner.”

“So, what are we going to do?”

The Elder smiled, “You will see, lad.”

Once they had returned the Elder took Esh by the shoulder and brought him to a blank wall in the corner of the room. “Time for a new surprise,” he said.

He leaned his head to the wall and let out a deep breath. The dungeon began to tremble as the wall turned itself on an axis. Slowly, the wall creaked open sending dust and sand everywhere. A whole new room was revealed, a sort of chamber that was lit by some artificial sun that spun itself on an axis in the center of the room.

Esh’s mouth dropped.

“It’s not that special, lad,” the Elder said walking into the room. “Come on, you got to be fitted.”

Esh followed him but couldn’t help but stop and stare at all the weird things that were placed around the room. To his right was a large cabinet lined with jars of dead species he had never seen. To his left was a large flat table in which heavy duty straps crossed over in order to keep someone from moving.

“Is this for torturing humanoids?” Esh asked, pointing at the chair.

“Something like that,” replied the Elder casually, waving his hand in dismissal.

Behind the chair was a circular table with a large map of Reah over it. Another ripped map was connected to it and he guessed by the Green color that it was a map of Vivreon. Across each map were tiny little carved figurines that must have been used to create different tactics.

“Over here, lad.”

Esh looked up and his mouth dropped once again. The Elder stood by a massive suit of pitch black eco-armor with a dagger attached to each hip. The suit was complete with a hood and a tunic which had both been shredded by what Esh figured to be the scars of past battles.

“Is this the armor the agents wear? Like in the story?” Esh asked, barely able to contain his excitement.

“Yes, your father wore something very similar to this design. You see these vents?” the Elder asked, pointing to two fat cylindrical tubes sticking out of the back of each shoulder. “These either heat or cool the wearer depending on his or her body temperature. And the material itself is very light and is made to endure tough terrains.

Esh ran his hand over the chest plate and down the arms. He pulled at the material and it stretched surprisingly far. It was then that a random question popped into his head.

“What type of sorcery are you able to use?” he asked.

“Well that should have been obvious when I took control of your body the other sun-cycle. I am a sorcerer of control.”

“But I thought you said you weren’t very good at manipulating sorcery?”

“Enough talk about me, lad, we got work to do.” This was what he always said when he didn’t want to talk about something.

The Elder turned and walked to a large desk in the corner of the room that was covered in different types of dirty tools and stray screws. Parts began to fly over his shoulder as he dug through the mess when he finally lifted out a large piece of string. “Here we are.” He walked back to Esh and yanked his arm out. He used the string to measure every part of his body, grunting each time he got a measurement. He let the string drop to the floor and he walked to the other side of the room, this time to another desk which was covered in different parts of armor. “This ought to work.” He threw a piece of metal over his shoulder on to the ground. This went on for a while. The Elder would say something under his breath and throw another piece of armor into a pile on the floor.

“Done!” he exclaimed, turning back to Esh. “Come ‘ere, lad. Try these on.”

This is the moment Esh had been waiting for. He grabbed the first piece he saw and shoved it onto his forearm.

“No, no, no, that’s for your shin!”

“Oh,” Esh said embarrassed. He slipped it off and pulled it over his foot. A perfect fit!

It was a very long time before Esh was fully fitted. He felt a lot heavier and a lot bulkier now as if he were two times the size. And he was. The armor was slow and each of his movements took a lot more energy than he was used to.

“How’s that feel?” the Elder asked.

“Horrible. I thought it would make me faster and stronger.” He tried lifting his arm into the air but only made it a few inches.

“Well that makes sense. This set of armor is ancient compared to the one your father used to wear.”

“Why can’t I wear the set like the one on the wall?”

“Firstly, you would never get any stronger if I just gave you the easy route,” the Elder said, walking over to the wall and beginning to suit up. “Secondly, I’m not sure you noticed but that suit is double your height.” It took the Elder a quarter of the time to suit up. When he was finished he stood up straight with a sigh of relief. All signs of his age had vanished. Esh stood there in shock. Before him was no longer the Elder trash worker. No, before young Esh was a conditioned warrior, his long grey hair hanging over the black metal chest plate. The Elder flexed his hands and let them rest on the hilt of the two matching daggers on his waist.

“Woah…” Esh Gasped. “You look… awesome… Oh! How do I look?”

“Look for yourself, lad.” The Elder pointed to a mirror on the wall that Esh had previously not noticed.

His purple hair was long and landed over his chest plate just like the Elder’s did. His face was dirty but handsome in his opinion although his cheeks were a bit sunken in. He could also see why everyone treated him so differently for his eyes were not a dull purple, but they shined brightly in their sockets. He touched his ears and was surprised to see how pointed they actually looked rather than felt. He bobbed his head to see if they bounced but they were too taut.

The Elder walked up behind Esh and put his hands on his shoulders. He tapped Esh’s ears, “Ahh, a gift from your mother.”

“Did… Did hers look like these?”

“Sort of, but hers were taller.”

Esh let out a breath through his already opened mouth. He played with his ears a bit more before running a finger down his jaw, a jaw that looked to already be taking a chiseled form. All in all, he still looked like a hungry orphan.

“Don’t get to use to the lad that you see there. I’d give you three months before you see a whole new you.”

Although the armor was extremely heavy and awkward, it looked to be a perfect fit, forming snuggly to Esh’s body. The Elder handed him a tunic and he tried to throw it over his shoulder but failed. After a few tries he got it right and with the help of the glass he was able to strap it on to each of his shoulder pauldrons. He threw the hood over his head and smiled.

“Time to get to work!” exclaimed the Elder, knocking on Esh’s head with his knuckles. “Stop goggling and let’s get going.”

“I don’t think I’m ready!” Esh said, already feeling fear build up in his gut. “I’ve only been training for one sun-cycle!”

“Nobody’s ever ready for their first Rektops experience.”

Esh tried to hide his lack of courage but his shaking hands gave him away. He’d only ever seen Rektops sketches in the various books at the library with each depicting it as a monster from the four hells. Yet, he couldn’t help a feeling of excitement and wonder fill his head. He had never hunted for anything in his life! Well… he hadn’t done much of anything in his life before.

“What can I do to help?” Esh asked as the Elder was getting the rest of his gear together.

“Oh you? You have the most important job of all!” The Elder flattened a three pronged trap and placed it in a bag.

“And what’s that?”

“Well, you’re the bait! Oh but don’t worry, you’re in good hands.”

The Elder’s words didn’t make Esh feel any better. “Well what did you use for bait before you got me?”

“Myself of course, but that wasn’t too fun.”

The Elder turned Esh around and began pushing him out the exit. The wall turned and closed behind them.

They climbed out of the hole and Esh followed the Elder in the direction of the Igneous Plains. The moon-cycle of the sun was out and there was no one out on the streets. He began to think that the moon-cycle was just the beginning of an ordinary sun-cycle for an assassin. When did these humanoids sleep?

They walked for what felt like ages. Esh was finding it harder to stay awake as time passed. His eyes would droop and so would his shoulders. Sometimes he would awake from a standing doze to find that the Elder was a hundred or so feet ahead of him. The moon side of the sun shone brightly tonight, its beam reflected off all the dried magma sending tunnels of light in random directions.

Esh looked out far into the distance. His half elvish eyes made it possible for him to see a little better at night than the full blooded Reahlics. The land of Reah would have been completely flat and boring if it wasn’t for the dark outline of Gurgamosh sticking way up into the sky.

This was the second time he had stepped foot out of the city of Zel in his entire life, and so he used this time to marvel at the massive form that was Gurgamosh, the unknowing slayer of so many humanoids. Not paying attention to where he was going, he ran straight into the Elder, whom didn’t seem to notice.

The Elder coned his hands in front of his mouth and started to make maniacal yelling noises. Esh couldn’t help but laugh but stopped when the Elder gave him a stink face meaning to shut up.

He continued his crazy calls until a humongous roar responded out in the distance. Esh automatically felt like he needed to urinate. “What the four hells was that?”

“The call? Well it’s a mixture of--,”

“No!” Esh hissed, “Wuh-was that the Rektops? It doesn’t sound too happy!”

“But it is! Can’t you tell? It’s horny!”

Again, the Elder didn’t make Esh feel any better. He’d rather be eaten than what the Rektops had in mind.

“You! Go over there,” the Elder said, pointing out in front of him. There were no landmarks and Esh gave him a confused look. “Just start walking!” The Elder pulled out a large contraption from his pack and placed it softly onto the ground.

Esh put a shaky leg out in front and then another. He had been more brave back in the dungeon and wished he were back in his bed getting sleep for the next sun-cycle of trash pick-up. But here he was.

“What the hell are you doing!” he heard the Elder whisper. “Keep going! You’re too close to me, lad!”

Esh looked back at him and started to wonder if he hadn’t been the first young humanoid to fall for this trick. Maybe the previous bait had been a previous student who had been stupid enough just like Esh to listen and keep walking.

He forced the thoughts out of his head. This was still much better than being back at the orphanage.

“Okay stay there,” he heard the Elder call.

Esh turned to watch the Elder set up but couldn’t see much. All he could see was a black character moving wildly under the moon-cycle light messing with his different pieces of gear. Then he heard the loud crunching steps in the distance behind him.

“Don’t move!” the Elder warned, but Esh didn’t listen this time. He turned to face his attacker, but once he did he really wish he hadn’t. Out on the dark horizon a gigantic figure was taking shape, the three arms easily distinguishable and death was moving at an extremely fast rate towards him. Every instinct inside of him was screaming at him to run and to run as fast as possible! The other half of his instincts told him to wet himself.

He did neither and just stood there. The Rektops was closing in on him, its characteristics becoming more and more visible. It came to a sliding halt once it figured out that Esh had not been a female Rektops. Its head raised and the roar made Esh cover his ears. He didn’t need the Elder to tell him that this monster was infuriated by this trickery and was about to commence a death penalty.

It charged, and everything happened in slow motion. The beast was a good ten to fifteen feet tall. Its body was large, long, and hunched over. Its head was the size of Esh’s entire body and its mouth was covered in crooked razor sharp teeth. Its two arms on the sides clenched shut and open as if they were already ripping him limb from limb. None of these attributes, however, were the most dangerous aspect of the Rektops. He remembered reading that it was the third arm over its head that its prey had to look out for. It was connected to its back muscles and was extremely strong. This arm was used for crushing prey while the other two were used for shredding prey.

The beast jumped into the air ready to use its body weight to smash Esh flat. The scaled belly came so close to his face that he could see individual scratch marks from its battles in the past. At the very last possible moment, the Elder threw his trap into the beast’s face. The Rektops fell inches in front of Esh, and the trap unfolded itself effectively blinding the beast and pulling its mouth tightly shut. It started to scrape at the trap with maddening force, using the long spike above each arm to dig into its own face. Cold blood sprayed onto Esh’s terrified face, much of the splatter making it into his mouth.

He fell to his butt and quickly started to crawl backwards as the Rektop’s head spike thrust over and over deep into the ashy ground as it struggled with its trapped head.

Esh’s feet finally decided to work and he turned, stood, and ran like he had never before. The Elder ran passed him in the direction of doom, pulling out both of his daggers. Esh turned to watch the Elder leap onto the Rektop’s face. Temporarily forgetting about the trap, the beast turned his attention to the male stabbing at its forehead.

The Rektops swept its third arm in a massive sweep, knocking the Elder off onto the ground. It then grabbed him by the waste and picked him up with ease, bringing them face to face. Esh stopped running and turned to find the Elder squirming in the grip of the beast that now sniffed its dinner. With a lucky strike to its own face, the Rektops was successful in ripping off the trap revealing bright red fresh cuts that would later become hideous scar tissue.

The beast’s lips curled back and a forked tongue slipped through its teeth, licking the top of the Elder’s face. The Elder stopped wiggling and Esh thought his mentor must have been crushed. He wanted to turn and continue running but just couldn’t mentally bring himself to do it. What would he be running back to Zel for? There was nothing for him there. The only future he had was in the grips of the three armed beast… If it wasn’t already dead. But what would he do? He had no skill and his only training had resulted in him merely being beaten up.

He looked down at his new armor and began searching it. No daggers, no secret compartments, not even a liquid canister. The only thing he had was himself and his new found bravery that was sure to get him killed.

His feet began to take steps without him really telling them to. He had no plan of action, none whatsoever. Something began to feel strange in his head, directly behind his eye balls. Dark strings whipped into his vision until he saw nothing but blackness. He was effectively blind, but his feet still moved without his brain telling him to. A dull ache started somewhere in his gut and it spread through his entire body. The ache turned to pain, and the pain turned excruciating. His mouth opened and a roar of his own left him, except… It wasn’t his roar, but something else’s deep inside of him.

His vision came back, but this time the entire world was in a tint of bright red and he could see everything as clear as if they were under the sun-cycle. The pain he had once felt turned to pure pleasure and his thoughts became more confident and… crueler.

The Rektops hadn’t noticed him and took his first bite from its victim, sending its teeth directly into the top part of the Elder’s torso. Esh was now close enough to receive the fresh blood to his face and he found himself feeling even more sinister.

Ideas formed in his head on how much he hated the creature before him. He wanted it dead, but not just that, oh no, he wanted it to suffer and suffer greatly! He imagined cutting its gut open and replacing its innards with sand. He thought about surgically removing its eyes so it could watch Esh dismantle its own body piece by piece.

The Rektops finally noticed the adolescent male and threw the Elder to the side, his body falling to the ground in an unnatural position. The beast bent over and roared into Esh’s face, its eyes filled with murderous intent. It tried to lift a foot off the ground to begin its charge but couldn’t. It looked down to see black goo had formed over both feet pinning the beast where it stood. It roared again and tried with all its might to move, but to no avail.

Esh stepped closer, his hands at his side and a disgusting smile on his face. He could see all the details of the beast’s face and hated it for living. He finally decided on a way he wanted to kill it.

More black goo conjured itself at different heights around the Rektops’ body. Without moving, Esh commanded the goo mentally to slap a string to different parts of the its body. The goo listened instantly and each began to speak back to Esh thanking him for his kindness. Strings of blackness were now attached to the Rektop’s mouth, eyes, arms, claws, feet, different teeth, and even its groin.

Pleased with what he saw, Esh gave a final command and his goo servants pulled the beast completely apart. It was an explosion of blood that washed over Esh and rained down from the sky. The adolescent male just stood there, his head forward, and in a state of pure bliss as different body parts smacked into the ash.

The blood splatter sent electrical excitement through his body and he dropped to the ground to lap it up with his tongue. He drank and drank, stuffing chunks of cold meat into his mouth and swallowing it hole. He had enough sense in him to know what he was doing was completely mental, but his body refused to stop until he was uncomfortably full.

Now that the excitement was over, Esh’s vision slowly lost its red tent and his thoughts were becoming his own again. He remembered everything but found himself to be in a dream like state. He kept bringing up the memory of the beast exploding into a thousand pieces and was shocked to find that he still enjoyed the feeling.

“What the four hells am I?” he said out loud to himself.

The weariness in his head faded and his mind became clearer. He turned to rush to the Elder but found him awake and staring at him.

“What did you do?” the Elder asked, not blinking.

“I… I don’t know.” Esh said.

The Elder just stared and Esh looked away, not sure whether to feel ashamed of what he had done or excited that he had killed the Rektops. Was that some sort of sorcery? Or was he some sort of monster stuck inside a humanoid’s body?

“What’s the damage?” the Elder asked, pointing at his shoulder or… at least where his shoulder had been.

Esh tried to speak but his lips wouldn’t move. He had never had to tell anyone they were probably not going to make it. He had only just met his new mentor and was already going to have to say good bye. Cold tears filled his eyes and he felt a lump in his throat as his heart climbed his chest. Why couldn’t he have anything in his life? Why did everything have to be this way for him?

He began to feel the same dull ache start in his toes and strings of black were coming back. Esh smacked his own face but the strings continued to grow. Diabolic ideas started to pop up in his head and he hated himself for them. Perhaps it was the Elder’s fault all this bad luck had occurred to him. Why hadn’t he helped him when he was being cut open by the orphans? Why wasn’t he there?

Esh began to relish the idea of performing the same sick surgery on the wounded Elder in front of him. How would he like to be cut in half by his own dagger?

He summoned the goo and several floating black orbs formed around the Elder. One of the black goo orbs grabbed the dagger that had fallen to the ground and started to cut off the Elder’s shirt.

“It’s time you felt what I felt,” Esh said in a voice that was a mixture of his and something else. “I’m gonna make you wish you hadn’t turned your back on me, letting those mean humanoids vivisect me.”

The orb slowly pressed the dagger at the Elder’s shoulder, but before it could dig in Esh commanded it to halt. The Elder was crying.

“I’m sorry.”

Esh’s heart was still and his mind was empty.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there!” the Elder whimpered. He fell on his back and tears fell over his face. “I promised to keep you safe but I failed! Do it! Cut me! I deserve it…”

The red tint faded and the goo disappeared. Esh knelt by the sobbing Elder and stared at him. He looked weak and older than usual. Esh held out a hand and the Elder looked at it for a few seconds before grabbing it. Esh hoisted him up and placed himself under the good shoulder.

They made their way back to the dungeon, battle wounded and no Rektops meat to show for it.

18 - Inner Demons

They made it back to the dungeon without saying a word to each other. Esh was completely drained of all energy and his body ached. He didn’t even ponder about the fact that he had just conjured up some crazy black mass that wanted nothing better than to torture anything and everything around it.

“You are very special,” the Elder said, using the moonlight to examine the searing wound on his shoulder.

Esh was having a difficult time comprehending speech as he could actually smell the Elder’s open wound from across the room. It was delectable.

“You want this, don’t you?” the Elder asked, peering at Esh in the darkness.

He nodded.

The Elder stayed very still as he thought about his next words. “I guess we have a difficult decision ahead of us. I can’t stop you from finishing me off and I also can’t live without your help.”

The smell faded. The Elder actually had a chance of survival? “What do you mean?” Esh asked, “How can you survive a wound like that?”

The Elder laughed, “It’s a long shot, but it’s possible.”

The adolescent male felt all primal instincts leave his body immediately, feeling himself once again. Adrenaline rushed through him and he temporarily forgot about the incident that had just happened an hour before. “What do I need to do?”

“Prepare yourself lad… We’ve got work to do.”

There wasn’t nearly enough light above ground for what needed to be done. The dying mentor would have to be somehow lowered underground. Both of them thought hard about what they could possibly do but there just wasn’t any options.

“I have an idea but you are not going to like it,” the Elder said finally. “You’re gonna have to call on that power of yours for help.”

“Are you insane? Did you not see what I did? I’m a monster!”

“That you are,” the Elder agreed, nodding his head. “But if you want to be trained under me then you’re gonna have to listen to me, lad. It’s the only way and you know it.”

“But… I don’t even know what it is or how to… bring it out.”

The Elder looked at his shoulder and made a disgusted look. “What did you feel before it took control?”

Esh took a second to think. What had he felt? It had all happened so fast and he had basically just lost himself in all things black. But what had he thought beforehand?

“Despair… Loneliness…” Esh admitted.

“Good! Call upon those again!”

“No!” Esh screamed, standing up. “Do you know what you’re asking me! Did you see the way I devoured that blood! It felt good and I couldn’t control it!”

The Elder was silent for a few moments before letting his head lay back down onto the ground. “You’re right,” he said, “I am asking too much of you.”

Death was close to the Elder and Esh knew the window of his survival, if there even was a window, was rapidly coming to a close. The red tint came back into his eyes without him even having to try. He didn’t want his mentor to die and he was willing to try anything at all to save him.

The black strings filled his vision again and the evil thoughts rose out of nowhere. The Elder must have noticed for he was sitting back up, he was now face to face with two types of death.

“Good, Esh, good. Now control it before it controls you!”

“Shut up you fool!” said a foreign voice from Esh’s mouth. He moved with incredible speed and grabbed the Elder by his throat and lifted him up effortlessly. He could feel the Elder’s heart beat and a sudden clarity filled his head as he felt his weak pulse.

As much as his second self hated him for this, Esh conjured up black goo and commanded it to attach itself to the Elder. He felt as though at any moment he would relinquish himself to the dark power and shred the Elder like he had done with the rektops but he was able to muster up just enough strength to keep the beast at bay. He lowered his mentor slowly down into the dungeon.

Now that that was over Esh had to figure out how to stop the dark frenzy within him. He wanted to jump down the hull and stomp the Elder’s head in, but he refused. What if he went outside, barged into a random humanoid’s house and killed them instead? Would that satiate his inner demons?

“Your mother was a sassy thing, but she loved you so very much,” Esh heard the Elder cry up through the hole. “Did ya hear me, lad? Your mother would be very proud if she were here with us.”

Esh heard his words and an image of his mother came into his mind. He didn’t know exactly what she looked like but his imagination did the work for him. He thought about her shaking her head at him and wagging her finger. She then opened her arms out to him and Esh did the same. He walked forward to hug her but was only met with coldness. He realized that it was the goo that had embraced him and he watched as it soaked up into his skin. The dark feelings exited his mind.

“Did that work?” the Elder called up.

“Yeah,” Esh replied. He shook the thoughts of his mother aside and began to climb down into the dungeon.

“Oh thank the Creator,” the Elder laughed which created a fit of coughing, sending blood dripping down his chin.

Esh went to work on the Elder’s armor, completely stripping him to his underwear. Where a saggy Elder’s body should have been was actually a strong healthy looking one. All the muscles were tight, large, and firm; the white chest hair was the only thing that gave him away.

“What now?” Esh asked.

“We gotta clean this wound before we cauterize it.”

“Cauterize it?” Esh asked.

“It means to burn it to stop the bleeding.”

“So how do I clean it?” The wound was a mixture of bright red mixed with black from the ash. Sand had also found its way inside and it looked to be visibly throbbing. Two bones stuck out from either end of where the Elder’s shoulder should have been and Esh thought he might throw up.

“You’re not gonna like what I’m about to ask you,” the Elder said staring at him. Esh wondered if he was ever going to like anything the Elder had to say. “I don’t have enough canisters of liquid to clean this out thoroughly.”

“So do I go steal some more or something?”

“No time. You’re gonna have to do what you did to that rektops and lick all of this mess up.”

Esh did vomit this time and found himself gagging even more when he saw what was coming out of him. He was hurling bits and pieces of rektops along with all of its juices.

“You done?” the Elder asked coldly. “Time isn’t on our side so why don’t you conjure up that special ability of yours?”

“You have got to be kidding me,” Esh said, wiping his mouth. “You act as if I asked for this and that it is some easy thing for me to do! Don’t you realize that I want to kill you when I’m in that state?”

“But you haven’t yet,” the Elder retorted.

“But what if I do this time?”

“I’m gonna die anyway, lad.”

Esh had no other arguments and just stood there in his own gut juices looking down at his dying mentor. Screw it, he would try.

He thought about all the bad things that had happened to him. He thought about Mehch and how he had cut him. He thought about Korp’s sick desire for young males. He thought about his mentor, his only true friend, dying beside him. He would be so lonely.

The red tint hit hard and fast this time. He jumped onto the Elder’s stomach and conjured hundreds of black orbs, deciding that he would filet him alive! No, no he wouldn’t! He had a job to do, but what was it? Was he to kill the Elder off as quickly as possible? End his suffering? No, that wasn’t it.

The Dark Esh saw the wound and his heart began to race with excitement. He wanted to suck on it and he did. The cold metallic liquid was all over his face now and he became barely aware that he was gnawing on his mentor’s bone. He forced himself to stop and to just lick and suck at the dirty wound. After about five minutes of pure joy the Elder punched him across the face and the force sent him half way across the room, his back landing in the sand.

Esh stood up with pure hatred coursing through him. Oh he would make the Elder suffer for that one!

“You have your mother’s ears, lad,” the Elder said laying back with his eyes shut, “And your dad’s hair. His was so thick! Any male would have killed for his hairline.”

Esh remembered now, and he tried to think of positive and warm things! He pictured his mother again but found it not to be working, so he imagined her and his father hugging each other and staring back at him. His shoulders drooped and he began to cry out of happiness. He wanted nothing more than to be with them now. Their faces lost all of their details and aspects as they turned into goo and morphed with his body, disappearing deep inside him.

“Grab one of them torches and let’s get this over with.”

Esh didn’t think it was even possible to move anymore. His body screamed at him and he felt as though at any moment he would pass out only to wake up to a dead elderly male four feet away from him.

He forced himself to trudge over to the nearest torch and grab it.

“Now what do I do?”

No answer.

“Elder?”

Esh flashed the torch over his mentor’s face and saw that his eyes were closed and his mouth was open. Panicking, Esh move the torch to the Elder’s chest and was relieved to see that it was moving up and down but was taking unnatural pauses. Esh was all alone.

It was probably for the best that the Elder passed out for he would not want to feel what was coming next. Esh didn’t know exactly what to do. He had never purposely burned someone in order to save their life before.

He slowly tipped the torch sideways and moved it to the wound. Bits of the flame began to lick at the skin turning it black and releasing a yellow smoke with a horrific smell. Esh checked the Elder’s face again to make sure he was still unconscious and continued his work. He slowly moved the torch over the entire crater that once was a shoulder and turned the entire laceration black.

With the last bit of his strength, Esh picked up the Elder under his arm pits and drug him to the nearest bed where he awkwardly placed him.

Esh let himself fall onto his back into the soft sand. Before he fell asleep he wondered what he would do if he woke up to his mentor being dead. He would be by himself with no plans and nowhere to go. He had grown to enjoy his mentor’s companionship and would even allow himself to call him a friend.

Esh smiled when he realized that this had probably all just been a bad dream. A nightmare. He would wake up to find himself in his bed above the sand with the Elder hovering over him with a whip. There would be no black plague hiding somewhere in his chest and they wouldn’t be hunting rektops that sun-cycle. Just picking trash.

19 - The Bells

“Morning, lad,”

Esh’s eyes opened and was shocked as to how well rested he felt. No part of his body hurt and his mind was clear. Just as he had expected, the whole moon-cycle had been just some crazy nightmare and he would continue his training with his mentor.

As he leaned his body up sand fell from his hair into his face and eyes. He rubbed them and noticed that his hands wore the same black armored gloves from his dream. He released the sand from his hood and stood up patting himself off.

“Some moon-cycle, eh?” the Elder said, laying in his bed staring up at Esh. “Some moon-cycle indeed.”

“Yeah,” Esh responded. He looked at the wound and saw that it was charred black and the edge of the skin was a terrible red. When the Elder tried to move his left arm his crispy shoulder would make a crunchy noise and spurts of yellow puss would run down his arm.

“Not looking too good is it, lad?”

Tears filled Esh’s eyes as he shook his head. He turned away fast in order to wipe the liquid from the bottoms of his eye lids before the mentor could notice. He could not, however, hide the shakiness in his voice. “I – I tried my best, sir.”

“I know you did,” the Elder responded with the same amount of shakiness. “And you did an amazing job. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you a second time.”

“Well, we have to eat, don’t we?” Esh said jokingly. “We'll do it right next time!”

The Elder smiled and nodded at him. They both knew by looking at the highly infected missing shoulder that there probably wasn’t going to be a next time.

“This isn’t good, lad. I need medicine and not just any medicine. I need it from a world class alchemist.”

“But I don’t--”

“Yes, you do,” the Elder said, “You do know of one and he knows of you. Remember Xep from the story?”

Esh nodded. “He’s the one who was able to rejuvenate his own hand after mixing the poison stuff.”

“Exactly. I need something like it just more powerful as we are not just talking about some scar tissue but a hole in my torso.” The Elder laughed at his own sick joke.

“Is he still alive, this Xep guy?”

“’Course he is! He’s just, sort of retired now. Stays off the front lines to work on the potions for all the younger agents and soon to be agents like yourself."

Before Esh could even ask how to find Xep the Elder’s body when into a sudden lapse of intense seizures. He began to contort in the strangest of ways. He stuck his tongue out and Esh noticed he was biting at it hard. With quick thinking, Esh grabbed one of the daggers off the wall and forced the hilt into the Elder’s mouth. He then used his entire body to lay over the Elder to stop him from moving his shoulder.

Finally, the Elder went still and drool fell from the sides of his mouth. He was unconscious again but breathing.

Esh took this time to clean the wound with one of their last liquid canisters and then began snooping around the dungeon, which was more spacious than he had first thought.

His instincts told him to look in the room in which he had first been fitted with the armor he now wore. The only problem was that the password in order to open the secret entrance had been the Elder’s alcoholic breath.

But still, Esh walked up to the sandy wall and pressed his face close to it. He let out a gust of breath and… it worked! The Elder must have known that he would have some sun-cycle needed access to this room, or perhaps anyone’s breath would do.

He walked in and the flames along the walls were still blazing. Were they permanently lit? He walked up to the table in the middle of the room and tapped the top of it but jumped back as the clasps came to life, violently strapping at what it must have thought to be some sort of victim. Once the straps realized nothing was there they relaxed and went lifeless. Esh was afraid to touch anything else in the room, afraid something else might be magically induced to hurt whatever bothered it.

He stepped away from the table and made his way back to the giant showcase of where the Elder had grabbed his armor. To the left of it was a large indention in the wall that he hadn’t noticed the moon-cycle before. Upon this indention was a long line of different sized hand bells that were covered in cobwebs and dust. Unlike the rest of the strange objects in the room these seemed to not have been in use for a while.

Bringing his head closer he was able to see different names engraved below each bell. He grabbed a torch off the wall and went from bell to bell reading each name out loud, realizing that they were all in alphabetical order. He passed over the name ‘Drohdroh’ and then later the name ‘Xep’ appeared. Why did the Elder keep bells labeled with the names of different humanoids from the agency? Were they some kind of memorabilia?

Esh tried to pick up the bell labeled ‘Xep’ but could barely budge it. He used both hands to grasp the handle, lifted it off the platform, and gave it a weak shake. A sudden vibration filled the room and the walls started to shake. Esh dropped the bell, falling to his knees. He could actually see the tremors in the ground swim through the room in waves.

As soon as the commotion ended Esh picked up the bell and grunted as he placed the damned heavy object back to its resting place. Surely that had woken the Elder, but as he walked out to check he was disappointed to find the male still unconscious on his bed.

Esh, deciding there was nothing else to do, continued his exploration of the mystery room. He found a bookshelf as tall as the ceiling. It contained all sorts of disorganized literature of insane topics, topics that he would never have seen at the local Reahlic library.

“Poisons that Rot the Insides,” “Killer Animals that Can Be Easily Domesticated,” and “Surviving off Bodily Functions for Sun-cycles.”

As strange as they all were, Esh knew he would read each and every one of them. One book in particular took his attention and he pulled it off the shelf. “Alchemy for All: A beginner’s guide that won’t kill you but may do the opposite!"

Esh laid it down over the large map and began reading the contents but stopped his finger on the section titled “Dirty Wounds Make for Worthless Corpses: Infection Prevention/Curing and other Useful Information”

He turned to that page and began reading all he could. He had done some of the things already listed in the pages such as cleaning the wound of anything that wasn’t flesh related, cleaning it with liquid, and even the burning part, but there was A LOT that went straight over his head. He was just about to give up when he found exactly what he needed.

A Simple Concoction for Even the Worst of Infections!

Ingredients:

Liquid

Jugthram Stool

Warlock hair (Or any sorcerer/sorceress will do)

Formaldehyde (Which has been storing a humanoid heart for no less than ten years!)

And of course, some sorcery skill is required.

Directions:

Pour all ingredients into a large pot or cauldron over a cold fire. Mix when all has melted. Once you have a brown and grey-ish juice you are ready to apply to the infected area!

Esh slammed the book shut and was utterly annoyed. “Alchemy for All” was such a lie.

“What in the four hells is a cold fire?” he exclaimed out loud, rubbing his temples. “There’s no such thing.”

“I’d beg to differ,” said a voice behind Esh making him jump out of his skin.

“Who-who’re you?”

Before him stood a male of medium height, half his face covered in a dark hooded robe. The only part of his face that showed was his bottom chin covered in a black and grey beard that came out in a sharp point. His hands were at his sides and he wasn’t wearing any shoes. How did a homeless male make his way in here?

“Cold fire is just the name given to an artificial heater that can only be felt by objects without a soul. Therefore, you and I cannot experience its flames.”

Esh, his back to the wall, quickly looked around the room for some sort of weapon and remembered how heavy the bell had been. He ran over and picked it up. He was just about to try and lob it at the intruder when he noticed that the strange male was already making himself at home, rummaging through all the strange vials and jars of different parts of species.

“That concoction would not have been nearly powerful enough,” he said simply, paying no attention to Esh being armed.

Esh looked down at the bell in his hand and, realizing how foolish he looked, placed it back.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was invited,” the male said, pulling a large pot off the ceiling that had been hung by a chain. He bent over and formed a large hole in the sand with his hand and placed the pot over it.

“By who?” Esh was using this conversation to preoccupy the male while he looked for a more suitable weapon.

“You ring that bell over there?”

Esh looked back at the bell and back at the male, “Yeah, so?”

“Then you are the one who has invited me,” he said, raising his eyebrows as he placed the apparent last ingredient he needed. “We should be quick, he hasn’t long to live.”

20 - Alchemy Lesson One

Esh now knew that the male in front of him was Xep, the one from the story who had been close friends with his father.

“I’m guessing the trials did not go as planned,” Xep said quietly, still kneeling before the pot. He placed both hands out in front of himself, palms out. Esh heard him whisper a few words under his breath. The room went dark as the flames from the surrounding torches flew towards the pot, mixing together to make a Green whirling fire.

“What do you mean, trials?” Esh said, trying to act as though he wasn’t at all impressed with the cracking and whizzing of the new element that had just been created before him.

Xep chuckled to himself but didn’t smile, “If he didn’t tell you then it isn’t the business of mine to explain them.”

Esh opened his mouth in protest but didn’t say anything. He knew it was more important to save the Elder who laid dying in the other room.

“What can I do to --?”

“Grab me the jar labeled as ‘hands of the infant,’” Xep responded immediately. He stuck his hand in the Green fire, pinched a small piece of the flame and threw it at the nearest torch which combusted in Green flame as well.

Esh grabbed the torch and waved his hand over the fire. He expected to feel something, some sort of burning sensation or even some sort of coolness. Nothing. It was as if he had just merely waved his hand through the air.

He used the torch to search the different jars and his stomach turned when he finally found it. He thought that the name ‘hands of the infant’ would have been a false title just like the cold fire, but no, these were actual preserved infant hands.

“Here,” Esh said, handing the jar to Xep who took it without looking.

The alchemist opened the jar and plucked the tiny hands out as if they were nothing out of the ordinary. “First lesson,” he said, “‘Hands of the infant’ are used for rejuvenation, rehabilitation, and for fertility issues.”

“But how did you get them?” Esh asked.

“What?” Xep asked, now looking at Esh as if he had asked some idiotic question.

“The- the hands of course.”

“From dead babies?” Xep replied, raising an eyebrow.

Esh shuttered and quickly changed the subject. “So, these hands help with curing humanoids?”

Xep nodded and threw the small hands into the pot of black liquid which had now come to a boil. At first, the hands had sunk to the bottom but soon made their way back to the surface. Esh gasped as the tiny little pale hands started to float in the air above the liquid. Each hand found itself another and started to clap in a slow rhythm. This had to have been the creepiest thing he had ever seen.

Xep put a finger to his lips and shushed the baby hands. He used a gently palm to push them back into the boiling liquid.

“It is done,” Xep whispered to himself. He reached out and grabbed the entirety of the Green fire and flung it into the air above him. The fire exploded, sending pieces of itself in different directions back to their own torches, lighting the room once again. Xep started for the door in a slow walk and Esh followed behind him.

“Do we just poor it on the wound?”

“No, he must drink.”

“But how? He’s asleep?”

“He doesn’t need to be awake. These things you will learn.”

Xep handed Esh the pot and for some reason his first instinct was to smell the concoction. There was no smell and the hands of the baby were nowhere to be seen. Were they really about to feed his mentor melted baby hand juice?

Xep opened the Elder’s mouth and stuck a finger somewhere deep down his throat. “Now pour,” he said, “slowly.”

Esh tipped the pot over the Elder’s mouth and let the liquid fall in. He could actually hear the potion falling into the Elder’s stomach. He pulled the pot back after the last of the liquid had been poured. Esh leaned over to look at the Elder’s wound but jumped back in fear when the Elder suddenly took a loud heave of air, his body rising with unnatural speed knocking the pot right out of Esh’s hands.

The Elder’s body shaking crazily now and he looked into the sky as he howled in pain.

“Hold him!” Xep commanded sternly, pushing the Elder’s chest back to the bed, “Hold his feet!”

Esh paused for only a second but quickly regained his mind and ran over to hold the male’s violently kicking feet. He looked up to see the wound had actually begun to move up and down as if something were trying to escape from underneath. New skin appeared around the edges and pulled itself up like fresh sheets on a bed. Something similar happened with the bone fragments. Piece after piece of white bone appeared and started to rebuild itself like a wall. The Elder screamed the whole time this was happening and he kicked Esh hard in the face multiple times, but he would not let go out of fear his mentor would fall off the bed.

As the process of mending slowly came to a stop, so did the Elder’s screams. Esh let go of his legs and Xep pulled out some cloth to wipe the sweat from the old mentor’s face.

“You’re looking old,” the Elder said weakly, followed by a cough. He put a hand on Xep’s shoulder who returned the gesture by bending over and giving the Elder a hug.

“Not as old as you, I’m afraid,” Xep replied.

Esh’s cheeks burned as he felt tears coming once again. Why did he have to be so weak? It wasn’t like he was going to miss the old mentor. Oh who was he kidding, he knew the Elder was all he had. Xep noticed the tears before Esh could wipe them away.

“Do you not trust my work?” Xep asked, smiling for the first time.

The Elder tried several times to get out of bed but Xep refused to let him.

“Your body needs time to get use to its new tissue,” Xep had said, “Your body may find the new tissue to be an intrusion and may try and reject it. You need —.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I just can’t stand just laying here doing nothing… So… How is everything? Back at the agency?”

“Good,” Xep replied. “Still strange without you, Rift.”

“Rift?” Esh asked, looking up from an alchemy book Xep had found off the bookshelf entitled ‘Everything Alchemy’.

“Yup, that’s my name,” the Elder, Rift, replied.

“How come I didn’t know that?”

“Names aren’t important, the training is. Speaking of which, Esh, there is something we need to talk about.”

“Xep already mentioned the trials,” Esh said, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

The Elder looked over at Xep as though he should have known not to have said anything to him about the trials. Xep merely shrugged his shoulders.

Rift let out a breath of annoyance. “Well, I was gonna talk to you about your trials but there are certain… physiologic trials young agents must go through first. You see, there is a reason why the Agency has banned the sleeping trials.”

Esh shook his head, “What psychological trials are you talking about?”

“The idea is to put the student in a terrible situation, one of life or death! Life or death situations are the only means of pulling out any signs that the student may have the ability to survive the serum and month long hibernation,” Rift paused and lapped his mouth making a dry sound, “S’cuse me, Xep. Could you bring me uh—.”

“Here.” Xep pulled out a small flask from his robes and held it out to him.

Rift took it, raised it to Xep, and took a long swig. He let out a nasty burp and continued, “You understand now, lad? You couldn’t have known what was going to happen or else you would have been thinking on it too much. This was the only way I could be sure you would survive the trials.”

“But you got seriously injured!” Esh was beginning to yell. “You were dying! Surely not every trial has to end with getting half your body bitten off!”

Rift looked embarrassed and scratched his head. Esh could see a small smirk raise on Xep’s mouth.

“Well, er, yeah. That’s true. You see, lad, I’m getting old and I’m not what I used to be.”

“So, you made a mistake?”

“Now that’s quite enough!” Rift shouted, his face getting red. He kept his eyes on Esh as he took another violent swig of the flask. He wiped his mouth and shoved the flask back into Xep’s hands. “I may have made a mistake, and I appreciate you saving my hide but don’t you think for a moment you have the authority to speak to me like that!”

Esh wanted to walk over and punch the Elder in the face, but resisted. His own face burned with embarrassment in front of the new guest. “Sorry, sir.”

“Quite alright,” Rift replied, laying back in his bed. The mentor was already over the subject. “Now, do you have any questi—.”

“What is the black stuff? What type of sorcery is that?”

Xep’s head shot towards the Elder, his face very serious. Esh could see his breathing had increased and his fists were clenched.

“It’s true… The lad has demonic capabilities.”

“Conjuring or… possession?”

“Neither,” the Elder said, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “It seems Esh here can control the dark powers through embodiment.”

“How is that possible? I have never heard of embodiment sorcery before.” Xep had a skeptical face as if he were hearing a bunch of gibberish.

“I saw it with my own eyes, Xep. The lad can call upon the powers and command it at will. Now the question is, can the embodiment turn to possession?”

This was becoming too much for Esh. He had only known about sorcery for two sun-cycles now and the two males in front of him were throwing around words as if they were every sun-cycle occurrences. He had questions upon questions floating inside his head and with every word spoken from either his mentor or Xep was just adding to the pool. He was becoming more frustrated and more fearful every time the word ‘possession’ was brought up. Was he already possessed? It certainly felt that way whenever the goo had been called out. He could feel it trying to talk him into things he knew the normal Esh wouldn’t have wanted to ever have desired to do. That side of him had different appetites. Dark appetites.

The two agents started to talk back in forth, conversation turning to arguments and then back to normal conversation. And on and on it went. They were using terms that were out of Esh’s league and finally he had to stop them.

“Excuse me,” he called out. They both turned to him with genuine interest making him almost forget what he wanted to say. He took a deep breath and decided it was best to spill his guts. He explained to them how the darkness made him feel when it had been brought out from inside him. He told them how it had felt to control this dark energy… or how it had felt to be controlled by it, he couldn’t tell which. He even told them how immensely hard it was to keep from eating the Elder alive.

“I didn’t want to tell ya this,” his mentor said, holding a hand up. “but you did take a little bone off while you were cleaning me up.”

Xep gave the Elder a confused look.

“I’ll tell ya later. Continue, lad.”

“I think that’s about it,” Esh said, shrugging. The talk had taken a lot of energy from him and he wanted a nap very badly.

“Any ideas, Xep?”

“I have a few, actually,” the guest answered. “I believe the lad is not possessed at the moment… but that there is the possibility for sure. He needs proper training and…” Xep looked to Rift for permission to say what he had been about to say and Rift nodded, “and to start the trial by serum immediately. Take off your chest armor, Esh.”

“What? Why?”

“Just do it,” Rift said.

Esh tried to unstrap the armor but found he couldn’t do it alone. Xep walked over and helped him. The armor fell into the sand with a silent thud and the Elder gave a loud whistle.

“That’s no good,” he said, looking down at Esh’s waist.

The young male looked down and gasped. There was a large dark brown bruise that wrapped around his entire waist. He poked at it lightly and was met with pain. Without any shame, Esh ripped off the rest of the armor as fast as he could until he was completely nude. His body was bruised all over.

“What is this?” Esh asked, pointing at the strange lines that were on each hip.

“Those are stretch marks,” Xep answered. “Bruising and stretch marks are very common amongst younger sorcery manipulators who have the power to utilize capability." Xep eyed the young one carefully up and down. He then turned to look back at Rift. “Was this power similar to that of a capability sorcerer?”

“I would think so. He was moving at the speed of a warlock who had mastered capabilities. But I don’t think this sort of, err, power has ever been recorded.”

“What do the stretch marks have to do with me moving fast?” Esh asked, putting his underwear back on.

“It means you were moving too fast for your skin to handle. The bruises mean your blood flow was either irregular or your muscles had become too efficient for the body.”

“So—.”

“It means you could have died, Esh,” the Elder said, swinging his legs over his bed. “Your body isn’t ready for the sort of power it can produce.”

“When is the first time you experienced this dark magic?” Xep asked.

“That was the first time,” Esh answered.

Xep shook his head as if he could not grasp what was being said. “This is impossible. Your power seems very similar to how someone would describe a Wisp.”

The room was quiet as the words sunk in. The Elder shook his head slowly. He had already known.

“What if you, um… swallow a piece of Wisp?”

“You’re not making any sense,” said Xep, “The Wisp isn’t a true element, it’s… well, it’s nothing. Just dark energy.”

“Well now wait a minute,” Rift butted in, “We don’t exactly understand the link between hybrids and Wisps, now do we?” Xep opened his mouth to argue but shut it quickly. “Think about it, Xep. We still don’t truly understand why some hybrids can actually speak to them through dreams.”

“Why do you ask this question? Are you saying you actually consumed a piece of Wisp?”

Esh nodded.

“I still do not see how that is possible.”

“It is possible because it happened! Back when we first ran away from the Wisp that murdered Mehch! It flew at me and, well… I opened my mouth trying to yell for my mentor and it flew right in.”

The room went silent again and everyone just stared into the sand, deep in thought. They obviously didn’t really believe what he was saying. Esh was starting to question his own sanity when his mentor broke the silence.

“I believe you, lad,” he said. “After what I saw… It is impossible to doubt what you have inside of you.”

Xep made no comment, a fist below his chin, still thinking hard about something.

“And that is why I think you should immediately go into the trials.”

Xep’s eyebrows furrowed and then relaxed, “I agree. He is a danger to others and especially himself. I am surprised he is even alive at this moment, truly the spirit of his father.”

“But doesn’t that mean that I have to go to sleep for a month?”

“That is basically correct, yes,” answered Xep.

“Well wait, I wanna know more about my father and mother! Mentor Rift never finished the story.”

“Which one?” Xep asked, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“The one when he meets my mother in the Green world."

“Ahh, that’s a good one.” Xep closed his eyes and smiled, most likely remembering the times of old. “I miss your father. Very talented and… eccentric male. We shared many exciting missions together. You’d look almost exactly like him but your mother’s ears are very prominent."

“Well, looks like we aren’t doing anything too special at the moment. How about I finish that story while Xep here cooks us your last meal.”

“I’m an alchemist, not a cook."

“You telling me you spend all that time behind a cauldron and haven’t learned a single edible recipe?”

Xep sighed. “Fine.” He turned and walked towards the secret room.

“Alrighty, where were we?”

“They just killed the commander humanoid and Xep had poisoned the entire squad of soldiers!” Despite his exhaustion, Esh yelled all of this while jumping up and down, his long dirty purple hair rising and falling on his shoulders.

They could both hear Xep laughing in the secret room.

21 - The Warlock

Barda and Xep watched as the elves fled through the trees like blurred ghosts with only the sounds of rustling leaves to give them away. Chesna must have been successful in warning the village. As the elves passed over head, many of the children stopped to aww at their large enviro-suits only to be swept up by their parents.

Barda gave the signal for them to move and Xep nodded. As they jumped from tree branch to tree branch neither spoke, deep in thought on different tactics they could pull on the next enemy squadron. No matter how skilled an agent of the order was, no one could forecast how a battle would turn out.

They were moving as fast as they could in the direction they thought the next squadron would be, that was until the silence of the forest was killed by screams. Both agents stopped. Their ears were met with an explosion coming directly from the village.

“Not good,” Barda said and they both changed directions towards the village.

As they moved closer to the village they could hear more and more cries of pain and the familiar sound of destruction. By the time they had made it to the outer limit of the village they were too late. They peered down to the forest ground and saw it littered with humanoid corpses, mouths open in terror, males, females and even children.

“They must have changed plans,” Xep said under his breath. “Orders, Captain?”

Barda merely looked down upon the bodies with great remorse.

They both jumped down to the ground, somersaulting to protect their joints and sprang up already preparing their weapons. Xep pulled back his robe over his shoulders revealing the many throwing knives that embroidered his chest armor. Barda used some of his energy to conjure up a long bow and a quiver of arrows.

“Lookie what we got er!” said a large bearded male coming from around a tree followed by twenty or so other soldiers doing the same thing. It was a trap.

“You fell—,” the bearded male was cut short as Barda released an arrow directly into his mouth, piercing the soldier’s brain stem. His eyes went white and the conjured arrow disappeared.

“Kill the bastards!” yelled another and the soldiers charged through the forest towards them.

Xep sent three flying daggers in half a second sticking their targets in the throats. Before long both agents had been surrounded.

“How the—.”

“Look, Captain!” Xep called, pointing towards an elderly elf in the tree, his hands moving in a circular motion. “He’s using sorcery to mask their sound!”

Barda recognized the pattern of the Warlock’s hand motion. There wasn’t time to ask why an elvish humanoid was aiding the army of Reah

“Move!”

Barda and Xep separated running in opposite directions just as bolts of lightning struck where their feet had been moments before. The Warlock’s power was strong, strong enough that a single electric bolt of his sorcery could have easily fried whomever it hit.

“Take him out before we finish the others!” Barda commanded. He thought about trying to hit the Warlock with an arrow but knew his skills weren’t up to the task. He took a quick mental note to train more with the bow when he made it home. If he made it home.

Barda turned his attention back to the platoon that now surrounded him. He hit one of the oncoming soldiers in the eye with the edge of his bow while simultaneously shooting an arrow into another’s forehead.

“He’s disappeared, Captain!” Xep yelled from above, jumping down from the branch directly onto the shoulders of a rushing soldier. He slit the throat and back flipped off of him. How Xep had made it up a tree that quickly, Barda would never know. He was always full of surprises.

They would worry about the Warlock later. Although they had been momentarily outnumbered, it wasn’t long before the two had slaughtered each and every one of the ambushing soldiers with only minor damage to themselves. Barda was forced to relieve his shoulder pauldrons and his left leggings which had taken too many hits. Xep had used all of his throwing knives and his satchel had been slit open spilling all of his alchemy supplies. He chose only the few essentials he could store on his armor.

They didn’t hesitate to run towards the village. Flames were now visible on the tops of every hut, house, and building. Barda could see the flames reaching out unto the trees and spreading. Xep barely had time to side step a falling piece of debris out of which came a severed elvish hand that tumbled in front of his feet.

Screams and smoke filled the air and Barda knew they were too late. The village was turned upside down and all was in chaos. The elvish females grabbed their children and took flight at the sight of Barda and Xep’s armor. He tried telling them he was on their side but soon gave up.

“Captain, there,” Xep said, pointing towards the top of one of the larger houses.

Barda looked up to see Chesna leading an entire pack of small elvish children out of the house and onto one of the many wooden bridges that connected the entire village.

“Don’t tell me…”

“That must be their school,” Xep said, confirming Barda’s fear.

The two raced off to give aid to Chesna. As they began to make their climb, Barda scanned the area behind him and could see the skin of many of the elves already beginning to blister under the extreme heat. Flames were going up everywhere and he noticed that many of the soldiers had taken up long spears so that they could pierce through more than one humanoid body at a time without having to get too close. After stabbing three or four elves, the soldier would raise the stake in the air like a steaming kebab of flesh.

As Barda and Xep finally reached the school the children cried and fled behind Chesna. She eyed them carefully as if she still didn’t completely trust them, but she changed her mind when she saw how badly they had been beaten. She turned to the children and calmed them down with assuring words.

“We heard the screaming. They must have changed their plan of attack,” Barda said, ushering all of the kids along towards a bridge that had connected the school to the exit of the village.

“I noticed!” Chesna said, running passed him with the children crowded around her.

“Xep, you take care of the elves who are still alive on the ground. I’ll help escort these children.”

“Yes sir.” Xep turned his back to the edge of the bridge and let himself fall backwards into the midst of burning chaos.

Barda looked ahead. Four soldiers were coming their way with sick smiles on their faces. The children halted and Barda and Chesna took the front.

“Get behind me,” Barda said.

“YOU get behind ME,” Chesna answered. He eyed her uneasily but then saw the small dagger she had pulled out from her hip and remembered how she had tactically captured him.

They faced their opponents and both moved at the same time before their attackers got any closer. Barda watched as Chesna jumped feet first into the first soldier who stumbled and fell onto his back. She quickly recovered and preceded to shove the dagger in and out of the soldier’s neck, drenching herself in his blood.

Barda nearly took a clean hit to the face but dodged a half second before. He swore under his breath for yet again losing his concentration and jabbed an arrow inside the male’s temple.

The two remaining soldiers decided to jump off the bridge to find easier targets, however, Barda did not let them go without parting gifts. He sent two arrows into each of their backs.

“Go, go, go!” Barda yelled at the kids in their native tongue. They looked at him in utter shock but began to move as Chesna yelled the same thing.

As soon as they were all in the clear and out of the smoke, three elvish humanoids appeared and took the children without a word. Barda bowed to their little cries of thanks and made his way back into the dying village; he could hear Chesna on his heels. They jumped without any plan into the pit of hell and fought back to back.

Hot blood slapped Barda in the face as he killed one soldier after the other, stopping only to peel the drying blood out of his eyes. He gained momentum, turning around only to stick an arrow into a soldier Chesna had not seen. He was surprised when she returned the favor, throwing her dagger into the face of a soldier that was about to shove his sword deep into his ribs.

They fought for only twenty minutes, but it felt like hours. Barda released the bow and arrow, exhausted from the long duration of the sorcery and picked up a greatsword from the weak grasp of a dead soldier. He had not expected to get into any long winded fights on this campaign.

The village was now completely destroyed and they were forced to escape. Barda hoped Xep had made it out alive. He went to move his feet but they would not budge. That’s when he heard laughing.

He looked up to see the same elvish Warlock looking down from a charred tree branch. Behind him was a sky that was no longer blue, but a mean greyish orange. The Warlock’s arms were crossed over his chest which Barda knew to be a control spell. He looked over at Chesna. She could not move either.

“This isn’t good,” she said to him.

“You know that male?”

“I do,” she nodded, but before she could elaborate a large piece of house fell on top of them, trapping them under its debris.

Barda could hear the Warlock’s now muffled laughing. He went through a certain diagnostic of his body and was relieved that he could actually move his feet meaning the Warlock had released his spell. Through a tiny hole in the debris he could see Chesna standing up. She had survived.

He pushed the pieces of house off his sore body and sprinted after her, but again, they were trapped by the Warlock mid stride.

“And where are you going?”

The Warlock stepped out of the smoke, his face becoming visible. Over his shoulder laid a limp Xep whom he threw at Barda’s feet. “You forgot something!”

The Warlock spat on Xep’s body and stared menacingly into Barda’s eyes. Barda had never felt such anger in his life and met the Warlock’s gaze. One eye was blind and milky while the other was completely black.

Before Barda could get a better look of the Warlock, he saw the old elf pull out a small blade from under his garments, effectively releasing his holding spell on them. The Warlock then leapt towards Chesna with an unnatural agility.

Thinking quickly, Barda used the last of his sorcery power to increase his own speed. He shot forward just as the Warlock thrust the dagger. It stuck him in the gut instead of the female. Stars flew through his mind and agony followed soon after. His capabilities wore off instantly. He would have crumpled to the ground but the Warlock had placed him back in a holding spell. He just stood there, knife in gut.

The Warlock, making a sour face, tried to wrench the knife out of Barda’s stomach but it must have been lodged between two ribs. No matter how much the decrepit male tried he could not wrench it out. Barda wanted to take advantage of the Warlock’s closeness and tried to conjure a sword but could not, his will spilling onto the ground in the form of red bodily fluid. He tried to give the Warlock a weak punch to the face but the male easily pushed his fist out of the way.

The world around Barda had started to crash down upon him literally and mentally. A fog crowded his eyes as his life drained from his body. He could barely comprehend what happened next when the agents of the Order poured into the village center.

The Warlock hissed as the agents surrounded him with their daggers drawn. He gave Barda one last nasty look before slitting his own palm with one of his own dirty sharp fingernails. The Warlock squeezed his fist and blood trickled onto the ground all the while whispering some dark spell under his breath. The agents, knowing that the Warlock was trying to make a getaway, rushed him. But it was too late. A lightning bolt cracked from the smoke filled sky, striking the Warlock on the top of the head. He was gone.

“I can’t believe… Why?”

Chesna turned Barda onto his back, her eyes meeting the knife sticking out of him. “You don’t know me. You don’t owe me-.”

“You were too beautiful to waste,” Barda said deliriously.

She gave him an angry look but turned away as her pale white cheeks turned red.

Barda could hear the agents fighting off the rest of the soldiers. He coughed hard into his hand sending pain through his abdomen. His glove was now covered in dark blood.

The Reahlic army officers had just now started screaming commands of retreat but it was far too late for that. The army was now in a position of dwindling numbers and disorganization. Many soldiers had already tried to make their escape, but all attempts ended with arrows sticking out of their backs.

Barda felt hands under his armpits as he was dragged backwards out of the dead village and into the forest. He looked up and saw Chesna looking back at him, her face smudged black from the smote and her hair in disarray. Barda could have sworn an angel was watching over him.

Another agent, Barda couldn’t recognize the face through the smoke, grabbed his feet and he was hoisted into the air. It wasn’t long before they had him over a tarp and had placed a large wooden chip in his mouth to stop him from biting his tongue. The pain was incredible and Barda found himself concentrating on it.

Things went black for a moment and Barda woke up to humanoids bending over him. He could hear the hustle of all the agents around him trying to calm the panicking elves.

“He’s lost a lot of blood, we need to operate immediately.” Barda knew the voice to belong to Gardosh the medic and also a very talented swordsman. They were both around the same age and had been inducted to the agency at the same time.

“What happened?” Gardosh asked, carefully snipping the connective parts of Barda’s chest armor and removing it slowly revealing just the handle of the knife jutting from his torso. Blood spilled out from the sides of the wound with every breath.

Chesna gasped and squeezed Barda’s shoulders.

“What happened?” Gardosh repeated more sternly.

“You should probably answer him,” Drohdroh said, kneeling down beside Barda.

Chesna looked up at him and back to Barda, “He… He took this blade which had been meant for me.”

“Why?” Drohdroh asked and Barda didn’t know whether he was talking to him or Chesna.

“Well it doesn’t matter much now does it?” spat Gardosh. “Now pay attention, Droh, and hold his legs. We have to do this quick, I have Xep waiting for me over there.”

Gardosh put his head to Barda’s bloodied stomach and flicked the hilt of the knife. This sent a convulsion of pain through Barda’s body, making him cry out. “It’s pierced his stomach lining. He’s bleeding internally. I will be paralyzed for three sun-cycles after these two surgeries so I will need to be carried back along with Barda and Xep, understood?”

Drohdroh nodded.

“Ready him! I’m starting.”

Chesna pushed down on his shoulders while Drohdroh took to his legs. Two other agents came and pinned his arms down. Gardosh’s eyes went white and he placed his hands over Barda’s body. Gardosh’s hood flew back from the power that now soared from his hands to the area of attention.

Barda cried out loud as the blade slowly slid out of his body, but not entirely, for Gardosh grabbed the blade and used it to cut an even wider slit in his stomach. Soon Barda could feel his innards being mingled with by the healing power and he couldn’t help himself from trying to escape. More and more agents were called to hold him down until he had around ten humanoids over him.

Gardosh didn’t say a word, fully concentrating on the surgery that was taking place. Barda was on the verge of passing out and was hoping he would but the sweet relief of unconsciousness never came. He looked at the veins in Gardosh’s head which had swelled and then back at his stomach that was moving in odd directions as an invisible hand did its work.

Finally, it was done. The slit was pushed together and a needle and thread made its way through his skin stitching up the wound. Barda’s neck ached horribly and he noticed he had been watching the entire surgery with his head up. He turned over and vomited. Chesna brushed his hair as Gardosh stood up warily.

“There we are,” he said.

“Thank you… my friend,” Barda managed to say in a raspy voice.

“It’s about time I saved your hide instead of you saving mine,” replied Gardosh and Barda could see him smiling with his sweat drenched face. “Well I’m off to Xep.”

“How is he?” Barda asked, grabbing Gardosh’s calf.

Gardosh bit his lip and looked back over his shoulder at Xep. “Broken spine, two dislocations, and horrible burns… But! Nothing I can’t fix.”

Barda wanted to ask more questions but Gardosh had already walked away. He felt something wet hit his forehead and looked up to see Chesna crying over him. She looked angry.

Barda opened his mouth to say something but she slapped him hard on the face.

“Are you mad!” She slapped him again as if he wasn’t already in enough pain.

“How could you be so reckless! You don’t know me!” She stroked his hair. Her anger turned to sorrow and she fell forward putting her forehead on his.

They sat there like that for many moments and Barda wished he could have laid there forever. Then, something happened. She bent over him even more and put her lips to his. Then, she was gone.

Barda was placed in a medical bed next to Xep. He was shocked when Gardosh was placed in the bed to his other side.

“What’s going on?” he asked the agents who had brought Gardosh’s limp body in.

“He over used his abilities, sir,” said one agent.

“The other medics say he is in a coma but should regain consciousness within a few sun-cycle,” said the other.

Barda thanked them and sat there a while by himself thinking. Xep was still unconscious from the previous sun-cycle’s surgery and was completely wrapped in medical padding that restricted him from moving even slightly.

Although he had no one to talk to, Barda enjoyed the silence for it allowed him to think about the events that had just transpired. He knew he would have to make a lot of important decisions in the following hours such as should they go and search for any remaining soldiers? How should they go about supplying the elves with aid? And should they finally plan a series a surprise attacks against the actual army base of Zel?

Barda found that he could not concentrate on any of these pressing matters because the thought of Chesna’s soft lips touching his kept penetrating his mind and pushing everything else out of the way. Where had she gone and was she thinking about him? Did she ever want to see him again? He had only known her for a few hours but he already felt as though half his heart was in another territory.

And where did she learn to fight like that? Her abilities matched even that of his own, perhaps not in that of strength but in that of agility, form, and reflexes. She would make a valuable asset in the fight against the king of Reah.

It wasn’t long before he had made up his mind. He would find her and convince her to come home with him.

He pushed the sheets off his chest and looked down at his naked body, his abdominal area completely wrapped in white bandages. He flexed and gritted his teeth as horrible pain answered. He took a few breaths and started to convince himself that he needed rest on top of everything. The armor he needed to survive in the Green territory would only rip and tear at his wound. He would then most likely die of infection or blood loss. He concluded that it would not be possible to find her in his current position.

22 - Exile

“Food has been prepared,” Xep announced, coming from the secret room balancing three steaming pots. He handed one to Esh and one to Rift who devoured it within a few moments.

Esh was a bit more skeptical. He peered down at the brown Greenish juice and smelt it. He wanted to gag but he saw that the Elder was giving him a very evil eye and so he held it back.

“It tastes better than it appears, young one.” Xep sat by Esh and sipped on his own bowl.

Esh tipped the rim to his lips and took a small swallow. The flavor was that of salted broth with a hint of meat. His stomach growled loudly. Before he knew it, he had drunk the entire thing.

“Can I have some more?”

“Wait just ten more seconds,” Xep replied, taking another sip from his.

Esh thought this to be a strange request, but he waited. Soon enough, his stomach began to bulge and ache as if he had just swallowed a gigantic meal set for four.

Esh was on his side trying to force his stomach to digest whatever it was that had grown inside him. The food must have rejuvenated his mentor for he was up and about dusting the dungeon with some sort of dark Green feather, his free hand clutching a bottle of hot slag.

Esh watched as Xep took his time sipping on the concoction and wishing he had done the same.

“I don’t find a reason to wait,” Rift stated, throwing the duster into the corner and taking a seat next to Esh. He slapped him on the back making Esh upchuck some of the food.

“I think the same,” agreed Xep. He tipped the bowl to his lips and drank the rest of the broth.

Esh lifted his head off the ground but quickly put it back down, afraid movement might make him sick. “Why now? I can barely move.”

Xep turned to him with a very serious face, “This power of yours… your body isn’t in any condition to contain it.”

“So, everyone has to take these sleeping trials?”

“Weren’t you listening to the story at all, lad?” The Elder slapped him on the back once more. “Or were you just picking and choosing what you wanted to hear? Nobody takes the trials anymore.”

“Then why should I take it? Isn’t there a way to just get the Wisp out of me?”

Rift opened his mouth to answer but then questioned his own thinking. He looked over at Xep and he shook his head simply.

“No, I’m afraid not,” Xep said, stroking his beard, “Is it possible? Perhaps. But does anyone in the Order know how to rid a bodily Wisp? No. Until now, this is the first case I have ever heard of a Wisp actually blending with a humanoid.”

“So, what you’re saying is… If I don’t do this, I could potentially die?”

“You don’t listen, do you, lad? There is no potential to it! You will die if you do not succeed the trials.”

“But I thought the trials were banned due to all of the deaths?”

“Well, yeah…” the Elder said, scratching the side of his head. “I guess you were listening.” He paused another moment, trying to choose the right words. “There is a high chance you may not make it through the sleeping trials, that is true.”

“Oh,” Esh said, playing in the sand idly with his finger. It seemed he was not going to have much a choice in this matter. He didn’t want to be put to sleep for an entire month. What about food? How would he relieve himself? Did it hurt?

“Don’t we have to get permission from the Order?”

Xep stood up and left the room once again. It was obvious he was trying to find something else to do. Rift just sat there twiddling his fingers, his head hunched over looking the other way as he bit his lip. He seemed to have aged in the small amount of time Esh had known him.

“Well, no… We don’t.”

“Why not?”

Rift drank from his hot slag, shrugged his shoulders and said, “Well… I’m ugh, not with the Order… so to speak.”

Esh was entirely confused. Wasn’t he training to join the Order? How was he going to join if his mentor wasn’t even a part of it?

“But, then… How am I…”

“Your mentor was exiled from the Order for doing the right thing,” Xep said from behind them. Esh turned to see him leaning against the wall, his head bowed. “And I’m afraid I wasn’t there to back him up.”

“Xep, you don’t--,” Rift tried to say but Xep stopped him with one hand out.

“No, you were right all along. My pride has been the only thing keeping me from coming back to apologize to you… Master.”

Esh’s head turned back and forth looking at Xep and back at the Elder. He could have sworn he saw tears beginning to swell in his mentor’s eyes but they were quickly wiped away with a fake nose itch. He wanted to ask what was going on, but he dared not. Not now.

“You had a future! You did the right thing!” exclaimed Rift with a sniffle, trying to hide it with a forced cough.

Xep walked over and took a knee in front of the Elder. He took his Master’s hand and kissed the top of it. There was no mistaking it now, the Elder was tearing up.

“Forgive me, Master,” Xep said, his head still bowed.

The Elder used the robe on his arm to wipe his eyes, “No forgiveness needed for I’d already forgave you so long ago. In fact, I’m glad the way things turned out. There was no need for both of us having to be kicked out.”

Esh could not stand it any longer.

“Why were you expelled?” he paused then added, “Master.”

Tears formed again in the Elder’s eyes and he turned his head, “Well… I just stood up for what I felt was right is all.”

Xep sat by his Master’s side, looking down at Esh “The Order, isn’t always as pure as one might think. We make…” he looked up at the Elder who was still wiping his face and said, “mistakes…”

“What mistakes?” Esh was sitting up now, ignoring the pain in his belly.

“We were torturing our captives. And not just physically, but we were tearing their souls in half. I was the one who created the process.” Xep looked off into the distance, reliving a past memory in his mind.

“If you can’t touch a soul how is it possible to tear one apart? And what does that even mean?”

“Don’t you see this isn’t a good topic, lad?” Rift’s face was full of hurt.

“It’s ok, Master.” Xep pat the Elder on the shoulder. “I have come to terms with my sins. Esh, to tear one’s soul in half is to forbid that humanoid of an afterlife. And you’re right, it isn’t possible to physically grab a soul and tear it but it is possible to relieve the flesh of the soul through the use of alchemy. Very dark alchemy, that is.”

“Long story short, lad. I stood up to some very important humanoids, gave them my views, and told them I would no longer continue my work if they continued theirs.”

“So, what did they do?”

“Well, isn’t it obvious? They exiled me, and around the same time you were born, actually.”

“And what about my parents? What did they do?”

“That,” said the Elder, standing up and giving Esh his hand to help him up, “is a story for another sun-cycle. Right now, we have to get you prepared.”

“What about our work? And what about my training? Don’t I get some time to think?”

“I can handle the trash work myself. Hell, I did it for almost twenty years without your help!” He grabbed Esh’s hand and led him into the secret room. “And your training can’t start with that thing inside you ready to kill you at any moment! I’m afraid any more stress might just let it take complete control over you.”

“Well, what if I just plain don’t want to?” Esh asked as he was led up to the table that had once come to life trying to grab at him with its straps. He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest. His mentor must have realized this for his grip grew tighter. Esh knew he didn’t really have a choice in the matter, he didn’t want to die, but he wasn’t all too excited about taking a month long nap that he may or may not wake up from.

Xep, who had already started mixing different vials together stopped what he was doing to look up at the Elder who had himself stopped undoing the buckles on the table.

“To be honest, kid, I don’t know what the absolute correct decision in all this is. For all I know I may be sentencing you to death by laying you across this table. All I can do is imagine what your father would have done and this is where my gut leads me to.” The Elder rubbed his new shoulder and grimaced which told Esh that he might not have been completely healed as of yet.

“You think my father would have just jumped straight into this?”

“Yes,” Xep and Rift said exactly at the same time.

Esh remembered from the Elder’s stories that his father had actually performed the trials all by himself and he felt ashamed that he couldn’t conjure up the same amount of courage. He thought about how it had felt to be on the very tip of losing his mind to the darkness underneath and how much he had truly wanted to skin his mentor alive and feed on his intestines. Yes, this was the only choice he had. He didn’t want to die and he didn’t want to hurt the ones he cared about. This was his only option. He would try to be brave.

Without saying anything more, Esh turned and sat his buttocks on the table and laid back on it. The buckles slid over him with a mind of their own and clasped him in very tightly, to the point in which he thought he might puke up his lunch.

I hate doing this to you, Esh,” the Elder said, stretching out the young male’s left arm and carefully sticking in a very thin syringe which was connected to a clear bag by a tube. Xep walked over and poured a violet liquid that glowed in the semi-darkness of the room.

Esh watched the liquid make its way down the see-through tube and felt it penetrate his arm. He immediately felt his limbs grow heavy along with his eyelids. He felt like he was sinking into the table.

“Anything… I need to know?” Esh asked drowsily.

The Elder bent over him and Esh’s vision began to fade as his eyelids closed on their own. The last thing Esh heard was the Elder telling him to stay strong.

23 - Esh's Trial

He was in the middle of a village, the same village he had imagined his father had been in protecting the elves who ran from the fires. Except this time there were no fires, only peace. The elves went along with their daily affairs, not even noticing that Esh was there watching them. He could see one tall elvish female buying a piece of something soft and edible looking while kids swung high in the air on long vines that grew from the trees.

Esh hated all of them.

He wanted to pin them all down, one by one and yank out their teeth and soak himself in their blood. He wanted their heads on spikes. He wanted to see if their bodies moved without their brains attached. He wanted to be noticed.

No matter how angry he got, no one seemed to care or even see him. They just carried on.

Esh discovered that it was possible to yell and so he screamed out loud his frustration, and he learned that he could also now move his body. He strode over to the tall elvish female and pushed her to the ground as hard as he could. Her face was emotionless as she picked herself up and continued with her errands. Esh called upon the darkness and the black goo formed around him. He commanded it to form a knife and he stabbed the elvish female in the back with it and she died.

No one cared.

He began killing everyone in the village. He didn’t bother to torture them, he just killed them. He was becoming angrier and angrier because no one was acknowledging what he was doing. It wasn’t until he made his way to the school filled with elvish children that he heard the Elder’s voice telling him to stay strong.

He shook off the words and slaughtered the children. He was still angry.

“Stay strong,” he heard the voice say and he noticed the village was alive again with all the humanoids he had just murdered.

He screamed and began kicking humanoids over, just for them to stand back up and walk away from him.

“Stay strong.”

He grabbed his head and howled at the sky trying to drown out the voice that kept making its way into his brain. All the world spun around him, turning into a spiral of colors above his head before pouring into his eyes and mouth. Then there was only darkness.

But he wasn’t alone.

Esh felt a presence behind him and he whirled around to see a clone of himself drenched in foreign blood. His shoulders were hunched over and moved up and down with his heavy breaths.

“What do you want?”

His darker self did not answer but started to walk in a slow circle around him, sizing him up.

“Why are you here?” Esh asked the dark one again, making sure not to let the clone get out of his sight.

Still no answer. The dark side of him only bared its teeth and grunted. The red in his eyes was so intense that it drained from the corner of its eyelids creating a majestic violet ambiance.

“I asked you why you are here,” exclaimed Esh, this time louder.

The dark one, the Wisp, made a leering gesture with its arms, tempting the honest Esh to come at him.

Then, Esh had an idea.

“You are not part of me, but a mere guest! An outsider! A slave to my will! I order you to answer me!”

The dark one stopped his trance like walk and stood up straight, his head hunched forward in a beastly fashion.

It spoke slowly in a voice that did not at all Esh’s own, “Ahh, you have finally gotten wise as to my… predicament.”

“What predicament?”

Silence.

“I order you-.”

“You were supposed to be mine! Ours!”

Esh decided to take a few steps towards the dark one. “If you say that I was supposed to be yours then how come I am my own? How has it come to be that I control you?”

It hissed and gritted its teeth, hating itself for having to answer such questions that were beneath it, “You… defeated me.”

“How is that possible if we have never fought?”

“Not you… of course not you…” it said, “a barbaric lava male and a filthy elf female.”

“They’re dead!” Esh cried, knowing exactly whom it was talking about. It was referring to his parents. But it wasn’t possible! They had died long ago, leaving him in a dirty orphanage.

The beast gripped its own hair and ripped it out, screaming as it did so. It fell to its knees and banged its head on the black ground in a frenzy but no blood came from the wound. A pink slither of flesh fell from its mouth having bit off its own tongue. Blood poured continuously from its smiling mouth for only a few seconds before a brand new tongue took the old one’s place.

“What!” it cried.

It preceded to pluck out an eye with one pointed fingernail. It was trying to kill itself to escape from this interrogation. However, all attempts were futile. The eye quickly grew back into place before the dark one could pierce its own brain.

“Stop that!” Esh ordered, and the Wisp listened. It fell to the ground and cowered, holding its knees to his chest. “I don’t care what your plans were before! You are mine now and you will do my bidding until the sun-cycle I die!”

The beast shrieked in the dream world but Esh did not cover his ears. The beast’s clothes then vaporized into the air and it laid naked and shivering in front of the true Esh. Chains whipped out of nowhere and clung themselves to the false one, binding him completely.

The monster writhed and screamed as it fought against the chains. It tried pulling and twisting; it even tried to chew its own wrist off.

Esh could feel the monster battling him through sure mental power alone! He could feel his willpower slowly draining which became visibly apparent as the chains began to bust loose from the beast as it gained power.

Stay strong, Esh heard in his head.

“You will no longer move or think on your own terms!” Esh found himself saying, but nothing happened. He repeated himself but this time he put all he could into the command, “You will no longer move or think! You are mine and not your own!” The beast screamed again as the chains that had broken clasped back onto it. “In fact! I relinquish you of all choice and thought! Your power is mine! You will be my slave for eternity.”

Half of the beast’s brain exploded from the back of its head and shot off into the void forever lost. The dark Esh’s eyes were blank and it drooled over its knees as the back of its head regenerated. Its skin turned white, muscle mass and fat left its body and its hair vanished leaving a sickly looking demon child.

Esh walked over to it and placed his hand on its head. The dream zoomed past him and everything disappeared.

He woke up.

His eyes slid open and hunger was the first thing to hit him. He could not see properly and felt eye crust keeping his lids half shut. Something heavy was on top of his stomach. Once his eyes adjusted he saw that it was a sleeping Elder, his mentor.

“He’s awake,” said Xep from behind.

Rift jolted with a start and looked up at Esh who was smiling. “Is it you, lad?”

“Have any rektops meat for me?” Esh asked, and the Elder hugged him.

24 - The Training Begins

They had to flip him over onto his stomach in order to take care of the bed sores his body had accumulated during the sleep. Xep made a potion that burnt like fire and he counted each time they put the brush to his back. By the time the agonizing treatment was over he had counted twenty-four sores.

Once that was all done, he asked for food. They refused. Then he started to plead but they still told him no.

“Your stomach isn’t used to whole foods yet,” Xep had told him. “We will have to introduce solids to your system very slowly.

So there Esh was, sat up on the table, his back throbbing from the medicine and his stomach growling. His arms were surprisingly smaller and much paler than what he remembered them being. He looked like a skeleton of his former self.

The Elder took a seat a cross from him as did Xep.

“So… How was it?” Rift asked, his arms folded across his chest.

Esh’s mind was still very fatigued from the month long sleep but he could still easily recall what had happened. Whatever he had gone through did not seem like it had taken a whole month but it had! Seconds in the dream world must have been minutes or even hours in the real world!

“Well, I remember watching the demon kill off all these elves in a village,” he said, taking a large sip from some soup Xep had left out for him. “The village you described in your story. The one my dad helped.”

“You were watching the demon? From a third humanoid position?” Xep asked, stroking his beard. His eyes were hidden behind his hood making it hard for Esh to read him.

“Exactly. It was like I was hovering over him. He would kill all these elves and they wouldn’t even care! And then they would just come back to life as if nothing happened at all.” Esh poured the rest of the soup into his mouth.

Xep and the Elder looked at each other with concerned faces. They then stood up without saying a word and charged at him, pushing his shoulders down to the table. The belts came to life and held him tight, tighter than the first time.

“Who are you?” the Elder demanded, whipping out a dagger and placing it to Esh’s throat.

“What? Woah, what’s going on!?” cried Esh, trying to wiggle out of the tight embrace of the table. Xep was in the corner pouring vials into a cauldron, black smoke rising from the concoction.

“If it is a Wisp, it won’t reveal itself to us, Master,” Xep said, finishing up with his work with one more final grinding of something between his fingers. He filled a small vial with the liquid from the cauldron and brought it over to Esh. “We will know for sure if he drinks this.”

“Then what are you waiting for?” Rift asked him, still holding the dagger to Esh’s neck.

“Stop this! I’m Esh! You would know if I were—”

“Wisps are more deceitful than that, I’m afraid.” Xep forced Esh’s mouth open with two fingers and poured in the black liquid. “This will sting a little.”

Rift let his pressure go and stepped back from Esh, the dagger still in a defensive position. Xep unsheathed two of his own daggers holding them out in front of him, readying himself for someone or something to leap at him.

“Why don’t you guys trust me!” Esh cried, coughing up droplets of the disgusting black liquid. He could feel it eating into the sides of his mouth.

“No trial has ever showed… murder,” replied Xep. He pulled back his hood and his eyes were alive, ready for a fight.

“You said it yourself! My situation is different!” Esh tried to explain his case but they had already stopped listening. He would have to show them that it was him, the true Esh.

Minutes passed and nothing was happening, yet Xep and Rift did not let down their guard. Esh was starting to get bored when black foam formed inside his mouth and his stomach felt like it was going to pop.

“Quick! Turn his head over!” Xep cried, sheathing his weapons and running back to the cauldron he had left on the ground. He poured a few more drops of something else and this time Green gas erupted from the top.

Holes formed on the top of Esh’s stomach and black smoke rose from his stomach. A vile death like stench filled the secret room. The Elder did what Xep asked and turned his head sideways, the foam falling out of the side of his mouth and onto the table.

Xep sprinted back and tilted Esh’s head back, quickly pouring the now Green liquid down his nose. What was going on! Esh started to cough from the black foam and the liquid running down his nose and down his throat. The mixture of the two serums was utterly disgusting and the pain made the experience so much worse.

After a few seconds the pain ceased immediately and the holes in his stomach sealed themselves showing only his large slanted scar.

Nobody moved and the room was silent.

“Can I please be released?” Esh asked through heavy breaths.

“Of course.” Rift waved his hands over the belts and they released.

Esh jumped off the table and nearly fell over when his legs gave out beneath him. It was the Elder who had caught him under his armpits, steadying him straight.

“Why does every sun-cycle have to come with so much pain!” Esh sobbed, tears of frustration forming. “I don’t want to be scared, but now I see every coming sun-cycle in my future to be filled with some sort of torture!”

“I’m sorry, Esh. We had to be sure,” Xep said, cleaning up the mess on the table. Obviously, this was a normal occurrence for him.

“Pain is common in this line of work,” the Elder said, “but you’re right, this amount is rather uncommon for a lad so young. But as you said, you’re a special case.”

“What was that stuff? The stuff you poured down my throat.”

“Poison,” answered Xep plainly.

Esh gripped the bridge of his nose to stop the tears form coming. He looked at Xep, “What kind of poison?”

“We call it the Plague. It is a rather simple poison to create and it kills almost anything. Concocting the Plague will be part of your studies I’m sure. We used it on you to see if you were you or not.”

“How does poisoning me have anything to do with finding out if I’m me or not?”

“It has everything to do with it,” chimed Rift, “When Xep said that the Plague can kill almost anything, we mean it can kill everything but a Wisp.”

“So, you were seeing if the Wisp inside me would overtake me and kill off the Plague?”

“Precisely,” answered Xep. “But once we saw the black smoke we knew you were going into cardiac arrest; your body was failing you. The Plague only takes a mild sterilizing boon antidote to be cured and that is why many assassins choose other poisons, ones that cannot be so easily cured.”

“Ok, I get it,” Esh said. “Now what do I do?”

“You rest.” Rift picked up his mentee with ease and carried him out of the secret room. “Congrats, Lad. You’ve done it. A chip off your old father’s block, I’d say.”

It wasn’t long after Esh was allowed to eat regular foods that he felt himself gaining his strength back. During his rest, Rift would come and bring him different books from the secret room and ordered him to read them. It wasn’t a problem for Esh because the books turned out to be fascinating. By the time he was ready to get back into physical training he had finished books titled ‘Why a Spear is More Useful Than a Sword,’ ‘‘How to Domesticate Most Animals of Reah With your Eyes,’ and finally ‘How to Punch,’ which had been his favorite.

Xep had been coming and going throughout Esh’s rest period checking on him. One sun-cycle Esh had heard him asking the Elder if it would be possible for him to teach the kid the ways of Alchemy as a kind of favor to Barda. Rift had agreed.

So now every morning Esh was met with Xep sitting on the side of his bed looking straight ahead. He would always say, “Alchemy is best taught first thing in the morning, before breakfast and while the mind is free of other thoughts.” He would then give Esh a book and have him read it in front of him. Xep would read his own books and answer any questions Esh had. This went on for a couple of weeks until one sun-cycle Xep appeared in front of Esh’s bed without any books in his arms.

“Time for your first lesson.”

“What do you mean? Haven’t we already begun our lessons?”

“Yes, we have started the basic foundations of Alchemy. However, you can’t truly start unless you have an idea of the sorcery that has created this world and surrounds every single thing.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let me start from the beginning.” Xep waited for Esh to pull out a notebook and a writing utensil. Esh nodded his head when he was ready and Xep took a deep breath, “We are not sure exactly how this world was created, but we believe it had to have something to do with sorcery. There are four types of sorcery, and as you may have guessed, they revolve around the four colors of our world. Red, Green, Blue, and Purple. Each color has their different spells of assault, defense, and healing. Each color has its own strengths and weaknesses. Take Blue for example. Amazing healing capabilities but not so great in deadly potions. Are you with me so far?”

“Yes, but what does this all have to do with Alchemy?” Esh asked, taking his utensil off the pad and looking up at Xep.

“It has everything to do with it. Now that you know each colored territory has a different source of power you may have already figured out that the Alchemy is different for each of the four lands as well.” He paused, waiting for Esh to write everything down. “However, the humanoids of any land are not restricted to only their color. Alchemy is universal.”

“So that Green fire, the cold fire, is that—”

“Yes, that is an alchemical creation from the Green territory.”

“But what about me?”

“What about you?”

“Is it possible for me to have any powers besides the Wisp inside me?”

“We are talking Alchemy here. Are you asking me if the sleep trials gave you any more powers to manipulate besides the Wisp’s powers?”

Esh nodded.

Xep’s eyes moved rapidly in deep concentration, his hand stroking his beard as he often did when he was thinking about something difficult. “The simple answer is no, you do not seem to process any powers outside of your Wisp abilities, which I found to be rather strange because both of your parents were highly skilled in their forms of sorcery. And being that sorcery is usually hereditary, both your mentor and I find you to be a freak of nature.”

“Thanks,” Esh said with a small amount of sarcasm.

“You’re very welcome.”

“Is it possible that I just haven’t come into it yet?”

“Possible, but unlikely. Most humanoids find that they can bend things around them by the age of six.”

Esh nodded and couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Both his parents had some sort of sorcery abilities, but he had none. He did have power, true, but his was a mistake.

“Now, there is one more source of power, one that you are already quite aware of. The power of the Wisps is known as dark power and has never been physically bended before… well, before you came along. Yet, it has been possible for an alchemist to draw upon these dark powers through rare ingredients… mainly blood.”

“Blood?”

“Yes, and it must be the blood of the one creating the dark concoction, but that is way above your head for now. Usually I do not even mention the dark powers to students your age, but given your circumstances…”

“So… Can you tell me what it is exactly that is inside me?”

“Being that you are the first it is impossible for me to explain what is going on within you. The Master and I gave it much talk whilst you were asleep and after hearing the conclusion of your trials we have a hypothesis.”

“And what would that be?”

“That you are the first ever humanoid to unlock the fifth power, the sorcery power of darkness.”

The next sun-cycle Esh did not wake up to Xep sitting on his bed, but to his mentor tipping his bed over spilling him into the sand.

“What was that for!” cried Esh, rubbing the grains of sand out of his hair and eyes. “Are you mad!”

“Time to train. Your Alchemy instructor may have convinced me to allow you a month’s rest, but enough is enough. You’re ready.”

The morning was a lot different than the last time they trained together. Master Rift did a lot more instructing rather than just hitting him with a large bo staff.

The first thing he was taught was how to stand, which he thought was ridiculous.

“Standing is the foundation for all things,” his Master said, swiping Esh’s feet out from under him with one low attack. “One small fall like this and you’re dead! And a dead agent is useless to the Order.”

“Why do you want me to join the Order if you’re not in it?” Esh asked, standing back up.

“No questions! Take your stance and try to step out of my oncoming attack.”

Four sun-cycles passed with Rift forcing Esh to go over his footwork drills over and over again. Finally, the monotony was broken when Esh was given the bo staff and they started sparring again.

“Now, we do the footwork drills but this time I will be slowly attacking you! You must defend with the staff while you move your feet!”

The boring foot drills now made sense. Esh had to barely think about where to move his feet when the Elder brought the staff down hard. However, he was still getting hit more than he wanted to but he could actually see himself making some progress.

“It’s time we try to awaken that beast inside of you,” the Elder had said one sun-cycle after an intense sparring session.

Esh’s eyes widened and realized that he had somehow forgotten all about the dark powers. He didn’t know what to think. Part of him was excited to see what he could do while the other half of him was terrified that the Wisp may figure out a way to control him again.

“What if I’m not ready?”

“You’re ready.”

“But what if it controls me again?”

“That’s impossible, lad! You already defeated the Wisp in the trials, now its powers are yours to control.”

Esh tried to speak again but Rift hit him on the top of the head with the staff. “No more questions, let us prepare. Spread your stance and put both hands out. Do as I do.”

The Elder put his hands out in front of him and started to mumble some sort of mantra. Trying not to laugh, Esh followed his lead.

“Good, now imagine yourself diving deeper and deeper into your mind.”

“What do you mean deeper into my mind?”

Rift thought a moment and then said, “There is no right way to explain it. To awaken one’s inner power is strictly different for each humanoid. A great way to start is to forget about everything in the room.”

Esh stared at him.

“Well?” the Elder said, tapping his foot impatiently with the staff, “Do it!” He hit Esh on the head again. “Close your eyes, lad! Now, listen to my voice and only my voice. Let the world around you melt away. Imagine the sand and the walls disappearing leaving nothing but your thoughts.”

Rift stopped talking and Esh took this time to try and do as he was instructed. He literally pictured everything in the room fading away and placed himself in darkness. It was hard to truly understand what his mentor was wanting from him, but he thought this was good enough.

“Feel your heart beat and pretend to breathe through the bottom of your feet.”

Esh couldn’t help but giggle this time and flinched, awaiting another strike from the Elder’s staff but it never came. He, again, tried to do what was being asked of him but could not hear his heart beat. As for the breathing through the feet, that was completely nonsense but he tried to imagine it anyway.

“Now sit down,” the Elder commanded and Esh did so.

They sat in silence for a long while before Esh opened his eyes and saw his mentor seating cross legged in front of him asleep. Esh tried to stand up but was met with the staff zooming past his face and resting on top of his head softly.

“No, no, no,” his mentor said without opening his eyes. “I do not see any progress.”

“But I’m hungry.”

“Until I see some of that black stuff floating around this room there will be no food.”

Esh’s stomach growled. “But what if I can’t do it?”

The Elder shrugged, “Then you’ll starve, lad.”

Esh couldn’t really tell if the Elder was kidding or not but thought it might be best to try and conjure something before losing all of his focus to his hunger.

“So how exactly do I do this?”

“By stopping the questions and figuring it out. I gave you a head start with the meditation but the rest is up to you.” And that was all the Elder was willing to say. Every time Esh tried to ask another question on the matter the Elder would just take a deep breath and exhale it out unnecessarily loud.

And there Esh sat, listening to the snoring of his mentor and trying his best not to fall asleep himself. He must have dozed off after around an hour before awakening to the sound of Xep climbing down the ropes.

“Any luck?” Xep asked, walking up to him.

“None,” the Elder answered before Esh could. “It shouldn’t take this much concentration after the trials have been completed, not even for a complete beginner. We’re missing something.”

“Have you tried blood?”

Rift’s face slowly opened up into a smile that went ear to ear. “That must be it!” The Elder hopped up, his bones cracking a bit as he did so and hobbled over to the wall of weapons. He picked up the blue gem dagger and tossed it to Esh.

Esh caught the dagger with both hands and remembered not to allow himself to gaze into the gem. “I don’t like where this is going.”

“Remember what I said about dark alchemy?” Xep asked him.

“Yeah, that it requires blood by the user for it to work. But this isn’t alchemy!”

“Alchemy is a form of sorcery, young one. You’re gonna have to open up that brain of yours and really look around the world for what it is. If Xep is as good a teacher as I know him to be, hell I taught him everything he knows so he better be! You have to remember that the powers of sorcery flow through all beings. Some are just better than others at manipulating it.”

“So I have to cut myself…”

Xep and Rift nodded simultaneously.

“Do I still need to picture the room fading and--”

“Forget all that crap,” Rift said, flicking his hands out in front of him as if sweeping the meditation tactic into the trash. “Just think about whatever you had thought about when you had called upon the Wisp back when we had to clean me up.”

There was excitement in Rift’s eyes. Even Xep was biting his lower lip and squinting curiously at him.

Esh turned the dagger in his hand and held out his wrist, placing the edge of the blade on top of it.

“What the hell are you doing!” Rift jumped at him and pulled the arm holding the dagger back away.

“I’m gonna draw some blood like you two said!”

“Not there you fool!”

Rift took Esh’s arm and spun it so the top of his forearm was the target rather than the wrist.

“If you would have cut your wrist you would have bled to death!”

“We have far to go with him,” Xep mumbled over Rift’s shoulder. “May I?”

“Of course.” Rift gestured towards Esh. “He’s all yours.”

“Here, like this.” Xep grabbed Esh’s arm and mimicked a small slicing motion over his forearm. “It takes less than a centimeter to draw a drop of blood. I suggest you try that first.”

Esh nodded and put the edge down. He looked up expecting both of them to jump at him again but they just sat and watched. He looked away, pressed down the blade and slid it slightly across his arm.

“Ah! That hurts,” he said, looking down at his work. It was bleeding way too much, way more than just a drop. His head started to spin and it seemed as though he were stuck in a whirlwind of black gust. He felt a presence next to him and staggered sideways when he saw himself, the same dark Esh he had met in the trials.

“What do you want!” Esh demanded. He looked around where the room had been and noticed his mentor and Xep were both moving in slow motion towards him. Both were screaming something at him.

“What… is your command?” it asked, swaying back and forth. Its eyes were a foggy white with no pupil. Its head was hairless with a dull grey skin tone. It was naked but had no genitals. “Orders?”

“I… ugh… what happened to that black goo stuff?”

It didn’t respond but started to melt in response to his question. The skin turned black and soon Esh found the black goo floating in front of him, separating himself from his mentor and Xep.

“Ok, so how do I stop all of this?”

There was a heavy BOOM and a gigantic burst of force exploded from his body. Rift and Xep were taken from their feet and slammed hard into the back wall. The black whirlwind disappeared around him but the room did not stop spinning. His head felt suddenly very heavy and drooped until his chin touched his chest. He saw that he was standing in a puddle of blood, his blood.

He lost his footing and fell sideways into the sand, the blood from his forearm trickling down his abdomen. He heard footsteps and felt himself being picked up and laid on a table. Once again, Esh was being force fed some vile drink followed by something very sweet.

The spinning room slowed to a halt and Esh was able to sit up. His forearm had been tightly wrapped with a white gauze.

“Well, I think we found the magic key,” the Elder said, patting Esh on the shoulder. “Just next time we should try for that drop of blood we talked about.”

Xep leaned onto the table. “Master, I need to take a look at your ribs.”

“How’d you know they were hurting?”

“Because mine are broken.” Xep undid his robe to show off a ribcage that was clearly distorted underneath the skin.

“Think you might be a little worse off than me,” the Elder said. “But I could go for a flask of hot slag right about now.”

“I’m… sorry,” Esh managed to say. He had never been drunk before but he imagined this is what it would feel like.

25 - Murderous Intent

Months flew by as Esh grew into his dark power. Well, at least he was able to conjure up his dark twin without bursting his mentors across the room. Turns out it didn’t take even a drop of blood to awaken the darkness, more like a speck.

As of now, Esh would prick a finger and stare at the blood until he felt the presence beside him. For the first few sun-cycles he just concentrated on getting the ability to work and then he would simply ask his evil self to go away or to disappear. Each passing sun-cycle he became more courageous until the point in which he would allow himself to meditate within the dark trance, his twin just staring out into the black void.

There were limits to this power, the limit being the amount of blood he wished to spend. He dared not go more than a drop for fear that he may injure his mentor even more than the last time. In fact, for the first few times he was trying out his abilities the Elder had sat in the other room far away from him, observing in safety.

Every morning started out the same way. Esh would begin with an hour of alchemy lessons followed by two hours of hand to hand and weaponry. After breakfast came one an hour of sorcery manipulation before Esh and the Elder left to go do their trash duty around Zel. Xep would also leave around this time to head back to the Order’s headquarters to do whatever it was he did. Esh had no idea.

This sun-cycle was different.

“Good morning,” said Xep, sitting on the edge of Esh’s bed as he did at the start of every sun-cycle.

Esh sat up and stretched his arms out and in mid yawn he said, “Good morning.”

“This sun-cycle we will start with this.” Xep placed a large dusty book on his lap.

“What’s this?”

“Every assassin needs to learn the humanoid body and how it works. An assassin who knows nothing of the body will not know where to cut and in which way.”

“I guess that makes sense.” Esh flipped the book over. The title read ‘Essential Physiology for Murderous Intent’.

A few hours had passed and Esh was growing very bored. “Why is this even important?” He threw the book to the side of his bed and lifted his arms above his head in a big stretch. He was midway through a yawn when Xep grabbed the book and popped him over the head with it.

“This book covers each of the veins you must know and where they normally are placed on most humanoids. For example, the ulnar artery is a common artery assassins make use of.” Xep stuck out his arm and traced a large vein down his forearm. “Now you understand why it is important to never cut yourself around this area.”

“Sounds interesting. But how will I practice this? It isn’t like alchemy, I can’t just go around cutting humanoids.”

“You’re very right, practice of the concept is more important than reading about a concept. In order to practice murder, we must use dark sorcery.”

Before Esh could ask what he meant, Xep had gracefully moved from the bed to the middle of the sandy room. He pulled out a small vial from his cloak and poured the contents onto the ground. He then stuck his thumb to his mouth and bit it. Balling a fist, Esh could see him squeezing out a small amount of blood onto the liquid he had poured into the sand. He then put both hands out in front of him and whispered a few words.

A groaning noise echoed throughout the room. A hand crawled out from the sand followed by another. Esh jumped from underneath his sheet and grabbed a small dagger he had hidden under his pillow. Soon a small head began to make its way out the sand. This… thing shared the same eyes and complexion of Esh’s dark twin.

“Is it… dangerous?” Esh held the dagger out in front of him just in case the thing made for him.

“It’s dead,” Xep replied, grabbing the thing’s head and ripping its entirety from the sand.

Sure enough there was a dead child swaying by its hair in Xep’s grip.

“You’re sick!”

“I assure you that this child was never given birth and lacks a spirit. However, taking its life will feel just the same.”

“I can’t do that!” Esh said, jumping off his bed and walking around to get a closer look. “And why should I? When will I ever have to kill a child?”

“You would be surprised as to what the Order has to take care of.”

Xep sat the child down and pulled back its head. Whipping out his own dagger, he slit the child’s throat in one easy motion. Red blood shot out from the gaping hole and filled the sand beneath. The kid’s hands shot up to its neck trying to stop the flow, its eyes wide with shock and horror. Xep dropped the infant into the sand. The child lay curled in the feeble position, sputtering and coughing until it went still.

“No… How could you—”

Xep placed his hands over the kid’s body and whispered more words Esh could not hear. The kid, along with its blood, burst into sand leaving nothing behind.

“You see? No soul.” Xep gestured to where the child had once stood, its foot prints still visible. “Now, it is your turn.”

Xep repeated the entire sequence and two new hands sprung out beneath the ground. Xep hoisted the body out onto its feet and Esh was now met with an ancient male humanoid who was more slumped over more than his mentor was. The male must have been in his late eighties and even its breath sounded as if he were going to keel over at any moment.

“Kill him.”

Esh forced himself to walk closer to the humanoid, telling himself in his mind over and over again that it was only a sand creature, a trick made from dark alchemy. But it was so real! The male even had liver spots growing on his cheeks and Esh could even see long grey strands of hair growing out of his nose and ears.

“I can’t.” Esh said finally.

“You can and you will,” said Rift, climbing down the rope and into the dungeon. “The Order has no need for weak agents who can’t even stomach the murder of fake humanoids.”

“But it’s breathing! And its eyes… They follow me.”

“What if your life were at stake at this very moment? What if you were trying to save a comrade? Could you not rise to the occasion? Would you let them die?”

“I don’t know,” Esh said, “I’ve never been in any situation like that.”

The Elder walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. “But one sun-cycle you will be needed and sadly I find that sun-cycle has come.”

“What do you mean? I haven’t been accepted to the Order yet, why would they need me now?”

“This has nothing to do with the Order. The reason why I’ve interrupted your lesson this sun-cycle is.. Because… Well, I have just learned of some terrible news.

“What?” Esh asked, cocking his head. What could have been so bad that his mentor interrupted his lessons. He’d never done this before.

The Elder closed his eyes, his bottom lip trembled a bit. “That sweet caretaker of yours, the elderly one. She’s dead... I’m sorry.”

Esh couldn’t tell if he had heard the Elder correctly. It wasn’t possible, fake mother had been in perfect health when he had left, it didn’t make sense. Surely Korp had done a number on her face but it wasn’t near enough to kill her!

“I’m sorry, lad.”

Esh looked at Rift and shook his head in disbelief. “No, I don’t believe you. You’re lying!” He pushed his mentor hard on the chest but he didn’t budge. Xep began to walk over but Esh held the pointed end of the dagger at him.

“Are you in on this?”

Xep didn’t answer. His face was blank.

Rift put a calming hand on Esh’s shoulder. “I know it to be true… because I am the one who found her.”

“You’re lying!”

Rift’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. He then raised his arms to the ceiling and called upon his abilities to descend a lifeless figure he had wrapped in his own robes. Esh recognized the hair dangling from the humanoids head. His heart climbed into his throat.

Rift let the body float to the sandy ground where he gently placed her.

“Mother!” Esh cried, running up to her. He removed the robe from her head and stared at her bruised face, her once dark skin already beginning to turn blue and pale. He let the dagger fall into the sand as he remembered how Korp would beat her for the smallest of reasons or for no reason at all. Esh had let himself think that the beatings would stop once he had left the orphanage… but he could see now that they did not.

His body was shaking and he felt cold.

“How did she die?” he asked through gritted teeth. He felt no tears, only a brewing anger as he stared into his mother’s corpse’s eyes.

“I don’t think—”

“Tell me!” Esh screamed, tightening his fists. “Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!” He was now banging his fists on his legs, his shoulders rising high with his barbaric heaves of breath.

I believe Korp tortured her and pushed her out of the window. She was probably dead before she hit the ground. I’m sorry, lad, but I won’t keep things from you. As I said months ago, you’re free now and you deserve—”

“She is the one who deserved freedom! She did everything for me and I wasn’t there to protect her like she was there for me! It’s my fault for leaving!”

“Esh… It’s not your fault, surely you see that.”

“Piss off! All of you!” Esh fell to his back and started to go wild with hatred, flinging his arms and legs out in a child’s tantrum. Rift and Xep walked out of the room and climbed the rope back up to the top without saying a word.

Esh sat up and stroked her hair and noticed one of her eyelids had opened itself. He closed it gently and lifted her up into his arms. He thought this would be the moment where he started to sob but he didn’t even feel the desire.

Why? Why? Why? Why had he been born! Why does the creator take everything from him? His parents, his childhood, his fake mother and even the skin on his chest! Ever since his birth he had known nothing but pain and sorrow. There were no good sun-cycles in his life, just ones that were a little bit less worse than the last only to be beaten out by another really bad one.

Korp had ripped the last piece of Esh’s heart out of his chest.

He looked to the left and saw the dagger still stuck in the ground. He picked it up as he stood.

“Ughh…” groaned the old sand humanoid still swaying in the middle of the training grounds. Esh jumped on him like an animal and slipped the dagger between the male’s ribs and straight into its beating heart. They both fell to the ground, Esh still on top of him. The ancient one’s mouth opened wide and Esh watched his pupils dilate one last time before shutting down completely. He was dead.

Esh would have his revenge.

26 - Revenge

Esh was in the middle of struggling with a strap on his armored chest piece when the Elder walked in.

“I had a feeling you would come to this conclusion.”

“Don’t try and stop me,” Esh said, not looking up.

Rift entered into the secret room and gazed up and down at all the ancient artifacts he had collected over the years. “I’m not going to stop you.”

Esh stopped trying to strap on the armor, “You’re not?” he said cautiously. “Because my mind is made up.”

“I agree with you, lad. I think the male deserves what he has coming to him.”

Esh only grunted and was finally able to get one of the straps to its holding place. Only nine more to go.

“Here,” Rift said, walking behind him and strapping him tightly inside the armor.

Without a word from either of them, Rift helped Esh equip all of his armor which was still stained with the Elder’s blood. This was the first time since that tragic event that Esh had donned the armor.

“Don’t try to follow me either.” Esh stomped out of the room awkwardly in the heavy armor.

“One last thing!” Rift called after him.

Rift followed Esh out of the secret room and walked over to the wall of weapons with his hands behind his back. He grabbed the granite sword, the one made with a wooded hilt. The one his mother had forged. “I think you should have this… It was wrong of me to keep it from you.”

Esh took the weapon and the familiar coolness rushed through him just like the first time he had wielded the weapon. It felt even lighter after the months of intense training.

Esh, feeling guilty for the way he had treated his mentor and Xep, looked up from the weapon deciding that he needed to apologize, but there was no one to apologize to. Rift had disappeared.

He strapped the sword to his left hip and pulled his robe over the hilt to hide it from view.

No one paid him any attention as he walked down the streets. The Elder’s hut was situated in the part of Zel that most try their whole lives to escape from. Every once in a while he would come across a few black charred bodies meaning there must have been a recent molten rain. He was accustomed to this natural disaster taking innocent lives but he couldn’t help but notice the large amount of victims Gurgamosh had taken this sun-cycle. He passed by a female screaming over her child’s blackened body, her face contorted with absolute misery.

These deaths only fueled Esh’s hatred. He wished he had never been born in this horrible territory. Why couldn’t he have been part of the Blue territory or even the dead? Any place was better than this feverish land.

The heat reminded him that he probably should have waited for the cover of the sun-cycle to make his move but his mind wasn’t working properly. It was only focused on one thing. He didn’t feel like he or his fake mother could rest until he got his revenge. He felt no sadness at this time, there wasn’t any room for it. All he felt was hate.

He turned onto the familiar street he used to play on and stopped in front of his old home. The screams of children’s laughter broke through the walls and brought him a little closer to his senses. Before him was the two story hut he’d spent fourteen miserable years in. He’d never noticed how run down it had been. Although the dungeon wasn’t much better, at least it was safer. The orphanage was made of cheap supplies, all fitted together with sloppy craftsmanship. The head of nails stuck out halfway and bent just waiting for a child to slip across it and cut themselves. The hut tilted more to the left due to poor foundation work. Esh wondered how long it would be before it came down.

Now that he was here he began to doubt his capabilities. Perhaps he should actually come up with some sort of plan before bursting through the door.

He felt something sticky underneath his boot and lifted it to see he had stepped in a cake of dried blood. Stuck to his boot was a lock of hair, his fake mother’s hair. His primitive hatred flared once again in his stomach and he made his way through the front doors of the orphanage. The kids stopped their playing to look up at the dark robed child that wasn’t much older than them.

“Where is the female caretaker?” Esh asked them.

The kids shrugged and lost interest in him. They continued to play their game of seeking the others out of their hiding spots. Esh smiled, he was playing the same game only victory involved death.

He climbed the stairs, the children’s laughter below him made an excellent cover to his heavy boots on the metal tiled steps. He moved onto the second floor and didn’t take the time to marvel at how much nicer it was in comparison to the bottom floor. This stage of the building was off limits to all orphans and was the living quarters for Korp. The help was allowed up here but only to clean it.

He had imagined that there would have been more doors up here but there was only two. Esh opened the first one he walked up to which turned out to be a lovely tiled bathroom which smelled like it had just been sanitized. He stalked down to the next door but stopped when he heard noises coming from inside. He put his ear to the metal frame.

“—good, now wiggle for me,” said Korp’s familiar voice.

Esh heard a child’s whimper and kicked in the door. A very small male about half of Esh’s age stood in the middle of the room in his underpants, his back covered in new blazing red belt lashes. In front of him was Korp lounging on a large soft chair puffing on a fume stick. The kid turned to Esh with a face red from tears and slimy from snot.

“What the hell are you doing here!” demanded Korp, standing in a furious motion. “Get outta here, now!” He was pointing at the door with a shaking hand. The orphanage caretaker wasn’t wearing any pants.

“Leave us, now,” Esh said to small child.

“He’ll go when I’m finished with him!” spat Korp, pulling up his pants while trying to hobble over to Esh. “As for you! You will be dessert!”

Korp made a pathetic grab at him and Esh had merely to take a small step back to dodge the attempt. Esh then brought a knuckle to his own mouth and bit a small chunk of skin off. Concentrating on the blood, he was able to call upon his dark power turning the room into a black whirlwind. His Wisp twin appeared by his side as usual.

“Push the child out of the room,” Esh commanded.

The Wisp crawled on all fours out of the way of the oncoming Korp who was now making another lunge at him in slow motion. The dark clone grabbed the kid by the wrist and threw him hard out of the room. The young male landed hard on his side, Esh would have to work on his evil twin’s subtlety.

He kicked the door behind him shut.

“Restrain him.”

The black goo formed around Korp’s wrists and ankles and shoved him into the large soft chair.

“What is the plan… Master?”

This took Esh by surprise as he was not used to the Wisp actually saying anything outside of its usual diction.

“I want to make this male pay. I want him to suffer.”

“I have a few ideas…”

Esh shook his head, “Not yet. I want to talk to him first.” He looked down at the blood dripping from his finger and knew he would need more blood if he was going to be able to pull off his sick ideas. “Bring us back to real time,” he demanded.

“I’ll get --. What the fuck is this!” Korp screeched, spittle flying from his lips. “What did you do to me!”

Esh walked up to the struggling Korp and kicked him hard in the shin making the pedophile cry in agony. “What have you done to the female caretaker?”

“That bitch? I don’t keep around useless humanoids!”

Esh gave him another kick only this time with much more force, aiming the blow at his knee. There was a loud crack and the knob of the knee was now not where it should have been.

“Ahhh! You bitch! I’ll cut you! I’ll cut you up just like I did that whore!”

Korp screamed for help with all his might, veins popping up on his neck.

“Oh no, no, no,” replied Esh. “We will have none of that. Brother, will you please?”

The twin ripped off a piece of Korps robe and fisted it into the male’s mouth. Korp, still struggling to release his bindings, was now crying with either fear or anger… Or maybe both.

Esh sighed, darkness had taken over his mind. He was seeing only through tunnel vision at the moment and felt apathetic to the whole situation. He allowed himself a gander around the murderer’s room. Each wall was hung with one large painting, each depicting a fictitious battle between the army of Reah and another territory.

In the corner of the room was a large desk made up of the same material Esh’s hilt was made out of. How did this pathetic male come by such an amount of wood?

The top of the desk was speckled with bits of dried blood with a tray of assorted fruits positioned neatly at the corner. Esh guessed that some of that blood belonged to his fake mother and imagined Korp figuring out a way to strap her hands to the desk as he cut thin slices of skin out off of her body. That gave him an idea.

“Lift him up.”

The black goo hoisted Korp up by his hands and into the air. The leg with the broken knee popped as soon as it straightened. Korp made a muffled howl of pain, tears now flowing from his closed eyes.

“You think that’s bad?” Esh asked with a smile. He pulled his robe off and threw it into the corner of the room. He then unsheathed his father’s sword and handed it to his twin.

“Master, I need… We need more…”

Esh saw now that his knuckle had stopped bleeding and brought it to his mouth to bite out another chunk.

“No, Master… That will not be enough.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

The twin pointed a bony finger at Esh’s forearm. “That will do.”

Esh pulled out one of the smaller daggers off his chest armor and cut the top layer of his arm.

“Now, can we continue?” he Esh, trying his best not to wince from the new source of blood that trickled down his fingers.

The twin nodded and walked up to Korp who had been staring at Esh talking to the pale anorexic looking monster. There was panic in his face and he was trying to talk through his gagged mouth. Esh couldn’t understand most of the jabber but figured that he was just trying to bargain his way out of the situation.

“I saw what you did to mother.”

Korp shook his head like a wild humanoid, his eyes bulging from their sockets.

“So, you are denouncing the charges?” Esh asked, trying to sound older than fourteen years old.

Korp nodded in the same wild fashion, his eyes pleading.

“Remove his clothing.”

The twin tore the male’s remaining garments off and urine sprung from the genitals. Esh jumped backwards out of the way of the stream. His twin, however, was obviously enjoying himself for there was a slight spring in the Wisp’s step. He was used to this, he craved this, and Esh was giving him what he wanted. He didn’t even have to tell the twin what to do, Esh just stood there and watched.

The Wisp stuck the sharp edge of the sword to Korps shin and moved in a slow downward motion peeling the top layer of epidermis off the leg, revealing bone and muscle. Korp was now writhing in suffering, his eyes rolling upwards into his skull.

The Wisp twin was just about to cut Korp’s thigh right where the femoral artery was located. Esh reached out and grabbed the twin’s hand. “Stay away from the arteries. I don’t want him to die too quickly.” Xep was right, physiology was important.

A small pile of bloodied skin was beginning to form on the floor as the dark twin did its work. Korp begged for mercy through his gag the entire time but Esh simply ignored it. In fact, his mind was in other places. He was trying to figure out a way he could keep the male from going unconscious but by the time his twin had made it to the abdomen it was too late. Korp was quiet, hanging nude in midair. The male before him was carved up like roasted meat and was even missing his member. Esh didn’t recall seeing his twin remove the genitalia, but he wasn’t complaining.

“You may leave,” Esh said to it. The goo disappeared and Korp fell to the ground. He could feel fatigue flooding through his body. He tried to wrap his cloak around his arm to stop the blood flow but only managed to slow it down. He would have to be quick.

He wet the top of his finger with saliva and placed it under Korp’s nose. Good, he was still alive. Without waiting another moment, Esh put the tip of the sword on the monster’s temple. He then pushed the blade down, brain matter mixed with blood seeped through the top of the skull. Korp’s eyes shot open but the lids drooped not a half second later. He was dead.

The work was done and Esh was feeling weaker and weaker by the second. If he wanted to survive this assassination he would have to make his escape now and hope he could make it back to the dungeon before passing out from blood loss.

Placing his boot on the corpse, Esh wiggled his sword out of the its head, the dead eyes jiggled in their sockets. He wiped the splatter off his sword onto Korp’s cheek before sheathing it. Making his way to the window, he stopped. He couldn’t leave. Something felt… unfinished.

Esh realized it was the orphanage. He needed to destroy it or else he would never be free. He ran back down the stairs, his energy soaking into the amateur bandage he had made with a large piece of his robe. He shooed the kids out of the orphanage. Some disobeyed him but with just a flash of his sword they were instantly persuaded that being outside was a better choice. The orphanage was empty.

Esh stumbled out of the orphanage, his world going blurry. He called upon his twin one last time.

“Master…”

“How can I take care of this place?”

“The amount we need… would be deadly, Master,” It said with a smile which Esh read to mean, ‘Do it! Do it!’.

“Can you do it? Can you destroy this place?”

It nodded.

Without thinking, Esh cut himself again.

27 - Mission Complete

The half-elf fell to his knees onto the ash road, his life’s liquid flowing steadily now. The ground rumbled and shook beneath him as a chasm formed underneath the orphanage. Esh laughed maniacally when he recognized the black mass extending from the ground and encircling around the four walls. It was the same beast that had swallowed Mehch and had tried to take control of his body. This only fueled his crazed laughter.

Humanoids throughout the neighborhood panicked and fled as the massive black jaws became larger and larger. They ran past dying Esh without one single offer to help. Some even stumbled over him only to stand up and continue their escape. The orphanage was no longer visible behind the black teeth that closed in on it. There were sounds of metal bending followed by the cracking of the dried molten stone foundation as the orphanage was devoured in a single gulp.

As fast as the process had started it had ended. The black monster had vanished along with the entire building. All that was left was a scar where the ground had come back together.

“Oh no,” Esh said weakly when he tried to stand himself up. His body had not responded.

He didn’t try to stand again. He fell slowly to his side as memories of his fake mother now passed freely through his mind, anger was no longer present to block their path. He started to sob. Alone on the street and his face in the ash.

His cheeks burned as the tears dried up from the heat. He hiccupped and coughed; a string of snot fell from his nostril. A strange high had overcome him as the last bit of his blood dripped out of him.

“How did it feel?” asked Rift, his shadow overlooking Esh’s broken body.

Xep walked into view and knelt beside him. Gently, he turned Esh over onto his back and fed him the same sweet medicine from before.

“Did those kids see your face?” Rift asked him. Esh nodded. “Damn. We better get him home and quickly.”

Esh was hoisted off the ground onto one of their shoulders and was covered with a black robe disguising him as a victim from the recent molten rain. He must have passed out for it wasn’t long before he heard a door close. His face was met with cooling relief as the robe was taken off. He was set down and felt that he could actually stand. Looking at his arm he noticed that it had started to clot.

“I have to get me some of that medicine,” Esh said.

“I would have supplied you with some if you had given your mission more forethought,” answered Xep, climbing the rope down into the dungeon.

“Mission? What mission? And where is Master Rift?”

Xep ignored him.

While Esh was climbing down behind him a delicious smell hit his nose and his stomach growled intensely. He was starving. In the middle of the sandy training grounds was a table covered with steaming foods and even a couple dishes of dessert. Rift was behind the table, his arms behind his back.

“This ceremony isn’t usually performed so early in the training,” the Elder said taking a seat, “But each young agent is different I suppose.”

Xep had already taken his seat, his robe laid across the back of his chair.

“There is a ceremony?” Esh asked, running towards the food. “For killing someone?”

“Sure is,” Rift said, taking his own seat. “But not just that, but for one’s first successful mission!”

“But this…” Esh looked for his fake mother’s body but only found that she was missing. “wasn’t a mission. Where is she?”

“Xep has taken the liberty to start her undertaking. That is, he is readying her for permanent sleep.”

“Oh.” Esh looked down at the food not knowing what to say. “And what mission are you talking about?”

“Please, have a seat first,” his mentor offered, waving to one of the chairs.

Esh did take a seat and grabbed at the first piece of food he saw and shoved a large chunk of it into his mouth. It was delectable.

“Did you happen to see anything strange in that male’s office?” Rift asked him.

At first Esh shook his head no but he stopped his chewing to think. The desk had been a pretty bizarre piece of the room.

“Anything at all?” Rift asked him again. He was leaning over the table with his hands clasped together under his chin.

Esh swallowed. “Well, there was this large desk made entirely of the wood you talked about. At least, the texture looked the exact same as the hilt of father’s sword.”

“Good observation,” Rift said, nodding his head. “And what do you make of it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Use your head, lad. Why would a middle-class owner of an orphanage own a piece of furniture crafted out of the trees of the Green terrain?”

Esh thought about it for a moment. “Well maybe he bought it from someone… Or maybe it could have been some sort of gift.”

“And that is exactly what it was.” The Elder sat back in his chair. “Long ago, before you were born, Korp had made sieges against the Green territory himself, with his own platoon of hired mercenaries. However, his goal was to not kill the elves but to enslave them. He became a rich male very fast but his small slavery empire did not last long.”

“Did the Order shut it down?”

“Didn’t have to. The elves come from a terrain much different from that of our own and that is why we have to wear the eco-armor just to cross unto their land. The elves had no such armor and quickly died of heat strokes just after they had been sold in our terrain. You can imagine how upset Korp’s customers were once they came home to a shriveled up elven humanoid on the ground.”

“Did they get their money back?”

“They tried that’s for sure, but Korp was a very needy male and had already spent all the currency.”

“So since he was forced to stop the enslaving, why was me murdering him considered to be a mission?”

Xep stood up and walked into the secret room. He returned holding a circular piece of metal and handed it to Esh. It was some sort of collar with a lock attached to the clasp on the back. The edges of the collar were lined with semi-sharp rods keeping the wearer from tugging at it.

“One of our more talented agents gained information about a factory that was manufacturing these,” Xep said, sitting back down in his chair. “It seems our friend Korp was planning another enslavement mission. That same agent was able to intercept one of the supply caravans on its way to the orphanage. The agent destroyed it but brought this one back.”

“Does any of this have to do with him killing fake mother?” Esh asked, handing the collar back to Xep.

“She is the reason the Order knew of this in the first place. She was the one who leaked the information,” Xep answered.

Esh jumped out of his chair sending it backwards, his hands slammed on the table. “And you knew about this!”

Rift stood up to and punched Esh straight into the face. Flashes of light zoomed in his head as he flew backwards into the sand, clutching at his face.

“If you ever address myself or your instructor Xep like that again there will be dire punishment. I allowed it when you found out the death of someone dear to you but I will no longer tolerate it. Do you understand me?”

Esh sat up holding his nose. “I… understand.”

Rift gave him his hand and pulled him back up. “Good.”

Xep continued as if nothing had happened. “I had no knowledge of any of this. I, myself, am no longer highly involved in aggressive missions… given my age.”

“Does the Order know that it was me who killed him?” Esh could feel a trickle of blood coming from his nose and used a loin cloth on the table to stuff the nostril.

“If they don’t know now they will soon,” answered Rift, pulling off a chunk of meat from some sort of grilled bird and placing it on his plate. “They don’t know about you but they will quickly become suspicious.”

Xep nodded, “The Order will not believe that irony is the cause of all of this. First, they find out about the mission and the next thing they know the target disappears along with the entire building.”

“So, what should I do now?”

“Lay low,” Rift said with a mouth full of bird. “We will continue our training underground but for now you will no longer follow me up top. You will stay here and train or study all the way until it is time for rest.”

“I have a question…” Xep said in a whispered tone. Rift and Esh both looked at him. “How did you kill that male?”

Esh panicked. He had forgotten that Xep and his mentor had no idea that he had completely went berserk on his prey. What would they do if they found out that he had filleted the male alive? To be alive and skinned was something one wouldn’t even dare do to an animal they were going to eat, much less a humanoid.

“I ugh… stuck my sword into the back of his head while he was staring out the window.”

Rift shoved his goblet of hot slag out into the air spilling the majority of its contents onto the table. He gave a loud cheer, “Good job, lad! He didn’t even see ya coming, did he?”

Rift beamed at Esh for a few seconds before continuing his attack on the bird meat, making the young male feel like a lying traitor. Xep, on the other hand, only stared at him with an unreadable face. He didn’t touch any of the food on the table but replaced his robe back onto his body. He pulled the hood over his head and left the dungeon. Did he know how Esh really killed Korp? Could he read Esh’s face? Did he know the truth?

ACT TWO

Act 2

28 - Socially Awkward

Five Years Later

“That’s it! That’s it! Great footwork, now parry this! Great! Now, let’s see what you think about this!” Rift spun around with dazzling agility but it wasn’t enough. Esh could already see what was going to happen next. The Elder was turning a full circle using the momentum of this movement to bring a harder hit to his side. This was the only time turning your back to an enemy was an option, but it was too bad for Rift that Esh had already seen this move so many times before.

Esh kicked at the Elder’s back as soon as he was turned, sending his mentor head first into the sand.

“Well done!” his Master said, hopping back onto his feet with a grace unknown to any other ninety year olds. “I showed you that one, eh?” He pivoted his head and spat a wad of sand out of his mouth.

Esh nodded, “Yes sir, you have. Maybe we should take a rest.”

“To hell with your rest! Just because you’ve grown and I’ve shrunk doesn’t mean I still can’t whip your ass.” Rift charged at him and they began their usual dance of blades.

It was true, Esh had grown much in the five years. He was now almost a head and a half taller than his mentor and about half a head higher than Xep. At the age of fifteen, Rift had introduced lifting heavy objects into the training curriculum and Esh was to perform these weighted exercises five sun-cycles in a row with two sun-cycles of rest.

He quickly became addicted to his training and he often thought that it was just a way to forget what he had done to Korp. He was now waking up on his own and beginning his workouts before Xep had arrived or before even Rift had awakened. He also taught himself to hunt and cook due to his appetite growing immensely caused by his rigorous training.

His muscles had grown large, strong and tight against his skin making him secretly very popular with the females of Reah. During the afternoons trash pickup with Rift, it was not uncommon for the females to goggle at him only to be stifled by their fathers. Walking around with a trash male was inconceivable and a disgrace. Especially if that male was a hybrid. It didn’t hurt Esh’s feelings, the only thing he truly cared about was his training.

Physical training was only half of the curriculum. Alchemy had become much more difficult and time consuming. Esh was now in charge of gathering his own ingredients which was no easy chore. The more difficult the alchemical potion the harder and more dangerous it was to find and gather the ingredients.

Esh also continued his studies in history, physiology, and tactics. He was even given some teachings in torture which included things such as bone breaking, stretching, and gouging. He cringed internally when the subject of skinning came up.

“Well… I think that is enough for one sun-cycle,” Rift said, his hand on one hip and his breathing irregular. “I think it’s about time we got to work.”

The Elder put a hand to his chest and hunched over trying to catch his breath. It sounded raspy and struggled.

“Are you ok, Master?” Esh asked him, placing his sword in its scabbard. “You seem to be getting more and more tired, I think it best that you get some rest this sun-cycle. Leave the pick up to me.”

“Are you calling me old, lad?” Rift stood up and straightened his back. “The moment I start giving away my work is the time I start descending into the grave.” He said this with a smile. “Now come on, we got work to do.”

It was particularly hot this sun-cycle and Esh was forced to remove his shirt. The large scar on his chest was no longer pink, the sun had faded it into a light cream color. He now had many other scars around his torso to match. None were nearly as large but each had their own story and each Esh had learned something new. His backside held most of the scars for at the beginning of his training he had had a very bad habit of showing his back to the enemy. The habit was hard to break and he had suffered the consequences. Now, he only showed the enemy his front side, never turning to run… Unless it was a tactical decision of course.

“What makes an honorable male?” Rift asked Esh as they began picking up the bones of some animal a large bird had dropped into the middle of the streets.

“You ask me every sun-cycle, Master. You know that I know the answer.” Esh put a large bone in the trash bag hanging over his shoulder.

“Not nearly well enough! It is the most important question. One of these sun-cycles you will be faced with difficult choices, choices that will have dire consequences for you no matter what you choose. The question of what makes an honorable male will be the deciding factor for those ultimatums.”

When Esh was fourteen and had first heard this question he had rolled his eyes but he had changed over the five years. He was forced to mature faster than most other humanoids given his harsh circumstances. Rift and Xep had become father figures to him; they were truly the only humanoids he knew and he loved them.

Esh stood up straight and looked his Master in the eye. “A male’s identity is created by the sum of all the decisions he has made in his life. He is only as powerful as his mind is strong. An honorable male is kind to others and stifles his lust for luxuries with generosity.” Esh did not take this description lightly. He made it a point in his mind to try and comprehend the message in a new way each time he recited it.

“Very good,” the Elder said, his back cracking loudly as he picked up the last of the bone fragments.

Esh was just about to ask his mentor if he was alright when a triage of young females around his age walked passed them. As soon as they spotted Esh’s shiny body rippled in muscles they began to giggle to one another. One of them even had the courage to wave at him.

Esh blushed and turned his back to them. He knew what was coming.

“Ooooh, Eshie lad, I just wanna kiss you all over the place. Please let me make you fine dinners,” Rift cooed at him, leaning on his staff and shaking his butt in a taunting fashion.

“Please, Master, you know I have no interest in them.”

“Well maybe you should! You’ve been working hard for so long and with hardly any play if any at all! Training isn’t the only thing in life, lad.”

Esh didn’t look at him, just nodded. “So you’ve told me, Master. But I enjoy my training, it is my play.”

“You know, your father was addicted to his training and never missed a sun-cycle. However, he made time for himself. He understood that there is a balance in life and that there is a world outside the punching bags.”

“What are you suggesting, Master?” Esh asked, now letting himself look at the females behind him. They had decided to stick around to watch him work.

“I’m saying you should have a little fun! Go out once in a while! Go explore the city, go… Why don’t you go talk to them?” Rift suggested, pointing his head towards the females.

“What? No… They’re busy.” Esh said, his face burning and not just from the Red sun.

“Busy talking about you, I’m sure. Now go!”

“Master, I can’t.”

“Go! Go on! Shew!” Rift said, trotting towards him and physically trying to shove him towards the females, but Esh was far too large for the Elder to even slightly budge him.

“Master, please…”

“That’s an order! I shouldn’t have to command a nineteen-year-old to go and speak to young specimens of the opposite sex. Back when I was spry and youthful you can bet I made it part of my training to learn how to talk the talk!”

“But I have never talked to a female before. What if they don’t like talking about working out? Or fighting?”

“Oh God be good,” exclaimed the Elder, slapping his forehead. “You don’t talk about that kinda stuff around a female, you idiot! You talk about… flowers and… smelly good things…”

“Doesn’t sound like you know what you’re talking about either,” Esh said, smiling down upon his old mentor.

“You have ten seconds to go and introduce yourself before I whip your ass in front of them! Now go!”

Esh knew his Master wasn’t kidding and that he would actually use that old cane of his to start beating him in front of the females. He found this to be a little less appeasing than the talking. And so he forced one foot after the next to walk over to the group of females. They were becoming closer and closer, their breasts growing larger and larger with each step.

He could see that their sweat had revealed their nipples through their thin white cloth dresses and panic arose in him, far more than the time him and Xep had alchemically conjured a miniature Xendra, a beast with razor sharp pincers that nearly took off his foot before they could kill it.

One of the shorter females elbowed the gang leader as Esh approached and all three gasped at how big he was up close. He must have been a giant compared to all the other males they had seen. Esh looked back at Rift for reassurance but found that he was only making kissing faces and embracing his cane in a sexual manner. Esh was alone on this mission.

“Err… Hi,” he stammered in the Reahlic tongue.

They didn’t respond. They also weren’t smiling any more. Reahlic was most likely too formal for this situation. He was already screwing this up. He had to say something in the common tongue, and quick!

“Um… You look hot in those clothes you are wearing.” He quickly realized how much of a pervert he must have looked like, now. The panic grew inside him and his normal perspiration from the heat doubled. The females slowly away from him, fear on their faces.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said, “I only wanted to-” Esh put a hand out to show them that he would bring no harm to them, but it was the wrong thing to do. The females screamed and fell over themselves trying to get away. Esh yelled too and turned to run himself. For the first time in a long time, Esh tripped over his own feet and fell on his face. He picked his head up and looked back. The females were sprinting away from him.

It felt like all the humanoids of Reah were now looking down on him and laughing.

Rift was there and gave him a hand. “Great first try, you’ll get ‘em next time, lad.”

Esh stood up and brushed the ash from his legs and chest. “Did you see the way they looked at me? Like I was a monster…”

Rift scratched his head. He squinted back up at Esh and said, “Well, they aren’t used to someone as… large as you.” He punched Esh in the arm playfully but pulled back his fist in a bit of pain.

His mentor was right, he had grown so tall and so massive in the last five years. His mentor and Xep were both considered tall for humanoids of Reah and Esh towered over both of them. It wasn’t until now that he realized just how big his arms, legs and chest were. Just a few more attributes to make him stand out even more so.

“How can I ever become an agent if I turn out to be socially unstable,” Esh asked, walking back with Rift to continue their work.

“That’s your own damn fault, lad. Don’t blame me that you spend all your time lifting heavy objects and eating as much as a rektops.” Rift looked up and saw Esh’s disappointed face. “However, I do think you’re right. We do need to practice your social skills. How about first thing in the morning? You’ll have to wake up extra—”

“Oh thank you, Master!” Esh pulled Rift into a tight embrace.

Rift pushed him off of him in a curse but felt joy in his heart. They both loved each other, father and son.

They were walking back to the hut after their long sun-cycle’s work; the Elder cracking laughs at him in his expense the entire way there.

“You look hot in them clothes! Why don’t you take em off for a good ole lad like me?” he would say, jabbing his finger into Esh’s ribs.

After it was all said and done Esh couldn’t help but laugh at himself. Out of everything the Elder and Xep had put him through the last few years, talking to those females had been the most terrifying mission yet!

A flapping piece of paper attached to a pole caught his attention.

“One second, Master,” he said, walking over to the flier and ripping it off its post. It read ‘WANTED! WARRIORS OF ALL KINDS! TOURNAMENT BEGINS SEVEN SUN-CYCLES FROM NOW! REWARD: 200,000 REAHLIC COIN AND ONE WISH FROM THE KING HIMSELF! ANONYMOUS ENTRIES WELCOME. RULES WILL BE PRESENTED AT TIME OF REGISTRATION.

Esh looked down the road and realized that he had been picking up these fliers off the ground all sun-cycle and hadn’t even read one. He must have been preoccupied with his failure with the opposite sex.

“What do you think about this, Master?” Esh asked, handing the flier to the Elder who looked over it just for a second before handing it back to him.

“What of it? It’s the same tourney every year. Pretty large event too, very celebrated by the humanoids of Zel.”

“How come I haven’t heard anything about it?”

The Elder shrugged, “Probably because your face is either behind a weapon or in a book. Told you that you need to get out more.”

Esh bit his bottom lip and reread the flier. “I’m gonna join,” he said.

The Elder stopped and stood in the ash, peering up at him through squinted eyes. He lifted his cane and poked at Esh in different spots, grumbling to himself and nodding his head. “You’d kill them, you know that, right?”

“I don’t know that, Master. I think it will be a great to test my strength.” Rift looked at him with a worried expression on his face. "A test of my strength without my powers, of course.”

“I was gonna say, lad! You’d slaughter them all!”

They walked along in silence. Esh knew the Elder was deep in thought and didn’t want to disturb him. If his Master decided that it was not a good idea he would not go behind his back. His rebellious sun-cycles were behind him and he had grown to be a patient and understanding humanoid.

He was especially kind to animals, he had grown to enjoy being surrounded by their company. And the animals seem to like him too and it was not uncommon for different metal-covered birds to fly to his shoulders while he was at work. Rift, upon seeing Esh’s affection for animals, gave him the fake name of gentle giant, but Esh didn’t mind. Turns out it suited him perfectly.

“I think it’s a good idea.” Rift said as soon as they reached the hut.

“You really think so?”

“Yeah, why not? I think it would be, like you said, a great test of your strength. The deciding factor for me was the anonymous entry, which I think is a must.”

Esh was a little disappointed. He found excitement in the thought of humanoids cheering his name in triumph rather than hatred. But he knew the old Master was right, if all the humanoids of Reah knew his name than the Order would never take him. Yet, did it even matter anyways? Lately, Esh had been having second thoughts about joining the other agent recruits. What he really wanted was to explore the other four territories! That was his dream. To escape the Red sun. But wouldn’t that be a waste of his talents? A waste of the old Master’s time invested in him?

“You there, lad?” Rift said, poking him again with his cane. “I don’t have all sun-cycle, what are you gonna do?”

Esh shook himself out of his fantasy, “I’ll join, Master. And I will take your advice by entering nameless.”

“Good choice.” The Elder walked into the hut without any more words on the subject.

Esh wanted to jump up and down like a child. He let his excited heart do the jumping for him. Now what should he do? He had seven sun-cycles to prepare! What should he train? Where was he weak? What should he wear? He decided he would ask his mentors for help.

Esh was given permission the next sun-cycle to skip his training and travel the long journey to the coliseum which was built at the other far end of the city of Zel. He was just as poor as his mentor which meant he had no currency to rent a transportation shagra nor did he have enough Reahlic coin to just pay for a ride. His feet would be his transportation. He packed himself three large meals for the journey and set off before the sun had turn to face him.

He couldn’t help but notice that the further he walked towards the other end of Zel how much the housing seemed to become more and more… habitable. And not just the houses but the streets around them were so much cleaner and filled with vendors selling delicious smelling foods and all sorts of different luxuries Esh had never seen.

The bottom of his boots no longer stepped onto ash but onto cleanly swept roads which somehow made the world around him seem so much brighter. The humanoids who walked on these roads didn’t seem to notice how clean their living spaces were. They wore clothing of all different colors and shiny jewelry around their necks and in their ears.

This was also Esh’s first time seeing slaves. They looked exactly like the humanoids from the slums he had grown up in except now that they ported collars around their necks which were connected by thin ropes with the other end held in a tight grip by the owner.

Each slave was highly malnourished, their ribs poking through their dark skin with only a small piece of garment to hide their genitals. Esh had to look away from the females for they were given no coverage for their breasts. It took every ounce of self-control in him to stop from releasing all of their bindings and helping them run back to their ghettos. Absolute sorrow hit him hard in his heart and he now knew what he would wish of the king.

Most everybody stopped their business to turn towards the giant dressed in drabs now walking down their streets. Their astonishment with his size was quickly followed by looks of utter disgust at the way he was dressed. At least the humanoids in his neighborhood had the decency to ignore him.

He didn’t care what others thought about him, he was long past caring about stuff like that for he already wore a mark of their disapproval on his chest. There is nothing worse they could do to him now.

It wasn’t long before the coliseum began to peak over the horizon. It looked as though it could hold half the city inside its walls. The structure itself was made entirely of obsidian rock which Esh knew to be a volcanic glass that was almost as expensive as granite. The coliseum was so beautiful and shiny that it was hard to believe that it was made for humanoids to fight and die within it. It was way more beautiful than how the books described it.

As he walked closer to the entrance he saw a large cart being pulled from one of the gigantic entrances filled with thin humanoid bodies. Their faces stuck in horrified positions and their causes of death were varied. Some had been cut clean through, others were missing limbs and some looked as if they had been eaten alive. The smell of death now covered the air, a stale citrus had been used to try and cover up the stench but all it did was create a cocktail that depressed anyone who smelled it. That was most likely why most houses were built away from the coliseum, giving them a wide berth from the smell.

Esh forced himself to pull his mind off of it and walk towards the entrance made for the living. There was a line of odd humanoids signing up for entry, some looked to be fighting fit while others looked in desperate need of the currency and had no business in these games. All the entries looked back at Esh as he stepped in last position of the line. A lot of the smaller fighters shrugged their shoulders and exited the line, rethinking their plan. The seasoned fighters must have known size wasn’t everything when it came to fighting, they only puffed out their chests and turned their backs to him.

About an hour into the wait a fight broke out in the middle of the line.

“Ayy you cheated me out of my spot!” Esh heard one of the fighters say. He was a smaller male and one of his ears looked to have been chewed off at a certain point in his life. His arms were wrapped as if he was already prepped for a fight. The male he was yelling at paid him no attention.

“Ayy you hear me ya stoopid shit? You best move ya ass!”

Still no reply.

The littler male drew his weapon and the line backed up a few feet to let the fighters handle their business. The small assailant didn’t wait for his opponent to draw and sprung at him. The fight lasted only a moment.

The larger of the males, without even looking back, merely sidestepped out of the way. The smaller one’s sword clanged off the ground. The large male swung around and back fisted the assailant in the face, teeth shattered and flew into the black dreadlocks of the fighter behind them. The sword dropped from the small male’s hand and he crumbled to the ground, his head dented in towards his brain.

The fighter behind didn’t bother to dust the teeth particles out of his hair but merely kicked the small corpse out of his way as he took over his position.

There was no more excitement after this and time seemed to drag on and on before finally it was Esh’s turn.

“Name,” the female said behind the counter without looking up.

“No name,” Esh replied and the female wrote.

“Your number is four hundred and three. Next!”

Another fighter placed an arm on Esh’s shoulder but he shrugged it off. “Wait a second, what about the rules?”

The female looked up with a bored attitude, but woke up once she saw Esh’s massive build. “You telling me you don’t know the rules? Where you from?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Esh said, shrugging off another attempt of the fighter behind him trying to push him out of the way. “The flier said you would give me the rules.”

The registrar let out an annoyed air, “Fine. Four battle royals consisting of a hundred and something fighters each. Those who survive makes it to the pyramid. Got that?”

“What’s the pyramid?”

“Gah you kiddin’ me? Hurry up!” Esh heard from behind him.

The female was becoming more annoyed by the second. “Four one on one. No outside weapons, you choose from our wares. Winners fight the winners. The champion gets the currency prize and a wish from the king. Next!”

The crowd behind him was growing aggressive, he could feel it. He had more questions but thought it best to make his leave. He didn’t notice the male behind him had placed his leg out and Esh tripped hard busting his knee on the ground. The entire line including the registrar laughed at him.

His cheeks burned in embarrassment as he pulled himself up. He should have seen that coming but had let his guard down. He turned to the male who had pulled the nasty trick. Long curly black hair fell to his shoulders and he gave Esh a toothy smile. Both eyes had been tattooed black in order to give off a menacing look which looked more ridiculous to Esh than anything.

The curly haired male spat at Esh and he barely jumped out of the way in time. The humanoids laughed more as Esh made his way out. He looked back to see the trickster pull a thumb across his neck at him.

Esh made it home before sunrise the next sun-cycle and let himself crash into his sand-ridden bed. He was just about to pass out when the Elder came and shook him awake.

“Don’t think you can go to sleep without telling me about your trip!”

“Oh, sorry Master,” Esh said, rubbing his eyes. “I thought you were asleep.”

“Oh, I was! But your clumsy self needs to work on its infiltration! I could have been deaf and still heard you come down that hole.”

Esh knew it wasn’t his skill in the art of sneak that needed work but that the Elder had an unnaturally amazing hearing ability.

“Go on! Tell me.”

And so Esh did. He told him about the clean city which he never knew to have existed. He talked about his first experience with slavery and how sick it had made him. He told him about the cart of bodies.

“Ah yes, I was hoping you might see that,” said Rift.

“Master, why? Why would you want me to see something so terrible?”

“Because you needed to! You need to see how evil resides in this land.”

Esh didn’t say anything.

“And don’t you dare try and do what you’re planning on doing.” Rift said, making his way back to his bed.

“What do you mean?” Esh tried to sound as if he had no idea what his old Master was getting at.

“Don’t play stupid, I know you, lad. You’re gonna try and wish to free the slaves, but it won’t work.”

“How do you know?” Esh said in a tone ruder then he had planned. “I’m sorry, Master.” He added quickly.

“Don’t apologize. I respect that about you and I wish I still had your innocence. However, you cannot believe even for a moment that the king of this land, a king that sits on a golden throne made from the profits of slavery, will even give half a second of thought of your wish.”

“But he will be in a coliseum filled with humanoids! Can he really ignore my wish in front of so many?”

The Elder crawled into his bed which he seemed to be doing slower and less gracefully with each passing sun-cycle. “A coliseum filled with the rich, lad. These humanoids will not blame or hate the king for ignoring your wish. I would even think he might sic the greowlds on you!”

Esh thought back on the bodies he saw on the cart, the ones that had been eaten alive. Some had had their stomachs chewed out while some heads looked to have been pulled off forcefully. He shuddered as he realized that these must have been the work of the greowlds, furry four legged beasts with massive humanoid looking heads. They must have been fed often for them have decided not to finish their food.

“Have you ever seen a tournament at the coliseum before, Master?” Esh asked, but was met with heavy snoring. So much for his master’s amazing hearing abilities.

29 - Geared Up

The next sun-cycles rushed passed as Esh trained his heart out. Despite Esh’s arguing, the Elder made him stay home and train rather than help him pick up the trash around Zel. Xep had started to give him homemade nutrition potions that really helped his recovery after the long and backbreaking workouts.

However, Rift and Xep both agreed that he should take the last two sun-cycles to rest and study battle tactics out of books, this way his body would be fully prepared for a full sun-cycle of battling. This would be his first time in a long time that Esh would be fighting for his life. Even though his Master told him to fight seriously and take every sparring session as if life or death, Esh rarely ever did. He knew deep down he would pull back the strike if it ever came to that. Luckily, it hadn’t yet.

Maybe that was why the Elder had agreed to this tournament. Perhaps he thought it was time Esh drew blood that wasn’t in the training setting, but in a circumstance that was truly life or death.

Esh woke up to a hearty meal of bird, mashed veggies, and another nutrition drink. Xep and the Elder didn’t eat but watched in amazement as Esh devoured the entire table’s worth of food.

“Come here, lad,” his old Master said, walking to the secret room. “I have something for you to try on.”

Esh followed him curiously all the way to the back. The Elder pointed at his own set of armor. “Here you are!”

Esh laughed. “I appreciate the offer, Master, but that would never fit me!”

The Elder eyed him with an irritated expression. “We have been together for a long time and have experienced so many strange things and yet you still do not see the wonders that surround you. Here.” The shrinking Elder could barely reach his own suit of armor and swatted Esh’s attempts to help him. Finally, he grasped hold of it. “Put this on.”

Esh did as his Master said and tried his best to slide his head through the chest hole. “Master, can’t I just wear the scrap armor?”

“Hush. Give it a second.”

Esh stood there feeling completely stupid with the heavy chest piece floating over his head. But then the armor seemed to come alive, it moved on its own as the armor stretched and expanded, falling over his head and onto his shoulders.

“Woah!” exclaimed Esh as Rift walked around him strapping the chest piece to his waist. The armor molded to his size and cooled itself down to match his body temperature. A cool sensation touched his skin reminding him of grasping his father’s sword.

“How’s that feel, lad?”

“Like my own skin!” Esh had a huge grin on his face. “I feel like I could sleep in this!”

“I tried making you a set of your own when you were younger but thought against it. You needed to toughen up to the heat on this world.”

Esh didn’t hear a word his Master was saying. He was too busy embracing the coolness of the chest piece. He grabbed the arm vambrace and tried to slide it over his hand but could only manage four fingers. He watched as the vambrace widened itself just enough for him to pull it over his forearm where it adjusted perfected. It wasn’t long before he had dawned the entire outfit.

“How exactly does this thing work? Is the fabric made of sorcery or something?” Esh asked.

The Elder chuckled. “Close. The fabric is made alchemically to adjust to the wearer. It conforms not only to the humanoid’s size but to his or her temperature as well. Everyone in the Order has a suit just like it.”

“Wow. It reminds me of the armored suits the soldiers of Reah wear.”

The Elder nodded. “It’s the same except much more compact and efficient. Plus, the suits the soldiers wear don’t come with these nifty black hooded capes.” The Elder walked behind him and, reaching as high as he could, pulled the black hood over his head.

“I don’t see how I ever lived without this.” Esh was checking himself out in the mirror, astonished by how impressive he looked.

“I’m giving the entire thing to you as a natal sun-cycle gift.”

Esh saw his own jaw drop in the mirror. Was the old Master really giving him such a gift? He couldn’t possibly mean it because then what would the Elder wear when they went hunting or on missions?

“I can’t, Master. It’s too great a gift. Besides, what will you wear?”

Rift gave a snort and spat on the ground, “You can’t possibly think that I could go on with this lifestyle forever, did you, lad? I’m old and tired with no need for such a set of protection. I’m retiring to enjoy the rest of my sun-cycles without bloodshed. She’s all yours.”

Esh was stunned, he had even forgotten his own natal sun-cycle! He had never celebrated his natal sun-cycle at the orphanage because they hadn’t known what sun-cycle it even landed on. Rift knew, however, and always made it a special occasion for Esh.

His Master would always present him with gifts but they were always training related, whether that be books or new punching dummies. This, however, was the most magnificent thing someone had ever given him and he would cherish it for as long as he lived. But he couldn’t help but feel sad at his old Master’s words. He didn’t like the idea of him getting old.

Rift must have read his face for he said, “Now don’t get all sentimental on me, gentle giant. I still have many years to go so stop trying to push me into an early grave!”

Esh smiled and hugged the tiny Elder.

“Ok, ok, that’s enough. Go on, check yourself out in the mirror, I know ya want to. I’ll be out here waiting for you.” Rift waddled out of the room and Esh walked closer to his reflection.

It was few and far between when Esh got to really look at himself. Not that he didn’t care about his appearance but that he rarely had time to think about it. Training was usually the only thing on his mind. He ran his index finger and thumb down his black whiskers. He could see many shiny scars zig-zagging underneath the facial hair. His dark purple hair, curly and long, now draped over his shoulder pauldrons. He looked dirty and unkempt compared to all the clean humanoids he saw in the rich part of Zel. It wasn’t that he didn’t bathe himself with liquid canisters and rags but it was just impossible to stay clean with all the ash on the ground and in the air. His sandy living quarters didn’t help either.

Xep and the Elder wished him good bye as if it were just another normal sun-cycle, probably because they did not want to make him nervous. Too late. His innards felt as if they had tied themselves in deep knots and he constantly felt like spewing diarrhea.

He wasn’t ten paces away before he heard his Master calling after him. “Wait, lad! I forgot to give you one last thing!”

Esh stopped and watched as the Elder disappeared into the hut only to return with something big in his hand. Esh met the Elder half way and his Master grabbed one of his hands and shoved the object into it.

“If you’re gonna fight without a name, do it without a face as well.”

Esh looked at the gift. It was bulky, heavy, and wrapped in black cloth. He unwrapped the gift and looked down upon a helmet that had be shaped into the awesome face of a rektops. It was made with the same obsidian glass the coliseum was built with except it was the same dark purple color as his hair. He let the garment drop out of his hands and realized that it was attached to the helmet as a permanent hood that fell into a long sweeping cape.

“That moon-cycle you asked me if I had ever fought in the tournaments… Well I never answered you. Long story short, before I ever thought of joining the Order, I did fight. But all of that was a long time ago in the early stages of my youth.” He pointed at the helmet in Esh’s hand. “I wore this to cover my face but it wasn’t the color it is now. Xep helped me with some of his alchemy tricks to turn it to your specific hair color. It should now also function just like the rest of your suit. Let it be a reminder of where you come from.” The Elder unbuttoned the old hood and cape from Esh’s armor which would be replaced by the helm.

Esh placed the helmet over his head and it morphed to his shape. The coolness swept over his cheeks and it felt as though he wasn’t wearing anything at all.

“I won’t forget, Master.”

30 - Barish

He tried using all the willpower he had to walk and preserve his energy, but his nervous excitement would not hear of it. He ran the entire way to the coliseum, making the journey in half the time it took him in the first journey.

The sun had barely turned its face towards the world below when Esh made it to the entrance. It was a good thing he had left so early for fighters were already being called to their blocks. Most of them stood in a crowded mass listening to a short fat male reading out their names and the block they were assigned to.

There was a diverse variety of opponents here, each wearing a different assortment of armor from light leather to heavy plated. At first, he thought he might stand out with his eco-suit but was relieved to find others bearing more extravagant armor than himself. A few of the smaller males didn’t wear any armor at all, which meant that this must have been their last option in life. That… or they were crazy.

Esh’s eyes widened when he saw the first ever humanoid his size. The fellow giant noticed his stares and met it with a toothless smile. He then took a side step to reveal a male who shared the exact face and size. His twin. Both of them spit simultaneously towards him, the spittle landing on the unfortunate smaller opponents below them. Esh decided it was best to carry on.

He made his way past the crowd and found that there was a large sign posted on the entrance but hardly any of the contestants bothered to look at it, probably because they couldn’t read. Esh found his name and what he saw made his lungs stop working. He was in the first block to fight.

He remembered his training and breathed through his diaphragm, not through his shoulders. A calming exercise. He knew the first thing to do was to examine his enemies and find weaknesses. He turned to scan the crowd. Something was wrong.

Each of the fighters were carrying their own weapons, weapons varying from war hammers, to bows, to swords forged in shapes he had never seen. A sudden panic took over him. Wasn’t he told that weapons would be handed out from the coliseum’s armory?

Esh tapped the shoulder of a very hairy male who turned with a war cry, ready to strike whoever had touched him.

“Oh... sorry, I was just wandering why everyone was carrying a weapon.”

The harry male looked up at him in a dumb aw, his mouth open as he breathed a horrendous breath. He only had three teeth in his upper jaw and no teeth on the bottom, only rotted gums.

He tried to shove Esh away with both hands but only managed to push himself backwards. He tried again and again, but was only able to sway the hybrid giant slightly. With a final grunt of frustration, the raunchy mouthed male turned his back to Esh and ignored him.

“Shoulda known better than to ask a simpleton,” said an unfamiliar voice from behind.

Esh turned to face a male wearing nothing but a small metal groin protector and a cape strapped around his neck by a golden chain. A brown leather baldric crossed over his shoulder holding a massive two-handed sword to his back. The weapon looked far too heavy for the wielder. The male’s body had no fat on it and a decent amount of lean muscle covered his bones. His legs looked like they could dance around an enemy with ease. His hair was the lightest red Esh had ever seen in Reah, making it look almost blond. It was cut short to keep the bangs from his eyes. His face was handsome and was very different from Esh’s, being that it was without scars and cleanly shaven.

“The name’s Barish,” he extended his hand. “I fight in the second block. You?”

Esh looked down at the hand for a few seconds before taking it into an awkward shake. “Kudra. My name is Kudra,” he lied.

“Don’t tell me you’re a simpleton as well.” Barish said, prying his hand out of Esh’s clammy shake.

“No, sorry, it’s just… I was asking that male why everyone was carrying a weapon. I was told the tournament would supply them.”

“They did say that,” Barish nodded. “But they changed their minds. Do you not live near here?”

“No,” Esh admitted, “I actually live pretty far away from here.”

“I should have guessed,” Barish said, examining Esh up and down. “From your accent I want to say you are from the poor district but looking at your armor.” Barish allowed himself to grab the pauldron and give it a shake but Esh could see he was really looking at his obsidian helmet. “I’d say you were a slave and the owner is using you as a champion. I must say, your owner had good choice with the rektops design. Absolutely terrifying!”

“You better watch it,” Esh said in a growl, detecting the male’s sarcasm. He advanced towards the male with one big step, he would not be embarrassed like he had been last time.

Barish put his hands out to stop him, a big smile on his face. “Easy, easy, big male! I was only trying to make a joke.”

“Just get out of my way.” Esh trudged past him but he heard Barish following him.

“Hey, hey I apologized didn’t I? Here, look, I’ll even let you borrow my sword for your fight! Given you aren’t in my block, of course.”

Esh stopped and let Barish catch up to him. “Why would you do such a kind thing to a male you have never met?”

“There is such a thing as kindness in this world, you only have to open your eyes to look for it. What block are you in?”

“I fight first.” Esh felt a bead of sweat trickle down his back. Saying it out loud put a pit in his stomach. How was he going to fight without a weapon? “How do I know this isn’t just some trick of yours?”

Barish scratched his head, “Not really sure how me giving you my weapon would be any sort of jest. But fine, if you don’t want to take me up on my overly kind offer then less competition for me!”

Barish turned and stalked off leaving Esh to watch his only chance at protection glimmer under the Red sun.

Esh had two options, he could either incapacitate an opponent right at the start of the battle and take their weapon. Or, he could take Barish up on his offer at the risk of… well, a risk he wasn’t sure of.

“Excuse me, ugh… Barish…”

The male wheeled around with a big smirk on his face. “Yeessss, can I help you?”

Esh swallowed and his semi-pointed ears burned red. He was glad Barish couldn’t see his face through the helmet. “I’d like to borrow that sword of yours.”

“Are you not afraid that this sword of mine will combust into a fiery explosion as soon as the match starts?”

Esh’s paused. He had not considered this.

“Oh for the love of… here, just take it. I think you’re going to need it.” Barish pulled the baldric over his head and handed it to Esh with both hands. “Go on, it’s not going to explode.”

Esh grasped the hilt in one hand and found it even heavier than his granite sword he’d left behind. He gave it a few wide arced swings with a smile. It was a good sword, well balanced and properly edged. He hadn’t swung the blade at Barish but the male backed up anyway.

“I hope you’ve used one of those before. You can’t just rely on your strength; it takes skill too.”

“What makes you think I don’t know how to handle a sword?”

Barish shrugged, “Well, I already know it’s your first time in the tournaments here. You’re also not in the army or else you would have already rubbed it in my face.” He put a contemplative hand to his chin. “Judging by how enormous you are, the size of your forearms, I’d say some sort of smith or builder.”

Esh sheathed the blade and tightened the baldric over his waist like a belt. Unlike Barish, Esh was tall enough to hold the blade at his hips, keeping it at a slight angle for a faster draw. “Not even close. I was chosen to relieve Zel of its trash problem.”

Barish tilted his head. “You? A trash male? How on Reah did you gain that size of yours?”

“I eat a lot.”

Barish laughed and clapped Esh on the shoulder. “That must be it! Now walk with me, I’ll give you some tips.”

He put his hand on Esh’s waist as if he were his best friend and led him.

31 - The Arena

“See that male?” Barish pointed at a male with a half-shaved head with muscles so large that his head looked way too small by comparison. “That’s Big L, he’s one of the strongest warriors here and he damn sure knows how to use that Warhammer on his back. Watch out for him.”

Before Esh could speak Barish had pointed at another humanoid, “And him,” he said, his finger pointed at an overly skinny fighter who looked to be a walking skeleton, “Careful not to die by his hand. He’s a pervert for the dead… So I hear, anyways.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means…” Barish whispered, pulling Esh’s ear to his mouth, “… that he likes to do his special business with the humanoids he kills. Again, so I hear.”

“Ok, that’s enough. I didn’t come here to hear the gossip. I just came here to fight, win, and go home.”

Barish tsked. “You are so very new. How do you think one wins the first round? You have to be the last fighter standing, meaning you either have to kill everyone or make them submit to you.”

“Then I will be the last fighter standing,” Esh said simply. “Thanks again for the sword, I will return it, cleaned, and in proper condition.”

“Err… Thanks. Oh look!” Barish jumped up and turned Esh’s head. “Your block is preparing to enter! You better get over there.”

Esh’s lips went into a tight line, the diarrhea feeling starting up again in his stomach. “Ya, I better.”

Esh walked up behind the large crowd of fighters in front of the entrance to the arena. Some were kneeling, edging their weapons over their knees while some fixed their armor and made sure all was properly connected. However, there were others who found it best to flap their gums about how easy this fight was going to be and how everyone should probably just head home.

The gate before them was five times Esh’s height and made of metal bars one might see in a jail cell. Each bar was situated so close together that even the skinniest of humanoids wouldn’t be able to maneuver their bodies through. However, this didn’t stop some from trying. If Esh squinted his eyes he could make out the bony remains of arms stuck between some of the bars.

“Listen up!” cried the same female who had registered Esh for the fight. She walked in front of the group of fighters without any signs of fear. She noticed him and added, “I’m only gonna say this once for you newest fighters! You either kill or get killed! If you submit, then the fighter you submit to has the right to either show you mercy or finish you off. There are no further rules and anything else goes. Any questions?”

“Show us ya tits!” the fighter to Esh’s left called out. The crowd exploded with laughter, all but the perverted skinny guy whose pants seemed to have grown.

The announcer’s face did not twist in disgust as Esh’s had. Her face was blank, and he knew she was very used to these sorts of humanoids in her line of work. “You may enter the arena!”

A group of slaves began to heave on a thick rope, the veins in their arms bulging from the strain. Esh remembered what his Master had said about it not being a good idea for him to wish an end to slavery. If not that, then what would he wish for?

Ever so slowly the barred entrance rose to reveal the ashy battlefield. The fighters ducked under the gate as they ran inside, there arms wide as they greeted the crowd which was met with loud cheers and screams.

As Esh took his turn to enter the arena he stopped midway, his mouth open in awe. The arena was completely filled and overflowing with humanoids. They were practically crawling over each other just to get a better view of the fighters, some even fell over the railing and smashed into the ground. Females flashed theirs breasts while males gave lude hand gestures. They were like animals.

Esh was shoved from behind but was barely budged. He could smell foul breath wafting into his nose. He turned to stare into the same tattooed eyed male who had shamed him a few sun-cycles ago. He was picking his nose and smiling that same toothy smile.

“Imma rip yeh nuts off,” he said matter of factly. He just started at Esh, his finger working overtime in his nostril before pulling out a green nugget and shoving it into his mouth.

Esh made it his goal to finish this one off before anyone else.

“Come on, come on! Everyone in, the gate is shutting!” yelled the announcer female. “If it shuts and you’re not inside, tough shit and better luck next time.”

There were no tactical positions in the oval shaped arena. No platforms or boulders to take cover behind. There was only flat land with ash and trash blowing in the wind. His best option was to hug the wall in order to protect his back.

Something wet poured over his helmet, the liquid made its way through the crevices and burned his lips. A humanoid in the audience had poured hot slag on to him from above. Some of the other fighters noticed this and laughed at him.

“Watch out!” someone cried and Esh looked up just in time to see a heavy chair being dropped onto him. He jumped out of the way just as the chair exploded into a thousand pieces right where he had been standing.

Esh saw Barish wrestling with a male in the crowd. He lifted the male up with strength Esh did not know he possessed and chunked him over the edge. The male slammed on top of the broken chair, both his legs in an unnatural position. A metal splinter had pierced his rich clothing and exited through his stomach.

The wealthy male’s eyes stared down at the protruding metal rod and shook his head in disbelief. Esh turned but heard the male’s blood curdling scream of pain when the reality of his situation kicked in. The contestants must have smelled blood for they were now going absolutely berserk swinging their weapons around and giving loud war cries. Three of the fighters rushed past Esh and began stomping the dying male to death.

Esh looked up to see Barish giving him the thumbs up. He didn’t return the gesture.

If the crowd had been loud before it was nothing compared to the noise they manifested when the King made his entrance. Esh watched the old royalty waddle onto a large platform raised high above the arena. He wore no shirt exposing his gigantic hairy belly created through years of hot slag and bad nutrition. Both his arms had flabs of skin and fat jiggling off the triceps with each step. He was covered in half naked females who were obviously giving up their bodies to this disgusting male for reasons Esh knew had nothing to do with his looks nor his charisma.

The King was moving his mouth but Esh could hear nothing. His speech was then echoed by assigned callers, which was the same profession that called out the oncoming molten rains. The King’s words made it to Esh’ side of the ring.

“Such a beautiful sun-cycle in the beautiful city of Zel,” repeated the caller. The crowds cheered in waves as the words met them. “I look upon a very fiery group of young fighters who have decided to give their lives in order to serve their King’s enjoyment.”

The fighters all spat on the ground at these words. They were in it for the currency and the King’s wish, not to please his majesty’s wrinkled face. Esh chuckled as this was to be the only thing he would have in common with the other fighters.

Something shiny and heavy was wheeled onto the platform from the same room the King had come from. It was rectangular in shape and was filled with blue sloshy liquid. Esh wasn’t the only one to notice, but the other contestants saw it too. None of them had ever seen such a volume of liquid; it was unheard of. Esh didn’t know such things even existed. Yet that wasn’t all. Something was swimming inside of it.

32 - Let the Bloodshed Begin

With his curiosity getting the better of him, Esh made his way along the wall in order to get a better look at the mysterious swimming beast. He had only read of creatures of the blue world but there had never been any illustrations or sketches. He’d read about how large sea creatures could grow due to the availability of space and the lack of gravity, but that was really all. That being said, whatever was in the liquid cage couldn’t have been much larger than he was. He had to get a better look.

“I wish you all good luck and much blood shed. You may begin!” the callers called.

There was no pause, no time to let the words sink in. The fighters were at each other’s throats in less than a heartbeat. Esh was targeted by a mid-sized male holding a curved blade. He gave one more look back at the liquid enclosure and just for a second he was able to get a glimpse of the most beautiful female face he had ever seen pressed to the enclosure’s window. He could have sworn she mouthed the words help me.

Esh was brought back to reality as he was tackled to the ground, the breath taken from his lungs. He rolled backwards onto his feet. There was no time to unsheathe his borrowed greatsword as the curved blade was swiped towards his neck. The opponent’s efforts were unskillful and desperate.

Esh merely pulled back a fist and punched him in the face, feeling the nose shatter underneath his knuckles. The male stood for only a moment before falling backwards. Esh would take that as a submission.

He turned just in time to dodge an oncoming severed head, the thrower being the black-eyed male.

“I made you a promise, did’n I?” he said, walking slowly towards Esh, completely disregarding all the chaos happening around him. “Time to snip off them nuts, you pretty thing you! Come eer.”

Esh listened. He met the male half way but still did not draw his sword. He knew he wouldn’t need to. The black-eyed male didn’t seem to even take notice, his eyes were on the prize. The prize being Esh’s genitals for whatever reason. He wielded a sword that was much too heavy for him so he let it drag in the black ash as he made his way towards his prey.

When he was a foot away the black-eyed male opened his mouth to speak but Esh didn’t give him the chance. He grabbed the male’s curly hair in a tight lock and pulled his head close to his chest. Esh then dug both of his thumbs into his eye sockets, relieving the male of his ugly eye balls and producing a high pitched scream from his mouth. The blind male did not drop his blade, which impressed Esh, but that might just be because the male was in a state of shock.

He released his grip on the male’s hair and watched him wail in agony. Some of the other fighters paused their brawling, their gaze going from the screaming blind male to the two eye balls now stuck to Esh’s thumbs.

He wiped the slimy spheres on his leggings and backed himself closer to the wall, but not too close. He reassessed the situation. Already the contestants still standing had been brought down to about half the size it was originally.

It was the gigantic twins that now gave Esh their attention. Both held weapons that they had not started the battle with. One brother grasped a Warhammer in one hairy fist and beat it against his plated chest piece. The other brother twirled a sword in each hand, an arrow stuck between his shoulder pauldrons. Esh decided that would be his first target.

Fighters made sure to keep out of their paths as the twins began their charge towards him. Their armor clunked heavy as each foot pounded the ground. It was time to unsheathe the sword. As he did so he heard a yell of approval coming from behind him in the stands, no doubt it was coming from Barish.

The twins roared in unison, both lifting their weapons for one crushing sweep. Esh rolled to his right just in time as the twins’ weapons pounded the ash. The ground was still quaking as Esh jumped to his feet, the greatsword held out in front of him in both hands.

Esh discovered within just a few seconds of their skirmish that the twins did not use their companionship to their advantage, but relied on their brute strength to win their battles. As he dodged and blocked certain blows he found times at which one of the twins could have easily flanked him and made his life much more difficult. Yet there was no strategy, only brutish swings that were easily dodged.

Esh was much faster than his fellow giants and thought it best to defeat one of them at a time. He ducked a thrust from the sword bearing twin and spun around him cutting the tendon behind his foot wide open. The twin cried out and took a knee. Esh started to pace backwards to lure the hammer twin away from the wounded one who still seemed to have the strength to swing his sword.

As soon as the brother had been steered a safe distance away, Esh went to work. He stopped backpedaling and stood his ground, taunting the enemy. The brother took the bait and brought his warhammer down with a victorious smile on his face. With a loud clang Esh reflected the hammer blow just in time with the edge of his greatsword. He slid the blade down the staff and hacked all four fingers off.

“Do you submit?” Esh asked him as the warhammer slid from the twin’s bloodied hand. The male only gawked at his fingers, his face stupid with lack of understanding. His eyes flicked to Esh, the whites now red and the veins pulsing a deep purple. He grabbed the warhammer with his left hand but Esh had already prepared for it. He turned a full circle, his blade swishing in the wind as he cut the twin’s arm before he could even lift it. The skin peeled open showing bright red muscle right before the blood started to flow. The arm fell from the warhammer and dangled useless at his side. The male still did not cry out, his gaze still on Esh.

“I asked you if you submit!” Esh cried. He looked around him and his heart started to pound. Fighters were running out of other opponents and it wouldn’t be long before he was surrounded.

“Finish him!” called the callers around the stadium. Esh’s head twisted around the arena before he realized it was the king’s words he was hearing. And they were directed at him.

He would not be ordered around by some fat male with a scepter. He turned and looked for the next target, ignoring the command.

“Finnish him or be disqualified!” came the cry and the crowd began to chant “Finish him! Finish him!”

Feeling he had already proven to himself that he was quite the fighter, there was no real need for any more bloodshed. These opponents were no match for his abilities and Rift had already shot down his wish idea. But wait, maybe there was another wish he wanted. He had never asked for anything in his life, but was there anything he desired?

His thoughts were clouded for an instant by the breath taking liquid angel that he had caught a small sight of. Had she really been asking for help? And had she been directing this plea towards him? Or was it just him seeing what he wanted to see? Either way, his knees felt weak and he knew what he wanted to wish for. If the king could not release all the slaves surely he could release just one.

Esh whirled himself around and stuck his greatsword at an angle down the twin’s neck. This wasn’t an execution, it was mercy. This male would never have survived outside the arena with two useless extremities.

Esh kicked at his chest and unstuck his blade from the spinal cord. The crowd cheered and he allowed himself to shove his borrowed bloodied sword into the air in a sign of triumph. Master Rift would have murdered him if he ever found out.

There were only four of them left, not including the wounded who had submitted. Two opponents faced off, one with a spear, the other with a metal shield. The third opponent, the necrophile, circled the fight looking for an easy kill. He must have forgotten Esh for his back was turned completely to him. He would have no issue with his conscious in taking this sick humanoid’s life.

He rushed towards the necrophile, using the soft padding of the ash to silence his footsteps as he closed the gap. He swung the greatsword around his head and aimed the blade right under the ribcage where there was less meat to chew through. It was a clean cut.

The necrophile was still standing and his head pivoted just enough that he could see the one who had done him in. The top torso and femur slid apart in opposite directions, slimy blood strings trailing behind.

The two fighters had stopped their combating, having watched Esh cut the necrophile in two. The shield bearer let the shield drop to the ground. He put both hands up and said, “I submit to you sir.”

“Are you fuckin kidding me! Help me take him out,” the sword bearer said, taking an aggressive stance towards Esh.

“I don’t think so, you’re on your own!” the male turned and ran towards the entrance.

The sword bearer was half Esh’s size and had probably made it this far off of pure luck, the better fighters finishing each other off earlier in the battle. This was no fair fight.

“Do you submit?”

“Like hell I do!” The sword bearer ran towards Esh yelling at the top of his lungs, blood lust in his eyes.

Esh had simply to step out of the way, leaving one foot in place. The male tripped and went face down into the soot.

There was a pause and then the male said, “Shit! I give! I give!”

The male threw his sword out of reach and kept his head facing down in the soot, too ashamed with himself to look up.

“We have our first winner!” cried the female announcer and the callers repeated the message. The crowd erupted in a mixture of cheers and boos. Fights broke amongst them as wages were won and lost.

The entrance door creaked back open. All of those who had submitted and could still walk left the stadium. The announcer strode over to Esh and grabbed the wrist holding the great-sword and tried to lift it.

“You’re the victor dammit,” she hissed. “Wave your sword in the air! Give these rich idiots something to cheer at.”

Esh did so and the crowd approved. A smile showed under his helmet. He had never been loved before by so many. He could get used to this.

“What is your name, young male?” cried the callers. The king stood in front of his liquid cage and peered down at him.

The announcer elbowed him hard in the ribs. “Come on, shout to the callers your name. Your king wants to know!”

Esh shook his head, “I signed up as anonymous. Tell him that.”

The small announcer’s face grew more red than normal and Esh was sure that it was about to explode. “This is your king and he demands a name! This is an hono——”

“I said I signed up as anonymous and I wish to keep it that way.”

She dropped his arm and started to walk off the field, “Suit yourself, you dumb bastard.”

The crowd lost interest in Esh and gained interest in the fist fights that had sprung out through the stadium all the while wages were already being taken for the next block of fighters. Esh made his way out of the arena, the entrance closing behind.

“Wait! What about the others who submitted?” Esh asked the announcer who was already calling out the names of the next fighters. He pointed over his shoulder at the wounded still trying to crawl for the exit.

“What’s it to you? They’re greowld feed now,” she said without turning to him, her face still in her list.

He grabbed her shoulder and turned her forcefully, her face turning a darker shade of red. “You can’t do that to them! They submitted!”

She pushed his arm off of her shoulder and stuck her finger in front of his helmet, “You ever touch me again I’ll have the guards throw you in there with them!” She shoved his face backwards and went back to her work calling out names. The talk was over with.

Esh walked to the entrance and peeped through the bars. He could see no one had helped lead the blind male out of the arena. He had one hand over his face and another out to feel for anything in his way. The brother with the chopped ankle was dragging himself to the entrance but had only made it half way. “Help me!” he cried. His brother with the limp arms had sat back onto the ground staring blankly at nothing in front of him.

There was another fighter who had submitted but had not been physically able to move. He laid face up with a spear sticking right out of his gut. He was screaming out a name Esh did not recognize, probably a spouse or family member. Even if someone had taken the time to pull the spear out and carry the male from the arena he would have bled out within a few minutes.

The floor underneath the ash began to rumble and split apart. At first, Esh thought it was another Wisp attack but disregarded the idea once he turned and saw more slaves rotating a metal crank that jutted from the ground. Esh’s attention focused back on the arena and watched as three holes in the ground creaked open slowly. Large hairy paws flicked in and out before the trap doors had even completely opened.

To Esh’s horror, one of the doors was directly under the speared male. It was only a few seconds before the hole had grown large enough for the male to fall sideways inside. A loud roar broke and everyone in the audience cupped their ears. Esh tried to cover his as well but forgot he was wearing a helmet. It was more of a wailing moan of pleasure than a roar and it was unlike any other animal Esh had ever heard. If the speared fighter had been screaming it would have been impossible to hear.

There was a pause followed by the crunching of bone which made the audience go crazy with jubilee. The greowld must have stepped on the male’s head as there was a loud crunch noise followed by an explosion of blood that spewed like a fountain from the ground in a way Esh did not know was possible. He felt sick but couldn’t not turn away.

Three furry beasts leaped from the holes, their hair covered in black soot. They were easily as large as any rektops but were creepier and unsettling than scary, which was horrifying in its own way. The greowld was known throughout all of Reah for its face, which resembled the face of a humanoid to a disturbing degree of detail. Each of these greowlds had a distinct feature, each as hideous as the next. One had a bulbous nose, another had a third deformed milky eye, and the last had melted ears all over its face. They moaned at each other and made pleasurable expressions as if they had just orgasmed.

The walking blind male was now running in a panic which must have been what the greowlds looked for in a prey for when the bulbous nose greowld leapt at him the melted ear one head-butted it out of the way before it could make the kill. The bulbous nosed one fell to its side but hopped right back up, it’s face still in a state of strange ecstasy. The two greowlds moaned furiously at each other and started to circle.

Esh saw the melted ear greowld, realizing it was being ignored by the other two, took this chance to attack the crawling twin. It pounced on his back snapping the spinal cord with a loud popping nose. The greowld hopped off of him, leaving the twin in a permanent backward arc, his mouth and eyes wide open. Esh hoped he was dead.

The melted ear greowld walked around to the male’s head and sniffed it with its humanoid like nose. The twin’s eyes move with the greowld’s motion. With one swallow, the greowld consumed the male’s head inside its mouth. There was a slurping sound as saliva trickled out the sides of its mouth. Its jaws closed slowly and plucked the twin’s head completely off.

The limp armed twin watched as the greowld devoured his brother’s skull. At first, Esh didn’t think the twin cared that his brother had just been eaten alive. That was, however, until the giant twin stood up and charged at the greowld swinging his dead arm from side to side and holding his fingerless hand out in front of him. It was a death wish.

The greowld paid him no attention until the giant, using the momentum of his size, slammed his body into the feeding greowld. The attack was useless but Esh could sense the greowld was annoyed with the interruption. It turned its head, displaying bloodied sharp teeth. It caught the swinging arm in its mouth and ripped it clean off the twin’s torso.

Again, the twin sat back on the ground in front of his brother, blood spewing like a fountain from the fresh gaping hole. He started to cry, laying his head on his brother’s body. Esh saw his body go limp as he died from the blood loss. The greowld moaned as it ate its fill.

The two other greowlds were still circling each other, their mouths open revealing the same jagged teeth. Without warning, they jumped off the ground and met in the air with a heavy boom as their bodies collided. The bulbous nosed greowld gripped the third eyed greowld by the neck and shook violently, the other moaning.

What happened next made Esh’s mouth drop. Metal gates on all sides of the arena shot upwards and malnourished slaves, males and females, were shoved outside by the king’s guards. The gates fell behind them. The slaves, having been kept in the dark for so long, were temporarily blinded by the sun. They had no idea what horrors awaited them. The greowlds hadn’t noticed them. Not yet.

Esh pushed off the gate and strode over to the announcer. He had lost his patience. He gripped her by the back of the neck and lifted her into the air. The female screamed and dropped her list of names as she struggled with his grip.

“You will tell the king to stop this nonsense!”

“Gragralagh,” the female managed to spit out. Esh let her feet touch the ground and relieved just enough pressure so that she could speak. She coughed, her face red now from lack of air. “What do their lives matter to you! The king would never listen to a couple of peasants like us!”

“What kind of king doesn’t open his ears to his humanoids? Come on, let’s go speak with him.”

He shoved her head under his arm pit, pinning her to his body. His plan was to use her to get access to the king’s private quarters and force him to see reason. He had no idea where the king’s quarters were but he there had to be an entrance somewhere on the other side of the arena. He started dragging his hostage in that direction.

Someone, perhaps one of the fighter’s, must have alerted the guards for he now heard their loud armored footsteps approaching. He didn’t quicken his pace.

“Our lives are meaningless! You are going to get me killed!” the female yelled from under his arm. “Release me!”

“Not until the king hears what I have to say!”

The crowd’s cheers became loud in an instant and he knew the greowlds must have spotted the fresh meat and stopped their fighting.

“Come on, we have to hurry.”

The female tried to bite his arm several times but would stop as soon as he tightened his grip on her ears. A tall guard turned the corner followed by five more. Each wore beautiful purple armor, unique to anything Esh had ever seen. Each pauldron had one large spike that rose as high as the helmet which also donned a large spike. Even the spears they held were fashioned in the same way. They must have been the king’s secret guards.

“Help!” the female screamed. Esh did not tighten the grip, it was better if these soldiers saw the severity of this matter.

“Hand her over at this very moment or face execution in the name of the king,” commanded the guard that stood in front of the rest, his face barely visible behind his helm. Stationed on the male’s chest plate were ribbons which must have made him some sort of leader.

He did a hand signal in the air and the other guards encircled Esh. Another hand signal and they had pointed the tips of their spears at Esh’s stomach ready to stick at their leader’s command.

33 - The Magnificent King of Reah

“I will give you until the count of five to hand her over and give yourself up… or you both die.”

Esh could feel the female start to tremble under his arm. “Please… no…” she begged, her feet going limp as she tried to pull her head out of his grip. “No…”

Esh stayed calm and used his head. His first job was to analyze the enemy. This wasn’t a very effective leader, he had broken too many tactical rules, rules that Esh knew better than to break. His Master had taught him to never give the opponent a count down because it gave them ample opportunity to react at a random segment in the downward count. Also, each soldier was equipped with just one spear which was great for medium range but never for close combat.

“One,” the soldier said in a calm manner. Esh waited.

“Two.” Esh still waited.

“Three.” There was a foul smell of urine coming from the female.

“Four…”

“Wait!” exclaimed Esh, “All I wanted was to see the almighty king!” A new plan had suddenly popped into his head. He released the announcer who fell to her hands and knees in a puddle of her own urine. She quickly tried to crawl away.

“Seize her!”

One of the soldiers grabbed the female by the hair and pulled her up with a hard jerk, her mouth open in a silent scream of pain as she now struggled with her new capturer.

“She had nothing to do with it, I was just using her! It was a horrible idea,” Esh said, his hands now out in a mercy like position. Xep had taught him well in the art of fake being. If he hadn’t been wearing a helmet he could have pulled off a rather realistic scared face.

The leader eyed him carefully and then back to the female and then back to Esh. He stood there taking his time and pondering the situation. He walked closer up to Esh, his young face now visible beneath the purple bars of his helmet. He was young, probably the same age as Esh. He must have had a high ranking father or some other status to have been promoted to his current standing.

“Disarm him and bring them both,” he said, turning his back in a quick precise movement. He started to march.

Esh allowed himself to be grabbed from behind and his borrowed greatsword unclipped from his hip. He was shocked that they didn’t even tie his wrists together, relying fully on strength and ego. He felt more confident now that he knew he could make his escape at any moment.

They were led around the arena like prisoners being taken to their cells. They must have been getting closer to the king’s quarters for guards began to appear more and more frequently. They would address the young leader as captain and ask if he needed their aid. He would wave his hand and decline with a confident laugh. Another mistake, never misjudge the capabilities of your captive.

They reached a door which was guarded by two bored looking soldiers. Upon seeing their approaching captain both snapped to attention and saluted, pulling the door open for him.

“Wait with them here. I will speak to the king and see what he wishes of these two.”

The leader made his way in and the two guards shut the door behind him. The female was whimpering, tears of fear pouring out of her eyes.

“Please let me go! I had nothing to do with this!”

“Shut it wench!” said one of the guards kicking her hard in the shin. She tried to fall but the guard holding her hair would not allow it.

It was a long wait. The guards did not speak to one another. Esh looked at each individually and noted that they were all much older than their captain. They probably weren’t too happy that such a young male could capture such a high rank over them with little trouble. That was how the real world of Reah worked.

There was a rapping on the door and the two guards stepped back and opened it. The leader did not exit but only gestured all of them inside.

“The king wishes your presence,” he sneered. He was no longer wearing his helmet, but held it at his side. He had a perfect face, free of any scar tissue unlike Esh’s. He was a good looking male with perfect teeth, a sign of prosperity. His dark red hair was cut into a military fashion, short on the sides and semi-long on the top. Esh could tell this humanoid had not seen much action and if he had he had not been part of it.

They all entered and Esh and the female nearly tripped on a flight of stairs that had been impossible to see in the darkness. The guards laughed and shoved them along. Esh had no trouble with the stairs but the female had been overweight and started to wheeze after the tenth step. She must have been paid enough as director of the arena to eat whatever she wanted.

It wasn’t long before she gave into her exhaustion, collapsing under her own weight and forgetting about the guard who still held her firmly by the hair.

“Captain, I’m going to need a little help with this one.”

“Drag her,” replied the leader without even turning around.

The guards shrugged and each grabbed an arm and they drug her like an animal. Esh could hear her plump face smacking hard on each step.

The female had slowed them down tremendously, without her they could have made this climb with little effort. Esh bit his lower lip in frustration at his situation. Would he even have time to save even one of the slaves from seeing the insides of the greowlds’ bellies?

A guard put his hand on Esh’s chest to stop him from going any further. Esh’s eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness that he could make out another door guarded by another two more soldiers. The king was not taking any chances.

The door was opened and light made everyone, including the guards, flinch. Esh was shoved forward and the female was drug up one last step. Esh looked down at her and his body stiffened. Her face was a bloody mess, both eyes were black and her nose had become dislocated sometime along the climb. She looked almost maniacal from the pain she now suffered. He should have felt guilty but he didn’t. She was only worried about herself, not for anyone else. She had turned her back on innocent lives as they tried to claw their way back into their cages.

Esh was shoved from behind. He stepped out of the stairwell and onto the elevated platform. It was well shaded and crowded with brightly dressed humanoids which must have been the king’s regal guests. They paid Esh no attention. He guessed that there must have been five to ten slaves assigned to each one of them. His Master was right, there would be no persuading the king. Slavery was far too developed and ingrained in the minds of the rich in the city of Zel.

There was an enormous chair riddled with different types of jewels. He was pushed once again and he made his way around the side of the chair. Seated was the magnificent king, but there wasn’t anything magnificent at all about him. What Esh saw was a bridle old male dressed in a heavy looking red cloak which was also covered in the same jewels as his throne. The king’s face looked to be half dead, covered in moles, lesions, and liver spots. The females Esh had seen the king enter with were now half naked and were rubbing sensually over the disgusting male’s body.

And there it was, the liquid enclosure Esh had seen from down below. The glass was completely see through showing the most beautiful blue he had ever seen in his entire life. The liquid moved and rippled smoothly at the top. He instantly felt his mind become boggy with wonder and it took a lot of willpower to shake it off. He would need his full attention in the moments to come or else he could very easily end up dead.

A hand appeared through the blue and touched the glass from the inside. The fingers were webbed completely and the skin was very pale. Esh stared as the ripples of light from the sun above dance over the hand.

“Welcome!” The king exclaimed, both of his arms in the air in a sign of greeting. Esh had to tear his attention away from the cage. The king smiled from ear to ear, his arms still in the air in a wide welcome. There was no fat on the arms for all the fat had settled itself around the king’s midsection. However, there was a lot of extra skin that jiggled with each of his movements.

“You make excellent sport, young male!” the king croaked with a smile. “I thoroughly enjoyed the part where you cut that male in half. Excellent work, wouldn’t you say, Yemesh?”

The leader replied automatically, “Oh yes your highness, excellent work indeed.” He said this without any emotion and his face was blank.

The king laughed joyfully, his belly jiggling. “Yes, yes, I cannot wait to see more of your work. Now, what can I do for you?”

With a flip of the king’s hand the guard behind Esh released his wrists. “I’ve come to ask that you spare the slaves from the greowlds. They have nothing to do with this competition.”

“What slaves?” the king asked, waving his hand out in front of him. “I see no slaves.” A smile slid across his face.

Esh turned and looked down into the arena just in time to see the last slave alive, a female, running for her life. It was a futile attempt as the bulbous nosed greowld jogged right beside her, moaning happily.

The greowld struck the female’s gut with one paw sending her grey innards out in front of her. She stood in a daze. Esh watched her pick up her own organ trail and coddle it like a newborn.

The melted eared greowld ran up and joined in on the fun. It bit down on a part of the colon while the bulbous nosed one grabbed the other end. The female died as they played their game of tug of war.

Esh wanted to avert his gaze, he wanted to stop watching. He felt like he could smell the blood, smell her innards, and he felt puke rise into his throat. But he would not look away. This was life in Reah.

The greowlds grew tired of the game and both laid on their paws to go to sleep. They had killed for sport, not for food. From the looks of all the uneaten bodies, this female had not been the first game.

“Is this your idea of entertainment?” Esh asked the king, his attention still on the arena.

“You fucking scum! You will address your king on your knees and with proper—”

“Silence Yemesh! This male obviously has an affection for slave life.” The king took a sip of hot slag before continuing. “Probably is a slave or comes from a slave background. Am I right, young male?”

Esh did not answer.

“You will speak when the king addresses you!”

Esh heard the blow coming, the wind gusting over the spear’s shaft. He felt a sharp smack across his helmet and swayed only slightly. His anger was blinding the pain, his teeth clenched so tight his jaw started to ache far worse than his head did. He needed to calm down. He needed to clear his mind.

“Yemesh! I order you to lower your weapon! One more outburst and I’ll see you removed. Am I clear?”

“Yes, your graciousness,” said Yemesh in the same automatic response. He backed away and took the king’s side. The female slaves would coo even louder when the king gave his orders.

“Now… I see that I was right, wasn’t I? You were or are a slave… Who sent you, young male? And can I have a name?”

“What kind of king sends innocent lives to die for mere entertainment? I understand dying through combat but… not this…”

Yemesh started forward, his nostrils flaring, but stopped himself when the king started to laugh uncontrollably. The king laughed so hard he sent himself into a coughing fit, spitting up phlegm accidentally onto one of his female slaves. She took it as a gift and rubbed it on herself.

Once the king calmed himself down, wiping his eyes he said, “These lives mean nothing! They have no currency! No obsidian or granite! They don’t even have a soul! The only meaning they have in this life is dying for me, their king! It gives them a sense of meaning in life! That is their value! For example… Yemesh.”

“Yes your absoluteness,” Yemesh answered, placing himself in front of the king and taking a knee.

“Come here and lend me your ear so I don’t have to yell.”

Yemesh rose and put his ear to the king’s mouth. The king whispered something and the young captain nodded.

Yemesh walked over to the female announcer and plucked her off the ground by the arm. With one swift movement, he threw her with all his might. Esh had been taken by surprise and made a failed attempt to jump and save her. He landed on his chest, his face over the platform watching the female’s hair fly in the wind as she fell to her doom. She screamed the entire trip down but they were halted the instant her body smacked the ground, sending ash in a large circular wave.

The king did not laugh. “Remove your helmet, victor. Let me see the face of the jester who makes me chuckle so.”

Esh did nothing, he could do nothing. He was paralyzed with a mixture of anger and sheer amazement at what humanoids were capable of under the Red sun. If this was the world he lived in and this was how things were meant to be then he desired not to live any longer.

That’s when he realized his thoughts were becoming rash but he didn’t care. Just like his Master had said, he was free now, free to make any choice he desired.

“Fuck you and fuck your realm.” Esh stood himself, turned, and gave the rudest hand gesture known to the Reahlic humanoids and straight to the ruler himself.

The king looked left and then right violently, his top and bottom teeth falling out of his mouth and down into his lap. His cheeks sunk in towards his empty gums as he searched for what he wanted to say. No one had ever spoken to him like this before.

“Ssseeeiiizzeee himmm!” he commanded finally, spittle spraying over all over his female slaves.

Yemesh was the first to move followed by all the other guards. He flipped the sharp end of the spear in front of him and made for Esh’s chest.

Esh went to bite his thumb to draw blood but again had completely forgotten that his head and hand were both fully armored. He cursed to himself as Yemesh thrust the spear at him, forcing a reaction. Dodging left, Esh grabbed the pole with his right hand while kicking the leader straight in the face with his left boot. Yemesh cried out but did not let go of the spear.

Four more guards were on him now which meant four new spears to worry about. Still holding on to Yemesh’s spear, Esh slid his grip up to the head of it. He twisted his torso and brought his elbow down on the metal shaft and snapped it in two. The tip broke off easily into his hand which he then shoved into the nearest guard’s face killing him instantly.

Something thudded hard into his back and stuck deep into his skin. He looked back to see an arrow protruding out below his shoulder blade.

Archers.

More arrows already filled the sky and some were already snapping on the ground around his feet barely missing him. He needed his borrowed sword back.

He back fisted Yemesh in the side of the head and dodged two more spear thrusts while scanning all of the guards to see which had his weapon. The king was now being escorted out of the arena, humanoid shields covering his body. Two of his naked female slaves had been hit by stray arrows and had been left to die slowly.

Tired of defense, Esh rammed the three guards in front of him knocking them to the ground and stepping on them to make sure they didn’t get back up. No one but Esh noticed the dagger flying through the air towards the king.

It was a beautiful throw, one that Esh knew to have been practiced over and over again. The dagger zipped past the flesh shields and stuck deep into the king’s back. The jeweled robe fell from his shoulders but was still held firmly to his body by the dagger. He stumbled a few paces before falling flat, his fat and loose skin vibrating from the impact.

Dropping his guard, Esh was struck by another arrow in the back. The pain now beating its way through his adrenaline.

“The victor has slew the king!” Yemesh cried, blood from his nose now dripping over his open mouth. “He’s murdered the king! Kill him!”

Esh turned to see Yemesh pointing straight at him, his eyes wide in horror. How had he not noticed the hidden dagger before? Had no one seen their guard captain kill the king? Was he really about to be blamed for this murder?

“King murderer!” a guard yelled.

Just then, a blur of motion came from beneath the blue liquid of the enclosure. Two webbed hands now floated to the glass. And there it was, the angel like face he had seen from down below.

Her body drifted closer and became visible. A Blue territory female humanoid. Dark blue hair drifted around her thin pale face, a muzzle made for animals tied around her head and keeping her mouth firmly shut. Her feet were bound by chain to the bottom of the cage. Dirty garments covered her breasts and groin, her ribs showed from lack of food. It hadn’t been her mouth that Esh had seen call for help, but her blue eyes.

Guards upon guards with the same shiny purple armor were now rushing the platform in the sky. There was a loud crack in the air and Esh’s right wrist was grabbed by a whip made from animal skin. Another crack and his left wrist was caught. His heart stammered in a fit of panic. He tried to remember his breathing but too many things were happening at once.

He tried to bite the inside of his mouth and draw blood but his mouth had already been filled with scar tissue from overuse during his training. He would have to find another way.

The guards formed a thick line in front of him, some with bows, some with spears, and others with swords. Esh was being convicted for a crime he had not committed and was now part of some scheme he had not seen coming.

A guard with a cocky demeanor stepped out of the line and started a strange dance, flinging the sword left and right and ending with a back flip and a war cry. His fellow soldiers found it rather impressive, but to Esh it was a waste of energy. The fancy sword dancer jumped at Esh and swung at him with his blade. At that exact moment, a crazy idea formed into Esh’s head.

He let the sword cut him.

34 - Crash Landing

Esh angled his body at just the right degree to take the blade in the least dangerous of spots. He felt the hot iron slice through his skin and knew instantly that it had been too deep. But it worked.

Blood started to seep through the armor and out into the fresh air and just as he had practiced a thousand times before he called upon his dark twin minion.

Time slowed down as the black gust engulfed everything around him.

“Master…” said the twin hunkered over by his side. “Is this still training? Or is this business?” The pale monster rubbed his hands together hungrily, his eyes firmly set on the meat sacks in front of him.

“Bring the blue female to our speed.”

“It shall be done,” it said.

Esh watched as the liquid went from frozen in time to sloshing at a normal pace.

“And cut these off of me.” Esh pointed his chin at his right and left wrists.

“Oh, Master has found himself in a bit of a bind,” it said with a chuckle. It hopped over and started to chew at the whip with its teeth.

Both whips fell to the ground and blood flowed back into Esh’s hands. He dropped the tip of Yemesh’s spear to the ground and rubbed his wrists.

“What are we doing with these ones?” it asked him, pointing a skinny pale finger at the guards. Its body trembled at a cold temperature Esh did not feel.

“Slit their ankles, not their throats. My main concern is the slave inside that glass filled with liquid,” Esh said, walking over to the cage.

“Your wish is my command… Master.”

Esh put his hand on the glass and the female matched his. Her eyes had no pupils and her neck was covered in slits called gills. Xep had explained that the gills were like his lungs but that blue humanoids were unable to breathe like he could.

Esh was left with two choices. He could leave the female here and judging by her malnourished body she would die of starvation within a few sun-cycles. He wasn’t strong enough to move the cage, especially not in his condition.

Or he could take her.

Esh bowed his head and pinched his lips together. He felt the blood trickling down his back and into his suit. All of his instincts drilled inside of him from Master Rift and Master Xep told him to leave this place, to sprint home while covering his tracks. To become a ghost.

But it was his heart that stopped him. He looked up and saw the female’s eyes watching him, her gills moving with difficulty. She was dying. It wasn’t the lack of food that was killing her but the lack of fresh liquid.

Esh made his decision.

“All done, boss.” His twin crept up beside him, his mouth bloody from the ankle chewing. “What’s next?”

“Just stand there.”

Esh looked over his shoulder and found the guard who had confiscated his greatsword. His mouth was slowly opening in a wide scream, his hands reaching down to feel for an ankle that was no longer there.

Esh walked away from the cage and the female’s hand fell from the glass, clutching her thin stomach in dismay. All hope left her eyes and she disappeared into the murkiness of the liquid.

Esh unclasped the greatsword from the guard’s back and placed it on his hip.

“I’m gonna jump,” Esh said to his twin, walking back to the enclosure. “I’m gonna need you to break my fall.” The female swam back to the glass, her body trembling and covering her mouth with her palm. If blue humanoids could cry, this must have been what it looked like.

“Stand back there!” Esh said, pointing towards the back of her cage. “I mean swim! Swim to the back!”

The female gave him a confused glance, her head cocking sideways. How could he make her understand? He pretended to smack the glass with his fist and then exploded his hands with an unneeded sound effect from his mouth. The female’s eyes opened and she nodded in understanding. She swam back and disappeared.

“Be ready, it!”

“So now my name’s it? That feels good.”

Esh took a few steps back, inhaled a deep breath, and bounded into the air straight for the cage. He pulled one powerful fist back and slammed it into the glass with all his might. The cage rumbled but nothing happened. Esh took a few more steps back and prepared himself to try again but stopped as a thin crack appeared in the middle of the glass. It grew longer and longer and started to streak out in different directions. Esh walked up and tapped it with a finger.

The glass shattered in one loud blast. Liquid consumed Esh entirely for half a second before splashing to the ground. The liquid evaporated much faster as it spread thin over the platform. The only thing left was the female who now laid sideways on the ground holding her knees to her chest.

Esh rushed over to her and heard her gasping for breath. There was no time to lose. He swept her up in both arms and ran to the edge of the platform.

“Get ready,” Esh said to it.

“You’re a fool.”

“Now!”

The twin jumped into the air first and Esh followed. The female in his arms screamed as the hot air flew through her hair. The ground was coming faster and faster and he hoped they would survive the fall. He would be hurt, that was for sure, but it was their only option.

The twin hit the ground with a splat and Esh crushed him with his boots. He bent and rolled to disperse the fall across his body, holding the ex-slave tight to his chest. The arrows stuck in his back snapped off, the tips digging deeper inside him.

The twin turned into ash and the black whirling gust halted, time coming back to its original speed. The greowlds moaned loudly as a new toy had just arrived in their den.

“There he is!” called a guard, pointing down at Esh from the platform.

“Oh, he’s done for, no need to go and fetch him,” said another.

Esh stood up slowly to make sure there were no broken bones. He shrugged his left shoulder and winced. It had become dislocated in the fall. He felt for other dislocations or breaks in his bones and found none. Luck was on his side… for now.

The crowds were in a panic with their beloved king now murdered. They behaved as animals would, toppling over each other and pushing others out of the way, trying their best to exit the coliseum. However, the panic ceased when a new attraction entered the arena. Esh was the glorious victor and they expected a grand show.

Esh raced towards the exit, the female whimpering and struggling for breath. Her skin was drying rapidly and skin flakes had begun to peel off and float off into the wind. He could hear the greowlds on his trail. They could have easily caught up to him, but there was no fun in that. It was all about the chase.

He made it to the barred gate and kicked at it.

“Let me out! This female needs help!”

The fighters who had been called for the next fight just looked at him and jeered. One was laughing so hard he had to grab onto another just to keep himself up. They were going to be no help and why should they? He was the competition.

He turned to face the three threats behind him. The greowlds were even more hideous close up. The bulbous nosed one had a constant flow of slime coming from its nostrils and the one with the ears looked to just have had a few ears bitten off in a recent fight. The third eye on the last greowld didn’t work, it just moved in an eerie motion on its own.

They lowered their heads in a way animals did when they were about to pounce on their prey. They moaned in a low tone and their heavy breath sent ash into the air. The nosed greowld pawed the ground anxiously, ready to kill.

Esh’s hands grew clammy in his armored gloves. He hadn’t been presented with hardly any options and his Master wasn’t here to give him any advice. What would Master Rift do? Would he fight or flee? If fight, how? How could he fight when he was protecting something so precious? He knew the answer… There were no precious things in the life of an assassin, they could only be used against you. They were liabilities. Esh could easily have scaled the wall by himself and hid himself amongst the crowd, but that wasn’t an option.

The nosed greowld came a little too close and Esh kicked ash right into its face. It jumped back with a roar, not a moan, but an actual roar that sent goosebumps up his arms. The other greowlds joined in on the roaring, their breath the smell of fresh death. From this angle, they looked like big headed humanoids with two furry legs. It would have been comical if they hadn’t been there to chew on his insides.

He kicked the ash again and the greowlds jumped back, their nostrils flaring, their eyes wide as if he had just insulted them dearly.

Something crazy popped into Esh’s head, something that was more likely to get him killed than anything. But it was the only option he could think of.

Without notice, Esh burst into a sprint to the right of the greowlds, the one with the third eye tried to reach out and paw at him but had reacted too slowly. Esh stopped running when he’d made it to the middle of the arena and waited for the greowlds to set up their parameter around him. They were now jumping in and out, actually touching him with their paws in order to test him. No humanoid had ever stood up to them before and they were being cautious.

It was time.

Esh started to kick up the ash in a frenzy, sending the greowlds into a hectic chaos. He didn’t know why this upset them but if his plan was going to work he had to make them as angry as possible.

He sent as much ash in the air as he could and pointed it in the directions of each of the beasts. There was a mixture of moaning and roaring going on and they were getting closer and closer. Once they were within hands reach he kicked up one last storm of ash and juked himself through their ranks. This time the three eyed greowld had a perfect reaction time, pawing him perfectly across the leg with four sharp dirty claws.

Ignoring the pain, Esh limped as fast as he could. The crowd must have thought it a very funny sight for they were going mad with excitement. The greowlds were still having their tantrum over the ash when he had made it to the half way point.

The ash didn’t last long in the air before it took its place back on the ground. The greowlds spun around and made chase.

They ran at top speed after the victor who had now turned victim. He looked down at his leg and cringed. Four slashes in this leggings and red muscle glittering in the sun. He wasn’t going to make it.

Just as the greowlds were almost upon him he felt his strength give a rise and his pain fall away little by little. He ran with everything he had towards the gate and thought now he might actually make it.

It was a miracle! But only… it wasn’t a miracle.

He looked down to see that the female had cupped her webbed hand over his sprinting thigh, her eyes rolled back in her head. She was performing sorcery. When she was done, her head fell back and he could see that her lips were cracked and her cheeks were sunk in.

She was dying.

Esh pushed himself even harder, shoving each boot into the ground as if it were his last. The moaning was so loud now that it rang within his helmet. He felt a paw hit his pauldron but not enough force to push him down. He needed only a little further. And… and… he made it!

He smelt the breath of death one last time before jumping to the side out of the way of the charging greowlds. All three slammed face first into the gate, demolishing all of the bars and sending metallic debris right into the faces of the fighters, crushing most of them. The greowlds were free. They were all free.

Losing interest in the ash slinging monster, the greowlds attacked their new assortment of unsuspecting preys. They bit into the crowd with the ferocity that Esh had implanted in them. He picked himself up along with the blue female and made his escape.

35 - Unfamiliar Kindness

Body parts and armor flew in the hot air as the greowlds made dinner out of the rest of the contestants. Using the turmoil as cover, Esh made his way to the streets of Zel. The female Ballahranian in his arm was dying fast or was already dead. He could no longer tell. He needed liquid and fast.

He found the answer to his problem within the wares of a street vendor with a cart filled with liquid canisters. He was selling them to the good patrons of the coliseum who had come here with their families to enjoy a good slaughter.

Putting his honor on the side, as much honor as an assassin could have, Esh kicked the vendor hard in the gut. He placed the Ballahranian on top of the cart and started to speed off with it. The vendor tried to stand up but had had the air knocked out of him and was gasping.

“I’m sorry! I’ll pay you back one of these sun-cycles!” Esh cried over his shoulder.

He rolled the cart through the streets as fast as he could without spilling its contents or the female on top. He took random turns whenever he saw one to lose whoever may have been following him.

He had taken his fifth turn when she started to cough up blood. He had never heard of anyone coughing up blood due to lack of air but then again, he hadn’t studied much of the Ballahranian biology, even Xep didn’t know all that much. He was losing time, he needed a shaded hidden place to treat her.

A hand appeared from an alleyway between two buildings, grabbing Esh’s shoulder with a strong grip. Muscle memory came into play and he grabbed the assailant’s fingers pushing them in the wrong direction.

“Stop! Stop! It’s me!”

Esh pulled the humanoid out of the shadows and, upon seeing who it was, pushed him back in. Esh wheeled the cart around and into the alley, making sure no one saw him.

“Barish? Why? How did you-”

“Doesn’t look like you have a lot of time to be asking questions!” Barish said, nodding towards the dying Ballahranian. “Seems like you have bigger problems.”

“Oh right… Do you know of a place—”

“Come with me,” he said, trotting off to the end of the alley.

“How can I trust you?” Esh asked, hesitant to follow the stranger down the dark pathway. All his instincts again told him to run and escape. Yet, he’d broken those instincts long ago, hadn’t he?

There were loud yells coming from the way Esh had come. Some of the fine citizens of Zel must have reported him to the guards. He didn’t blame them. If he had been a normal Reahlic rich humanoid, seeing a well armored male pushing a cart with a dying Ballahranian on top of it he would have reported himself too.

“Doesn’t look like you have much of a choice anyway.” Barish winked at him. “Now come on!”

Esh took a deep breath and started after him.

It was a long run and Barish seemed to be taking turns at random intersections. Esh hoped this half naked male knew where he was going.

All along the way he kept his eyes and ears open for a potential ambush which would effectively kill the Ballahranian. Esh promised himself that if this male was stabbing him in the back he would return the favor, except he would rip the male’s arms off instead.

“We have to stop and treat her!” he yelled to Barish who had gotten pretty far head.

“It’s just up here! You’ll see.”

They made one more turn and Esh about ran him over with the cart. Barish was standing in front of a door, his hand held out in front of him as if he was expecting some currency tip.

“I don’t have any coin for you,” Esh said simply.

“Not money you simpleton! My sword!”

“Oh, yes… Right…” Esh undid the greatsword and handed Barish the hilt. “Thank you. Now can we please come inside?”

“Of course.” Barish clasped the greatsword on his back and pulled a small key from his thin undergarments. Esh was unsure how he hadn’t noticed the key imprint but he didn’t spend a lot of time gazing at the male’s undergarments.

The door opened to a small room and Barish ushered them in. Esh pushed the cart inside and did his step by step process of analyzing unknown chambers as he had been taught.

The room was just a room, that was all. No other hallways or doors, just the square space in front of him with four torches. It all checked out.

He pulled the female off the cart and was about to lay her on the ground while Barish walked along the walls lighting the torches.

“Here,” Barish said, placing a soft blanket on the hard floor. “This will make it more comfortable for her.”

Esh furrowed his eyebrows and hated himself for still not trusting the gladiator… but he couldn’t, not just yet. Still, he said, “Thanks.”

He placed the female on top of the blanket, stood, and held his wrist out to Barish. “Hold this.”

“Hold your hand? No, I don’t think so.”

Esh rolled his eyes, “Just do it.”

Barish squinted his eyes at him and grabbed his wrist.

“Come on, tighter.”

Barish tightened his grip. “What’s going on?”

“Now, hold still.” Barish opened his mouth but Esh interrupted him by jerking his body in such a way that his shoulder popped back in place. Pain flooded his mind for a few seconds. He closed his eyes and held his throbbing arm to his chest, gritting his teeth. He did this until the pain became nothing but a dull ache.

“Oh damn. How long was that dislocated?”

Esh ignored the question and spun his arm to make sure everything was where it should be. Then, he started his resuscitation treatments. The first step was to check for a pulse but he wasn’t sure where to check with a Ballahranian. So, he went to the next step. He pulled off one of his gloves and licked the side of his finger. He put it under her nose but felt no breath.

Panic seized his chest and he started to breathe heavily as if he could lend her his air. But then he realized something. He took his finger from under her nose and placed it by her gills. He felt a trickle of hot air.

“Please, cut the tops of those canisters off. We have to run the liquid over the gills.”

“The what, I’m sorry? Oh my!” Barish backed up to the wall and pointed at her neck. “What in the four hells are those? Is she cut?”

“No,” Esh said exasperated. “They are gills, she is from the Blue territory. It’s how their humanoids breath under the liquid.”

“Oh… Oh yes, ok. Then liquid canisters makes sense, I was wondering why—”

“Please, Barish, we don’t have time for this! The canisters.”

“Err… Right” Barish went to work with his greatsword, carefully peeling the caps off about five canisters.

“Will this be enough?” he asked.

Esh took one of the opened cans off the cart, “I’m not sure. Here, hold her head up.”

Barish swallowed, and knelt down beside the strange female. Slowly, he put his hands under her head and hoisted it up, “Ew… She’s all sticky!”

Esh ignored him and tipped the can over, spilling the clear liquid over the gills. Bubbles formed over the top layer as the liquid down her neck.

Esh and Barish sat and waited, looking for any sign of life. Esh cursed himself now that he was looking back at his blue world studies. He could have easily taken more time to study their humanoids, their ways, and especially how their bodies worked. Just a little bit more of study could have saved this female. He should never have left the hut and just continued his training, that’s all he was good at.

The gills flapped loudly making both Esh and Barish jump in the quiet room. They looked at each other with big goofy smiles before quickly realizing how dumb they looked. The female’s eyes opened for a few seconds, her blue irises moving to each of them and then resting straight ahead before she fell unconscious again.

“We have to get her to my hut,” Esh said, pouring more liquid over the gills.

“You can’t leave right now. You murdered the king. The whole city is probably infested with guards searching for you two.”

“I didn’t murder the king,” Esh said in a calm voice. He didn’t really care if Barish believed him or not. In fact, he didn’t care if the king was dead or not, all he cared about was the being in his care.

“If not you, then who?”

There had been something tugging at the back of Esh’s mind ever since jumping off the platform and now he knew what it was. Yemesh had been missing from the group of guards who he had commanded the evil twin to chew the ankles from.

Where had he gone to? He had just… disappeared… There was no way he could have escaped from the back of the platform, Esh would have seen him running. His only option would to have been to jump or climb. However he did it, the assassination was well planned and perfectly carried out.

“One of the guards stuck a dagger in him.”

“One of his own guards!?” Barish cried out in surprise.

“Shhh! If anyone’s going to get us caught, it’s going to be you!”

“Right, right. Sorry. But why would one of the king’s guards assassinate the one their supposed to be guarding? I mean, he is the male who pays them.”

“That’s what I want to find out. But more importantly, why are you giving me aid? Why help a competitor? A stranger who was your opponent.”

Barish thought for a moment, pressing his lips together. “Well, it’s kind of a crazy reason but… I could just tell you were different from the rest of those rejects. I mean… I didn’t at first, but as we talked I could tell you were educated. I’m educated too, mind you.”

“You are?”

“What, you can’t tell? Do you not speak to anyone in Zel? They all sound as if their brains have been turned to mush! Humanoids here don’t take the education system seriously and only worry about their physical needs and completely put aside their mental needs.”

“Well, I mostly hang around my teachers,” confessed Esh. “So, I guess that’s why.”

“So I was right!” Barish pointed a finger in the air and nearly dropped the female’s head. “A teacher always knows.”

“You’re a teacher?”

“Yes! Well… I was a teacher, but I quit for a few of my own reasons.”

Esh grabbed another canister. “You can’t quit your profession in Reah.”

“You can quit whatever you want, you just become an outlaw.”

That was true. Anyone who quit their chosen profession was considered to choose against the king and was labeled a deserter. Now that the king was dead Esh doubted that anything would change and if they did it was more probable that the change would be for the worst.

“How long do you think we need to stay here? I really have to get her to someone I know who can help her.” At least, Esh hoped his Master could do something. If not, there was no possible way to keep this female alive. He couldn’t just keep stealing liquid canisters for the rest of his life, and it would be no way to live in the first place. He wasn’t even sure if this was working or not.

“At first, I was thinking we should sleep here, but I’m sure the watch will be just as heavy in the morning as it is now. Actually, it may be worse because the guards will have had time to organize themselves.”

It was good thinking. If his fighting technique was as good as his mind, Esh thought Barish could make an excellent assassin.

“I’ve decided to trust you.” Esh said suddenly, running more liquid over the gills. “For now,” he added.

“I’d think you to be a fool if you trusted me completely.”

“Where is this place?”

“This is my home,” he said, waving his hand around the room. “Sorry it isn’t much to look at. Now you’ve asked me plenty of questions and I think it’s fair if I get to ask you a few of my own.”

“Ok.”

“What’s your real name?”

Esh hesitated, it wasn’t the question he was expecting. How did he know that he’d been given a fake name? Could he read him that well? Or had it been just a lucky guess? Either way, the male had saved his life more than once.

“My real name’s Esh.”

“Esh… I like that name. It isn’t a Reahlic name, though. Who gave it to you?”

“Well I’m not… Hmm… Here, I’ll show you.”

Esh removed his helmet, the sweltering dry heat hit him full on in the face. Barish gave a dramatic gasp and put a hand to his mouth.

“I knew you were different!”

“Different isn’t usually the word the Reahlics use to describe me.” Esh moved some of the blue wet hair out of the female’s face and lapped some of the liquid to her lips to help with the cracking.

“I’d say you were half green half red, am I right?”

Esh nodded.

“Judging by your face, are you some trained gladiator? You bet on yourself to win, didn’t you?”

“You aren’t even close. And you still haven’t told me why you decided to save me. Just because I’m different? There has to be something else.”

Barish laughed, “Yes, there was. Why, you had my weapon still attached to your body. My father gave me that greatsword and his father before that.”

“Ahh,” said Esh. “The greatsword is an excellent piece of metal. Why do you lend it out so easily? You shouldn’t.”

“I don’t tell you how to care for your weapons, if you even have any, so don’t tell me how to care for mine. And I am pretty sure it was my turn to be asking the questions.”

“Go on.”

“Your profession, what is it?”

“Trash picker.”

“I shit on that. What is your profession, Esh.”

It was Esh who laughed now. “Honestly, I was chosen as a trash collector but… but my instructor is…. Different, as you say.”

“Did he give you those scars?”

The Ballahranian stirred and they went quiet, waiting to see if she opened her eyes again. She didn’t.

“Yes, but not intentionally. They were mostly accidents.”

“I’ve had accidents before. Tripping. Running into walls. Yet none of them have produced scars like that. Those are… thin and precise. If you don’t want to say intentional, fine, but they were calculated. Your instructor must know his way around weaponry.”

“You could say that.”

Barish put the Ballahranian’s head down softly and folded his arms around his chest. “I can see I’m not going to get very far with my questions, but at least answer me this last one with honesty.”

Esh didn’t look up, but let more drops of liquid fall onto the female’s lips. “Ok, I’ll try.”

“Why did you save her?” Barish looked down at the dying Ballahranian with genuine sympathy.

Esh paused. “I’m not sure.”

He grabbed another canister.

33 - The Ballahranian's Secret

Barish had had the excellent idea of using the soft blankets to soak up some of the liquid and to place it over the gills while they transported her. He’d invited himself to come along for the journey. Esh tried everything to dissuade him.

“What about your home?”

“This dreary old thing? It’s not going anywhere,” he’d replied.

“It will be unnecessarily dangerous, I wouldn’t want that for you.”

“There is nothing for me here. Don’t you worry, I live for action.”

Esh gave up. His main priority was to get the dying Ballahranian to Master Rift as soon as possible and arguing with Barish was pointless. The male’s mind was dead set.

The female’s respiration had increased over the long hours during the moon-cycle, her gills flapping in and out, but still with a certain degree of trouble. Esh and Barish then replaced the spilling of the liquid with the soaked blankets to make sure it would work the same. They kept the blankets over her gills for an hour and found there was no change. This was as good as it was going to get.

Barish had no other blankets to cover her body but instead had the great idea of using his books. Esh was impressed, books were antiques and very hard to come by. So they covered her with open books.

One of the books touched the liquid and was instantly ruined. Barish must have seen Esh’s face for he said, “Ahh, a love for books! Now that’s a rare sight.”

Esh shrugged, “Books make great companions when you have no friends.”

“Here, here to that!”

They moved the cart out into the light of the moon side of the sun, pushing her slowly down the alleyways. Esh told Barish the area to which he lived and it turned out that he had once taught education over there.

“Very poor part of town. Very sad and hard place to live.”

Esh only nodded. He knew all too well about the difficulties of living in the slums of Zel. If it hadn’t been for external help from his fake mother and Master Rift he would have been dead long ago.

The real danger of the journey started when they ran out of dark alley to hide within. One armored male and another half naked male pushed a cart filled with expensive books in the late hours.

They were the definition of suspicious.

They walked without talking, only taking breaks to re-dampen the Ballahranian’s blankets. Even though it was the time of the moon-cycle, the heat still did work on the liquid, evaporating a fully soaked blanket within a few minutes. Esh pointed this out to Barish and they quickened their pace.

“What is this?” Barish asked, walking behind Esh.

“What’s what?”

“These.” Barish poked one of the holes in the back of his armor, causing an enormous amount of pain to reawaken.

Esh yelped and jumped forward.

“Shhh! Keep your voice down!”

“Don’t poke me then, dammit!” Esh whispered through gritted teeth.

“Well, what are those? Don’t tell me those are open wounds.”

“They are.” Esh pushed the cart along and Barish followed.

“They’re going to get infected.”

“Nothing we can do about it now.”

Barish didn’t say anything to that. He knew Esh was right.

They had made it about two-thirds to the hut when they turned a corner to meet a battalion of guards out sweeping the streets.

“You two! Halt right there!”

Barish and Esh looked at each other for a moment. Esh’s hand went to his hip for his sword but found nothing. He cursed.

“Follow my lead.” Barish said out the side of his mouth.

“Good evening, sirs! Fine moon-cycle, wouldn’t you say?”

“Quiet,” snapped the guard who was obviously in charge. He was the only one that was wearing the king’s secret guard uniform. “As you have both probably heard, the king had been murdered. What’s in the cart?”

“Oh this?” Barish looked back at Esh and the cart. “We just got back from peddling books. We have a long journey ahead of us to make it home so we thought we’d travel by moon as well as sun.”

“And why do book peddlers feel the need to wear armor?” The guard’s hand went to the hilt on his opposite hip.

“Oh these? Just costumes my good captain! May I call you captain?”

The guard didn’t answer. He walked up to Barish and looked him over, walking behind him and running a finger down his greatsword. And then walked over to Esh and gazed down at the open books piled up on top of the cart.

“Doesn’t look very organized,” he said.

Esh didn’t know what to say, his fists clenched tight around the cart’s handle to keep him from striking out at the guard. It was Barish who knew what to say.

“We were in a hurry! After we heard about the awful sudden murder of the king we just threw our books and took off. We didn’t want to be caught up in all that mess, we’d rather mourn the death of his majesty from the safety of our homes.”

The guards nodded and scratched his chin. “You two lovers?”

“No,” Esh said.

“Yes,” said Barish at the exact time. He and Esh stared at each other and the guard’s eye brows raised.

“Well, which is it?” the captain asked, his arms crossed and tapping his foot.

“We are lovers, yes.” Barish said, and now it was he who Esh wished to punch. “My sweetheart here is too embarrassed and scared to admit it. We know it’s against Reahlic law.”

“It is…” the captain said, and Esh could have sworn he heard a bit of pity in his voice. He walked back to Barish and made another circle around him. Without any notice, he reached out and spanked Barish hard on the buttocks with a grin. “A dumb law if you ask me.” He winked at Barish. “Come on lads, nothing to see here.”

The guards started to march off and Esh let his tense body relax. But then a wet hand fell from under the books and one of the guards spotted it before Esh could stick it back.

“Captain! There’s a dead humanoid! Under the books!” he shouted, pointing at the hand.

The captain’s eyes went wide once he saw the webbed hand that Esh was now busy stuffing back under the books. “What on… Arrest these males!”

The guards were on them, hungry for action and the possibility of actually making the arrest of the king’s murderers. What an honor it would be! Oh how they would be recognized. Too bad Esh wasn’t going to let them get the satisfaction.

Barish drew his greatsword and spun it upwards to deflect a sword strike directed at Esh’s head. The blow sent vibrations so powerful that the guard released the sword into the air. Esh grabbed it in a backwards grip while spinning and cutting the same guard’s abdomen.

Barish was making great progress with another guard, he deflected two attacks and thrust the tip of his sword into the guard’s throat, pulling it out to block another strike. The gladiator knew how to fight.

Esh kept close to the cart, looking back often to make sure no one had somehow made their way around him. The captain stepped towards him, pushing his cape to the side and unsheathing a small mace with dozens of sharp points forged to its heavy blunt tip. With another flick of his cape he unveiled another twin mace. Esh had fought double sword wielders before, even double axe wielders, but never a double mace wielder. This would be interesting.

The captain knew psychological warfare for his first attack aimed not at Esh, but at the humanoid on the cart. Esh made the mistake of shrieking a loud, “No!” as he sent the blow going the other direction with his foot.

“Ahh! So, it isn’t dead is it? Mind if I take a look?” The captain spun and sent another blow at the side of the cart and Esh blocked that too, however, the force of the strike bent his blade. The sword he wielded was nowhere near the quality of the captain’s mace and would never last.

The captain placed one mace over his shoulder and another at his hip and started to swing them in a pattern Esh knew very well. It was a sword form he had been taught a long time ago. The form needed a high level of agility to be effective and the captain was able to do it with two heavy maces meaning his strength was exemplary.

Another guard ran behind Esh and attacked in a wild manner. Unlike the captain, this guard had barely any training but you didn’t need a lot of instruction to make a fight difficult by attacking from the back. Everything in Esh told him to climb the metal building behind him, and jump from roof to roof until he had made his escape, just like his Master had taught him.

Live and plan another assassination attempt.

Yet now he had someone to defend and two attackers. He had never been taught this scenario before and that made him nervous. He would have to improvise. That’s when he remembered his Master’s words, “Knowledge isn’t power. Anyone can gain knowledge and still be sedentary and useless. However, it is those that put action behind what they’ve learned that truly acquire power.”

He bent over and grabbed a handful of ash and flung it in the flanker’s eyes. A mace hit him hard in the ribs and sent him tipping over to one leg. Liquid formed in his eyes from the pain but the stance he was now in gave him enough reach to stick his sword through the mouth of the flanking guard, killing him.

Esh staggered back in front of the cart just as the captain started another attack, this time using another sword influenced mace form.

The captain wasn’t some extraordinary opponent, in fact, Esh could have handled him with ease if it had been another sun-cycle. But he was still wounded badly from the sword slash he’d deliberately taken back at the arena. He’d covered the wound with a slight tug of his tunic. The tautness of the suit over the slash kept the blood flow at a slow trickle, but it still was doing a fine job of reducing his stamina. Also, the two or three broken ribs weren’t helping either..

Deflecting blow after blow, Esh retreated backwards until his left hand touched the cart. More books spilled over, this time revealing a webbed foot. The captain stopped his assault and stared down at the bizarre limb, his mouth making the shape of an ‘O’. Just like all the other humanoids of Reah, he had never seen an undesirable before, he’d only heard of them.

This was Esh’s chance. He pushed off the cart and sprung at the captain, the point of his sword directed to the artery in the neck. His ribs cracked audibly and an insane agony paralyzed him, the pain was so strong that he twisted and fell onto his side in the ash.

“Esh!” Barish called, clanging his sword against another while kicking a guard in the gut. He was too occupied to give any aid.

“What is it we have here? An undesirable? Is it still alive?” The captain walked up to the cart, forgetting completely about the hopeless giant on the ground. “I can only imagine what honors I will be given for bringing this one in!” He swept his arm through the books pushing them all onto the filthy ground. He gasped. “How… Beautiful… Perhaps I shouldn’t turn her in,” he said, scratching his chin. He turned to Esh on the ground, “Perhaps I should sell her instead.” A despicable grin grew on his face.

“Don’t you touch her!” Esh tried to climb to his feet but the captain kicked them out from under him.

“Oh I will! And the guards under me will too, if I will it.” And as the captain laughed Esh saw movement beneath the books. The captain must not have noticed, still laughing at his own sick ideas. Then, a flash of movement and the captain was on the ground beside Esh. The Ballahranian was on top of him, her mouth on his neck. There was a hissing noise and Esh stared into the monstrous eyes of the female as she chewed off a mouth sized chunk.

A high pitch scream escaped the captain’s mouth as the female pulled her head back with a mouthful of bloody skin hanging from her lips. She spit it out and toppled over unconscious again.

“You bitch! What have you done! What… have… you…” and those were the captain’s last words as the last of his life poured from his neck.

Esh touched his ribs and flinched, the pain brining burning tears to his eyes. He pulled back a hand covered in bright red blood that glistened in the yellow light of the moon. One of the spikes must have made it between one of his ribs.

He put a hand on the cart to help himself up. He knelt by the female’s body, her eyes shut, a rasping noise coming from her gills, her chest heaving up and down. He picked up her top lip and saw a full set of teeth that came to a razor sharp point. He was letting the lip droop back but something made him stop. The teeth were morphing back to an ordinary humanoid shape and it wasn’t long before they were back to normal. Even the Ballahranian’s respiration had slowed pace, going back to its normal difficulty.

“Please don’t kill me! It was just orders!” Esh heard a soldier say.

Esh turned to see a male on his back at Barish’s feet, his hand held out in the air. Barish spun his sword in one strong hand, lifted the hilt into the sky with both hands, and brought the point down into the guard’s heart. There was a slow and loud exhale of breath and then silence.

“Can’t leave any to go report what they saw this moon-cycle.” Barish said, giving his greatsword one heavy swing to rid itself of the foreign blood before sheathing it.

This impressed Esh. To sheath a bloody sword was amateur for an assassin. The blood would start to smell and could easily give away one’s position.

This was no ordinary gladiator.

He had taken on a whole platoon of guards by himself and had come out with barely a scratch. Esh would have to keep a closer eye on him.

“Good idea,” Esh said, putting the female over his shoulder and struggling to his feet.

“Hold on, let me help.” Barish ran over and took some of the female’s weight.

They placed her back onto the cart and replaced the soaked blankets back onto her gills.

“Did you see that?” Esh asked him.

“See what? I was a bit busy.” Barish looked down at the captain and gaped. “Did you… did you do that? You’re sick!” He punched Esh on the shoulder playfully, making Esh wail. “Oh hell, shit… Sorry, sorry. Here, I’ll push the cart. We better get going.”

The two unlikely acquaintances made their way into the darkness of the moon-cycle leaving behind a pile of dead guards.

34 - Last Hope

“I figured something like this would happen, lad.”

Esh, Barish, and the cart stood in front of the hut having met Rift standing outside the door when they approached. “I didn’t see this exact circumstance, but expected nothing less. Come in, you fools, hurry. No need melting out here. I’ve got some stew brewing inside.”

Barish whistled loudly as they entered the nothingness of the top hut. “Some place you got here, old timer.”

Rift pointed a small finger at the cart. “Who’s under the books?”

Esh knocked some of the literature to the ground revealing the female’s sunken face and parched lips. He then pulled her hand out and spread her fingers for his Master to see. “She’s dying.”

“Hmm… So I was right in thinking you had something to do with the king’s murder and ost prized possession.”

“She isn’t a possession, Master. You taught me that. And I didn’t kill the king, someone else did. One of his guard named Yemesh stuck him with a dagger.”

“Then why isn’t this Yemesh the one being tracked down?”

“Well, no one saw him do it. I’d judged him an amateur at best but the skill at which he’d thrown the dagger was excellent, one that would have rivaled my own.”

The Elder squeezed his eyes with his hand and made a small groan. He walked over to the cart and pushed the rest of the books off the female. Putting the back of his hands on her gills, he shook his head and pierced his lips. “You’re right about her, she is dying. Not sure if there is anything I can do for this one at this stage.”

“Well we have to try!” Esh straightened himself and grimaced from the pain in his back.

“Of course we do, lad. I can’t just leave her highness to rot in the Red sun, now can I?”

Esh tilted his head. “Her highness?”

Rift grabbed the Ballahranian off the cart and flung the trap door open with one foot before dropped down to the lower level. Barish hadn’t expected this and about fell over trying to grab onto the elderly male thinking he fell by accident.

On his knees, Barish peered down the hole and whistled again. “I see you’ve all been holding out on me! Just look down there!” He jumped after the Elder and Esh followed but chose to climb down instead.

Much to Esh’s disapproval, his Master made it clear that he needed to be treated first.

“The Princess can’t be saved if you start dying in the process, lad. We have to stop your blood loss and clean the wounds before they become infected.”

“I told you!” Barish exclaimed.

“You.” Rift pointed at the gladiator.

“Me?” Barish asked, pointing to himself.

“No, the other half naked male in my home. Remove the blankets and start pouring the rest of the canisters over her highness’ gills.”

“Why do you keep calling her, her highness?” Esh asked. He unsnapped his armor and let it fall into the sand. His Master didn’t answer.

“I’m going to have to widen that arrow wound to pull the barb out. Here,” Rift said, handing Esh a piece of cloth. “Bite on this.”

Grabbing a dagger from the wall, Rift cut each of the wounds in an ‘X’ shape to match the tips of the arrows deep within his muscle. Esh did not need the cloth in his mouth and spit it out. He’d grown used to his Master’s unorthodox ways of healing. “Is she some sort of royalty?” he asked.

“She’s a member of the only organized monarchy I’d ever bend the knee to.” He placed one hand on Esh’s back and used his other hand to yank out the arrows.

Esh wanted to yelp but replaced it with a harsh grunt. Without the cooling effect of the armor he’d begun to sweat under the intense heat of the dungeon. A mixture of the pain and heat was pushing him to the brink of passing out. But he had to know more.

“Is she the Queen of the Blue territory?”

Rift slapped the top of his head hard. “Lad! She is Dashine, Princess of the Blue. Now, no more questions, we have work to do.”

His Master finished up his back and then began to examine the ribs. With a few painful shoves in random spots the ribs were placed back in their correct placement.

“What happened here?” Master Rift asked Esh, pointing at the sword cut right under his left pectoral.

“Long story.”

His master let out a sigh of exasperation and grabbed his sewing kit. After cleaning the wound and heating the needle, he sewed his young student back up. Esh’s torso was then wrapped.

“Now that you’re all taken care of, we must create her highness an appropriate eco-environment.” Rift said, rubbing his hands together. “Esh, alchemically create some clay and start rolling two tubes about the length of the female’s body.” He turned to Barish, “You, you start digging a hole.”

“And why do I have to dig the hole?” Barish demanded. “I don’t even know you two!”

Rift looked at him and up at the trap door. “You’re free to leave whenever you wish. Thank you for your help up to this point.” Rift walked up to Barish and grabbed his hand, placing a few coins of Reahlic currency in his palm. “Will this do?”

Barish looked down at his palm and back at the Elder now walking back to the Ballahranian. He closed his grip and started to climb the rope back up into the world above.

Esh lowered his head and said, “Remember when you said I was different?” Barish stopped halfway up the rope. “Well, I thought you might have been different as well.”

Barish paused and hung in the air for a moment. He started his ascent again.

Esh made two long tubes of clay just as his Master had asked. They both dried rapidly in the heat but did not crack. Clay was a very important material for survival purposes and, therefore, Xep had required him to get very efficient in its creation.

He gave both clay tubes to Rift who chiseled out holes on the top layer of both. He then used the rest of the clay to close off the bottom ends.

“We will use these to disperse liquid onto Dashine evenly. The way I cut the holes is very important, see how tight they are? That will create a mist like effect which makes it easier for the gills. I also closed off the ends so that the liquid has no place to escape.”

“Oh, I think I see where you’re going with this. We then use the pressure of the liquid canisters to blow liquid through the tubes and onto her.”

“Her highness,” his Master corrected him. “And precisely.”

“But we are running out of canisters, one of us will have to go up and get more.”

It had taken half a sun-cycle for Esh to complete the clay tubes and during that time his Master had gone through the liquid supply at a much faster pace which he deemed necessary to keep her alive. They were down now to only three canisters which wasn’t going to bring them enough time to go and grab some more.

“Can’t Xep alchemically create liquid?”

“He can but not nearly enough for the Princess,” answered Rift, scratching his balding head.

“Well we can’t just sit here and do nothing, Master!”

It was just then that a massive bag fell through the roof and plopped onto the sand with a loud thud. Barish’s head stuck itself through the hole. “I hear someone’s in need of precious blue liquid!”

Esh smiled up at him and saw that his Master was also smiling.

“I guess you aren’t an ass after all,” Rift said.

Barish hopped down on top of the bag and opened it spilling hundreds of canisters of liquid into the sand. He then stood and walked up to Rift, his hand held out in front of him. “The name’s Barish. Former teacher and present sun-cycle gladiator. At your service.”

Rift took the hand and gave it a shake. “Do you realize what you’ve done, Barish, gladiator of Zel?”

Barish glanced at Esh for an answer but Esh was just as confused. “Ugh… stole a lot of liquid?”

“No…” Rift shook his head. “You just stole a lot of liquid for the Princess of Ballahran, the land of endless oceans and the only territory with peace in mind.”

35 - Intruders

Barish offered to take a turn holding the liquid canisters up to the clay tubes but Esh had refused the offer. He wanted to be there if Dashine came to her senses in her sandy tomb like hole. As of now, there hadn’t been any remarkable changes in the Princess but enough that he felt relieved. Her gills were having a much easier job of filtering the air from the liquid and he had jumped once when her body twitched. Besides that, there was nothing.

Xep entered the dungeon sometime that evening to ask about the tournament. Esh barely noticed his coming, being hypnotized by the repeated motion of spraying the canisters, replacing, then spraying again. Barish was asleep by a cleaned plate that had once been covered in slabs of red meat. His stomach, now bulging, rose and deflated with slow sleeping breaths.

Xep walked over to Esh and sat next to him, the sand silencing every step. “This must be the female all of Zel is searching for. So many stories about what happened are floating from mouth to mouth.”

“What did you hear?” Esh asked, his mouth forming a big yawn. This would have been interesting news if he hadn’t been so absolutely exhausted.

“Well, myself and the Order have heard many different stories coming from our scouts on the streets. A giant topples over the king. A large male with a horrifying mask rips the king’s head off. I knew they were talking about you, but you couldn’t have killed the king.”

“How do you know I didn’t?” Esh’s head was now drifting to his chest.

“Because one of ours did.”

Esh awoke instantly to this. “Yemesh?”

Xep nodded, his eyes on Dashine who was covered in sand.

“Does he know who I am?”

“No.”

“Well then why did he blame me?”

“The agents of the Order want to live just as you and I do, Esh. They will go through extreme means to see themselves survive, even if that means someone else taking the blade to the throat.”

“Oh.”

They were quiet for a while, both watching the gills flap open and shut as the liquid glistened over them. The female’s breasts had become visible at certain points in the showering process and Esh had covered them no matter how much he hadn’t wanted to. He didn’t want the others to see the Ballahranian in that light. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them, it was just… jealousy? It was crazy to think that he could be jealous of a female he just met but… he still didn’t want them to see.

“What happened to Yemesh? Did he return to the Order?”

“He did. They celebrated him for a completed mission, one that took a very long time to construct. I hadn’t been informed of the mission and was very… shocked when I found out.”

“Why wouldn’t they tell you? I thought you were high up in the Order?”

Xep shook his head, “You have to realize something, Esh. The Order is very well organized, but it is still an organization of assassins.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that missions are often classified against even high ranking agents. It makes sense, really. The less humanoids to know about an objective the less amount of threat there is to the mission’s internal corruption.”

“I see.” One of the canisters extinguished itself and he threw it aside. The left part of the female’s body started to dry almost instantly and her gills started to flap faster than the right side. Without looking, Xep grabbed another canister and handed it to him. “I don’t know how long we can keep her like this.”

Xep nodded his head and tapped his chin. “I have never seen her highness in the flesh before. Only heard.”

“What do you know about her? Master doesn’t seem too keen on speaking much about her. All I know is that she is important to the Blue kingdom.”

“Oh very important. They say the Ballahranians are the key to everlasting peace.”

“That’s what Master said… but that’s all he said, really."

“There is a good reason for that. Our Master was in love once, a long time ago. Even before he trained me.”

“Don’t tell me he was in love with the Queen of Ballahran.”

“Well, she wasn’t the Queen. Not yet anyway.”

“So, he was in love with her when she was still the Princess?

“Yes. And like you, I don’t know much and I don’t think it is our place to know. But you know the rest of the history.”

“I do,” said Esh. “The King and Queen were murdered by a corrupt Vivreon. Some say through sorcery and others say it was poison.”

“Yes, and we still don’t know which or why he did it but I suspect it had something to do with currency or power. It always does.”

“And so Master’s lover, the Princess, became Queen and by custom she had to marry.”

“That’s right.” Xep nodded, still looking down at the unconscious female. “And it was a good move. The Ballahranians needed a King.”

“I suppose that’s true. But why couldn’t she marry Master instead?”

Xep looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I think you know the answer to that one.”

“But wouldn’t a cross between Red and Blue bring two kingdoms together?”

Xep paused for a moment. “I guess it would have if Master Rift had been in a position of power.”

He had Esh there. A Queen of the Blue territory would not have made peace with the Red by marrying an unheard of assassin. It might have even made matters worse for both the kingdoms.

“Don’t get any ideas, Esh. I see the way you look at her.”

Esh’s body went rigid and he pulled his eyes off Dashine. “It’s not like that.”

Xep yawned and stood up. “I hope not, for your sake. Love is only a hindrance for agents of the Order. That’s why it’s forbidden."

“Forbidden?”

Xep went to the rope and began to climb. “Yes. Forbidden.” And he was gone, leaving Esh alone with the Ballahranian Princess and his thoughts. A nipple became uncovered and he quickly bent down to cover it.

“Lad, let your friend take over. I have something I need to show ya.” Master Rift walked out of the secret room and into the sand pit. His face was overly sweaty for a male of pure Reahlic blood. There were dark circles under his eyes that matched Esh’s. “Come on, hand over the canisters. She won’t die just because it isn’t you wetting her down.”

Esh stalled for a moment, readjusted the canisters on the tubes, and took a deep breath.

“Don’t you worry, lad,” said Barish with a yawn as he rose from his sleep. “She’ll be in good hands.”

Esh stood up and handed Barish the canisters with a of reluctance. He followed Rift back into the room while looking over his shoulders to make sure Barish was working the canisters to the tubes adequately. His heart wanted him to trust the charming gladiator, but his mind refused. His Master had made damn sure to shape him into a very skeptical and overly cautious humanoid. Esh could still barely believe he had actually entered a tournament and left with a Ballahranian. If a teller of fortunes would have predicted such a conclusion he would have laughed in their face.

“Lad, I’m getting old… as you can see.”

Esh turned his gaze forward, leaving Barish to his work. Rift was gesturing to the way he was walking, which was with a slight limp.

“You still move as graceful as ever, Master.”

“Oh don’t give me that shit, lad. I’m tired and I think it’s about time I went into retirement.”

“Retirement?” Esh stopped walking and blinked his eyes a few times as the thought registered. He had never heard these kinds of words leave his Master’s lips and now it seemed he was ready to give it all up.

“Yes, that’s right, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about. Well… kinda… just come look for yourself.”

Rift wobbled to the back of the room in an even worse limp than before. Esh observed the change and now realized that the Elder had been feigning his wellbeing for a while. He wondered how long his Master had kept this ailment from him and why it was now that he decided to reveal it.

“This is it. What I’ve been working on half the moon-cycle.” Rift picked up a small tarp and unveiled Esh’s old armored suit which had taken an almost completely different look.

A blue aura radiated over a small box that was attached the back piece of the torso armor. The different pieces of the armor, which had once been entirely separate for maneuverability reasons, were now connected by a thin black material. All along the suit were thin metallic like veins that sprouted from the black box behind the neck.

“What is it? An eco-suit?”

“Sure is. Could’ve been better, maybe even prettier, but I didn’t have a lot of time and my skill in this sort of sorcery is… well… sub-par to say the least.” He pointed to the blue aura which fluttered crazily from two pipes that extended from the black box. “Thing has a mind of its own! Sure hope it takes to her."

“What is that?” Esh pointed to the box.

“Ahh,” exclaimed his Master. “That is where I stored the alchemical solution to our problem! Within that box is a complex recipe that allows for water to be created, used, filtered, and used again. However, I can’t take credit for this one. I learned how to do it a long time ago in a place much farther from here.”

Esh guessed that his Master had probably learned it during his time in the Blue territory. He dared not say anything, afraid he might give Xep away.

“What are you saying, Master? I don’t understand.”

“She can’t stay here, lad.” Esh looked away from the suit to see his Master gazing up at him, slumped over and holding his lower back. “You know as well as I do what must be done.”

“But I’m not finished! I can’t… I don’t know how…”

Rift laughed and Esh could hear a bit of phlegm knocking around in his lungs. The Elder coughed it up and spat it out. “And what is it that you don’t know?”

“Well, I have more training to do, don’t I? I can’t be finished just yet.”

Rift closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. “Training is never over with, just the manner in which the training takes place comes to an end. You’ve out grown me… literally."

At that moment, something didn’t feel right and it wasn’t his Master’s words that sent a shiver down his spine. Something was off.

“Master-”

“Shh!” his Master hissed, hopping over to Esh and covering his mouth. They both looked up at the ceiling. He let go of Esh’s mouth but kept a finger to his to keep from any more questions being asked. Rift shifted his head to one side and listened. And then Esh listened. The feeling of strangeness refused to leave his body but he couldn’t hear anything.

The Elder’s eyes widened for a moment and his mouth dropped a bit, his head turning to Esh. And then he was hobbling out of the room.

“What is it, Master?” Esh asked, walking briskly beside him. “What? Is it guards? Soldiers? What?”

“We’ve been betrayed. These are no mere soldiers that have come to us in the dead of moon-cycle.”

As soon as they exited the secret room, Esh sprung onto Barish’s back and held him in a tight head lock. “You! I knew you couldn’t be trusted!"

“Wha-” crackled Barish, the canisters flying out of his hands and into the air as he reached up to grab Esh’s massive forearm. “I didn-”

“Let go of him, lad! He is not the betrayer.”

Esh didn’t let go but looked down at Barish’s head which was now turning a deep purple. He could easily take him out from here… but he trusted his Master. He released the gladiator who fell over gasping for breath.

“What the four hells was that for! Have you completely lost it?” he rasped, rubbing his sore neck.

“Never mind that now.” Rift pointed at the female. “You two, grab the Princess and take her to the back. You must suit her and be quick about it! I’ll take care of the intruders.”

“What? Intruders?” asked Barish. “What do you mean? I don’t hear anything”

“No time! Do it now!”

Esh grabbed the Princess under the pits and Barish grabbed her feet. They swept her out of the hole and double timed it to the secret room. This was the first time Barish had been in this room and his face showed the same wonderment that Esh’s did when he had first stepped foot into the room years ago.

“Look at all this stuff! Is that a shrunken head?”

“Yeah, yeah, we can tour later. Here, put her down there.”

They placed her in the sand beside Esh’s old armored suit. The blue aura, sensing its kind nearby, tried to stretch itself to the female but she was too far way and so it just hung there off the table reaching out.

“Now what is this? Some trick?”

“It’s sorcery,” Esh said, unstrapping the pieces of armor. “Lift her up while I slide this under her.”

Barish was still, his face gawking. “I have never seen… something so… beautiful! How does it work?”

There was a crash of metal against metal followed by a throaty grunt, the sound of a death blow. Esh wanted to call out to his Master to check on him… but that would have been disgraceful. The Elder could take care of himself… he hoped. But still, he worried. The sorcery it must have taken to power such a suit in such a small amount of time must have been terribly taxing.

“Explanations are going to have to wait, for now we have to get this on her.”

Barish picked Dashine up and Esh slid the back plate under her. They strapped the chest plate over it. Next was the neck piece, the black box holding the alchemical recipe was humming on top of the table excitedly. Esh picked it up and felt his fingers go numb with cold. The blue aura crawled up his arm but quickly retreated. He was not the one it sought.

Esh clasped the neck piece on her, being sure to move her dark blue hair out of the way. The box rumbled to life and it wasn’t long before a wet mist poured through the exhaust pipes on each side of the suit. The blue aura became spastic as it traced the female’s body through the metallic veins. Something wasn’t quite right with the way it moved. It was as if it were searching for something.

“What’s that thing doing?”

Esh grabbed the other pieces and started to fit them on, sweat running down his back in a stream. “The suit needs to be fully assembled before the sorcery can work its magic.”

“You say these things as if they were normal.” Barish said, pulling a legging up the female’s pale thigh. Esh didn’t care to respond to that for he would find out soon enough on his own.

There was no help from the female, her limbs limp as a babe’s. Many times they had pinched the skin accidentally in the clasps and were forced to redo it all over again. More metal panged loudly in the other room which were followed by screams of voices Esh did not recognize. He kept a mental count of the bodies that where thumping into the sand.

He was up to eight.

With each kill Esh hoped it was the last, but the fighting did not stop. The space of time between the clanging of weapons became shorter as more intruders made their way down the hole. It wouldn’t be long before Master Rift was outnumbered.

“Done!” Barish yelled as he snapped the last piece of footing in place.

The blue aura answered this by relaxing itself back into the box. The metal veins turned an icy throbbing blue as the aura crept inside its new home. There was a loud hiss as the eco-suit adjusted itself to the Ballahranian’s body.

“Who’s attacking us?” asked Barish, standing up.

“I’m not sure.” Esh stood up beside him. “But whoever they are, they’re no ordinary mercenaries. If it wasn’t for the Master’s hearing…” He stopped himself before going on. He’d had the strange feeling, sure, but it was nothing to go on about. It was his Master who had saved them all and now he expected Esh to journey on all by himself.

He wasn’t ready.

“I don’t care who they are! Let’s go join in on the fun!”

Esh nodded and they both sprinted out of the secret room. He planned to grab a weapon off the wall and leap into the action… but there was nobody to fight. Not now, anyways.

Rift was standing in the middle of the dungeon, facing towards him and Barish. His sleep robes were ripped and bloodied. He was panting heavily.

“I don’t need your help, lad,” Rift said with a tone Esh had never heard. It was a mixture of exasperation and slurring. He was leaning on his sheathed sword, his right knee shaking. "But she does.”

He walked a little closer to Esh, pointing to the secret room. Esh gasped as he now saw the reason why his Master was talking in such a strange way. One of the intruders must have gotten lucky enough to cut the side of his mouth, slicing a deep gash all the way to his right ear. The skin flapped as he spoke. “She needs to be escorted back to her territory from which she was abducted.”

Rift took a step towards Esh, his hand out to be placed on his shoulder but he stopped moving. His face became contorted, his eyes wide. He hiccoughed a drop of blood onto his chin and collapsed face down into the sand. Two daggers lay deep in his back.

36 - Betrayal

“Master!”

Esh and Barish rushed to him and were about to pick him back up but the Elder waved them off. He sat back on his heels and laid his sheathed sword over his legs.

“We can’t just leave you here! We need to fight!” cried Esh.

The Elder wiped the blood from his mouth, the flap of skin moving over his hand. “It looks as though my time has come. Esh, you must take the Princess back to her home; she is the key to this awful world’s only hope at peace!"

Esh closed his eyes, attempting to keep the tears that threatened at bay. “But, but I don’t understand! Why is she the key? And why can’t you come with us?"

A groaning sound came from behind them in the secret room. “Uughhhhhhh.”

All of them turned to see Dashine crawling towards them in the sand. Her mouth in a wide gape, her eyes searching the room. She stopped her crawling once she noticed the three Reahlic Males.

“She’s awake!” yelled Barish.

Esh and Barish went to her and helped her to her feet. She looked left and then right, and then down at her feet. Once they let go of her she fell down to the ground, the sand covering her wet mouth and hair. “Ughhhhhh.” She wiped her mouth and spit but could not rid herself of the sand particles.

“Master, she can barely walk!”

“It’s not that she can barely walk, she can’t walk," said Rift, coughing up a fresh batch of blood onto his whiskered chin. “How long do you think it’s been since she last stood?”

Esh walked towards his Master to help him, but then looked back at the female. He was being pulled apart internally. Half of him wanted to give his life saving the only father figure he’d ever had. The other half wanted him to take Dashine’s hand and run for their lives. His heart was breaking.

Dashine started to crawl again, her webbed hands spread wide as she laid them flat into the sand, pulling herself forward. Her gaze was on neither him nor Barish, but on Master Rift. Something caught Esh’s ear, a low whisper of words.

She was speaking.

“Princess,” the Elder said, bending down to the ground, his head bowed into the sand.

The Ballahranian reached him and grabbed his hand. The eco-suit made her look twice her size and the moisture from its exhaust spilled into the sand around her. She turned her head sideways and laid it down, her eyes shut, and continued to murmur something under her breath.

Barish gasped and pointed down at the Ballahranian’s eco-suit. “Will you take a look at that!”

The blue aura drained from the metal veins at her feet and swam towards her extended arm. It poured out of the suit and onto Master Rift’s hand. It flowed up his arm but this time, it did not retreat like it had on Esh. It spread itself over his entire body and went still. He was glowing.

The Princess’ eyes shot open but only the whites were visible. She was no longer whispering but speaking… or maybe she was commanding. The way she spoke the words made Esh feel as though he could understand them, but his brain could not process the words. The language was unknown to him but the way it was spoken… It was as if she spoke Reahlic but with completely different words.

“So… this is what you call a witch?” asked Barish. “Not as ugly as I thought they’d be, but I guess with her eyes rolled back like that it isn’t so flattering.”

The Ballahranian’s voice raised even higher and the blue aura started to pulse around Rift’s body making him cry out in pain.

“What’s going on? Should we stop her?” Barish’s hand was slowly reaching for his weapon.

“Wait a moment,” Esh said, pointing at Rift’s back. “Look."

The daggers were gradually pulling themselves out of the tissue. Rift covered his mouth and yelled into his palm. The veins popped up on his neck as the last dagger fell to his side. But it wasn’t over. The blue aura stayed and Dashine kept chanting her spell. Blood that had poured out of the wound with the daggers’ removal now crept back into his body. There was a loud cracking noise, implying the repair of something Rift had broken during the fight. The limp part of the cheek flicked back to its original place and sealed itself with a blue flash of light.

The blue aura climbed down Rift’s body and receded back to the black alchemical box of the eco-suit. Dashine’s eyes rolled back to normal.

Master Rift was panting, both his hands extended into the sand. Once he regained his composure he looked up and smiled at her, “Your mother has taught you well.” He pushed off the ground and stood up. He was out of breath, his chest heaving. “My thanks, your highness."

The Princess just stared at him, her eyebrows squished together into a slight frown and that’s when Esh realized that she did not understand the Reahlic tongue.

“Vallub,” Rift said and the Ballahranian’s face lit up with pleasure.

She placed the back of her hand to her forehead and replied, “Spushluluhb.” She then turned onto her back and hoisted herself up into a seated position.

She grabbed onto her own thighs and whispered the same words. The blue sorcery now enveloped her legs and Esh could see the muscles pulsating under the eco-suit leggings. After a few moments, the blue radiance made its way back to the box where it finally was able to rest. Dashine stood up and dusted the sand off of her as if nothing miraculous had happened.

Esh looked at Barish and saw that his mouth was agape. For the first time, he was at a loss for words.

Rift smiled and closed his eyes. The Elder went through the same breathing exercises he had been so good at teaching and brought his heart rate back to normal. “More will come.”

“Who, Master?” Esh asked, kneeling down beside him. He stole a glance at his back and saw pink flesh where the daggers had once protruded.

“Did you have a visitor while I was at work on the suit?”

“No, of course not. No one knows of this place.”

Rift opened one eye, “So no one came while I was at work?”

“Well…” Esh rubbed his jaw. “Master Xep came down to ask about the tournament and explained a few things about the agent who assassinated the king… No, Master, you can’t be saying…”

His Master’s face looked extremely hurt, but that was only a second before he forced his face to neutrality. “I’m afraid so. Looks like currency can influence even the greatest of minds.” He exhaled a deep breath, his eyes still shadowed by a hint of sadness. He placed a hand on Esh’s shoulder. “So, now, what do you think we should do about this, lad?”

None of this could be happening. Xep and Master Rift were best friends, how could he even consider betraying them? It wasn’t like Esh was a stranger to him either. Master Xep had been his teacher since he was eleven years old. Esh had put trust in him. Even love.

The more he thought about it, the more that anger seeped into his mind and into his veins. He wanted revenge. He could feel the dark energy pulsing around deep inside of him. It wanted out. How could someone so close bring such dishonor to his Master? The Master they both shared. The one who taught them everything they knew.

Esh couldn’t help but feel dirty for sharing the same knowledge and skills with such a traitor. No matter how pleasant revenge sounded in his thoughts, he knew through his training that assassins should never plan their evasive, defensive, or assault plans on a foundation of revenge. He’d already made that mistake once.

He took a moment to breathe.

After a few moments of silence, Esh said, “We all need to flee. The best plan of action would be to escape, but not through the hole; somewhere else. They’ll be waiting for us up there.”

“Good, but you know very well that you’re missing a part of the plan,” said Rift. “This evasive maneuver of yours; we both know what that usually requires.”

“What? What does that include?” Barish asked. He looked neither nervous nor courageous, simply bored with the lack of action. “Are we just going to sit around and talk in riddles? If we’re going to talk about anything it should be how that blue gas floated over to you and pulled those blades out!”

Esh didn’t hearing a word Barish said. He knew all too well what his Master was getting at. He knew what evasive plans needed.

A distraction.

“Go get suited up and don’t forget your sword. You’ll be needing it.”

Esh didn’t budge. He wasn’t going anywhere, not without his… father. Seeing the resolution on Esh’s face, Rift unsheathed his sword and stuck the tip of it to his own gut. The Princess gasped and put her frail finger tips to her mouth.

“I have other ways of making you do what I want,” he said, winking his eye at the Ballahranian.

“You wouldn’t,” Esh said, turning his head away.

There was the sound of cloth ripping as Rift pushed the blade down further. “Oh wouldn’t I, lad?”

“No, you wouldn’t,” Esh replied, keeping his head turned.

Barish looked at them incredulously. “What is going on here! Do you two not realize that we probably have a small army waiting for us up above? Or are you two as simple minded as I first believed?”

This time the sound wasn’t cloth ripping but Master Rift yelping. “Oh, oh, oh, that hurt worse than I thought it would.”

Esh did turn this time. “You crazy old fool,” he said, tears for the first time in years now spilling on to his cheeks. He tackled the Elder in a hug and pressed his face to his.

“You make off with the king’s most prized possession and I’m the fool,” Rift said through his smashed face. Esh felt the Elder’s tears hit his cheek and it made him weep harder. Snot filled his nostrils and fell over his lips. He didn’t want to leave. He wasn’t ready.

They hugged a little while longer before Rift tapped his shoulder. “Ok, lad, ok, we don’t have much time left. You three need to get out of here, and quick.”

“But there’s only one exit,” Barish argued, “We wouldn’t even make it out of your hut before they cut us down.”

“Well, we will just have to find another way out, won’t we?”

It was at that moment that the ears of all four of them perked up, aware of the sound of the shuffling of feet coming from above.

“They’re not waiting for us to leave,” Barish said, looking up at the ceiling and pulling his greatsword from its sheathe.

“Hurry!” exclaimed Rift, making his way back into the secret room.

The Ballahranian didn’t understand the words but understood the situation. She was the first to run after the Elder. The wall began to spin on its axis for the first time since the Elder had opened it and Barish and Esh were forced to jump through the remaining crack before it sealed them out. Esh looked back to see three humanoid males in black eco-suits fall through the hole and onto the ground. His heart stopped when his eyes locked with none other than Xep himself.

The wall closed with a gritty sound and sand blasted from the cracks. Esh’s eyes looked forward but did not focus on anything in particular. Somewhere deep within him, he could hear Barish yelling about the artificial sun that lit the room. He could sense the curiosities in the mind of the Ballahranian, the Princess whom he was trying to save. He heard his Master calling his name and to hurry to the back of the chambers. His subconscious kept these at bay while the conscious came to realize that all his work to become an agent for the Order had just melted in an instant. The organization he once wanted to be a part of was now hunting him and the Ballahranian like a couple of fugitives.

Everything Esh knew and everything he had cared for in life had been crushed by the selfish treachery of the teacher he had just a few moments ago thought of as the closest friend he had ever had.

He turned and ran back with the others. Barish threw him his helmet and Esh placed it over his head. They were animals backed into a corner and it was time to fight like one.

37 - The Underground Battle

Esh suited up and embraced the coolness. Master Rift was busy speaking to the Princess in her tongue. He looked very serious and his words were intense. Esh saw him hand her something, a book. She was hesitant to take it but Rift took her hand and thrust it into her palm. He then backed up and placed the back of his hand to his forehead, bowing it slightly to her. She mirrored it.

Esh walked passed the artificial sun that had now revolved to its moon-cycle to the wall where he had placed all the weapons he had favored most during his training. He grabbed the granite sword and unsheathed it a little to look into its green sheen. The coolness that flowed through his arm never ceased to amaze him, no matter how many times he wielded it.

He saw the hint of his reflection in the rock and couldn’t help but notice black energy spewing from the corners of his eyes in the form of black fog. He was worried about the feelings that grew inside his gut. It was the same feeling he had felt when he had skinned Korp alive. He remembered his face basking in the blood as he vivisected the screaming humanoid.

He shook the thought out of his head and placed the weapon on his left hip. There was a loud boom and the walls shook around them, sand falling like molten rain onto their heads. No one said a word; they all remained still, listening for another boom.

It sounded as though Xep’s betrayal of their location wasn’t going to be his only treacherous act; he was also using his alchemical expertise to blow a hole in the wall. Everyone braced themselves as another explosion rang through the chamber.

“What sort of combustion source are they using? I’ve never felt such power!” Barish said excitedly, leaning against the strapping table and looking up at the ceiling as if it were about to come down on him.

“The male who is hunting the Princess is a very dangerous one,” Rift said, “with many different skill sets, each with certain fashion of death for the type of humanoid he preys upon."

“How do you know all of this?” asked Barish.

The Elder walked to the back of the chamber and stood in front of the bells Esh had once used to call Xep so many years ago. “Because I’m the one who taught him all those skills!” With one arm, he swiped all the bells to the ground. Hidden underneath them was some sort of ancient looking platter Esh had never noticed before. Rift bent down, grabbed a bit of sand, and sprinkled some onto it. The platter glowed red. He stepped back, drooped his head, and held both palms out in front of him. It was the same stance he had been in when he had first used his manipulation powers on Esh as a child.

“What… Ugh… What is he doing? Esh? The Elder’s lost it completely now, hasn’t he?”

Esh didn’t answer because he himself did not know. Barish was about to repeat himself when a small red orb appeared above the platter. The Elder’s cheeks grew more red than usual as his face twisted in a struggle that only he could feel.

He groaned loudly and his fingers tensed as if they were holding on to a ledge. The red orb grew slightly and then shrunk. Another explosion shook the chamber and something heavy fell behind them. They all turned to see a face looking through a head sized hole in the secret wall.

“I see them!” they heard the agent cry. “They’re still here!"

Rift didn’t seem to hear or feel anything going on around him. His entire body was stiff and he bent forward, his crumpled hands pushing an unseen power towards the orb. Esh didn’t have to be a master of sorcery to see that his Master’s spell was not working. He’d used most of his energy to power the Princess’ suit and the only store of energy he had left was that of his life source.

The Princess, sensing the same as Esh, stepped forward and placed a soft wet hand onto Rift’s shoulder. She also bowed her head and closed her eyes, bending forward to push into the shoulder. The red orb turned a shade of purple and floated higher, doubling its size as it did so. The strain of Rift’s face eased and he stood more confidently.

The orb was now growing steadily. Esh was so entranced with it that he barely felt the last explosion happen. The running footsteps coming from behind him triggered his instincts.

He jumped forward, pulling his granite weapon from its sheath. He twisted midair and swung the sword out in front of him catching the first agent’s wrist. The blade more so punched the wrist rather than sliced, breaking the bone and cutting the vein at the same time.

Another agent jumped over his wounded comrade with two daggers in a reverse grip that were heading straight for Esh’s neck. There was barely any time to react and he was sure he wasn’t going to be able to dodge this attack without a scratch. A large sword swooshed past the top of Esh’s helmet and smacked hard into the two daggers, flinging them out of the enemy’s hands.

The agent landed on his feet a pace away from Esh and looked up into the giant’s purple eyes, and knew he was done for. Esh punched him in the throat and the agent fell backwards, clutching at his smashed wind pipe.

“Thanks for that,” Esh said, taking a defensive stance for the next wave of agents who were now crawling through the blasted hole in the wall.

“I’d like to think you’d do the same!” Barish laughed and when Esh did not return it he said, “You would, right?”

This time it was six against two. Esh knew that they would have to strike and kill fast or there was risk of being surrounded… or worse… Did they plan to capture the Princess or did they mean to murder her?

Barish must have seen the potential for the surrounding tactic, for when an agent tried to sneak past to his right, he swung his greatsword in that direction, forcing the agent to back off. Esh pulled off a glove with his teeth and prepared to draw blood when his Master grabbed his arm and brought it down.

“Not a good time, lad. You’re gonna need all the blood you have to make your escape.”

Two agents attacked, one bringing his sword down over the top of his head while the other came from the side. In a split second, Esh was able to estimate the level of their abilities by their footwork and their hand placement on their weapons. They were well trained, but lacked experience.

Rift bent over and caught both males in a paralysis spell. Their swords froze in the sand-filled air. The agents looked at each other in horro; their eyes were the only things able to move. Esh took this cue to flip over his Master’s back, and with a single swipe of his blade he slashed a vertical line across their faces splitting all four eyeballs wide open. Rift released the spell and the agents fell to their knees, dropping their weapons and screeching their heads off.

Rift grabbed one of the swords from the ground, cut one’s neck open and shoved the tip into the other’s chest in one move, silencing their screams for good. There were three left and more already making their way to the scene.

“Master, maybe you should go and take a seat. Barish and I can handle ourselves up here.”

“Not from what I saw,” Rift spat. “Your style has always been too reckless for my taste.” They both looked over at Barish who successfully parried an oncoming thrust, spun, cut off the agent’s dominant hand, spun again and cut off the other hand. He finished off the agent with a backwards thrust of his own. He back-kicked the male off his greatsword and ran over to stand shoulder to shoulder with Esh and Rift.

“Where did you find him again?” asked Rift with a sideways smile.

The two agents that were left retreated to wait for reinforcements. This was one of the aspects that made the assassins a dangerous enemy; putting aside the pride of the fight to wait for a better angle to strike.

Esh had been taught that all assassins lived by an unspoken code. A code that is figured out rather than taught. From what he could tell from his years of training, assassins had no pride whatsoever; at least, they weren’t supposed to. A proper assassin used his head rather than his heart to complete his missions and finish his work. Assassins left the bodies to rot rather than waste time burying them. And the number one, most important part of the assassin trade was to never become emotionally involved in anything.

Esh wasn’t very good at his trade.

“So, what’s our plan?” Barish asked, holding his greatsword with two hands out in front of him. His knees were bent and he hopped rhythmically from foot to foot.

“The plan is to get you three as far away from here as possible,” answered Rift.

“The portal will be powerful enough for all four of us, Master,” said Esh in a pleading sort of tone.

“The portal is strong enough for all of us, including Xep’s agents. I must stay here and close the portal before they can enter.”

Another explosion went off before Esh could argue anymore. They covered their eyes from the sand. The light from the flickering fires in the training grounds shone through a now wider hole. The dust had barely any time to settle before agents poured in on soft feet and without war cries. This was a precision effort, a mission, and the Princess was the target.

Esh put his blade to his forearm, ready to conjure his dark twin but lowered it when from the corner of his eye he saw the Elder slowly shaking his head. He pulled the blade away from himself and used it to parry an oncoming thrust. The agents were swarming them.

It would have been a wordless fight if it hadn’t been for Barish, who roared with each impressive swing from his mighty greatsword. At first, Esh found it annoying but then it began to grow on him. He tried a yell of his own and found power in it, nearly cutting an agent in half with one blow.

Barish gave him a surprised look and then smirked. They both rushed together, testing out a little teamwork of their own. It was sloppy at first and the attempt about got them both killed, but as the fight continued their movements became more synchronized.

Dashine called something out and Esh turned to see that she had completed the portal. The purple orb had grown to almost his size in height and had flattened itself out into more of an oval shaped door, a door to a location he did not know.

“Time to go, lads!” Rift called, walking and fighting backwards towards the portal.

“Not without you!” Esh called back, sidestepping effortlessly behind one of the agents and slitting his throat.

They all fell back to the Princess; all the while more eco-suited agents filled the back of the room ready to take the place of a fallen acquaintance. Their black robes covered the chamber like one giant shadow. They started to move as one body, more like an army of soldiers than assassins.

What were they getting paid? If not currency, then what? Was it a slice of power? That couldn’t be possible; there were far too many of them to spread around positions of elevated ruling. Whatever it was, these assassins were willing to give up their positions in the shadows to die for it.

The assassins turned soldiers formed one long row across the room, each with five or more males backing them up in a line that reached the blast hole. Their weapons were drawn and pointed at their targets and something about this caught Esh’s eye. Something he hadn’t noticed before.

“Master, their weapons… They’re all identical.”

“And the quality is poor, meaning they were mass produced. And it’s the same with their suits,” replied Rift. “I’m not liking the looks of this.”

“I don’t see the big deal,” said Barish, “Poorer quality just means it’s easier to break!”

Barish didn’t see what Esh and Rift saw because he didn’t understand. Esh knew the Order to be more of a mercenary type organization where all were allowed to select preferred weaponry and take on missions of their choosing that matched their abilities. This was much too organized to have anything to do with the Order.

There was a loud whistle and all the agents went rigid. Another whistle and they all separated themselves to allow a wide opening down the middle of their formation. There stood his old Master of alchemy, his mentor in the deadly arts, his dear friend Xep.

38 - The Great Escape

Xep stood there with his hands by his side. The artificial sun’s moon-cycle shot a pastel yellow onto his emotionless face, one that showed no agenda and looked as if he were just there to teach Esh another lesson on healing potions. Esh half expected this to be the part where Xep confessed his treacherous and evil plot, just like all the villains did in the fiction stories he had liked to read as a child. But no, Xep chose to do none of this. This betrayal was nothing more than a mission to him, to be completed with speed, without emotion, without pride, and without mercy.

“You three must take to the portal at once,” commanded Rift, sheathing his sword.

“But that portal’s purple,” said Barish, though his attention was still absorbed by the mini army of assassins. “Thought we needed blue?”

“I didn’t have the required amount of stamina to create a blue portal and Dashine is unlearned in the art. However, with her aid we were able to mix our sorcery and create you three an exit.” The Elder let out a tired exhale. “Once I know you’ve made it through, I will close it from this side before he can make the leap.”

“As I said, Master. I will not be leaving you.”

Rift took a step towards Esh and thrust a finger in his face. “Do you see that humanoid? That master assassin? He has been fighting for years before you were even born and NOW you think you can take him on? You will only get in the way!” Rift threw his arms in the air and turned, muttering something hotly to himself. Esh, hard-headed as he was, stood his ground, keeping his defensive stance directed towards Xep. He was expecting a surprise attack from him at any moment, yet his old teacher just stood there, waiting. But for what?

“Fine,” Rift said, turning to address Barish and the Princess. “It’s up to you now, gladiator. I am sorry for what has been put on your shoulders but you seem to have a well-placed heart. Will you take on this burden? A burden that could possible save this dammed world?”

“I, ugh…” Barish looked at Esh and then back to Rift. He bit the inside of his cheek, thinking hard about his options. “I don’t think I have anything else going on and I don’t see much choice as it is! Sure, I will relieve this burden from you, Elder.”

Rift smiled and nodded his head in appreciation. Dashine walked up to Rift and gave him her Blue kingdom’s specific bow and he returned it.

“Kick their asses for me, will ya Esh?” asked Barish taking the Princess in hand.

A warm jealousy hit Esh in the chest and he hated himself for it. Now was not the time for this. “See you on the other side, brother,” he replied, wishing he was the one holding Dashine’s hand.

Barish smiled and walked towards the portal before the Ballahranian ripped her hand from his. She ran to Esh and kissed him gently on the cheek before running back towards the portal, never to be seen by him again.

Esh touched the part of his cheek where her lips had touched and watched as she stepped into the purple oval. It reached out and grabbed hold of her skin, pulling her into its gooey embrace. And she was gone. Barish shrugged at Esh, smiled one last time, and without hesitation leapt into the portal.

“Looks like it’s just us,” Rift said, turning his back to the portal to face impending death. “I can’t reach the portal from here to close it. Let us take our stand beside it as I work my sorcery to shut it down. You will have to hold them off without me for a short time.”

Esh, still somewhat giddy from the sudden embrace, but saddened by her even more rapid departure, backed himself up. He took a few practice swings to rid his mind of emotion, but it failed. He was distracted, Dashine on his mind; he couldn’t let this affect him in coming fight. Perhaps he could use emotion to fuel the fight rather than to hinder it.

Xep, seeing the Princess had taken the portal, started to walk down the line towards them. He did not need words to express his desire to follow Dashine and bring her back. He didn’t even spare Esh or Rift a glance; his eyes only focused on the portal.

Esh noticed that one of the agents had grown anxious, his body moving in an up and down pattern, ready to strike. He was obviously less disciplined than the others or had been working for the Order solo for far too long. Esh turned his own body purposely sideways to draw out the weaker link.

It worked. The agent departed from his place in line, his weapon drawn for the attack. There was a blur of motion as Xep made a shadow-like step in front of him, cutting him across his chest in the exact same manner Esh had once been cut. The deed was done in less than a second, and the male stumbled a few steps before falling flat, his dark blood creating a puddle in the sand.

A bead of sweat beat the cooling mechanisms of Esh’s helmet and dripped into his eye. There was nothing ironic about the way Xep had killed the male. It was psychological warfare. A threat that he would open up Esh’s scar and finish the job, just as he had done to one of his own soldiers.

None of the agents paid the death any attention, their focus straight ahead. Esh stepped back a few more paces and stood beside his Master, his back towards the portal.

“Don’t let him get inside your head, lad,” Rift whispered.

“I’m not,” Esh replied in a voice he thought sounded reassuring, but his Master had always known him better than that.

They were quiet as they watched Xep make his approach. He would take a step, plant his boot deep into the sand, and then take another. His eyes, once filled with quiet kindness and mystery, were now dead and set on an evil task.

“There is one last thing you should know, lad.”

Esh looked at his Master and saw that there were fresh tears in his eyes. Seeing this made him drop his guard, his sword drooping low, his grip loosening.

“Master…”

Xep must have noticed the drop in Esh’s defense, for he now sprung towards them from across the room at a full sprint.

“Continue your training on your journey. It is the only way you can defeat him.”

Esh’s mouth dropped as his Master shoved him hard; he fell backwards into the portal, his sword slipping from his grasp. He cried out as the purple goo grabbed hold of him and pulled with an unnatural force that could not be resisted.

In his fall he was able to grab hold of his Master’s hand and hold himself out of the portal’s tug for only a moment. They looked into each other’s eyes one last time.

“Father!” Esh cried.

“Son!”

He let go and Esh dripped into a faraway land. The last thing he ever saw at that moment was not his father’s eyes, but the placid face of Xep behind him.

ACT THREE

39 - The Purple Territory

The portal was nothing like stepping through a door; in fact, there was nothing Esh had ever experienced that he could compare it too. His body was smashed and bended as it was forced through the tiniest cracks of the hut and pulled from the underground. It carried him high into the sky, but not all at once. His head was the first to arrive, his feet still near the ground and his abdomen stretched the entire way.

Once his legs had snapped back to their original position the process started over and that’s when Esh lost all the contents of his stomach. There was no food, but only stomach acid that shot out of his mouth.

He was twisted, jerked, and stretched again as the sorcery did as it had been casted to do. And all the while his heart ached. Already he had suffered a mother-like loss and it had felt as though half his soul had been ripped from him. Now, he had lost the other half.

He grew used to the random contortions and movements of his body and, through the seemingly endless time of the trip, he became unaware of being in the portal at all. To him, he was alone in a dark twisting room with only his sorrows to keep him company. The giant young male sobbed uncontrollably as the sorcery took him.

His back hit the ground so hard that the air flew from his lungs and out of his mouth, leaving him gasping. Something wet touched his forehead and he lifted himself up clutching at his chest, only to be pushed back down by the same damp touch.

And so he laid there, looking up in the direction of what he thought would have been the sky but all he saw was darkness. The portal must have altered his sight, either that or his eyes were too blurry from tears.

His breath came back slowly and filled his lungs. By habit, he slowed his breathing and the wet touch did allow him to rise this time. He sat up and crossed his legs, pulling off his helmet. He dried his eyes with the back of his gloves but was still unable to see anything; that was when he realized that there was no light. He looked forward, and, squinting his eyes, he could make out the faint blue hue of the aura from her eco-sit. He thought he could make out the outline of her body sitting in front of him, her head tilted.

They said nothing to each other but sat in complete silence. Had their portal gone awry and sent them to a limbo like dimension? The lack of noise was so intense that it started a sort of ringing in his ears that was beginning to drive him mad. Wherever he was, it had caused something dreadful to crawl deep inside of him, something unnatural. He felt the sudden urge to cut his own wrist and be done with all of it. He slapped his himself hard across the face and the Princess flinched. Esh noticed, and thought she must have been beaten while being held captive by the fat king.

He looked back up at the sky, expecting to see the moon side of the Red sun, but that is not what he found. His mouth slowly opened as he gazed upon the dying sun, the sun of the Purple territory. It was so very bright, which didn’t make any sense. How could such a luminous sun not produce any light? Contrarily, the atrocious orb seemed as though it was actually sucking the light, leaving this land dark and depressing.

However, it was still a fascinating sight. Watching it drip pieces of itself into the atmosphere brought emotions of fear and awe. It was hard to look away.

And then his eyes spotted the purple portal.

And it was still open.

Something scuttled not too far away from them and Esh’s hand went straight to his hip, only to find that his granite sword was not there. He wondered if his eyes would ever adjust to this territory’s darkness. How could any humanoid survive in a sun-cycle as dark as this?

Esh examined the rotation of the dead sun and decided that it must have been their twilight. If this was their sun-cycle, he did not want to experience their moon-cycle.

He slapped himself again and the pain and sound helped a little to bring back his senses. He replaced his helmet and turned to the Dashine’s direction. “Do you know where Barish is?” His words were a strange change in the quiet.

She squinted her eyebrows and tilted her head.

“Barish,” Esh repeated.

A sudden realization spread across her face and she jumped to her feet, grabbing hold of his hand to pull him along. They walked only a few paces before she stopped without warning. Esh continued and tripped over Barish’s body, falling to his hands and knees. He had trained in the darkness before, sure, but something about this place made him feel clumsy and… out of his element.

He crawled back to the body and started to feel. So far his eyes could only make out a big black mass in the shape of a humanoid but he was unable to see any details at all. He pulled off a glove and winced. An icy temperature covered his hand; it was his first time experiencing cold without the help of his sorcery enhanced armor.

He placed the hand on the skin of Barish’s body and what he felt made his heart sink. There was no warmth to it. He moved his hand to his chest and felt no heartbeat. He tried to pump the chest cavity but there was no give to it. It was like trying to bring life back to a rock.

A sudden realization came to him.

“This isn’t Barish,” he said, jerking his hands off the corpse. “This… thing has been dead for a long time.”

He knew the Princess didn’t understand him but he talked just for the sake of relieving the maddening silence. He would have to make her understand without words. And so he grabbed her hand and placed it onto the cold thing. He heard her gills start to flap a little faster as he stroked her hand across the skin.

She tore her hand out of his grip.

“So neither of us know where our friend has gone,” Esh said into the darkness.

Figuring that his eyes would never adjust, he thought of another option. He pulled one of the vials out of his waist belt and popped the cap off of it. With the other hand he was able to dig a hole in the ground’s soil. In order to conjure up a cold fire, three things were needed. First, the world’s most basic foundation, which Esh figured must have been whatever it was that he had just dug into. Second, the conjurer’s saliva. Third, say the words.

Esh spit into the hole and spoke the words that his traitor teacher had taught him, but nothing happened. Not even a spark. This meant that one of the three ingredients were at fault, for it did not matter what sun you were under, cold fire would always appear.

He knew his words were correct because that had been one of the first alchemical spells he’d ever mastered. And his spit was his spit, so it must have been the foundation. If it wasn’t in the ground than what was it? And then a sick idea popped into his head.

For the first time Esh was grateful that it was too dark for the Princess to see what he was doing. He traced his hand down the dead thing’s cold arm and found its fingers. With a quick snap, he pulled one backwards and plucked it off. A horrible smell rose from the wound, making him and Dashine both gag. Quickly, he threw the finger down into the hole, spit, and spoke the words.

A purple fire burst from the ground. The Princess screamed and practically jumped out of her skin trying to get away from it. Even though Esh knew that the fire was without heat, he had also jumped. He’d never created such a potent cold fire before and he guessed her highness had never seen anything like it.

“It’s okay, Dashine. Look.” Esh put his hand out and let the fire tickle his skin.

“Oooohhhh,” the Princess cooed, crawling back towards it, the fire reflecting in her pupil-less eyes. She put her hand out into the fire and giggled as the fire moved from Esh’s hand to hers. They laughed together and it was so absolutely soothing to Esh’s heart. He never thought he would ever be able to share a laugh again.

The laughter turned to screams and the Princess yet again scrambled backwards as fast as she could. Esh looked down and what he saw made his guts twist. The body they had first thought was Barish’s was not even close. The skin was a pale Green, half of its head looked to have been chomped off, and crawly things poured out from the hole where its finger had once been. The worst part of all was that its eyes were wide open and looking straight at him.

“Looks like you found a replacement for me,” Barish commented from behind him, sending Esh’s skin crawling up his bones.

“Barish?”

“The one and only!” he said, his arms held out wide.

Esh jumped up and embraced him like a brother. “We couldn’t find you! Where were you?”

“I must have bumped my head on something hard and passed out. I just woke up, thanks to your little fire experiment gone wrong. And I was having such a great dream too. Of a beautiful female curling her fingers through my hair. It was so nice… Until she grew a mustache and boils on her face. Then she ripped out a huge gross fart, which must have been your fire, and I awoke!”

“And you said I was different,” said Esh, temporarily forgetting about the thing on the ground.

But an audible, “Ughhhhhhhhhh,” coming from the thing’s mouth made them all turn towards it.

“Did it… just say something?” asked Barish, pointing down at the corpse.

Esh, with a strange amount of courage he did not know he possessed, bent down towards the rotting humanoid. “Was that you?”

“Ughhhhhhhh,” the thing replied.

Barish tapped Esh on the shoulder, “I know this may be bad timing but… we have a problem. Well, actually, I have a problem." He knelt by the fire and put his arm out to show Esh just what exactly was going on. His red tinted skin had turned a shade of deep blue along with his lips, which now quivered rapidly. “What’s the use of this blasted fire if there isn’t any heat!” he said, sitting down and pulling his knees to his chest, holding himself tightly for warmth.

“He won’t last long hereeee,” said the thing. “Not long, not long at all.”

Esh watched as it spoke but did not see its mouth move. The words sounded as if they were coming from the rotted out holes lining its rib cage. The thing didn’t even look to be breathing!

Ignoring it, Esh started to unstrap his vambraces, leggings, and any piece of armor that he could fit on Barish. “Put these on, they will help,” he said, handing out the pieces to him. “Seriously, they will.”

“Whuh-whuh, are yuh-you talk-talking about?” Barish asked through chattering teeth, now rocking on his buttocks back and forth. “Is it muh-magic again?”

“Try sorcery, but yes. Same thing.”

Barish took one of the vambraces and strapped it on. “Ahhhh! Suh-so nuh-nice!” He swiftly attached the rest of the armored pieces to his body and returned to his seated fetal position. “Suh-so muh-much better. And you knuh-know how muh-much I love being huh-half nuh-naked.”

“Oh, here, try the helmet as well.” Esh tried handing Barish the helmet, but Barish refused.

“Nuh-no, if we guh-get into some suh-sort of trouble, I wuh-want you to have it. I’m guh-good with just these.”

“Either way, you won’t last long here,” the thing spoke again through its ribs. “Not long.”

“If you know so much, how about you tell us how to get out of here?”

The thing’s dried eyes crackled as they moved to look upon Esh. “You have a great dark energy residing inside of you.”

Esh was taken aback. How did this… corpse know about the evil twin? Could he feel the Wisp’s presence inside of him? It couldn’t just be coincidence.

“Whuh-what’s it mean? Duh-dark energy?”

Esh could see the Princess in the same fetal-like sitting position as Barish on the other side of the fire, keeping her distance from the monster. They had just escaped trouble only to have literally fallen right back into it.

“I know… The dead can feel such things. Come, rest your hand on me once more.”

“Duh-don’t do it, Eh-Esh! Suh-sounds like suh-something sexual ih-if you ask muh-me!”

The dried eyes moved to Barish but this time the face actually made an expression using what looked to be patches of eyebrows. It was an appalled look.

“Disgusting fool.”

Esh couldn’t stifle the laughter that came from his mouth. His spirit needed this uplifting moment.

“Fuh-fool! Who-who are you cuh-calling fool! Eh-Esh, luh-let’s use this rotten cuh-cadaver to muh-make a real fuh-fire!”

“NOOOO!” the thing roared!

“Yuh-yesss!” Barish hissed back in a mocking moan. “I nuh-need fire!”

The thing and Barish started to argue just as small children did. Barish would pretend to be flicking flint and the thing would respond in the same panicked NOOOO. A buzzing noise from above interrupted their argument.

Dashine yelled something at them and pointed towards the portal, which was now squeezing itself into a square and back to a rectangle repeatedly. The buzzing noise grew louder and louder until it actually made the Princess cover her ears. They waited for a while, watching the portal compress itself and then expand. Finally, there was a swooshing sound and two long objects were spat out of it.

Esh saw a glimmer of light from the cold fire reflect off one of the objects.

He bounded for it.

Using the little light he had, he judged the distance as best he could and dove, rolled, and caught the hilt of his father’s sword. Instead of a chill running through his hands a soothing warm feeling came in its place. He heard a scraping sound and looked over to see that Barish had caught his greatsword in the same manner.

“Whomever it is you’re running from… They’re coming.”

The portal began to buzz again. Esh cursed out loud. He knew the door should have long since been closed by now. If his Master hadn’t been successful… or died… Then they were in serious danger standing out here in the open.

Esh ran back to the corpse and placed his hand on his chest. “Can you help us?”

“And so now you ask the mere fire kindling substance for help? Interesting…”

“Oh cuh-come on! I wuh-was only kuh-kidding with yuh-you!” Barish walked back to the cold fire and sat down. “Wuh-what’s it gonna tuh-take?”

“An apology.”

Esh looked at Barish, who was biting his lip and looking away. Esh widened his eyes at him and jerked his head towards the portal. Barish made a face at him and gave a relinquishing exhale. “I’m suh-sorry.”

Something sticky latched on to Esh’s hand, making him cry out. The corpse’s flesh had opened itself around his hand and had swallowed it whole! There was a wet suctioning noise as the corpse started to writhe uncontrollably and something wet slithered over his hand deep inside the chest cavity.

Esh grabbed hold of his forearm and pulled as hard as he could but with no luck. Barish and Dashine both jumped up and each grabbed a hold of his shoulder just as the dead thing started to groan loudly.

“Suh-see! I told you it was suh-sexual!”

“Shut it! Just get this thing off of me!”

All three pulled with all their might until Esh thought they might actually pull his arm out without his hand.

And then the thing stopped moving and released the hand without warning, sending everyone flying backwards.

All three sat up, trying to catch their breath. Esh looked at his hand in the cold fire light and made a disgusted noise. It was coated in some sort of goop that was covered in crawly things that had died long ago.

“Whuh-what was that ah-all about?”

“Oh what a past you have had. Such sorrow, such atrocities you have succumbed to.”

The three comrades exchanged glances with one other. The Princess and Barish did not know if the thing was correct or not, for they did not know Esh’s past, so they looked at him with curiosity but had the courtesy not ask if the corpse spoke the truth. And yet, Esh was sure Barish would ask him later.

“How do you know all of that just by sucking my hand?” asked Esh, wiping the goop on his leggings.

The corpse’s mouth crunched as it formed a horrific smile with missing teeth, fleeing crawlies, and a breath of death escaped its dry lips. “I’m a seer, or did your Masters…… Excuse me… Master not ever tell you of their existing?”

“He never mentioned such a thing, no. But we also did not spend much time on the Purple territory either… Not much is known about this kingdom.”

The buzzing noise grew louder at that moment and sweat formed on the back of Esh’s neck. There was no time to run, which meant they had to hide, and fast.

“Kingdom! Ha! There is no kingdom here…”

“Yuh-yes, yes, thuh-thank you. Cuh-can we puh-please speed it up here?” Barish asked, looking up at the portal and tapping his foot.

“Very well… Lie down on the ground… All of you…"

Barish and Esh laid themselves down but Dashine did not. She looked at them like they were crazy. Esh had completely forgotten that she did not speak Reahlic, but wait! How did this corpse speak his tongue?

“Bluherduhb wallah,” the thing said, and the Princess hesitated for a second as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard. Then she laid herself down beside Esh, crossing her hands over her chest.

“Prepare yourselves, for the living should never have to endure what you are about to. If you scream it will be your heads and I will not feel the least bit guilty.”

“Wuh-what’s he mean the luh-living should never endure wuh-what you are about to? Shuh-should we trust him, Esh?”

“I don’t think we have much of a choice.”

The buzzing was louder now, almost as loud as it had been when it had spit the two weapons. Esh was just about to ask the corpse how he planned to hide them when two rotten arms reached from underneath the ground and grabbed hold him.

40 - The Potion of Knowledge

“Wuh-Why can’t we just have one SUH-SINGLE normal sun-cycle!” cried Barish as they all fought and tore at the decayed hands.

The strength of the dead arms matched even Esh’s. Not only that, but they were cold and slippery, making it very hard to get a good grip on them. All the while, the buzzing above them was growing louder.

“Hold still if you wish to be hidden,” the thing said, then repeated his words in Ballahranian .

Seeing as there were no other options, the three did as the dead seer asked and laid motionless. Feeling that the bodies the arms held had become still, they extended themselves further out of the ground and wrapped tighter around their catch. Something hard touched Esh’s back and he felt himself being lifted up as a body rose from underneath him.

“These are my brethren and they will be the ones cloaking you.”

All three of them cried out in unison as the corpses below them rolled over on top of them, rotating each of their faces into the ground. Esh could hear the Princess screaming before it became muffled in the dirt.

Now he understood why the thing had said no living being should ever have to endure this, for once they were flattened on their stomachs more dead bodies began to surface and crawl over them in order to hide their presence. It was genius, sure, but absolutely terrifying at the same time. Esh though the smell would be horrendous but luckily he didn’t have the ability to breathe while his face was in the dirt and so he held it.

He felt himself sink deeper into the ground as the dirt moved on its own out of the way and then fell back on top of him. He could hear bits of the ground topple over his helmet until there was no more surface for it to topple onto. They were all three now underground, suffocating, and not able to budge at all.

Esh held his breath for as long as he could, which wasn’t long due to his lack of preparation. He’d been trained to hold his breath longer than the average humanoid but this incident had caught him off guard. His heart beat was beating fast in his chest and his mouth gulped at air that wasn’t there. They had been betrayed once again and he cursed himself for trusting in the dead.

He was just about to bite at his scarred inner cheek to draw blood when something slid under his helmet and started to prod against his mouth, wanting to be let in. Esh released the tension on his lips and something foul penetrated itself inside his mouth. It had a hard texture and the taste was a cold mixture of sour and salt. The thing wiggled inside of his mouth, and he failed at a scream when a sharp fingernail grazed his tongue. It was a dead finger. A rotting dead digit of some vile corpse. But there was something wrong with the tip of it. Esh tongued at it and felt that there was a hole right underneath the nail. A cool breeze flowed through the finger and into his mouth.

It was awkward at first, but Esh forced himself to inhale the air through the finger and exhale it out of his nose and into the dirt. He wondered if the other two had figured out just what to do with the prodding thing and he could only imagine what Barish had thought it was. Perhaps Barish hadn’t opened his mouth and died of suffocation. And somehow Esh thought it funny that one should die because they thought a dead penis was trying to force itself into a mouth underground in the Purple territory.

Even though Esh was a few feet in the dirt and piled over with corpses, he could still hear the portal’s buzzing. He concentrated on his breathing and kept his ears open for anything new. And finally, he heard the swooshing noise but instead of hearing it just once it became a series, followed by the thumping of bodies. He couldn’t help but wonder which of the bodies might have been Xep’s. He imagined him falling right on top of him and at that moment he could pop out of the ground and shove his blade into the surprised Xep’s throat.

The swooshing noise stopped and there was silence for a bit. Humanoids began to talk and Esh could hear the fear in their voices. Like him, they had never before set foot into the Purple Territory and were now discovering that there was no light here and that sight was impossible.

“A cold fire!” an agent exclaimed. “But no Princess, my Lord.”

And so that was it. Xep was no longer Teacher or Master, but a Lord.

“Use your ears,” Esh heard the treacherous voice say. “They couldn’t have gone far from this point, not without being able to see.”

Esh listened to the footsteps that walked above him. He could hear them bumping over each other and one actually tripped over one of the corpses.

“You don’t think they would hide themselves under the dead, do you my Lord?”

“This male is smart. Too smart. He would know such a ploy to be too… Obvious. Still, we must make sure.”

Esh felt his adrenaline spike and his pulse race and apparently, so did the dead finger as it decided the situation would be much better if it started to massage the top of his tongue. He bit at it and it stopped.

Footsteps were above his body grave now and he prayed the incoming attack would miss him. There was a slick sound of metal rushing through dead organs and Esh felt the dirt move somewhere close to his left between himself and Barish. It was too close for comfort and he barely realized he was chewing at the finger. There were sounds of blades being plunged into corpses all around them.

“Nothing here, my Lord,” said an agent.

“Nor here, muh Lord.”

“Then we move on. There is a village close by. Perhaps that is where they will be.”

“But how is it we are supposed to see?” asked another.

“Grab yourself a limb of the flesh underneath your feet and place the end of it in our target’s cold fire. The bodies of this territory are the foundation and they will catch the flame. Use them like torches.”

Esh wished that Xep’s voice and mannerisms would have changed into the beast he had become, but all he heard was his old Master teaching a lesson and this broke his heart. Xep spoke to his soldiers as equals and did not seem to grow frustrated with their lack of knowledge of the area. How could someone betray his closest friend and student for power and keep the same sort of mannerisms?

“And what of the portal, my Lord?”

“I’ll take care of it.”

There was no sound of the portal closing itself but Esh imagined it condensing one last time until it blinked itself out of existence, closing the door to his home forever. As ridiculous as it was, he’d felt comfort in the thought that he could have somehow found a way to build a ladder and enter the portal at any time and be back in the familiar chambers. Now all connections to his home world were gone and he was stuck here without options.

“Let’s move out,” commanded Xep.

Esh listened as the footsteps grew fainter and fainter. Still, it was a long while before they rose from the dead; the seer corpse must have been very cautious of the strangers lingering to see if anything moved.

The heavy bodies on top of them fell off to the side and dug themselves back into their graves. Once Esh felt that he could move again, he chose not to lift his head out of the dirt just yet. Instead, he decided it was best to pull out slowly and take in his surroundings. But Barish sprang from the ground like a crazed undead, cursing and spitting. Dashine did the same but without all the yelling. Annoyed as Esh was, he was relieved that they had figured out that the finger had been their life support.

“You have brought great danger amongst the non-beings,” the thing said. “And now they have decided to seek your presences in our sacred village.”

“And you almost kuh-killed us! How about a duh-damn warning next time you dead-”

“Barish, please,” said Esh, pulling himself out of the ground. He shook himself as an animal would and started to undo his boots to pour the dirt out. “We need to come up with a plan.”

“A plan for what? Luh-let’s just escape while we cuh-can and make for the closest border to the Blue territory.”

“We can’t,” said Esh.

“What? Why not? They’ve guh-gone to this thing’s village which is guh-great for us. We use this tuh-time to make our escape!”

“And that’s exactly why we can’t just leave. This… corpse… helped us and now we have to help him.”

“I felt your idiotic kindness through your touch,” the thing replied.

“Suh, see? He doesn’t want anyone’s help. He puh-probably just wanted to show off his abilities, either thuh-that or he got some sick enjoyment by sticking duh-dead fingers in our mouths."

“It is impossible for mortals to walk this land and make it to the blue shores alive.”

Esh put his boots back on and went to stand by the talking corpse. He knelt beside it and said, “If kindness is so idiotic, why help us? Why put yourself at risk?”

There was a moment of silence as the corpse just stared at Esh. Finally, it said, “I see… possibilities. I’m not a seer by choice, but by random chance. However, I have chosen a path as a scientist, a most cursed profession in these lands."

“But thuh-that doesn’t explain why you huh-helped us,” said Barish.

“I don’t expect the weak-minded to understand my cause. This land and its non-living do not prove fruitful to my endeavors. All just wish to moan and walk and produce asexually. Me… I wish to discover, invent, and bend sorcery.”

“Do you have sorcery abilities?” Esh asked him, trying to ignore Barish’s whining about being called simple-minded. “I ask because I know it’s rare to be naturally given sorcery powers.”

“It is not rare in the Purple territory, where all are connected to a line of sorcery. You could say it’s what fuels our soul-less lives. Some dead just choose to bend it more than others. And I am one who chose.” Its neck made a sickening crack as it turned to look at Barish, “I could have cared less if those males had cut you all down, especially this rude one. But… I saw a possibility for myself. A chance to discover and escape this unmotivated territory.”

“It wuh-wants to come with us? Esh, yuh-you can’t puh-possibly be considering this. It’s a corpse!”

“I have a name. It’s Shten.”

“Ok, Shten, we don’t want you stuh-stinking up our truh-travels.” Barish wrapped his arms around himself, shivering uncontrollably.

“You are not like your friend; you have no hybrid blood, meaning you cannot stand this cold as long as he can. As for the female, she will also live much longer than you. Without me, you will surely die of hypothermia before you even get halfway to your destination.”

“Wih-without yuh-you? What can yuh-you do for muh-me?”

“I’m a scientist. The shiny suits you’ve seen those males wear that keep them warm… They are mere relics compared to what I have created.”

“You’ve built eco-suits?” asked Esh.

“I hadn’t named them yet, but yes. Very similar to yours, actually. I’ve built several over the years, trying to master the dimensions that would properly fit an ever-changing me.”

“Shten, we need one of those suits,” said Esh, placing his hand back on its cold body. “We must get the-”

“Princess back to her kingdom. Yes, I know. Have you forgotten? I’ve seen through you, young Esh. But… I have two requests of my own before I so easily hand over my hard work to you.”

“Name yuh-your price, muh-monster,” said Barish, wishfully holding his hands out into the purple flames, hoping for some sort of relief from the cold.

Shten pulled itself out of the ground with an agility that did not match his looks. It was so sudden that Barish fell flat on his backside and crawled backwards on all fours trying to get away.

“Your words have increased my asking bid to a now whopping three requests,” Shten said. He twisted his head on the pivot of its neck until it peered over Barish upside down.

“Whuh-what are yuh-your requests, thuh-then?” he said, and Esh didn’t know if it was the cold or the fear that made the words difficult.

“First… apologize… to… me…”

“I’m suh-sorry,” he said without hesitation. He backed up a little more but Shten followed him with the same eerie form as one of the crawlies that poured from its broken off finger.

“Good… Now, for my second request. You three must help me rid the pests from my sacred village.”

“Done,” said Esh.

“Excellent… And finally… Take me with you.”

Barish quickly turned to Esh, but Esh didn’t return his disapproving gaze. There would be no negotiating in this because they had no platform to stand on. If it hadn’t been for this dead Shten there would have been blood, lots of blood, with the three of them being on the losing side. And still, Shten held their lives in his chilled palm.

“Done.”

Without even the slightest acknowledgment that the deal had been complete, Shten went on to say, “And I guess that neither of you speak the Ballahranian’s language?”

Esh and Barish both shook their heads.

“Ahh… That could be troublesome I’d imagine.”

“Wuh-why doesn’t shuh-she speak the cuh-common language?”

“Yea,” Esh agreed, “I though all four territories spoke the common tongue.”

Shten chuckled a bit, “One would think that the way in which our world was created all four territories would speak one language. But not the Ballahranians . Oh no. When the four territories came to be, these humanoids of the ocean, these merhumanoids, kept to their waters. They wanted nothing to do with us.”

“Wait, you know of how our world was created?” Esh asked, curiosity filling his brain. “And what’s a merhumanoid?”

Barish, who was still upset with the deal, stopped his shivering and actually looked interested in the topic as well. Being an ex-teacher and all, it made sense to Esh that the now gladiator would find this intriguing.

Shten shook his head, “The creation of our world is a topic for another sun-cycle. However, your question regarding her species. The Ballahranians  are merhumanoids, yes, just like you are half elf and your freezing companion is full human.”

“Whuh-why didn’t the muh-merhumanoids wuh-want anything to do wih-with the rest of the tuh-territories?”

“Have you truly regarded what atrocities your territory has committed? Or have your biased history lessons not taught you that? And have you seen the complexion of the non-beings of my territory? It’s no wonder these creatures of the water stay far away from us all.”

Esh and Barish were silent, not really knowing what to say after that. Dashine, still wiping her mouth from the rotten finger that had been inside it, sat patiently on the side of the cold fire.

“Esh… I can help you three communicate. Would you like that?”

Esh nodded his head, “Yes, definitely. You can do that?”

Shten said not another word, but moved his hand to the dirt and tried to dig a hole with a finger he no longer had. He shrugged and used his middle finger instead, moving it in a circular motion until there was a small crevice in the ground. He leaned over it and vomited a vile green slime.

“Oh fuh-for the love of-”

Shten’s head flung towards the sky and belched out words that seemed to jump out of him in reverse order. He leaned his head over the hole again and spit two tiny drops of purple. They intermingled with the slime and a fizz formed on top.

“Drink,” Shten commanded, still hovering over the repulsive looking discharge.

“I had a fuh-feeling you were guh-gonna say that.”

Esh, knowing a potion when he saw one, bent and sucked from the hole. The slime was strangely sweet and flew to the back of his throat without him having to gulp. He couldn’t seem to get enough of it and so he kept slurping.

Shten shoved him aside with one strong hand.

“Careful, the potion of knowledge is ever seeking its host. It will stuff you until your stomach or brain implodes. Whichever comes first.” He pointed with an invisible index finger at Barish. "Next.” There was a crazed and vengeful smile on his face.

Barish looked at Esh and back at the slime. The whole magic and sorcery thing was new to him, but Esh thought he was taking all of this rather well considering. He bent over and drank from the hole but this time Shten did not interrupt.

“Woah! Stop him!” Esh cried, jumping up to push Barish out of the way.

“Woops… My mistake.”

Barish leaned to his side and heaved a lot of the slime out of his mouth and nose. He groaned and clutched at his stomach.

Esh kicked Shten hard in the side, sending him spinning away. “One more attempt like that and I will send your dead head flying.” Esh followed him and crouched beside him and held his head up by a rotting ear. "Understand me, Shten, I am not in need of you that much.” He let go and went back to care for Barish.

“You will find that you are much more capable of speaking to your love, now,” Shten said from the awkward position the kick had left him in.

Esh looked at Dashine who had been sitting calmly and watching all of the events play out. Why had Shten called her his love. He didn’t feel anything like love for her. Sure, she was beautiful, but he didn’t think he loved her. Did he? How much could Shten feel and see just by a single touch?

“Hello?” Esh said, looking at her. She didn’t move and didn’t seem to have heard him. “Hello?” he said again. This time she shook her head and looked at him with wide eyes.

“Did you just… speak to me?” she asked.

Esh nodded.

Tears started to form in her eyes and spill over the bottom lid. She jumped up and hugged him tightly around the neck, sobbing loudly.

How long had she been kept in silence?

41 - The Wailers

They stood there hugging for a while, her head resting below Esh’s chest. He tried to ignore Barish who was mouthing the words ‘Kiss her! Kiss her!’ from behind her back. Shten also looked to be interested in the embrace; he was smiling and watching them as if they were some sort of strange experiment. And then the environment began to lighten up, making their surroundings more and more visible as time passed.

“What’s going on?” Esh asked, looking around and squinting his eyes at some large object he hadn’t been able to see before. Was he going crazy?

“What’s wrong?” Dashine asked, letting go of him and taking a few steps back. Her voice was crisp, thin, and fragile-sounding to him. Now that she had dropped their embrace he wished he would have kept his mouth shut and enjoyed it for a few moments longer.

The large object became more visible as did thousands of other similar objects in the background. Esh walked up to one and ran a gloved hand over it, its roughness catching on the material. The object swayed a bit. It was trying to move away from his touch.

“Dead trees,” answered Shten. “Some say our land is an old extension of the Green territory. The same say elves used to live and breathe on these lands. Until… An ancient and black energy appeared, bringing death and destruction.”

“Do yuh-you believe them?” asked Barish, walking beside Esh and touching the dead tree.

“I don’t know… But if they are correct then it means this energy is our creator.”

“I demand to know what it is you three speak of!” squeaked the Princess and Esh could see her clearly now, her hands crossed over her chest in a fit of frustration. She looked angry.

“Ahh! You must drink!” Shten said. “The drink will teach your brain to give you light!”

“If I may suggest something, Princess,” said Barish. “No need chancing the monster tricking you as he duh-did me. This is a dark place even with the ability tuh-to see. Luh-let Esh and I buh-be your guide.”

“I am no monster!” Shten roared, sending an unknown species spreading their wings and flying from their camouflaged spots on the dead trees.

Esh removed his hand from the bark, which turned out to be another of the flying things. It fluttered off with the rest leaving the tree much thinner than it had been before.

“Apologize,” Shten demanded.

“Oh cuh-come off it! You have your duh-deal so there is no more need to-”

Dashine had taken this chance to jump down to the hole and sip from it and just like Barish, the soup chose to violate her mouth with a continuous flow. She began to cough and grab at her neck, the slime unrelenting. Without any option, Esh kicked her hard on the side of her eco-suit sending her some feet away, the slime cut off from its source.

“Are yuh-you alright?” Barish asked, bending down and putting a hand on her back. Esh felt a rush of jealousy; he was the one who had kicked her and Barish was the one who got to comfort her.

“We best be going,” said Shten, a hint of anxiety in his voice. “Those flying black beasts are called corbs. They will be back with a greater force to take back their home. One isn’t dangerous… but a thousand are…” Shten flipped himself onto his back. He then placed both feet flat on the ground and raised himself unnaturally from his ankles. He cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders backwards, dust and flakes of skin flying off of him as he did so. “Off we go.”

The Princess stood, still coughing, and brushing Barish’s hand off. “I’m ok, thank you. What exactly is going on?”

Esh took this chance to redeem his kick by instructing her on all the things Shten had said. She was quiet and just nodded her head as she listened.

After Esh had finished, she just stood there biting her lip for a few moments, taking in all the new developments. Finally, she said, “Then we must be off with our kind friend Shten.”

Shten gripped both hands together and smiled, his rotting eyes seeming to somehow sparkle under the compliment. “Oh Princess, you flatter this dead oaf.”

“Kuh-kind? That’s the word you chuh-chose to describe him? Ruh-really?”

“Esh is right. If it wasn’t for his kindness then we would all have become permanent residents to this territory.”

Shten stuck his yellow tongue out at Barish who immediately tried to jump at him but Esh held him back with one hand.

“Please, lead the way, honorable Shten,” said the Princess with her unique bow.

With a giddy shake of his shoulders, Shten turned, crunching as he did so, and started to walk in what seemed to be a random direction. Besides the one landmark of their cold fire and hole of glowing slime, there was nothing. There was only black dirt beneath their feet, much like the ash back home, and of course the dead trees that were covered in the flying species Shten had called corbs. This was all there was for as far as the eye could see.

They walked for an eternity. There was no food or liquid to satisfy their basic needs and the landscape was so depressing that no one felt like chatting. And all along the way they could hear Shten mumbling to himself about how kind the Princess was or about how very doomed they all were. Barish’s skin was becoming a darker shade of blue and he would often stop to perform some sort of exercise to warm himself up and finish it up with a sprint to catch up with the rest. Shten was right, he wouldn’t make it much longer.

Shten pointed at the flying corbs in the sky that were now making their way back to their dead tree. However, they had brought a greater force with them, just as Shten had warned.

At first, Esh thought the thing was just another corb but more massive, but as they got closer he could see it wasn’t that at all. The massive flying thing turned out to be a collection of tinier corbs that had connected themselves into one giant one. They collaborated in such a way that the wings flapped and the mouth moved to give off the appearance of one living being. Or… one big dead being.

“In this world, bigger is better. The smaller you are the faster you will surely be absorbed and added to one’s collection,” said Shten as they walked beneath the flying horror.

“Cuh-collection?” asked Barish, rubbing the cold from his arms.

“Yes… All non-beings here are a collection of other non-beings. If you are lucky, as I was, you can consume a lot of littler things and force them to grow inside of you. As you can tell,” he said, stopping and pointing to the missing part of his head. “I’d like to complete my head and become as beautiful as the Princess.”

“Guh-good luck wih-with that,” Barish said, rolling his eyes at Esh.

“Thank you,” said Shten, without comprehension of Barish’s sarcastic words. “Anyways,” he continued, “The sun-cycle will come when something larger finds and consumes me. But until then, I hope to discover as much as I can about this world.”

“You seem to not share a lot of the qualities that your… er… other non-beings have,” said Esh, trying to figure out what exactly it was he wanted to say. “I mean, the others, the ones who took us underground, they were very quick to get back to their graves.”

Shten nodded his head, “Yes… I am quite different from my breed… I guess you could say that curiosity is a rare trait in the Purple territory.”

There was a distant scream that brought goosebumps up Esh’s arm. Dashine, without realizing it, walked closer to him and he imagined her grabbing his arm and hiding underneath it. Sadly, that didn’t happen. He sensed a lot of pride in her, probably due to her seat in life. And this thought dampened his heart. She was royalty and he was not. She was a Princess and he was… well… an assassin.

Shten picked up the pace, walking with a strong right stride and a weak left which made his body jolt with every step and added to his horrific appearance. “We must be going. We must be going. Doom be not far from us.”

“What was that? That scream…” Esh asked, looking in the direction it had come from. Whatever had caused it didn’t seem to be in trouble, but the opposite. It sounded excited. And what’s worse, Shten did not answer. He only twisted his head on his neck and looked back at him, and Esh saw worry on his face.

Esh had no trouble with the quickening of pace but he knew it wouldn’t be long before Barish would collapse from the cold. He could hear the struggle in Dashine’s gills but she said nothing, her face strong and eyes set on the goal of reaching the village without help.

“You three go on without me,” said Barish without a stutter. Esh turned to see him bending over, his hands on his knees. His body no longer shook but stood still as a statue; his breath was the only thing that gave the cold away. Esh watched the white smoke come from his friend’s mouth and it was alarmingly slow.

Without asking for permission, Esh walked up to him, put his shoulder into his abdomen and picked him up. Barish said nothing smart, but accepted the ride with his silence.

“How much farther, Shten?” Esh asked, holding his friend over his shoulder. Thinking better of it, he pulled Barish down and carried him like a fresh babe. As embarrassing as it was, this was much warmer for Barish and plus Esh could keep track of his breathing.

“Far enough that I’d fear for your friend’s life if I were you. Keep him as warm as possible,” Shten replied. “Lucky for you three, I have an eco-suit, as you call it, ready and waiting. It may even fit him.”

As they walked, Esh saw that the mass amount of dead trees had started to disperse until there was hardly a single one. What replaced them, however, was no better sight. In fact, the atmosphere was no longer depressing but rather a mixture of horror and uneasiness.

What replaced the trees were these… fat dead females, much fatter than Esh thought was even possible. Their faces were stuck in a permanent painful look, their skin a deathly white, their mouths wide open and their eyes spinning in crazy circles.

Their hands clawed at their decomposing bodies as something wet oozed from between their obese thighs. Something plopped out.

Dashine must have been watching for had flinched and grabbed his hand. He tightened his fingers around hers but felt no warmth from them. The sight was so utterly disgusting it was impossible to feel anything but loathing for such an awful beast.

“Is this how you were born?” Esh asked, trying to hide his obvious repulsion. Just speaking and having his mouth open around these things made him want to vomit.

“No… These are female wailers, one of the few species of this territory that produce sexually,” answered Shten, paying the wailers no attention.

“And where are the fathers?” Dashine asked.

Another scream came from the opposite side of them, as if answering her. Both Shten and the Princess jumped, as whatever had made the scream was much closer than the last time. Too close.

Shten stopped walking and turned towards them. “We are too late,” he said, gazing around him at the ground. “I knew the devouring of my flesh would come some sun-cycle… But this sun-cycle? This seer did not see.”

“Shten, you’re gonna have to tell me what I’m up against,” Esh said, placing Barish softly onto the ground. The Reahlic gladiator had lost consciousness some time during the walk and his body was rigid as if it had frozen. Already his white breath had become so minimal that it took concentration to see.

“Wailers were cursed with mindless brains, biting anything that is idiotic enough to get in its way. Often that idiotic thing is its own kind,” Shten said, putting his hands out in front of him and cracking his knuckles loudly, his eyes busy searching the area. “Unless you can perform sorcery as well as I or you are equally as miraculous with that sword of yours we don’t stand a chance against their numbers.”

Esh unsheathed his weapon and stepped in front of Dashine, placing her between him and Shten. He helped scan the area but came up with nothing. Why had they stopped walking if their enemy was nowhere in sight? Then the hard, cold tug on his ankle answered the question.

42- The Dark Prince

Screaming skinny monsters wiggled from underneath them, a few of them even coming up between him and Dashine. He looked down to kick at its head but the face of the thing made him hesitate. As it crawled out of the ground Esh saw that the humanoid had no eyes, only empty sockets. Its jaw hung loosely from its hinges and small patches of skin clung to its bone head. It arose from the depths and stood almost two times Esh’s height.

“Neither of you move,” commanded Shten, holding himself still. “They cannot see like you and I, but they make up for it with their excellent hearing and smell.”

The wailer looked like a giant skeleton, that had been half cleaned by carnivorous animals, and its movement was stupid and jerky.

More wailers started to surface in the distance and some of them accidentally came from beneath one of their female kind. The fat hideous thing toppled over and the wailers were on her instantly. Some gave it sex while the others ate her alive. The female said nothing while they devoured her but she was able to give birth one more time.

The lanky smaller wailer ripped itself out of a see-through veined sack and stumbled around a bit before it awkwardly turned back to its mother and started to join the rest in the feast.

The closest wailer to Esh, the one with the loose jaw, had turned to the commotion so rapidly that it sent the bottom part of its jaw flying away; its tongue fell and swung limply out of its mouth spilling a line of saliva to the ground. Out of all the wailers that had emerged out of the ground, this one was the tallest. It turned its attention back to Esh and bent its long body towards him. Its limbs were as thin as thread and it tried to place an arm onto Esh’s shoulder.

By reflex or revulsion, Esh took a step back. The wailer flinched at his movement and stepped back itself, all the while letting out an enormous scream, shooting drool all over the Princess who, adhering to what Shten had said, did not move a muscle. She took the saliva straight to the face and Esh could see her throat gagging. The wailer put up two claw-like hands and hunched itself over in a defensive stance.

“Hybrid! Not one more movement! It must… judge you.”

Not knowing what Shten meant, Esh decided to trust him on this matter. As repulsive and terrifying as the wailer was, he forced himself to stand in the same position he had fallen back to and remain that way until it was done with him. For a while, the wailer just stood there, letting out random shrieks. Suddenly, an arm shot out from the underground and wrapped itself around Barish’s body. Ungracefully, the unseen wailer yanked as hard as it could, trying to bring the gladiator down into its crypt.

“Don’t,” Shten snapped at Esh, sensing his will, “If you move we all die. The wailer before you must be some sort of leader to them… Perhaps even slightly more intelligent. We may have a chance.”

The arm kept pulling at Barish’s body and Esh could hear it crying underneath for fresh meat. It grew frustrated and started to slash out at the body, cutting and slapping at it. Panic filled Esh’s head and a familiar adrenaline kicked in. It wouldn’t be long before the monster tore Barish’s unconscious body to pieces and he would rather die than see that happen. He’d lost too many humanoids he cared for.

Esh, keeping himself as still as possible, could see now that they had been completely surrounded. Every which way he looked, he saw only wailers bellowing as loudly as they could. A few of them had exchanged arms and gnawed mindlessly at them, hoping to satiate their endless appetite. The Princess was still, and he could not tell whether it was fear or courage that kept her biding by Shten’s warning. He could see the terror in her eyes as they flicked from wailer to wailer and he wished that she hadn’t drank from Shten’s potion.

The lead wailer, sensing the calmness of its potential meal, gave another scream and kept it at a constant flow. It bent down and put its head close to Esh’s, the scream now pouring directly into his ear making his brain throb. The thing was so close now that he couldn’t help but stare into its eye sockets. He could see the muscles working in the depths of them, moving an eye that wasn’t there. It sniffed at him, let its tongue lull over his shoulder pauldron, and jerked itself straight up without warning. Its head started to vibrate turning the scream into a sort of vibrato. Two wailers that had popped up behind Esh took a few steps back and mimicked the shaking cry. Even the arm of the wailer had ceased its clawing and Esh could hear its muffled repeat of the call.

All around them the wailers paused what they were doing and returned the same cry. Each of them, if they had legs, took a step back. The lead wailer halted his ear-splitting cry and the others went mute as well. All there was now was a loud ringing in Esh’s ear.

The lead wailer lowered itself, but not in its usual jerkiness. It moved slowly and smoothly, placing a hand on Esh’s shoulder as it did so. It knelt and stared at him hard before finally bowing its head. The rest of the wailers did the same as their leader and took a knee.

“And so it must be true,” Shten said, relaxing his dead body. “You are… in their eyes… a dark prince.”

“What must be true? A dark prince? What’s going on?” Dashine asked, looking over all of the now bowing and silent wailers, her mouth open in either amazement or jealousy. They did not bow to her, but they bowed to her guardian, her assassin.

Shten ignored the wailers and looked at Esh with curiosity. He probably wondered why Esh had never taken the time to explain to his fellow comrades about his special little gift, the reason why these dark things now bowed to him as if he were their King. But seeing as this wasn’t the right moment to explain anything he said, “Never you mind that, Princess. Let us make good use of this pause and leave here with our lives and our limbs still attached. You see, I have worked very hard to procure these arms of mine and I’d rather not see them taken from me!”

Esh backed slowly away from the wailer, its hand sliding off his shoulder and falling limply by its side. He picked up Barish and felt that his body temperature had decreased even further. “It won’t be long before we lose him,” he said.

“Let me feel,” said Dashine. She walked up to him and placed a hand on Barish’s neck. She gasped.

“Can you heal him like you did my Master?”

She shook her head, “The Blue sorcery does not cure this type of ailment.”

Shten had started to walk off and so Dashine and Esh followed after him, resuming the pace they had set before the wailers had appeared.

“How did you do that?” she asked him.

“I didn’t do anything,” he answered. He tried to leave it at that but her prying gaze was not going to let up. He took a deep breath and started from the beginning. They had nothing better to do anyways.

“When I was young I was basically adopted by Master Rift. He taught me everything about the assassin arts and even wanted to test my abilities as a sorcerer. The missions were tough, but nothing compared to how hard it was to grasp what lives beneath us in the world.”

“You mean the Wisps?” the Princess asked nonchalantly, catching Esh off guard. Every time he had ever heard mention of the dark energy species it had been through his own dire circumstance or through bloody history lessons. He’d never heard it brought up with such ease before.

“Yes… The Wisps… Well, if you are wondering why those things knelt down before me it’s probably because I accidentally swallowed one when I was still a young apprentice.”

The Princess stopped walking but Esh did not, his main worry still on Barish’s life. Once her obvious shock had disappeared she caught up with him and lowered her voice.

“How can you swallow a Wisp? It’s pure evil energy!”

Esh saw Shten’s ears prick up at the words ‘evil energy’ and he could tell that the dead thing was listening intently to their conversation.

“It’s not like I chose to. It just… sort of made its way inside me through… my mouth. I don't know, I can’t really explain it.”

“What? Did it want to control you? I have heard of such things happening but only to those with two bloods.”

“And I am of two bloods,” said Esh. “It did try to control me and was successful for a while. Until-”

“Until what?” she interrupted. She was hanging on his every word, her eyes wide and there was a hop in her step.

Esh looked away, “I’m not sure this is proper conversation for you, Princess.” Upon seeing her face, he instantly knew this was the wrong thing to say.

“Oh is that how it is? Am I too dainty to hear your words? It’s not like I was placed in a cage for sun-cycles on end, oh no, that doesn’t make me near tough enough to hear your scary words.” She put a dramatic hand to her forehead. “Oh dear, I might faint!” She spat on the ground and said, “Please don’t treat me like that.”

Esh felt more panic in this moment than he did when the wailers had surrounded them screaming their nightmarish cries. He was no good at this. Females were scary and the more beautiful they were, the more terrifying.

“I… ugh.. I won’t. I’m sorry, your highness.”

“No… I’m sorry. You are my liberator after all. I apologize for prying into your business. And please, call me by my name. I am no Princess in this territory.” Dashine stared at him hard, her dark eyebrows coming together in frustration. “Are you not going to ask me my name?”

Esh tripped over his feet and about dropped Barish. “Actually, I already know it. It’s Dashine.”

She looked a bit surprised but didn’t ask how he had already known. “Yes, my name is Dashine. And yours is Esh. Nice to meet you.” She did her bow quickly and walked beside him in silence, waiting for him to return the pleasantry.

Esh wanted to reply but his heart was beating too fast and a fresh batch of sweat appeared on the back of his neck. The sound of his name on her lips was exhilarating. He saw her jaw muscles working, clenching out of annoyance. He needed to act! He needed to respond! “Esh, that is my name! It is good to meet you.” Again, he about dropped Barish by trying to repeat her bow.

Dashine rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her. “I can see you haven’t had much practice with speaking to humanoids of the female variety.”

“No… Not really… I was always busy… training and such…”

“We will have to work on that, won’t we? Now, my heroic savior, please continue your tale of how you swallowed a Wisp.”

Shten stopped walking, “I’m sorry, Princess Dashine, but your savior’s epic will have to wait.”

“And why is that?” she asked in a salty manner. Esh could tell she didn’t like being told to do things, especially orders that involved waiting.

“Because,” Shten said, his head spinning backwards to see them, “We are here.”

Act 3

43 - Vexdor

This had to be some sort of joke. Dashine must have agreed, because she gave a huff of a laugh, her arms still crossed over her chest. There was nothing here. No dead trees, no corbs, no wailers, and nothing trying to kill them. Before them was only a vast wasteland with a thick, purple-hued fog. But there was something different, yet it was nothing the eyes could sense. It was the nose.

The rancid smell of the Purple territory was somehow even more nasty here than the first area they had fallen into. Esh wanted nothing more than to drop Barish, take off his helmet, and hold his nostrils closed.

“Welcome, strange travelers, to an even stranger village, the likes I am sure you have never before seen…” Shten inhaled a deep breath through the holes in his chest and let it out with a sigh of pure delight. “Welcome to Vexdor, the capital village of the Purple territory.”

Shten held both arms wide out in front of him and stood on his toes. He took another big whiff of the air and shivered.

“I don’t see anything,” Dashine said unimpressed. “You better not be fooling us, Mr. Shten. We have no time to lose with our dear Barish.”

Shten spun around with severity in his eyes. “Oh Princess Dashine, please do not be upset with your Shten.” He winked. “I shall make you see.” He walked up to her and took her hand. “I had almost forgotten that the living cannot see that which is dead and does not want to be seen.” He then bent down and gripped one of his toes, the toenails having rotted off long ago, and yanked at it.

“No! Don’t do that!” cried Dashine, putting her hands on his shoulder, trying to lift him up.

“Princess, I do not expect you to understand. You must wear a piece of me in order to see,” he said, looking up at her smiling. “I don’t feel pain like the living. Only sorcery can hurt this soul-less non-being.”

She let go of him and he went to work dismantling himself. He did not tear the toe off but instead took his time and dislocated it with a couple of harsh twists before popping it off. Dashine struggled hard to keep her eyes set on his work; she didn’t want to show any weakness. But as the procedure carried on, her resolve shrunk. In the end she turned away.

Esh watched with disgust… and interest as the monster plucked toe by toe, revealing pale white bony knobs. When the work was done, Shten stood up and followed Esh’s gaze down to his toe-less feet and gave the white joints a wiggle for him.

Esh shuddered and said, “I don’t understand how a humanoid species can be so vile.”

“Why thank you,” said Shten, ripping out a few long strands of hair from his scalp. He used a sharp tooth to pierce small holes in each toe. He then threaded his hair through each of them and tied the ends, making a gore necklace. “Place the flesh of my flesh around your necks and feast your eyes on my home village.”

Dashine grabbed one and placed it over her head, perhaps thinking that her quick bravery would overlook her queasiness. Her mouth dropped.

Esh also took one of the necklaces and placed it over his helmet and onto his neck. Immediately things became clear to him. Before him was the source of the smell, a bustling village of rotten non-beings. It was no wonder that the horrendous smell had intensified; they were completely surrounded by a dead civilization!

Something grazed his shoulder.

“What in the four hells is that?” Esh yelled, quickly stepping away from the grotesque thing that had touched him. An older looking non-being male… or was it a female? Either way, the non-being had a large growing mass on the side of its torso with long strands of hair growing off of it.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” asked Shten. “Asexual birth is really the most efficient way to give life… or should I say it is the most efficient way to create spiritless moving husks? Yes…” Shten nodded his head, now speaking to himself. “Yes, that is more amiable.”

“Do you think those awful humanoids have showed up?”

Shten looked at her and then closed his eyes. He bent down and put his ear to the ground. After a few seconds, he stood and said, “I do not feel their presence as of yet. Your trackers do not know this territory as well as I, and therefore, we may have beat them here by several hours.”

Shten led them down the middle of the street while Esh and Dashine glared at the differently sized tents and huts in which the dead things sold goods or argued amongst themselves over gambled losses. It reminded him of Zel, except for the obvious reasons.

The village was also filled with sorcery manipulators, more than Esh had ever seen! He watched as some snapped their fingers and drinks appeared in their hands, which they guzzled pointlessly for the liquid just fell through the holes in their bodies. Dashine grabbed his shoulder and directed his attention to a dead thing that had pointed his finger at an object, making it move without touching it.

“Have you ever seen anything like it? The sorcery, I mean,” asked Dashine.

Esh shook his head, unable to peel his eyes off some of the wonders these non-beings were performing and taking for granted. “No… Never.”

“I couldn’t tell whether my father was pleased or happy with the discovery of my abilities,” she said. “I was fortunate to not have stood the trials that I have heard about.”

“Yes… It is not amusing to wake with soiled clothing and an unwashed body from such a long sleep,” Esh said before realizing that he had just effectively told the beautiful female that he had woken up in his own feces. He wanted to slap his forehead and then remembered Barish.

“Barish!” cried Esh. “Shten, we need to get him treatment!”

Shten was busy shaking hands with one of the non-beings and didn’t pay any attention to him. This non-being was a particularly ugly one, with the top half of its head missing but with an intact jiggling pink brain. A corb landed on it and poked at it with its beak before snatching up a morsel of pink and flying away. The non-being didn’t notice.

“Shten!” cried Dashine, pulling him away from his conversation. “Our friend needs help!”

“Oh yes! My apologies.” He beckoned them with a hand. “This way!”

It wasn’t long before Shten stopped in front of one of the larger of the tents. He bowed and pulled back one of the curtains, “My dreadful place of habitation is now yours, Princess.”

Esh and Dashine entered and were met with all sorts of bubbling jars, alchemy glasses and beakers, and pieces of armor that had been tossed randomly on the ground. Esh recognized some of the ingredients he had read about and all of them had to do with the darker side of alchemy, potions and spells that required a host or blood.

“Here, put this on him.” Shten said, picking up a helmet off the ground and shaking the dirt out of it. Something small and hairy with three fat tails fell out of it. The hairy beast turned to Shten and scurried up his leg, hiding itself inside of his chest cavity.

Dashine moved some clutter off a nearby table and said, “Here, place him here.”

They laid him as flat as possible but didn’t want to force any movement that might overstretch the frozen muscle. Esh then slipped the helmet over his head, along with other pieces of armor that Shten had found lying around his home. Before them now lay a crumpled young gladiator with a mixture of purple and red territory armor.

“Now what do we do?” asked Dashine.

“If my studies of your species are correct and still valid, it is not smart to warm him up at a very fast rate. Much better to ease him into it,” answered Shten, placing his hands out in front of him. “I am going to sleep now and as I slumber my body will raise and regulate this idiot male’s body temperature. Do NOT leave this tent.”

“Why can’t we leave the tent?” asked Esh, but was given no response. Shten’s head had bowed and his eyes turned in opposite directions.

Esh left the tent. He spoke with Dashine until he could see her eyes starting to droop. He asked her if she wanted to sleep and she refused. Then he asked her how she had been abducted from the Blue territory and just as she was about to reply her head dipped to her chest and she began to snore.

As he walked the streets he found it strange that none of the none-beings took notice of him. He wasn’t dead, at least he didn’t think so, and surely these other things could have sensed something was off about him as he walked by. And yet, nothing. Not even a stare. One of the local merchants even offered him a free fizzing drink and some bread that was host to more than just yeast. He denied politely but the evil glare he got made him change his mind.

“I’ll try the drink, thank you very much.” He lifted the cup of liquid in the air as a sign of respect and gulped it down. It was actually quite delicious and it reminded him how hungry he was, but definitely not hungry enough to try the bread.

He liked this village much better than he did Zel. The non-beings seemed to be pleasant enough and slavery was non-existent. He was beginning to think he would have like to live here. That was, of course, until he overheard a conversation between two non-beings and how one of them had consumed their own brother. The non-being went on to say that he was enjoying him living inside of him.

This was a little much for Esh and he thought he’d better try the Green territory before making any final decisions about where to live.

He paused to see a tall non-being female, at least she looked like a female. These non-beings looked as though they had a particular humanoid sex, but if what Shten said was true, it didn’t matter whether or not they looked male or female. That wasn’t how things worked here.

The tall non-being female was speaking to a pile of limbs, brains, and torsos; he realized that all of these bodily pieces had their own minds and that they could actually speak. Some limbs were more comprehensible than others, depending on how they had been asexually produced and it seemed that some were luckier than others having been born with an arm to pull themselves across the ground or born as a brain and able to roll oneself.

He watched as the tall more complete non-being taught an important lesson on proper glyph writing. Esh was about to move along until he heard that they would be using blood as their ink. His curiosity got the better of him and so he hunkered down with the lot of body pieces to listen in on the lesson.

His adventure to take in all that he could of the dead village turned to a search for food as his belly grumbled louder and louder. Every merchant or tent of goods he walked up to sold nothing edible, at least not to him anyways. He figured his best option would be to simply get something that was alive, kill it, and put it over a fire source.

His eyes rested on a slimy long squirming worm thing with one giant eye at the end of it. It was on display in front of a merchant’s tent by the side of the street to attract customers. It preoccupied itself with slithering into odd knots, untying itself, and repeating the process.

Esh had respect for this society and hated what he was about to do… he had no currency and would have to steal from this poor merchant. All assassins knew how to steal, it was one of the first things they were taught! If you couldn’t steal without getting caught how do you think you could possibly infiltrate an establishment to assassinate a target without being detected? Stealing was level one for all assassin training.

Esh walked down the street and started his way back up but this time made sure he would walk right past the merchant’s display. As he approached he let his arm dwindle by his side, ready to snatch up the slimy worm. It saw him and raised itself, blinking rapidly.

He was just about to reach out and grab it when he sensed something flying towards him. He tried to dodge but was too late; the dagger flew by him with a successful slash across his right bicep. He gasped and held his arm, his motion accidentally tipping the display so the worm was left lying on to the ground. He sprinted behind the merchant’s tent, trying his best to disappear from his unseen enemy, but his exit was blocked by three agents. Xep had found him.

He turned to run the opposite direction but there were four more agents waiting behind him.

Without pausing, Esh jumped and grabbed on to the top of the tent, pulling himself up.

The chase was on.

He jumped from tent to tent trying to place his feet perfectly where the beams had been situated to hold up the structure. He looked back to see no one pursuing him and to the normal humanoid this was have been a good sign… but Esh knew better.

And that’s when he felt the poison take its effect on his heart rate. The rushing blood in his veins slowed and his vision became blurry. He reached his hands out in front of him to catch himself for he knew his feet would not make the distance of his last jump. His hands failed him and he hit the ground face first.

No pain came from the poison that now flowed inside his body but this didn’t mean the poison was any less dangerous. However, it did help him narrow the list of possible toxins down to two. One that would kill him and one that would put him to sleep. He turned to his back with the last bit of energy he had. He called out for his Master but the only response was darkness.

44 - Surprise Visitor

He awoke in a suspended cage. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Blurry vision was a side effect of the toxin. His hands were not bound and so he thrust two fingers down his throat so that he could vomit anything that was still inside of him. The mixture of poison and stomach acid burned the inside of his mouth as it poured out of him and out through the holes in the bottom of the cage. He then pulled himself out of his leggings and urinated. His next plan of action would be to call upon his twin, but now was not the time; he needed to get his thinking straight first.

He checked himself over and found that he had been almost completely stripped. His armor and helmet had been taken from him. There was a bundle of black in the corner of the room which must have been where they threw his belongings. At least they let him keep his under garments.

Someone entered the room but Esh could only see the outline of him. He walked up to the cage and shoved a piece of plain looking bread through the bars. As he turned to walk away, Esh could have sworn he saw a certain key shaped imprint under the agent’s robe that covered his eco-suit.

The cage bars were wide enough apart that he figured he could get his arms through if he really wanted to. He practiced shooting his arms through the rectangular openings. It was a tight fit and the cage bars squeezed hard against his biceps and triceps. It was a painful process but he worked through it. This would be his only chance of escape.

He bid his time swinging the cage back and forth while trying to make the least amount of noise. His vision came back ever so slowly but it was not to the point that he felt confident in calling out to his Wisp just yet. He decided to take the bread from the bottom of the cage and give it a sample taste. He figured they had already caught him and kept him alive, why kill him now? Plus, the bread might help soak up anything unnatural in his body. He took a small bite but couldn’t help but stuff the rest into his mouth.

Feeling a little bit better, he kept rehearsing his plan. He would let the cage come to a perfect stop, throw his body against the side while tugging at the top of the bars to create as much swing as possible. He would then shove his arms out with all his strength trying to get them out as far as possible.

He did this over and over again until his muscles created their memory. A long time passed before the agent stepped back into the tent with another loaf of bread. The agent was a female and did not look up at Esh but kept her head down. It was highly embarrassing for any assassin to be taking such orders as to feed a prisoner. Esh kept his eyes closed and pretended to be asleep or in deep meditation. He knew his eyes weren’t quite ready to be trusted but his ears were. He listened for each step trying to predict the very best moment to spring the trap.

Step. Step. Step. There! Esh flung himself from where he sat and rammed himself against the side of the cage. It swung just as before and hit the unsuspecting agent directly in the nose, spraying a small bit of blood into Esh’s face and mouth. Before the agent could flee backwards, Esh thrust his arms through the openings, setting a record distance. He gripped the agent’s throat and closed down on her wind pipe. With the mixture of pain and breathlessness, the agent became spastic and sloppy with her movement. If only she had realized that she could easily have cut Esh’s hands away with one of her daggers, but no… She gave into the panic, just as Esh had planned.

Esh could feel the female’s pulsing veins beneath his grip until finally her movements slowed and then went calm. Esh picked her straight off the ground and wrung the neck a few times just to be sure she was dead. He then spit on the bar and used the saliva to slide his right arm down to search the female’s robes. The keys were easily accessible; he felt three attached to a metal ring jingling loosely in one of the inner pockets. Esh snatched them up and let the female fall lifeless to the ground.

He held the set up to his eyes and even though they looked obscured and cloudy because of the effects of the poison, he could still tell that each of the three were different. No matter, he would try all three and surely one would do the trick.

He slid the first one in the keyhole and tried to turn it. Nothing. He tried the second. Nothing. His heart started to beat faster, hoping that all of this had not be for nothing. He stuck the third key in and felt a sharp pain run through his right arm as if he had just been stung by something. The key wouldn’t turn and he kicked the door in a fit of rage.

This was all his own fault. If only he’d listened to Shten’s warning and stayed put in his home. But no, he was too reckless. Perhaps he deserved to be in this cage meant for animals. Maybe he deserved to be caught. He wasn’t worth his Master’s training. He wasn’t even worthy of the title of assassin. Then what was he? Oh yes… A giant dumb animal in a cage.

He felt eyes on him.

“My Lord! He’s done it!”

“If you wouldn’t mind, please keep your voice down,” said Xep’s voice coming through the tent’s walls. “Now our hostage is aware that he has been tricked. Are you sure he’s been stricken?”

“Quite sure! Saw him flinch myself!”

“Hmmm… Very well. I will call the Master.”

Esh sat down holding his hand which had begun to swell and throb. Xep had used his training against him. He knew that Esh would devise a plan, he knew he would steal the key set, and he knew he would try them in the lock. The bad eyesight was just a mirage to make things seem worse than they were. To make him more desperate… and it worked.

And who was this Master? He thought that Xep was working for his own terms or maybe even for the newly appointed king, but never a Master.

Esh had a long time to sit and stew over the transpired events of his stupidity. Xep had taught him about powerful spells called banes or fool’s spells for only a fool would be so dumb as to get inflicted by one. Banes were uncommon and rarely used due to their difficulty to master. In order for a bane to work properly, the target must cast it on themselves, usually through the touching of a cursed object and cursing was a whole other route of difficulty in itself.

What sort of bane would Xep want to cast on him? What part of Esh did he want to hinder or provoke? A bane, given the circumstance, just didn’t make sense unless it was some sort of truth spilling bane, but he doubted this. There were easier ways to get the truth out of someone. But why go through all the trouble? They wanted the Princess, not him. What did they expect to get out of him?

“Open the curtain,” ordered a rough old voice.

Two hands from opposite ends pulled back the fabric and in walked a hooded, hunched-over humanoid. Behind him entered Xep with an apathetic face and both hands hidden in his robes.

“I’ve done as you’ve asked, Master,” said Xep.

“Have you?” said the hooded male.

He looked around the room, grunted, and walked up to the rocking cage. He pulled back his hood revealing an ancient pale white face covered in wrinkles, moles, and liver spots with hair protruding from his ears and nose. His hideous features gave him the appearance of more ghoul than humanoid.

With one blind eye that had grown a cloudy blue over the years, he examined the giant half breed. He had tall pointed ears, much taller than Esh’s, and both lobes held two non-being tongues as jewelry that granted him sight in this village. He kept his mouth open in a snarl, brandishing teeth that had been sharpened by hand, not by nature.

He sniffed at Esh a couple of times before taking in one large breath. He exhaled and said, “Good work, pupil. He reeks of the odor of the dark energy.”

Xep walked to the old elf’s side and didn’t even bother to give Esh a look. “I suggest we open a portal and leave this place immediately.”

“So, now you are giving me orders?” asked the elf, turning his head slowly to Xep who, for the first time that Esh could remember, looked to be nervous.

“No, Master Zygod. Forgive me.” Xep dropped to his knees and placed both hands on the ground.

Zygod gave a pleased smile at Xep’s show of loyalty. He pulled back a foot and kicked him hard in the face. Xep didn’t move nor flinch but took the full strike. Blood poured from his nose and the side of one of his eyelids had torn slightly. “Learn your place.”

“Yes, Master Zygod.”

“But you are right, we had better leave at once.”

Xep began fingering a glyph in the dirt and kept his head low when he said, “May I bring up the portal, Master?”

“You may,” Zygod confirmed. He looked back at Esh and spit a wild gloop of phlegm at him. “Fucking beast. Why the Wisps want you I’ve no idea.” He spat again. He walked up to the cage, and, putting his face within inches of Esh’s, he whispered, “It should have been me.”

So that was their plan! To hand him over to the dark energy as some sort of tribute. But what would his sacrifice bring this decrepit devil?

Either way, Esh wouldn’t give them the chance. He stuck his index finger in his mouth and bit a chunk of meat from the padding. Blood dripped onto his lap and he focused his mind’s eye on it. But something was wrong… As hard as he concentrated on his blood his twin did not appear to him. He tried squeezing the fingertip, hoping that more blood and pain would do the trick but with no results.

The bane!

That must have been what Xep had casted on the lock! He must have figured out some way to block all of Esh’s powers from wherever the evil twin lived within him. There was nothing he could do at this point but sit and wait. That’s what Master Rift would have done, he was sure of it.

“Nice try, hybrid filth,” said Zygod with such a powerful frown that it must have taken much effort to make. “How does it feel to be powerless? To be no more special than all the other half-breed garbage? Oh, and wasn’t that your chosen career? To pick garbage? Ha! How suiting!”

Zygod ran out of breath but his body still wanted to laugh and so what came out was more of a heinous cough. Death was close to this evil being, Esh could sense it.

The portal appeared faster than Master Rift’s but that had probably had something to do with the fact that Xep’s portal was alchemically created, not through sorcery abilities. The swirling was the color of red, which meant that it lead back somewhere in Reah. It was looking as if he would have no chance to escape this bind of his. All they had to do was push the cage through the portal and he would be gone.

“It is finished, my Master,” said Xep, still on his knees.

“You may rise. You’ve done this beautiful elf a great service. Now… We must take our pet and go.”

Xep stood and walked over to Esh’s cage, being sure not to get too close. He was smart; he knew that Esh’s strength out did his own and he didn’t want to end up like the suffocated agent that laid scrawled on the ground. He called a few more agents to him and together they lifted the cage and unhooked it from the hanging chain it was attached to. They tipped it over and began to roll it towards the portal’s ghastly red entrance.

“The Master enters before his pets,” said Zygod, walking into the portal without another look back. It sucked him up and he was gone from the Purple territory.

“Roll him in,” Xep commanded and the three of them pushed him closer.

Esh, with a last desperate attempt, dug his fingers into the dirt. He didn’t want to leave! He couldn’t! He still had a mission to complete! How would Dashine ever get back to her home territory without his help?

But that wasn’t really it, was it? He knew Barish could do it, for he was more than capable. So then what was it that made him cling to the Purple territory with such diligence?

As Xep and the other two agents pushed the cage harder and as Esh’s fingers felt that they would pull apart from his hand he knew why he couldn’t leave. He would never see her again.

Something small whizzed itself through the tent’s curtains and ended with a thud sound. Xep stopped pushing the cage and stood straight crying out in pain. There was an arrow sticking out of his back. Something else came bursting through the tent slamming hard into Xep and pushing him off balance towards the portal. And just as Esh had practiced, he shoved his arms as far as he could through the bars and pushed Xep with the perfect amount of force. Xep seemed to hover in the air for a moment, giving him just enough time to give Esh an impressed expression before falling through the portal.

“Barish!” Esh cried, shaking the bars with mad excitement. “Right here!”

“Well there you are!” said Barish, punching one of the agents in the face. “Been looking everywhere for you!”

Barish put his hand to his hilt and was just about to unsheathe it to meet the last agent’s blow but it was Dashine who leapt from the curtains with an animal-like cry. She pounced on the agent’s chest and went straight for his jugular with her teeth. She was successful in ripping it right out of his throat. She turned with a frenzied face towards Barish and hissed at him.

“Woah there Princess! It’s us!” Barish raised his hands in a sign of surrender.

Dashine looked over at Esh and slowly her crazed expression and sharpened teeth changed back to normal. “Sorry,” she said, wiping the blood from her face. “That’s a rather hard form to control.”

“What was that?” asked Barish.

“Later!” replied Dashine. She tried to flip over the large cage herself but was unable to.

Barish stepped up and turned the cage with ease so that the key hole was accessible. He then put his sword tip inside it and smashed his hilt with his palm. There was a loud crack and Barish swung the door open, holding his hand out for Esh to grab.

“Thank you,” said Esh, taking his hand and climbing out of the cage.

“Good… You found him,” said Shten, walking into the tent. He had covered himself in a dark purple robe made of silk that looked to be made more for lounging than fighting.

“How did you know where I’d be?” asked Esh, fitting himself with his armor. Xep was probably cursing himself for not destroying the armor earlier.

“There are no secrets here… And your friends who put you in that cage were ignorant to think so.”

There was a sound of a bow releasing an arrow followed by a shriek of pain. Esh shot a puzzled look at Barish. Everyone was accounted for in the tent, so who was the one with the bow?

“We had a little help,” admitted Barish, walking over to the entrance and peeking out.

“Who?”

“His name is Drohdroh, or at least that is what he calls himself,” said Dashine, picking up the Rektops helmet and placing it over Esh’s head. “We don’t fully trust him just yet, but he did get us this far.”

“I know him,” said Esh. He grabbed his granite sword and made for the entrance. “Or I don’t know him, but I’ve heard of him. He was a friend of my father’s.”

“That’s what he said,” said Dashine, following behind him. “If it wasn’t for his skills with the bow, I don’t think we would have made it this far.”

“That’s what you think,” said Barish.

Esh walked through the tent and saw nothing but bodies covered in arrow stems. Then someone jumped off the tent from behind him and landed onto the ground softly in front of him. Drohdroh stood up straight, turned and said, “I’ve heard a lot about you, Esh.”

45 - Harmonious Sorcery

“How did you find us?” demanded Esh.

He tightened his fists and prepared himself for a fight. Seeing the work this stranger had just done put his senses on full alert. If he dropped his guard for just a moment, it could mean his demise by way of an arrow through the eye. Anyone could show up and call themselves Drohdroh, but Esh did have to admit to himself that it was ironic that this male be just as skilled as Master Rift had said he was.

“I’ve made such a journey, drank your non-being friend’s disgusting potion of knowledge, saved your hide from a cage, and this is how you repay a friend of your father’s? I’m basically your uncle, you know.”

The male who called himself Drohdroh took a step forward making Esh flinch and take a step back.

“Why are you so jumpy?”

“I just don’t trust you,” Esh said plainly. “I’ll need proof you mean my friends and I no harm.”

The Reahlic male chuckled and displayed his hand out in front of him and waved it over the bloody scene. “Is this not proof enough?”

Esh looked over the bodies, each with a precise casted arrow sticking out of them. Not one moved. “Just because you don’t work for Xep doesn’t mean you’re not an enemy to us.”

“I see Barda was correct in placing you under Master Rift’s care. He’s done well to make you cautious but I assure you that I am who I say I am.”

The male reached into his quiver with incredible speed and Esh’s reflexes only brought his hand halfway to his hilt before the male drew out a single arrow. He flipped the feather end out and held it out to Esh to take. “I believe this will open your eyes to the truth.”

Esh looked at the arrow and removed his hand from his sword. He grabbed the arrow and held it out in front of his helmet. There was nothing special about the stem or the feather, but the tip made him gasp out loud. It was the same green granite that his mother had crafted his own sword with. “Where did you get this?” he asked, putting the arrow behind his back. “Who gave you this?”

“Who do you think?” the archer asked. He walked over to one of the dead assassins and stepped on his back. With the other hand he plucked the arrow out of the armor revealing another green granite tip.

“Did she forge these for you?”

“Every single one.”

Esh brought the arrow back in front of him and examined it a bit longer, running his finger over the edge before tossing it back to Drohdroh. “Thanks for your help.”

“You’re welcome. I’m going to finish replenishing my quiver. You and your friends better start coming up with some sort of plan.” Drohdroh walked over to another body and aggressively tore out another arrow, sending a spurt of blood into the air.

“Wait, I have some questions for you.”

“I promise,” Drohdroh said, walking over to Esh and placing a naked scarred hand on his shoulder, “You will know everything soon enough. It is too much for this moment, however. Let us make our escape first and ask questions later.” He pulled his hand away and Esh saw that his drawstring finger had long since been rubbed raw of all texture.

Esh walked back through the curtains and into the tent. His head was filled with unanswered questions and his heart pounded excitedly. Were his parents alive? And were they near? If so, why hadn’t they come for him? Why did Drohdroh come instead? Did that mean they weren’t alive?

“I think it’s best we close this portal,” said Shten, interrupting Esh’s thoughts.

“I think we’d better,” agreed Barish. “Or else they could return from the other end, right?”

“They can indeed return from the same portal that spit them out. They only need turn around.”

“So, if we don’t close it now, our only option would be to run as fast as we can, which I don’t think is an option seeing as how it failed the last time,” said Barish, gesturing towards the cage that now lay on its side.

Esh found it interesting that Barish and Shten could have a normal conversation without being at each other’s throats and he was pretty sure it had something to do with Shten saving Barish’s life. It’s hard to hate someone that saves your neck.

“Is anyone here sorcery able?” asked Drohdroh. He had just walked back into the tent with a quiver filled with arrows picked from the dead enemies.

“We both are,” said Dashine, pointing at Shten and then back at herself.

“Have either of you ever built a portal before?” asked Drohdroh.

“Yes… But I’ve never stepped foot in the Blue territory and therefore cannot conjure the correct destination.”

“But you could,” said Drohdroh, nodding his head at Dashine.

Dashine blinked rapidly and crossed her arms in front of herself, as she usually did when she felt uncertain with something. “I could, I suppose. But I am unsure on the know-how.”

“But Esh and I saw you do it!” exclaimed Barish. “You were able to help Master Rift when his energy had all but drained!”

“True, but he had already started the process and so all I needed to do was lend him my energy. And plus, I’ve never even been here before so if it weren’t for Master Rift, none of us would be here.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, with only the sound of Drohdroh sharpening a few of the arrows that must have dulled themselves in the bones of their victims.

An idea popped into Esh’s head but he wasn’t sure if it was too idiotic to say out loud. Since his sorcery was unnatural and rather random, Rift and Xep had both thought it best to just strengthen his other qualities and reduce the amount of study on sorceries he couldn’t bend.

This idea that he had seemed crazy, but what the hell, he’d give it a shot. “What if Shten somehow takes over this portal,” he said, pointing at the open red portal in front of all of them, “and just when he is about to change its destination to the Purple territory, you, Dashine, can try to implement your own.”

Dashine tightened her arms around herself and stared at the floor. She didn’t like the idea of everyone’s hopes resting on her shoulders. Shten, however, was nodding his head.

“I think it possible, Esh,” he said. “You could do it, Princess. I sense much power inside of you.”

“I have no experience with such travel spells,” she replied. “I was trained under the arts of healing, not portals. Sorcery is already looked down upon in my territory and it took much begging of my parents to get even the amount of training that I have.”

“But won’t you try?” asked Esh. “No one will blame you if it doesn’t work.”

“I think it’s worth a shot,” said Barish. “We have nothing to lose. We could always still run.”

“Whatever you kids decide, you’d better hurry up,” said Drohdroh, placing the last arrow in his quiver and standing up. “I don’t think we can survive what Xep will bring next.”

Dashine looked at Esh and he saw her cheeks blush ever so slightly. She looked away and said, “Sure… I’ll try.”

Shten walked over to the portal and beckoned the Princess to stand next to him. “I will call your name when I am ready,” he said. “All you must do is pretend you are healing the portal and focus entirely on your destination. Understand, sweet small thing?”

“Yes,” she said. “And don’t call me ‘sweet thing’,” she added.

Ignoring her comment, Shten went straight to work by placing his hands out in front of him and closing his eyes. He started to mumble to himself and the words made the air in the room grow chilly. Everyone watched as strings of gray began to infiltrate the red. More and more gray came and the red was slowly replaced altogether. Shten’s mumbling slowed just as a bit of purple took over the gray.

“Now, Princess,” he snapped quickly over his shoulder before continuing his cold words.

The Princess did not stumble nor falter in this moment of high stress. She did not hesitate to throw her hands out in front of her and begin her own mantra. Esh observed that there was a slight difference in the finger positioning of Shten and Dashine. Where Shten’s fingers were jagged and convulsing, Dashine’s fingers were loose and performing a pulling motion as if she were dragging the hurt out of someone.

Barish cursed as more purple entered the gray, but no signs of blue. Dashine’s forehead crinkled with concentration and even Drohdroh had stopped what he was doing to watch her with interest. Esh figured he had never before seen anything like this either.

A blue dot appeared in the middle of the portal and Dashine must have sensed it, even though she could not see. Her words became more confident and clear and she straightened her posture. Slowly, Shten began to pull back the volume of his own words and the temperature of the room warmed ever so slightly. The blue circle grew and started to swirl along with the gray, completely overtaking any purple that had manifested. Shten stopped his chanting and opened his eyes to watch Dashine’s work. The blue grew and grew until there was hardly any gray left, leaving a swirling Blue territory portal.

Esh’s plan was a success. Dashine opened her eyes and gasped. “That wasn’t too bad!” she exclaimed but just as soon as she relaxed her shoulders, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted. Esh and Barish tried to catch her but it was Drohdroh who had sensed it coming first. He caught her with a single outstretched palm.

“She’s overworked herself. Someone will have to carry her through.”

“I’ll do it,” Esh said, volunteering himself with a bit too much excitement. Everyone was now looking at the giant hybrid wearing the rektops helmet. No matter how awesome his armor was, he looked really stupid at this moment.

“Fine,” Drohdroh said, raising an eyebrow. “It doesn’t matter who. Let us be going.”

Without a word or any sign of hesitation, Shten walked up to the portal and was sucked right in. Esh took Dashine from Drohdroh and followed after him, trying not to show his worry.

During his first portal experience, he had taken quite a fall and so this time he made sure to cup the Princess’ head with one armored hand before stepping in.

He made one last turn of his head to look out through the tent’s opening and into the cold dead lands of the Purple territory. He couldn’t tell whether he would miss it or not. He turned and let the portal take him.

46 - Party Crashers

This trip went a lot smoother than the last, but perhaps that was because Esh knew what to expect this time. It was either that or the fact that he was holding a beautiful female in his arms.

He kept his eyes closed, only peeking every once in a while, as it always left him with a feeling of nausea. He didn’t need to see, he only needed to make sure the Princess wasn’t pulled away from him, but for some reason it was as if the portal kept them together. It was like there was adhesion between them. Still, he took no chances and kept her close to him. At one point in the long journey he could have sworn that he heard the echo of Barish’s cheering.

Fighting off sleep was an almost impossible task, especially with his eyes closed. He was exhausted from the events that had just transpired and he could feel himself drooping over into the territory of dreams. He kept his mind as busy as possible with thoughts on how he could reverse the bane that kept him from summoning his Wisp. As hard as it was, he forced himself to think back on Xep and his teachings on banes, but it was a futile attempt. He’d known only the bare minimum.

Just when he had finally lost his battle against sleep and had dozed off, he and the Princess slammed hard onto something. His eyes whipped open and he jumped up to his feet, but tripped over the Princess’ body, falling once again.

He lifted his head and opened his eyes but could see nothing while his vision took its time to heal from the effects of the portal. He heard a gasp from a crowd of humanoids that were on either side of him, followed by shouts and screams.

“Dashine?” asked a harsh and masculine voice that thundered over the rest. “Dashine!”

Esh stood back up and unsheathed his sword, being extra careful not to trip over the one he was supposed to be protecting. With his other hand, he rubbed an eye and was able to see a bit more clearly.

“Guards!” called the harsh voice which was answered by a loud in sync step of boots, followed by a single battle cry. “Seize them all! Bring your Princess to me!”

There was another battle cry and the boots started to close in. Esh’s mind buzzed with possible scenarios that he could carry out. He went to bite off a piece of his flesh but again had forgotten about the bane. And so he turned to the deep voice; through his one good eye he could see a large male, even larger than himself. His chest was broad and hairy and was covered in all sorts of shiny jewels. Putting two and two together, Esh realized that this must have been their King.

There was a loud sucking noise and Barish plopped out of the portal, landing hard on his head.

“Oh shit!” he cried, holding his skull with both hands. “Ahh! I can’t see a thing!”

Another sucking noise and out came Shten who landed much like Barish but didn’t seem to be bothered by it. He stood up and slid a finger in the side of his eye socket. He pulled out one eye at a time and rubbed them on a soft layer of his purple robes before popping them back in. There was a shrill cry of disgust from a humanoid in the audience.

At that moment, Drohdroh fell from the portal. He landed on his feet in a small trot.

Esh watched him pull some vial out of his pocket and pour the solution in both of his eyes. He threw the vial over his shoulder and Esh caught it with his free hand. He then mimicked what Drohdroh had done by squirting some of the liquid into each of his eyes. The effects were instant; his sight was back and just in time to see an oncoming fist aimed at his face. He dodged it with not half a second to spare.

“Wait!” Esh cried, waving his weapon in the air. “We cede! We cede!” He put his sword down and kicked it far from himself and finished by putting both hands in the air. The guards picked up his weapon along with the unconscious Princess.

Esh looked over to Drohdroh, who was mimicking his moves by laying down his bow. He was in complete compliance with Esh’s plan. It was Barish who had a bit of trouble turning over his greatsword, but one evil look from Esh made him finally relinquish the weapon.

The King strode to his daughter with a confident grace but everyone could tell he was very close to dropping all trappings of regality for his precious daughter had finally returned. He grabbed her from the guard and squeezed her tight into his chest hair, which made Esh about gag. Barish was sticking his tongue out in disgust.

“Oh my little loveliness! You’re back!” He pulled her away from him and put two fingers on her neck and, feeling a pulse, handed her over to a female who must have been some sort of medic.

The King turned to them and flexed his chest making both nipples bounce. He held out a hand and one of the head guards handed him a large staff made of ebony. It came to a single razor-sharp point and was encrusted in blue gems. He pointed it at them with both arms and said, “You’ve made a wise decision, slavers.” He walked over to Shten. “And what about you? Do you have no weapons of your own, non-being?”

Shten was too busy gawking over the palace to hear what the King had just said. Esh, himself, found it rather hard to concentrate. Never had he see so many beautiful things! Everything upon everything was adorned with gold, silver, and gems. This included the walls, furniture, and even the eating utensils.

They were surrounded by what must have been a hundred Ballahranian’s that had shoved themselves as far away as possible from the trespassers.

They wore white robes and their dark blue hair was decorated with golden pieces of jewelry, but none dared wear the amount that the King wore.

However, the most interesting aspect of these merhumanoids was the fluffy mass that floated above each of their heads. Esh had been taught about these things were called clouds, puffs of water vapor that were alchemically created to constantly give the Ballahranian wearer a moist fog around their gills, allowing them to breathe outside the water. The King’s cloud wasn’t a soft white at the moment, but a deep black.

The guards that surrounded the unfortunate four wore golden suits of armor. Their helmets were made of heavy duty metal with a face plate covered in spikes, which made a headbutt strike a lethal maneuver. Along their backside was a large golden fin that stuck out of their back which, for their species, was both aesthetic and pragmatic.

“The King has addressed you, slaver!” said one of the guards closest to Shten. When Shten did not respond the guard sent the butt of his polearm at his ribs but it was no good; the polearm went straight through the meat and stayed there. It was at this time that Shten gave him attention.

“Ahh yes, please excuse me.” He took a long and deep breath, his chest expanding to an unnatural extent. He bent over backwards. He grabbed his sternum with both hands and ripped apart his rib cage revealing a curved blade hidden inside of himself.

A few Ballahranians on either side of the palace room fainted and fell to the palace floor. A few others vomited in their hands. Even the King, with his rugged and bearded face, looked to be trying to hide his repulsion.

Shten stuck a hand deep inside of himself. His eyes moved a bit aimlessly as he searched for what he was looking for. “Ahah!”

With a swoosh of his arm he pulled out a massive scythe, along with a string of yellow slime. He grabbed the staff with both hands and elongated it. A flick of his wrist unfolded the blade to an upward position. The guards bent down and held their weapons out in front of themselves, ready for combat at the King’s commands. Shten looked absolutely terrifying. He was half dead and now held a gigantic scythe that needed two hands to support.

“And here you are. My apologies your highness,” Shten said with a smile. He handed over the scythe to one of the guards who with a bit of reluctance, took it and about fell over from its weight.

The King cleared his throat “Ahem… Court is now in session! Bind them all and bring them before me.”

The guards did as they were told, grabbing each of their wrists and tying them behind their backs. They were then brought into the middle of the palace where their knees were kicked out from beneath them.

“I am a just and patient King,” he said as he sat himself down on a sizable throne which looked to have been crafted from a blue and gold scaled animal. “And it is because of this that I have been chosen to rule this territory. Speak your story and you will be tried.”

47 - The Trial

And it was true. The King was patient and allowed Esh to explain his story. He kept the finer details of his upbringing and training, including the symbiotic attachment of the Wisp, out of the story. He explained that he had rescued the Princess from the red king of Zel and that it was with the help of Barish, Shten, and Drohdroh that they were able to get her home. He even explained how it was they were able to understand the Ballahranians, through the drinking of the potion of knowledge.

The King did not say a word throughout Esh’s long winded story. He would only nod his head at certain highlights and stroke his beard when he found something to be of interest.

“And that’s how we ended up here, through the help of Shten and Princess Dashine’s sorcery abilities,” Esh said, completing his epic.

The King sat silently for a little while longer. Esh couldn’t read his face to be for or against him, but it was the jury that rested themselves on either side of the King that made him nervous. Their faces showed that they were obviously not believing a word he said.

“If what you say is true then that would make you and your three companions heroes of this realm. Wouldn’t you say?”

Esh shrugged, “I guess, your highness, although I did not rescue the Princess for any amount of glory.”

“So, you seek no reward?” asked the King bewildered.

“No sir,” said Esh. He could feel Barish’s eyes burning into him but he refused to look at him.

“I see…” said the King. “It would have been an excellent plan for the ones who had abducted my daughter to have counterfeited themselves as heroes by returning her after a time. But this cannot be the case, since you seek no gold or rank. And if this is so, why did you risk your life to save my daughter?”

Esh fell silent. Barish, Drohdroh, and Shten all looked at him curiously and it was overt that they were now wondering the same. And what was Esh to say to the mighty King of the Blue territory? That he’d fallen in love with his daughter’s eyes mid-battle at the tourney? No, that wouldn’t do. It sounded absolutely ridiculous! He wanted to tell the truth but the truth wasn’t feasible anymore.

“It was my Master’s plan all along. He instructed me that through his sources he had found that your daughter had been captured and handed over to the Red king. It was a mission, nothing more.”

The King nodded. “I believe I and the court have heard enough. Through our judiciary system I will grant my own judgment for or against you. Then, it will be time for the last two parties, the ones sitting on your right and left, to cast their votes on you as well. Innocent; you walk free. Guilty; execution. Do you understand these terms?”

“If we’re found guilty we get executed? Seems a bit hasty, don’t you think your Kingliness?” asked Barish who tried to stand up but was forced back down on his knees by the guard standing behind him. “And with no chance of a new trial?”

“This is how my courtroom works, Reahlic. If it had been any other case, execution might not have been the ultimate punishment.”

“I see…” Barish said, looking nervous. He could hear the angry murmurs of the other two parties just as Esh could.

“And let it be known that I, King Gran-Aguil, cast my vote as innocent. We may now hear from the resting two parties.”

And there was their chance. The King had found them innocent and there was no possible way that the other members could go against the King’s ruling.

“Guilty!” came the right.

“Execute them!” came the left.

All of them except for Drohdroh gasped and looked around, stunned as to what they had just heard. King Gran-Aguil let out a deep breath and stood. He was handed his ebony spear as he marched down from his shiny blue throne.

“Your highness, with all due respect, it doesn’t seem like your court has heard any of our words!” exclaimed Barish as guards grabbed his tied fists from behind.

“I share your confusion, young male, and I wish this court of wise Ballahranian’s had found a different ruling… But our laws and ways cannot be broken! You have been tried justly and therein you all shall be executed immediately.”

“But wait! Just ask the Princess!” yelled Barish, struggling against the guard behind him. “She will tell you!”

“She is incapacitated at the moment and I will not bother her with any more of this nonsense. Prepare yourselves.”

A boot was placed firmly on the back of Esh’s neck and he was forced to the ground, his face smashed on the damp wooden material. He could see through the cracks something massive and blue that moved delicately and smoothly below him. It was the ocean! He had never seen something so beautiful in his entire life. Too bad he would never be able to explore it.

Esh shook the negative thoughts out of his head. With his peripherals, he could see the King, walking up to him, flip the spear over and hold the point a few feet above his head with both hands. He brought the spear down with a swift motion and without warning.

With no other option, Esh spun himself out from underneath the heavy boot, tearing his cheek slightly open in the process. There was an uproar in the crowd just as Drohdroh sent his head flying backwards into his guard’s chest, sending him flat on his back. Drohdroh then pounced on the guard and used one of the spikes on his helm to cut his bindings. He then grabbed the guard’s polearm and chucked it at Esh.

Timing the trajectory and positioning of his wrists just perfectly, Esh let the polearm soar through his own bindings and was even able to catch the very last bit of its staff.

“Esh! Over here!” cried Barish who was now running towards him.

The King, stunned by this outcry, stood with a dumbfounded look. He could not process the idea that justice had just been denied from him.

Barish jumped awkwardly with his hands behind his back and landed flat on his face in front of Esh’s feet. He was wiggling his fingers when Esh cut his restraints.

“I need a weapon it seems,” he said, going back to back with Esh. “Guess my fists will have to do for now!”

The King shook off his confusion and replaced it with a giant’s rage. The face below the fluffy dark blue beard turned a deep purple and spittle flew from his mouth as he howled, “How DARE you!”

“How dare we?” asked Barish, ducking a power swing from one of the guards and grabbing the polearm just below its blade. “You just want us to stand still as you cut each of us down? I don’t think so! We saved your daughter, for four heavens’ sake!”

Barish pulled the staff, forcing the guard to lose his balance. Then, using his head literally, he slammed the top part of his cranium directly into the staff, sending it flying out of the owner’s hands and into his. With a quick series of movements, he now had the polearm’s edge at the guard’s throat. A flash of hesitation crossed the King’s face.

Esh knocked an oncoming attack out of the way and performed the same technique as Barish, taking a second hostage.

“We’re innocent, your highness,” Esh said, turning himself and the hostage towards the King, “and therefore we are not going to be executed this sun-cycle.”

Shten, still gazing around the room on his knees, seemed completely oblivious to all the commotion. He was being so quiet and peaceful that even the Ballahranian guards had forgotten about him.

And where was Drohdroh? Esh could have sworn he’d been there a moment ago, but now… he was gone!

“Lay down your weapons!” bellowed the King. “You have been served your justice! Come quietly now and you will receive a merciful death!”

“We call shagra shit on your justice,” said Barish. He was moving up and down on his feet, a unique fighting style that mimicked his charisma.

“Don’t worry about us, your highness!” said one guard under Barish’s hand.

“We’ve made our oaths!” added the one under Esh’s control.

The King looked to ponder the idea for a moment and Esh could tell this was a hard decision for him. “Very well, the children of Ballahran will sing of your courage!” the King hoisted his weapon and pointed it at them. “Kill them!”

The guards sprung from every direction; some even held their spears at their own comrades’ throats in order to give them a speedy death. There was nothing Esh and Barish could do. Their fate seemed to be death by skewer.

“Stop!” cried Dashine frantically. Esh whipped his head around to see her leaning against her father’s throne, gripping the fish net that hung over its side for support. She was looking utterly perplexed and exhausted. “They are innocent!”

The wooden palace went dead silent, all except for the calming waves that splashed beneath them. It was the King who cleared his throat. “My dear! You’re awake!”

The massive male dropped his ebony staff and ran like a father to his daughter. As they embraced, she was quickly sucked up and hidden away in the hair on his head, chin and chest. “My dear! Oh how I’ve missed you!”

Dashine lifted her head through the mass of hair and whispered something into his ear. He nodded his head several times as she spoke, before finally placing her down on his throne.

He took the crown off his head and placed it on hers. “This ought to do before we seek yours from your room.” He kissed her on the cheek and he turned to the court. “I, the King, have just taken special hearing from Princess Dashine. She has spoken to me what I believe to be the truth. Any of you who deny your Princess’ words will be tried for treason. I find our four saviors to be innocent!”

Barish and Esh exchanged glances and then both smiled at each other before dropping their weapons.

“No offense my good friend,” said Barish, patting his ex-captive on the shoulder. “I was never going to slice your neck, honest!”

The King looked around and, unhappy with the silence of his court, raised his arms in triumph and shouted, “My daughter, your Princess, has been returned to us! Let us celebrate!”

The court took this as a cue to mean ‘celebrate or else’ and began a false wave of cheers and whistles.

Esh and Barish, feeling safe for the first time in a long time, ran to each other and hugged. Then, realizing what they were doing, pulled away and acted as if nothing happened.

48 - The Banquet

There was a large feast later that moon-cycle. Ballahranian of all different statuses had been invited. Some wore wet drabs of clothing and looked as though they had just come straight from their labor, while others wore extravagant garbs and dresses.

The females wore jewelry through piercings in their gills and many of the richer-looking males fashioned sandals that were elegantly woven around their webbed toes. Everyone was talking so cheerfully that it seemed as though they had forgotten all their worries from earlier.

Esh, Barish, and Shten were all seated around the King which, upon seeing the shock on the faces of the rest of the dining guests, must have been a marvelous honor. Drohdroh had not shown up but the King assured the three of them that he had his best guards out searching.

“Surely he has heard about our innocence,” said Barish. He picked up his golden goblet and took a big slurp of some alcoholic beverage.

Esh stuck to his liquid, he wanted to keep his mind fresh. “I agree. It seems word travels fast with these gossiping humanoids. If Drohdroh is smart he will be listening to his surroundings. But still…”

“But what?” asked Barish, “Why don’t you indulge yourself in this amazing food and relax! You and I have been running for sun-cycles on end! We deserve a break.”

“Well, I was thinking. Let’s say Drohdroh has heard about our innocence, which I’m sure he has, why hasn’t he returned?”

“Because… our new friend is wise,” Shten said. He also took a sip from his goblet and watched with amusement as the liquid poured out of his chest and into his lap.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Like Esh and I aren’t wise? I was a teacher at one point!” Barish slammed his goblet on the table. The alcohol must have been getting to his head.

“Not now, Barish,” said Esh. “What do you mean, Shten? Why is he wise for staying away?”

The King interrupted Esh’s question with a heavy slap on the back that nearly took his breath away.

“Ohhh you!” he said, alcohol heavy on his breath. “You’re the one who saved… my daughter!” He stumbled a bit and caught himself by placing one large hand on the top of one of the guest’s head. He straightened and said, “You… and your friends… shall always be welcome here!” He did the customary Ballahranian bow and the merhumanoids who saw this gasped loudly.

“I—ugh… Thank you, your highness,” said Esh. He tried to repeat the bow but failed miserably. This made the King laugh joyfully.

“I beckon you… walk with me a while,” said the King.

Esh looked at Shten and Barish; they both shrugged their shoulders. Esh stood up and was grabbed by a strong half embrace with one of the King’s hairy arms, turning him and wheeling him away.

“Say…” the King said. “I see the way you look at Dashine… Beautiful, isn’t she?” He burped.

“She is,” Esh agreed nervously. It was hard to breathe under the King’s tight, sweaty grip.

“Speaking of which… Look here,” he said, pointing towards the entrance to the palace.

Two female Ballahranian servants pulled the wooden doors open. Standing in the middle of the entrance was Princess Dashine, dressed and ready for the celebration. Esh’s heart did a flip for the sight of her was intoxicating.

She wore a long dress that trailed behind her and was split at the waist revealing her thighs. The dress itself shone bright with the same beautiful blue that adorned the palace walls and throne. The females in the room all turned to give fake faces of astonishment, but they were obviously very jealous of this female’s magnificence and the way she captivated the room.

As she strode forward in her elegant stride, Esh’s gaze walked up her body and rested on her hair that was neatly put up and tied with golden ribbons. Her eyes were on him.

“Remember to breathe, son!” the King roared, slapping him hard again on the shoulder.

He was right, he wasn’t breathing. Did he even remember how?

“Hello Father,” Dashine said with a bow. Her eyes flashed to Esh and she said, “How are you enjoying yourself, Lord Esh?”

Lord? He’d never been called a Lord before. Come to think of it, he didn’t think he’d ever been called sir before. He didn’t deserve the title of Lord… but it sounded so good coming from her lips.

His tongue was tied but he was lucky enough to spurt out, “Good… Ahem… Good! Thank you, your highness.”

He bowed poorly and she and her father both laughed.

“I’m glad you are enjoying yourself.” She looked around the banquet, “Well, I better make the rounds, as is customary for a Princess. I leave you two handsome males to your business. Lord Esh, may I please be honored as to acquire some of your time later?”

There it was again! Lord Esh! Oh how great it sounded.

“Why, of course!” Esh said a little too loudly. He was reminded of his first horrible experience with the opposite sex.

“Great!” she repeated in the same tone as if to save him from more embarrassment. She turned, patted someone Esh did not know on the shoulder and struck up a proper conversation.

The King forced Esh’s face away from the goddess and they continued their casual stroll.

“She reminds me of her mother,” he said in a soft voice. “We lost her many sun-cycles ago, when Dashine was young… But that’s another story.” The King exhaled through his nose. “I looked at her the same way you look at my daughter.”

He stopped walking and Esh looked up at him. He’d fought so many enemies up to this point but had never felt this level of fear. What he was afraid of he wasn’t quite sure. Perhaps he was afraid of the King’s disapproval or worse… his forbidding of Esh seeing Dashine ever again.

“I’m looking to unify these four territories. What an honor it would be if the Blue territory turned out to be the peace bringers. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? No more wars, no more racism, and an abolishment of the slave trade. Maybe, just maybe, you are the one for my Dashine.”

Esh choked and coughed on his own saliva at these words. The King laughed heartily once again and tried and failed to help him breathe again by pounding on his back.

“Easy son! I shouldn’t have dropped such a burden on your chest like that! You’re no good to this Kingdom if you’re dead! Ha!” The King grabbed another goblet of drink from the top of a tray a waiter was carrying on his shoulder. He drank the contents in one slurp and slammed the goblet into the ground with a roar.

A just and primitive King he was.

“What say you, Lord Esh?” asked the King in a sudden seriousness that heightened Esh’s nervousness.

“Well, ugh… your highness. I…”

The King’s eyes bulged from his head as something bright and covered in blood slid out of his chest.

“Noooo!” Esh cried out, making the entire banquet of humanoids turn their eyes to him.

The King eyed the sword that stuck out from his torso with confusion. He fell forward and Esh caught him. Standing behind the King stood Zygod, hunched over and rubbing his hands together.

“Hello again.”

49 - The Lurid Link

There was chaos everywhere. The Ballahranians screamed and ran for their lives in random directions. It was the guards that kept their heads and did as they were trained to do.

“Protect the heir!” they screamed. “Protect the heir!”

“Father!” wailed Dashine. Esh watched as she was forcing her way through the turmoil towards her father who lay in his arms. The guards grabbed her by both arms and wrenched her to the side. “Let go of me! I command you!”

They did let go of her.

“No!” yelled Esh. “Stay away!”

But it was too late. Zygod pulled his hands apart and a green orb appeared between them. He chucked it at the Princess and it struck her in the ribs, sending her flying and smacking against the far wall. She fell unconscious to the floor.

A roar escaped Esh’s mouth as a familiar dark anger exploded deep inside of him. He laid the King down and drew his blade as he charged.

There were more screams coming from the party guests as the room was being invaded by agents who were cutting and slicing at anything that moved and was not one of their own. They were led inside by Xep who, when he spotted Esh running towards his master, began walking in his direction. How did they manage to get inside the palace without being seen?

Zygod paid no attention to Esh, but was busy picking his nose and flicking a booger off his finger. Esh dashed a few more steps and slung his blade at the warlock’s head but it was no use. The elf ducked and rammed both of his palms into his stomach, and held them there. Esh couldn’t move; he was paralyzed.

“So very predictable. If only you’d had the right training.” The decrepit elf closed his eyes as he concentrated on keeping the paralysis spell alive. Slowly, the elf pulled back one of his hands away from Esh’s body and rummaged through his garments. Esh watched as he pulled out two small daggers connected by some sort of string.

Esh gritted his teeth and tried to move but his limbs would not respond. He could imagine himself bringing his sword backwards and cutting the monster’s head off. He could even feel his arm move, but they were only phantom senses.

Xep was closing the gap and was almost upon them when Barish and Shten stepped out in front of him.

“I don’t believe you two were invited,” said Barish, his greatsword hoisted over his shoulder.

“We must disrupt the elf’s spell!” yelled Shten, opening his chest and pulling out his scythe.

Barish and Shten went back to back, Barish facing Xep and Shten towards Zygod and Esh.

“Take care of these fools,” spat Zygod. He let one dagger fall and dangle by the string. With one quick motion, he shoved the other dagger straight into Esh’s gut, twisting it as he did so.

Esh screamed through a mouth that would not open, blood pouring from his nostrils.

Shten leapt forward, spinning his scythe in both hands; he used the momentum to bring the tip of the blade down on the top of the elf’s head but it was blocked by Xep, who had used his agility to get past Barish. He caught the scythe with two crossed daggers held above his head. He pushed the scythe up and made a cut at Shten’s neck. Shten jumped back and stood by Barish’s side.

Esh was bleeding out quickly and could feel himself losing the world around him. He concentrated on the pain until it was only a vibration, one that did not cloud his mind. Xep’s back was now to him. Such an easy target taunted him. If only he could break the spell. If only he could move. He could deliver a blow and bring justice and peace to his Master’s death. If only.

Barish and Shten attacked as one but Xep was able to send Barish’s strike directly into Shten’s scythe. Shten pushed forward on his weapon and Barish used this momentum to slash again at Xep who only had to take a step back and let the sword fly.

The battle between the guards and agents was still carrying on around the palace. The guards outnumbered the agents four to one, but the agents outnumbered the guards in skill ten to one. It wouldn’t be long before the agents finished off the last guard and turned their attention to the real fight.

Zygod smiled; his eyes were still closed. He reached for the other dagger and, without any sign of hesitation, plunged it deep into his own gut and twisted. Esh felt an instant drain of energy as if his soul were being dragged from his body. And it was just so.

A black energy replaced the blood that poured from his stomach and it began to topple over itself as it crawled across the vile bridge Zygod had created.

“Yes… Yes!” Zygod cried. “I can… FEEL IT! Unlimited power! I have been waiting so long. Welcome back, unholiest of energy! Welcome home…”

The fight between Barish, Shten, and Xep paused for a moment as they turned to watch the dark sorcery take place. It was Shten who interrupted Xep’s astonished gaze with a surprise attack. Xep was able to block without turning his head towards the strike. The fight continued.

The black goo was pouring out faster and faster. Zygod’s stomach started to round as it filled with the black substance. Finally, there was no more room in the elf’s body. With nowhere else to go, the Wisp power chose to devour Zygod’s exterior. It wasn’t long before the elf was completely coated in the stuff.

“Yes! MORE! MORE!”

The elf rubbed himself with his free hand, his mind in a state of ecstasy as the goo poured into his ears and into his mouth.

Esh was feeling weaker and weaker as his life source drained from him. His eyes drooped but they shot back open after Barish made a horrific cry.

Xep had caught the greatsword again in a crossed dagger block, pulled one dagger away and stabbed Barish’s fist. Barish, with a surprising amount of force, punched Xep right in the face with the dagger sticking out of his hand. Xep wiped a bit of blood from his nose and eyed his bloody palm with an impressed expression. How long had it been since he’d taken a hit?

Xep moved forward with intense speed. He withdrew the blade savagely from Barish’s fist. He then spun and sliced at Barish’s stomach with both daggers. Organ’s spilled from Barish’s gut and onto the palace floor.

Barish fell to his side and died.

At that moment, Esh’s mind nearly shut itself down. He could not cry out, he could not audibly mourn. His first friend, disemboweled right in front of him. The paralysis kept his body from expressing his sorrow which made the emotions inside him so much worse.

Shten, feeling the pause in everyone’s disbelief, took this moment to shove Xep out of the way with one strong kick while simultaneously slashing his scythe’s point directly into the elf’s black goo covered head. It stuck.

Shten let go of the scythe and it hung in the air sticking straight out.

Xep picked himself back up and stared at his defeated Master. There was no more reason, no more incentive for his being there. His Master was dead and there was no longer a profit to this failed mission. Esh watched him silently back away into the fray, using the disorder to his advantage.

“Where do you think you’re going, traitor!” groaned Zygod in a deep demonic voice. The black mass shot out a large hand and caught Xep by the torso. It closed its grip tight and reeled itself back in.

Esh caught Shten’s gaze and made a gesture with his eye movement towards Dashine. Shten understood. He made his way through the battle, grabbed the Princess and made for the exit.

Xep’s arms, still holding both daggers, were crushed by his sides. A patch of goo melted away revealing Zygod’s face smiling ferociously from his new dark energy armor. The black arm picked Xep up easily and brought him face to face with the Wisp surrogate.

“I never did trust you. Once a traitor, always a traitor.”

Xep was biting at the goo with his teeth when the Wisp monster gave a fatal squeeze. The top of Xep’s head popped and bodily matter shot from the top and the bottom. When the black hand released what was left, a slush of humanoid fell to the ground in a sloppy pile. Zygod turned his attention to Esh.

“Now…” it said, “We can finish up our business.” It gestured to its black runny body. “Thank you so very much for holding onto this for me. You’ve taken such good care of it.” The face laughed maniacally.

The black goo stream coming from Esh’s body slowed as the last of the supply ran short. A bloody puddle formed at his feet and he could see his reflection in it.

His face was sunken in and his arms looked like sticks. He looked to have aged fifty years… but he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything anymore. He felt strangely good and it reminded him of an old lecture Xep had given him when he was young. He had told him that humanoids who died of suffocation or blood loss could often have a final feeling of euphoria before passing on. This was probably what he was feeling.

The face was still laughing when a swoosh sound of an arrow passed over Esh’s right ear. The arrow hit Zygod right in the forehead. The monster gave out a gruesome shriek as arrow after arrow flew past Esh and straight into the screeching elf’s face. The onslaught of arrows made Zygod stumble backwards a few steps, just enough that the dark bridge of the daggers pulled themselves apart, snapping the life line. Esh fell sideways onto the floor, the paralysis spell lifted.

“Whuh? No… No!” cried the demon.

The black goo froze its movements on Zygod’s body. It trembled a bit before melting completely off the elven warlock and creeping back towards Esh. It crawled up his legs and onto his stomach. It lathered itself over the protruding dagger and yanked it out before shooting itself straight through the open wound and into his body.

Esh had lost all sense of reality in this moment. He was awake but dreaming. He was with his Master, the father he never had. They were training, then they were picking up trash, and then… they were laughing.

Rift put an arm on Esh’s shoulder, “Time to wake up, lad,” he said.

Esh came back. He felt… amazing! Empowered even! He jumped up to his feet and scooped up his sword. Before him was a hunched over warlock working on his own face to heal his wounds.

“You don’t belong here in this world,” Esh said simply, his face more disapproving than angry.

The elf straightened himself and turned to Esh. His face held four new terrible looking wounds where he had ripped out the arrows. He smiled and Esh saw that the Wisp goo had dissolved the teeth out of his mouth, leaving his gums purple and rotten. He looked more comical than menacing. Zygod moved his hands in a circle and created a barrier which caught a few more arrows that flew towards him.

“I won’t fall for the same trick twice,” he cried out to the archer before turning his attention to Esh. “Now my filth, attack me! Avenge your friends!”

“I, also, won’t fall for the same trick twice.”

“Not a complete fool after all,” Zygod said with a sneer. “But that face! Look at that filthy hybrid face! You look like you have some confidence to you! Look around you! You’re surrounded!”

The guards had been defeated and the palace doors had been sealed shut to prevent any Ballahranian reinforcements from entering. Agents surrounded Esh and looked to be ready to pounce at any given moment. It made no difference; Esh had one final plan. He would die from it, surely, but he would finish this once and for all.

He gave it no more thought. He stuck his hand out in front of him, the same hand that had triggered the bane, and chopped it off with one swing of his granite sword.

50 - The Severing of Sorcery

He called upon his inner Wisp twin. One last time.

“I was almost free of you, Master,” said it.

“You were. How’d it feel?”

“How’d it feel to almost have command of this world? Pretty good…”

“Too bad,” Esh said.

Time was slowed almost to halt. Esh walked up to Zygod, whose face was that of astonished horror. Esh used the tip of his sword to position both of the elf’s hands outwards. Then, with a single slice, he cut both off.

“That takes care of his sorcery abilities.”

“That it does,” said It.

“Are there any more sorcery outlets for this one?” asked Esh.

It gave a painful face and said nothing.

“I order you to answer!”

“Yes… his feet,” It said.

Esh pushed Zygod over and cut those off too.

“Kill all the agents while I rest.”

It bowed his head and went to work.

Esh sat down and tried his best to slow down the blood loss. The strange thing was that the pain hadn’t hit him until that moment. His body went rigid as waves of pain ran up his arm and into his brain. He tried his best to keep his nub elevated but the warm blood ran down his arm and into his mouth, making him gag.

“It is done,” said It.

“Open… the doors…” Esh managed to say through his agony. “And leave me.”

He did this and Esh went unconscious.

51 - Healing

The services for the dead King lasted thirty sun-cycles. In all that time, Esh did not see Dashine. Not once.

When Esh awoke one sun-cycle later from the incident he was told that Barish had been found barely clinging to life and that the main sorcerer of the Kingdom, with the help of the dark sorcery of Shten, was able to freeze and sustain his life for a limited time. Esh visited Barish every sun-cycle and spoke to him as if he was able to hear him. He thanked him for his sacrifice and even made fun of the dumb way his face was frozen.

He spent the rest of his time with Shten exploring the city above the ocean. He hadn’t seen Drohdroh, not until the evening of the fourteenth sun-cycle.

Esh had just finished a swim, for he had fallen in love with the body of liquid. It felt soothing on his body and calmed the pain in his stitched-up nub. He was sitting on a lower wooden platform when he heard steps on the ladder behind him.

“Want some company?” asked Drohdroh.

“Sure,” Esh replied, not bothering to turn around.

“I’m sorry,” Drohdroh said, sitting beside him. “I know you cared for Master Rift; we all did. He was an honorable humanoid and he will be missed. And as for Xep, well, that loss hurts me as well… but the lust for power can infiltrate the best of us I suppose.”

Esh said nothing; he just nodded his head.

“I think now is a good time for questions,” said Drohdroh. He took off his boots and put his feet in the liquid. The body heat in his legs created a thick white steam which scared the fish that had come to nibble on Esh’s toes.

“Who sent you?” Esh asked, already prepared with a list of questions.

“Why, your mother and father of course,” he said nonchalantly.

“They’re alive?”

“Well of course they are… Did anyone ever tell you that they were dead?”

Looking back, Esh realized that Drohdroh was right… He had never asked if they were dead or alive. He’d just always assumed they were.

Drohdroh put a comforting hand on his shoulder, “I actually came here to let you know that I will be leaving and taking Barish with me. I know a place that can heal his wounds.”

Esh pulled his feet from the liquid and turned to Drohdroh with a crazed face. “Where? Tell me!” he demanded.

“Calm down, Esh. Come see for yourself. Come meet your parents in the land of the fifth territory.”

Esh shook his head in disbelief. Had he just heard correctly? “Fifth territory?”

Drohdroh nodded and took his hand off his shoulder.

Esh turned back to the blue splashing liquid, thinking for a moment. His mind was filled to capacity with questions. How did Drohdroh get here? How’d he know where to find him? How did he know he was in trouble? How did his parents get to the fifth territory in the first place? Why did his parents leave him?

With all these questions buzzing in his head, he only asked one of them.

“When do we leave?”

Before Esh was the most massive animal he had ever seen. It was almost as big as the Ballahranian city he stood in and was rounded like a perfect boulder.

At the tip of its body was an enormous mouth filled with thousands and thousands of minuscule razor-sharp teeth. Above the mouth was a small dot of an eye that moved and watched the humanoids below it.

The animal, they called a Jugthram, filled its lungs with air and used its natural sorcery powers to suspend itself in the sky for long amounts of time.

The Jugthram was used as a means for humanoid and supply transportation between and above liquid cities. Apparently, the body of liquid was too dangerous to traverse for long distances; there were too many big predatory fish.

The Jugthram was also very well paid for its work with lots of love and food. Esh, Shten, and Drohdroh would be using their very own Jugthram named Bion to move to the uncharted territory. Or at least, uncharted to most.

“All packed up?” asked Drohdroh carrying his bow, quiver, and a bag of clothes.

“There was nothing to pack up. I wore all that I owned,” responded Esh, not taking his eyes off the amazing beast.

“Same goes for me,” said Shten.

“Hmm… how sad,” said Drohdroh.

The Ballahranians had placed a wooded bridge between Bion and the platform. Drohdroh and Shten made their way along the path with the ship hands that were busy loading the Jugthram with essential supplies.

These workers included mostly volunteers, Ballahranians who wanted an adventure and even included a few other humanoids from different territories that had traveled long distances having heard of the chance to find a new home. How they had found out about this journey, Esh had no idea.

All of this would have been amazing to him but he couldn’t get his mind off of something.

He looked back at the palace that rose high in the sky with its pointed towers. He imagined Dashine sticking her head out one of the windows and blowing him a kiss when the captain of Bion called out to him below.

“Better get on board! We are about to hit the skies!”

Esh didn’t answer but trudged onto the bridge, his heart depressed. He felt guilty about his wish to see Dashine. She was probably sick with sadness at the loss of her father. Now she had no one. Who better than Esh to know how that must have felt.

Esh boarded Bion and took some time to rub the beast’s skin. He was surprised when Bion responded by cooing and humming at him, shaking the entirety of the bridge he walked on.

All the humanoids, now boarded upon the wide deck on the beast’s back, stood on the side to wave at all the humanoids below as the Jugthram sucked in air through its mouth and ascended into the heavens. There was a strange feeling in the pit of Esh’s stomach as they soared through the white puffs in the sky. He finally had started to feel a little better when a breathless Drohdroh hurried up to him.

“Esh! Come quick… Something has boarded with us. Something… deadly… two… already dead! Hurry!”

Esh rushed after Drohdroh, drawing his blade and subconsciously grateful for the distraction. They sprinted across the platforms that had been fitted all across Bion’s back before Drohdroh stopped at the supplies door. He opened it, revealing a dark stairwell.

“Down here,” he said. “Be ready.”

Esh followed him, keeping his steps as quiet as possible. His heart beat rapidly and he couldn’t help but feel excited. Hopefully all this down time hadn’t made him sloppy.

They made it to the bottom of the stairs, their footsteps creaking on the old wood.

“Spread out. Call out to me if you see anything,” Drohdroh said, racking an arrow.

“Same to you,” Esh whispered.

They went in opposite directions. It was pitch black in the supply cellar with only the lines of light that came through the cracks in the walls to traverse by. Esh had stopped counting how many boxes he had run into. He would surely be killed by whatever was in here if he didn’t stop making so much noise.

Something moved across the room.

“Drohdroh!” hissed Esh. No response. “Drohdroh!” Still nothing.

Esh crept towards the noise, his senses on full alert. Whatever it was, it had taken down Drohdroh without a sound. The most dangerous of killers were the most silent.

The noise had stopped by the time he made it to the other end. And so he waited, his sword held in his left hand.

The noise started back up again and this time he pinpointed a box from which the sound was coming. He moved towards it slowly. Once he’d reached it the noise stopped again.

“Gotcha,” Esh cried and shoved the tip of the sword straight into the side of the box.

Silence.

Esh squinted his eyes in confusion and used his hips to move the box a little more in the light. He pulled his sword out and used it to pry the top off. The black beast sprung from the depths of the crate and pushed him against the wall. Before Esh could even react his lips were met by another pair of lips. He knew whose they were and he kissed them back.

“Good to see you again, Lord Esh,” Dashine said, putting her head on his chest. He put a hand to her cheeks and felt their warm stickiness from recent tears.

“Please, just call me Esh.”

The Adventure Continues in “The Fifth Territory”

Coming Early 2018

Message to the Readers

Hello there! Stevie here!

I wanted to thank you sincerely for purchasing this book and to say that I hope you had fun with your time in the world of the Four Territories. This is my first of many Epic Fantasy novels and I had an amazing time writing it.

If you have a moment, it would help me out TREMENDOUSLY if you could write a quick review on this book. Your review helps me more than you know and I would personally like to thank you if you decide to do so. Please email me at: Stevie.Fiction@gmail.com I reply to all of my fans and would really love to hear from you.

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Dedications

A big thank you to my best friend, Wesley Beaver. Thank you for sharing your ideas with me and for allowing me to play in the sands of them. This world is for you!

“A” Collier, my brother, thanks for always putting a fire to my furnace of creativity. (I know that’s lame, but don’t laugh. It’s true.) Your constant encouragement reassured me of my abilities and kept me writing.

To my mom, you always believed in me no matter how crazy my endeavors were. You were always there for me when times got tough and you will always be my number 1 fan. Promise.

To my dad, I know High Epic Fantasy is exactly the opposite of what you enjoy but you always stopped what you were doing to listen to my ideas on how to market this book. Thanks for listening.

To my beautiful girlfriend, Jessica Fox, thank you for putting up with my writing when I could have been on the couch watching tv with you or taking you on dates. Thank you for not only understanding but for believing in me as well.

To my wonderful grandparents, who would rather read and watch westerns but take occasional breaks to listen to me talk about elves and orcs. :)

I love you all. Thank you for your support.

Special Thanks to my Beta Readers:

Moises Herrera

Garret Notttingham

If I have forgotten anyone please let me know!

About the Author

Stevie Collier is an American Fantasy Author who has just graduated University with a degree in Business and a degree in French.

When he isn’t writing dark and epic fantasy you can find him at the gym pumping iron or running with his spoiled white Siberian Husky named Spartacus.

He loves watching movies (Horror, Action, Comedy, and ANYTHING Star Wars) along with a lot of anime. A LOT of anime. Not to mention that he is also an avid MMORPG player!

He grew up with way too many creative ideas in his head and so he had to make a decision. Either sit and write down all his stories... or allow his brain to explode fantasy all over the walls.