《Monsters Dwell in Men - B2: Jehovah's Harmony》


 1 Sinister

    1 Sinister


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    Saint Jericho - "I swallowed the darkness. It did not swallow me."


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    As I paced towards the king of Bastion, a sea of blood surrounded me. My own steps caused ripples in the red pools, and in the eyes of the once noble ruler, a madness born of fear refused the sight in front of him.


    Dozens of corpses decayed on the ground and across the walls. My clothes remained clean at the center of this massacre, even though I was the titan who ripped them apart. I wanted to eat what was left of these people, yet I withheld that desire from those around me. Few things estrange a person as quickly as eating your enemy¡¯s remains.


    The lavish tapestries carried the colors of Bastion, white and green in honor of their god, Gaia. Twelve gems circled the leaves of a vast tree, and a ring, smooth on the inner edge and spiked on the outer one, encompassed the entire spectacle. The roof above us arched over a hundred feet in height while a gold trim embroidered the white marble that composed the entire spectacle. The large windows allowed light onto the king¡¯s throne at all times of the day, creating an illusion of holy grandeur as long as the sun passed through the sky.


    Intimidating the man who sat upon that throne proved far more difficult than I anticipated, yet I never doubted my own talents in that regard. Even before Deluge molded with me, I already owned a peculiar glint of cruelty. That malice grew over time, and at that point in my life, I¡¯d evolved into a rather callous creature.


    Drawing from that ruthlessness, I listened to the king¡¯s words without sympathy. He spoke them in a voice intermingled with absolute disbelief and fervorous panic,


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    I lifted an arm covered in the black, scaly skin of a hydra before a set of burning white talons grew from my fingertips. I grinned with sharpened canines and the slitted eyes of a predator. I growled out in a deep, haunting voice,


    ¡°I am the death of your god and the beginning of a new era. I am the darkened one.¡±


    The words left my lips with a strange impact. On one hand, the king paled at the declaration, yet on the other, a colossal golem stood in silence while the queen of razor¡¯s floated overhead and giggled. A light smirk formed on my own face before I leaned closer and said,


    ¡°Now tell me, where is the remnant of Gaia?¡±


    The king¡¯s eyes glanced around without any hope for escape as he said, ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve come here?¡± After he realized there was no hope for freedom, his eyes hardened before he hissed, ¡°Do you intend to kill our people then our god?¡±


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    I laid my face in my hand for a moment before I lifted my face towards his. As I did so, I said, ¡°What is it that you want?¡±


    The king glanced around in confusion before I continued speaking, ¡°I ask as a form of insurance. You see, the best way for ensuring someone¡¯s compliance involves knowing what they hold dear. In your case, I may guess at a few of the more important pieces.¡±


    I lift a hand out towards my side, glancing towards the claws on my fingertips as I say, ¡°On one hand, you care for your own life and the life of your guards I¡¯m sure. The guard¡¯s lifes served as an example of my potential for destruction. Your own life, on the other hand, may be bargained for yet.¡±


    I clasped my stretched hand into a fist as blood coagulated on my fingers while my claws retracted. With a tone both cruel and adamantine, I say,


    ¡°Refuse me and I will kill each of your relatives in a wave of carnage your empire has never seen, and in the wake of my massacre, your precious empire shall fall and collapse, along with your lineage.¡±


    The old man¡¯s face cringed and wrinkled as drops of sweat dripped down his forehead. After I gave him a curt moment of deliberation, I snapped, ¡°Then this is the end of everything-¡±


    He shouted, ¡°No, no...I¡¯ll tell you. Just...please, leave my family out of this.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said with a serene calm, ¡°I¡¯ll leave you alive as well if you just give me what I want.¡±


    He blinked for a moment before he spoke with disbelief dripping from his words, ¡°You would spare me?¡±


    I grinned as I said with a near familial warmth, ¡°I¡¯m not quite as demonic as your religion would believe I am. I¡¯d rather not kill you.¡±


    My amiable smile transformed as the light in my eyes dimmed while my smile warped until a crooked grimace appeared, both violent and menacing. With a voice like ice, I said, ¡°Though the proclamation of before still stands.¡±


    His eyes glanced around at my companions before he closed his eyelids, and after deliberating for a second, he said without opening his eyes, ¡°The remnant is within a crypt underneath Saint Jericho¡¯s chapel. You¡¯ll find it in the catacombs.¡±


    As he finished his words, a spark of realization caused the hairs across my skin to bristle while a smile encompassed my face. This smile carried no warmth, however. The expression opened my eyes far too wide while the sharpness and number of my teeth made my face both inhuman and sinister.


    With the king gasping in horror, I turned towards Aether and Razor as I said, ¡°It appears as though the Arcanum is Lying to Joan.¡±


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 2 Story

    2 Story


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    Fredrick Glass - "The arcanaum had a way of filling the underbelly of society. It had been around for only a few decades, yet it had put its fingers into every part of society. By the time The Darkened One was marching to Nelastra, it was a decisive force. Fortunately, Saint Jericho took care of them before Nelastra''s fall."


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    Hmmm, I suppose starting elsewhere may illuminate more of our story. Elaborating on why we killed the king may give you a breadth of understanding you¡¯ve yet to attain despite the sharpness with which you¡¯ve listened. Introductions are in order. My name is Jack Donovan, and I¡¯ve been traveling all of Alta in search of a few pieces left over by Gaia. Our world worships her, yet I know of her darker origins. I know of the remnants she left behind.


    These monolithic slabs brimming with souls corrupt the creatures and earth near them. They¡¯ve warped this world, so after they warped my own life into a gnarled bunch of barbs, I aimed to destroy them. My story seems simple at first glance, yet the path I followed involved many twists and turns, like a winding road through a calm countryside.


    The events became convoluted after I met a parasite named Deluge, though parasite may be the wrong term. He¡¯s more of another mind who shares my body. He is my closest friend, and yes, I would normally never tell another person that I¡¯m friends with a voice in my head.


    He¡¯s given me the tools I need for accomplishing my lofty goal, and with his influence, I have persevered through trials that would rip the limbs from my shoulders and melt the skin from my body. With a group of other like minded individuals, I went on a journey across our world in search of these remnants. It was during these travels that I realized a great truth of this world.


    Everything I understand was a lingering lie.


    My past mentor, corrupted by priests of the church, died by my hand after a harrowing battle. These scientists were pawns of the palisade, the pinnacle authority of the church. Even with the assistance of Deluge, I couldn¡¯t save my mentor, yet her death fueled a fire burning in my soul. Since my stay at the university of Mareovosa, a menacing wrath had grown in my chest. With these half hidden coals heating my fury, I went through a journey towards Nelastra, the capital of the empire, in search of the three remnants rumored to be there.


    Despite the bizarre nature of my quest, there were those who followed me on the odyssey, though they were equally outlandish. The titanic golem I mentioned before was with me from the start, and since he once lived as a tree that pierced the clouds, I named him Aether, meaning upper air. Even with his near impractical kindness, he was a strong, amiable ally, and I enjoyed learning about his life.


    The queen of razors also walked, well, floated with us. Her methodical and motherly approach gave a fresh perspective for my young mind, and her overwhelming capacity for carnage made for a useful bargaining chip in a pinch. She left her colony to help me, but I never really understood her intentions, even now.


    This left two others who went on the journey with me, Sophia and Joan. Sophia joined us with a resolve matching my own as she lost all she had ever known. Joan, the love of my short, somewhat shitty life, carried a white mark streaking across the tan complexion of her face, and using that scar, she wielded powers matching my own. Well, mostly.


    She lacked the enduring stamina of my own abilities, but Joan was a capable member, and Sophia¡¯s knowledge proved more than valuable in countless instances. Even with these allies, we spoke little as no member owned social skills worth noting, besides Deluge¡¯s scathing wit which was the voice in my head.


    The first few days of our departure from Mareovosa passed with the slow drawl of a lazy sunday. Like cats lounging in the sun, we walked without any real urgency. This ended after we paced into the first village we came across, Dresdel.


    I say we, but only Joan, Sophia, and I entered into the village since Aether and Razor would evoke a panic. The rare and costly amor I wore, hydra skin, garnered more than a few strange glances by itself. By the time we reached into the town¡¯s central pub, many of the townsfolk talked of a traveling assassin surrounded by two hostages. It was a gritty greeting, uncomfortable as swallowing sand.


    However, since I was otherwise known as The Darkened One, being hailed as an assassin proved useful in more ways than one. Using this disguise, we each attempted collecting information from those who stayed at the inn.


    With her white hair and scar like lightning down her face, Joan garnered attention as a passing royal gemchainer. Gemchaining equated to the highest form of combat on the continent of Alta, and since Joan had been a chainer before, she could play the part without making any meaninful mistakes. On the other hand, I struggled with my disguise. Jack, the dark, dangerous murderer didn¡¯t particularly suit me. The perfect example presented itself when I spoke with the head craftsmen of the village.


    After my initial analysis, I¡¯d walked across the cobblestone road leading to the stone arch over his quaint, bricky home. Hard taps of heel on stone rose all around my ears while the warm stone welcomed my feet. Ivy grew on the left side of the house while a balcony adorned the right, each with their own set of pottery embellishing the windows present on both sides. With the sun overhead, a sheen of yellow glossed over the entire scene, and I couldn¡¯t help but wish for a similar home of my own one day. Like a grandmother¡¯s embrace, the house healed not as a shelter, but as a home.


    After giving the front door a few light taps, a man with a gray beard and kind eyes walked out the entrance. His well worn hands carries the scars of his craft. Unlike many elders, he breathed and moved without struggling. If anything, he matched the vigor of a child as he glanced up at me with a knowing glance before he said with a curt refusal, ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna give you nothin tah murder anybody with.¡±


    Right as he slammed the door, I caught the edge of the frame before I leaned until our eyes met. The light gray of my skin shocked him like an eldritch eel, yet after he heard my voice, a piece of him gentled,


    ¡°Rather than tools for murder, I aim for tools more suited to my talents. Would you happen to own a violin or harp, preferably one with durable strings?¡±


    After he looked me over once more, he bursted into laughter before he said with his husky voice smiling, ¡°I half expected yah to kill me when yah stopped the door from closin. How about a glass of tea as an apology?¡±


    With a genuine grin tracing my lips, I said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to accept, if only for the charming company.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a seat over there. Make yourself comfortable.¡±


    I nodded before I walked past innumerable tools and trinkets lining a desk at the side of his room. Since my weight could crush a wooden chair, I denied his offer. I sat upon the stone edging of his fireplace, content with the pleasant heat of fire warming my back. After he set a kettle of water over the iron roofing of his fireplace, the man said,


    ¡°My name¡¯s Alfred. What¡¯s your¡¯s?¡±


    Taking a risk, I said my real name, ¡°Jack Donovan. I¡¯m a roaming musician who¡¯s had his instrument stolen while on my way to Nelastra.¡±


    He nodded before he said, ¡°Aye, the roads ain¡¯t safe anymore. I heard that even Mareovosa had been overrun. It¡¯s a damn shame.¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Mareovosa had been the center of education for the empire before the palisade purged it due to my presence there. The situation ended in the death of many students before I destroyed the abominations the palisade had created. The reminder left a bad, bitter taste like sloshing cod oil in my mouth. With these memories flashing in my mind, I winced before I said,


    ¡°It is. Any news about what happened there?¡±


    Alfred shrugged before resting on his rocking chair, sitting smoother than a cat¡¯s landing. After lighting a pipe of tobacco, he said, ¡°Not much. The only news we heard was about a so called demon that there callin The Darkened One. Even the oracle made a prediction, or so they say.¡±


    I said, ¡°Sounds like the world¡¯s crumbling.¡± before I added, ¡°When I camped with a merchant on my way here, he told me that the church is setting a crusade against that monster.¡±


    Alfred raised an eyebrow before he said, ¡°A crusade? We haven¡¯t had one of those in over three hundred years. Them¡¯s was dark times accordin to history. Even the plagues weren¡¯t as bad as that.¡±


    I nodded my head in agreeance before he opened a pot on the edge of the stool beside him. He grabbed a generous portion of brown leaves from the basin before he placed them into the kettle. After stirring the brew with a wooden spoon, he placed the kettle¡¯s cap over the pot and sighed. Placing the spoon on the stool, he said,


    ¡°You look pretty young lad. It¡¯s hard tah see someone like you talkin about the grimmer parts of the empire. I half expected yah tah mention how the slave trades been doin well here recently.¡±


    I placed a hand on my chin before I leaned onto my knees and said, ¡°Really now?¡±


    He grimaced before he said, ¡°There¡¯s been way less golems than normal in the market. They used tah be right rare, but now there nearly as expensive as a dozen homes. There good for a 100 years of hard labor usually, so they drive the price of slaves way down. Without them, there¡¯s nothing stopping the nobles from enslaving more people.¡±


    ¡°Slaves are usually in demand right before summer, but they shouldn¡¯t be ballooning too much?¡±


    He leaned towards me before he said, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear this from me, but I heard the arcanum is helpin cause it.¡±


    I pursed my lips before I said, ¡°Who are they?¡±


    The old man grinned before he said, ¡°Either you¡¯re a good liar or you really are a roamin musician, mister Donovan. The arcanum are a...well a underground society of sorts. They control a large part of the black market for all things illegal. You¡¯d be wise to stay away from them.¡±


    I nodded before the side of my neck flexed off impulse. I¡¯d dealt with the arcanum before, though I didn¡¯t know it at the time of doing so. They kidnapped students and indoctrinated them before forcing them into the bodies of golems. It¡¯s a dark and forbidden form of soul forging, but the results are inarguable.


    Since a more developed mind produces a more powerful golem, human souls match high tier monster¡¯s in quality. A human spirit creates an unbreakable seal with near infinite energy to draw from, but doing so makes slavery look like charity by comparison. The indoctrination process inflicts a cumbersome amount of pain on the individual, and being trapped in a cold, unfeeling body for eternity sends chills down the spine of even hardened veterans.


    So the arcanum had caused a fair amount of turmoil in my life, and destroying them would bring me a deep sense of satisfaction. Gathering the remnants of Gaia took priority however, so I replied after the moment of thought,


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep away from them. They sound shady at best and evil at worst. Thank you for enlightening me as to who they are.¡±


    He shook his head before he said, ¡°You already know who they are. I can tell.¡±


    My stomach sunk for a moment before he raised a palm towards me while saying, ¡°Now, now. I don¡¯t mean no trouble by sayin that. I just wanted you to know you ain¡¯t that good at hidin your involvement.¡±


    ¡°Was it that obvious?¡±


    With a spark of life in his eyes, he grinned in response while saying, ¡°An old man has his ways of knowin. What matters is what you intend to do to them.¡±


    The genial atmosphere changed in an instant as I gazed towards the fire behind me. My eyes closed to slits while my large hands clasped into fists harder than stone and heavy as a hailstorm. With a confident and knowing voice, I say,


    ¡°I aim to end them.¡±


    The old man froze in place before the kettle on the iron squealed. Alfred jumped in his seat before he scrambled for two clay cups and struggled despite the ease of his actions before. After he poured two glasses of the steaming liquid, he sat in his chair, saturating in silence.


    With a sincere guilt, I said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have shared that. It is not your burden to bear.¡±


    Alfred shook his head, ruffling his long gray beard. He sighed before he said, ¡°It ain¡¯t your fault son. I done pried where I shouldn¡¯t have. I just never expected you to be so fierce. It¡¯s like you got two faces.¡±


    I fought off a grin before I said, ¡°You may just be right.¡±


    I downed the tea in an instant before I turned towards him and said, ¡°I¡¯d love to sit here and chat more, but I wouldn¡¯t want to frighten you any further.¡±


    He stood before he said, ¡°You came for an instrument, right? I got me some in the back if you wouldn¡¯t mind waitin while I get em. I¡¯ll even give yah a discount on account of my rudeness. What do yah say?¡±


    Even though I already revealed more than I intended, Alfred desired a jovial departure, so I gave in and said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll see what you have.¡±


    A smile, large and inviting, bloomed on his face before he walked towards the back of his store. Few things equal the delight of the elderly, so I waited with a patient surveyance of my surroundings. My eyes saw more than they expected.


    The tools dawning the walls carried a grand level of detail, but tiny pieces on each of the tools carried hooks or pointed edges that seemed unremarkable at first glance. After inspecting closer, I noticed how each of the tools would prove deadly if used with these sharpened edges in mind.


    He had hammers with claws honed to a razor¡¯s edge. Monocles with piano wire as the base of the string that drapes across the shoulder. He even owned a pair of gloves with a slit-like pouch underneath the palm. A thin, handleless dagger could fit in there without any struggle, ready and primed for piercing an unsuspecting victim¡¯s neck.


    Just as I came to this realization, I heard the creaking of wood behind me. As I turned, a seven inch dagger plunged into my side before Alfred¡¯s face came into view. Instead of the affable smile of before, a savage grimace lined his face, red with several veins bulging from his thin neck.


    This old man had been a producer of assassin''s tools for the arcanum. The entire time I had believed his facade while clawing for information about anything of value. Instead, he gleaned the information he needed from me while giving the impression of a worried old man. I¡¯d been fooled.


    My guts turned to water as my insides ruptured before leaking blood swelled inside my throat and rushed out my mouth. The man removed the dagger before he lifted his left arm upwards while tossing the dagger upwards with his right. The moment he began pulling his left hand downwards, he caught the dagger in the hand.


    The fluid motion resulted in him digging the blade into the side of my neck before a second had passed. He anticipated my death from such an able assassination, but he failed to understand the gravity of his situation.


    The short saber pierced straight through the carotid artery of my neck, and the suffering almost blinded me. Like liquid fire flaming up my neck, I grit my teeth as I ailed, yet I smiled. I jerked a hand outwards while wrapping my fingers around his neck, careful not to break him before I learned anything.


    He no longer disguised his surprise as the blood leaking from my mouth crawled back up my chin and into my maw. The wound on my side already regenerated, and as I pulled the dagger from my neck, I laughed with a callous cruelty.


    I pulled him close as I said, ¡°Who do you believe I am?¡±


    His face contorted in confusion as he squinted his eyes towards me for a moment before they widened with awareness. The merciless glance of before shattered as all his composure crumbled like ash. Color drained from his face as he whispered,


    ¡°Y-you are...The Darkened One?¡±


    Lifting an arm beside his face, a spike, soaked in blood and my misery, grew from the center of my palm. My eyes opened wide as I said,


    ¡°Apt, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I pressed the spike into the side of his cheek before the dagger stabbed through his lips. The wet drip of blood on my hand and the shivering of his skin ignited my hunger. With the strength of one finger, I pressed the bottom of his jaw closed, preventing any screams. Panic and frenzy fell onto his features as he squirmed in my hand, but I held with the embrace of an iron maiden. I allowed no hope for him. It would be better if he gave in quickly.


    After removing the spike, I grinned with a near gleeful radiance before I said, ¡°You will tell me what you know before you die. It is in your hands to decide how excruciating your death will be.¡±


    Before I allowed him to reply, worms covered in my skin crawled out of my face as I said, ¡°I promise you, it will be altogether unique.¡±


    <hr>

 3 My company

    3 My Company


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    The Exiled Saint, Kade - "I helped them. I slew unimagineable beasts and ripped apart their enemies. I gave them everything, and they asked for more. They didn''t want my faith. They wanted my soul. They wanted a slave."


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    The nastier details I¡¯d rather skip, but by the time he died, I learned quite a few important details from him. The horror may seem unnecessary, but I¡¯d like you to understand a simple fact. He was ready for what a normal man could do. I could tear off his fingernails and he wouldn¡¯t say a single word. I could gouge out his eyes and he¡¯d never let loose any truth. By using Deluge¡¯s skills, I cut the interrogation to only a few seconds instead of a few hours.


    Without any practical means of disposing the body, Deluge took over our conscious before he ingested the man¡¯s corpse. He also absorbed the man¡¯s soul into consolidation, the pool of souls he collects. I¡¯ll elaborate later, but for now, I¡¯ll say that becoming a part of consolidation is neither painful nor awful. Think of it as a sort of union of memories.


    Regardless, I left Alfred¡¯s house after taking a violin and leaving a suitable sum for its purchase. He may have had a family, and they may need the gold for the rough times to come. I give no mercy for those who assault me, but I wouldn¡¯t wish starvation for his family as well.


    With this in mind, I traveled back towards the inn where I spoke with a few of the other patrons. After drinking more than a few mugs of ale myself, I ended up playing a few songs for the people there. By the time Sophia and Joan arrived from their observation of the city, I was playing with two arms over my shoulders as several drunkards laughed and shouted beside me.


    The entire romp permeated a heavy, almost suffocating nostalgia through my chest. I¡¯ve been a part of many parties in my past, and that ended with half a village slaughtered. Still, fragments from those times remained good memories.


    These thoughts raced through my mind as Joan and Sophia glanced from across the room. Being a part of the group, I noticed just how out of place they were. Joan¡¯s short, white hair slid out from the edge of her leather hood while the brown tunic she wears hung over her curves, accentuating her seductive figure.


    She¡¯s lithe and athletic compared with most women, but that same hardness gave her an independence I found compelling. The sight always energized me and reminded me why I love her. She never needed me. Instead, she chose to share our lives, even though I¡¯ve exiled her from her from her previous life.


    On the other hand, Sophia lacked a provocative appearance, but her white, gangly frame and short height gave the undoubtable impression of a noble. That and her callus free hands implied a life free from working on a field, unlike everyone else present.


    While it is true that Sophia¡¯s never swung a hoe or milked a cow, she had a sharpness in her glance that left warriors unsettled. Her hands moved with the careful consideration of a surgeon while her steps were short and steady. Her eyes shifted around the room without her head moving, so she picked up details without others noticing her scrutiny.


    Both stuck out like missing teeth in a man¡¯s smile, though they both appeared far more pleasing to the eye. Regardless, the palpable anger radiating off them shocked me from my feigned stupor as I slid towards them. Pacing over the well polished mahogany floorboards, Joan propped her weight onto her hip while Sophia crossed her arms. They seemed more than peeved.


    Without faltering, I grinned as I approached and said, ¡°Care to chat young ladies? It¡¯s rare to see such fire in the youthful, and-¡± I leaned towards joan before I stroked the edge of her hair, ¡°It¡¯s even rarer to see such grace.¡±


    She swatted my hand away, but the gesture¡¯s slow and playful instead of annoyed. Sophia on the other hand snapped her words like a whip across bare skin,


    ¡°You told us to be inconspicuous. Tell me, how is this is this inconspicuous?¡±


    I leaned close before I pulled them towards me and whispered, ¡°Keep your expressions normal. A man attempted killing me earlier. The situation devolved, so we¡¯d best regroup outside the village and form some sort of plan. I have a few ideas of my own.¡±


    They turned towards me before Sophia murmured, ¡°Did you have to kill him?¡±


    I frowned towards her, and with a surprising hardness, I said, ¡°He was a seasoned killer. If not for my restorative powers, I would be dead twice over.¡±


    She lowered her glance towards the ground before she said, ¡°Alright then. I guess...I guess you had to.¡±


    Joan placed her hand onto Sophia¡¯s shoulder while saying, ¡°Have some faith in him. I¡¯m certain he had no other choice.¡±


    Joan turned towards me before saying, ¡°Right?¡±


    I nodded before I said, ¡°I won¡¯t let those that try killing me live. Deluge rather enjoys the carnage. I find it distasteful, though often necessary.¡±


    Joan rubbed the side of her head as she said, ¡°Ah...I doubt I could kill someone, even if I needed to.¡±


    I said, ¡°It¡¯s easier than you¡¯d imagine. When you face the guilt in the aftermath, that¡¯s where the difficulty lies. I pray neither of you will ever experience that sinking, hollow feeling.¡±


    Their eyes sombered before I interrupted the mood by saying, ¡°Forget what I said. For now, let¡¯s regroup with Aether and Razor. Best not to dwell on subjects like these.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    We ended up leaving the town with a few heartfelt goodbyes from the other inn goers. Music and drink brings people together, and since my musical skills received recognition even at Mareovosa, I offered one of those delights at all times.


    Music wouldn¡¯t prevent the town from putting a killer on trial. Whenever the townsfolk would discover the death of Alfred, I would fall under suspicion as I came to town rather recently. Understanding this and the implications of the fact, we hurried towards our camp outside the city.


    The sun set as we reached the encampment several miles from town. Our campfire casted the surrounding forest in a shifting blanket of dim light, and the casted shadows contorted into strange shapes. Even the simplest of nature¡¯s creations became eerie abominations when put in the proper light, yet Aether fought this with his mere existence.


    A blue glow radiated off the runes tracing across his polished, black surface of a body. He was a golem you see. A collection of living, black metal in his case. Standing at over 8 feet in height, he made my imposing 6¡¯8 frame appear scrawny by comparison. His hands, large and solid as they were, could carve immaculate imagery into stone, and his voice emanated a deep calm.


    Before Deluge had freed him, he sat imprisoned for several thousand years. Even with his brutal strength and nigh invincible body, he touched those around him with a peculiar gentleness unique to him alone. He lived in a world of glass, and his movements respected the fragility of everything around him. To represent him in a single word, he was kind.


    His size and shine left our encampment safe at all hours, and as we discussed our investigation around the fire, he listened while glancing at the stars overhead. Joan discovered a prostitution ring in the city since one of their recruiters confronted her. They operated in conjunction with the arcanum, so I figured halting the activity may weaken their organization. It gave me a goal for the night.


    This discovery inflamed my curiosity, but just before I set out, Sophia mentioned another interesting fact. She spoke with the town¡¯s apothecary, and after several hours of discussing alchemical procedures, she discovered one of the town¡¯s myths. Myths often offer a heaping of gibberish with a grain of truth upon the top, so we listened to her as she said,


    ¡°There¡¯s a story about how a beast to the north has been invading towns. They made it sound like a flying reptile, but everyone believed the creature was a noble beast who subjugated the surrounding villages for food.¡±


    Joan replied, ¡°Like a dragon?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°A dragon?¡±


    They glanced towards me with disbelief plastered on their faces. As I remember the events, my ignorance of all the stories and tales told to children resulted from my life up till then. My parents taught me at my home rather than letting a priest do the same in a church. As a result, my education splintered from what most people were taught.


    I learned of song and music instead of religion and history. My mother¡¯s voice and my father¡¯s words carried all the lessons I needed in life, though my instruction lacked a few key points of development. This instance highlighted the lagging pieces while emphasizing the noble upbringing of both Sophia and Joan. That difference reared its ugly head more and more as our journey continued, but more of that will come later.


    Fortunately, Aether and Razor understood little of human folklore as well, so in her echoing, almost tangible voice, Razor said,


    ¡°I would like to know as well, if you wouldn¡¯t mind telling me.¡±


    Joan and Sophia glanced around before they giggled with one another as if remembering who they traveled with. In the steady cool glow of Aether¡¯s blue, Joan and Sophia explained what they understood of dragons, but I won¡¯t bore you with the details. You¡¯ve likely read a story or two of the sort, so their tales will tell you nothing new.


    However, for the three of us who had never heard so much as a word about dragons and the like, we soaked in the words like a dry sponge submerging in water. We asked many questions, and by the time the lesson ended, Joan¡¯s eyes slid open and shut with exhaustion.


    Noticing this, I clapped my hands while saying, ¡°We should let Joan rest. Besides, Deluge would enjoy all of your company.¡±


    A groan escaped Sophia¡¯s lips while Joan said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you all go without sleeping.¡±


    Razor replied, ¡°Our biology differs from yours heavily, but I do sleep, though I sleep less since I left my colony. Jack and Sophia never sleep, unless they¡¯ve been gravely wounded.¡±


    Since they¡¯ve seen the those grave injuries in person, Joan and Sophia cringed at the comment before I said to Joan, ¡°I sleep as often as you do. Deluge takes over my conscious whenever I rest. I couldn¡¯t stay awake for so long as Sophia does.¡±


    Sophia smiled at the border of light between Aether¡¯s blue glow and the orange light of the campfire. She began talking about the alchemical processes with Aether as they often kept each other company during nights. Her childlike enthusiasm infected Aether before they chatted by the fire about our travels so far with Razor. I longed to join them, but other tasks took priority.


    On the outskirts of our encampment, we placed a pile of gleaming Alexandrite in a circle. These crystals held many of the souls from the creatures we¡¯ve killed for food along the way here, and they radiated a pleasant warmth without the risks involved with fire. Deluge allowed this since these specific gems held the souls forever, unlike other gems like topaz or amethyst.


    He hated holding souls in gems as it went against what he was made for. When we first fused, he wanted to absorb and assimilate everything on earth so that he could hold it all in consolidation. Gems could hold souls, but only on a temporary basis since the souls leaked out. This would be like salting the land of a farmer.


    Alexandrite was the one exception. The heated gem warded off other creatures as well, though Aether¡¯s presence acted as our best deterrent. These little pieces of safety let Joan sleep without stirring, under most circumstances at least. She still lived out her past horrors in her nightmares, but Joan was strong. Her determination pushed through many obstacles up till that point, and no doubt that iron plated will of hers would take her even further still.


    Without needing to, I carried her over towards her bed in my arms before I set her down on her pallet. I glanced over the sharpness of her features and the way her hair takes the tone of whatever light she¡¯s in. In this case, a dim violet.


    The scar running down her left side, more like a bolt of lightning than an old wound, carved webs of white down her face and right side. As I set her down, her head turned to the side of her dirty pillow. She had already fallen asleep in my arms.


    She was raised as a noble before circumstances stole everything she¡¯d ever known away from her. I caused those circumstances, and a part of me regrets each day of peace I stole from her. Still, seeing her sleep soundly eases that dull ache in my chest, and as my own exhaustion weighed down on me, I spoke with Deluge,


    ¡°I take it you¡¯ll obliterate the prostitution ring while I sleep?¡±


    In his haunting and sinister voice, Deluge grumbles, ¡°Hah, hah, hah. Of course.¡±


    I shake my head before an irrepressible grin grows on my lips. The smile transforms as my gums show under and over my teeth, and the expression becomes crooked. A chuckle escapes my lips before I say,


    ¡°I have something else in mind.¡±


    <hr>

 4 Deluge

    4 Deluge


    <hr>


    Samuel Ashebell- "I was walking by the wall when the Darkened One passed. It was a moving mountain. The earth was shaking something fierce, like a demon straight out of stories. The air got colder. I couldn''t stop shaking. This wasn''t something a man could fight. This was something more. This was the end of all times."


    <hr>


    In honor of reciting my story with the highest level of accuracy, I coaxed Deluge into narrating his own parts as I slept through most of his own acts. The way he tells the story varies by an order of degrees in comparison with my own though, so be ready.


    I¡¯ll warn you. He is ruthless and cruel and kind. His mindset saved me countless times. Even though we often disagree, we manage our differences without oppressing each other, though Deluge gave his best shot at destroying my mind when we met. I¡¯ve given him his fair share of wounds as well, however. So please, at least attempt understanding him before you hate him.


    That being said, here he is.


    Hmmm, where to start? I suppose a chronological ordering would be rational.


    After we discussed our plot. Jack and I swapped our consciences as he fell asleep. I had listened as the others spoke of the information they obtained, so he and I developed a simple plan. Instead of absorbing every member of the arcanum, we would become a member and learn what we need to know.


    My own attempts at infiltration would be crude, but both Jack and we wanted every member skinned alive, each of them screaming their own unique symphony. Perhaps I wanted this more so than him, but I digress.


    The mythological dragon, on the other hand, sounded impractical at best and idiotic at worst. I listened close though, since few would believe in the existence of our own group as well. Considering our circumstances, I doubted the monster¡¯s existence would prove so simple.


    It mattered little. Ever since I fused with my host, I¡¯ve augmented its structure well past that of a normal human. By that point of the trip, I had incorporated minute wires of silk derived from an eight legged creature that I dispersed throughout my flesh. I stored a dense form of carbon in the marrow of our bones, and I prevented any radiation from leaking out of our body by lining our skin with lead. This gave me a grayish pigmentation and bones hard as steel.


    The wires webbed together in nets that folded around the tendons and ligaments of our body. They redistributed kinetic force throughout our frame while allowing our muscles to become even stronger and more flexible.


    I amplified this effect by replacing the tendons in the fibers of our muscles with the same material. This resulted in our durability enhancing along with our power. With these modifications, dying in battle had become less likely. Unfortunately, not zero.


    We faced threats that would rip us apart routinely. I healed us with rapid metabolization of bodily resources. I cured any wound. I mended any break. With a few altered insertion points for the muscles and tendons, a few remade organs, and a medley of structural changes, I had created a force worthy of awe.


    In essence, Jack fought the monsters roaming this world by becoming one.


    This level of combat ability gave me more than enough strength to devour the Arcanum here in town. With a confidence born of my own ability, I started pacing towards the town. Razor halted my steps by placing a deep blue orb covered in dull yellow blades at my side. She glowed like firefly I turned towards her humanoid yet faceless form. Without a care in the world, she leaned onto my shoulder with her elbows while the rest of her hovered midair.


    Razor¡¯s body shifted like a liquid since she was a mire. The mire is a species of gelatinous creatures held in thick, robust membranes. Razor was a queen mire, meaning she owned a colony. She left the colony to follow Jack after she failed one of her most capable children. I enjoyed her company as she owned an interesting demeanor along with the warring potential of an army.


    Moving inside her translucent skin, the goo glowed through the membrane with a near godlike aura to it. A few feet behind her, six spheres floated, covered in blades. Each spanned several feet in length with jagged edges. She often rubbed them against stones as we walked, no doubt sharpening them for further use.


    On my shoulder she spoke In her full and piercing voice, ¡°So little one, where are you going?¡±


    I turned towards her as I said with a delighted grin, ¡°I¡¯m going to give a half-hearted attempt at joining the arcanum before I kill them all. Care to join the carnage?¡±


    She floated off me, a waning glow left behind by her movements. The spines jutting off her back contrasted the feminine curves of her figure as she said, ¡°I¡¯d like to watch just to see what you can do. I¡¯ve always been curious of your powers and even more so your potential.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    I rolled my eyes as I said, ¡°I have no powers. They are biological modifications.¡±


    She hovered in front of me like a dolphin through water before she said, ¡°What difference does it make?¡±


    ¡°Power implies I have set limits.¡±


    She giggled and followed me as I continued towards the village. Before I left the camp, Sophia sat beside Aether. Sophia captivated herself with study often and always, even through the night. She used the blue light Aether radiated so she could continue her study. Unlike the shifting light of a flame or lanturn, Aether offered a steady, reliable glare. It eased the eyes instead of straining them.


    I passed by a pile of her notes, her head hunched beside them. She tampered with a gem using a set of steel instruments, molding metal around the crystal. As I passed by, she kept working while she said,


    ¡°Are you heading off to murder a bunch of people?¡±


    Without turning towards her, I said sardonically, ¡°I¡¯m heading off to do a difficult and daunting task that you cannot.¡±


    Sophia rolled her eyes before she said, ¡°Try not to let his evilness rub off on you Razor. I¡¯m worried it¡¯s contagious.¡±


    I whipped back, ¡°Let us pray that your traits aren¡¯t contagious as well. We cannot afford yet another idiot following us.¡±


    She turned towards me before she said, ¡°I know right. You''re more than enough stupid for all of us.¡±


    Razor said, ¡°Now now. No need to be so malicious.¡±


    Sophia replied, ¡°I think he just finds it fun to get under people¡¯s skin.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°That¡¯s quite true, in more ways than one.¡±


    She shuddered as I passed by her. My comments are coarse and cruel, yet they stimulated her growth. Think of it as practice for when she faced an enemy who spit venom in and with their words. It toughened her, giving her a calloused mind. She and I didn¡¯t dwell on the petty banter either.


    With Razor¡¯s claws clipping trees, we traveled past Sophia before reaching into the forest. After reaching a few feet from the encampment, I accelerated my metabolism by an exponential magnitude. The bones of my arms extended outwards while claws stabbed from and through my fingers. I leaned onto my hands before growing multiple vertebrae. They extended my torso¡¯s length, mimicking the form of a wolf.


    Make no mistake however, I was a filthy abomination. Any hasty transformation left me grotesque and deformed. It takes time for a fluid transformation. You see, every creature has a logical, natural structure to them. Every joint serves a purpose, every muscle makes an action. Without the proper planning, I fell short of nature¡¯s own standards, though I proved no less practical than other creatures.


    I could run faster than any wolf, but I had to heal the wearing down of joints or tearing of skin. Using my new form, I pounded my hands into the earth beneath me, standing on all fours before I bolted forward at breakneck speed.Through the hills and flowers and forest, I crushed clumps of earth that flew from my stomps. The cool air cascaded around me, filling my lungs with life. It was right there and then that I was alive.


    Razor followed by folding her arms against her side while gliding above me. Her blades shaved trees with hollow scrapes as we reached within a mile of the village. Our pace slowed until we skulked about on the outskirts, ready for stealth. Despite her enormous weight and power, Razor never generated single sound when we neared the town. Her hundreds of years of experience no doubt the culprit for her noiselessness. The flexible nature of my flesh and skin gave me the same skills as we pierced deep into their settlement. The hunt began.


    If not for the infection of my body in his own, Jack would never have known this exhilaration. He would never have know this primal euphoria. Assimilating the will of others, there was and is no greater joy in this world.


    However, letting that jubilation overcome my thinking mind would degrade me to less than an animal. I wanted to consume. I wanted to devour, yet Jack¡¯s life taught me the value of perspective. He had saved us from dying several times when I would have fallen. That alone proved my point. One will fall. Many will rise.


    I kept that in mind as I continued my hunt. Using the scent of sweat, I tracked down several inns that remained open long into the night. By altering back to Jack¡¯s normal form, I inspected inn after inn until I found what I¡¯ve searched for.


    In the corner of the town along a border of trees, a hotel laid at the edges of a cobblestone road with well worn doors. Three stories high with long logs of oak as the walls, scents of paper, alcohol, and cedar overpowered the more subtle aromas leaking from the place, but I caught the undertones. Hints of sex crept in with these other smells.


    They disguised their establishment well. Simple songs and merry music saturated the sounds near here. Glasses clanked within, and the orange and yellow light welcomed any nearby travellers. Along the opening gate was a sign that said, ¡°Sleep Steady on Your Way Home. Sleep at Samuel¡¯s.¡± I saw straight through their deception. The prostitution ring centered here, along with the beginning of my own goals.


    With my and Razor¡¯s lack of visual subtlety, she and I decided on a course of action. She and I had to at least pretend like I was trying to infiltrate the Arcanum before slaughtering them. So she floated over the well lit lodging, waiting for a loud crashing sound after I walked in. If she heard anything monumental, she¡¯d dive into the building so she could observe the fight.


    Since I was infiltrating, I altered into the form of Jack before I paced towards the cedar entrance with two guards idling. As I paced up, the left guard held out his hand before he said with a gruff, gritty voice, ¡°I ain¡¯t seen you round here. What¡¯s your business?¡±


    I opened my hands outwards, showing the hydra skin outfit that covers me. As my hand opened, my palm¡¯s width widened, exposing tiny streaks of crimson. Like the stretched skin of python swallowing a rabbit, my hands showed an ominous aura. I murmured,


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry enough to swallow a man¡¯s soul.¡±


    <hr>

 5 A Lion Among Sheep

    5 A Lion Among Sheep


    <hr>


    Alexander Faraday - "We studied the effects of fusing the souls into a single body. The results were...disasterous. Of course the subject''s body was more tenacious and powerful, but they lost their mind. Overtime, the souls would each grow themselves out with the body''s resources, becoming a moving ball of limbs, lips, teeth, mouths, and organs. It was evil, but what choice did we have? We were against a monster, so we needed monsters."


    <hr>


    The mercenaries glanced at the maintained gloss of my outfit, noting the quality of the material. They assumed I was wealthy, so the man on the right continued, ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t make no trouble and enjoy yourself then.¡±


    I merged the hydra skin with my own after receiving it. Hydra skin comes in two types, alive and dead. The dead kind is weaker, but the actual skin doesn¡¯t draw blood from its wearer. The newer skin does, which was the kind I received. Assimilating the skin proved simple, so I preserved the skin as if my own. That explained the lifelike gloss across the scales.


    As I passed through the worn, wooden doors, a chandelier of glass lit the initial room, reflecting the light of lamps. The smells of before came to life, and as I slid into the main gambling room, I found several groups of armored or suited men playing around tables with cards in their hands. Women in revealing outfits gathered around each table while waiters brought drinks or food at their request.


    They laughed in victory and grimaced in defeat, but either way, they lived deliciously. I ensured they would die in much the same way. Passing through the room, I reached a side hallway leading towards a lower floor. Another set of guards eyed me as I approached, so I said, ¡°Let me reach the lower floors.¡±


    One of the guards raised an eyebrow before he said, ¡°This is for regulars or people who are wanting some business.¡±


    With genuine delight, I smiled and said, ¡°Would that business involve killing, perchance?¡±


    They glanced towards one another before they said, ¡°You don¡¯t look like you need any help with that.¡±


    I placed a hand on my chin as I pondered. These men cringed at the idea of fighting me. I understood why. Despite my best efforts, the mass and height of this body had increased over time with each new adjustment made. Now I weighed many times the bulk of a man, and my 6¡¯8 height attracted more than a few glances my way. Still, with the correct usage of my form, I could leverage my own size for my own gain.


    This was one of those situations. I shook my head before I said, ¡°To the contrary, I¡¯d rather enlist my own specialties with the others among your ranks.¡±


    The guards glanced at one another before they reached for their swords. I never moved in retaliation. If I let the blades sink into my flesh, I would be free to murder everyone after, but the blades stop at my neck and side as a feminine and manic voice said,


    ¡°Enough. settle down. He has enough balls to walk in here and ask to join us. We should at least see why, right?¡±


    The guards grimaced and shivered as the owner of the voice walked up from behind me, laying her hands across my shoulders. The guard¡¯s sabers lowered before I said, ¡°So someone reasonable here does exist. How fortunate for you all.¡±


    A woman with broad shoulders and waist long hair, colored a bright brown walked up. Reaching me, she juts her hand up and placed a hand on my shoulder while saying, ¡°So what brings you here, boy?¡±


    By now, I¡¯d grown tired of my hiding. I¡¯d tell Jack I tried before killing them. So suppressing a fit of laughter, I said, ¡°I know this is where the arcanum resides. I wish to join you.¡±


    The guards flinched before the lady grinned with her gray eyes piercing me like razors. Without wincing, I leaned towards her and said, ¡°You¡¯ll find I¡¯m more than capable for whatever you need.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow before she said, ¡°Alright, alright. The bigshot knows a thing or two. I¡¯ll give you that. Let¡¯s see if you can pass a little test first before seeing the boss.¡±


    A piece of sharpened metal gritted between her teeth before she spit the tiny blade towards the back of my neck. At the same time, she lifted her left knee towards my groin while her right hand curved towards my side with a dagger. A simple attack, so I stepped forwards while tilting my head sideways, dodging both daggers and her leg.


    I grasped both of the guard¡¯s faceguards, my hand covering their entire faces before I pulled them towards her. The force of my pull whipped them through the air before they crush both her sides, like clamping a finger in a doorway. As I released them, she grimaced before I turned around, wrapping a hand around her neck and lifting her from the ground with a single arm.


    Several other guards stood and sprinted towards her before I released her from my grasp while pushing her away with an effortless extension of my arm. She crumbled on top of the other guards before a sea of blades surrounded me at all sides. Right before I began consuming them all, the women rasped out the words,


    ¡°Stop. I was testing him. He passed.¡±


    I grabbed my left wrist with my right hand before I began popping my left hand''s fingers. My eyes opened wide while an eager grin traced my lips as I said, ¡°If they all wish to die, let them.¡±


    After the group of guards lowered their weapons in confusion, the lady stood up and belted out a laugh from her gut. She laughed until tears fell from her eyes before she glanced towards me, her eyes exposing an awkward longing. She said,


    ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen something like this. I never told you the guards would attack you as well, yet you took us all out in an instant. Wow. Just, wow.¡±


    I had no idea the guards were attacking me, but she misunderstood me using the guard¡¯s weight as a weapon. Laughter tried escaping my throat, but I suppressed my emotions. I couldn¡¯t let my infiltration end without even trying.


    Continuing her misunderstandings, she patted me on the shoulder before she said, ¡°Come on, you need to see the boss. He¡¯s down stairs, probably fucking right now. He won¡¯t mind the interruption.¡±


    I followed her in silence as the others stared in disbelief. We paced down a dark set of stairs, the smell of sex and cigars lingering in the air. We passed a hallway with low lit rooms and the lustful sounds of moaning and even screaming coming from several doorways. The warm, almost musty air would suffocate the asthmatic.


    At the end of the dusty hall, we reached a room with a painted symbol plastered onto the wood of the door. A thick, hollow circle with three lines streaking downwards greeted my eyes, but the ominous symbol filled me with excitement instead of dread. If my attempted infiltration failed, I would get to bathe in blood as I consolidated their souls.


    Unfortunately, my half hearted deception had fooled them so far. They mistook my reckless approach as bold. Despite the inconvenience, the trip amused me.


    The wiry women walked in front of me with her hips swaying before she turned and said beside the door, ¡°By the way, what''s your name?¡±


    Jack and I agreed on an alias before hand, so I said, ¡°My name is Jericho.¡±


    She nodded before she stuck out a hand and said, ¡°Alright then Jericho, my name¡¯s Charlie. I¡¯ll introduce you to the boss.¡±


    I also stuck out my hand without grabbing hers. I knew nothing of human customs, so we sat there for a few seconds, the air between us awkward before she glanced downwards and raised an eyebrow in confusion. After another awkward silence, she grabbed my hand and moved our limbs up and down. Human gestures, even now, are strange.


    She giggled at my ignorance before she opened the door and said, ¡°Yo boss, there¡¯s a guy who wants to join us.¡±


    A haughty voice, strained and nasal replied, ¡°For Gaia¡¯s sake, I¡¯m fucking over here. Leave us alone.¡±


    Charlie rolled her eyes before she said, ¡°This is not a guy you should make wait. Trust me, he¡¯s worth your time.¡±


    She glanced towards me before she winked, but my expression stayed still. Such petty provocations would elicit no response from me.


    A pleased grin grows on her face before she walked up and placed a finger on my chest while saying, ¡°You know, I don¡¯t mind a man who speaks more with his actions than his words. Especially if they can fuck.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before leaning towards her and saying in a low growl, ¡°I¡¯m more than you can handle.¡±


    My attempt at intimidation failed as she wrapped her arms around my waist and said, ¡°Wanna find out, tough guy?¡±


    I sighed in disgust before pushing her from me while saying, ¡°Business first. We can talk later.¡±


    She stepped aside as I stomped into the large room with reinforced, wooden walls adorned with several circular paintings. The polished floor contrasted the filthy image of a thin, ugly man thrusting into a voluptuous lady. His scrawny arms shook while the lady faked her moans as she gazed at the doorway. I rolled my shoulders before I lifted my foot and allowed the real weight of my leg to smash against the floor.


    Like a leaden anvil, my foot smashed the oak planks. Creating the sharp crack of crushing wood. The vulgar display ceased before the man stared at me with thin rimmed glasses covering his all too large eyes. He raised an eyebrow before he said,


    ¡°Do you want to die like a dog?¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I laughed before I grabbed the door handle behind me. I placed a foot beside the door, propping it open before I ripped off the handle. From the snapping wood, a boom rippled the air as an explosion of splinters pelted the walls. The boss¡¯s shoulders drooped as I lifted the handle in front of me before I squeezed until the bronze lump pressed outward from between my fingers like putty.


    The display silenced him before I snapped open my hand. The clap of metal on wood accentuated the malformation of the metal, foreboding my brutish strength. The man turned towards Charlie who stood stunned before he lifted himself while saying to the prostitute,


    ¡°Sorry baby. We¡¯ll have to continue later.¡±


    The hooker ran out without grabbing any clothes or speaking any words as the rat like man scrambled for clothes. I leaned on the doorway with my weight cracking the wood beside me. Right as the man slides on his shirt, Charlie said,


    ¡°Are you a chainer?¡±


    I cracked my neck before saying, ¡°Something along those lines.¡±


    The apparent boss skulked up to me before he hunched his shoulders and said, ¡°Alright then. What does this er...gentleman want?¡±


    Charlie propped her weight onto one hip before she said, ¡°He says he wants to join us. He passed my test, unlike all the others.¡±


    The man stared downwards for a moment, contemplating his next words before he said, ¡°So why do you want to join the arcanum, if you wouldn¡¯t mind explaining of course?¡±


    With a monotonous tone, I said, ¡°The bastion empire and church purged my home. I want to kill them all. Your organization would offer quite the boon for my own efforts as I have no access to an informational network.¡±


    He glanced at Charlie, his eyes brimming with wrath before he turned back towards me and gave a sly smile while saying, ¡°Ahem. Ugh...Unfortunately, we have no proof that what you say is true or that you''re actually willing to help us. We ahhhh...We can¡¯t just let you in. You understand, right?¡±


    The beginnings of a sadistic smile began inching up my lips as I said, ¡°So you won¡¯t allow me to join then?¡± I continued with pleasure steeped in my words, ¡°What a shame.¡±


    Perhaps my tone changed his mind since he said, ¡°Well, uh...not necessarily. We just need you to do something for us. A proof of loyalty if you will.¡±


    My shoulders drooped before I frowned and said, ¡°So you want a test of loyalty after a test of strength then?¡±


    The man nodded before I dragged my hands across my face while saying, ¡°And here I thought I¡¯d have some fun after your refusal. Dreams die, I suppose.¡±


    Charlie¡¯s smile beamed before she said, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    I turned towards her and slit my eyes as I said, ¡°I would have delighted in killing every person here.¡±


    A stretch of silence lasting fifteen seconds to me but ten years to them passed before the boss said, ¡°Ah...Well, uh...I¡¯m glad we could avoid the fight then.¡±


    I turned my eyes towards him without moving my face as I said, ¡°You avoided no fight. You avoided a slaughter.¡±


    The second silence outlasted the first, and just as the tension reached its peak, I grinned and said, ¡°Of course I¡¯m joking. Why would I murder those I wish to join?¡±


    Without believing my coverup for even the tiniest of moments, Charlie said with a slight, eager hop, ¡°I don¡¯t know how you fit those balls in your pants.¡±


    The boss said, ¡°I quite agree, Charlie. Well then, the name¡¯s Phil. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    I said, ¡°Jericho.¡±


    ¡°It ah...suits you. All dark and intense. I¡¯m sure your mother had it all figured out when she gave it to you.¡±


    With the same monotonous tone, I said, ¡°My mother is dead.¡±


    Yet another silence thicker than sand passed through the room before I said, ¡°Your group uses human souls in golems, correct?¡±


    Phil stuttered, ¡°A-a-ah, uhhhh...¡±


    Charlie chimed in, ¡°Man, how the fuck do you know that?¡±


    I shrugged before I said, ¡°I am gifted at interrogation. Regardless, there exists a flying lizard up North who kills humans.¡±


    Charlie raised an eyebrow before she said, ¡°You mean the dragon?¡±


    I nodded before I continued, ¡°Precisely. I will kill it without reporting its death to the kingdom. Your group will then be able to periodically kill throughout the nearby area while using the myth of dragons as a coverup for the operation. If I do this, will you let me join?¡±


    Phil blinked for a moment before he squinted his eyes. After a notable delay, his eyes popped open as he said, ¡°That¡¯s...That¡¯s genius.¡±


    Charlie glanced towards me as she said, ¡°How did you think of that?¡±


    Without averting my face from Phil, I turned my eyes towards Charlie''s as I said, ¡°I thought of it just now.¡±


    I turned my eyes back towards Phil as I said, ¡°I will bring you its head as proof of its death. Goodbye.¡±


    I turned and walked away while Phil¡¯s jaw remained open and his eyes glazed over. Charlie followed behind me before she closed the door. She locked her hands behind her before she walked in front of me and looked up while saying,


    ¡°Would you mind having a companion help you?¡±


    I glanced down at her before I nudged her aside while saying, ¡°Yes. Leave.¡±


    She blinked for a moment before she walked back in front of me and said, ¡°Come on. I can help you by using a few favors. Besides, you don¡¯t want to have to track it down or buy maps of the area, do you? I know this place like the back of my hand.¡±


    I laid my hand on my forehead before looking back at her and saying, ¡°I could kill you by crushing your face into a pulpy mush in my hands. Why do you want to travel with me?¡±


    She glanced upwards while placing a hand on her cheek before she met my eye while saying, ¡°I dunno. I mean, I¡¯m a mercenary who accepted work from the arcanum just because it sounded fun. I kinda like danger, and you, well you hardly look human.¡±


    A smirk appeared on my face before I said, ¡°I sleep alone in the forest without any shelter. If you follow me, you¡¯ll end up doing the same.¡±


    Her eyes opened wide before she said in her bubbly voice, ¡°Sounds interesting. I¡¯m game.¡±


    I reached out my hand and grabbed the edges of her skull before I said, ¡°If you speak a single word of where I go, where I stay, or what I say to a single soul, I will slowly torture you until you choke with your amputated arms shoved into your throat.¡±


    I released her head before she plopped down and ran through a corridor at my side while saying, ¡°I¡¯ll meet you outside. After a second, I heard the slamming of a door before I sighed in relief. Having someone so energetic near me melted my patience. She danced on the border between reasonable and annoying, so I couldn¡¯t just outright kill her. It irritated me.


    As I wafted in the joy of her absence, I walked up the stairs with each step creaking under my weight. Dispersing my mass throughout my body assisted with preventing such delicate structures from snapping under me, but if I dwelled here for long, I¡¯ll break the floor beneath me.


    The balance of staying in motion while never jerking tripled the time needed for passing a simple stairway. My large frame annoyed me at times. After reaching past the woozy guards of before, several weary men walked towards me with the leader saying, ¡°So where¡¯s Charlie? She should still be with you.¡±


    I said, ¡°She ran into a room in the corridor downstairs as I left.¡±


    He shook his head before he said, ¡°We can¡¯t let you leave without-¡±


    A dull pop generated from his face as I slapped him aside with the back of my hand. Broken teeth scattered in the air before the man fell to the ground. The members of his group slid backwards, fearing me before the light tapping of wooden stairs entered my ears.


    Charlie raced out with a set of weapons at her side and a knapsack slung over her shoulder. She walked up and said, ¡°Alright, ready to go...Oh boy.¡±


    She walked beside the unconscious man before she said, ¡°So why did you hit Joe?¡±


    ¡°He told me he wouldn¡¯t let me leave. I¡¯m rather exasperated with idiots standing and speaking in front of me, so I silenced him.¡±


    She poked a tooth with her foot before she said, ¡°Well, ahhhhhh. I guess that¡¯s alright. You were bound to do it to someone when they started trying to mess with you anyways. No biggie.¡±


    Without replying, I walked out of the building as Charlie hopped behind me, humming some jovial tune. Pacing beside the inn, I shouted towards the sky, ¡°Leave without me.¡±


    Charlie leaned towards me as she said with a sly grin, ¡°So who are you talking too?¡±


    I turned towards her before I said, ¡°The voices in my head. Pray I don¡¯t listen to them.¡±


    She giggled before I gaze at the nearest inn and said, ¡°We¡¯ll sleep there then.¡±


    We walked in before we rented rooms, and I snuck through the window after two hours of waiting. After reaching back towards our encampment, I met Razor and Sophia where we discussed the composition of several pheromones Razor used for communicating with the other slimes.


    I sat beside them before Sophia glanced at me with a wrinkled grimace across her face. She crossed her arms as she said, ¡°So did you have fun?¡±


    I glanced down as I said, ¡°No. It was a miserable venture.¡±


    Razor asked, ¡°I was wondering why you told me to leave without you. Would you mind telling me?¡±


    I shrugged before I said, ¡°I literally put forth no effort in my deception, yet they believed me. I was able to join the arcanum.¡±


    Sophia smirked before she said, ¡°So how did you manage that?¡±


    I glanced up at her as I said, ¡°Several threats of death along with a few long, awkward conversations.¡±


    Razor bursted into a fit of snickering, but Sophia repressed her laughter as not to wake Joan. I replied,


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t understand it. Instead fighting me, they enjoyed my threats. A female mercenary even attempted courtship.¡±


    Sophia said, ¡°We know how much of a ladies man you are after all.¡±


    I pursed my lips before I said, ¡°You¡¯ve more experience with humans than I do. Why would they act that way after threatening them?¡±


    In her black robe, Sophia leaned back onto her hands with her legs crossed. She looked up at the sky for a moment before she said, ¡°They were probably too scared to go against you or something. You tend to be too good at intimidating others.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow in reply. Razor continued with Sophia¡¯s response,


    ¡°Do you believe the humans would attack me, even if I aggravated them?¡±


    I said, ¡°Hah. Like cowards, they would run and hide. They have no chance for victory.¡±


    Razor opened her palms to her side as she said, ¡°They must have seen the same thing in you. Your confidence is remarkable, and you have no qualms with making others suffer. I would imagine that most would be terrified of you, even if they didn¡¯t have knowledge of your abilities.¡±


    I frowned before I turned towards Sophia and said, ¡°Do I seem that dangerous?¡±


    Sophia rolled her eyes before I leaned onto my side and said, ¡°I¡¯ll ask Jack and Joan later. Perhaps they¡¯ll enlighten me further. That still doesn¡¯t explain why she wanted procreation with me.¡±


    Sophia replied, ¡°She thought you were tall, dark, and mysterious. A lot of girls go for that type.


    After dismissing her explanation, the three of them continued their discussion as I listened with disguised interest. I¡¯ve used pheromones when experimenting with their effect on other humans. So far, nothing had produced any effect, but perhaps their expertise would help.


    After an hour of technical conversation, a slight rumbling in the distance alerted me. Compared with the steps of other forest creatures, these heavy, thumping steps could belong only to a human. Rising from my relaxed position, I said,


    ¡°I¡¯ll discuss our next course of action after Joan awakens. For now, there¡¯s an intruder. I¡¯ll handle them.¡±


    Sophia pointed at her notes as Razor nodded before Razor replied, ¡°Oh yes , of course. Don¡¯t be gone too long.¡±


    The automatic reply was enough for me, so I paced into the forest as the sun began rising. After pacing several thousand feet towards the sound, the direction of the wind changed, and I recognized the all too familiar scent.


    I walked towards Charlie before I climbed a tree on her path towards me. As she passed underneath me, I lept from my spot before I slammed into the ground beside her. She flew backwards, colliding with a tree. The earth bent and caved under the force of my weight, and after pulling my feet from the cracked earth beneath me, I said,


    ¡°So Charlie, I didn¡¯t realize you wanted to die.¡±


    <hr>

 6 Finding a Dragon

    6 Finding a Dragon


    <hr>


    Ezekial Bemona, known as Shimerac -Twisting the simple tribe of people was simple. It was finding the pieces for the golem that was difficult. You see, during my travels, I discovered large stones of a black metal. I couldn''t dent nor scratch nor mark them, but if I could possess them with my soul, then I would obtain a calamity all my own. I would become a god.


    <hr>


    She stumbled, falling backwards before I leaned onto one knee beside her. She glanced upwards, her eyes darting with panic before she inhaled several deep breaths of air as she saw me. After several breaths, she said,


    ¡°Holyshit. It¡¯s just you. I thought I was dead.¡±


    ¡°You might be. Why are you here?¡±


    She blinked for a moment before she said, ¡°I checked your room to make sure you hadn¡¯t left without me. Of course you had, so I tracked you down.¡±


    She turned towards a set of broken leaves and moved rocks as she said, ¡°I have a lot of experience tracking things down. With how big you are, you¡¯re bound to leave a trail.¡±


    I glanced at the marks, noting each of them. I¡¯d rectify my mistakes in travel later. After an extended silence, Jack rustled in my mind. Without delay, I pointed towards our encampment as I said,


    ¡°That is where my encampment is. If you walk any closer, I will rip out your entrails. After retrieving two other annoyances, we will join you here. If you are not here when I return, I will rip out your entrails. Do you understand?¡±


    Somehow, she smiled as she saluted me and said, ¡°Aye, aye, captain.¡±


    Jack can tell the story from here. Just remembering her irritates me, so enjoy his spineless banter.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    You¡¯re as genial as ever I see. Without warning, Deluge dropped our conscience, so our body fell on the ground before I injected myself into control. The sensation never stopped surprising me despite the hundreds of times I¡¯ve done it, like jumping into something cold.


    Being in the subconscious of your mind, it¡¯s like being submerged in water. There¡¯s a soft hum in your ears, and you feel no body, no breathing, not even the beat of your heart. No sensation touches you, only your mind and your thoughts. I used this time for reflection as nothing in this world is as peaceful.


    On the other hand, Deluge often spent his time viewing the memories of his consolidated souls, and I understood the appeal. The memories taught him much of human life, and whenever we first came in contact, he used my memories for learning our language. He still lacks a proper upbringing, but Deluge maintains some semblance of humanity when speaking with others.


    It was my turn for looking human though. When I pushed myself from the ground, a woman leaned over me with curious eyes and a wry smile. She balanced her weight well, and after I stood up, she said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why did you fall?¡±


    I brushed some dirt off my face before I turned towards her and said, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    She blinked for a moment before she giggled and said, ¡°Now that¡¯s cold. I didn¡¯t expect you to fake amnesia to get rid of me.¡±


    I gave her my own grin before I said, ¡°I¡¯d rather understand than get rid of. Are you a hostage of my other half perchance?¡±


    She bursted into laughter before I scratched the side of my face while saying, ¡°I suppose I didn¡¯t kill everyone then?¡±


    She nodded in response before I say, ¡°What was the last thing I told you?¡±


    She pointed towards our camp before she said, ¡°You¡¯d rip out my entrails if I went over there.¡±


    I placed a hand on my chin as I said, ¡°I see, sounds a lot like something I¡¯d say.¡± I lowered my hands, ¡°Alright, if you wouldn¡¯t mind, I¡¯d prefer you stay here while I go assess the state of our camp.¡±


    She tilted her head while accentuating each of her words as she said, ¡°You are the strangest person I¡¯ve ever met. That¡¯s saying something since I¡¯ve known a lot of weirdos.¡±


    With a teasing smile, I replied, ¡°You¡¯d best be prepared to meet a few more. Wait here, I¡¯ll try not to be gone too long.¡±


    I pulled a large, Trilelian coin from my pocket I gained from one of the students at Mareovosa. There empire minted enormous coins the size of a palm and heavier than a brick, which made sense considering there merchant based society. Regardless of where you were, the gold in the coin was valuable, so I tossed the coin to her while saying, ¡°Think of that as collateral.¡±


    Without waiting for her reply, I turned and sprinted through the forest as she fumbled with the coin. I got the feeling that she¡¯s someone who reads people well, but due to our abnormal circumstances, Deluge and I throw surprise after surprise at her. It must have been exciting, even if all she did is watch from afar.


    Just from listening, I had gathered two valuable pieces of information. Deluge loathed her, and he convinced the arcanum of his trustworthiness. Well, more like he trampled them with threats, but let¡¯s give him some credit.


    With this knowledge in tow, I reached the encampment woke Joan. She yawned and tried fighting off the sun with her hands as I pushed her shoulders. She slept long and hard, unlike the rest of us, but she never complained when I woke her. Instead, she always gave me a marvelous grin while saying, ¡°Causing trouble?¡±


    In response, I¡¯d lean over her and sweetly say, ¡°As always,¡± before we kissed in the morning. Deluge approved of the ritual as my saliva destroyed what he called pathogens. My mind glossed over the details of his explanation, but since we started the tradition, Joan never needed a rough linen for rubbing her teeth in the mornings. They just stayed clean regardless.


    I appreciated the benefit, and after a quick morning breakfast of bread and some tough racoon jerky, I spoke with the others about Deluge and my plan.


    We ground out the details before Sophia, Joan, and I met up with the random girl that Deluge spoke with. Obviously, we told Aether and Razor to head Northward ahead of us. After meeting with her, the woman said,


    ¡°So you''re traveling with a noble and a chainer?¡±


    I raised both my hands in front of me, tilting them back and forth like a scale as I said, ¡°Well, sort of.¡±


    The girl walked up towards Joan before sticking out a hand and saying, ¡°The name¡¯s Charlie.¡±


    Joan grabbed her hand with a firm grasp before she replied, ¡°I¡¯m Joan. It¡¯s good to meet you. I didn¡¯t expect him to bring back a friend.¡±


    Charlie looked under Joan¡¯s hood before she said, ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the set of eyes there, just like Jericho.¡±


    There was our alias. Joan smiled before she released her grip and said, ¡°You¡¯re pretty brave yourself. Most people can¡¯t handle the ah...other side of him.¡±


    Charlie shrugged before she said, ¡°He¡¯s like a chained tiger. It¡¯s fun to mess with him.¡±


    She turned towards Sophia before she stuck out her hand with the same enthusiasm while saying, ¡°How about you?¡±


    They shook hands as Sophia said, ¡°I¡¯m Sophia. Pleased to make your acquaintance.¡±


    Charlie ruffled the top of Sophia¡¯s hair before she said, ¡°You¡¯ve got the same look in your eyes as Jericho did before he passed out.¡±


    Sophia slapped Charlie¡¯s hand off her head before she snapped, ¡°I am nothing like that part of him.¡±


    Charlie grinned as she replied, ¡°I disagree. You both get angry. I like that.¡±


    I clapped my hands before I said, ¡°Alright, enough teasing. Let¡¯s go find that dragon.¡±


    We traveled most of the day with Aether and Razor tailing behind us. The sun shined with full force, cloudless and clear as we chattered while walking. Within this span of time, I learned that Charlie had a strange way of doing things.


    She enjoyed conflict of all kinds, as if she were some scientist testing chemicals, trying to get a reaction. The cold calculation in her words distanced her from those around her. She poked and prodded wherever she could for a reaction, and by the end of the day, I didn¡¯t just dislike her. I despised her.


    Deluge and I discussed it during our travel towards the great green North of Bastion. The journey only lasted three weeks, but by the time we reached the village closest to the dragon, every member of our group begged for the end of the journey, besides Charlie. She enjoyed our steady spiral towards madness.


    Perhaps I¡¯m presenting her in the wrong light, but whenever we entered the town, Joan¡¯s patience shattered as she hissed with venom dripping in each word,


    ¡°Alright, I''ve had enough. You wanna rumble Charlie? I¡¯ll beat the ever living shit out of you.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    With her chest puffed and the inklings of a smirk on her face,Charlie raised her eyebrows as she said, ¡°What? I wouldn¡¯t want to start anything with you. There¡¯s no way I could beat a chainer, and we do need to save our strength for the dragon after all.¡±


    I turned towards a clearing in the trees just outside of town as I said, ¡°Well, here is an example of a fight among friends. I think this would do us all a lot of good. Besides-¡± I turned towards Charlie as I said, ¡°You seem confident. Why not try your luck and see how you do?¡±


    Charlie beamed a grin before she pulled out two daggers from the sheaths behind her. Her leather armor shined in the setting sun while Joan¡¯s expression stabbed sharpened swords towards her.


    Joan had always hated losing, even more since leaving the university, but instead of losing focus as she angered, Joan used her wrath like a charged gem. The anger only made her fiercer, like the stampede of a bull.


    They set themselves five feet apart before Joan stretched while popping her back. Charlie leaned over with her daggers poised for stabbing as I said, ¡°If you use weapons like that during a spar, Joan won¡¯t go easy on you.¡±


    Joan cracks her knuckles before balling her fists as she says, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. She¡¯ll need the advantage anyway.¡±


    She¡¯d already lost her temper, but a demonstration may settle Charlie down. Besides, Deluge laughed in my mind as he said to me, ¡°I let the situation play out. I¡¯d love for a happy accident to occur. I¡¯ll handle the cleanup.¡±


    As they readied for combat, both of their steps showed experience, but Joan¡¯s steps thudded against the ground while Charlie¡¯s kept hers dancing over the earth. Joan faced sideways with her left hand and foot front and center, crouched, low, and ready for a charge. Charlie stood in a relaxed crouch.


    The contrasting styles intrigued me, so I stood between them before saying,


    ¡°I¡¯ll step in if things go too far, so have some fun.¡±


    Charlie glanced at Joan before saying, ¡°I wonder what a chainer can do without her precious gems.¡±


    Joan snapped her words, ¡°Curiosity can be a dangerous thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take my chances.¡±


    They seemed primed, so I stepped back and said, ¡°Ready? Go.¡±


    Charlie jumped towards Joan, stabbing her left dagger towards Joan¡¯s neck. Joan parried her hand aside with her left hand while grabbing the outer edge of Charlie¡¯s wrist. Gliding through each motion, Joan pulled Charlie¡¯s left hand towards her while stomping onto Charlie¡¯s front foot. At this point, the fight was already over.


    Charlie crouched down while swinging her back foot towards Joan¡¯s throat, but Joan leaned forward onto her front leg while pulling hard on Charlie¡¯s hand. Joan stopped Charlie¡¯s momentum before the attack turned dangerous.


    With her left arm and neck, Joan caught Charlie''s foot that tapped against her hood, forcing Charlie¡¯s legs to stretch wide while her other hand wobbled harmlessly on the other side of Joan.


    Charlie lay there with three limbs immobilized, awkward as a fish flopping on a patch of dirt. After letting the hopelessness sink in, Joan said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna give you a lesson just like how my aunt taught me. Merciless and painful.¡±


    Joan turned her hips like a top before her right hand slammed into the ribs of Charlie. The force caused the mercenary¡¯s knees to buckle before Joan reared back and torqued another blow into Charlie¡¯s side. This second shot broke ribs before Joan kicked Charlie¡¯s foot from under her, causing her to fall onto her chest.


    Thinking Charlie will stand up again, Joan maintained her steady, short breathing in order to keep on fighting. She jumped over Charlie while grabbing her worn leather tunic. As she landed, she bent into a spread crouch before grunting as she lifted Charlie overhead.


    With her elbow leading the way, Joan crashed Charlie against the ground. Charlie thumped with a satisfying slam, her breath emptying from her chest. Charlie writhed on the ground, trying to breath before Joan leaned over her while saying,


    ¡°I was hoping for a little bit more competition.¡±


    Charlie gasped for air while broken ribs prodded her insides with each breath. Each time she inhaled, her face wrinkled, but Charlie kept quiet. Without a word, Charlie stood up before she stuck out a hand before she says,


    ¡°Good one. You really got me there miss chainer.¡±


    Joan¡¯s triumphant victory transformed into a thick, palpable blanket of guilt as she grabbed Charlie¡¯s hand and said, ¡°Thank you for the fight.¡±


    Charlie shook her head before she glanced at me and said with a knowing stare, ¡°Naw, it wasn¡¯t really a fight...It was a slaughter.¡±


    Deluge laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯d prefer a feast.¡±


    I walked up to Charlie before wrapping my arms around Charlie. She grimaced before saying, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    I said, ¡°Three of the ribs on your left side are broken. They¡¯ll heal wrong if we don¡¯t put them back into place. This won¡¯t hurt that badly...after I finish.¡±


    I compress her chest as she screams, but after a second of doing so, I feel her ribs slide back into place. Catching her on my shoulder, Charlie collapses before I turn towards Joan and say,


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ll nurse her back to health, right?¡±


    Joan blushed before saying, ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    We spent the rest of the afternoon gathering information from the town about the dragon, but we gained no usable information. Charlie¡¯s injuries would take her out of commission for at least a month, so time wasn¡¯t the issue.


    After seeing how honorable Charlie was in defeat, we tolerated her shenanigans, Joan in particular. I still didn¡¯t understand Charlie, but I could respect her. We all could. Charlie had found her own respect for Joan as well. They discussed fighting and battle for hours on end for the next few days while Sophia and I learned about the town.


    The best description of what we discovered could be summed up in one word: depressing. While the town maintained their population even after the dragon¡¯s raids, they did not maintain their spirit. They paced up and down the steps with their heads low, either that or with a sort of hollow look in their eyes. We assumed these demeanor¡¯s resulted from missing children or spouses. We were wrong.


    Deluge ended up exploring the surrounding forest during the night, and within the first week, he discovered the location of the dragon¡¯s lair. Deluge described its sanctuary as a hundred foot chapel, and during the night, he had seen the misshapen dragon as it slept on the roof of the enclosure. The whole area reeked of decaying meat, and no matter the time of day, the sound of squishy chewing could be heard.


    With the location found, we discussed the situation with the others before deciding our approach. Razor and I would attack the building while Aether remained hidden in the forest nearby in case something went wrong. Sophia and Joan would look after Charlie at the inn while we fought.


    I could regenerate almost any wound while Razor could slice the beast apart in seconds. Aether, could decimate the entire village with a single cataclysmic blow, but he chose a passive approach. We respected his choice. He helped in other ways, like acting as a safety net in case we lost the battle.


    Still, Deluge and I readied ourselves for a grueling battle before we paced further north, towards the dragon¡¯s resting spot. This involved a mental preparation of sorts. I clenched my fists and grit my teeth before I would remind myself of why I fight.


    My mother had told me before she died, ¡®Live a blessed life, my little angel.¡¯ While I wouldn¡¯t call my life blessed, I persevered. I never relented. Even when strange, writhing worms crawled from my crushed legs, I hacked them off and crawled away with just my arms. Even now, my skin shivers at the memory, but the event helped shape who I am.


    With these thoughts preparing me, I met with Razor before we left the town at the break of dawn. Since the townsfolk spoke so little, nothing kept us here, and even after a week of playing at the inn, not a single soul had so much as sung along. Here I found the shells of people, hollowed out and empty inside like rotten stumps.


    They exposed how devastating the dragon had been, so we hurried down the dilapidated road leading towards the chapel. As we traveled down a road walled in by mammoth pine trees, a few strange looking plants caught my eye. Their vibrant red coloring pierced through the sea of green surrounding them, and the radiant smell lingering from them reminded me of heaven.


    Red leaves surrounded red flowers, each bloom sprouting from bundles of vines. Without any awareness of the act, I walked towards one before Razor said, ¡°What are you doing, little one?¡±


    Blinking my eyes, I snapped from my stupor. After I returned from my daydream, I sat leaned over as the bundle of vines had opened with several thorns pointed towards my face. Like moving blood, the spikes and vines curled towards me before I jerked my head back.


    With a high pitched squeal, the vines clawed after me for a moment before Razor reacted. Three floating orbs hovered near Razor at all times, and each of these glowing spheres coated themselves with several colossal blades, each colored a dull yellow. For the first time, I saw her use them.


    With the speed of a cannon, an orb flew through the air before a blade collided with this tiny red plant on the ground. A crimson liquid, not unlike blood, splattered in every direction as an earth shattering quake vibrated my feet. An explosion of sound, forceful as it was loud, reared me back before a wave of dust shot in every direction.


    A spring breeze carried this storm of dirt away from us, revealing a ten foot blade stabbed halfway into the ground with a crater surrounding it. Even with my restorative powers, a single hit of that saber would have ground my body to pulp, yet she unleashed the full power on a puny plant. After the initial shock subsided, I chuckled at the excess that razor used.


    With confusion distorting her voice, Razor asked, ¡°What is it little one? All I did was defend you.¡±


    I smiled at her, covered in dirt before saying, ¡°It was just a little excessive is all.¡±


    She pointed at the plant before I lean closer, revealing the entire body of the creature. A split pod, six feet deep in the earth with several suckers lining its interior, wilted as Razor raised her yellow claw. Razor glowed for a moment before a wave of force erupted off her blade, and the red gunk covering it shot everywhere again.


    As I stared at the dark, goopy red liquid on the ground, the juice shivered before crawling towards me. Glancing at my hands, I watched as the remains of this plant burrowed into my body.


    In a state of calm, deluge said, ¡°I can easily fight off a creature of such little consequence. I will absorb the nutrients in this liquid. What concerns me is the composition of it.¡±


    With Deluge¡¯s calm being contagious, I replied, ¡°What about it concerns you?¡±


    After an elongated pause, he said, ¡°This isn¡¯t just the juice of the plant. This is the blood of a human as well.¡±


    Panic roared through my mind before I turned towards the village while saying, ¡°We need to help Joan and Sophia. We need to warn them.¡±


    Deluge replied, ¡°The humans infected by this plant are carriers, not actual threats. They will walk around the forest before spreading the infection like spores caught in the wind.¡±


    I turn towards Razor while saying, ¡°Deluge and I will converse aloud. Sorry if it gets confusing.¡±


    Razor giggled before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. Do as you will.¡±


    I turn towards the plant¡¯s corpse before saying, ¡°How do you know all this Deluge?¡±


    ¡°The plant has a biological imprint. I learned from it.¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°Alright then,¡± and I roared my words thereafter, ¡°Aether, go and protect Sophia and Joan. We will be fine.¡±


    The rumbling of his step began as he maneuvered through the trees towards the village. With that loose end knotted, I say, ¡°Let¡¯s kill the dragon quickly. I doubt anything else is the source of all this.¡±


    Deluge murmurs, ¡°I have a few other ideas, but yes, let us devour it.¡±


    With a sense of urgency pushing my steps forward, I dashed towards the cathedral at peak speed. Wind slid down my back as branches passed through my vision, yet despite my speed, my vision never blurred. Every leaf remained clear.


    Deluge¡¯s enhancements affected all my senses, so controlling this augmented body proved feasible, even for a human mind like mine. With my senses guiding me, I dodged both branch and bush before dashing onto the surrounding plain around the chapel.


    What I saw there was nothing like the decay Deluge described. What lived there was a beauty both abominable and enchanting. We found death disguised and unlike any other. We found the dragon.


    <hr>

 7 The Plague with No Name

    7 The Plague with No Name


    <hr>


    Exerpt from the Darkened Chronicles -During the Darkened One''s recollection, there was mention of killing a dragon. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was no dragon he fought. It was a monstrous plague, hellbent on invading all of Alta. He didn''t lear of this until much later.


    <hr>


    Instead of rotting meat, the smell of roses, lavender, jasmine, honeysuckle, and rosemary filled the air. Petals, like pieces of glistening glass, waved in the air. Enormous vines grew from the ground, drilling into the chapel with flowers covering their ashen, charcoal exterior. These vines branched outwards with medleys of red, rosy flowers casting the entire chapel in shades of crimson.


    The dragon sat atop the entire cathedral, its wings curled around its frame before the creature glanced towards me. The black scales of the beast shined with a red tint from the sun overhead, and vines curved in and out of its body, from four legs to two wide wings. The same red roses bloomed from these vines, and as the creature spread its wings, I had never seen something so unnatural, so ominous¡­and so beautiful.


    With intelligent, emerald eyes that dilated in the sun, the beast observed me. A shiver slid down my spine, but I glared towards the creature with the same unwavering will as before. The allure of this creature, the tranquility of the place contrasted the imagery Deluge used, but I understood why.


    The rotting flesh came from the plant killing the dragon, and now the parasite spread throughout the creature¡¯s flesh. Just like the hollow people who wandered the village, this dragon turned to a puppet, a shadow of its former self.


    As it stared at me, a petal touched the ground, and a set of legs sprouted from its side. The petal dug itself into the ground with its six little legs. A few moments passed, and a tiny, minute flower sprouted from the ground. The same flower as the human eater of before, though far smaller.


    This dragon acted as a conduit for spreading this plant. The infestation centered here, within this beast and within this chapel.


    I¡¯d have to verify with sophia later to make sure, but that could come later. Considering this plant¡¯s potential, we needed to stomp it out before it spread any further. With curved thorns jutting from the creature¡¯s skull, the beast rose into the air with three movements of its wings before gliding towards me, and after a tense moment, the creature landed fifteen feet away, its head tilted in curiosity.


    Razor hovered near the creature before I spoke towards it,


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    The creature pointed its head towards the chapel before I said, ¡°Then you are this flowered tree?¡±


    The dragon turned its head back towards me before nodding. It understood me. I continued, ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    The dragon used a winged arm to point towards the ground, so I said, ¡°You want this ground?¡±


    It shook its head before Deluge said, ¡°Think of a grander scale.¡±


    I blinked before I said, ¡°You want this world?¡±


    With a slow nod, my hair bristles across my skin. Deluge¡¯s shoves me from my conscious while saying, ¡°This world is mine.¡±


    The dragon shakes its head, spreading the enthralling scent of its flowers before the creature¡¯s tail whips behind it. With a voice like broken glass, the dragon echoes around us,


    ¡°This place is mine, and this world is not yours. It belongs to another. I will take it from her.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°You mean Gaia?¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but it does not matter. Come closer. Breath it in. Give yourself to me.¡±


    Razor floats beside the creature before opening her palms towards it. In her full, rich voice, she said,


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you harm him. He¡¯s my interesting anomaly. It would be a shame for him to die here.¡±


    A bead of cold sweat dripped from my side for a second before the dragon¡¯s tail whipped towards Razor, but she replied in kind. Two of her orbs flew through the air before colliding with the tail. The blades slammed into the spiked tail of the dragon before the creature¡¯s jaws open, revealing a forest of teeth and thorns.


    Thorny vines line the creature¡¯s throat as it snaps at me, but I step forward while torquing my weight through my hips and feet. I drag my arm over my head as my right arm builds power. Right as the jaws reaches me, my fist crushed into the scale plates on its nose, unleashing all of my strength.


    The ground beneath me cracks as a pulse of wind radiates from my blow. The beast¡¯s maw snapped shut before slamming into the ground with a deafening boom. The black plates spread across the dragon¡¯s face crack and crumble. The thickness of blood and the mush of flesh pressed against my fist.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    After the earth warped under the creature¡¯s jaw, the monster shot a wing towards me before Razor moved her last remaining orb, blocking the thorny arm. After being pinned for a moment, the dragon jerked its head sideways, tearing chunks of the ground with it.


    My arm jerked with the creature¡¯s head before it opened its mouth and bit onto me. Within a second, all became darkness as the acidic burn of fire engulfed my waist. Each tooth dug into my stomach like sharpened spines before the creature chewed, ripping my organs as blood leaked from my wounds.


    Thinking I¡¯m dead, the creature rears its head upwards while tossing me into its throat. Ignoring the agony, I stand up in mid air, stabbing spikes from my palms into the roof of its mouth. The creature chomped down, pressing my legs while the sound of blades smashing into scales filled my ears. The overwhelming pressure subsided before the monster bellowed an engulfing roar that shook my bones.


    Blood poured from my ears and eyes after the sound passed. Leg bones jutted from thighs, and vines from the dragon¡¯s throat crawled up, digging into my chest. Despite this hellish agony, I grinned wide. I had fought harder battles. Anguish poured into my mind from every angle, yet I met the pain. I conquered it.


    The bones of my leg snapped into place before my sight and my hearing returned. I stabbed my feet into the gums of the creature before pushing my legs down with all the might in my body. The creature¡¯s mouth crushes from both above and below, but I grit my teeth until they crack as I push my legs down and lift my shoulders up.


    The skin on my back split as the mouth of the monster creeped open. The muscles of my legs and back screamed for release, but I ignored their howling. Tendons snapped and reformed under my skin as the creature fought against my strength. We fought a war of wills, and my will was a wall of iron.


    Bones in my feet and hands broke. Sweat poured over my eyes, blurring my vision. My mind numbed before I slowly, but surely, pressed the monster¡¯s mouth open. Liquid fire pumped through my chest as the vines began squirming inside, but Deluge regenerated each ruptured organ and ripped artery.


    After several minutes of struggle, my legs locked as the monster¡¯s maw snapped. The dragon pumped a liquid from the vines of its throat into my chest before I jerked my arm from the roof of the dragon¡¯s jaw.


    I ripped and tore the vines with my left arm before a flood of red erupted from the dragon¡¯s throat. The creature gagged, launching me from the beast¡¯s throat. I landed on my back, the sky spinning for a second before I wiped my eyes.


    Gazing towards the dragon, Razor had reformed. Her hulking body, immense and deadly. The once human form turned floating spheres, each growing swords quicker than they could stab the dragon. They lined up, making a scorpion of blunt blue, like denim. The dull yellow daggers of before turned to claymore sized swords that impaled the dragon.


    Two spheres of navy blue gouged open the sides of the black dragon¡¯s chest, exposing its entrails. Her head orb grew yellow spikes from itself while launching the spines into the monster¡¯s insides. Razor¡¯s motherly voice roared with outrage as she howled, fierce as a storm at sea.


    The dragon scrambled for its escape, but Razor¡¯s hulking frame pinned the creature down as the organs of the creature sliced deep into its body. After a few more seconds of the carnage, the dragon¡¯s eyes dulled before the creature limbs loses all tension. As the head lands on the ground, a rumble crosses the earth before the beast¡¯s echoing cries die down into silence.


    After she decapitated the creature, Razor continued digging through the monster¡¯s insides before I shouted,


    ¡°Razor, I¡¯m over here.¡±


    She turned towards me before gliding along the air, noiseless and slithering like a snake. She grabbed me between two of her orbs before lifting me into the air and saying, ¡°Thank Gaia you¡¯re alive.¡±


    With my voice choking from being squashed by her paws, I say, ¡°Please let me down.¡±


    She sets me down with a slow and smooth motion as she says, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to hurt you¡­I thought you had died.¡±


    I shook my head before saying, ¡°I think I could have won, though killing the monster from the inside would have been difficult to say the least.¡±


    Covered in a bright, blue glow, Razor transformed back into her human form before she hugged me against her while saying, ¡°I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re still here.¡±


    Razor¡¯s body bended as she hugged me, and in total contrast with the hardness of Aether, Razor¡¯s softness relaxed me. We sat there for a moment before she released me while saying,


    ¡°Ah, yes. I shouldn¡¯t be so close to you for so long. I¡¯m sure it makes you uncomfortable.¡±


    I grinned before saying, ¡°It¡¯s no problem. Thank you for getting me out of its mouth. It would-¡°


    A sudden, sharp pain dug through my chest before I fell to my knees. Razor placed a hand on my shoulder while saying,


    ¡°Are you alright? Did the battle tire you out?¡±


    I gasped for a moment before saying, ¡°No. The creature¡­It pumped something into my chest. It is pain.¡±


    After a gurgling sound wriggled from my chest, something spread through my chest like magma. My muscle burned like I marinated my flesh in salt and poison for several hours. Deluge said in my mind,


    ¡°Whatever infected that dragon is trying to infect you. I¡¯m holding it back, but it¡¯s strong.¡±


    I winced as I said with my voice straining and hoarse, ¡°I can tell. It feels like it.¡±


    I turned towards the chapel before I stood with a hand on my chest. I grabbed a wick from a pouch on my side along with a match before I saying, ¡°Razor. Get me a pile of dry pine straw. We need to burn all of this.¡±


    She turned towards the forest before glancing towards me and saying, ¡°But, you¡¯re hurt. We need-¡±


    I cut her off as I said, ¡°Deluge is handling it. We need to handle that thing first.¡±


    As I say so, pods form over the flowers on each branch before they start swelling. Razor stood paralyzed, so I shouted my words like thunder,


    ¡°Burn it. Now.¡±


    Razor raised a hand towards me for a moment before she lowered it and glided towards the forest. Instead of standing there and whining, I walked towards the chapel with slow, weary steps. My toes dragged against the earth while slamming into the ground at the end of each stride. Each breath expanded my chest, and the misery of before evolved into anguish as I said to Deluge,


    ¡°There¡¯s only one way to stop this Deluge.¡±


    He replied, ¡°I can stop this, I just need time. Whatever your thinking, stop thinking it.¡±


    I shook my head before saying, ¡°We don¡¯t have time. I''m going to rip it out."


    <hr>

 8 Cleansing

    8 Cleansing


    <hr>


    Oracle Jahitii - ¡°He shall come. He shall come and devour our god. He shall rise from her corpse, a cannibal, a bringer of darkness. Nothing can stop him. He is a force of change, a golem of ambition. Within him dwells a monster, and upon him is an unwavering will. He is...The Darkened One.


    <hr>


    Reaching out my hands, I grew hooked claws from my fingertips. With a savage pop, I slammed my fingers into my sternum, piercing my bone. Loud crunching with soft pops followed as dug my fingers deeper in. Before I began, I resolved myself for the endless pain that would follow.


    Biting through my lip, I pulled outwards, my ribs snapping and breaking. The white of bone and slop of entrails pulsed in my chest as I growled. My heart squirmed in my chest. Even worse than torture, my hands convulsed as saliva and blood gushed from my mouth. Arteries in my eyes popped as my skin tore and bone snapped.


    Worse than pain, a deep, penetrating cold leaked into my chest as the air dried my lungs. Every part of my body shook as I released my sternum and reached into my chest with my left hand. A violation I¡¯ve never known sinks in as I grab onto a wooden cluster, digging into the back of my spine.


    After a short moment, I pull at the knotted ball, and the pain invading my body recedes. After jerking the last bit, a squirming ball of roots appears in my hand. Bloody and with bits of organ and slush, a thousand limbs crawl in my hand.


    I glared at the abomination with a look like death as I crushed it. I roared as the limbs crumbled in my hand. At the center of the creature existed a squishy capsule, so I threw the monster to the ground as my sternum reformed. With a howl, I stomped onto the creature with enough force to shatter boulders.


    Cracks spread onto the ground as a light squeal escapes the monster. I press my heel down, caving it into the ground. I turned around and found Razor staring at me with her arms full of pine straw. We stare at each other as I gasp for air. I blink a few times before I said,


    ¡°Now that¡¯s handled, let-¡± I gasped before I continued, ¡°Let¡¯s get rid of the chapel.¡±


    I looked back towards the cathedral before Deluge said, ¡°Eat that creature¡¯s remains.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    I blinked before saying, ¡°The one that just burrowed through my chest?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    I lurched back in disgust before thinking, ¡°Hell no. I just ripped that thing out. I will not put it back in.¡±


    Deluge snapped, ¡°That is a creature we do not understand. If I absorb it, we may be able to defend ourselves should we see it again. You¡¯ve already killed it, so be a man and eat it.¡±


    I frowned before I bent over and picked up the creature. I stared at the wilted creature before I said, ¡°You and I both know I¡¯m not a man anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then be like a beast, devour what you¡¯ve hunted.¡±


    I grimaced before I open my mouth and chew the fibrous and tough roots. Very, very thoroughly mind you. A bitter taste tears at my tongue while the acrid contents of the pouch at its center brings tears to my eyes. As if drinking ammonia, I gag while finishing the creature before I walked to the chapel.


    After reaching it, I shouted towards Razor who stood, watching were I was, ¡°Hey Razor. I could use a hand over here.¡±


    The normality of my words brought her back to reality before she said, ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Here it is.¡±


    She floated over towards me before we walked into the center of the squirming bunch of vines. We passed the doors made of cherrytree, the vines wilting. Around us, human corpses bonded with the walls, fused together with tumorous growths. Elegant flowers grew from these carcasses, like gems of beauty in a rough of decay.


    Several bodies sprawled along the walls and ground like dolls. Several heads lodged in a plant¡¯s mouth, vines creeping into them. Never had I seen a flower bloom so beautiful yet surround itself with carnage. These horrors gave way to a blanket of flowers hued like rainbows, surreal and captivating.


    The scent pulled me in like hunger and lust, but I snapped the temptation with the will of my mind. From a satchel at my side, I took flint and steel as Razor set some crackling pine straw on the ground. In seconds, I started a fire with thick plumes of white smoke.


    Several book cases lined the chapel walls, so we threw those into the fire before an inferno consumed the whole of the building. Of course, I discovered a few choice reads that I kept. We walked out, and I turned and glanced at the tower of flames.


    Ashes mixed with the petals of before. Like a blizzard of flowers and flame, they flew through the air. At its center, a charcoal colored plume of smoke rose overhead, hissing and popping hungrily.


    With a sigh of relief, I collapsed beside a tree at the edge of the chapel¡¯s clearing as I watched, and while my eyes blurred from exhaustion, Razor lifted and held me in her arms as I fell asleep. I drifted to sleep before a ghastly vision flashed in front of my eyes.


    Joan and Sophia¡¯s corpses shifting as vines squirmed out their eyes and nose and skin.

 9 A New Name

    9 A New Name


    <hr>


    Avidicus Meratone, Famous Historian -Saints where the heroes of not only Bastion, but of the world in its entirity. They slayed the evil demons and terrible monsters you heard spoken of so often in stories. Of course, in order to slay a monster, you must first become a monster. Not many knew of that part.


    <hr>


    Three hours later, I awoke with Razor humming as we floated over the chapel. The sun crawled towards the horizon while Deluge controlled our conscious. Razor held onto us, her hands holding like a mothers. Deluge crushed a portion of the dragon bone in his hands. He¡¯d been eating the remains of the dragon since I¡¯d passed out, and he didn¡¯t mind doing so as Razor held him.


    The act had an almost sensual aura to it, so I said,


    ¡°Deluge. We can¡¯t sit in another girl¡¯s arms for several hours. That¡¯s one step away from cheating on Joan.¡±


    Deluge replied, ¡°Razor enjoys our presence, and she doesn¡¯t bother me. If she just wants to hold us, she can.¡±


    At that point, Deluge¡¯s opinion solidified like drying concrete. Realizing this, I replied,


    ¡°Alright, alright. Just never do this with another human.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot. If I had done this with Charlie, she would have attempted mating with me. I¡¯d prefer avoiding that.¡±


    If I had control of our body, my stomach would have sunk, so I thought in reply, ¡°She wanted us? Wait, she wanted you?¡±


    ¡°Like a dog in heat.¡±


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s kind of...unexpected. Uh, Deluge, would you mind letting me spend the rest of our day? There¡¯s a few more things I¡¯d like need to do.¡±


    ¡°How dare you ask for control of our conscious?! You fought a dragon, ripped a tree monster out of your chest, and fell unconscious from exhaustion. Now you want to spend the other parts of the day relaxing or enjoying yourself? Blasphemy.¡±


    The sarcasm came across so thick that I burst into laughter, releasing the tension left over from earlier. Afterwards, Deluge continued,


    ¡°You may have it after I finish eating this dragon. Think of this as my revenge for it trying to eat us before.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I appreciate it.¡±


    He crushed and ate a portion of bone in his hand before saying, ¡°Revenge is a dish best served cold. I didn¡¯t think the saying was so true.¡±


    I cringed before saying, ¡°We need to check on Sophia and Joan. They may be hurt or worse.¡±


    Deluge rolled his eyes before saying, ¡°Ah yes, that demonic scientist and barbarian were killed by flowers. Even if they were somehow injured, Aether would save them far faster than us, and he left hours ago. Rest your mind. You can hardly think as it is.¡±


    He reassured me, so I fell asleep in seconds. Deluge had almost ate the dragon before I awakened. As he finished, he handed over control. Whenever we left, Razor carried the remaining head of the dragon. We still needed it for the Arcanum.


    Razor hovered low to the ground whenever we reached the town. Dozens of the plants from earlier littered the ground with several bodies sticking halfway out of the ground. Burn marks along with ice littered all around, along with several chunks of earth. They looked like the remnants of a chainer¡¯s fight.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Everything reeked of death as the chapel did before, so we darted towards the inn at full speed.As we approach the building, I spotted a gaping hole in the side of the building, just big enough for Aether. Razor and I dashed through the hole in the wall before I ran up the stairs. On the third step, a stair shattered from my stomping.


    Falling like a drunk man, my chin slammed against the upper steps. My face destroyed the wooden planks before I lifted my face from the stairs with my arms and said,


    ¡°Deluge, this is getting impractical.¡±


    ¡°Complain after we get through a dragon fight without being swallowed.¡±


    He made a fair point, so I let the issue slide before I crawled up the steps with my arms. After reaching the upper floor, I stood up and my feet pierce through the floor again. There was no wonder as to how Aether smashed through this weak wood so easily.


    Rolling my eyes, I ripped my feet out of the floor over and over until I reached Charlie¡¯s previous room. After tearing off the door handle, I ripped the door off as well before Aether¡¯s glow came into vision.


    Joan, Sophia, and Charlie laid sideways while tucked under one of his arms as they groaned and complained. They all groaned about how long they¡¯d been there, but Aether ignored them while glancing at the wooden planks of the wall. Joan, in particular, complained about how she couldn¡¯t kill the rest of the plants. She was fierce as she was lovely.


    After I broke through the door, Aether glanced up towards me before saying, ¡°Ah, Ja-I mean, Jericho. You¡¯re back.¡±


    I grinned before I said, ¡°Come on, we¡¯ve got a bounty to collect.¡±


    All in all, it was total and utter chaos. The only villagers that lived had hidden within cupboards or in cellars. Joan and I saved them. The plant¡¯s effects had infected Charlie and Sophia, so Joan had locked them into the room and tied them up. She had defended the inn from the oncoming husks, but one had crawled through a window before infecting them all.


    After that, Joan used the dormant power in her right arm, decimating the whole crowd and the nearby area. She couldn¡¯t help many others after that. I¡¯m glad she didn¡¯t. Sophia and Charlie needed her help. She had been there hero.


    Of course, Aether snatched Joan up and put them all under his arm until we arrived. Charlie and Sophia didn¡¯t snap out of their stupors till later, after Razor and Aether left. We managed to protect the village without exposing our identities. In my book, it was a massive success.


    With the village rounded up, I explained how the botanical bastards operated to all of them while describing the dragon fight in detail from my perspective.


    My story made the tale out as a desperate plea for my survival. Razor¡¯s would have painted a picture of the poor, pitiful dragon being gored by her. Both our stories told the truth, though mine may have been exaggerated at the time for effect. I had a reputation to uphold after all.


    Regardless, whenever I dragged the dragon¡¯s head from behind me, all of their jaws hung open as a beggar¡¯s hands. Sophia ran over before glancing at the scales and plates before she whispered to me alone,


    ¡°Im guessing Deluge, uh, handled the rest of what was left?¡±


    I nodded before whispering back, ¡°I¡¯ll get him to speak with you about the details of its anatomy. You could both learn from each other.¡±


    She cringed before saying, ¡°Ah man. That sounds absolutely dreadful.¡±


    I grinned before patting her back and saying, ¡°It will be.¡±


    Charlie and Joan remained frozen as they stare down the sight before them, but I snapped my fingers in response before saying, ¡°We¡¯ve got a long journey ahead of us. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Joan blinked for a moment before saying, ¡°Ah, of course. We¡¯ll uh¡­wow. This is amazing. I wonder what they¡¯ll call you when you get back.¡±


    I shrugged before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s hope their more pleasant then my other nickname.¡±


    Charlie leaned her head over before saying, ¡°You weren¡¯t making idle threats before¡­You really could have taken us all out.¡±


    I shoo the comment away with my hand while saying, ¡°Enough of that. I¡¯m going to burn the village before we leave. No reason to leave this place as it is.¡±


    After gathering all of the useful supplies, I torched the village. The village carried packs and supplies and heavy hearts as they left. This wasn¡¯t the first village I left scarred, and it wouldn¡¯t be the last. I left with a different name. Before, they called me a demon. Now, I walked away as the townsfolk cheered over and over.


    Hail Saint Jericho.

 10 An Old Aquaintence

    10 An Old Acquaintance


    <hr>


    Excerpt from the Darkened Chronicle - He never wanted worship, but who could blame those that did so? Someone can only accomplish so many feats before they are a hero, only so many miracles before they are a god.


    <hr>


    After four days, the plants shriveled in the surrounding forest. There controller died along with them, like a hive with no queen. With the threat eliminated, we traveled for several days before making it back to Dresdel.


    Of course my deal with the Arcanum twisted a bit, but with Charlie¡¯s testimony, I¡¯d be allowed in regardless. In my eyes, I couldn¡¯t imagine them saying no to a dragonslayer.


    The day was clear and sunny with crisp cold in the air. The city¡¯s silence helped from the church¡¯s meeting that morning. It rained the day before I arrived, so puddles littered around like stray dogs. As I paced into town, the giant dragon skull dug a trench in the dirt behind me. Tall and ominous, I stepped in, lumbering like a giant.


    The townsfolk stopped and stared as I passed. A few followed behind as I strode up to the city¡¯s center, their own cathedral. Though embarrassment coursed in me with its sharp sting, I kept composure. I needed this petty ceremony¡¯s success. Without it, I may end up killing the dragon without any recognition from the powers that mattered.


    You would imagine that the royal family held sway in Bastion, and they did, but not like the church. The worship of Gaia clasped onto power like a python, squeezing the very life from it. If you wanted gold, the duke could give it to you, but power, prestige, influence? That rested with bishops and priests. The duke could moved a mountain of money, but the pontifex could give you the good graces of the people.


    That is what I needed, not a shiny, soft metal.


    So I walked in dark hydra skin, pacing into the church without a word. Higher than hills, the stained windows all pointed in a circle with an altar at the center. The gray stone cooled my feet and midday sun leaked in through stained windows. On these windows were pictures of a gentle mother giving bread to children, of thunder striking seas, of a hand rasing mountains. Smells of old books and sage floated like fairies on wind.


    Marvelous as it was, the beauty gave way to brutality. The cedar pews arranged in a semi-circle around a blood stained altar. Unlike newer towns, Dresdel had kept to the olden ways of sacrifice. You¡¯d imagine that civilization would of abandoned these primal needs by then, but no. Lingering pieces of the past scattered about like broken glass, cutting anyone who¡¯d dare pick them up.


    Behind this alter stood a tree of stone. Carved with care, a slither of alexandrite sat upon it''s center, charged with sacrifices. It was just as Sophia said. This church upheld the olden ways.The idea of enforcing these practice ate at me, but I did what needed to be done. I laid the skull upon the pedestal with a gentle and deliberate slowness. The congregation glanced in amazement before I leaned on one knee, right as the sun passed overhead. From a window above, a beam of light came down upon me as I leaned down.


    In legends, heroes would give the souls of dragons to Gaia. In return, she''d enchant their gem with her power. The first emperor of Bastion did so, and he wore the amulet till the day he died. Creating one of my own would garantee my sainthood.


    With this in mind and hoping I looked as holy as planned, I channeled the dragon''s soul from the palm of my hand and into the alexandrite. Just as foretold in legends, the slither grew wider, turning to crimson. Bright as dragon''s blood, it glowed before I lifted myself from one knee and said, ¡°For Gaia, I give. For Gaia, I go.¡±


    As I turned to walk away, the bishop walked closer to the skull before saying, ¡°Did...did you do this?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    I turned around as I said, ¡°Yes, father.¡±


    ¡°This...this is the head of a dragon. A real dragon¡¯s head?¡±


    I nodded before he said, ¡°Why do you bring this here?¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen Gaia in my dreams. She spoke of a dragon killing her children. I went to save them. Now I am here to give a sacrifice in her name.¡±


    The priest raised his hands and said, ¡°We had heard of the dragon to the North. We would have sent help of our own if we could spare it. I hadn¡¯t believed it though, that Aesoth turned.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°What? Aesoth?¡±


    The bishop frowned as he said, ¡°Wait, you didn¡¯t know who or what the dragon was?¡±


    I shook my head as I said, ¡°I never needed to. I followed Gaia¡¯s words. I hold absolute faith.¡±


    The bishop deepened his frown into a scowl as he said, ¡°Well then. I suppose you deserve something for your service then, is that it?¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°I¡¯ve already received my gift.¡±


    I turned, walking out of the church as the crowd murmured. Several spoke loud enough to hear,


    ¡°A dragon? They''re real?¡±


    ¡°The bishop didn¡¯t sound very thankful did he?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯d let him walk out empty handed like that.¡±


    The bishop bit his fingernail before saying, ¡°What is your name?¡±


    I turned my head as I said, ¡°I am Jericho.¡±


    ¡°The people will know of your deeds and of your name.¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°Thank you, father. Have a blessed day. Long live Dresdel. Long live Gaia.¡±


    As I reached the door, a child grabbed the edge of my sheath I wore expressly for the event. With eyes full of wonder and curiosity, he said, ¡°Would you please tell me your story sir?¡±


    I grinned and said, ¡°Gladly.¡±


    The tale seemed unbelievable, but whenever they glanced at the giant dragon head I dragged in, all skepticism died. Charlie crept in, carrying a portion of athe dead plant with her. She hid the piece until the opportune moment for revealing the evidence during the telling of the tall tale.


    In honor of my deeds, the bishop of the church knighted me the following morning, and after soaking in the spotlight for a few days, Deluge handled our deal with the Arcanum.


    And I did so with care. After waiting for nightfall, I hid until I reached the inn. Difficult, but I managed. I paced through the doors without the guard¡¯s interruption. Of course, Charlie followed me like a leech.


    She grinned while injecting every ounce of annoying she could into the expression. I hated her deeply, but the other¡¯s respected her now and her ribs no longer bothered her as much, she often spoke with me during nights. Far more than I would like in fact.


    The wrath she caused proved useful, however. I¡¯m sure the emotion showed on my face as I walked through the inn before walking down the same steps. Of course, the guards treated me like a lumbering monster in their midst. The bottom two steps broke as I stepped down. Charlie laughed until tears poured through her eyes, but no one else let so much as a smirk trace their lips. They feared me, as they should.


    By the time I reached the bottom of the stairs, the pathetic boss opened the door and revealed another man standing. A black cloak covered his body and hooded his head. The man¡¯s broad shoulders contrasted the limp weakness of the spindly boss of before. From beneath the cloak, scars traced his fingers, telling me much of his past. This man bathed in battle and blood and pain.


    A gray beard jutted from under his hood, but I couldn¡¯t shake a sense of nostalgia. This ominous man stood beside the thin boned boss of this branch. In his nasally voice, Phil said, "Here is the leader of the Arcanum. He created this organization from the ground up. He''s come here to welcome you into our higher echelons. I hope your happy."


    As I walked beside him, I breathed a deep lungful of air, and his scent revealed who he was.You see, long ago I had snuck into the storage area of Mareovosa¡¯s gems. Whenever I arrived, I fell into a trap before fighting against a master gemchainer. He was an old man, but his skills had sharpened over the years instead of dulling. He summoned swords of light and used lightning strikes. He was a worthy adversary.


    I respected him, and in front of me stood he, Galen Huxley. The grandfather of Joan and founder of the Arcanum. I said,


    "We''re well aquainted. Isn''t that right?"


    <hr>

 11 No Longer a Nightmare

    11 No Longer a Nightmare


    <hr>


    Baemouth, of Wrath and Bone - I decided how I would live...laughing and building my mountain of corpses.


    <hr>


    Whenever our eyes met, he radiated a fear few have known and a hatred that I have never seen. Palpable, tense, and seething like bloodfrenzy, his teeth ground as he glared at me. The scars on his hands and cheeks contorted into a grimace. I grinned before saying with clenched fists,


    ¡°Well, I see you¡¯re a busy man.¡±


    Galvin¡¯s eyes twitched before Phil replied, ¡°Wha, what? You both know each other? You know our boss?¡±


    I leaned towards Galen while saying, ¡°Rather intimately.¡±


    Galvin froze there, his heart shaking in his chest as memories of our battle coursed through him, melting his pure, absolute anger. The look in his eyes told me all I needed to know. He didn¡¯t want to die, but he didn¡¯t want me alive either.


    A short, sharp laugh escaped me as I said, ¡°What did they tell you after I left? That I killed your daughters and ate all the children?¡±


    Galen slammed his words like a brick across the temple, ¡°Phil. Leave.¡±


    The rat man scurried away with a carnal fear as I rolled my shoulders and said, ¡°Instead of fighting, let¡¯s talk to one another for a minute.¡±


    His face turned crimson as he reached into one of his pockets. Before he started chaining, I shot my arm towards his neck. While wrapping my hand around the nape of his neck, my fingers fused, creating a collar of flesh as I said, ¡°Listen or be assimilated.¡±


    He went still as ice before pulling his hand from the pocket. He growled, ¡°What do you want from me, monster?¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°What matters is what you believe happened that day. What did they tell you?¡±


    Galen hissed, ¡°That you killed both my daughters. That you devoured all the children...That you killed The Remnant of Gaia.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s play a game then. We¡¯ll call it five questions. I will ask and you will answer after a moment of thought.¡±


    I set him down and released my grip as I said, ¡°Why did I let you live the day we fought?¡±


    Galen¡¯s breathes rasped as he said, ¡°So that you could relish in my torment later.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°Do I look pleased? No. I let you live so that you could relay a message to the church, perhaps that I was merciful. What did you tell them?¡±


    ¡°I told them that a demon has devoured a remnant. They sent in the doctors.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°Of course, Now what do doctors do, oh wise chainer?¡±


    He frowned as he said, ¡°They purge the cursed. They freed those who were in your clutches.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°And who was in my clutches?¡±


    He blinked before his hands went slack. He said slow as a falling feather, ¡°My daughter and granddaughter...Joan and Petra.¡±


    I nodded and said, ¡°Who killed your daughters then?¡±


    He fell to his knees before saying, ¡°I...I killed them. My only children...What have I done?¡±


    I lunged onto one knee as I said, ¡°Our little game is over. Now listen. They turned Petra into a monster, Joan, on the other hand, was saved.¡± Galen¡¯s head rose as I continued, ¡°Can you guess by whom?¡±


    He blinked before saying, ¡°It was you...¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°If you work with me, I will let you see your granddaughter again. If you defy me, I will kill you before you ever see her.¡±


    He met my eye and said, ¡°If...If that is what must be done, then so be it. For family I have done worse. What is it that you want?¡±


    ¡°Something simple. The death of Gaia.¡±


    He bit his lip before saying, ¡°Why? Why do you want the death of her benevolence?¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°She corrupts this world. Your kind works within that corruption in ways I deem undesirable. Therefore, I will end the corruption rather than ending your kind. Be thankful.¡±


    He grimaced as he said, ¡°How has she corrupted us?¡±


    I stood as I said, ¡°I will give you a simple example. She lives under the earth. Where do the harshest, cruelest of creatures live?¡±


    He frowned and said, ¡°In caves, deep down.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°It¡¯s a conundrum for scientists I¡¯m sure. One set of creatures lives a certain way at the surface, beneath it, they are different. Regardless, Gaia is the cause of that.¡±


    Galen nodded before saying, ¡°I...I suppose. But what is it that you want me to do?¡±


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°Three things. Assist Sophia with her research, give me access to the Arcanum¡¯s information network, and help spread the fame of Jericho.¡±


    Galen breathed deep then sighed. He grimaced as he said, ¡°How can I believe you?¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°It is a simple thing. You have no other choice. And besides-¡±


    I cracked my neck before saying, ¡°I¡¯ve interrogated more than one of your assassins by now. They¡¯ve told me things about you along with Joan¡¯s own musings. I¡¯ve learned enough to know this.¡±


    Confusion ignited on his face as galen tilted his head, but I continued, ¡°Your wife and Petra were kidnapped decades ago. Petra lived, but your wife was not so lucky. In a fit of rage and sorrow, you crushed and maimed each and every would be kidnapper, robber, or soulstealer, one after the other.¡±


    I clenched my fist as I said, ¡°You conquered them, like a dictator with an iron heel. You organized them, and controlled them. You guaranteed that if families paid a tax to the Arcanum, they would be safe. Gone were the days of daughters and wives being held for ransom at random.¡±


    He bit his lip as I said, ¡°You created a lesser evil. What I am doing is the same. A man named Alistair told me that if you cannot create light, then turn darkness to shade.¡±If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Galen stood and said, ¡°Alright...For Joan...But I must see her or have some sign. I will not walk forward while blind.¡±


    ¡°It is done. I¡¯m quite busy as you¡¯d imagine. Goodbye.¡±


    Pacing past the mold ridden hallway, I reached the stairs before I paced up past the broken steps. A crack echoed from a stair beneath me, so I stabbed my arms into the wooden walls. A thunderous crash bellowed from the walls, so the guards glanced over. As I walked up the steps, they stepped backwards, giving me space.


    Charlie waltzed up, dancing as she did so. She said, ¡°Ah big guy. Did things not work out so well?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°Galen and I came to an agreement.¡±


    She frowned as she said, ¡°Who¡¯s Galen?¡±


    I walked towards the entry as I said, ¡°An old Friend.¡±


    My goal remained unchanged. Pacing through Dresdel, the sights of the city changed in a single night. The old, miserable town achieved new life with this event. A champion dragon slayer who gave his sacrifice in Dresdel. Tourism would flourish. The town¡¯s pride would expand by leaps and bounds.


    Shops prepared for these incoming customers as new signs littered several shops. Street performers from the surrounding villages swelled in the streets. The scaffolding for inns or souvenir shops littered the outskirts of town for extra rooms. With the extra taxes coming in, the council approved the introduction of a sewage system.


    Our presence had evolved the town from a crime ridden ghetto into a flourishing center of trade. For the first time in both our lives, Jack and I had introduced a positive impact on a city. We built instead of destroyed. We gave instead of stole.


    Even though I cared little for such petty concerns, a piece of me enjoyed it. Still, the remnants of Gaia spread their corruption like cancer spreading in a dying man¡¯s blood. Resting had proven fruitful, but we would gain little more from it.


    With this in mind, I traveled towards the chapel of the town. A newly woven banner hung from above the doorway, green and white and symboled with twelve talismans surrounding a tree. The dark marble gleamed bright in the low light of lamps. and after entering, I passed the rows of pews, finding the bishop kneeling below the tree of stone.


    The new crimson crysta radiated warmth and light as the bishop of the church prayed for salvation. Since my slaying of the dragon, this church¡¯s influence had grown by leaps and bounds, and the bishop understood the implications of this fact.


    He prayed with renowned vigor to Gaia, and the sacrifices of the town kept the gem charged at the center of the place. My steps rumbled the ground as I walked towards him, but the man felt no fear. There existed one person within this town who could create such a sound with only his footsteps after all.


    Knowing this, the bishop stood still as I walked up and said,


    ¡°Would you mind if I pray beside you?¡±


    The words burned my tongue as they left my lips, but since I already gained the Arcanum¡¯s favor, why not gain the favor of the church as well?


    The bishop lifted his head before saying,


    ¡°You have done us a great service. Think of this as your home, please.¡±


    He stood with the dim glow of a full moon illuminating the steps he leaned on. A torch lit blanketed the gray stone in orange, mixing with the red hue of the crimson gem at his side. He had taken it down earlier. The bishop turned towards me. The lights accentuated the paleness of his skin. The white of his robe, embroidered with gold and silver, gave him an aura of power and prestige.


    His confidence was a quiet one. It stemmed from understanding his position and the positions of those around him. As a priest, he was untouchable.


    This atmosphere left a mute impact on me. If anything, the ambience disgusted me, so after his thanks, we sat for many minutes before the priest said, his voice wobbling with his age,


    ¡°What is your name, he who hears Gaia?¡±


    I turned towards him while saying, ¡°Jericho.¡±


    ¡°Then Jericho, a priest from the village you saved verified your story. He told of how you purged the town of it¡¯s demonic plague. You have uplifted our village as well. It is as if you carry a cloak of light wherever you go.¡±


    The irony of his words made me grin. The Darkened One spread darkness in his wake. Now I am a bringer of light. I said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard my talents phrased differently.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps so, but my eyes can still see and my ears can still hear. I was skeptical, but you deserve a reward for your feat. By the authority as bishop of Dresdel and overseer of the state of Kendall, I grant you the title of disciple. May you continue your piety towards our lord, and may Gaia continue granting you her grace.¡±


    I gave a malicious grin as he bowed towards me, keeping the smile unseen. By contrast, I spoke with respect, ¡°May her grace offer us all salvation from our sins. Amen.¡±


    ¡°Amen.¡±


    I removed my grin as he raised his head. I met his eye as I said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving to follow the will of Gaia. I am needed in Nelastra. I feel it. There will be frenzy and fury and fire. I stand ready.¡±


    The bishop said, ¡°Jericho, I want to help you on your journey. Call me by my name, Albus Feremore. I once tried being a Saint. It is a hard and long road. I can see your potential. It¡¯s like my younger, more hopeful self is in you.¡±


    He laid a hand on my shoulder as he said, ¡°If it is fire you face, I can help, though only slightly.¡±


    From his side, he picked up the red gem, already set in an amulet of black glass. It¡¯s center was bloody, surrounded in an orange sheen. As it circled in his palm, the orange sheen shimmered until the gem looked like a writhing fire. After letting me observe the gem, Albus walked over and hooked the gem¡¯s wire around my neck.


    Albus placed his hands on my shoulders as he said, ¡°This will let others know who you are, and what your title is. I will send a messenger so the Nelastra branch will know who you are before you arrive.¡±


    I lifted the gem and stared at its center before turning up towards him and saying, ¡°Are you sure about giving this to me?¡±


    Albus grinned, his eyes full of understanding as his cheeks creased. He set his arms from my shoulder as he said, ¡°You see this is crystallized dragon¡¯s blood. It will only stay enchanted for the lsayer of that dragon. It would be wasted here.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°Before I leave, I wanted to know. Who was Aesoth?¡±


    Albus¡¯s eyes grew grim as he said, ¡°The dragon you slew was once a noble protector who guarded us many years ago.¡±


    He glanced at the stone tree behind him as he said, ¡°Gaia created dragons in an emulation of her ideal. They are strong, noble beasts, but just like any other creature, they may be corrupted by demonic forces.¡±


    He glanced back towards me as he said, ¡°A half century ago, the dragon became reclusive, and he stopped guarding our lands. Two decades ago, the surrounding villages became fearful of his presence, and within the last two years, many people started disappearing from the surrounding villages. This is the last relic of his past before he lost himself. This is the final slither of his noble soul.¡±


    Albus opened a palm towards me as he said, ¡°In exchange for our tributes, the dragon would drink from the alexandrite, becoming ever more powerful. He would protect us with this power. You hold a small piece of that power now. The amulet protects the wearer from fire of all kinds, so use it well, Dragonslayer.¡±


    As fire posed little threat to me, the amulet proved useless besides the recognition it gave. Regardless, I thanked the bishop with a curt bow before saying,


    ¡°I heed the calling of her name. Goodbye, Albus. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Until we meet again, Jericho.¡±


    I left the church before the complexity of Jack¡¯s plan struck me. He assumed all of these outcomes from destroying the dragon, and by leveraging his results, he amplified our achievements three fold. With one act, we became a hero of the town, an apostle of Gaia, and obtained entry into the Arcanum, if not an indirect ownership of it.


    This gave us options for gathering information from a variety of sources all while disguising our identity with our accolades. Being known as Jericho allowed for travel by road. It gave us an efficient method for connecting with other groups who controlled this kingdom. It even resulted in saving this entire region from that plant¡¯s infestation. Instead of remaining social outcasts, Jack injected us into society in a grand fashion. I wouldn¡¯t have done the same.


    With all our business handled there, we left our encampment at the break of dawn towards our next destination, the town of Nern. Jack enjoyed the trip far more than I.


    That isn¡¯t a hard thing to do, Deluge. You see, Deluge and I differ in how we spend our time. He enjoys long, morose walks while I prefer spending my time in the company of others. Ever since we started our journey, my desire for music evolved from a mild hunger into starvation, so with the new violin at my fingertips, I could play as we walked.


    Since my repertoire of music was simple but broad, I could play different songs from sunrise till sunset. I relished the taste of rhythm. I embraced the merit of melody. I loved the healing of harmony.


    Like sutures across my soul, the music restored me. Joan matched my talent of instruments with her voice, so we sang songs while enjoying one another¡¯s company. Joan had bought us a harp as well, so by the time we reached Nern, each of us radiated joy, at least in my mind.


    One of my favorite memories of the trip involved Charlie¡¯s surprise whenever I first played. To say the very least, she was utterly stunned. I suppose, in a way, I was as well. It was the last living piece of my old life, and just like a fit of laughter, the music overtook me.

 12 Family

    12 Family


    <hr>


    Selavar Donovan - "I will accept nothing short of excellence. Dissapoint me and I''ll have you eat your fingers and toes."


    <hr>


    I had taken out the violin, but, noticing who made it, Charlie said,


    ¡°So you bought one of old Alfred¡¯s tools I see. Who are you gonna do in with that pretty piece of work?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow before saying, ¡°I intend on playing it.¡±


    She laughed at first, but after seeing the expectant glances from Joan and Sophia, her skepticism waned. We were walking on the side of the road with Razor and Aether hiding in the forest, I tuned and strung a few chords on the instrument before Charlie said,


    ¡°Why not just play the thing?¡±


    I grinned, tuned, and said, ¡°Each musician has their own sound and style. Whenever playing an instrument, I prefer a rougher, more discordant tone with my strings, so I tune accordingly.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like an excuse.¡±


    Sophia said, ¡°And you sound stupid.¡±


    Playing at the inn a few times awakened my sleeping skills, so after managing the minimum of warmups, I played a tune my mother taught me. She would sing the song as my father played the instrument for her, so with the bittersweet memory guiding me, I tuned out the notes.


    My own style imbued my emotions whenever I played, so the melancholy leaked into the song as the initial sweeping notes passed over, but as these tones shortened, the song took on new meaning.


    Like a jolt of thunder, the song exploded with complexity as my fingers glided across the strings. The sad ending of before made way for new beginnings as hope flared in each echo. The harmony carried the cool of night and the warmth of day. Every moment was inspired and inflamed and inscribed in my life. The melody, like the first flight of a bird, floated through the air with a smooth, instinctual knowing.


    I captured the fire of frenzy, the soul of sound, the feel of force. As the song¡¯s ending begins, these notes dampen and decay before the softness of silence begins. After finishing the display, all that remains is the hollowed feeling of what could have been, yet remembering the joy of what once was.


    We stopped moving at some point during the song, though I never noticed. I was too absorbed in the performance. Joan glanced at me, grinning wide with her hands balled together over her chest. She withheld her applause while Sophia gave a morose glance at the ground. Her shoulders drooping, I walked over before placing a hand on her back and saying,


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ve known days dark, but we¡¯ve a bright future.¡±


    After saying so, Charlie jumps over before spitting her words, ¡°What the hell? I can¡¯t believe you can play so well. Your hands are so huge, yet you just¡­I don¡¯t know, pull the strings well?¡±


    I shrugged before saying, ¡°This talent of mine compensates for my lack of prowess in other walks of life. I was raised with two parents who loved music more than history or arithmetic. Even after months of study, there is much more I need to know. Besides, I have the talent of two people, not just one.¡±


    Charlie poked my side before saying towards Joan, ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask, but are you and Joan together?¡±


    I said, ¡°Hmmm¡­We are together in more ways than one. She¡¯s like light while I¡¯m the shadow that comes after.¡±


    Charlie said, ¡°No, I mean, like, do you guys fuck? Dammit, I mean, are you¡­.you know, dating?¡±


    I frowned before saying, ¡°Strange of you to ask, but yes. We are dating.¡±


    Charlie said, ¡°I could see why, you got a lot of strong points. Like money and good fingers.¡±


    I shook my head before saying, ¡°Those aspects come with their own baggage. Joan knows about me and what I¡¯ve done, yet she accepts me all the same. The least I can do is respond in kind.¡±


    ¡°So you have baggage?¡±


    ¡°I would say so.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Well my alternate personality for starters. I don¡¯t sleep, and my skin¡¯s gray. I¡¯m a giant, and I can¡¯t walk upstairs without snapping steps. I feel compelled to change the world, so if she wants to stay with me, she¡¯ll never be able to settle down or have a home.¡±


    I stared at my hands as I said, ¡°I¡¯ve killed people. So many people. I¡¯ve eaten them, along with other things. A part of me doesn¡¯t feel for those around me anymore. It¡¯s like she¡¯s with a monster instead of a man. She had no choice. It was either stay with me or die. She could have lived a blessed life with another noble.¡±


    I looked forward as I clenched my fists and said, ¡°but no, instead she¡¯s dating a deformed, vicious mongrel.¡±


    The words fell from my lips without any thought, pouring out like water. As I turned around towards the others, Joan dashed towards me before she hugged me. After a moment, she said, ¡°It hurts me to hear you say that. I can¡¯t stand it.¡±


    Time froze for a moment before she released me. After stepping back, she whipped a hook right into my side. The blow pushed me aside before I stumbled. After balancing myself, I turned towards her.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    She grinned before saying, ¡°That¡¯s what it feels like when you say something like that. I¡¯m dating you, not some weirdo.¡±


    My melancholy melted as a smile, easy as breathing and sweet as sugar appeared on my lips. Even before the pain in my side surged, I walked over towards her before scooping her up in my hands.


    She laughed as I spun her around, each part of her loose and limber. After the sweet scene subsided, I turned towards Charlie and said, ¡°And that¡¯s why we¡¯re together.¡±


    Charlie frowned at me as she said, ¡°I wish I could get that kind of response out of a man after hitting him. I¡¯d already be in bed with the king.¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders before the idle chatter of before resurfaced, smoothly melding with the clear skies of the day. I cherished those moments, but they fell few and far between. Our pace hastened compared with the other trip, so within two months, we reached Nern without any sizable problems.


    Charlie helped more than I imagined she would during the walk. She understood foraging as she¡¯d been on many trips prior, and her tidbits of knowledge seasoned our otherwise painfully plain meals.


    Eating something simple clears the mind, but doing so for weeks on end leaves the soul wanting. Since Sophia knew little of the area, Charlie¡¯s expertise proved perfect, allowing for far more variety.


    This altered the monotony of our meals, and despite her incessant need for fighting, Charlie instilled energy into our chatter. Instead of avoiding talks about the past, we gorged on them. The shade we¡¯d casted on one another lifted, and a pleasant normality returned, which we welcomed.


    However, as with all things, those calm days died. Whenever we reached Nern, our group would separate from Charlie. Charlie gained orders to head over to Tahnar in the far North. It was inevitable, however.


    If she learned of our past, it would drag her to hell. Her eccentricity allowed her to stay with us for so long, but with each moment she remained close, we risked her descending into a pit she could never crawl out of. We were an abyss that stared back into you.


    It was a shame. Joan and Charlie developed into comrades who shared their techniques with one another. They spared often, and each fight taught them about one another. Whether it was the blade spitting of Charlie or the grounded power of Joan, they learned from one another.


    During our journey, the greenery of the grass grew into full force while we reached Nern. Fewer and fewer leaves met our eyes. The forests thinned around the town as plains dotted the horizon and roaming hills turned flat. Forests of trees altered into endless oceans of wheat. The cloud covered sky encompassed almost all the you could see, like looking through a lens that stretched it out.


    Having lived in a forest all my life, I never knew how much the trees blocked your view. After reaching the first place in my life without a single tree in sight, the sky overwhelmed me. Big blue, and bright, it inspired awe. I could understand why heaven was above the clouds.


    Instead of measuring my sight by feet, I measured in miles. The forest felt claustrophobic by comparison to the fields of golden grass. The rolling hills, lonely yet peaceful, took over the landscape.


    Hiding Aether and Razor transformed from a natural, easy process into a grueling trial during this transition. Razor floated above the clouds, using the bundles of white as cover. Aether had no such solution. We covered him in furs during the night, and he hid in underground holes during the day. His overwhelming speed prevented him from falling behind, so we handled the complication without worry, though disguising the process from Charlie proved difficult at times.


    Whenever we neared the town, the buildings of Nern dotted the skyline long before we reached them. With my height and good eyesight, I caught sight of the buildings miles before we reached them. We reached the edge of the city¡¯s wall, over a mile from the gate.


    A road curved besides the wall, we paced around the incoming merchants and other travelers. The conversations around us were rather interesting. The legend of the Darkened One had spread here, and apparently, a cult like following had formed around him. Tales of Jericho bounced off the mercenaries as well. They spoke of a lumbering man clad in black, toting the fists of a titan. Unlike my other name, the description matched me well, in my eyes at least.


    These stories bolstered my moral, but the whispers between them grated my nerves. Tales of the darkened one destroying Mareovosa and his descent into godhood littered these soft, almost silent conversations. The church had began an inquisition against him and his hordes of monstrosities, though no one had seen nor heard of them.


    They spoke his name with an oppressive quiet. The all-powerful church feared him without question, and even after being torn apart, his blood pulled him together again and again and again. He was an immortal darkness, unlike a plague or a drought. He would curse the land and all who lived on it for all time. Dramatic, I know.


    I thought little of these conversations, except on how best to use my new found reputation. Deluge played the part of the Darkened One well, so using his personality for it had helped tremendously. Whenever we would reach the Arcanum¡¯s branch in Nern, my options would expand tenfold. The prospect excited me.


    Several guys tried talking with Charlie and sophia as we walked. Sophia shot them with snide, stinging remarks while charlie scared them off with her crazy. After pacing like that for an hour, we reached the customs office at the front of the gate.


    They checked the supplies of those entering the town, almost certainly due to fear of the Darkened One. Whenever we reached them, they paled at the sight of me. I¡¯d grown in height once more, and the grayness of my skin gave a convincing impression of who I might be. The guards, shining in their steel armor, shivered as I approached, but after I spoke their attitude changed to reverence.


    ¡°Hello. I am Jericho. I wish for passage through this city, though I had hoped for a more relaxed stay than this.¡±


    The frontmost guard spoke with a gruff voice, ¡°Are you the Jericho? The man who slayed the dragon?¡±


    I grinned before opening my arms wide and saying, ¡°The one and only.¡±


    The citizens behind me burst into an uproar of whispering, but the energy and animation behind their discussions spoke louder than screams. The other guards gazed at me in surprise before the gruff guard said,


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but we¡¯ll have to verify your identity before letting you in. We¡¯ve had around six Jerichos today.¡±


    I grabbed the amulet around my neck before saying, ¡°This is the amulet of Dresdel given to me by the bishop Albus.¡±


    Grabbing a match from a pocket, I struck it against my right palm. The fire bloomed before I placed my fingers over the flames. Dipping my hand into the heat, a warm sensation covered my hand, almost pleasant. After waiting for a few seconds, the older guard stared with a puzzled look before a knight on a horse rode up behind him.


    Sophia and Joan giggled at the flamboyant fluff of the feathers on his helmet. His polished armor glimmered bright and brilliant while the strips of gold plating accentuated his wealth. A sapphire at his sword¡¯s hilt glowed bright blue. The knight could gemchain. That fact alone made me raise an eyebrow in curiosity.


    As he neared us, I said, ¡°Are you the captain of this guard? With the gem at your side, that¡¯s the least I would expect.¡±


    The man grinned, no scars on his face. Pulling off his helmet, a mane of brown hair fell down his shoulders before he spoke,


    ¡°So, you¡¯re this Jericho I¡¯ve heard all about.¡±


    I grinned before saying, ¡°Would you mind revealing yourself before asking for my name?¡±


    He replied, ¡°Alright, fair enough. My name is Drake, Drake Donovan. You may have heard of me."

 13 Gladiator

    13 Gladiator


    <hr>


    Eris Kea, Unifier of the Geshian Tribes - Gaia gave us the strength to move forward, to rise above our limitations. Of course there were sacrifices, but they proved necessary for her plan. What is a little blood in the face of divinity?"


    <hr>


    Sophia chimed in, ¡°Actually, we haven¡¯t.¡±


    Frowning, Drake said, ¡°I lead the guard that surround the outer wall. I¡¯m also known as the knight of Nern around here.¡±


    I placed a hand on my chest before giving a slight bow and saying, ¡°I am Jericho. I have no last name, and I¡¯ve come here on my journey towards Nelastra. I¡¯ve heard Gaia¡¯s call, and I wish to heed it. Would you mind me staying here for some personal business in town?¡±


    He pursed his lips as I glanced at him, my eyes laughing. Meeting yet another member of the Donovan family shocked me, yet I embraced the surprise with a strange delight. They lived west of Mareovosa, but I never imagined seeing someone so soon. They held a sizable power, though I¡¯d never heard any tangible details of their situation.


    My father exiled himself in order to marry my mother, so no ties remained between me and the Donovan family, except our history. This member must have been a nephew of a duke sent out for training and to see the world. I felt no ill will towards him, and even though he held himself in high regard, I often did the same. A man¡¯s pride can carry him through dark times. Drake used it when he needed the motivation.


    I understood the man¡¯s skepticism as well, so I stood with a jovial grin, patiently paused. After he crossed his arms, he said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t mind giving me something more solid form of proof, would you?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°What would you have in mind? Perhaps a test for the mind or a few athletic feats?¡±


    ¡°How about a short spar in the city¡¯s colosseum, without any lethal weapons of course.¡±


    The man spoke with a measure of respect, so I said in a tone matching his own, ¡°Sounds fun. I could use a little exercise after all this walking anyway. It¡¯s good for keeping my limbs limber.¡±


    Drake raised his lance as he said, ¡°Alright then. Come with me. I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    The older guard grabbed Drake¡¯s foot as he said, ¡°Now settle down Drake. We need to check their possessions first to make sure they aren¡¯t in line with the Darkened One.¡±


    Drake brushed off his concern with a wave of his hand as he said, ¡°A man comes heeding the call of Gaia and you spit in his face by accusing him of serving The Darkened One? Sure, he seems part Geshian, but they serve Gaia even more than the Bastion Empire. Quiet yourself, fool.¡±


    ¡°But sir-¡°


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. I am your commanding officer. Stand down.¡±


    The older guard released Drake before apologizing for his rudeness. As we followed him through the streets of Nern, the baking of bread and the warm wind graced us on all sides. Smells of cinnamon and cider danced with the bread, making my mouth water. Hooves and horseshoes clapped on stone along with idle chatter, bathing the town in a dull hum.


    The city¡¯s sweet presentation shattered as six men pushed a carriage down the street. Sweat dripped from their foreheads and soaked their ragged, burlap shirts. Their grunts grated my skin, their struggle all too apparent. This town thrived on slavery.


    Serfs of all sizes and shapes pushed and groveled in the town. The brands across their foreheads and cheeks left no question of their status, and their worn, weary motions continued with an aimless tedium. The chips in their nails and the cuts on their hands led to the iron muscles of their forearms as they gripped with a quiet strength.


    Deluge had healed the brand across my forehead after fusing with me, along with all my other scars, but I still remembered those times. The endless days of exhaustion. The empty horizons without any hope for the future. Being viewed as a person¡¯s property¡­few things could debilitate so absolutely.


    My experience had proved far better than most, but even at my young age, I understood what horrors hid behind closed doors. The Arcanum had taught me that, and I intended on my own form of retribution as revenge.


    Those thoughts bashed against the edges of my mind as I said, ¡°It¡¯s rude of me, not naming my other companions as well.¡± We walked side by side of his horse as I placed my right arm around Joan¡¯s waist while saying, ¡°This is my lover, Joan. She is an able fighter who once practiced gemchaining as well.¡±


    Drake bowed in response as he said sarcastically, ¡°I¡¯d hope for no less from someone paired with the mighty Jericho.¡±


    Frowning, Sophia said, ¡°Who was it that had to tell us their fancy nickname? You, right?¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°Let¡¯s not make friends into enemies. My friends are enough for me already.¡±


    Joan leaned on me as she said, ¡°Sometimes I think I¡¯m too much for you.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as I said, ¡°Only when you want to be.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that always?¡±


    Sophia coughed before Joan and I snapped from our banter. I coughed in my hand before saying, ¡°And my other friend here is Sophia. She¡¯s adept with many fields of study, so ask her any questions you need answering. Knowing her, she¡¯ll answer like a viper¡¯s fangs.¡±


    Sophia crossed her arms with a haughty smile as Drake bowed towards her and said, ¡°Noted. She doesn¡¯t know when to keep her mouth shut.¡±


    Sophia replied, ¡°And you seem to know when to keep your mouth open. Always.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°Come now. He gave us a single snide remark. Will you hate him forever for it?¡±


    ¡°No, but I won¡¯t like him for it either.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°Eh, fair enough.¡±


    Drake busted into laughter before saying, ¡°You have fine friends Jericho. They keep you on your toes.¡±


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°I¡¯d rather be on my toes then have a nail in my heel.¡±


    Another deep, full laugh exploded from Drake before he replied, ¡°I can see why you were so popular in Dresdel. Most champions lack charisma, so you must have been a refreshing change of pace.¡±


    Joan chimed, ¡°You seem rather charming yourself.¡±


    I turned towards her as I said, ¡°Come now Joan, you¡¯ll make me jealous.¡±


    With a mischievous grin, Joan replied, ¡°A woman¡¯s heart is an ever-changing thing. You must fight to keep it.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before saying, ¡°Then I devote this next fight to you, oh fair maiden.¡±


    Joan giggled hugging closer to me and saying, ¡°Good. I wouldn¡¯t mind a little spoiling.¡±


    I look overhead before reaching a hand at the sky and saying, ¡°Oh ruler of the skies and owner of the stars, please, heed my call.¡±


    Joan glanced in surprise before I continued with unnecessary volume and sarcasm, ¡°Though I am but a dull insect crawling on the earth, may you please gift me but a moment with this shining queen of beauty.¡±


    Nearby traveler¡¯s glanced in confusion at us as Joan blushed. She punched my side while saying, ¡°Come now, stop it. I was just joking.¡±


    I turned towards her before saying, ¡°As was I.¡±


    ¡°You all have quite...a way with words I take it?¡±


    I turned towards him before I said, ¡°Only when my eyes drink the waters of beauty.¡± I turned towards Joan before saying, ¡°Fortunately, an ocean of it walks beside me.¡±


    Joan glared at me, embarrassed as I said, ¡°Though sometimes I think the water¡¯s been poisoned.¡±


    A reluctant grin grew on her face as the others laughed before I turned towards the colosseum. Larger than I imagined, the dim roar of the crowd hummed in our heels and heads. The red, aged stone stood with cracks and ruts lining its surface. The scent of sweat radiated while the cool of the rock beneath my feet leaked through my shoe...well, my feet I suppose.


    We walked towards the entrance, each person around us frenzied and feverous. Groups of mercenaries walked through the entrance without waiting in line as they waved at the receptionist. We mirrored them as Drake walked up past the line towards the gate. He waved as he said,


    ¡°Set up the next fight as Jericho versus Drake ¨C juggernaut versus knight. The crowd will go wild.¡±


    A middle aged man with beady eyes and enough fat for a family replied, ¡°That sounds positively ravishing. I¡¯ll let the organizers know. Is it a real fight or¡­¡±


    I shook my head before saying, ¡°Just a friendly spar.¡±


    The man grinned as he said, ¡°Of course. Right this way sirs.¡±


    Another man escorted Joan and Sophia towards a set of stairs towards the stands while Drake and I paced downwards. We reached beneath the stadium before two helmeted men walked towards us. Without explanation, Drake followed one of them while I took the hint and followed the other one, though in the opposite direction.


    Moving faster than I expected, we reached a set of stairs leading towards a gate, the scent of dried blood leaking from it. The man explained a baseline of rules, though none of them surprised me. No quitting, no running, and no mercy. Simple.


    After waiting for half an hour, the crowd¡¯s dull hum peaked into a tremendous roar as the gate in front of me rose. Rows and rows of people screamed, many red in the face. An arena of orange limestone greeted me, large as a small field. At the other side, Drake stood behind a gate, waiting with his arms crossed.


    The next gate ahead of me rose. Pacing up the steps and onto the limestone, a booming voice echoed,


    ¡°Today, we have a special surprise. You have all heard of Jericho, the juggernaut? Of course you have, he slayed the dragon towards the Northeast. He is the champion of Dresdel, and he has come here to Nern!¡±


    The ground rumbled as the voices peak in anticipation. After letting the crowd die down, the announcer continued, ¡°He has accepted a challenge from our own champion, Drake Donnovan!¡±


    The onlookers found a way to scream even louder before the announcer said, ¡°They have both agreed to an armless duel with gemchains allowed. Are you all ready for a duel of the ages? A fight so fearsome and ferocious that your children will tell tales of this day?¡±


    As he spoke, I peered at Drake. Two gems lined his palms, each glowing bright blue. I frowned at the sight since a gemchainer could easily kill even a master swordsmen. Some spar this would be. Still, after gorging myself on the smell of blood, adrenaline pumped through my veins. Exhilaration engulfed annoyance. The hunt overcame all else.


    Grabbing my left wrist with my right hand, I rolled my shoulders before cracking my neck. As if fulfilling a ritual, I cracked the fingers of my left hand with my thumb as I waited. The announcer shouted, ¡°This is he, Jericho the juggernaut, slayer of dragons!¡±


    I spread my arms overhead while flashing a grin at my audience. I¡¯d preformed on many stages in my youth, though this one dwarfed them all. No matter the number of people, I never froze in front of them. I embraced the rush as my muscles tensed with anticipation. Like starving wolves, my fists clasped close, each hungry and ready for war.


    The sudden shift from a gentle giant into an animal set Drake off balance. A bead of cold sweat dripped down his forehead before the announcer shouted, ¡°You all know this man. The bandit slayer. The forgotten prince. The knight of Nern, Drake Donovan!¡°


    Drake¡¯s gate rose along with the hairs across his neck. The announcer continued, ¡°Are the competitors read?¡±


    I slammed my fists together, banging like to bricks. Drake nodded before the announcer said, ¡°Then off to battle!¡±


    I let my body fall forward before outstretching a leg forward. Right as my foot touched the ground, the dirt beneath me detonated as I dashed towards Drake. A devilish grin appeared on my face as my steps echoed through the cracking earth. Like a stampede, I rumbled the earth as I ran towards him. Heavy like a hailstorm, each of my stomps crushed the limestone.


    Drake¡¯s expression disfigured as fear and horror squirmed onto his face. No thoughts of fighting me came forth any longer, only plots for escape, yet he stood surrounded by walls of red brick. Nothing may save him from me.


    As I reach within fifteen feet from him, the familiar crumbling of metal enters my ears as he begins his chains. Spikes of densified earth stab towards me, but lower my charge as they pass overhead.


    Lifting up, I smashed through them, each crumbling like toothpicks before a wall of fire shot towards me. Ready and waiting, my heel slams into the ground beneath me as I use the force of my charge for force. My foot channels the power of my rush up through my hips before I torqued my arms overhead.


    Right as the flames reached me, I slammed both my fists straight into the ground, fragmenting the earth near me. A shockwave exploded from the strike as shards of rock raised around me, whipping the fire away. I jerked my hands from the crater and laughed.


    Gripping a slab of soil six feet tall and a hundred pounds, I lobbed the missile with an underhanded grip towards Drake. He ducked under the projectile before I gripped another with my arm behind me.


    Louder than thunder, the sound of shearing iron rips through my ears before I pull my outstretched arm back towards me while pushing the shard of soil overhead. At the same time, particles of ice glow before snapping into the shape of spear in front of Drake. He lept forward while arcing his hands over his head. As he landed, he squatted downwards while pulling his hands downwards.


    His arms move as if pulling a heavy stone before the chunk of freshly formed ice slides forward like a bullet. My arm finishes its toss before the earthen shard slams into the speeding spear of ice. The frozen water and earth slam into one another, creating a nova of sound and dust.


    Faster than lightning, the spear stabbed through the soil. As I stared at it, time slowed down as the fury of fighting surged in my blood and bones. I leaned forward before slamming my arms together and clenching my hands with enough force to shatter steel.


    My fingers gripped onto the cold weapon, and the inertia of the weapon dragged me backwards. Sliding ten feet, I pushed with my arms and shoulders as my muscles strained against the projectile¡¯s momentum. My feet dug deep trenches into the arena before I grinded to a halt.


    After taking a breath, I rose from my deep lunge before pulling the ice the ice apart from overhead. Gripping the ice, I slung the shards into the ground beside me before my eyes met Drake¡¯s. He stared with his arms lowered and his shoulders drooping. The scaled hydra skin I wore shined in the sun as I growled,


    ¡°Had enough?¡±


    A surprising laugh escapes his chest before he leaned backwards, bursting into a wild, loud laughter. The crowd¡¯s silence accentuated the display before he raised a hand towards me and said,


    ¡°I surrender, Jericho. You are the victor.¡±


    The crowd detonates into applause before I stretch my arms wide. Embracing the atmosphere, I roared along with them before pounding my chest with my right hand three times. I saturated in the splendor before I paced towards the wobbling knees of Drake. After reaching him, I said,


    ¡°What kind of ice was that? It was harder than iron.¡±


    Drake shook his head while staring at the ground. Glancing at his hands, he said with an unrestrained awe,


    ¡°And yet you not only caught it barehanded, you snapped it in half afterwards.¡±


    I put an arm over his shoulder before pulling him towards me and saying, ¡°I¡¯ll be the first to admit I got lucky.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll be the first to admit you''re full of shit. You didn¡¯t get lucky. I lost.¡±


    I pulled him up from under his armpit as I said, ¡°No. You fought as a champion.¡± The wiggling of his knees and the paleness of his skin told me how drained he was. He threw every ounce of strength he had into those chains, and seeing them fail so spectacularly must have hurt his confidence. I wouldn¡¯t allow it.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    He warred well. He deserved his confidence. I kept him standing tall and proud as he left, each of us arm in arm while waving and smiling at the crowd. The sportsmanlike display spurred the crowd as we left, and whenever we walked out towards the primary entrance, droves of people pressed towards us.


    Questions assaulted us from all sides before I rose a hand and shouted, ¡°Forgive me, my people. We are weary from battle, and we both need our rest after such a fierce fight, but know this.¡±


    Using my free hand, I gestured over the crowd as I said, ¡°Drake lived up to his name in this battle. He fought like fire, and just like a dragon, he faced me head on with all his strength. Praise be to Drake Donovan, the knight of Nern.¡±


    I raised my hand in the shape of a fist while shouting, ¡°Hail Drake.¡± The crowd around us raised their own hands while echoing my own words.


    As I walked while helping Drake, the crowd moved aside before we reached the entrance. No guards or receptionists stood at the exit, so without any goodbyes needed, we skulked out, finding Sophia and Joan. Answering a storm of questions for hours sounded tedious at best, so we left with Drake through several alleyways.


    Drake¡¯s exhaustion eventually ended. Whenever he caught his breath, he offered us a stay at his home. We were all too happy but to oblige him. Near the Northern center of town, we reached a walled off estate. Past the stone gates, we entered his extravagant home. A courtyard full of flowers and mosaics of marble laid at the center. A dual set of steel plated steps led up towards a black door embroidered with bronze.


    The tasteful surroundings led to a tasteful entrance as we stepped through a wooden doorway. The pleasant cool of the air surprised me as sapphires glowed at even intervals, each gem radiating cold. A chandelier hung from the roof with glowing bits of glass, each piece shining yellow at its center.


    Past the chandelier stood a set of stairs covered in a red rug. The fluffy carpet hugged your feet as you stepped across it, and after simmering in the heat of outside, we welcomed the refreshing chill in the air. Comfortable would be an understatement. This was indulgence.


    As we stood gawking at the luxury, a maid walked up with a tight fitting uniform accentuating her figure. The unneeded exposure explained itself as she spoke with a sultry, seductive voice, ¡°Master Drake, it¡¯s good to see you. Is there anything you need?¡±


    Drake replied, ¡°Yes actually. If you wouldn¡¯t mind, could you grab a few glasses of juice for my compatriots and I?¡±


    She bowed deeply before saying, ¡°Of course, master. Right away.¡±


    Drake continued, ¡°Make sure their chilled ones as well. We¡¯ll be waiting with father.¡±


    After nodding in response, the maid paced out with a walk both hurried and leisurely. As she slid into a corridor at our side, Drake said, ¡°He¡¯s right up the stairs in the central room.¡±


    We reached a dual doorway before Drake nudged himself from me while saying, ¡°Thank you for the help thus far, but I wouldn¡¯t want my father seeing me in this sorry state.¡±


    Sophia replied, ¡°You fought Jericho. You¡¯re lucky to live.¡±


    Drake replied, ¡°After facing him myself, I agree, but we can talk about the battle later. I want you all to meet a few members of my family. We have a situation that might require might require a group with your...talents.¡±


    Joan propped onto one of her hips before saying, ¡°We¡¯re on a journey of our own at the moment. Kinda busy.¡±


    Drake nodded before saying with a slight and sly smile, ¡°We can make it worth your while. Father will explain it.¡±


    After pacing up the rugged stairs, Drake knocked on a set of dual doors before shouting, ¡°Is father there? There¡¯s something important I need to tell him.¡±


    A maid replied, ¡°Master¡¯s enjoying his evening tea with a guest. I¡¯ll ask him on your behalf, Master Drake.¡±


    He replied, ¡°Thank you, Rosella.¡±


    My chest panged as I froze in place. This was the same Rosella I met at Geralt¡¯s mansion many months ago. We walked through a maze of roses and flowers, but she chose staying alone rather than coming with me. Sophia and Joan eyed me nervously before I bit my lip and said, ¡°Oh man.¡±


    Drake turned towards me and said, ¡°What is it?¡±


    I blinked before saying, ¡°Is that maid new, perhaps hired a year ago perchance?¡±


    Drake raised an eyebrow before saying, ¡°Uhh, actually, yes. How did you know that?¡±


    I shrugged before saying, ¡°We have a history.¡±


    Drake elbowed my side before saying, ¡°Ahhh, you have good taste then. She¡¯s quite the looker.¡±


    I said, ¡°She¡¯s owns a quiet beauty, but we never went past courting. She shot me down before we really started anything.¡±


    Sophia and Joan stared at me before I glanced between them and said, ¡°What?¡±


    Sophia snapped, ¡°What the hell. Are you always after women?¡±


    I frowned before saying, ¡°We only spoke a few times. She won¡¯t recognize me either. That was before I¡¯d grown into¡­well, what I am now.¡±


    The doors opened as Rose stood before us with her gaze lowered. She bowed towards Drake before saying, ¡°Master has allowed it. He¡¯s this way.¡±


    She turned and guided us down a hallway before we reached a white set of doors adorned with silver. She opened them before guiding us inside, revealing a room with a wall of windows. Light leaked through the glass, lighting a long, empty table. At the end of the table, a man and a women chatted with a jovial atmosphere between the two.


    As we followed Rosella, the two nobles glanced at us with surprise struck faces. Reaching them, Rosella bowed deeply before the man at the head of the dinner table said with a booming and bold voice, ¡°Hello there Drake. What brings you here at this time of day? And what¡¯s with the geshian and two girls?¡±


    Drake gave a far shallower bow before saying, ¡°Hello father. There¡¯s three people I¡¯d like you to meet.¡±


    He points towards us while saying, ¡°The robed girl is Sophia. The hooded girl¡¯s Joan, and the tall one¡¯s Jericho.¡±


    As Drake said my name, the man leaned forwards, interested. The man said, ¡°Would this happen to be the Jericho I¡¯ve heard so much about?¡±


    Drake replied, ¡°Yes. We fought in the arena, and even after I used all I had, he still beat me handily. He even carried me out of the arena so I wouldn¡¯t collapse in front of everyone.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyebrows raised before he stood and walked over with curiosity plastered on his face. He reached out a hand, his head a full foot shorter than my chin as he said,


    ¡°My name¡¯s Daniel Donovan. It¡¯s good to meet you Jericho.¡±


    I shook his hand, yet my fingers engulfed his like grabbing the hand of a child as I said, ¡°It¡¯s wonderful to meet you as well. I hope we may help one another.¡±


    He nodded before placing a hand on his chest and bowing towards Sophia and Joan as he said, ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you both as well.¡±


    Sophia grabbed the edges of her robe as she performed a curtsy while saying, ¡°I¡¯ve heard much about you, almost all of it good. I¡¯m glad to meet you.¡±


    Joan taps her thighs before saying, ¡°Uhhhhh. Nice to meet you too.¡±


    Daniel grinned before saying, ¡°Would you all enjoy some tea as well? I was having a captivating conversation with lady Isabelle, but I wouldn¡¯t mind your company as well.¡±


    Drake gestured a hand outwards while saying, ¡°I had Elise grab them chilled juice instead. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    An almost imperceptible change occurred on Daniel¡¯s face as Drake said so. His left eye twitched ever so slightly, but I caught the little glitch. They must have only brought out juice for important guests, which meant they wanted something big.


    After the twitch, Daniel continued without dropping a beat, ¡°It¡¯s no problem. We can¡¯t have thirsty guests after all.¡±


    He turned towards us while saying, ¡°Please, sit. Make yourselves comfortable.¡±


    Joan said, ¡°Heheh, Sophia and I will take you up on the offer, but Jericho will just lean on a knee instead. He¡¯ll snap the chair if he sits on it. He¡¯s been drinking too much ale lately.¡±


    I frowned as I glanced at her before she giggled in response. Daniel replied, ¡°I meant no offense with the gesture.¡±


    I replied after lunging onto a knee, ¡°None taken.¡±


    We sit down before Drake tells how we met and the fight that followed. Energy bleeds into his words as he speaks, yet his telling varies from my own. He describes me as a juggernaut running through his attacks with ease before letting him surrender just as he could hardly stand.


    I disagreed on multiple points, but Drake denied my claims with a vicious tenacity. Instead of denying his loss, he built up my victory as a feat defying the feasible. He described in vivid detail the fear plunging into his chest at the start of the fight, and how he let loose all of his most powerful chains without holding back despite it being a spar.


    I could see his tactic. He wanted his father¡¯s attention while glossing over his defeat as an eventual outcome. Clever. It worked as his father listened with an attentive gaze and open ears before Drake finished with his invitation here. After a moment, Daniel turned towards us and said,


    ¡°It seems as though all the rumors were true and even more.¡±


    As he finished his words, three knocks echo from the white door before Elise comes in. She carries a silver tray lined with ornate glass cups, each coated in a thin layer of ice on the outside. From the top of the glasses, a sort of fog emits, pouring over the cups. They looked like a witch¡¯s potion.


    After bringing them over, she sets the three glasses in front of us in a single smooth action, both attentive and able. After bowing, she stays at the entrance without a word. I tasted the liquid myself. It¡¯s safe, so the others drink without worry. Deluge can taste any poisons or potions in the juice.


    After a couple sips, the tangy, sour taste of the juice lingered in my mouth. Elise leaves with Drake as I grinned while saying, ¡°Fighting¡¯s one of my strong points. The companions you see here round out my faults. They are the unsung heroes of my journey so far, and both of them deserve praise.¡±


    Cupping her cheek in a hand, Isabelle squints her eyes into slits as she said, ¡°So what are you thanking them for specifically? Surely they¡¯ve done more than mundane labor.¡±


    I stretched out a hand and counted on my fingers as I said, ¡°Joan¡¯s mother and father were mercenaries, so she learned all there is too know of gemchaining. She helps me with incorporating various styles of combat into my own while giving me a reference for using gemchains during combat. She¡¯s a powerful fighter in her own right as well.¡±


    I outstretch my left hand towards Sophia as I said, ¡°Sophia, on the other hand, understands soul forging and alchemy. During the fight with the dragon, she assisted with the poisons I used on my blade. She assisted me during the healing process afterward by doctoring my wounds. She also assisted with procuring and enchanting this set of hydra skin I¡¯m wearing now.¡±


    I smirked before saying, ¡°Though now I can¡¯t call them unsung heroes.¡±


    Part of what I said had been true. Joan and I often discussed the best methods for countering gemchaining, and Sophia gave more than a bit of valuable information on the best defensive measures when facing the draconic menace. All of her tips pointed towards not being in its mouth, but learning from advice always proved easier than following it.


    Regardless, my poignant response evoked a pleased smile from Isabelle as she glanced in approval. Releasing the side of her face, she leaned towards Joan and Sophia while saying, ¡°So, from what he¡¯s said, you both seem rather talented in your own respects.¡±


    She pointed at me as she said, ¡°You seem able as well. This is quite the set of circumstances since I¡¯ve actually found myself in a precarious situation as of late.¡±


    Daniel placed a hand on her shoulder as he said, ¡°I can explain it from here if you¡¯d like.¡±


    She folds her hand onto his as it rests on her shoulder before looking back at him and saying, ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary, but thank you for the polite offer.¡±


    Without removing her hand, she turned towards us before saying, ¡°Recently, there has been a formation of some cult that follows the Darkened One. I doubt that evil demon has any involvement with them, but they use the thing¡¯s name so that they can attract people drawn to chaos.¡±


    She glanced out the window as she said, ¡°They¡¯ve begun performing terrorist acts against any group with power in several cities, but particularly here in Nern. They¡¯ve been mostly harmless, but they¡¯ve managed to accomplish a rather nasty feat.¡±


    She turned towards me as she said with a grim, solemn tone, ¡°The church procured a set of eight golems, each driven by a sacrificial member of the church. Since the mandate of the oracle, they¡¯ve begun dabbling in forbidden arts in order to counter the Darkened One. The Arcanum¡¯s been using human driven golems for decades, but the church never stooped so low, at least, not before now.¡±


    As if in pain, her head wandered its gaze across the room as she said, ¡°This cult¡­They managed to corrupt several of these golems¡­Now¡­Their rampaging under the city.¡±


    Her voice pinched as she continued, ¡°We can¡¯t stop them¡­I don¡¯t think I need to tell you how dangerous a rogue golem is, let alone one with a human soul. We have eight of them running around.¡±


    In utter contrast with her solemn mood, a playful smile danced on my lips as I said, ¡°I suppose we could handle them for you.¡±


    She blinked for a moment before the tension in her face leaked away as a dull, unbelieving expression replaced it. She spoke each word with care,


    ¡°You¡¯re serious¡­You think you could stop them?¡±


    A cocky grin spread on my face as I said, ¡°No. I know I can. Rather easily infact.¡±


    Daniel blinked before he said, ¡°If you would do this for us¡­we would be indebted-¡°


    I cut him off as I stretched a palm out towards him while saying, ¡°There¡¯s something you¡¯ve misunderstood. I am not a mercenary.¡±


    I clenched a fist and continued, ¡°We are the heroes you see spoken of in legends. We are the humble agents of gaia as written in scripture. Like a miracle, we expect nothing in return.¡±


    A drawn out stretch of silence rippled before Daniel said, ¡°Are you actually serious?¡±


    I shrugged before saying, ¡°You can choose to believe me or not. We will show you later. Where are they underground?¡±


    He blinked before turning towards Isabelle and saying, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you want to know more about us before you help?¡±


    With her high voice piercing into the conversation, Sophia said, ¡°We¡¯ll assess the situation once we¡¯ve seen the actual threats. I know what a rampaging golem looks like. So does Jericho. We¡¯ve stopped them before.¡±


    She leans onto the table before continuing, ¡°We¡¯re trying to help, so if we can tell their threats to the people living here, we will get rid of them. Otherwise, we¡¯ll know you¡¯re both lying. If that¡¯s the case, be prepared. The wrath of a siant is a scary thing.¡±


    Lady Isabelle¡¯s neck twitched as Sophia said, ¡°We¡¯ll figure out if you created the golem¡¯s yourselves too. That¡¯s a crime punishable by death.¡±


    Isabelle¡¯s eyes met Sophia¡¯s before she said, ¡°Oh, really now? You¡¯ll find that to be difficult considering I¡¯m the countess of this city.¡±


    Instead of reeling back, Sophia continued, her eyes sharp as her words, ¡°Which is more powerful, the bishop or the countess in a city? You already know, right?¡±


    Isabelle blinked before Sophia leaned back and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to sound accusatory. I only meant to share our perspective with you, from one party to another.¡±


    A sly grin dances on Isabelle¡¯s lips before she said, ¡°I like you. You have a backbone, unlike everyone else around here.¡± She leaned back in her chair before saying, ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll have Drake escort you towards the quarantined area along with a group of his guards. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find them helpful.¡±


    I placed a hand on Sophia¡¯s shoulder before saying, ¡°Thank you for the offer. We¡¯ll be going then.¡± I lifted myself and said, ¡°It was wonderful meeting you both, and I pray we meet again with good news.¡±


    Isabelle replied, ¡°I do as well.¡±


    As we left, Daniel said, ¡°Keep him safe would you? Drake has a way of being reckless when faced with danger.¡±


    Joan said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s in good hands.¡±


    As we paced towards the door, Elise stood with her arms crossed before she said, ¡°Right this way.¡±


    We crossed through hallway after hallway before we met up once more with Drake, his eyes closed as he slept on a lounging chair. Elise stood dismayed at her choices, so after Sophia rolled her eyes, she walked up and kicked the edge of his seat.


    Snapping open, Drake¡¯s eyes darted across the room as he said, ¡°Who¡¯s there.¡±


    Sophia crossed her arms before saying, ¡°We are. You¡¯re father and Isabelle asked us to get rid of some golems. Tell us where they''re at and we¡¯ll be on our way.¡±


    Drake blinked his eyes while his mouth stayed open before awareness snapped onto his face as he said, ¡°Oh, right. The golems. They¡¯re in the sewers under the slave district. After I rest for a few days I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    He leaned onto the side of the chair as he continued, ¡°I¡¯m glad you all accepted his offer. I expected-¡°


    Sophia held out a palm before she said, ¡°We really must be going. We won¡¯t be needing your help, though we appreciate the offer.¡±


    Drake¡¯s dumbfounded stare transformed into a peeved glare as he said, ¡°This is some unwelcome rudeness.¡± He turned towards me while saying, ¡°What do you make of this sudden change in attitude?¡±


    I shrugged before saying, ¡°She¡¯s headstrong and growing impatient. I wouldn¡¯t agree with her curtness, but I understand her reasoning. We¡¯re stressed for time, so we¡¯d rather avoid dwelling on the details. ¡±


    Drake blinked before saying, ¡°For a woman, she¡¯s rather disrespectful. You should keep her temper more in check, otherwise you may make enemies out people you¡¯d rather have as friends.¡±


    The thinly veiled threat made me smile, but I suppressed it. Joan snapped, ¡°That coming from a man who just glossed over his defeat by talking up Jericho like he¡¯s some god.¡±


    I placed a hand on her shoulder as I said, ¡°Please, keep calm. There¡¯s no need for anger here.¡±


    Joan said, ¡°Hell yeah there is. This guy¡¯s over hear threatening us under his breath right after he just sucked your dick back there.¡±


    A series of snickers escaped me and Sophia while Drake blushed a deep shade of crimson. Right as his embarrassment peaked, he shouted, ¡°You uncouth bitch. I¡¯ll have you hang-¡°


    I jerked at his fancy shirt, bringing him off the ground and eye level with me before I hissed with acid in my voice, ¡°Never speak to Joan that way again. I will warn you once. The next time you do so, I will smash your face into a bony pulp.¡±


    I kept him there for a moment as the red drained from his face. After the burst of anger passed, I set him down and sighed. My temper had always been a problem, but with such a violent outburst, I doubted he would forgive us. I had burned a bridge before crossing it.


    At least I thought I had. I looked down at him as I said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for my outburst. My temper ignites at the worst of times, and I often say what I would never intend.¡±


    As if he were underwater for several minutes, Drake releases a breath as a bone snapping tension leaves his shoulders. After inhaling a slow, drawn out breath, he said, ¡°No¡­It was my mistake as well. I shouldn¡¯t have said what I did¡­You were right to defend her after I snapped like that. I¡¯m just not used to such headstrong women.¡±


    I scratched the side of my head as I said, ¡°Let¡¯s leave it at that then. We should stick to fighting with fists rather than warring with words.¡±


    He nodded before I said, ¡°Then until we meet again.¡±


    With the arduous goodbyes gone, we paced through the city before finding directions towards the slave district. As we walked, the hellish heat of the sun simmered. The clamor of the streets continued. Each aspect of the city brimmed with life, from angry mothers chiding their children to the soft murmur of weeping willows as the wind brushed their leaves.


    The architecture varied from the towns of before. Few trees stood nearby. Clay composed each of the short buildings, and even though they never towered overhead, these buildings covered vast swaths of land.


    Opting for a different approach, this settlement embraced the low and wide way of doing things as the roads left open space for each person walking. This spacious, almost empty sets of roads left us wondering on our own.


    There were clusters of people, but you never needed to push your way through any of these crowds. Instead, an average person could walk without worry as they eased through their day.We attracted more than a few gazes as we trotted through the town, but after entering the narrow streets of the slave district, far fewer people had time for gawking. Oxen pulled large carriages full of thin, empty men and women. Chained like prisoners, they sat while leaning on the edges of the bars surrounding them.


    I had worn shackles, though I never slept in a cage as they did. My slave master had been assaulted be mercenaries, giving me time for my escape. I fell into a cavern from atop a cliff, but with Deluge¡¯s help, I defied death. These poor souls would never have that chance. At least, if we didn¡¯t give them one.


    With Sophia¡¯s help, we may be able to construct an easier method for building and maintaining golems, but that goal still lies far off in the future. The golems ahead presented their own problems, accentuating the flawed system used for their creation. An old adage known throughout Alta describes my point well ¨C survive today before you worry of tomorrow.


    In this slave district, we walked into a hidden alleyway before approaching a barred grate on the ground. I bended the bars and before the ladies entered, I said with a strained smile,


    ¡°Only one of us has to go. The others can regroup with Aether and Razor to coordinate a method of crushing these earthen monsters. I nominate you both for that role. I¡¯ll find them so we can kill them quickly once we regroup.¡±


    A growing grin jumped onto Joan¡¯s face before she said, ¡°You want to protect us helpless damsels from swimming in sewers? How thoughtful.¡±


    I frowned before jumping into the tunnel and suspending my weight with the bent bars overhead. As I hanged, a grim look plastered onto my face before I said, ¡°I would want to protect anyone from what I¡¯m about to do.¡±


    Before they could reply, I bent the steel back into shape. Sophia said right before I lept down, ¡°Thank you Jack, but just know this. You always take everything on yourself. I know you don¡¯t think anything of it, but it¡¯s hard to watch at times. Let us help you. Please.¡±


    I smiled, my expression pained as I said, ¡°Some burdens will shatter spines. My spine will snap right back into place. Besides, I can¡¯t handle losing someone else. You both, you¡¯re like my family. I protect more out of selfish fear then selfless virtue. Remember that.¡±


    Sophia bit her lip while Joan glanced away and crossed her arms. After a moment, I dropped myself and sunk towards the darkness below.


    What I would find haunted me long after I left.

 14 Filth

    14 Filth


    <hr>


    Jack Donovan - It¡¯s not how you weather the storm. It¡¯s how you laugh in the rain.


    <hr>


    I let go of the bars as the others stared. With a quick jab of my hand, I stabbed my arm into the brick at my side. The pungent scent of shit saturated every bit of air here, so falling into the pit of it beneath me would best be avoided.


    The brick held my weight before I dug my other arm into the mortar. After Deluge acclimatized my eyes to the darkness, he said, ¡°So now we hunt underground in feces for rabid golems? Even I feel for you this time.¡±


    I frowned before thinking back, ¡°If you¡¯d rather do it, I¡¯m more than willing to let you.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I wouldn¡¯t want you to strip you of this experience. You only get to wallow in shit while fighting for your life once. Savor it.¡±


    He snickered at his last few words before my frown deepened. I replied, ¡°You never know. We may do this again.¡±


    ¡°You know, they use slaves for sewage work. If anything, you¡¯re reliving the time you spent in bondage, though with worse circumstances. It¡¯s almost sad.¡±


    I shook my head before saying, ¡°We need Jericho to be seen in the most positive light possible.¡±


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before saying, ¡°Imagine finding the remnants while kingdoms devoted all their resources hiding them. That sounds difficult, if not downright impossible. If we gain their favor, we gain chances to find them without facing that challenge.¡±


    Deluge replied, ¡°Instead you face this challenge instead. You¡¯ve chosen your battles well.¡±


    I closed my eyes before saying, ¡°Would you rather spend decades on our goals or years?¡±


    Deluge¡¯s silence answered for a few moments before I snapped, ¡°Then don¡¯t question my methods.¡±


    I crawled down the circular wall, my feet and arms piercing the brick until I reached a flat set of tiles lining the river at the sewer¡¯s center. Another flat path lined the other side, creating two walkways while the sludge gooped by at its center. All in all, the construction seemed efficient, though unpleasant.


    After walking in the putrid tunnel for a few minutes, I found the scent fading as I got used to the smell. It bothered me deeply, but I crushed that childish disgust before running through the cavern, each of my steps echoing.


    Before long, I found forks and intersections. I discovered the layout covered the houses of the city with a pristine accuracy, so using a mental map of the city, I sprinted through the dark tunnels.


    Unlike what I imagined, life thrived here. Rats the size of watermelons ran from me as I neared them, and strange, red moss grew from cracks in the wall. Insects, crawling with hordes of legs, feasted on this moss before I saw a rat catch and devour a crawler. This place, despite being so near the spacious and open city overhead, contained a different world all its own.


    There were moments my curiosity spiked. Several long legged insects rode across the putrid pool of water, walking on the thick water. They hunted for food in the waste while I leapt from side to side. Oddly enough, this life congregated near the gates of the city, exposing their need for light and fresh air. Like children annoying their mother, they vied for the sun¡¯s affection, yet they lurched here, cast aside by the same light they lived for.


    I use these descriptions as they expose a different aspect of the sewer than what you would expect. No love lived in me for the place, but morsels of pity had formed in my mind. Not for the insects mind you, but for the slaves above. They lived in a darkness much like this one, no hope nor future. They saw pieces of light as they served their masters, but only for scattered moments as they broke their backs with labor. These thoughts guided many of my actions.


    I lingered in these thoughts as they distracted me from my own misery. The insects, the rats, the shit, it all repulsed me. Whenever I heard the first rumble coming from a noise that wasn¡¯t my own, I grinned over the prospect of leaving this place.


    As I pierced through the stagnant air, I neared the source of the sound before I found a group of golems surrounded by a crowd of dilapidated denizens. They lined the walkways at the edge of the sewers. Carrying torches, these robed wanderers lit the nearby tunnel. They crafted a bridge across the sewer¡¯s center of stone pillars. Atop those pillars stood the golems.


    Six in number, each taller than any man, and glowing a dark, bloody red, their brown and red stone bodies held rubies at their centers. Interlocked like a tightly wound puzzle, their gruff fingers clamped when they turned to me. One of the golems spoke like metal,


    ¡°Have you come to join us?¡±


    I paced up, my form lightly lit by the torch¡¯s light. They all stared at me as I rounded the curve of the tunnel towards them. After lighting my figure with a torch, claws had already formed at my fingertips, and my arms began elongating into whipping, scythe-like limbs. The low glow of their torches stretched my deformed body with nightmarish shadows. The talons I formed could cut through stone, yet they smiled. They grinned. A few even laughed.


    I stepped closer like a creature crawling from an abys, but several fell to their knees in response. Other¡¯s cried tears while others clasped their hands together. The golems interlocked their thick, gruff fingers before they bowed in unison towards me. Each member stood and stared in rapture at me. I couldn¡¯t fathom any reason why.


    Before I reached them, their mania caused concern, so I said, ¡°Why do you laugh?¡±


    My deep voice pleased them, so they laughed all the more before a golem walked forward. With a metallic, ringing voice, he said, ¡°We are the Cimmerian Shade. A group devoted to following your reverence, darkened one.¡±


    After a short moment, the gears of my mind clicked into place. This was the cult that believed in the Darkened One as a religious figure. In an instant, these madmen realized what the nobility could not - that I am the enemy of the palisade and the dark demon set on Gaia¡¯s destruction.


    I lowered my hands before saying, ¡°You all¡­you¡¯re the cult I¡¯ve heard of?¡±


    The golem nodded as the others panicked with delight. Their incessant joy disturbed me, but I swallowed the emotion while saying, ¡°Why did you steal from the Donovan¡¯s?¡±


    The golem tilted his head before saying, ¡°We have an insider in both the church and the Donovan family. They reported what these golems were for, so we stole them and repurposed them using the souls of your most devoted followers. ¡°


    The sinking feeling in my stomach grew. With my best Deluge impression, I murmured, ¡°Why do you all follow me? What have I done to deserve such allegiance?¡±


    The runes tracing the golem¡¯s arms and chest glowed red as he said, ¡°You fight the tyranny of the palisade. You have killed a part of her and put fear in the minds of those retched priests.¡±


    The sinking feeling wanes before I reply, curious and wary, ¡°So you¡¯ve all survived their purges, and now you follow the only force fighting against them?¡±


    The red glow of the golem grows, lighting the entire tunnel in a burgundy light as he says,


    ¡°You¡­You¡¯re the demonic god born out of our hatred and malice. You embody the malicious spite we harbor. You are our harbinger. As you spoke towards your apostles and Gaia¡¯s priests,¡±


    The golem spread its arms and said, ¡°Those who have fallen from the grace of your god will find genesis, just as you shall find purgatory.¡±


    Glancing downwards, I stared at my hands before turning up towards them and saying, ¡°I am no god. I am a mere monster who aims at a god¡¯s throat¡­¡±


    After retracting my claws, I ball my hands into fists before I said, ¡°Who are my apostles? Who has told you such lies?¡±


    The golem lowered its arms before saying, ¡°When you destroyed the monster we created, you left us alive. We, the bringers of hell on earth¡­the misguided and distraught worshippers of Gaia¡­We had crafted a true demon. A true monster, nothing like you.¡±


    My eyes snapped open as he continued, ¡°You wear the mask of a monster. Ours was nothing if not mindless and destructive.¡±


    A seething wrath like bile filled my chest as the golem continued, ¡°We worked tirelessly. Our religious fervor kept us awake and focused on our goal. We were blinded by the prospect of gaining Gaia¡¯s favor, yet when we finished our efforts, we had killed a beautiful women with a bright future.¡±


    He placed his stone face into his hands as he said, his voice shaking, ¡°Despite our sins, you left without killing us. You gave mercy. Even more forgiving than an angel, you destroyed the abomination we created and offered us salvation.¡±


    As he spoke, a deep, dark rage saturated my skin. Like liquid lava, anger pulsed in my blood, and bane in my bones. Fury, fierce as fire and crushing as calamity, radiated as I glared at him.


    Even though his rock body held little ability for expressing fear, he found a way for it. The hard slabs he had for legs shook, and his shoulders shivered. The crushing oppression took over the entire tunnel before I closed my eyes.


    With his words stabbing through the blinding rage, Deluge thought, ¡°Calm yourself. Killing the golems here would give you nothing. We can use them.¡±


    I snarled in my mind, ¡°They killed her. They killed Petra. They killed Joan¡¯s guardian and my teacher.¡±


    ¡°Listen. If we execute them here, we will gain revenge and satisfaction, but other outcomes offer us even more.¡±


    I breathed deep breaths as I thought, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I have a plan.¡±


    Standing there with for several minutes, I listened closely as Deluge explained an elaborate and well thought out scheme. As he spoke, my anger soothed while a sickening satisfaction took its place. After having calmed myself completely, I said,


    ¡°What is your name, apostle?¡±


    The golem¡¯s frame ceased shuddering as the ruby eyes glanced up with a sudden, sharp move of its head. It replied, ¡°I-I¡¯m David Strom.¡±


    ¡°Then David Strom, I have a mission for you and the other golems here, but first, answer me three questions.¡±


    ¡°Anything your grace.¡±


    I pointed at the other golems as I said, ¡°Are these the other apostles?¡±


    ¡°Yes, your grace.¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°You used your knowledge from the other monster you created for this, correct?¡±


    He nodded as he said, ¡°Yes. We wanted to use the knowledge for something good. For something useful. We want to change.¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    I nodded as I said, ¡°Of course. I understand. You have taken a weapon from the church and given it a new purpose. I thank you for your help.¡±


    The golem nodded his head with elation as the group of people behind him smiled. I continued my words, ¡°Excuse my anger from before. You see, your word reminded me of why I wish for Gaia¡¯s end. Hearing how she corrupted you all, it disgusted me.¡±


    They nodded as the group sighed with relief behind him. The golem at the front said, ¡°We believed you had lingering anger from before. To us, there is no greater regret in our lives.¡±


    I nodded before I strode up to him and said, ¡°I understand. I own many regrets as well. We share that burden.¡± I turned towards the others and said, ¡°I will stage an attack on the church within the next three days. I will need your help. My apostles, you shall serve as my vanguard.¡±


    The golems nodded before I said with a grin, ¡°We will destroy them, starting here in Nern.¡±


    With that said, I organized the details of the plan with their leader. The introductions from each member lasted an hour. Before leaving, I let each of them all touch the palm of my hand, setting them into a near delusional glee. With the preparations finished here, I left them in the stinking sewers before returning towards the surface.


    Deluge and I needed a few other pieces lined up before the attack, so we skulked through the city before entering the central church for Nern. Soaring doorways, large, open windows, and towers peaked with the circles of twelve, the church stood white and pure and perfect. The tallest inns and wealthiest nobles lived beside the building, prying for its power.


    By the time I reached it, the scent of the sewage left me, with deluge¡¯s assistance of course. I entered through its doorway, the light of the church giving my black hydra skin a glorious sheen. They would never have guessed I scrounged beneath their very feet only a few minutes prior.


    I stood in the marble building with a throng of silenced worshippers staring. As I strode up between the rows of pews, the bishop of the church ceased his prayer before he glanced towards me, his face displaying an open surprise.


    Deluge laughed in my mind as I strode past a few scattered people towards the head bishop. I lunged onto my knee, gazing up towards him as I said, ¡°Head bishop, I am Jericho the Disciple. I ask for your presence in private.¡±


    The bishop looked me over, his keen and scrutinizing eyes falling on the crystallized dragon¡¯s blood hanging from my neck. After he paused for more time than necessary, he replied in a slow and steady tone,


    ¡°Alright then. I will allow it.¡± He glanced at the congregation before saying, ¡°You all, pray as I leave. We will continue the prayer after Jericho and I have spoken with one another.¡±


    Before moving, he continued, ¡°I had better see marks on the knees of your robes when I come back.¡±


    The commanding nature of his voice and the surety of his motions gave him an aura like royalty. The bishop paced away from the podium while pointing at a doorway. We reached into a side corridor, hallways hiding behind dozens of doorways. After we reached three doors down, we entered into an office lined with papers and bookshelves.


    The smell of old, yellowed paper wafted in the small room. Indentations in the chairs, marks on the desk, even a rusty envelope opener sat still, overused and overwhelmed by time. A small glassed window let light in, and several chairs laid around the room, unused until now. Dozens of figures danced across the pages. He seemed more like an accountant than a priest.


    We entered, and he grabbed a feather and inkwell before writing a few marks on a peice of parchment. The bishop said, his voice haughty and disdained,


    ¡°So what is it, Jericho the great dragon slayer?¡±


    Ignoring the contempt in his voice, I said, ¡°I have heeded the call for Gaia, and it has brought me here. I wish to warn you against a pressing threat.¡±


    The man raised an eyebrow while frowning as he said, ¡°How would you know anything about threats here?¡±


    I stared at him, utter faith and resolve emitting from my straight forward eyes and honest tone, ¡°Just as with the dragon, I have been told by Gaia.¡±


    The bishop rolled his eyes before saying, ¡°Now I may be a priest, but unlike most the others, I have brain as well. I believe in a man who tells me he wants something, not a man who comes offering his services for nothing.¡±


    I grinned before I said, ¡°It¡¯s more of a question of what you want.¡± I pressed a finger onto the calculations on his desk as I said, ¡°These numbers and the way they''re organized, they remind me of numbers I¡¯ve seen lining the desk of nobles.¡±


    The bishop squinted his eyes as he hissed, ¡°What¡¯re you getting at?¡±


    I opened a palm towards my side and said, ¡°These are bribes.¡±


    He blinked before saying, ¡°How dare you accuse the church. What could the church even give besides faith?¡±


    I pointed at a number on the table before saying, ¡°The church owns quite a bit of leverage with the opinions of the people. They decide much of the morals and beliefs of a city, so having those beliefs sway towards the cause of a merchant or perhaps valuing a certain commodity, well, that would be more than just helpful. That¡¯s worth paying for.¡±


    The bishop pursed his lips as he said, ¡°So what?¡±


    I said, ¡°So I¡¯m aiming for that same type of benefit, though with a different kind of payment then gold.¡±


    The bishop snapped, ¡°They told me about you. You¡¯re a nobody, a no one from nowhere. You aren¡¯t swimming in gold. You¡¯ aren¡¯t nobility. What could you possibly offer me?¡±


    A malicious grin spread on my face as I said, ¡°Protection. I¡¯ve killed a dragon with my bare hands, and I¡¯ve defeated your knight of Nern as well. If anything happens here, I shall come and guard you.¡±


    The man snickered before replying, ¡°No one would attack the church.¡±


    I nod with a hand on my chin as I said, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right. You¡¯re right.¡± After a short pause, I raised my hand while saying, ¡°Ahh, but didn¡¯t the Donovan family lose a set of golems here recently?¡±


    His face paled as the memory splashed his face like cold water. The golems presented a threat the city had no hope of containing. Security as powerful as a dragon slayer was an irresistible offer. With that in mind, he said, ¡°Hmmmm. You may be right, just maybe¡­Let¡¯s say you were right and I wanted your protection. What do you want in return?¡±


    I grinned before saying, ¡°I want fame and recognition.¡±


    The bishop blinked for a moment before saying, ¡°Fame? That¡¯s all?¡±


    I nodded before spreading my arms and saying, ¡°That¡¯s all. I want you to spread my name through these halls as the next hero. If you do so, I shall help you in your time of need. Otherwise, you may face the golems with the city¡¯s security as assistance. I doubt they¡¯d handle a group of golems with any efficiency.¡±


    He stared, both dumbfounded and unresponsive before he busted into laughter. After a set of seconds passed, he replied, ¡°So in other words, you¡¯ll protect the church for free, but you want my trust. Now you¡¯re acting like I¡¯m paying some price.¡±


    His eyes turned to daggers as he said, ¡°You may be a saint after all.¡±


    I shrugged before saying, ¡°You¡¯re messages will assist my goals. It would help me tremendously.¡±


    With a glint of glee in his eye, the bishop replied, ¡°You have my word on it, Jericho the disciple. Is that your true name?¡±


    I nodded before he said, ¡°May your parents rest in peace then. They would no doubt be proud of you.¡±


    His response may seem strange, but in Bastion, there¡¯s a custom for relinquishing your last name if you become an orphan. The custom is a burden for the parentless, however. Anyone who hears your name knows your status at an instant. Whenever I spoke of Sophia and Joan¡¯s names without saying their last names, those listening had assumed they were orphans as well.


    That knowledge encouraged the many disrespectful attitudes towards us at times, but the custom served as a useful tool for preventing any questions about our past. I used that fact as an advantage. Why ask the lineage of an orphan after all?


    The Bishop¡¯s words struck closer to home than I expected, so I placed a palm on my chest and barely bowed before saying, ¡°Then may you be safe until this looming threat passes¡­¡±


    The bishop replied, ¡°My name is Favre Montaine.¡±


    I lifted myself as I said, ¡°Then until we meet again Favre.¡±


    ¡°¡±You as well, Jericho.¡±


    He and I stepped out from his study before re-entering the nave with many eyes upon us. As I stepped towards the exit, Favre said, ¡°Jericho has assured this chapel of his protection. He shall vanquish anything vile enough to attack this place of worship. Praise be Jericho the Disciple.¡±


    The crowd roars with applause before I smiled towards Favre and he winked towards me. As I turned, I cringed at his utter lack of subtlety, but he kept his promise. He did so while trapping me into keeping my own, but I couldn¡¯t hate him for his methods. The simple trick had been effective, and I would have done the same.


    After pacing from the church, I regrouped with the others outside the town. Razor dug out a cavern five miles from the city using her giant claws, so they relaxed in relative comfort when I arrived.


    The thick, primal scent of earth and soft straw underfoot reminded me of my days as a slave. I worked for a man named Rahuul for several months after my parents died to thunder. It gave me time to think and sort things out after the tragedy. I discovered a fire in my hands and iron in my soul.


    Nostalgia flowed through me as I reached the bottom of the crevice. Aether etched a mural on a slab of stone on the back wall while Joan and Sophia studied a few diagrams detailing Drake¡¯s gemchains. Razor swam through the air, her body maneuvering as though it were underwater. Aether and Razor¡¯s glow offered more than enough lighting for the tasks at hand, so when I arrived, Aether turned towards me and said,


    ¡°Hello Jack. It it good to see you again. Did you find the golems?¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°I did. They are a part of the cult that worships the Darkened One. They stole the golems from the Donovans then put their souls inside them.¡±


    Sophia turned and said, ¡°Are you serious? They¡¯re that capable?¡±


    I balanced my hands before saying, ¡°Somewhat. Based on my talk with them, it seems like they were lucky, not skilled. Besides, they are not fighters. They are scientists.¡±


    I turned and said, ¡°Oddly enough, the golem¡¯s runes were red, unlike other thralls. Deluge studied the diagrams as I spoke. I¡¯ll draw them for you. They may help with your studies.¡±


    Sophia lifted a fist into the air before pulling it down as she said, ¡°Hell yeah. Ever since coming to Mareovosa, Alistair and I tried getting our hands on one. We could never find one. They¡¯re almost always used for illegal stuff. He was always too much of a goody two shoes to dabble with them.¡±


    Razor pushed me towards a pen and piece of paper from the stack of supplies at Joan¡¯s side. I sighed before taking the paper and leaning it onto one of Aether¡¯s flat faces. Trying to change the subject, I said, ¡°You know, Sophia, it¡¯s surprised me how focused you stay on your research despite our travels. It¡¯s like you¡¯ve done this before.¡±


    She turned back towards her diagrams as she said, ¡°Well, I actually have. Whenever my parents sent me off towards a boarding school, Alistair took me in after a few months of being there. He wasn¡¯t the richest man himself, but he tried his best to keep us comfortable.¡±


    She sighed before saying, ¡°Those were happy times. He had a habit of cutting himself anytime he cooked, so he gave me the job of head slicer. He put his sweat blood and tears into those meals, and I mean literally. He would cut himself and tear up like a total baby. He was a real wimp.¡±


    Her voice caught in her throat as her breathing grew ragged. Joan hugged her before I stopped my sketching and stared down. After a pause, I said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It was my mistake to ask.¡±


    Sophia replied, ¡°No, no. I just got caught up in the past. I need to move on, but it just¡­it hurts.¡±


    A clumsy silence took over the room, and after a few minutes, I said, ¡°It¡¯s like something¡¯s missing. Like a hollowed out hole in your chest. That emptiness is pain.¡±


    I turned towards Sophia as I said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will hurt any less over time Sophia, but know this. That void will fill up. You may not end up the same, but you won¡¯t always be empty. You won¡¯t always be sad, but while it¡¯s still there, it¡¯s ok to cry. It¡¯s ok to hurt.¡±


    Joan pet Sophia¡¯s hair as she quietly cried. Razor stared, wondering what we were doing. After Sophia calmed down, Razor asked, ¡°Excuse my rudeness, but what was that?¡±


    Joan turned up towards her and said, ¡°Well, uh...Think of it like this. When you have sadness, it¡¯s like, err, carrying something really heavy. When you tell others, it makes it lighter. It uh, I don''t know... Makes it easier to move on?¡±


    Razor taps the side of her faceless cheek before saying, ¡°Whenever Kara died, I felt a myriad of emotions. Regret and guilt and self-loathing grated my surface, but your emotions are deeper and darker, like those of Kara before he left our colony.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°It¡¯s a difference in culture¡¯s I believe.¡±


    Razor floated towards me and said, ¡°Our culture involves working for the queen. I am expected to lead the colony into greatness, and to spread our species during my long life. That is not always so, however.¡±


    Razor landed between the colossal, jutting crags that create Aether¡¯s shoulders. She continued, ¡°It¡¯s a strange feeling when I serve someone else¡¯s cause. I like the lack of responsibility.¡±


    She turned her head towards me, the long locks of smooth blue swaying behind her head like hair. She said, ¡°You seem like a better leader anyway. I hated decisions. You embrace them.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    She glanced back towards the ceiling before she said, ¡°You told us about how you now have cult following you, right?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°Yes, I did.¡±


    She turned back towards me while letting an arm hang down Aether¡¯s back as she said, ¡°You didn¡¯t seem nervous when you told us about it. If anything, you sounded excited, almost hungry.¡±


    I frowned before I growled, ¡°The golems are the priests who experimented on Petra. The only hunger I have is for their agony.¡±


    Joan turned towards me, her eyes alert as she said, ¡°They are the same?¡±


    I shrugged before replying, ¡°It makes sense. They would be the only people with the knowledge for putting their souls into golems.¡±


    After a short pause, Joan replied, ¡°So, how are we going to deal with them?¡±


    ¡°We are going to kill them all.¡±


    Joan blinked at my response before she said, ¡°D-don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too much?¡±


    I sighed before saying, ¡°You didn¡¯t see what they did to Petra. There was nothing left of her, not even her soul came out unscathed. She was horror incarnate.¡±


    Joan bit her lip before she gazed at the floor, gloomy and distraught. After tapping her legs with her hands, she glanced back towards me with a sharp glance. She said, ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you kill them then?¡±


    I smiled, showing the whites of my sharpened teeth. I said, ¡°Because there are things worse than death.¡±

 15 cold

    15 Cold


    <hr>


    Baga, Fenrir of Wind - Humans have a way of demanding more than they deserve. I keep them beneath my wings and at the mercy of my storm.


    <hr>


    I continued, my voice cold and cutting like a winter¡¯s night as I explained the plan. It was simple, but most good plans are. Once I finished, silence choked the room. Aether turned towards me, the interlocking pieces of black stone smoothly sliding. He said, ¡°I never knew you were so cunning, Jack. That sounded¡­almost evil.¡±


    I said, ¡°It¡¯s Deluge¡¯s plan for the most part. I just wanted them all to die. He wanted more than death. He wanted them to suffer a betrayal at the hand of their god.¡±


    The lethal, toxic tone of my voice spread through the room like a malignant cancer. At the edge of my vision, a pair of shaking hands wound tight, the knuckles white with fury. They were my own. Relaxing my grip and grimace, I turned towards the others, each of them staring in open surprise.


    My heart sank as Joan said, ¡°Jack, why the hell would you do that?¡±


    Glancing at the floor, my shoulders drooped before Aether replied, ¡°I agreed to follow you, but I won¡¯t help with this plan. It originated from the wrong reasons. This is nothing like the noble journey you spoke of.¡±


    Razor folded over on Aether¡¯s shoulders before she said, ¡°It¡¯s a clever plan, in my opinion at least. I don¡¯t see a thing wrong with it.¡±


    Sophia nodded before she said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t sit too well with me. A little calculating for my taste, but I can¡¯t see any real flaws with it.¡±


    Joan turned towards Sophia before saying, ¡°How can you agree to something so...underhanded?¡±


    Sophia raised an eyebrow as she said, ¡°Are you serious Joan? These people tried killing us. They¡¯ve experimented on people like they were tools. They killed Petra, for Gaia¡¯s sake.¡±


    I shook my head as I said, ¡°No, I killed Petra.¡±


    They all turned towards me, my sketch finished. I handed the picture over in silence to Sophia. As I walked out, Sophia jumped up and grabbed my wrist. She said, ¡°No, that¡¯s not true. You saved her from being used anymore by the palisade. I know what type of experiments they were doing. None of them were good.¡±


    I glanced towards her before I said to the room, ¡°Do you know what happened to her remains after I killed her?¡±


    Silence answered me back, so I said, ¡°They melted into the floor. Her flesh kept crawling at me, even after her death. Even if I chewed it up and spit it out, the meat kept crawling, so I swallowed the pieces that didn¡¯t stop. I ate her before she ate me.¡±


    Joan gasped and Sophia released her grip as I continued, ¡°I stole the gems they used on her. That¡¯s where the lit alexandrite came from. Her body.¡±


    I turned towards Joan and said, ¡°I¡¯ve eaten people. Sometimes to hide their bodies or for survival, but the reason matters little. It doesn¡¯t change what I¡¯ve done.¡±


    I turned towards Aether and Razor as I continued, ¡°I retched acid onto the faces of my victims. I¡¯ve stabbed arms through their throats. I¡¯ve eaten human heads as they screamed in horror.¡±


    I turned back towards Joan and Sophia before I said, ¡°I¡¯ve assimilated living people. I¡¯ve murdered children. I¡¯m more decayed and diseased then Petra ever was. I am a walking plague, and in my wake, I leave an all-consuming shadow.¡±


    I gripped my hands before piercing them with a stare, strong as steel and heavy as a giant¡¯s heel. I said, ¡°This plan of mine, it¡¯s nothing by comparison to what I¡¯ve done. Killing the remnants will be brutal and bloody. I¡¯ve tried giving mercy before. Petra and Alistair died for it.¡±


    I turned towards Sophia and Joan as I said, ¡°We lost our home for it. If I¡¯d just killed anyone who¡¯d speak out, maybe the palisade would never have known. I won¡¯t make the same mistake twice. Even if I must swim through oceans of blood and climb mountains made of corpses, I will never let it happen again.¡±


    Unshaken and unyielding, I said, ¡°I will not lose those dear to me. I will not lose my home.¡±


    I turned and left out of the cave, my steps echoing in the clean cavern. They laid there, wordless and wide-eyed. After reaching the surface, I walked towards the city with the sun setting in the distance. After a minute or two in, Deluge reached out for me and said,


    ¡°Lashing out at your friends to vent your hatred. You¡¯ve matured.¡±


    I frowned before I snapped, ¡°And so the derisive parasite comes in for another lecture. What will it be about this time I wonder?¡±


    ¡°Temper temper. Why don¡¯t you listen to me. We share the same body after all.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before I said, ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    With a thoughtful tone, Deluge said, ¡°I understand your frustration.¡±


    ¡°How can you understand? I don¡¯t even understand myself.¡±


    ¡°Up till our journey, you¡¯ve hidden the vicious, wrathful piece of you. Now that you¡¯ve exposed that darker side of yourself, you believe they¡¯ll no longer love you. That makes you vulnerable, vulnerable and afraid.¡±


    I stopped walking before I glanced down. I frowned as I thought, ¡°You mean...I¡¯m afraid they¡¯ll leave me?¡±


    Deluge replied, ¡°In essence, yes. They deserve the ridicule, however. Gaia can only be stopped with ¡±


    I glanced upwards, lost in thought. Deluge often spoke the truth, in an unfeeling and callous way, but truth nonetheless. All this time, I¡¯d succeeded and flourished without exposing my real struggles to Joan or Sophia. They never saw how severe or unyielding my problems could be. Now that they did, I felt vulnerable.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Even more painful, I couldn¡¯t blame Joan for wanting to go. She made a hard choice; leave with me and abandon everything or pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Staying had carried more than its fair share of consequences, like traveling for years without rest.


    After thinking it over, I knew I¡¯d overreacted. After I cooled down, I¡¯d apologize for my outburst. They deserved better than that childish, abrasive attitude. I promised to strive for better control or at least understanding of my emotions. That process would take time. Almost anything meaningful in life does.


    With my thoughts handled, I thought towards Deluge when I reached the city, ¡°Thank you for your insight. I calmed since earlier.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t hate you over something so small. You underestimate them. I on the other hand-¡±


    I grinned before replying, ¡°Honestly, I prefer your loathing. Anything else just doesn¡¯t feel sincere.¡±


    ¡°You know me well.¡±


    Deluge spent that night hunting in the sewer for new prey. I outright rejected the suggestion when we were awake, but Deluge doesn¡¯t listen. With him eating like a glutton, we grew ever taller and heavier with each passing day. Soon, no set of stairs would hold my weight throughout the entire kingdom.


    Time flowed through my hands like air. After preparing everything for day of the attack, I finally walked back towards our base.


    After squeezing through the entrance, the damp, cool air offered a pleasant change from the sweltering heat outside. After my entry, Sophia and Joan remained in the encampment, each piddling with whatever task they had at hand.


    They glanced over at me as I crawled through the hole of an entrance. After exposing myself, I scratched the back of my head as I said, ¡°Uhm, I just wanted to apologize for my outburst the other day. I shouldn¡¯t have said what I did, and I understand if either of you want to leave.¡±


    They glanced at one another before Joan pierced me with a grim, grisly stare. After an agonizing pause, Joan said, her tone like death, ¡°I will stay here under only one condition.¡±


    I held my breath for an eternal moment. Joan¡¯s dour and dark expression sent a chill down my spine. In an instant, her tone altered to dapper and delighted. She said, ¡°You¡¯ll have to take me out on a really, and I mean really good date.¡±


    Sophia snapped, ¡°And I want a souvenir. A big one.¡±


    I sighed in relief as my shoulders slumped. Before I brushed my hair back while forcing myself up. With a hand in my hair, I say with sarcasm, ¡°Anything for you, your majesties.¡±


    Joan jumped up and leapt over before embracing me with her hands around my waist. She replied after squeezing with all her strength, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to make you feel bad. You¡¯re just trying to protect us. I know you and Deluge have done things that you aren¡¯t proud of, but I want you to know one thing for sure.¡±


    She leaned back before she said, ¡°To me, you¡¯re my hero, not just some nice guy who¡¯s fun to be around.¡±


    I placed a hand on my chin as I said with a crooked grin and raised eyebrows, ¡°You mean devilishly handsome and charming too, right?¡±


    She lifts onto her toes before pressing her forehead against mine and saying, ¡°I was thinking something more like dreamy and cool, but that¡¯ll have to do.¡±


    I hugged her, our eyes closing before youthful, goofy grins popped onto our faces. We giggled with each other before she and I released our embrace. Turning towards Sophia, I said, ¡°I¡¯ll make the souvenir special. I already have an idea.¡±


    Sophia frowned as she squinted her eyes at us and said, ¡°Alright then lover birds. Don¡¯t mind me. I¡¯ll just sit here and sulk.¡±


    With a blissful in my eyes and joy on my lips, I said, ¡°Thank you both. I was worried I¡¯d went too far. I¡¯d been bottling up inside for a while.¡±


    Joan punched my side before she said, ¡°Sophia explained a lot of what you said after you left. Deluge did nearly all of it, and even when he didn¡¯t, you did all that stuff for some reason.¡±


    Sophia rolled her eyes before she said, ¡°You made it out like you''re some monster or something.¡±


    I turned both of them as I said, ¡°Make no mistake, that¡¯s exactly what I am.¡±


    Joan frowned before she said, ¡°Jack, no you¡¯re not.¡±


    I placed a hand on her shoulder before I said, ¡°Wait until after today¡¯s event unfold before you say so. You¡¯ve never seen me actually fight before. It¡¯s a macabre spectacle.¡±


    She rolled her eyes before she said, ¡°Whatever you say professor gruesome.¡±


    I tickled her sides as I said, ¡°You as well doctor doom.¡±


    She giggled before she thrashed her way out of my grasp. In a desperate defense, she dug her fingers into my side, retaliating with a ferocious frenzy. We fought for ages if not entire eons before we laid against the wall of the room, breathless and upbeat.


    Well, she was breathless at least. My capacity for movement far exceeded her own. As she caught her breath, I said, ¡°It¡¯s time for me to leave. I¡¯d rather not be late.¡±


    Joan frowned before saying, ¡°Gone so soon? That¡¯s no fun.¡±


    After standing up, I leaned over and kissed her forehead. Placing a palm on her cheek, I said, ¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s no fun to be had where I¡¯m going.¡±


    I reached the entrance before saying, ¡°Goodbye. I¡¯ll see you afterwards.¡±


    Sophia chimed, ¡°Good luck.¡±


    After reaching towards the town, I neared the church as the sun passed directly overhead. The golems would attack from the front of the church. They thought I would flanked any would be defenders. Instead, I¡¯d strike right at their center after they killed a few priests. I forbid the killing of citizens, and mentioned how they should strike fear in the hearts of the priests however they could. The more frightened the church was, the bigger the reward once I saved them.


    I had rented out a room on the second floor of an inn near the church. The window of the room saw directly through a stained window, giving me an open view of the inside. The lead lining the glass glinted, and the hotel even had stone stairs. It was the perfect lookout.


    With all these preparations complete, I waited for over an hour in anticipation. Waking me from my daydreams, a familiar yet new sound hit my ears through my opened window. The piercing, painful sound of actual bending steel ripped through the nearby air. A steel grate at the side of the church was forced open by stone hands.


    Radiating red, a group of eight golems paced out, stomping through the alleyway. Townsfolk gawked, their faces following the golems. Their feet dug into the stone underneath them, cracking like breaking ice. The clear sky made them all the more surreal. Out of the alleyway and into the town square. After reaching the entrance, they slammed through the giant doors, each of their steps shaking the ground.


    Splinters and planks of wood caved in around their feet before they strode towards the center of the church. The petrified priest stared with disbelief on his face. The earthen thralls paced with slow, steady steps, like a coming tide. Reaching the bishop, the front golem grabbed Favre by his collar and forced him overhead.


    The arctic ice in the golem¡¯s metallic voice reached even me as he said,¡°By the name of The Darkened One, we start a war against the church and the palisade. By his word, Gaia shall die as The Darkened One feasts on her flesh.¡±


    Favre wheezed, ¡°By Gaia¡¯s name, what has this church done? What have I done wrong?¡±


    The golem reached his fist back as he said, ¡°Opposed the one, true god.¡±


    I leapt through the window before crashing into the ground. The planks shook as I landed, fragmenting earth and launching dust in every direction. Those within the church silenced before staring at the window beside me, the lead lining bent like broken fingers.


    I smashed my fists together as I said, ¡°I wonder if golems bleed?¡±

 16 Trample

    16 Trample


    <hr>


    Fortinbrass, Apostle of Shimerac - ¡°I need no eyes, for I see no evil.¡±


    <hr>


    I pressed my heels into the ground, launching myself forward. The polished, gray brick broke as I crushed through the stone and wood flooring. The golem¡¯s eyes met mine. Rage roared in my blood. All the despair of my fight against Petra, it flared in my fists.


    The swarming frenzy of hate exploded as the golem said, ¡°What are talki-¡° He never finished his words. As I reached the golem, I tore Favre from the golem¡¯s grasp with a quick flick of my hand. Favre¡¯s clothes tore, letting him fly backwards before I unleashed my fury.


    I stomped the ground beneath me as all the force of my charge siphoned up my feet and into my fist. My tendons and bones screamed as force passed through them, but I pushed through the pain. I swallowed the suffering.


    My arm passed over my head, arcing towards the golem. Hard and heavy as a hailstorm, my fist collided with the golem¡¯s shoulder at an angle. My hand¡¯s skin split, yet my force sliced through the stone as well. A thundering boom unleashed through the chamber as the enormous stone block of the golem¡¯s chest cracked.


    The windows around us snapped as the preaching room quaked. Those nearby fell at the force of the impact. Everyone covered their ears in torment. The light of the golem waned in an instant before I jerked my right arm from it while torquing my left fist into its side.


    Another detonation of sound blasted through the room as enormous chunks of stone fell from the dead golem. It fell apart, rendered by my fist. The red light of its eyes disappeared before another golem walked upward while saying, ¡°Are you mad-¡°


    I built momentum, slinging my right foot in arc across the ground and towards the golem. In a heavy spiral, my right arm dragged behind my body as I continued turning. With a colossal smash, the back of my fist impacted the side of the approaching golem¡¯s shoulder.


    Stone melted as my strike crumbled the golem¡¯s arm and chest. A web of cracks popped onto the boulder before the rock collapsed into two slabs. I stumbled away from the golem, nearly falling backwards from my own blow. The red glow of the runes ended before one of the golem¡¯s screamed, ¡°You demon. You betrayed us.¡±


    The entire crowd had covered their ears, deaf and terrified. I said, ¡°You killed my teacher. I heard her screams. No one will hear yours.¡±


    He dashed towards me, roaring with a wide right hook aimed at my head. I ducked towards the blow, slipping past it as I threw my own overhand right. The counter landed, my feet grounded. The shattering of stone echoed through the air before I whipped a left hook into the golem¡¯s crumbling face.


    The quick, measured blow cleaved part way through his head stone. In desperation, the golem grabbed at me. Using small, skimming steps, I slid backwards, his arms closing on air. Bolting back towards him, the golem guarded his head with his arms.


    I planted my left heel and lifted my right leg. My right foot blurred in the air as I slammed my heel down. I crushed through his arms then his face, launching chips of rock outward in a plume of dust. Streaks of reddish powder lined each of the larger bits.


    The room quieted. I suppressed a wail of pain at my foot. While each blow devastated my enemy, the bones of my fist and foot broke as well. Deluge regenerated them before any onlooker noticed, but the excruciating stabs of misery stab me nonetheless.


    Yet I crush the howling of my body. I surmount the suffering of my mind. I engulf the anguish. Regardless of my undertaking, I endure. Regardless of my crucible, I conquer.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Flooding my mind with resolve, five golems charged at me like children. These scientists had no form. Their anger ruined their defense, leaving them vulnerable. As the first reached me, he jutted out a fist. I stepped back, hitting his arm with a sharp hook. Cracks formed in his arm at the slicing impact.


    He kicked towards me, but I leaned back, dodging the blow barely. I uppercut his heel, cracking his foot with force. He and I recoiled at the collision. The golem stumbled backwards, landing on his back with a colossal thump. As he fell, two other golems reached me. They each charged at an angle.


    I sidestepped them like a pair of bulls while slamming a kick into one of their shins. The bone in my shin held, but the stone didn¡¯t. The rightmost golem¡¯s foot snapped off his leg, smashing into another golems set of rubies. I stepped further right, but two terrified yelps stop my retreat.


    Behind me, a mother and son wept. Dirt lined their tear stricken faces, and they held each other with an iron grip. I couldn¡¯t retreat any further. A hero who let¡¯s a mother and son die for his safety makes for a poor story.


    Two golems charged at me, their steps like a coming flood. I frowned as a bead of cold sweat fell from my forehead. If I didn¡¯t stop them in time, I¡¯d lose all the time and effort I spent into this fake persona. I wouldn¡¯t allow it. I couldn¡¯t allow it. The golems looked larger as they closed in on me, but right before they smashed into me, I saw my saving grace.


    The foot of the golem had destroyed the golem. At that instant, I understood the golem¡¯s weakness, their gems. If I could crush what held the soul, then the body would fall over. I had a chance.


    I leapt towards the golems. As my feet landed, I pressed my feet into the stone floor. The surrounding stones flew a foot upwards as I leaned down and grabbed them. I bolted forward with my arms spread wide, smashing each stone into the gem eyes of each golem. I slid backwards as my hands landed, like my fists carried explosions in them. The golems gems fell forward, limp and lifeless.


    My plan worked. The gems scattered on the ground as my gaze met the last two golems. One crawled on the ground, crippled. The other glanced at me in disbelief. He shouted, ¡°Why are doing this? We tried to help you. We wanted redemption.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°Somethings cannot be forgotten or forgiven.¡±


    They flailed in desperation as I reached them. It mattered little. I pound and pummel. I rip and rend. I crush and crumble. I break and bend. Like a lumbering behemoth, my attacks overwhelm each of the golems and after the explosive sight, I lay bloody and beaten over the chest of a golem with their central gem pulled out.


    The church members leaned down with their heads covered. Not a sound could be heard as dust settled around me.¡®Heaving for breath, I glanced over towards Favre. He lifted his head like a turtle looking out of its shell. As his eyes met mine, he waked from his trance. He ran over towards me before placing a hand on my back and saying, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°Just out of breath. This is the second longest fight of my life. To be honest, I rather enjoyed it.¡±


    He backed away as he saw my grin, but I stood and walked towards him. I placed a hand on his shoulder as I said, ¡°Remember our deal.¡±


    I lowered my hand before turning towards the terrified crowd. I said, ¡°I have stopped the Darkened One¡¯s assault. Are you all unhurt?¡±


    A few scrapes and bruises scattered across the congregation, but no one was seriously harmed. I lunged towards the mother and son behind me and said, ¡°Are you alright, little one.¡±


    He looked up, half afraid and half in wonder. He hugged his mother tight, fearful of me. He had good instincts. I glanced at his mother as she said, ¡°We¡¯re alright. Just a few scrapes and bruises.¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°Good. Let me know if there¡¯s anymore trouble. I¡¯m off towards the inn. I¡¯m going to bed after that one.¡±


    As I walked off, Favre said, ¡°We won¡¯t forget this. I promise you.¡±


    The crowd murmured towards each other before someone stuck up a fist as he said, ¡°Hail saint Jericho.¡±


    He and Favre repeated the chant before the group joined in on the chant. Before a minute had passed, they roared their mantra as an enormous crowd gathered around the church and echoed their anthem. The maelstrom of sound repeated until I raised both my arms to the approval of the frenzied horde.


    Their roaring died down over time, and after twenty minutes, I worked my way into the inn. Deluge and I swapped places. I deserved a nap after what I¡¯d done. Deluge didn¡¯t idle, however.


    Our plan was far from finished.

 17 Tying Threads

    17 Tying Threads


    <hr>


    General Osyus - Life is your story. Don¡¯t mark it in sand. Carve it in stone.


    <hr>


    After waking in the inn, I turned towards the vast hole Jack left in the wall. Several people stared through the expanse, so within a few minutes of waiting for them to leave, a little girl and her father walked past. The girl pointed up and said,


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s an ugly troll.¡±


    The father replied, ¡°Don¡¯t say that about our savior or I¡¯ll whoop your behind till it¡¯s glowing red.¡±


    They rushed off as several knocks could be heard through the room.


    Our door slammed open as a reddened innkeeper glared at the missing window. He turned towards me before his eyes softened. His peppered sideburns wiggled as his mouth twitched, due to his withdrawal from opiates. The back of the store reeked of them.


    I kept my eyes opened by the thinnest of slits, so he shook his head as I feigned sleep against the side of the wall. He fought two urges in his mind, one demanding reparations for his inn¡¯s destruction, the other offering gratitude for the hero who saved his town.


    Pretending I slept, I snapped my eyes open before gazing around the room. As my eyes set on his, he stepped back before I said, ¡°My apologies for the decimation of your window. I will pay for it¡¯s replacement.¡±


    He blinked, his stance guarded before he said, ¡°So you¡¯re saint Jericho. I imagined you¡¯d be more¡­friendly.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before I said, ¡°In order to fight beasts, you must become one, right? My situation is similar.¡±


    He bit his lip before saying, ¡°Uhm¡­Alright then. Well, ahhhhhh, just get it fixed whenever you can. There ain¡¯t no rush.¡±


    I pushed myself from the wall before saying, ¡°Excellent. This room has a draft to it now, I¡¯ll move myself elsewhere.¡±


    I walked past him, my steps creaking the wood underneath me. Aa our eyes met, he held his breath for some reason. I assumed fear.


    Having left the wounds from the golems open, I appeared wounded and weary, yet I brimmed with vitality. I paced towards a corner of town until I reached another hub of the Arcanum, though this place differed from the smoke and sex of before.


    The scent of smoke lingered at the entrance of the extravagant mansion, but other, more malevolent odors engulfed the premise. The burning of opiates, the brewing of chemicals, the acrid stench of acid, they melded into a stinging scent. It could bring tears to untrained eyes. In the middle of this filth, however, I found a familiar victim.


    Oddly enough, the scents wafted from a mansion in the corner of the town. As I paced through the open courtyard, glowing fauna similar to those of Mareovosa lit the entryway as the sun set. The iridescent lights created a whimsical and unsettling sight. Those phosphorescent properties would be useful for future transformations, so I chewed a few plants for analysis as I walked in.


    As I did so, I glanced around, noticing no other people coming and going through the nearby streets. The isolation of this district struck me as odd, but that played to my advantage. If normal people saw my jaw crunching through bones, it would ruin the reputation of Jericho. We couldn¡¯t have that, could we?


    So I pranced up to the entrance and knocked on the door. After a short moment, a maid opened it, her red eyes keen and focused. She glanced at me, her raven hair and pale skin shifting, as she frowned and said,


    ¡°What? Who are you?¡±


    With a sardonic smile, I said, ¡°Tell Galen he has a guest. One he wouldn¡¯t want waiting.¡±


    She squinted her eyes before she attempted slamming the door in my face. Without shifting my weight, I snatched the doorway from shutting. The loud popping of wood poured from my fingers as I crushed it. My eyes relaxed while my tone became impatient as I said, ¡°I¡¯ll wait inside, if you¡¯d allow it.¡±


    An open hostility leaked from her face before she said with her tone gritty and strained, ¡°Alright then. Whatever you say.¡±


    Forcing open the door, I pulled and she jerked towards me before I grabbed a hand around her waist and propping her up. After gaining her balance, she leapt back, and said, ¡°You¡¯re as strong. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Get. Galen.¡±


    She turned around before bending over and lifting her right foot towards my face. I dashed towards her left side as she rotated. I wrapped my right arm around her neck and my left around her waist as she stood up from her little attack.


    Helpless, she writhed in my embrace before I pulled the side of her face and exposed the nape of her neck. My breath sliding down her neck, I spoke in her ear, ¡°You¡¯re a rather enticing temptation. Be glad I don¡¯t have time for devouring you.¡±


    I released her, and without the support of my arms, she crumbled onto the floor like a lifeless doll. She turned towards me, her face red and ashamed before I rolled my eyes and walked past her. As she cursed while striking the floor with her hand, I waved behind me, snickering at her helplessness.


    I delved deeper into the labyrinth of hallways and rooms. I paced past multiple guards and maids, yet each of them ignored my presence. They must assume the maid up front would handle any issues. They followed their faith with a foolish optimism.


    After pacing down several sets of stairs, the yellow and red color scheme waned as the colors faded from their past splendor. Nicks and rips in the carpet ruined the prestigious image of before, and the peeling paint and wallpaper ruined the otherwise sublime walls and roofing. The chemical scent of before singed my nose before Galen¡¯s voice reverberated through a doorway.


    Knocking on the doorway, I said, ¡°A friend has come to visit.¡±


    Shattering the lock, I pulled on the doorway. As the door opened, Galen and two other priests stood over a long table covered in glass bottles with various bottles and beakers. Thin pieces of glass compressed layers of different compounds while a modified eyeglass stood over them. Gem¡¯s of all kinds lined the back of the room where several unused golems resided.


    The vast assortment of metal instruments lining each wall filled my eyes with wonder. Curiosity swelled in my chest as I glanced around before the left scientist said, ¡°What the hell are you doing here?¡±


    Galen placed a hand on his shoulder as he said, ¡°He¡¯s an old friend. Let him be.¡±


    The fierce old man walked over with careful steps as he spread his arms and said, ¡°So what may I thank for this visit?¡±


    I said, ¡°I¡¯m here for information regarding the production of your golems along with a request.¡±


    Galen said, ¡°It will be done.¡± He turned towards the shorter, squat scientist as he said, ¡°Write up a dossier about how we produce our golems. Make it detailed and precise. Get an illustrator if you have too.¡±


    The man frowned before pointing towards me and saying, ¡°Why are we taking demands from this guy?¡±


    I walked over, my steps booming on the concrete floor before I picked up a beaker and said, ¡°Ammonia Hydroxide along with amphetamines? What kind of chemical are you crafting now?¡±


    The scientist stumbles back as he said, ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°Ammonia¡¯s owns a peculiar scent. It¡¯s easily distinguished. Trace amounts of the amphetamines linger in the air, so I tasted them along with several of these other chemicals.¡±


    Galen grips the man¡¯s shoulder before he said, ¡°Ask another question and you¡¯ll be missing fingers. Go.¡±


    The scientist waddled out of the room before Galen turned towards me and said, ¡°So what¡¯s the other request?¡±


    After cracking my neck I leaned against a rack of tools as I said, ¡°I want you to remove the Donovan¡¯s golems from the church by tomorrow. Analyze the parts of them that make them different from other golems and incorporate the details in the dossier that scientist will be writing.¡±


    Galen nodded before saying to the taller, lankier scientist at his side, ¡°Prepare yourself a team for studying the golems.¡± The scientist rushed out of the room before Galen turned towards me and said, ¡°I will personally lead the team in their extraction. When do you want everything ready?¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°Three days would be most optimal, though I can afford to wait.¡±


    He nodded his head before saying, ¡°We¡¯ll finish everything, besides extracting a detailed template of the Donovan¡¯s golems. Will that do?¡±


    I nodded before placing a hand on his shoulder and saying, ¡°I left a golem with only its gem ripped out among the bunch. It should service as a useful reference along with this.¡±


    I handed him a red gemstone with a glowing center. I said, ¡°These are the stones they utilized. Most of the other stones were damaged, but this should aid in your study as well.¡±


    I turned around before walking from the room, but Galen grabbed my shoulder before saying, ¡°What about Joan? When will I see her?¡±


    I tapped the edge of my cheek before turning towards him as I said, ¡°After I gain that dossier.¡± Turning back towards the door, I said, ¡°Take the golems tonight. I will be servicing as a distraction. Don¡¯t disappoint me.¡±


    He clasped his hands together before saying, ¡°How will we know when to take the golems?¡±


    A wolfish grin covered my maw as I said, ¡°You and your team will know. Goodbye Galen.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Darkened One.¡±


    Though I disliked the Arcanum, I couldn¡¯t deny their usefulness. Their ability for immediate and effective action pleased me, and it opened up my own time for hatching my own plots.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    One of those plans involved disguising our identity. Our current appearance mirrored many of The Darkened One¡¯s traits. Surely someone exposed the details of our normal appearance to the palisade, so in order to dissuade them from connecting Saint Jericho and the Darkened One, we needed a thick, twisted mask.


    The phosphorescent plants would assist with this, but a shiny Darkened One wouldn¡¯t strike fear in the hearts of those viewing. No, we needed something sinister and eerie and ominous. A figure imposing and unnatural. A monster with ice for blood and black breath that destroyed light and fostered darkness.


    Fortunately, my skills suited the task. After reaching outside of the town, I tinkered with the chemicals of the luminous fauna. After several hours of failed attempts, I created a mist that radiated from my skin like the Aurora Borealis up north.


    This glow, shining like a liquid rainbow, would please the eyes of children. Not quite the sinister visage I intended, but it served as a useful foundation for further work. Jack and I had already absorbed a remnant of Gaia at that point, so I channeled that well of force, creating a dim, white glow from my skin.


    I combined the effect by producing a black, ink-like substance from my pores that evaporated into the air. After mixing the compounds with the glow of the phosphorescent, I created a solid, writhing smoke that moved like black fire. Gazing at my hands, I moved and the dense vapor followed. It was perfect.


    The white glow outlined the black bathing me in an onyx inferno, popping in the darkness. My plan would require more impact than just a man walking while on fire. I re-absorbed the ink before returning towards our hideout.


    Joan slept at the side of the cavern while Aether and Sophia spoke about different weather patterns. As I approached, Aether said to Sophia, ¡°The human method of determining the weather varies from ours. I did not expect it.¡±


    Sophia replied, ¡°How so?¡±


    With his monotonous yet rich voice, Aether replied, ¡°We would use the pressure of the wind and the moisture in the air for determining when it would be windy or rainy. My previous form could feel the pressure at my roots shifting, and I used that for reacting to the weather.¡±


    She blinked before saying, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I would let my leaves wilt while giving more water to my main body. It made the wood more pliable while making the wind easier on me.¡±


    ¡°Can you do this now?¡±


    ¡°No. This body feels nothing but an empty numbness. Nothing has caused even the slightest nick on whatever I¡¯m made of. It¡¯s a strange, hollow feeling.¡±


    Sophia placed a hand on his as she said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. I kind a feel that way too. My nerves react funny sometimes, and I get these really bad headaches. Sometimes I can¡¯t even move or think. It just all becomes pain.¡±


    She glanced down, her face glum and sullen as she said, ¡°I kinda envy you. There are times where I wish I couldn¡¯t feel.¡±


    Interrupting their talk, I knocked on the door before stepping through the makeshift doorway of plated gem as I said, ¡°Excuse my intrusion. I need your assistance, Aether.¡±


    He turned toward me while Sophia waved her arms as she said, ¡°I hate how dusty it is in here. It¡¯s always just, yenno, nasty.¡±


    A slight smile appeared on my lips as I said, ¡°Try cleaning in your free time. I heard it gets rid of dirt.¡±


    A single, short puff of laughter escaped her which released the tension of before. Sophia said, ¡°Bleh. Smartass.¡±


    With the sudden leeway in the conversation, Aether replied, ¡°What kind of help do you need?¡±


    I smirked as I said, ¡°I need you to make a little noise.¡±


    I covered him in the black resin, making him melt into moonless night. We walked out a few miles from the town before I said, ¡°I¡¯m planning on making an enormous spectacle of the first appearance of the Darkened One. I¡¯ll be walking in the distance of the town for about an hour. I¡¯ll need you to stomp every time one of my feet hits the ground.¡±


    Aether said, ¡°Will this not make the town panic?¡±


    ¡°That was my intention.¡±


    ¡°To frighten people?¡±


    ¡°To distract them.¡±


    Aether glanced down, his enormous hands and cyclopean frame casting the shadow of a behemoth. He thought for a moment before meeting my eyes with his own as he said, ¡°If that is all, then I will help you. I still do not agree with your plan of earlier, however.¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°You don¡¯t have to. I understand your aversion, but it doesn¡¯t change my decision.¡±


    He reached out a hand towards me as he said, ¡°If you understand my aversion,Then why did you do it? Why did you have to kill those priests?¡±


    I frowned before saying, ¡°Do you believe that the caster who imprisoned you thought he was evil? Would you have forgiven him for sealing you for the last thousand years?¡±


    I shook my head before saying, ¡°When I absorbed his soul, I felt the oppressive hatred he felt for the world. He believed himself stolen from. He believed himself cheated. Not one thought lingered for your fate. Tell me, was he evil?¡±


    Aether gripped his hand, radiating a deep, booming clap around us. The sound echoed through the cloudless, moonlit night before he said, ¡°I know he was evil. I know.¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°I do as well, yet he believed he was good. Tell me, do you believe those scientists would have done righteous and noble things with their knowledge?¡±


    Aether¡¯s shoulders slacked as he said, ¡°I believe I understand what you¡¯re saying now¡­Those scientist, they had already done evil with good intention. What was stopping them from doing it again?¡±


    I nodded before adding, ¡°They deserved death for deforming so many souls, let alone killing the aunt of Joan. Petra was a noble, strong fighter, yet they poisoned her mind and corrupted her body. Like a plague, those golems would have cursed this continent. They deserved worse than a betrayal by their god. They deserved excruciation for all eternity.¡±


    Aether met my eye before saying, ¡°You do not forgive easily, do you?¡±


    A cynical grin grew on me as I said, ¡°I could say the same for you, though you might be mistaking forgiveness for folly.¡±


    Aether glanced upwards before saying, ¡°I can see the clouds gathering overhead. There¡¯ll be a slow, dry storm over us soon. Are you sure about this?¡±


    I rolled my eyes before saying, ¡°Come now, it¡¯s only a little thunder. We¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Then go ahead with your¡­transformation.¡±


    ¡°Gladly.¡±


    And so, I melded into a nightmare. Bone smashed. Muscle shifted. Tendon snapped. Every part of my body expanded as I grew exponentially in size. Another set of arms jutted from my back along with another set of shoulder blades while I leaned onto all six limbs. My mouth filled with white, shining fangs. My skin grew pitch black as glowing runes of white traced across my arms, my sides, and my flailing tail.


    Scars, showing a shade lighter than the surrounding skin, streaked across my body. The black fog of before streamed from my back creating long, squirming streaks of umbra. Like a thousand souls writhing for their release, the aura twisted and turned as if alive. Two eyes, white as snow and empty as voids, appeared on the sides of my monstrous skull.


    From our hiding spot under the earth, I raised from underground with a slow, dramatic reveal. An eruption of blackfire pierced into the sky overhead as I rose onto my hind feet and unleashed a roar unmatched on this earth. A shockwave of sound exploded onto the city of Nern as every resident awoke from their slumber.


    At the peak of my roar, a strike of lightning pierced through the clouds circling overhead and struck directly onto my face. Arcs of electricity bounced off my frame and onto the encircling field, each bolt accentuating my otherworldly appearance.


    As powerful as I appeared, the thunder seared my flesh. The pain blinded me before I fell forward. Somehow, I caught myself on all six limbs just as Aether stomped the ground.


    Fissures lined the area around me as gargantuan slabs of earth wedged from the ground. The wind around us shot in every direction as my hidden ears popped at the change in pressure. After I reoriented myself, I paced towards a set point in the distance.


    Aether pronounced my steps as best he could, but we stood so far from the town that the delay of our footing would mask his mistiming. After twenty minutes of walking, we neared within three hundred feet of the town¡¯s wall. By then, Aether and I had synced our steps. Guards and townsfolk lined the walls in a horde, each member gawking at the bizarre, hellish sight.


    Grown men wept as I closed in while others prayed for salvation. Sweat poured from the faces of each and every guard, and many had laid down their arms, begging for forgiveness. They panicked, feared, and fled, but the one thing they did not do was fight.


    I was no mere monster attacking the town. I was an absolute, supreme power. Something so shattering and so devastating, that no thoughts of defiance could even begin. Like ants facing a flood, they awaited their judgment. They awaited their fate.


    At my nearest, I stood within ten feet of a man atop the short wall. He stood with his hands over his chest in his armor, paralyzed by utter terror. Tilting my head, I expressed a curiosity in him for several seconds.


    Every breath remained held in their chest as an eerie silence radiated through the entire town. After holding the moment in place for another few seconds, the man¡¯s heart ceased beating. He died as he held an amulet engraved with a metal carving of his family. Seeing the sight as pathetic, I deliberated at my options. The lightning of before still pulsed in my veins, so I gambled on an unlikely outcome.


    Theoretically, I could¡¯ve resuscitated a human with electricity, but I¡¯d never tried it nor needed to. This presented the perfect opportunity for testing my hypothesis, so I nudged him with my maw, unleashing a surge of electricity through his body. He squirmed for a moment before I lifted my face from his chest, and a miracle occurred. The man raised from his death, alive and well as he gazed at me once more.


    With my head outsizing his body, I moved away from him with a fluid, floating motion as those around him gasped. Lingering behind me, a shadow endured in my wake from the black haze. As if casting an endless, black fire, I journeyed far into the horizon until only a spec of me remained. Aether followed behind with that cloud hiding him.


    This debilitating journey required well over an hour of walking. Whenever I reached a suitable distance, I reverted back into my previous form. Standing hundreds of pounds lighter, I looked over towards Aether and said with a rasping and gritty voice,


    ¡°Alright. That should be enough.¡±


    Aether nodded before saying, ¡°I did not know you could do that.¡±


    I said, ¡°Neither did I, but it¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve impressed myself, with myself.¡± I grimaced at the thickness of my blood. My heart struggled beating the syrup running through my veins. I said, ¡°I¡¯ve lost much of my mass in carbon and water. Take me to a stream of some sort.¡±


    Still distracted, Aether turned towards the town before he said, ¡°It¡¯s incredible. To think you¡¯ve fooled them so thoroughly. If they ever figure out the truth, they¡¯ll feel like fools.¡±


    He lifted me onto his shoulder using a gentle, caring hold. After I settled, he asked, ¡°Are you comfortable?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m laying on a substance harder than steel while having concrete for blood. Of course not. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    With that, we left towards the nearest lake where I feasted on fish and water. Though I sunk towards the bottom the moment I entered the water, I could leap and grasp fish with spike like teeth as I grew gills. The process took hours, and as I did so, I pondered in the lake.


    During my performance, I stretched my flesh so that my torso caved in on my back. The majority of my size came from the dark mist I radiated. The glow around the squirming black highlighted an imaginary silhouette as though I were a leviathan crossing the plain. My appearance couldn¡¯t have contrasted my actual strength any more, however.


    The muscular limbs supported a gangly, deformed center that stretched wider than could be sustained. My thin bones and deteriorating physique siphoned visible sheets of power, and I mean that quite literally. The display had left me degenerated and drained. Using this trick was risky. I would use it sparingly in the future.


    And so, to fill the void of hunger, I let all my carnal urges unleash. Most of them at least. After having harvested the resources of the lake, Aether and I traversed back towards our hideout. Waiting on the morning, I tinkered with the hues of the glow along with altering the pigments of my skin. The lead lining my epidermis made the process arduous, but almost every modification proved difficult, at least at first.


    Jack awakened the next morning before checking with the Arcanum and townsfolk about the darkened one. The near celestial care the people took in him surprised us. He had evolved from a horrifying unknown into a supernatural monster. If anything, they treated the Darkened One as a god on par with Gaia.


    Jack chided me for going overboard with my distraction. Just as I told him, I¡¯ll tell you as well. Whenever I perform, I succeed. In this instance, exceeding a reasonable level of distraction only benefitted us. There¡¯s no way citizens would catch the Arcanum taking the golems from the church if every member of town gazed at the living embodiment of doom. Besides, subtlety was and still is, a weak point of mine.


    I am not a scared mouse hiding in shadows. I cast the shadows that mice and men hide within.


    Regardless, Jack prepared for his date before he spent the day with Joan. I¡¯m sure it was lovely. Afterwards, I-


    <hr>


    Wait a second Deluge, you¡¯re skipping the best part of our stay at Nern. Several decisive points in our story concluded during that day.


    <hr>


    Fine. Recite your mundane outing.

 18 A Lovely Evening

    18A Lovely Evening


    <hr>


    Drake Donovan, Knight of Nern - What¡¯s success without someone to share it with?


    <hr>


    Though not quite as eye catching as mythological monster, our outing impacted more than just that evening. Part of my preparations involved visiting Drake for tips during my date. He proved helpful and hurtful in more ways than one.


    He gave me a cologne and gel for my hair, and he advised slicking it all back since my hairline suited the style. These tips proved more than fruitful. With his mind ever curious, Deluge drank the cologne and swallowed the gel.


    He produced a different version on his own, and after testing the scent using the opinions of the other maids, we discovered the most fulfilling fragrance. It mixed the scents of cedar, leather, and coffee. Deluge and I discussed a few of the other uses that scents may help with during this time.


    The scent crafted a charming aura when compared with most men due almost entirely to smell. I had never realized just how enticing an aroma could be, yet the effect was tangible. The maids stood closer and enjoyed my company far more than before. The trademark scent persisted long after I left, and with a few modifications, Deluge enhanced the tangible effect even further.


    The gel he used differed from the other gel entirely. No thick, gunky sheen left after he finished his application. Only a firm hold of my hair in place, presenting a seamless hairstyle. It wasn¡¯t like my hair was styled. It was as if it grew that way. In the end, the hairstyle was a suave satire of myself.


    Like your first time wearing a dress or suit, it required several hours before I adjusted myself. Still, it suited Saint Jericho far more than the rough, rugged appearance of before. Carefully crafting a hero¡¯s image required a dedication I never imagined. Whenever anyone recognized me, they frowned in disappointment in how I kept myself. I believe this stemmed from their unrealistic expectations.


    A gray, raven haired, seven foot man, clad in black hydra skin, with streaks of red on his arms and torso, well¡­ It honestly seemed sinister. Even volatile in the right lighting. Having at least my hair clean and crisp would wane this disappointment by a bit. Hopefully.


    These thoughts shifted as nervousness took over. I waited for Joan at our meeting spot on a bridge in town. I leaned on a wall overlooking the edge of a canal as the midday sun gleamed on the river¡¯s reflective surface. The heat of the ground created plumes of arid air that blurred any vision through them. The occasional cloud offered welcome relief, but it didn¡¯t stop the heat entirely. The wind still blew warm and wet air.


    Low houses laid even with the height of the bridge, giving me a good view of the city. The cobblestone pressed against my feet, firm and sturdy, while the breeze bathed the area in the scent of warmed wood. With carriages and people passing me every second, the place served its purpose as a landmark well.


    Relaxing there, I expected the same Joan as always. As I saw her silhouette, she smashed those expectations to pieces. She wore the same clothes and walked the same steps, but something shifted in her smile. She no longer glowed like light. She shined like the sun.


    Perhaps the cheeky grin and brassy swagger gave her that compelling charm. Perhaps the sway of her hips or her clear, lavender eyes. Regardless, she almost blinded me as she approached, her steps bouncing, her hair smooth, her smile infectious. Joan¡¯s enthusiasm infected me, so I shouted,


    ¡°You seem cheerful.¡±


    ¡°Only when I¡¯m with you.¡±


    Starting with a tackle, she hugged me as we embraced one another. After a moment, she said, ¡°I¡¯m just glad we get to enjoy a day with each other. You¡¯re always so busy. It¡¯s nice to relax once in awhile.¡±


    An impish grin grew on my lips as I said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. You have a penchant for trouble.¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t want my darling Jericho empty handed would I? Fortunately for you, I¡¯m always a handful, so you never have to worry about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright then miss handful, what about a friendly competition to start the evening?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I could use a boost in confidence. What did you choose to lose at?¡±


    With a light laugh before saying, ¡°How about archery?¡±


    She leaned onto my chest as I wrapped my arm around her waist while she said, ¡°You lead the way oh mighty saint.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before we walked through Nern with many glances peering our way. I must admit, we struck an odd scene all on our own. With Joan¡¯s hood lowered, her white hair gained the attention of everyone along with the gray giant she walked with. Though not the epitome of standard beauty, Joan¡¯s energy and charisma accented her sharp features. My own dark, dangerous appearance conflicted with her sheer vitality. It created a pleasing contrast, at least in my eyes.


    So we walked through the wide streets for a minute before Joan said, ¡°You smell different. What is it?¡±


    ¡°Something especially for this date. Do you like it?¡±


    ¡°I love it. It¡¯s sexy.¡±


    Our steps synced as I said, ¡°Perfect. Now I no longer smell like Deluge¡¯s last meal all the time.¡±


    ¡°You always smelled like a forest before, or maybe dirt? I don¡¯t know. It wasn¡¯t as good as this, but it wasn¡¯t bad either.¡±


    With my eyes focused in the distance, I said, ¡°That was something I always liked about you. You always smell like lavender and rosemary. Anytime the scent strikes me, an image of you pops into my mind. I figured I should return the favor.¡±


    She nuzzled closer as she said, ¡°I appreciate the gesture. I never told you, but sometimes you smelled like really, really strong moonshine. It was crazy. It made me think you were an alcoholic the first few times we met.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°When we first met, you smelled like salt and sweat, though I didn¡¯t mind it. It had this genuine sort of feel. That¡¯s the impression you gave, like you weren¡¯t there for anyone.¡±


    Joan glanced up towards me as she said, ¡°You were nothing like that. I got the impression you were some skinny bastard who thought he was something special. It turned out you were, in more ways than one, but I didn¡¯t like you at all.¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°It was hard to miss. Neither did Petra.¡±


    ¡°She never liked anybody, but everyone seemed to like her for some reason. I guess it boils down to that sincerity thing you were talking about earlier. You knew she wasn¡¯t lying or trying to get something from you.¡±


    I met her eyes as I said, ¡°The second time we met you seemed quite the opposite¡­You were fragile and sad. I remember the song you played on the piano even now. It sounded like a child begging for her parent¡¯s smile.¡±


    ¡°That really isn¡¯t that far from the truth.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°Really now? How so?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­I mean¡­Petra wasn¡¯t the err, nicest guardian ever. She was super strict, and she never complimented me. Not one time during the years we spent training together.¡±


    I glanced down the street as I said, ¡°That¡¯s strange. Even Deluge has complimented me, though not very often.¡±


    She glanced down as she said, ¡°It sucked, because after you beat me it just made her approval seem that much farther away. I would have hated you, if you weren¡¯t so likeable.¡±


    After glancing at her for a minute, she stared up at me. As our eyes met, I placed a hand on my chin as I said, ¡°I understand Joan. I have that effect on people.¡± I shook my head back and forth with closed eyes as I said, ¡°It¡¯s a curse really.¡±


    She punched my side before giggling as she wore a teasing grin. She said, ¡°Yeah, sure thing, oh mighty and powerful saint Jericho.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d label me a saint after that much, though the irony brings a grin to my face each time I think of it.¡±


    She poked my side as she said, ¡°You feel so weird now. Most people are all mushy. You always feel hard and muscled.¡±


    I move my fingers on her side with a wave-like motion as I say, ¡°And you feel soft and seductive.¡±


    She brushed her hair out to her side, gesturing with a dramatic flair as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I understand your feelings. I have that effect on people. I¡¯m cursed and all that.¡±


    We laughed as we reached a walled off area with several ringed targets, each loop etched with different numbers. Unlike most targets, the outer ring held the most points instead of the center. It made sense. If you miss the outer ring, you miss the board, giving no points. If you miss the center, you had a lot of leeway by comparison.


    We¡¯d walked towards the outskirts of the town, and this man ran a business of setting targets for guard training. He rented the bows and arrows while keeping the area maintained. With this unique idea, he made a pretty penny. After talking with him for a few minutes, he gave us the rental for free. Being a saint had its benefits after all.


    After getting a bow along with a thirty or so arrows, I flip a gold baston to decide who goes first. Joan won, so she took her bow and drawed it as she said, ¡°Are you ready for utter destruction, oh Darkened One.¡±


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°I¡¯ve never used a bow, so yeah.¡±


    She lowered the bow before saying, ¡°Come on. Beating someone who¡¯s so resigned already, it has no meaning.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course. I meant that losing this competition would ruin my entire life. Oh how I would despise facing loss. Please, anything but that.¡±


    She rolled her eyes before she said, ¡°You¡¯re acting sucks, but I suppose that¡¯ll do.¡±


    She drew back her bow once more before letting the arrow fly loose. Like a trained marksman, it landed dead center before she turned and grinned. She said, ¡°Yeah, I know. Hold your praises.¡±


    I let my shoulders droop before I said with an exasperated frown, ¡°You¡¯re rather talented for a beginner.¡±


    ¡°Well, you know how it is.¡±


    ¡°Not really. Please enlighten me.¡±


    ¡°Petra and I trained with bows often. She said it helped with aiming tricky gemchains.¡±


    I pursed my lips as I said, ¡°Well, go ahead and let¡¯s see if you can keep it up then.¡±


    After splitting the arrow three times then making a ring on the outer edge with the remaining six arrows, she smirked at me while handing over the arrows. I said, ¡°Alright then. Prepare for the comeback.¡±


    She rolled her eyes before I tested the string of the arrow.A problem immediately arose. You see, I had controlled my strength by using two different modes, one soft, one savage. All or none. I didn¡¯t use my strength in other doses. Deluge¡¯s modifications occurred so often that keeping a precise and specific handling of that force had been impossible.


    So I figured I¡¯d only need two ways of using it. One for fighting and one for everything else. The string moved without my feeling the tension in it either, so I couldn¡¯t measure how far the arrow would lob. The task at hand seemed impossible.


    After a minute, Joan nudged my side as she said, ¡°Is the big old scary Darkened One struggling with a little ol bow?¡±


    A slight, reddish tint colored my skin as I said, ¡°Maybe.¡±


    She grabbed my shoulders and pulled me down as she said, ¡°Alright, let me show you the ropes.¡±


    I lunged onto one knee before she nestled between my arms and said, ¡°So first off, you¡¯re gonna have to adjust yourself to this tiny little bow. You have long arms and you¡¯re tall, so you¡¯ll only be pulling back slightly rather than the full pulls I was doing earlier.¡±


    As she spoke, the contact between our bodies distracted me more than I¡¯d enjoy admitting. Joan¡¯s athletic, lean figure enticed me, and despite her excellent explanation, I couldn¡¯t listen wholeheartedly.


    She finished her words with, ¡°And make sure you follow through with your shot. Otherwise it¡¯ll veer off randomly.¡±


    I nodded before she gave me some room and said, ¡°Then let her rip.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    I pulled back for less than a second before the string snapped in my fingers. Slinging in the air, the twine string shot towards Joan¡¯s face before my body reacted on its own. My hand bolted outwards and caught the cord just shy of Joan¡¯s eye. Frozen in place, Joan and I stood still before a wind interrupted the sincere silence.


    Joan busted into a bout of laughter before saying, ¡°This isn¡¯t even fair. You can barely control yourself.¡±


    I sighed as I looked up at the sky and said, ¡°It¡¯s almost sad.¡±


    The gritty, honest misery of my words moved her, so she said, ¡°Are you alright Jack?¡±


    I glanced at her as I said, ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    She propped onto one hip as she said, ¡°You¡¯re obviously not. Just tell me what¡¯s on your mind.¡±


    I blinked before biting my lip and saying, ¡°I mean, I don¡¯t really know myself. It¡¯s just a sort of melancholy.¡±


    She sat down and crossed her legs before she said, ¡°Well, now¡¯s as good a time as any to figure out what¡¯s wrong. I don¡¯t want you brooding for the rest of our date after all.¡±


    A small smile appeared on my lips before the fading expression disappeared. After a moment, I fell from my lunge into cross legged position of my own. A dull, dimmed thud echoed from my sitting, accentuating the danger of just being around her. We sat there as she sat waiting with a patient resolve.


    After a minute of waiting, I said, ¡°I just¡­it feels like you¡¯d have lived so much more if you¡¯d never met me.¡±


    A suppressed but visible annoyance popped onto her face as she said, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°How to explain¡­Imagine this.¡±


    I opened my hands wide as I said, ¡°You¡¯d have never met me, and were still at Mareovosa. Petra would teach you every day as you prepared for your future as a royal guard. You¡¯d be an object of envy for many a man, and Sophia would be researching with Alistair. You¡¯d both be able to see your families. You¡¯d both be happy.¡±


    I lowered my arms as I stared at a patch of exposed ground, ¡°Yet instead you met Jack Donovan. The Darkened One and saint Jericho wrapped all in one. Petra died because of me. You¡¯ll never see your family again. Sophia lost Alistair, her only real family. Both of you camp without a roof over your heads, exposed to the elements and discomforts that come with nature.¡±


    My voice and eyes hollowed as I continued, ¡°You¡¯re lover is a cannibal. A murderer who brings carnage wherever he goes. I¡¯m a monster living under human skin. I try to live like a human, but I just fall back into the abyss. I¡¯ve stared into it, and it stares straight into me.¡±


    Joan snapped, ¡°You are no monster.¡± She placed a hand on her chest as she said, ¡°Do you know how many times you saved my life? Eh?¡±


    I glanced at her as I said, my voice monotone and meager, ¡°Like how I just saved you from losing one of your eyes?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°My lack of control almost caused that, and if I had reached but a few more inches towards your face, your brain would be scattered across the dirt.¡±


    Joan bit her lip before she said, ¡°That¡¯s just not fair. Petra almost killed me countless times. It¡¯s a part of life.¡±


    I sighed before I said, ¡°It¡¯s a life I¡¯ve taken from you¡­¡±


    She rolled her eyes before she said, ¡°Look, you know what I was doing before I met you? I trained from dawn till dusk so that I could become a good little girl. The Huxley family saw my talent, and that talent became something I wish I never had. I never got to do anything besides eat sleep and train. Me and Sophia met because she was tasked with organizing the gems before Petra and I used them.¡±


    She snapped her words like a fiery whip, ¡°I was so, so tired of everything. I spent the few pieces of free time I had playing on the piano. I had nothing else, and guess what? No one listened. I was all alone. Until I met you.¡±


    She stood and walked over before pressing her lips against mine. The soft sensation eased my melancholy before she said as she pressed her forehead against me, ¡°You got me away from all that. Now I¡¯m traveling the world with all my friends. I¡¯m doing something exciting and new and fun. It¡¯s the exact opposite of the boring stuff I did before.


    She cupped my hands with her cheeks as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re half alien, you¡¯re the coolest, wittiest guy I know. Petra had gone insane after we left you. I was gonna die, but you came in on a white horse and carried me to safety.¡±


    A short laugh escaped me before I said, ¡°I remember it differently. I remember rage.¡±


    She let¡¯s go of me before saying, ¡°Whatever. My memories kinda hazy too, but you saved me. You can¡¯t deny that.¡±


    Despite my misgivings, I couldn¡¯t help but smile. Joan¡¯s delight engulfed my gloom. I found myself leaning towards her before I realized, so I kissed her before standing up and saying, ¡°You''re right. I¡¯ve no time for self-loathing. There¡¯s a captivating enchantress sitting beside me, and she¡¯s not one for waiting.¡±


    She grabbed my hand before I lifted her into the air by both of my hands on her hips. Ready and waiting, she struck the pose of a bird gliding in the air before I pulled her against me, both of us giggling at each other.


    After setting her down, we walked back towards the owner. A pleasant chatter formed between us as we walked. With the harsh gloom of before ending, the following elation thundered in our ears and saturated our spirits. Even as we handed over two gold pieces for the bow, no discomfort nor dissatisfaction rumbled in my mind. Joan wouldn¡¯t allow it.


    With the archery fiasco over with, we traveled towards the southern district of the town. The nobles settled here along with the upper class merchants. It created a dense collection of luxury shop and stores. Drake recommended it, saying, ¡®It¡¯s Perfect for a date for a young lady.¡¯


    After a few minutes of admiring the scenery, we reached a white shop on the edge of a hill. The well-kept cobblestone bordered the outskirts of the three story building. It was once a city loving noble¡¯s house. Now it sold delicious sweets.


    Pointed spires stood atop multiple sharp rooftops covered in shale. As we walked up the stone steps, we gripped onto the ornate, metallic rails. Two low lit gems hung on the entrance, bathing us in a warm, welcoming glow. of orange and yellow. lit the entry, setting the entrance into a soothing scene. At the front stood a man clad in white with his auburn hair and his austere, intense posture set himself as the guard and greeter.


    As we walked up, he said after a curt bow, ¡°Hello there sir and madam. Would you care to give your names?¡±


    I nodded, my arm intertwined with Joan¡¯s as I said, ¡°I¡¯m Jericho and this is Joan. I reserved a seat on the back balcony several days ago.¡±


    At the man¡¯s side, a stack of rough, fibrous paper sat with every inch of space covered in scribblings of ink. The man deciphered through these rough runes before he said, ¡°Ah, so saint Jericho will be here with this lovely lady this evening then?¡±


    I nodded before Joan nudged my side and said, ¡°Wow, you here that. I¡¯m a lovely lady now.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before I returned the man¡¯s smile as I said, ¡°Precisely.¡±


    The man¡¯s posture altered as my and Joan¡¯s appearances contradicted our attitudes. He expected Joan to keep me from tearing everything apart. Instead, I held her enthusiasm at bay.


    The butler¡¯s most minute of twitches in his lip gave away his displeasure. Like a true veteran, he proceeded with a practice and precision as he said, ¡°Right this way then.¡±


    After escorting us through the restaurant covered in pillars, and props, we reached the back side of the restaurant. Four sets of stone chairs and stone tables. We sat there as a golem at the back of the restaurant smashed bundles of wheat with its flat fists. A kitchen chef grabbed the powder, tossing it in a bucket before pouring a little oil, pepper, salt, and yeast into the mixture.


    He slid the bucket across a table before another chef down the line caught it. With a swift, hurried sleight of hand, the worker broke apart the mush into shaped balls onto a pan. Right as the worker before him had finished setting up his station with ingredients, he slid the bucket back. He put the pan in the stove, tossed a piece of wood below it, then turned back to his table, catching the bucket as he did so.


    Like clockwork, they moved like this as I found myself staring. Joan, no less impressed, stared along with me. The sheer conscious control the golem smashed with caught my attention.


    Joan snapped, ¡°Hello. Are you listening?¡±


    I shook my head before saying, ¡°Ah, sorry. I lost myself in my thoughts. What were you saying?¡±


    ¡°I was asking you if you liked pie. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d get so philosophical about it.¡±


    I lifted a pewter fork towards her as I said,¡°There¡¯s just so much more lying under the crust then just delicious fruit or meat.¡±


    She rolled her eyes before she said, ¡°Oh, really? Mind explaining?¡±


    I squint towards the horizon, my eyes laughing as I said, ¡°I would, but that doesn¡¯t sound very fulfilling¡­¡±


    She cringed backward at the pun. Brandishing the utensil like a sword, Joan held a fork as she said, ¡°A pun of such crippling badness, it deserves an execution.¡±


    I flipped my fork in my hand before falling into a swordman¡¯s stance as I said, ¡°You¡¯ll never live to see the day of my death, Joan the butcher.¡±


    After a minute or two of crossing our short, four pronged blades, we set our silverware down, each of us feigning fatigue. My voice jittered like rattling teeth as I said, ¡°You¡­you¡¯ve bested me.¡±


    She lifted her fork overhead as she said, ¡°And this is how you die, darkened one.¡±


    She pressed the fork against my chest before feign my death.. Having watched the whole thing, the butler strode up with his shoes sliding on the steps and stone. Joan and I chuckled at each other before he set out two glasses of wine in front of us. After having our fill of giggling, the man said, his tone sharp as a razor,


    ¡°I mean no disrespect to either of you, but an important guest may sit beside you both here soon. If you could quiet down some I would appreciate it tremendously.¡±


    Joan rolled her eyes before pointing the fork at him and saying, ¡°You wanna be next?¡±


    I reached out my hand on mock desperation, ¡°This foolish death of mine, it¡¯s pitiful and painful, even in memory. Don¡¯t make the same mistakes I did. Run while you still can.¡±


    Joan squinted her eyes with mocking menace before poking the air with the fork as she said, ¡°Be ready for your doom. Death by sword fork.¡±


    As the butler purpled in frustration, Joan and I giggled at his ridiculous severity. His uptight attitude only made mocking him more fun. Instead of accepting our jovial jests, he stomped his feet as he strode off, acting like a spoiled child. It annoyed me, but I tolerated it for the sake of our evening. A different butler came and apologized for his rudeness, and he brought an extra dish as a favor. I devoured the delicacy as Joan spoke about her past with Petra.


    Unlike most in mourning, Joan spoke of Petra with a surprising ease. She¡¯d handled her torture at the hands of the palisade in much the same way. Her capacity for overcoming any misfortune astonished me. Perhaps she expressed her grief differently than others. She stood tall while carrying that back breaking hardship across her shoulders. I hoped to do the same.


    Yet those thoughts occurred long after that evening. Instead of contemplating Joan¡¯s endurance, she and I danced after our dinner, moving with our own relentless intensity. I¡¯d prepared the evening by gaining an invitation towards an after party. Few nobles in the city wouldn¡¯t enjoy boasting about a guest like Jericho, so finding a suitor proved simple.


    We¡¯d paced into the house of the noble named Bodwell Casby. His mansion embraced the fashion of sweeping banners and tall, open rooms. The gold and white coloration covered his floors, and simple yet elegant murals hid the stone of the wall behind their beauty.


    Whenever the orchestra started, Joan and I engulfed the room. Our figures intertwined with energy unyielding. Like acting acrobats, we moved with each other while weaving our every step in a flood of movement. Both electric and enlivened, we shifted silhouettes as angles of light danced across us.


    The others gave us enough room for our task, and many even asked if we were dancers brought in for entertainment. I couldn¡¯t blame them. With Joan¡¯s vitality and my vigor, we shifted until sheens of sweat dripped from us. Both she and I delighted in exercise. We savoured the distraction. It let us leave our lives for a moment. No future. No past. Simply the present.


    After traveling and undertaking for many months, we found something easy to focus on. We found something fun.


    As with all lovely and likeable times, the party ended faster than I would have liked. After what felt like minutes, Bodwell walked up with his jolly gray mane bouncing as he said, ¡°It was spectacular you two, but the moon¡¯s overhead. We need to be off to bed.¡±


    As I glanced around, servants strode past us as they picked up and put away the silverware and tables of the party. Lit lamps choked as they snuffed them out one by one. Like a channel of rainwater pouring into a river, the bash had ended, draining away at the mercy of time.


    Still, we¡¯d enjoyed ourselves. Joan and I excused ourselves after a few quick and cordial goodbyes. With that, we paced back towards our encampment after drinking our fill of leftover wine.


    Deluge processed the liquid almost instantly as it touched my lips. On the other hand, Joan had already gained a rosy tint in her cheeks, and her sultry tone inflamed my longing.


    Her intoxication expanded as the night continued, as if the alcohol rested in her belly before diluting her blood. Giggling without meaning, we paced through the moonlit town with torches beckoning our path like beacons. Out of focus in the distance, the fuzzy lights turned the town into an ocean of orange.


    I found myself supporting her while my actions became looser and lither. Infectious as a yawn, her stupor dripped into me. We walked that way for many minutes until Joan interrupted our wordless uproar,


    ¡°Yenno why I was at Mareovosa?¡±


    I blinked before saying, ¡°Not really.¡±


    She mushed her face against my chest as she said, her voice muffled, ¡°I wasn¡¯t scouted or anything¡­I was actually running away.¡±


    As I held her up by her waist with my right arm, Joan¡¯s upper body fumbled around without any support, so I grabbed her left arm with my other hand and draped the limb around me. After she steadied, I said, ¡°What were you running from?¡±


    Due to her rambling before, I hadn¡¯t paid as much attention as I should. My reply came out coarse leather, ¡°Myself.¡±


    She replied, ¡°One of those princes wanted me¡­He liked how white I was¡­I told him to fuck himself¡­heh.¡±


    At this point, the hazy veil fell from my face. She smooshed her face further against me as she said, ¡°I want to tell you something right now¡­I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    I leaned my chin against the top of her head as she continued, ¡°The reason I left¡­It was because we had some sort ahhhhh¡­meeting I guess? Like, for us to meet and stuff.¡±


    I silently listened.


    ¡°Yenno¡­It wasn¡¯t so bad. I didn¡¯t mind him much¡­I mean, I guess it wasn¡¯t so bad¡­I think¡­Well, anyway, it went all downhill after a while.¡±


    The creeping, crawling edge of heartache in her voice, it tore at my chest like a serrated knife sawing through my ribs. The unfamiliar feeling of raw regret knotted in my throat and in my gut. She continued,


    ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t really wanna tell you and stuff¡­I knew it would hurt you to hear¡­I mean , it hurts me just to say, so of course¡­it would hurt you¡­but I just¡­I think it¡¯ll help you with your¡­guilt.¡±


    Tears welled in her eyes. She said, ¡°They uhhh¡­I was raped.¡±


    Like a lead hammer slamming into my sternum, a lungful of air left my chest. She continued, ¡°It hurt¡­It was so bad¡­It was the worst.¡±


    A part of me wanted to know the man¡¯s name so I could tear off his genitals and feed them to him. I quelled that frantic fury before I stopped. Hugging her against me, I said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Tears fell from her cheeks, but she controlled her outburst. It was like her sadness had filled her entire soul before spilling out her eyes. It escaped her, even though she repressed the tears with a deep, devastating will.


    The steady steam evolved into an outpour as she said, ¡°It¡­uh¡­My parents¡­I told them¡­they...they tried to force a marriage¡­They told me that they were trying to-¡°


    Her voice broke before she lifted her face and blinked a pool of tears from her eyes. She continued, her voice raspy and rough, ¡°To get something out of it¡­I just left¡­I told Petra bout it¡­about how I felt tainted and dirty and ugly¡­She understood¡­She helped me while I was here¡­I wanted her to teach me how to be strong¡­¡±


    I frowned as I held her. Her pain was my pain, her sorrow my own. I found no words that would help her, so I held her close. It was all I could do. We sat there for a time. How long? I don¡¯t really know. I pulled her out of the hug and said,


    ¡°I have someone you should meet.¡±


    She wiped her mouth and said, ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°An old friend.¡±


    We walked out of town, my arm around her waist. We reached an old shanty shack at the outskirts of town. The decrepit doorway held on by the rusted hinges while the stairs supported their decayed frame by some unknown force. Missing tiles and planks on the roof and walls complemented the decayed and worm ridden wood, but I enjoyed the sight.


    Instead of a broken home, I saw a sort of cycle, a new beginning. Grass grew from within and around the home while insects ate the lifeless wood for nourishment. Rats scurried from the floor as we approached and Joan questioned,


    ¡°Um, where are they?¡±


    "Right here."

 19 Sowing Seeds

    19 Sowing Seeds


    <hr>


    Marietta Stone -The Wyverns of old are our history. The wyverns of now are our present. By the charred corpse of my mother, there will be no wyverns ruling over us in the future.


    <hr>


    Joan questioned my sly smile, but after breaking through a dozen planks of wood, we opened the doorway towards an empty room. After a moment passed, a sound like a steel shield being ripped apart sounded through the entire building.


    Moonlight soaked in through holes and through the windows, casting every ounce of the dilapidated furniture in shades of shadow. These patches of darkness flew through the air like living pieces of black before molding into a blob at the center of the room.


    A shifty silhouette formed before a man with gray beard and small scars lining his face walked from shade. The patch of onyx stuck against him as he walked forward, so he pushed through the raven blotch, stretching the sheet as he did so.


    Cracks formed in the darkness before a plank of wood snapped under his foot. My reflexes propelled me forward as I caught him before he fell on the ground. Gripping the darkness, I tore it from him before he gasped for breath while glancing around the room.


    Galen¡¯s eyes met mine before they widened with horror as he said, ¡°Where is she?¡±


    Of course, my feet stabbed through the wood as well, so I pulled him up and placed him beside Joan. The umbral blanket between them kept their reunion at bay, so I removed a glowing chunk of alexandrite from my pocket, exposing them both.


    In disbelief, they gazed at one another. The surreal scene created a flash of rejection for them both. I¡¯d kept this meeting a secret from Joan. I desired a poignant and palpable impact. So far, my plan did not disappoint.


    Regardless, after they absorbed the sight of one another, Galen pulled Joan against him as he said, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it. You¡¯re alive. You¡¯re alive.¡±


    His voice cracked as he said so, but Joan hugged him back as she said, ¡°Of course I am Bubba.¡±


    His mane of gray laid across his shoulders while his full beard crinkled as he said, ¡°Are you alright? What has he done to you?¡±


    She beamed with a teasing smile before she said, ¡°Well, a lot of things. Mostly good I¡¯d say.¡±


    He blinked twice before pointing towards me and saying, ¡°That monster? That inhuman savage?¡±


    She rolled her eyes before laughing as she said, ¡°Come on Bubba. He isn¡¯t that bad.¡±


    He refused the reality in front of him before turning towards me, brandishing his leather cape as he said, ¡°Have you broke her mind till she could no longer determine who or what anything is?¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°You¡¯re due an explanation. We can walk outside and discuss a few details.¡±


    With a stubborn reluctance that carried through their bloodline, Galen relented and followed me outside as the sound of moldy wood crumbling echoed in the room.


    Having destroyed the deserted shack, we paced out behind the building before Galen said,


    ¡°How did you escape the Palisade¡¯s purge?¡±


    Joan shook her head as she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± She poked me as she said, ¡°He did.¡±


    He glanced towards me before I gave my most galvanizing grin. More surprised than pleased, Galen said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand¡­You¡¯re like a different person.¡±


    I balanced my hands before I said, ¡°Eh, I sort of am. You see, I share my body with another soul. He¡¯s a rather¡­uhh¡­draconian individual with his own values and virtues. I¡¯m the more normal of us two.¡±


    He squinted his eyes as he said, ¡°There is nothing normal about either of you.¡±


    I slicked back my hair as I said, ¡°I know, I know, I¡¯m not ordinary¡­I¡¯m extraordinary.¡±


    Joan laughed before he turned towards her and said, ¡°Is it really that funny Joan? Have you seen what he can do? He¡¯s the Darkened One. If you don¡¯t get away from him, he¡¯ll corrupt you just as he corrupted all of Mareovosa.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before I said, ¡°Tell me, are you corrupted?¡±


    He frowned as he said, ¡°I am strong of spirit.¡±


    I glanced down as I pinched the bridge of my nose before I laid a hand on his shoulder and said, ¡°So were many of the professors and students of Mareovosa. Do you think so highly of yourself?¡±


    He glanced at his hands before he said, ¡°Am I now tainted?¡±


    I patted the edge of his shoulder before standing back up as I said, ¡°No, you¡¯re not. I¡¯ve never tainted anyone.¡±


    He lowered his hands before saying, ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Jack Donovan and something else named Deluge. I¡¯m on a journey to destroy the remnants of Gaia, and end the degradation she causes on this world.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow before saying, ¡°Jack Donovan? You¡¯re their missing son?¡±


    I frowned before I said, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The Donovan¡¯s had an heir who abandoned his inheritance for some unknown reason. They¡¯ve been searching for his son for a long time now since he¡¯ll be a part of their royal selection.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Joan and I puffed out skeptical laughs before I said, ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll be Jericho, the saint, the Darkened One, and the king all at once.¡±


    A light laugh escaped his lips, almost unconsciously before he said, ¡°You¡¯re Jericho as well?¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders as I said, ¡°I¡¯m a man of many faces and even more masks.¡±


    He nodded before taking a step back towards Joan and saying, ¡°Well, enjoy fooling the world with your guises. Joan and I hope it all works out for you.¡±


    He grabbed Joan¡¯s hand before Joan jerked it from him as she said, ¡°I¡¯m not leaving Jack.¡±


    Galen turned towards her as he said, ¡°What? You want to be his prisoner?¡±


    She shook her head before saying, ¡°Uhh, well¡­It¡¯s more like I¡¯m his lover.¡±


    Galen¡¯s knees toppled like broken matches before he turned his head, the slow, strained movement requiring every part of his perseverance. His eyes met Joan¡¯s before he said,


    ¡°Has he violated you as well? I can¡¯t believe it. First an heir of the king now some huge monster. It must have hur-¡±


    Through the tan of her skin, Joan¡¯s face colored crimson before she snapped, ¡°No, no he did not. That¡¯s so damn embarrassing Bubba. What the hell is wrong with you!¡±


    My shoulders shook as my torso bounced as I snickered at them both. They glared in unison, like angry wolves with blood dripping in their drool. The sight sent a hill down my spine, yet it warmed my heart as well.


    Relishing the scene, I lunged onto one knee before placing a hand on Galen¡¯s shoulder as I said, ¡°I¡¯m just glad you both love one another. I was worried you¡¯d be on bad terms after what you said earlier. I¡¯m glad my worries are left unanswered.¡±


    He glanced towards Joan as he said, ¡°I was the one who helped her get to Petra at the university. I knew there¡¯s was no chance she¡¯d marry that bastard. Not if I had any say in it.¡±


    Even as he said that, a deep discomfort coursed through him. The same madness of Petra surged in his mind. His hands writhed with agitation and ire at my touch. His eyes never settled still on mine; his glance darted around my face instead.


    With this in mind, I released him before I said, ¡°I feel like an intruder standing between you two. I¡¯ll leave you at your leisure.¡±


    Joan reached out as she said, ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to-¡°


    Galen set his hand on hers before saying, ¡°I think it¡¯s for the best if he left. I¡¯m still¡­uncomfortable around him.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°I can relate. Deluge disturbed me as well whenever we first met. Enjoy your talk.¡±


    Joan let her arm flop on her side before she said, ¡°Alright, I guess. I¡¯ll come back later tonight.¡±


    With those parting words, I left them alone, my chest swelling with pride. I¡¯d reunited her with one of her family members, though their relationship would warp due to Joan¡¯s circumstances. Still, this outcome proved better than her having nothing left from her old life.


    That judgment of mine, it was a form of self-deception, a beautiful lie I believed in, but I learned that long before I skinned Galen alive.


    Prosperity


    Deluge and Sophia made many breakthroughs using information derived from the golems. Her self-taught soul forging filled in the gaps between Deluge¡¯s vast and intrinsic knowledge of how souls operated.


    They¡¯d figured out processes for soul forging that eased the stress on the soul with the Donovan¡¯s diagrams. It presented an interesting proposition ¨C longer lasting, more easily crafted golems. Deluge, would you mind explaining?


    Your own descriptions would lack any semblance of detail, so I must. Soul forging operated on the grounds of two key principles: taming and resonance. In soul forging, taming meant destroying the destructive impulses of whatever soul you were using. On the other hand, resonance dictated how strong the bond would be between the soul and the stone body of the golem.


    The Donovan¡¯s rune scheme opened up another world of tinkering for Sophia and I. We altered the rune structure into a discordant, wild structure, creating a natural pathway for the soul to follow. It proved fruitful in more ways than one.


    It inhibited aggression since the weaving pathways required a calmer mind for maneuvering through them. It amplified the resonance of the soul since it could hold all of the soul¡¯s power. However, the most important detail remained the increase in longevity.


    The labyrinth of lines created a tight hold on the stretched soul. Like rain flowing out a winding waterway, the soul¡¯s strength dripped out instead of pouring. The problem became this new rune¡¯s implementation.


    The complexity and depth of the carvings would be impossible for human hands. Aether¡¯s mastery in etching assisted us during the process, but he hated golems. I harbored the same feelings. I wouldn¡¯t ask him to create the same shackles that imprisoned him. Even I would go mad in similar circumstances.


    Still, he helped us with a little goading from Sophia. Their friendship had blossomed into a blooming friendship flower. My wording needs work. They spent much of their time together, like a tick on the back of a dog. I¡¯ll leave the beautiful imagery in Jack¡¯s hands. Bleh.


    That same sweetness left me wondering how Aether would feel whenever Sophia died long before he did. I never spoke of it, but the painful reality settled in my uneasy stomach with a sinking agitation. I quieted this twisting turmoil with a simple, timeless sentence.


    You can live your life, or you can wait to die. In the pool of souls I carry, I¡¯ve seen the thoughts of dying men. They rarely regret what they¡¯ve done. It is the words they never said or the actions they never enacted that haunt them. I won¡¯t idle as they did. Even if my immortal life ends, I will leave a legacy long after my last breath. Those who remain, they will remember.


    Why remind Aether of regrets? I will let him enjoy his young companion. I will let him cherish his child.


    Those thoughts echoed in my mind. They drove me forward as we studied night after night. Within three weeks, we¡¯d accomplished a near perfect golem. A golem much like Aether, though not of the same visionary scale.


    With this knowledge at hand, we harvested and manufactured several dozen of these golems. By using Jericho¡¯s fame, we revealed our creation as Sophia¡¯s own invention. Instead of monetizing the invention, we shared it with everyone. The Donovans, the countess, the schools of the city and even the normal citizens. They all learned in intricate and excruciating detail of our invention.


    Under Jericho¡¯s name, we donated a set of thirty golems for the city¡¯s slaves. The process proved complex, but the slave owners accepted with open arms. Golems worked during night and during day. They never needed rest or food or shelter. They would work until the soul within them dispersed.


    Jack, or I suppose Jericho was inducted in to the Donovan family, creating a wave through the upper echelon of Bastion¡¯s society. Such a powerful and able minded heir, he¡¯d no doubt be invited into their selection process for the next heir. The irony of the situation amused me to no end. Jack Donovan, the exiled member of their family, the bastard son of a fickle father, he could only become a true Donovan by denouncing his name.


    Joan met with Galen often after their first talk. He helped her advance her training, she in return gave him her attention. Nothing pleases a grandfather more than a respectable legacy. He saw that in her.


    The slaves of the city found new work with the town¡¯s new function ¨C forging new golems made of metal. Using white hot steel and alloys, they crafted the complex carvings into these new, powerful bodies. Like melting the rust off old iron, they found new life in their new industry. This city of slaves transformed into a city of soulforging.


    A feeling unlike any other brimmed in my and Jack¡¯s chest. It was a giddy, gloating sense of self satisfaction. I embraced the emotion. Jack did not. We left the city soon after, and once more, we¡¯d left it grander than when we¡¯d arrived.


    That died after we left Nelastra, along with everyone else.

 20 The Nameless

    20 The Nameless


    <hr>


    Gus Blechen -I saw Solomon fight a dragon once. Poor thing had no teeth. by the time he put it''s soul in a gem. The soul didn''t even struggle. It ran in fear into its new prison, away from him.


    Our trip towards the capital proved adventurous in comparison with the others. The mild, temperate weather was mesmerizing, as were the sights. The mountains, towering above the forested landscape, created marvelous sights, some taller than clouds. Even the air saturated in a kinetic energy, as if the air itself shook in anticipation.


    That feeling only grew as we neared the capital of Nelastra. All these sights seemed normal, but the oddest aspect of our journey were the caravans traveling towards the city. Armed to their teeth, the hardened hearts of the guards surprised me. Through the eyes of Jack, I saw missing chunks from faces, their arms, and even their eyes. Muscles rippled from their lean figures, and each and every sword held some enchantment, often times hiding souls stronger than bears or fassars.


    The merchants peered at us without fail, their eyes often amazed. A group of three humans walking on a road that only armed caravans would walk. We seemed alien, I¡¯m sure.


    The missing bricks and broken trees and crushed carriages became regular fixtures on our path as we traveled. The woods weaved into an endless canopy of bright green. In bizarre and unnatural formations, their branches crawled across one another, even through the trunks of other trees.


    Some simple animals, like squirrels or rabbits, ran in herds. Each pack developed a unique characteristic. Many recolored their fur into the black and brown of the trees. Others owned teeth too large for their jaws, and several grew horns from the center of bloodshot eyes. Like a living nightmare, the insects evolved into abominations.


    Large as a forearm, spiders crawled within webs hidden by the shadow of leaves. Spraying toxic powder, moths as large as chairs stabbed saber like mouths into trees. They gorged until their fat, full bellies swelled with sap. It was at three days from Nelastra that we saw the first wolves.


    We¡¯d camped during the night. Aether and I stood guard over the others while Razor circled overhead, alert and attentive. They both struggled with their guarding duties. The ceaseless waiting, it tired and bored and bothered them, but I never faltered.


    Though I lacked the instantaneous bursts of willpower that Jack could produce, my patience was unmatched. I was willing to endure for far longer than the others. My mind needed no stimulation. I¡¯d stare into that incessant sea of dark for hours, crunching on any insects that grew close. If not for my persistence, Joan and Sophia would wake with their arms and legs chewed to the bone by a four foot centipede.


    It was during one of those nights that the wolves reached us. Sitting on a cold, hard boulder, I watched the shifting shadows. The gentle sound of rustling leaves and Razor¡¯s humming let me listen for any suspicious sounds. The full smell of earth, oak, and water enveloped the wind. Aether¡¯s glow illuminated the forest in a blend of blues. In its own eerie and unusual way, the forest was daunting yet moving all the same.


    This peace shattered as symphony of steps came our way. A caterpillar crawled towards us, its vibrant shade of green turning to seafoam as it entered Aether¡¯s glow. It caught my curiosity, so I stood before jumping towards the creature.


    The green flesh underneath the creature provided a thin, nearly translucent layer between its insides and the air. These organs shifted and squirmed, curving underneath its skin like an enormous pile of moving intestines. Hooks lined the creatures face along with a thousands of tiny, moving teeth. The wrinkled mass crawled towards me with its fat, bloated frame wiggling back and forth.


    Curious as I was, I let the creature reach my leg before offering the creature my limb. It snapped onto my shin, the curved claws hooking into my flesh before the creature began burrowing into my insides. Of course, I felt nothing. The limp, useless limb accepted the punishment without pain as I severed the nerves to it before allowing such punishment.


    Like a swollen sack of pus, the monster began squeezing its organs into the wound. The thn membrane deflated as the skin of my leg swelled before I leaned towards the eyeless creature and grinned.


    A malicious grin on my face, I said aloud, ¡°This is not a body you¡¯ll want your organs in.¡±


    Regaining control, I tensed and flexed the fibers in flesh until they sliced the creature to slivers. My muscle assimilated the nutrients within seconds before I devoured the leftover sack. It tasted like well marbled meat. This would be the king of delicacies.


    At that moment, I found an egg pouch nearby with tiny worms crawling under a thin membrane. They smelled the same as that caterpillar, so I walked several dozen feet towards them. I chewed and chomped its larvae, relishing in the fatty, sweet taste before the heavy handed sound of strides entered my ears. Rising from my hunch, I turned towards the sound as the hairs across my back bristled before a herd of wolfs sprinted through a patch of tree trunks.


    My vision stayed sharp during the night, even under this thick canopy, so the details of these beasts showed through the blanket of black. The same curiosity formed just as before at their appearances. Each carried a different, shambling frame.


    The first two had an extra half a jaw jutting from their neck. Like an insect¡¯s mandible, it jerked around as drool poured from the creature¡¯s neck. Insect legs sprouted from its torso while a scorpion¡¯s tails stabbed out both the wolves¡¯ backs. The left most monster¡¯s neck twisted towards the wrong direction. Something had gotten inside them. Now they starved for their own hunger and the parasites.


    It gave me an appreciation of Jack¡¯s apprehension when he first learned of me. The oozing, pussy wounds scabbed over while patches of maggots writhed in the black, decaying flesh near the beetle¡¯s protrusions. In one of them, the insect within moved its limbs, actively eating its way out.


    One of the wolves stood behind the alpha with an emptied membrane on its back. Between its legs, a swollen, distended stomach dragged against the ground. Like cracks on dried earth, stripes of missing fur along with shining scars engraved the walking organ sack. It moved slower than the rest, as if every movement shot agony through its body.


    This may have given the impression of a batch of repelling and repugnant creatures, yet the alpha washed that all away. Like a colossus, its steps shook the earth. It¡¯s sharp, jagged teeth glowed white in the darkness. The elegant, yellow iris composed its entire eye, and the sharp, smooth marks of black across the white fur enhanced the wolf above a beast. Like a god of the forest, it eyed me as the others circled around.


    Aether and Razor came towards me, but I shouted, ¡°The insects of this forest are voracious. Focus on guarding Sophia and Joan. I won¡¯t require assistance. I doubt such crippled wolfs will pose much a threat.¡±


    The alpha growled, deep enough that I feel my skin shift and my bones rumble. A greedy grin snaps onto my face before I enlarge my upper body and elongate my arms. The popping of bone and tendon takes over the sounds of the woods until I finish my form.


    I glance towards the alpha before and growl back. The guttural, grisly roar rears the other wolves back before lift my arms and pound the ground in front of me. The roots snapped and the ground concaved. Vines whipped around me, slapping the other wolves circling me. Their high pitched groans sliced into the air before the alpha steps closer, unafraid and undaunted.


    Respecting its resolve, I pace up towards the creature before it snapped it maw at me. Ready for it, I slammed my palm into the side of its neck, redirecting its mouth towards the ground. I grabbed it before slamming my other hand on its mouth.


    The fur withstood the punishment, tougher than steel wire. Its skin did as well, surprising me further. This resilience hid another fact. As I glanced at its belly, ribs poked from under its skin. Though lean and limber, the alpha¡¯s shoulder and hind leg muscles were smaller than I¡¯d thought. Even when faced with a superior force, it drooled uncontrollably. It was starving.


    Its legs squandered and jostled beside me, tearing into my meat with its exceptionally sharp talons. Barbed and serrated, the shot agony into my side, but I held firm until the creature ceased moving. After several minutes, I displayed my dominance. Like an ascendant power, I stood over it before leaning close and saying,


    ¡°I can see it. Your kind, you own a knack for language, don¡¯t you?¡±


    It blinked before squinting towards me and growling, so I rpelied, ¡°We may not understand one another, but listen here, little pup.¡±


    I matched my eye right beside the glowing, yellow iris of its own as I said, ¡°Your race¡­It¡¯s fascinating. Graceful yet deadly. Elegant yet mortifying. I enjoy looking at you, so how about a little deal?¡±


    I bared my teeth with a smile as I said, ¡°I¡¯ll remove the parasites from you, and you¡¯ll leave us alone. Of course, if I ever see you again, I expect to see you at your full glory.¡±


    After a moment, it growled again before I let it go as it jerked away. Even though the beast shot away, it stood still with the others, so I walked towards the one with a bent neck. It needed help the most, so I laid my hand on its fur before incorporating my hand into it.


    Pained moans expand the creature as I explored it, but after gaining an understanding of the beetle¡¯s size and shape, I slowly removed my hand growing a long, sharp spike from my hand. The four foot horn jutted from my palm, so I jerked towards the wolf and stabbed right into its chest.


    Well, in sense. The blade pierced into the brain of the beetle, killing the creature instantly. The wolf howled in agony, so the alpha shot towards me, its drool dripping from its jaws. Having prepared myself, I lifted my foot before slamming my heel into its neck. My limb pinned the creature before I held the infected wolf with my right arm and slit the creature¡¯s belly open with a claw from on my left index finger.


    The wolf howled while tears fell from the alpha¡¯s face as it struggled against me. Snapping its jaw, the white wolf strained with all its soul behind every attempt, but starvation left it sluggish and sickly. Despite its howls, I continued my operation on the other wolf.


    After creating the incision, I reached into its guts and pulled the beetle¡¯s corpse out. The wolf convulsed, unable to endure the anguish, but with all my strength, I never let it escape my grasp. After several seconds and broken ribs later, I laid the beetle on the ground.


    The beetles exposed back opened to squishy, mushed insides. Several intestines along with a liver and pancreas attached to the insect, each halfway through transforming into the beetle, so I sliced them from the parasite¡¯s back. With that done, I pushed the organs back in and sewed the wolf¡¯s side shut using the silken thread.


    The alpha wallowed in tears with its eyes closed, so I let it go before it glanced at its faint and flimsy companion. Jerking up, it walked around the other wolf. Inspecting the surgery, it began licking the wounds, even the maggot infested ones, so I stopped it.


    Glancing towards me, I said, ¡°Let them run their course. Either you let the maggots eat or an ocean of flesh eating bacteria.¡±


    The wolf hissed before jerking its head away from me. Satisfied, I healed the others much the same way before the alpha and I exchanged glances.. Satisfied, I operated on the others much the same way before the alpha and I exchanged glances. These creatures held an incessant and sustained vitality, surviving even that creative parasite¡¯s machinations. The creatures here, they feasted on the aura proliferating off the remnants of Gaia. They evolved.


    That may be why the wolves listened to my guttural growls. Within consolidation, we owned a piece of Gaia, though the fragment had been silent for many months. The creatures around us desired the force in that fragment. We wouldn¡¯t give it to them, but that fact provided a useful tool in this area and in Nelastra.


    So the wolves left before I reached back towards the larval sack. The wolves would heal from their grievous wounds by the virtue of Gaia, and so I relaxed as I enjoyed the midsummer meal.


    As I licked the fatty, mushy slop from my fingers, the snapping of twig tore my eyes back towards our campsite. Atop the hill stood Sophia, her mouth covered as her knees shook.


    My skin absorbed the rest of the material before I walked towards her, my voice hard, ¡°When did you leave the campsite? Better yet, why did Aether and Razor let you leave?¡±


    She blinked before saying, ¡°I wanted to see it. How you fought. It¡¯s very different from Jack¡¯s own methods.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before charging up the hill until I reached within five feet of her. Slowing my steps, I said, ¡°It¡¯s grotesque, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Pursing her lips, Sophia replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯re a living, breathing contradiction.¡±


    I smirked as I said, ¡°In what way?¡±


    She wiped back her banes behind her ear before crossing her arms as she said, ¡°I mean, Jack would have just killed those wolves. What you did was disgusting, but I mean, you saved them.¡±


    Without empathy or sympathy or even understanding, I replied, ¡°Their souls were weakened. I wanted to assimilate them when they were at their strongest.¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Sophia frowned before saying, ¡°They were actually beautiful. Like, really beautiful. I just¡­I want to not hate you, yenno?¡±


    ¡°Actually no, I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Well, I mean I literally threw up in my mouth at all that, but then you let them go. It¡¯s like you did all that bad stuff, but it turned out good in the end. I think that¡¯s how you do things. You just do it as fast and efficiently as possible to get what you want. You aren¡¯t ughhh¡­I guess evil as I thought?¡±


    My arm swelled as I lifted it and stared at the limb. I said, ¡°That parasite gave me an idea for combat. Discharging fluid into them until they burst from the inside. That or perhaps laying self-replicating eggs.¡±


    She cringed back before I tilted towards her, raising my eyebrow with curiosity, ¡°Tell me, do you believe that is evil?¡±


    She shook her head before saying, ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s fucking gross, and yeah, that¡¯s evil.¡±


    I nodded before glancing back at the limb as I said, ¡°It¡¯s strange. That parasite deserved life just as much as the wolves. I killed it for my own purposes, yet somehow that is moral.¡±


    Stomping onto a meandering millipede, I picked it up before tearing a chunk out of its carcass with my teeth. I swallowed and said, ¡°You humans will enslave entire species for your own ends, even each other for a few pieces of metal. That, Sophia, is evil.¡±


    She winced with her eyes closed before she glanced back towards me and said, ¡°That¡¯s more for progress than just gold.¡±


    In frenzy of bites, I swallowed the green millipede before turning towards her and saying, ¡°Tell me though, what are you all progressing towards, and what cost? We¡¯ve spoken of what they did to Petra. If that is progress, I¡¯d rather be a mindless ant crawling in the dirt.¡±


    Like petrified wood, she paralyzed at my words before I walked right beside her and said, ¡°Think on it at the campsite. I¡¯d rather avoid the roots from planting seeds in you.¡±


    Peeking downward, she saw roots ever so slowly twisting and turning around her foot. Like a glacier, they spelled death for those who stood in their path, so after ripping them from her, she and I returned to the campsite that laid a hundred feet from us.


    Having seen yet another method of planting traps, I tinkered with the prospect of using roots and seeds in my biology, but the concept seemed impossible. Plants utilized distinct and disparate methods for building themselves. However, the plant monster within the dragon provided a useful basis for my studies, so I progressed, albeit at a pace slower than wadding through a river of mud.


    That sluggish speed plagued us each day as we neared Nelastra. The insects gained size and creative methods for delivering their poisons. Fast as fire, snakes traveled on the branches of trees by wrapping their bodies around a branch and snapping towards other branches. The trees here, they moved, though at a pace indiscernible to the naked eye of a normal human.


    Yet I was no normal human. I studied each and every adaptation. These species fought fiercely with their evolution instead of their might. I approved. It reminded me of my own fights, though at an impeded pace.


    During this time, I developed many ideas for using our tissues against other creatures. They would prove useful in our fights against the saints of Nelastra. Isn¡¯t that right, Jack?


    While they were an ordeal in their implementation, I couldn¡¯t have denied their pragmatism. Deluge turned every evil, grotesque, and grim feature into one of our own. By the time we reached a few miles from Nelastra, we¡¯d picked up an entire army of horrors, each boasting their own special brand of bane.


    Understanding Deluge¡¯s apprehension, I helped with these¡­adjustments at times. I hated them, yet we needed them all the same. We neared the capital, and at this point, I feared for our lives. Joan struggled each night as she slept with shallow slumber. Sophia bit her fingernails until she bled. Even Razor meandered back and forth with anxiety.


    The center of our group became Aether during this time. He helped with his utter and absolute confidence. He feared nothing, and all feared him. Regardless of the rumbling we heard at night, no creature came near us besides the most desperate of deviants. His soothing calm, it carried the sensitive psyches of our troop. He dissuaded the surrounding nightmare from coming to us.


    And it was horror that hid behind the shadows, make no mistake. Deluge may make it sound fun, but this journey tested us. It proved how perilous the climate could be. In vivid detail, I remember seeing the city of Nelastra for the first time, and how relieved I was.


    That relief washed away at the curious construction of the city. In essence, it blew us away. We crossed onto the top of a hill were a break in the forest gave us a view of an enormous, awe inspiring mountain of clear crystal.


    As my eyes adjusted to the sight, I perceived the miracle in greater detail. Sheets of thick, translucent plates interlocked in a dome covering the largest city ever seen. Like the comb in a beehive, the hexagonal plates covered every cranny and crevice of the city. Clouds crashed against the structure at its peak, and flocks of birds swarmed around it, like black dots dancing around the shining construct.


    At the center of the city stood a palace of alabaster and gold and crimson coral. Multi-tiered and defying the earth¡¯s pull, it rose well above all other buildings, like a chapel in a small city. The towering, stained windows depicted scenes of saints raising gems overhead or of Gaia¡¯s mother tree.


    The banisters of green and gold and white, hung from the towering wall that surrounded the divine fortress. The mansions of the aristocracy laid out around that palace, basking in its effervescent aura. Waterfalls and fountains poured over the sides and ends of the mansions, as if bragging of their abundance.


    However, as you gazed away from the center, the city changed. Plainer homes covered the outer circles while the staples of horses and other animals lined the outer circle, yet no slaves lived here. Mountains of rock had been crafted and created into Golems. They carried children on their back. Roads riddled with only earthen thralls spanned throughout the city. In certain spots, golems acted as supports for a building midway through construction. The seeped into every aspect of society.


    With our goal so close, we picked up our pace until we reached within a mile of the entrance. At this point, we saw something unthinkable yet inevitable - wooden shacks with humans around the city.


    An entire population swarmed around the city, yet like the forest around them, the feverish energy in the air warped them. They separated into different tribes, each with their own traits. Some stood level with my height as blue veins showed through their pale skin. Certain tribes carried one eye, creating a race of cyclops. Other humans covered themselves in sheets of fur with wolfish teeth.


    Joan and I attempted speaking with them, but only the brightest and most brilliant among them could speak the language of Gelnan. Their words were choppy and husky and harsh. These few speaking members shared an intelligence matching any other human, though with a different perspective.


    Their oppression became clear quite quickly. Those who spoke attempted selling us food or forest fruit. The exposed how the enclosed city operated despite being barred from the outer world. These humans hunted and harvested the food of the city, and they exchanged their produce for various goods that Nelastra created.


    Surrounded by these hellish monstrosities, the city had an endless supply of souls for their soul forging and gemchaining crafts. These provided elite guards and merchandise not found elsewhere in the kingdom, if not the entire continent of Alta. Just like the remnant of Mareovosa, the three remnants here provided the corruption needed for their economy.


    These shanty towns transformed into elaborate treehouses and underground taverns as we neared the city. Children of all races ran with one another, laughing as only children can. Groups of men sat around clear pools, fishing as they chatted another lazy day away. Couples strolled down the road, each of them in their own little worlds.


    The canopy casted a pleasant shade on almost everything, though pieces of light found their way to the forest floor. The flattened earth and cleared forest offered a natural playground for any child, and the snappy songs of birds rippled their entrancing sounds. The soft ground eased my feet Joan, Sophia, and I chatted until we reached the entrance.


    A missing piece of hexagonal plate offered itself up as the entrance. An entirely unnecessary wall covered any sight of the city within just behind the crystal dome. As we approached, a series of check points along with a horde of traders and merchants blocked our entry.


    Just as before we¡¯d reach into the city of Nern, we stood for several hours in line, waiting on our turn. Now, I wouldn¡¯t want you to think of me as an eavesdropper, but my ears couldn¡¯t help but hear somethings, sometimes. I know, I know, deplorable, but I¡¯ve done worse. The conversation between two merchants roe above the others for my own interests.


    A balding man with a gut said with a smooth, deep voice, ¡°I can¡¯t believe how cheap golems are now. I¡¯ll be ruined at this rate.¡±


    A thinner, younger man replied, ¡°Just trade em in for marble here before goin off to Nern. They started makin a new kind of golem. Even the fancy folk here in Nelastra could learn a thing or two.¡±


    ¡°Aye, I suppose you¡¯re right. Besides, the palisades buyin any extra golems at a flat rate. I¡¯ll lose somethin, but not everythin.¡±


    ¡°Yeh, they¡¯ve been preparing for the Darkened One. I thought that was a load of bull until I heard they saw it at Nern, travelling North. One person I spoke with actually saw it. He said it wasn¡¯t no monster. He said it was god.¡±


    The balding man reared back as he said, ¡°What? How in the icy hell is that demon a god?¡±


    The thin man spoke in a hushed whisper, ¡°Quiet down. We don¡¯t want anyone getting any wrong ideas about us. I thought the same thing till he told me about it. It stood as tall as castle and had black fire on its back. It lit everythin around it with light somehow, and¡­Well¡­¡±


    The bald man leaned in close as he said, ¡°Well, spit it out then.¡±


    ¡°It killed man without even touchin em¡­Then it brought him back to life.¡±


    The balding man¡¯s face paled as he said, ¡°A dead man? Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just tellin yah what I heard. I don¡¯t know what to think myself.¡±


    Their conversation veered towards philosophy from there, so I tuned them out before Joan whispered, ¡°It¡¯s a weird feeling having so many people talk about what we did.¡±


    I nodded before whispering back, ¡°Eh, I¡¯m kind of used to it. People did that all the time at Mareovosa.¡±


    She raised her eyebrows as she said, ¡°Hmmm¡­They really did do that a lot.¡±


    Sophia elbowed Joan and said, ¡°Talk about something a saint would discuss.¡±


    I puffed out my chest and spoke with deep, spokesperson voice, ¡°Why, hello there young maiden. You wouldn¡¯t be needing any help with distresses you may be having? I heard they frequent damsels such as yourself.¡±


    Sophia¡¯s face wrinkled as she suppressed a laugh while Joan just giggled. Trying to maintain her stern voice, she said, ¡°I¡¯m being serious.¡±


    I replied, ¡°Ah yes, of course you are! As am I, fair damsel. Anytime you need me, I¡¯ll come help you, though I¡¯ll have to carry the white horse instead ride it. All my wieght¡¯s in my ass you see.¡±


    They both burst into laughter before the carriage in front of us moved forward, letting us reach under a fifty foot arch of marble. A old, grumpy custodian stood hunched over a pile of paper covered with names before he glanced up at us and said,


    ¡°Name and occupation please.¡±


    I beamed my brightest smile as I said, ¡°My name is Jericho, the saint of Nern and dragon slayer.


    A pair of gold framed glasses laid on his face, so the wrinkled old fellow pushed them up his nose as he rolled his eyes without moving his mouth or face. He adjusted his weight on his chair before leaning onto the marble opening between us. Setting his chin on his interlocked hands, he spoke with skepticism dripping from his words,


    ¡°Alright then, Jericho. Would you happen to own a document verifying your identity? The bishop should have given you one, if you¡¯re really Jericho.¡±


    Unlike before, I prepared the scroll before leaving Nern, so I pulled the document from my pocket and handed it towards him, red ribbon and all. He broke the wax seal before reading a few lines of the document.


    His eyes opened wide as he continued before rewrapped the document and handed it back towards me. He stood straight and tall as he clasped his hands and said, ¡°I do apologize for the air I had earlier with you, Sir Jericho. We¡¯ve had many fakes come through here. So even though you looked noble and strong, I was dubious of your identity. Please forgive me.¡±


    I laughed before patting his shoulder as I said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯re just doing your job. Anyway, these are my companions-¡°


    ¡°Oh, I won¡¯t be needing their names Sir. As a saint, you get access through here at any time with anyone. We won¡¯t be bothering you anymore.¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°Alright, sounds excellent. I wish you well in the rest of your days.¡±


    ¡°Yes Sir, and may the stars shine on you in your quest.¡±


    With that little exchange resolving itself, we paced into the city through an opened set of steel gates, polished until they reflected like mirrors. Multi story buildings surrounded us with an enormity of inns and taverns. Dancing, music, and street performers offered entertainment at every juncture. The town brimmed with prosperity and animation.


    No abnormal humans were there. In fact, as you stepped past the barrier, the resonating energy that permeated the surrounding area stopped entirely. The air stayed stagnant yet clean and cool and fresh. The absence of all wind unnerved me, but that result made sense.


    The lack of wind only accentuated the estranged isolation, permeating every piece of well carved cobble or misty fountain. Like an island in the middle of an ocean, the people here spoke with their own accent. They walked with a lazy leisure unlike anywhere else I¡¯d been. Every man, woman, and child held enchanted items, many walking beside golems who carried their possessions.


    Deluge¡¯s roars echoed in my mind when we first saw a street performer using actual gemchains in his performance. Marvelous as the sight was, I cringed on the inside. Gemchains required an absurd strain on the souls within the gems before they evaporated for a burst of power. Using souls for mere entertainment, well, the prospect left a bad and bitter taste in my mouth.


    On the other hand, Deluge endured a deeper frustration than I did. We¡¯d compromised since, but his goal when we first arrived involved absorbing every living thing and uniting their souls into what he calls consolidation. Destroying a soul to him was like watching a baby burn alive.


    All our plans revolved around not rampaging in the middle of Nelastra, so he watched with his mind humming in hatred. Like a maelstrom of malice and misery and malevolence, he stormed in my mind.


    He and I kept that rage inside us, for now. I calmed him with soothing phrases like, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll probably eat that guy later.¡±


    Those seemed to work.


    With those crude sayings cooling his fresh fury, the others and I walked towards the palace. In this city, it served as the greatest chapel. There we would receive the blessing of the head pontifex. No one I spoke with understood the process in detail, but it involved touching an obelisk before being graced with Gaia¡¯s holy light or some nonsense like that.


    I thought I¡¯d put on my most serious of faces before preceding through the process. It ended up becoming much more than that. As we reached the palace wall¡¯s doors, guards stood atop the wall with a dozen men guarding the doorway.


    As if touching the sky, the wall encompassed an entire field of view. The three of us paced up, insignificant as ants, before a guard donned in silver stepped forward and shouted,


    ¡°State your business.¡±


    Pulling out the document, I said, ¡°I¡¯m Jericho.¡±


    He jerked the document from my hand, stretching it out with a brisk pull of his hands before handing the document back without a word. An awkward pause overtook us before he ran back towards the others and shouted even louder,


    ¡°Here is the living Saint Jericho, slayer of dragons and fighter of golems. The oracle has spoken of him, and with her guidance, we let him through.¡±


    They slammed their feet together before saluting with their hands across their chests. The clanging of steel on steel ripped over the hum of flowing water before the stomping of golems could be heard. Ropes tensed as the doorway opened, revealing the luxurious walls of the castle.


    An enormous garden lined around the walls, though many wide, open spaces littered the area. At our left, a mountain of a man stood, shield and sword shining. Donning the insignia of Bastion on his left shield, his eyeless and elegant helmet turned towards me. Despite the silver scales and formidable plates all across him, he said, "So your the Jericho I''ve heard so much about."


    "Might I ask who you are?"


    "Solomon. The Immortal Saint and protecter of Bastion."

 21 Meeting a Legend

    21 Meeting a Legend


    <hr>


    Ghustav Donovan -I carved out an empire with my ambition. Now I fall by it. (Last words before being stabbed by two of his sons.)


    <hr>


    He raised his sword with respect towards me.


    In return, I raised my own fist as I flashed a happy, hard glare. We synced as we nodded towards one another as Joan said, ¡°Do you guys know each other?¡±


    I shook my head and said, ¡°No, not at all.¡±


    She poked my side as she said, ¡°Then why are you and him so friendly?¡±


    I shook my head as I smirked and said, ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a competitive sort of thing. I guess we just acknowledged one another.¡±


    Sophia¡¯s lips made a thing line as she said, ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°Eh, I don¡¯t really either, but it felt right, yenno?¡±


    Her nose crinkled as she said, ¡°Not really.¡±


    Right as he finished his words, Solomon paced towards us, his head looming above even mine. I never noticed how I¡¯d gotten used to being the highest head in any room. The feeling became natural, yet for the first time in many months, the pressure of size hit me.


    No doubt, I weighed more, but not by much. His armor weighed hundreds of pounds while his eight foot height towered over me. His helmet cut off with horns stabbing behind him. They were the fangs of creatures I¡¯d never known. Gems of all sizes radiated from him, and whenever he reached beside me, he sheathed his blade as he spoke in a voice both full and noble,


    ¡°It¡¯s rare I see someone who replies in earnest to my greeting. Who walks with you?¡±


    Solomon''s helm lifted as I continued, ¡°This is Joan and Sophia. They are my compatriots.¡±


    He reached out a hand towards me and said, ¡°I see a capable man has finally joined our ranks besides myself. Along with two young, beautiful ladies as well."


    Clasping his hand, his hands match the size of my own. Even if I tensed with a solid portion of my strength, he returned the force with his own grip. Embracing the challenge, I crushed his hand with all I was worth.


    Yet he stood firm as did his armor. In response, he laughed before patting the side of my shoulder as he said, ¡°Hah, hah, hah! We have a fighter. A real, genuine fighter! What a time it is to be alive.¡±


    As he placed his hand on my shoulder, the impact of his hand siphoned into the ground, pushing my heels into the ground. This Saint Solomon could match my own strength. You¡¯d think I¡¯d be unhinged or unnerved or at least agitated. Heh, quite the opposite. I was invigorated.


    Aether and I attempted spars with each other. In the aftermath, I never created even the tiniest, most minute of scratches on him, and he utterly crushed me every time with a single blow. If Aether chose to, he¡¯d be able to kill everyone within Nelastra. Hell, if he were here, I believe he might prove a challenge for you.


    Joan and Sophia couldn¡¯t pose a proper challenge if I went on any sort of offense versus either of them. Razor refused my spars on the grounds of not seeing any meaning behind it. Respecting her wishes left me with not a single soul who¡¯d give me an actual challenge in a fight.


    Not to say that I was the strongest force in Alta, but I longed for a fair fight. Solomon presented the perfect opportunity for satiating that hunger of mine. It disturbed me at times. I¡¯d always relished in music and dance and song, yet whenever battle took place, my blood boiled. My eyes opened. I came to life.


    Still, that wasn¡¯t the time nor place for fighting, so I turned around before Solomon said, ¡°Are you, per chance, the newly appointed Saint?¡±


    I nodded back before he said, ¡°I thought you were just a new member of the royal guard. Have you been touched by Gaia as well?¡±


    The question peaked my own interest, so I said, ¡°Hmmm, in my own way.¡±


    Solomon walked up beside our escorting guard as he said, ¡°You may return to your station. I will show them towards the pontifex¡¯s chamber.¡±


    After a hasty salute, the officer strode off before Solomon said as he turned towards me, ¡°I remember when I first felt Gaia. I¡¯d trained my whole life as a royal guard. Whenever they were moving the remnant for powering outer shield, one of the carriers dropped it.¡±


    He snarled, ¡°Of course, he faced the death penalty there after along with his family, but I saved the shard from slamming into the ground.¡± His softened as he continued, ¡°My hands were bare, and the energy¡­it was like nothing else I¡¯ve ever known. I could hear her.¡±


    His voice strained as we walked up a flight of marble stairs, ¡°It¡­It was beautiful. Someone as insignificant as me, chosen by Gaia¡­It was moving.¡±


    He slammed his chest with a gauntleted hand, and whenever he spoke again, his voice regained its old, noble power, ¡°Excuse my emotion, though I¡¯m sure you understand, being a Saint.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t.¡±


    Solomon stopped walking before he tilted his head and said, ¡°What? How were you given the title of a saint?¡±


    Joan replied, ¡°He saved a town from some plant monster things, killed a dragon, and saved a town from eight golems led by the Darkened One.¡±


    Solomon cupped his chin with his gauntleted hand as he said, ¡°Ah, I see. You were born of merit rather than by Gaia¡¯s grace. Then has no one spoken with you of how you become a saint, Normally at least?¡±


    I shook my head before he spread his arms and said, ¡°Ah, then I shall tell you.¡± We continued our walk as he said, ¡°You must touch a remnant of Gaia before you may be given the title of Saint. Gaia¡¯s energy, it will give you strength at the cost of your humanity. You will become like an angel fallen onto earth, sent here for her bidding.¡±


    Deluge laughed in my mind before I said, ¡°So, this ceremony involves touching the remnant of Gaia?¡±


    ¡°Indeed. You are the first Saint given the title before having this done. In my long life, I¡¯ve never seen it done.¡±


    Sophia frowned as she said, ¡°How many Saints have you seen coroneted?¡±


    ¡°Twenty nine.¡±


    Sophia and Joan reeled back with theirs eyes shot open and their faces blank. After a pause, Joan said, ¡°How old are you?¡±


    Solomon said, ¡°I will turn three hundred and thirty seven at the end of next eve.¡±


    I nudged Solomon¡¯s side as I said, ¡°And here I thought you were in your mid-twenties.¡±


    Solomon rubbed the back of his helmet as he said, ¡°Ah, is that your age?¡±


    I pursed my lips and said, ¡°I¡¯m only seventeen years of age.¡±


    Solomon dropped his shield, the slab of steel creating cracks in the marble before he said, ¡°You¡­You¡¯re only seventeen years of age?¡±


    Sophia had jumped back while Joan had her arms out in front of her, taking a defensive posture. Joan said, ¡°Is it that big a deal?¡±


    I was the youngest of all Saints before you. I was thirty seven whenever I first felt Gaia¡¯s might. To be so young and so gifted. The oracle¡­It¡¯s all true.¡±


    As I walked over, I picked up his shield and handed it over to him as I said, ¡°Come now, I am but a man, just like you. We do what we must, in Gaia¡¯s name.¡±


    Solomon peered down before nodding his head. The nods expanded before he boomed a laugh and said, ¡°Of course. Truer words have never been spoken.¡±


    He grabbed the shield and placed his arms through the metal bindings before he said, ¡°It¡¯s a wondrous day. I¡¯ve seen much in my time, so I rarely see surprise. Two revelations in one day, how long has it been?¡±


    Bouncing her words, Joan said, ¡°You sound like your three hundred years younger.¡±


    Solomon turned towards the palace doors before he said, ¡°It certainly feels that way. I meet three younglings who speak with me, no fear in their voices or eyes. It¡¯s a rejuvenating thing.¡±


    Reaching the enormous doors of iron, Solomon turned towards us and said, ¡°We must speak more. Tell me, have you all gained a residence here yet?¡±


    We shook our head before he walked between us and placed his hand on my and Sophia¡¯s shoulders as he said, ¡°You may all stay with me. I shall show you all the sights of Nelastra, city of storms.¡±


    I glanced up and pondered the prospect, weighing the pros and cons of such an endeavor, but Joan interjected, ¡°Of course. Sounds fun.¡±


    He gripped our shoulders as he said, ¡°Superb.¡± Reaching the iron doors, I pressed my fingers between them as Solomon said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll open-¡°


    The dull grinding of iron against stone hummed over his words as the doors moved. Even in my inhuman body, the weight proved difficult, but the iron obstructions relented as I clamped my hands into the plates.


    Veins spread across my face as I flushed with exertion. Gritting my teeth, I growled as I edged them open over several seconds. As I finished, I turned around while slapping the numbness from my hands. With a breathless tone, I said, ¡°This is one hell of an entry. Why are the doors so heavy?¡±


    Solomon wrapped his arm around my shoulder as he brought me close and said, ¡°Hah, these doors were designed many years ago with me in mind. They weigh this much as a means of preventing unlawful entry of the palace.¡±


    He swayed me back and forth as he said, ¡°Ah, but I guess they¡¯ll have to rename them. Solomon¡¯s Gate has a new mover.¡±


    His infectious vigor seeped through us we walked back into a hundred foot height room. The lavish tapestries of Bastion lined the walls, green and white in honor of their god. Marble and alabaster, both embroidered with gold trim, composed the spectacle. No pools of blood. No decaying corpses.


    The light of the sun shined overhead through a window as the roof of the room. At the chamber¡¯s center sat a man upon a seat seething with souls. Like a throne of thorns, their torment radiated as the crowned king glanced our way, bored and bemused. Several nobles surrounded him, and at his side sat the pontifex upon his cathedra.


    Many I¡¯ve spoken with wonder why king¡¯s sit on thrones. The reason is simple ¨C the celestial aura of the act. If glancing at a person¡¯s position bristles the hair across your arms and sends shocks up your spine, then how are you to raise your hand against them? They stand on a literal pedestal, and the physical difference illustrates their stature. The king, he is a higher power. A divine force of reckoning, not a mere man.


    Yet I swallowed a fit of laughter at the sight. The dramatic crown on the king and magnificent mitre upon the pontifex¡¯s head, they both seemed ridiculous when compared with the awe inspiring sight of Solomon¡¯s horned helm. Their robes dragged below their feet, creating the need for servants to help them move. Solomon carried his thousand pound armor with ease.


    Though Solomon¡¯s face remained hidden, he shared himself with every word. These two rulers, they hid behind false faces. Nothing of their true self¡¯s shined through their masquerades. Like two chess players, they glanced down at their pawns as they measured their worth.


    However, I needed their good graces, so as Solomon explained the proper procedure for greeting them I listened with a rapt attention. Gawking with reverence, the nobles parted as we walked towards the king and pontifex. As we reached the foot of their steps, the four of us lunged onto our knees, rumbling the ground with the weight of my and Solomon¡¯s frames.


    After seeing my opening of the door, they all understood who we were. The new saint had finally come, and with him, he brought the ancient hero Solomon and Jericho¡¯s apostles. He opened a door no other had dared opened. He spoke with Bastion¡¯s champion as an equal. Now he leaned before the ruler¡¯s of Bastion, promising a new era of excellence.


    However, appearances prove deceiving. Allowing the king to speak first, I waited. He let us sit in silence, gloating his power before he said in a high, nasally voice, ¡°Who is this Solomon?¡±


    Blood dripped from Joan¡¯s mouth as she bit her lip. Not from strain or suspicion or angst. No, she bled from stopping laughter. The king¡¯s voice contrasted his appearance so completely, and so surely, that the tenuous tenor sounded like a joke. A prank that slammed into your chest with sudden, explosive power. Laughing at it sprouted like reflect, a natural reaction without any thought or reasoning.


    A very slight snicker escaped Sophia¡¯s lips before the king glanced at her and said, his voice sharp and stabbing, ¡°You come in through the iron doors, interrupting my time and these nobles before you decide to laugh. Tell me, what is so funny then?¡±


    I replied, ¡°We were discuss-¡°


    The king snapped, ¡°I did not ask you. I asked her.¡±


    A drop of sweat plopped on the floor before she said, ¡°whenever I saw you, I thought of one of the counts I¡¯ve seen before. I measured your greatness with his. The comparison made me laugh at its ludicrousness. Like comparing grit with gold, there is no juxtaposition that could be made.¡±


    The king raised his nose into the air before saying, ¡°I see you have sharp eyes then.¡± He turned towards Solomon and said, ¡°Who are these people?¡±


    The pontifex leaned a hand on the king¡¯s shoulder as he said, ¡°They need no introduction. I¡¯ve heard of the Saint donned in the skin of a hydra. You are Saint Jericho, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I said, ¡°Yes, my liege.¡±


    ¡°Good. He has come here for his coronation. We¡¯ve spoken of him before.¡±


    The king said, ¡°Ah, yes. The hero of a few little towns. I¡¯m surprised they allowed him to become a Saint without Gaia¡¯s influence. We need more of them regardless.¡±


    Solomon stood, his hands shaking as he said, ¡°Prince Albas, I understand that you¡¯re substituting during the king¡¯s illness, but I will not allow you to speak ill of Jericho. He opened the doors on his own. It was not I who did so.¡±


    The nobles gasped before Albas said, ¡°So he is strong. What of it?¡±


    Solomon shook his head as he glared downwards. The pontifex raised his hand as he said, ¡°This is a matter of the palisade, not one of the king. Let me handle this Solomon.¡±


    Solomon nodded before the pontifex turned towards me and said, ¡°You are praised in Nern as a hero. Tell me, why do you want to be saint?¡±


    I glanced up and said, ¡°I hope to stop the Darkened One.¡±


    The room gasped before the pontifex nodded and said, ¡°A goal suitable for a saint. We will host the ceremony a month from now. I will make arrangements for your stay here, and I hope the city pleases you.¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Solomon reached out a hand as he said, ¡°I will give them stay in my own home, if it doesn¡¯t bother either of you, of course.¡±


    The pontifex nodded his head before saying, ¡°Then seven days from now, we shall have another saint join your ranks Solomon. I haven¡¯t seen you this animated since the war with Trilel.¡±


    Solomon said, ¡°My talents are finally of use. The Darkened One is coming. I¡¯m happy as an old, worn tool being used by its master once more.¡±


    Albas interjected, ¡°So you want our land to be plagued by demons?¡±


    ¡°No, I want demons to kill.¡±


    I glanced at Albas as I said, ¡°If I may impart my own opinion, I¡¯ve seen the Darkened One during my stay at Nern-¡°


    Albas snapped, ¡°You never fought with it? And you call yourself a saint.¡±


    In a serene calm, I responded, ¡°It was a truly fearsome creature. Fighting against something like that without warning would spell death. Though I am strong, I am by no means all powerful. I know my limits. Fighting the Darkened One on my own exceeds them.¡±


    The Pontifex said, ¡°Then hopefully Solomon can help you if we can find that demon. I think we¡¯ve exchanged enough words for the moment. We wouldn¡¯t want these diplomat waiting any longer, so though we¡¯ve enjoyed the exchange, we must continue our business.¡±


    We rose as Solomon said, ¡°Then we will leave you both be, my liege. May the stars shine on your grace.¡±


    ¡°And may the stars shine on your fury.¡±


    As we left, Solomon closed the doors with an adequate struggle of his own before he said, ¡°Ah yes, that¡¯s the introduction a saint deserves. The scorn of a spoiled prince and the disdain of the church¡¯s head.¡±


    Sophia chimed, ¡°Was that unusual?¡±


    He replied, ¡°Quite. The king understands that his power lies in the loyalty of his subjects. Those strings are what ties an empire together. Through their actions, they represent their leader. If you belittle your followers, then as a king, you belittle yourself.¡±


    Sophia raised an eyebrow as she said, ¡°You seem more than a little peeved.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve raised multiple kings in instructing Gaia¡¯s grace, yet Albas¡­he¡¯s been unresponsive. His father is a kind and gentle king, yet that same kindness has given way to the rot in Albas. Gabriel needs to discipline Albus, otherwise his attitude will worsen.¡±


    Joan shrugged and said, ¡°I doubt he¡¯ll change anytime soon. Blood is thicker than water, so I doubt he¡¯ll go against his family.¡±


    Solomon said, ¡°The Geshians have a saying, ¡®Kindness through cruelty.¡¯ There are times that call for punishment, even if it hurts the punisher.¡±


    I nodded my head as I said, ¡°So it¡¯s like whenever a child refuses medicine because it¡¯s bitter. You have to feed it to them even though they dislike it, for their future.¡±


    We reached the bottom of the steps before Solomon said, ¡°That was my meaning. My home is here at the garden. It is this way.¡±


    We walked for a few minutes as Solomon said,


    ¡°I can hardly remember the faces of my parents, but I remember their lessons. They beat them into me, hard and often, but that gave me a backbone. But Albas¡­his attitude worries me. He lacks what he needs as a king. It¡¯s outside his hands now. Gabriel needs to act.


    I love Gabriel. He¡¯s a kind king. I just¡­I wish he instilled respect in Albus. Bah, perhaps I¡¯ve grown so old that can¡¯t even think straight¡­Like an old sword wanting blood, but it can¡¯t even cut skin. ¡±


    Joan shook her head before she said, ¡°Naw, I think you¡¯re right. I had an aunt who taught me gemchaining. She never, and I mean never let me off easy. I got good fast cause of it, though I broke a few bones. Well, maybe more than a few.¡±


    Pacing past a series of tombstones in front of his a quaint home, Solomon said, ¡°It¡¯s a balancing act. If you leave scars on your child that will never heal, then you¡¯ve become a greater demon then a mere spoiled brat. This aunt of yours, she sounds as though she danced on that thin line.¡±


    I observed the house at that time. Built into the edge of the castle wall, a stairway led down to a doorway beneath ground level. Plain bricks surrounded the Solomon sized doorway, but the homely house had its own charm, like the warmth of a campfire. Simple, yet timeless.


    Before we walked downwards, Sophia said, ¡°What are the tombstones for?¡±


    Solomon turned towards them and said, ¡°They are the graves of my wife and all my children.¡±


    An oppressive silence overcame us as he stared past the graves and into a time long past. Solomon returned from his reverie before he turned towards Sophia and said,


    ¡°It was a long time ago. Memories have a habit of sweetening over time, even the bitter ones. These memories of my family are like ale. A little will leave you nice and warm, but if you drink them in for too long, you¡¯ll end up weeping. Well, that¡¯s how it is for me. I¡¯m a sad sort of drunk.¡±


    Sophia said, ¡°I didn¡¯-¡±


    Solomon raised a hand as he said, ¡°I will not hear any apologies. Besides, you had every right to ask. It would be strange if you weren¡¯t curious and even more still, you all will be living with me for a while. I would much rather you freely express yourself then hold back on account of an old man¡¯s feelings.¡±


    I should be said that Deluge and I are skeptics. We¡¯ve seen the pitch black in the deep, dark depths of the human soul, yet neither of us could deny the innate charisma of Solomon. He had been a man universally loved by all, and within minutes of knowing the man, his humble kindness showed through. He deserved the endless songs sung for him. He deserved his title,


    Champion of Bastion. I learned of all this afterwards.


    So with all that blind ignorance, I said, ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen of you Solomon, I can say with certainty that your family lived wonderful lives, and as they passed on, they did so with your hand in theirs, smiling.¡±


    Solomon glanced towards the edge of the stone wall before he pounded his chest with his arm as if beating something from his chest. After a moment, he said with a raspy voice, ¡°Come now, let¡¯s go inside. I¡¯m getting all emotional out here, and I can¡¯t let the guards see me tear up.¡±


    His voice broke at his last words, so Joan walked over and hugged him as she said with a grin plastered on her face, ¡°You¡¯re like a loveable bear.¡±


    Ruffling Joan¡¯s hair beneath her hood, Solomon said, ¡°And you remind me of an adorable cub.¡± He picked her up by her waist before setting her atop his armored shoulder, Joan¡¯s eyes laughing as he did so. We walked down the stairs before he opened the doorway for us.


    The tasteful decor proved as minimalist as before. The entrance linked with his den with a pleasant heat ebbing off everything. Like the home of a grandparent, the room saturated with a smell like lost memories while the welcoming warmth would let a man sleep with his eyes open.


    The orange hue beaming from a pile of fire opal¡¯s along with the stone furniture set the room as strut and sturdy and still, yet folded furs covered the harsh rock while the gems ebbed with happy glow. The souls in the opals seemed sated, like pets in their master¡¯s home. Even Deluge accepted their treatment, despite his aversion towards soulforging.


    Deluge even mumbled in my mind, ¡°Those opals...they hold the power of a soul remarkably well. Not as absolutely as alexandrite, but they are suitable enough.¡±


    I grinned as I thought towards him, ¡°You like Solomon as well?¡±


    ¡°Bah. I find him interesting, but other than a mild curiosity, I hold no bond with him.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before Solomon set his shield and sword on table of iron. He did so without any loud banging before he paced over towards the pile of fire opals and cupped them with his hands. Walking over towards us, he said, ¡°I have no torches in my home, but these should suffice for any lighting you may need.¡±


    Sophia leaned back as she said, ¡°You¡¯re letting us borrow these?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°These are fire opals. They¡¯re over 500 gold pieces per gem.¡±


    Solomon pushed his hands towards us as he said, ¡°And they give off a wondrous light. I insist each of you use one or two for your rooms. They help keep you warm even when you¡¯re around these cold walls.¡±


    Joan jumped from his shoulder before taking an opal in each of her hands as she said, ¡°My father always told me, ¡®Those who give unto others receive salvation.¡¯ And it¡¯s rude to deny gifts anyway.¡±


    I grabbed two of the gems before Solomon pushed his hands over towards Sophia, Solomon¡¯s fingers as large as a hammer¡¯s handle. Sophia pursed her lips as she took one before Solomon laid them back on the table behind him. He walked into his kitchen as he said,


    ¡°No doubt it¡¯s been a time since any of you have ate. You must be hungry. I¡¯ll fix you something.¡±


    Despite my lack of hunger, Joan and Sophia¡¯s eyes popped open as they heard his offer. I relented before I walked over towards him and said, ¡°Would you mind any help?¡±


    He pointed towards a pile of fruit as he said, ¡°Of course not! In fact, that pile of fruit needs to be strained for its juice. I have a juicer somewhere in here.¡±


    I looked through a couple wooden cabinets before finding a steel bowl. I squeezed the fruit over it in my hands, crushing the seed as the skin split before swallowing whole the fibrous lump leftover. After I did so, Solomon said,


    ¡°I can tell you roughed it on your way here. If it doesn''t bother your companions, I don¡¯t mind you doing it that way.¡±


    Sophia replied, ¡°Eh, he¡¯s been pretty gross since day one, so it¡¯s nothing new.¡±


    Solomon laughed as he said, ¡°Your companions think highly of you, aye Jericho?¡±


    I grinned as I replied, ¡°As highly as I think of them.¡±


    Deluge thought towards me, ¡°Well put.¡±


    Sophia leaned over a stone chair as she said, ¡°Eh, I had that one coming.¡±


    Joan explored the room with sly steps before she said, ¡°It¡¯s hard to outwit Ja-ericho.¡±


    Solomon took two rubies and placed them in a pot of water before slicing vegetables as he said, ¡°Really now? It took me centuries before I found any way with words. I made more enemies than I¡¯d want to admit when I was learning.¡±


    Joan leaned onto a counter as she said, ¡°Would you mention any names?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm, I remember squabbling with Meltanir III many times.¡±


    Sophia leaned her chest onto the top of the chair as she said, ¡°The Meltanir who allied himself with the Geshians?¡±


    ¡°The one and only. That was my suggestion by the way. He wanted to just smash everything using a golem army. I told him that was a hive he¡¯d best leave alone. No country has fought with golems yet. They make mincemeat of normal soldiers, and they¡¯d trivialize the role of infantry, but more importantly, they¡¯d put to much power in the empire¡¯s hands.¡±


    I asked, ¡°Done with the juicing. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯ll be using some salted meat for that stew of yours?¡±


    Solomon turned towards me and said, ¡°Ah yes. Of course. We use sapphires as our preservative here. Keep¡¯s the rot away with cool. Quite a nifty thing. There in the wooden box at your side.¡±


    As I found and began pulling the meat from the bones, Sophia said, ¡°What did you mean earlier when you said put too much power into the empire¡¯s hands?¡±


    Solomon responded, ¡°If they controlled an army of golems, then no number of civilians could stand against them. Even the most foolish mandate could be enforced. They could oppress the people without any hope of resistance. That frightens me more than a single demon like the Darkened One.¡±


    Sophia chimed, ¡°But didn¡¯t the oracle say that the Darkened One would usher forth a millenia of darkness or something like that?¡±


    With his words oozing a grim calm, Solomon said, ¡°Tell me though, child, did she ever specify how?¡±


    Sophia said, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She never said that the demon would cast this world into darkness with his own hands. He could cause it indirectly. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard of what the palisade is planning.¡±


    My chest tightened while my breath grew ragged as he continued, ¡°They¡¯re doing things never done. They¡¯ve broken into the forbidden archives. I¡¯ve seen pieces of what they¡¯re doing, and I¡¯ve heard worse still.¡±


    Ice injected into his voice as he said, ¡°The twisted shadows and apparitions of people reside in their labs. They¡¯re breaking every holy tenant in their crusade, just like during the Rot of Death. It eats at me. I¡¯ve never seen them so up in arms.¡±


    He placed his hands on his stone counter top with a dull thud sounding before he said, ¡°The darkness won¡¯t come from the Darkened One. The darkness will come from trying to stop him.¡±


    Noticing the shift in ambience, Solomon turned towards us as he said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Excuse my outburst. It¡¯s just...I can¡¯t stand watching the palisade corrupt themselves in the pursuit of purity.¡±


    I snarled, my teeth showing sharp and white as I stared at the wall and said, ¡°It¡¯s a twisted sort of irony, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Solomon walked over towards me before setting a hand on my shoulder as he said, ¡°I understand your pain, but we must keep faith in the church. They returned from their misdealings with the plague, they¡¯ll return from this one as well.¡±


    My voice resonated through the room as I turned towards him and said,


    ¡°Some doors are better left unopened, but that omen isn¡¯t what haunts me. No. What makes my teeth chatter and my hands tremble is the revelation that some doors may never be closed.¡±


    Solomon stepped back as he lifted his hand from me, but he regained his composure as he spread out his arms and said, ¡°You think too darkly for someone so young.¡± He pointed at the bowl underneath me and said, ¡°Focus on what can be done now. You put all the meat in the juice you just squeezed.¡±


    A flush crept up my face as Solomon laughed and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry yourself too much. Fruit and meat are actually the cheapest things here in Nelastra. They¡¯re the easiest things that the tribes can harvest.¡±


    I nodded before I grabbed the bowl and drank contents by waterfalling the mixture into my mouth, meat and all. It was the strangest mouthful I¡¯ve ever swallowed. It tasted like frozen fire with liquid smoke. Delicious. After gulping it down, Solomon said, ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the appetite then?¡±


    Grabbing the bowl, I began squeezing the rest of the fruits as I said, ¡°Quite, though this fruit burns like an inferno while being so cold.¡±


    Solomon nodded before saying, ¡°Ah, you must have grabbed a few peppers along with the barii fruit. It keeps a chilled temperature, especially as it ages, and I had a few spicy peppers on the counter. The smoked meat must have been a surprise in all that.¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°It¡¯s marvelous.¡±


    Solomon tapped the edge of his helmet as he said, ¡°I believe I asked for those peppers for crafting a spray against beasts. They were the spiciest in the whole region of Velltuah. You haven¡¯t even flinched, let alone cry out in pain.¡±


    After moving the bowl aside, I grabbed another hunk of meat from storage along with a different bowl before I said, ¡°It scorches a tongue like boiling water, but compared to some torments, that is nothing.¡±


    He nodded before saying, ¡°You speak like an immortal before becoming one. It¡¯s a strange thing.¡±


    Joan walked beside me before she said, ¡°He¡¯s tough as tough as hunk of iron, and more stubborn too, especially when it counts.¡±


    I turned towards her as I said, ¡°Depends on what we¡¯re counting.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s count the number of times you¡¯ve broken a brick with your forehead.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°What?¡±


    Sophia inspected one of her fire opals as she said, ¡°It¡¯s something old people say when you do something in simple and blunt manner. Often times used in demeaning sort of way.¡±


    I frowned as I turned towards Joan and said, ¡°Ah, of course. Please, do continue.¡±


    She beamed brightly as she said, ¡°But of course.¡± She counted on her fingers as she said, ¡°I remember using all kinds of techniques on you when we first fought. You just took all the heat before hitting me once and winning. Ther¡¯s number one.¡±


    She raised another finger as she said, ¡°I do recall you beating a golem with your bare hands to save Sophia, right? She said you couldn¡¯t dodge what it did, so you just beat it with your bare fists.¡±


    She raised another two fingers as Sophia said, ¡°And the golems in town and the dragon. He just beat those up the same way.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as I said, ¡°Alright then, what about when I play music? That¡¯s not the most brutal of displays.¡±


    With an impish grin, Joan looked up at me as she said, ¡°I actually recall you threatening some people by snapping their violin.¡±


    Sophia shook her head as she said, ¡°Tsk, tsk. You¡¯ve got quite the checkered past. I thought more of you yenno.¡±


    I suppressed a snicker at their teasing as I said, ¡°Yes, Saint Jericho, the Brute of Bastion.¡±


    With sarcasm dripping from her voice, Sophia said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that too loudly, the name might stick for more reasons than one.¡±


    Solomon burst into laughter as he and I chuckled at their witty words. The chatter continued, clear as glass and light as air. After Solomon and I prepared the stew, we ate a late lunch before settling into our rooms. The process proved short since we owned very little, besides Sophia.


    Our lack of ownership disturbed Solomon. He took the absence of possessions as a sign of our piety, as if we neglected the material in favor of some holy mission. We just played along with his story. It¡¯d be a simpler solution than explaining ourselves.


    He showed us around Nelastra, at least the parts near the palace. Dozens of chapels littered the scenery, each of them devoting themselves to some saint. After asking Solomon, he explained how every Saint received their own chapel, including me.


    The chapels were mundane compared to the mansions circling beneath them. The tiered layout of Nelastra gave the perfect viewpoint for seeing their splendour, and we took full advantage of the opportunity. Joan oohed and ahed while Sophia scribbled notes like some sort of scribe.


    The walk gave my mind time to wonder. Aether and Razor dug another tunnel beneath the forest floor, but considering how demonic the insects are outside, the barrier would extend through the ground as well. When I asked Solomon about the barrier¡¯s power source, he mentioned an obvious answer- the Remnants of Gaia.


    One maintained the shape of the barrier while another gave it an electric field over the surface, like lightning spawned in every panel. It prevented the energy from radiating inside as well, so the citizens lived here while the denizens outside faced the fallout. They¡¯d exiled groups of criminals all throughout the lifetime of Nelastra, and after many decades, tribes formed from these broken people.


    Of course, they lost much of their sanity surviving the forest, and the force field''s radiation corrupted their bodies. Though many retained much of their humanity, others stumbled around, their minds regressing over time. Their dark history held an equally bleak future.


    None of these tribes were allowed even a meager modicum of Nelastra¡¯s vast resources. They needed no slaves due to the golems. Genius¡¯s from across Alta gathered here like flies on a corpse, so they needed no educational system here for the young. Everyone within the city was rich, and the apparent filth that gathered outside was worthless.


    They faced a severe and rigid segregation, and no matter the tribe¡¯s achievements, they¡¯d be dependent on the city¡¯s supplies, like an addict needing its next fix. Solving their circumstances would be far more difficult than with the slaves of Nern as well. The slaves were regarded as human, though not always treated as one. These tribesmen, they tolerated a soul shattering prejudice not based on a brand on their forehead, but based on their blood and bones and skin.


    I couldn¡¯t change the status of these indigenous people because they had none. The city viewed them as a necessary evil, not as a resource. They faced further hardship as well, but I¡¯ll speak of that later.


    Solomon spoke of them with sadness in his voice. He¡¯d lived through the entirety of their struggle, and when we asked him about it, he said, ¡°Nelastra lives and breaths on the forgotten tribe¡¯s back. One day, that back may break.¡±


    Solomon excelled in foresight. More so than he or I understood, but after living so long, anyone would see patterns. He happened to see them with a clear clarity and open eyes.


    The only issue that popped up when he discussed two meetings I had tommorrow. Since saints were a rare resource, the church and Bastion had stringent requirements on their responsibilities. One was a required meeting with the real king. I didn¡¯t think much of the meeting with the man. Albas seemed small minded while owning an ego brittle as chalk, and from what Solomon said, I expected a kind yet spineless king.


    On the other hand, my other meeting would be difficult, though in only one notable aspect. It required quelling a flood of fury. It required eating an anger seeped in the blood of family and soaked in the tides of time. I would be meeting the bishop known as Abraham Misus. The head of the palisade.

 22 Finding Evil

    22 Finding Evil


    <hr>


    Bethen Burk, Grand Torturer of Palisade -Pain is primal, and often times, pulling out someone''s nail isn''t nearly as crippling as covering them in ants. Once they crawl into your lungs, you''ll talk. They always do.


    <hr>


    If Solomon hadn¡¯t warned us, Deluge and I would have crushed Abraham¡¯s skull in our hands as if smashing a nut with an anvil. We¡¯d have relished as his brain squeezed out from between our fingers, but that¡¯s the monster in me speaking.


    After gathering all this information, the sun settles in the horizon, so we all returned to Solomon¡¯s quaint home. Within seconds after a divine dinner, Solomon slept in his room, snoring loud enough that his doorway rumbled. Joan and I entertained one another in the my room which hugged towards a corner of the house.


    After the fun, we slept together before Deluge explored the city.


    So I did, yet midnight hid more than few eyes waiting in the dark. After escaping the grasp of that insufferable woman, I skulked out towards the den, finding Sophia hunched over a table of stone as she researched the Donovan¡¯s runes.


    As I passed by, I said, ¡°Avoid creating an abomination while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    She replied without glancing up, ¡°Try being less of one when you get back.¡±


    I grinned as I closed the door before burrowing under the wall guarding the palace. I hid in alleyways with a hood of hydra skin over my head as I saw the city. The Torches, lit with gemstones and souls, covered every corner. Much like Mareovosa, Plants of all sizes glowed and glimmered in the night. At one point, I viewed the city from atop a wall. Even I must admit, the strong stone and well cut wood of the housing meshed with the light in a sublime sight.


    Like the memories of Jack¡¯s mother, the city''s aura melded into a fiery melody. Relentless and powerful, the bold sights crashed into the senses, overwhelming the quiet calm of night. Delicious as human flesh, I chomped and chewed into the sight with a ravenous hunger. By the time I walked through the entrance of Nelastra, I found myself sated and satisfied on the visual splendor.


    But beauty can sustain for only so long, so after reaching outside the barrier, I maimed and devoured a horde of creatures before meeting with Aether and Razor under the outer wall. We hid under the first, just as before, though Razor fought of the mandibles and arms of many more insects than at Nern.


    As I dug under the dirt towards the dim glow of the Alexandrite underneath, Aether¡¯s muffled voice leaked past the ground,


    ¡°You may sleep now. I will let you do so.¡±


    A loud popping sound echoed in the tiny opening before Razor snapped, ¡°No, I may not. You¡¯re ok with insects sucking on you. I can¡¯t stand it. They¡¯re filthy and vile and disturbing.¡±


    I crashed through the ceiling as I said, ¡°Try consuming a maggot or two. Their sweet and savoury, unlike the bitter decay of cockroaches.¡±


    Razor smashed a centipede before saying, ¡°Must we stay here for long? I¡¯m already at my wit¡¯s end.¡±


    A wolfish smile fell on my face as I said, ¡°I¡¯m sure if you moved around more, they¡¯d be less inclined on trying eating you.¡±


    A worm ripped out of the dirt behind me before grabbed the mushy specimen and sucked out its insides. After I finished, Razor leaned on a hand as she said, ¡°I can¡¯t understand you, Deluge. You just...that was disgusting.¡±


    I shrugged before saying, ¡°It tasted like a blended mixture of meat and dirt. I¡¯ve tasted worse.¡±


    Aether leaned against the wall as he said, ¡°Now that we are here, what are our plans?¡±


    I glanced his way before I said, ¡°Get the remnants then leave, though we must find them first.¡±


    Razor floated towards me before she said, ¡°Any details so far?¡±


    With roots hanging from the roof, I leaned against a wall of the cavern before I said, ¡°First we should find some means of entering through the barrier. I doubt crashing through it is an option, and they city has the resources needed for killing someone of Razor¡¯s strength if you try barging through the entrance. I doubt they could scratch Aether, but he won¡¯t kill anyone either.¡±


    Aether placed a palm on the side of the wall towards the city as he said, ¡°We could try finding an entrance beneath the city. They need air and water in there, like all living things.¡±


    I squinted my eyes before nodding slowly as I said, ¡°Of course. There must be an underground river or spring that feed the city its water. At one point, I neared the barrier. Air seeps in slowly.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Razor nodded before saying, ¡°I can do the digging. Aether¡¯s a tad heavy and clumsy for this task.¡±


    Aether nodded as he said, ¡°Yes I am.¡±


    I chuckled before saying, ¡°Well, since you¡¯ve nothing else to whittle your time away with, what about mining for alexandrite? It may prove useful if we must store souls later, and it''s something for you to spend your time on.¡±


    Aether nodded before saying, ¡°It is better than just idling here as I stare at this wall.¡±


    I nodded before Razor said, ¡°Sometimes it¡¯s obvious that you were a tree.¡±


    Aether turned towards her as he said, ¡°I cannot be something I¡¯m not.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°Do elaborate.¡±


    ¡°I am the soul of a tree given a mind. This body, this strength, everything is so unusual.¡±


    Razor floated over towards him as she said, ¡°But you¡¯ve grown rather adept at handling your body. You haven¡¯t broken anything since our journey even. Deluge struggles more than you.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°I agree.¡±


    Aether glanced down as he said, ¡°I move with the least amount of strength possible, that is all. The precision of carving comes not from control, but from ease. It is like moving through water that stays frozen after you leave it.¡±


    I walked over and crushed a beetle crawling on his back before eating its remains from my hand. Afterwards, I said, ¡°I know you¡¯ve lost much since turning into a golem, but do try to appreciate what you¡¯ve gained.¡±


    I slid my hand across Aether¡¯s back, scooping of the beetle¡¯s insides from him as I said, ¡°Think of Jack for a moment. He had to deal with my own influences. He was terrified at first, but he eventually grew tired of being afraid. You too will grow tired of being morose.¡±


    Aether glanced at the ceiling before he said, ¡°I may need centuries before I move on. Tree¡¯s move slower than creatures blessed with movement.¡±


    Razor leaned on his back as her legs swam in the air as she said, ¡°But you move faster than any of us now.¡±


    I added, ¡°It is fine to grieve, but grieve for others, not for yourself. It is sad and shameful.¡±


    Aether nodded before standing as he said, ¡°You are quite blunt Deluge.¡±


    Razor floated over before saying, ¡°Blunt as a boulder.¡±


    I shrugged before I said, ¡°And you are denser than lead, Aether. If I told you in less caustic terms, you¡¯d never understand.¡±


    He nodded before staring at me for a moment, his purple eyes complimenting the blue glow of his runes. The crags and metallic spines on his back added an ominous air to the gentle golem as he said, ¡°You are right. I doubt I will ever understand what to with myself or how to feel, but I know what I want. I wish for Sophia¡¯s safety and success, and I want to stop any other living creature from being forced into a cold, lifeless shell.¡±


    Since his first outburst at the memory of the magician who trapped him, an inkling of anger seeps into his voice as he says, ¡°It makes me wonder, why did you and Sophia enforce soulforging in Nern?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°Jack despised the concept of slavery, so he used the superior modelling of the Donovan¡¯s golems for eliminating the practice.¡±


    Razor inched back from Aether, her hands and tail shaking as he stepped towards me and said, ¡°Tell me, is slavery worse than being trapped in immortal bondage?¡±


    Without backing away, I said, ¡°That is only you, friend. The other golems slowly radiate back into the earth. Your alexandrite holds without any imperfection, so you will be trapped forever.¡±


    Aether clenched his hand, booming a wave of wind that blew my hair back before he leaned over me and said, ¡°For the first time, I am angry at you.¡±


    Razor squirmed in discomfort as I said, ¡°Good. I prefer harsh acrimony over self pity. You feel that desire in your chest? Control it. Mold it into something with meaning.¡±


    I tap the multi-faceted gem of alexandrite implanted into his chest as I said, ¡°I could care less what drives you, but watching you slump over in self sympathy, it disgusts me.¡±


    In a motion faster than my eyes could see, Aether backhanded my face, but the blow ripped my neck from body. A small slither of skin held my head as my heart pumped blood from my rended veins. Grabbing my hanging head, I pushed my skull back onto my shoulders as I said,


    ¡°You know, Sophia dealt with the same trials as you.¡±


    Razor writhed besides the cavern¡¯s edge as Aether steamed, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    My wound regenerates as I said, ¡°She lives in another body besides her own. Her soul was moved into a baby¡¯s after she shattered her spine. Do you see her staring at walls, recollecting her past tragedies?¡±


    Aether stepped back before I said, ¡°No, you do not. She stands against her fate. She is powerless and feeble and inept, yet she stands tall. She overcame her suffering. She strangled her agony.¡±


    Like acid melting a man¡¯s face, my words corroded the air as I said, ¡°You are powerful, irrepressible even, yet you do nothing. Sophia holds only the might of her mind, yet she pushes her limits. From what I¡¯ve seen, you have no limits, but they are something we will never see, will we? You will just stay comfortable, doing as little as possible despite your limitless potential.¡±


    Aether¡¯s hand loosened before I turned back towards the entrance I carved in the cavern. Turning my eyes back towards Razor, I said, ¡°Excuse my harsh language, would you? ¡±


    Her sleek hand twitched before I left them both in silence. I am not one for patience nor subtlety. I am brutal and brusque and carnal, but anyone I speak with will not hear the blighted muffling of a mask. They will hear Deluge. They will hear me.


    Jack chided me once he awakened after I explained the events, but I doubted Jack¡¯s preceding apology would dry out the seeds I¡¯ve planted in Aether¡¯s mind. I believed that Aether¡¯s sadness generated from his lack of purpose. He held all this potential in his hands, but by never using that latent power, he eventually dreaded life. He drifted through his existence. I wanted my antagonization to become a catalyst for his growth.


    In the end, it did.

 23 Tribal

    23 Tribal


    <hr>


    Meok Altuza, Champion of Shelsinging- A shelsing will tear you in two faster than you can think. I remember one that got a hold of my wife. Poor thing. She was destroyed. The Shelsing that is.


    <hr>


    After leaving Aether and Razor to their devices, I explored the tribes surrounding Nelastra. The origin of the tribe¡¯s alterations peaked my curiosity, so I darted and dove through the trees as I spied on them.


    Within seconds, they discovered my presence, despite the late hour. I learned that none of the forgotten tribes sleep. Not a single soul. Noting this, I gazed at a strong, young male who stood with glowing skin. Though tall, he stood shorter than I, and the thickness of his brow gave him appearance similar to what Jack called a monkey.


    Of course, the keen intellect of his eyes as he followed my shadow showed a different mindset than his appearance would dictate. He and another, shorter males stared with ire and intent as they brandished spears with blocks of black glass at their ends.


    Their makeshift huts stood behind them, vines holding the constructs up. Roots bored into these rooms, and eyes full of fear glanced through the cracks and crevices of these huts. Fireflies darted over them in swarms, lighting the entire village in a yellow light. Thin and gangly, these warriors stood underneath me as if awaiting their death. If the wolfs of before had come here, they¡¯d slaughter the entire village with ease. These people, they lived with dread at every shadow. They lived in constant terror.


    Their instincts were good, however. Finding me as I hide is something few have done and even fewer have stood with their chest out as I approached. They¡¯d already earned my admiration, like a puppy barking to protect its master from a bull.


    So after pushing several branches out of the way, I lept from the tree. Wind rushed across my face before my heels pierced through several inches of roots as I landed. The rumbling made men¡¯s jaws set with despair, but after I stood, I opened my arms and said,


    ¡°I mean no harm here. I am simply a new saint who wishes to see the plight of your people.¡±


    The younger man raised his eyebrows before the older one said with a grating, slow voice,


    ¡°We...do not...trust outsider.¡±


    I nodded before stepping towards them and saying, ¡°I am no outsider, you see.¡±


    They squinted towards me before I snapped a set of claws from my fingertips as I flicked my wrist. The gray talons reflected the lemon shade of the fireflies as I continued, ¡°I¡¯m rather mutated myself, perhaps more so than yourselves.¡±


    They lowered their spears as the older of the two said, ¡°Are you from Beniiagani tribe?¡±


    I shook my head as I retracted my claws and said, ¡°No. I am from Nelastra. The city within that gargantuan sphere.¡±


    They turned towards one another before got onto their knees and said, ¡°Please forgive. We meant no harm. We did not know. Please forgive.¡±


    I paced over as I said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling rather low on mercy, but I may forgive you, if you disclose a few details about your and the surrounding tribes.¡±


    The older of the two stared up and said, ¡°A realm walker wants knowledge of us? Why?¡±


    I squatted down while resting my elbows on my knees as I said, ¡°Because those who crawl on the bottom see the gritty details of those who live above them.¡±


    The man nodded before I said, ¡°Would you mind standing? I prefer speaking with people at eye level. The back of my neck grows tired from looking down, you see.¡±


    They both nodded with vigor before they stood, their movements rushed and clumsy before the younger one grabbed his older brother''s arm and said, ¡°We should not tell him. We should let elder.¡±


    The older brother nodded before turning towards me and saying, ¡°Follow us. We show you elder.¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°Then show him to me.¡±


    We walked through their shantytown of a village, the other members hiding their dismay behind the trunks of trees or the thin windows in their housing. After reaching a hut ever so slightly larger than the others, I said,


    ¡°My weight will break the wooden stairs. Bring him outside.¡±


    The younger one said, ¡°Ok, we will.¡±


    After waiting outside, they bring a women with strings of gray lining in her hair, not even old by a city''s standards. Her hunched back displayed the calcified vertebrae of her spine, and the dozens of scars on her hands and arms showed a lifetime of fighting. Her strong stare impressed me, along with the rippling muscles of her arms.


    She walked towards me with her arms crossed behind me before she said, ¡°What does a realm walker want with our village? We already shipped a week''s worth of fireshade.¡±


    I glanced down at her and said, ¡°I want you to answer a few questions.¡±


    Her lips thinned into a white line before she said, ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Like has any of your members went missing recently?¡±


    ¡°People die all the time here in the village. That is nothing unusual.¡±


    A sly smile slid onto my lips as I said, ¡°Ah, but I¡¯m wondering about the nature of their deaths.¡±


    Her brow wrinkled as I said, ¡°You see, I¡¯ve come across an awareness of a few unsavory individuals. They have a penchant for running experiments on things, particularly people. Know I am no expert in the ways your villagers die, but I can make a few presumptions.¡±


    I gestured a hand outwards as I said, ¡°Sickness, during hunts, perhaps in skirmishes with other tribes, but to just disappear? That kind of ending should stick out among all the others. Tell me, has the rate of disappearances increased over the last several months, if not dramatically so?¡±


    Her voice and hands hardened as she said, ¡°How do you know of that?¡±


    I leaned towards her as I said, ¡°My own enemies have need for able minded bodies, if not an unquenchable thirst. They view you all as sub human, so they aim for catching your kind. If you¡¯d like, I can help you, for a favor.¡±


    In an instant, her eyes softened as they opened wider and the lines on her face smoothed as she said, ¡°You, you will help us?¡±


    I shook my head as I said, ¡°Hah, help? I do not give out my assistance without due payment, but I offer you something in return for your help.¡±


    She blinked before saying with a mindful hope in her tone, ¡°What is it then? We can offer as much fireshade as you want.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before I said, ¡°No, I require none of that. I want an exchange. You¡¯re knowledge for my own. I will tell you how to prevent anymore disappearances, and you will tell me about your and the surrounding villages.¡±


    She glanced towards the two tribesmen before turning towards me and saying, ¡°That¡¯s all?¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°Of course. Do you accept?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. Please tell us how to stop them.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure.¡±


    And so she and I discussed many things. She told me of how her tribe harvested the fireflies for fireshade, and the nobles of Nelastra would buy the glowing liquid and feed it to plants. After several months of doing so, the plants would glow different shades based on their the color of the fireshade fed to them. This tribe supplied the plant aura¡¯s that bathed Mareovosa and Nelastra in a lambent light.


    Other tribes supplied many of the organic commodities other cities used everyday. One tribe supplied furs from beasts, like the six-legged fassar or the vicious white wolfs I saw earlier. Other¡¯s slaid large lizards before selling their scaled skin for use in armors and potions. Each village had their specialty, and these specialties determined their status.


    The fire shades, this elder¡¯s village, held an upper tier in the indigenous echelon. Despite their obvious poverty, they still held their heads high since they stood above many others. That ranking seemed like the controlling mechanism that Nelastra used for suppressing the villagers. The tribes spent a mountain of resources and time fighting for rank, so they never even considered rebelling against their overlords. They were to busy scrambling for scraps to even consider upheaval.


    Hundreds of tribesman had been disappearing from other clans as well. I already understood who wanted these bodies and why they wanted them. The palisade needed subject of study. Who better than the mindless savages surrounding them?


    The same savages who spoke of their missing members with tears in their eyes and hot coals in their throats. Though these primitive people lacked education and food and safety, they kept the core of their humanity in tact. In many ways, they lived with greater dignity than the blind nobles who stomped on them. The nobles ignored these souls, numb to their suffering, blind to their affliction.


    It disturbed me, but a simple solution would solve their woes. I told them of the signs of gemchaining. Blurred air, the ripping of metal and the ripples of light and sound. If the villagers could run and hide until the chainers ran out charges, then the superior physiques of the tribesman would win over the equipment of the palisade. The palisade also aimed for young men and women, not the sick or elderly. They needed solid, secure shells for their tests.


    These facts proved invaluable in their defense. These people viewed chainers as gods of the elements and as masters of metal. Instead of fighting or escaping, they prostrated themselves before these figures, hoping for mercy. They would find none, then be captured and given a fate worse than death.


    Having helped them, I weakened the palisades progression while gaining a better understanding of Nelastra¡¯s condition. Though I enjoyed a good fight at times, I¡¯d rather not fight anymore malshapened mutants than necessary. I¡¯m sure you could relate.


    After informing the tribe¡¯s of their enemy¡¯s tactics, I went back towards Nelastra, my footsteps light and lithe as I shifted between branches in the canopy. Right as I neared the barrier, I leapt toward the ground before a set of runes appeared beneath me.


    The trap sprung, nimble and numbing as roots clamped around my legs and arms. As if coiled by wooden snake, I waited for whoever devised this contraption. At that moment, a man in a metal mask slithered from the shadows, his form flickering.


    As he approached, he walked within two feet of me as he said in a muffled voice, ¡°You...You¡¯re not a tribesman.¡±


    A sinister smile snapped onto my face as I bared my teeth and said, ¡°And you¡¯re already dead.¡±


    At my last word, the skin covering my collarbone and neck ruptured as an arm ripped out. The bloody limb latched onto the man¡¯s mouth faster than a viper¡¯s strike. The man glanced at me, unable to speak before another arm ripped from my neck as I said,


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we use you for an experiment as well? I¡¯m sure you already had some torture lined up for the poor soul trapped within the vines.¡±


    His skin paled as the extra arm gripped behind his head. Using two fingers, I forced open his jaw as my fingers grew down his throat. The tubes of tissue ceased his screams, allowing only a panicked muffling as they pierced into his organs. As his eyes darted around, I said,


    ¡°An insect near here inspired a question you see. Why should I attack an enemy¡¯s outside when their insides are so vulnerable?¡±


    The arm slid down throat as I continued, ¡°Injecting just a portion of my mass would leave you helpless against me, and this death is far more fitting than just ripping you apart.¡±


    Pulling his head towards me, my arm slid deeper into his chest as he filled and convulsed and bulged. His jaw broke as I said, ¡°Do you feel defiled? Do you feel tainted? So did Petra whenever you deformed her. So did Joan.¡±


    Right as his asphyxiation ended, I squashed his skull like smashing a banana in my hands, his insides squishing between my fingers. His insides liquefied as I infused a stream of acid before draining his pulped insides. Like a spider sucking the insides out of a fly, the man emptied until a flap of his skin remained as I consolidated his soul.


    The roots crushing against my chest proved tough as titanium and as pliable as putty, so I squeezed out of the trap before returning back into my normal form. Feeling full, I cleaned my exterior before returning back into the gate of Nelastra. The rest of that night passed quickly as I researched with Sophia at Solomon¡¯s place.


    Though we didn¡¯t enjoy one another¡¯s company, a begrudging respect had formed long ago, so we silently studied. There are times for talking. That was a time for taciturn work. We needed golems of greater efficiency not just for our own ends, but for Aether as well. If we understood them well enough, then perhaps we would have the capacity for restoring Aether¡¯s senses.


    With these far off goals in mind, we dived into our work with vigor. Before I either of us realized, Solomon¡¯s snoring ceased. She and I debated over the practical applications of a unique material construction as Solomon stepped out from his room with his armor already on. He glanced over towards us as he said with his booming voice,


    ¡°Did either of you sleep? It¡¯s the break of dawn.¡±


    Sophia and I froze before I we turned towards him. A tension cropped up in the room as Sophia and I realized how precarious our position was. If I spoke, Solomon would know I was someone else besides the Jericho he knew. On the other hand, Sophia was an atrocious liar. She could squeeze blood from a stone with the will of her mind, yet she couldn¡¯t tell a fib to one. She needed time and preparation for lies, otherwise she fell flat.


    So we stood there for a silence that scorched like molten metal and ached like stepping on stone. Right as we reached the edge of Solomon¡¯s patience, Joan opened her door before yawning as she stretched. We glanced towards her before she walked over and said,


    ¡°It¡¯s rare I wake up without a kiss.¡±


    Solomon turned towards her and said, ¡°Would you have guessed it, these two were hunched over a paper like scribes whenever I awoke. What do you make of it?¡±


    She shrugged as she said, ¡°Eh, Sophia always said she worked better in the morning and when she has someone to bounce ideas off of. I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s what they''re doing.¡±


    Sophia snapped, ¡°That''s exactly it. You know me so well.¡±


    Sophia cringed at her fumbling words, but Joan caught them and propped them back up as she said, ¡°Well duh. We¡¯ve known each other for years now.¡±


    A blush beamed onto Sophia''s face before Joan jumped towards her and hugged her as she giggled. With a begrudging grin on Sophia¡¯s lips, Joan said, ¡°Dahhh. You¡¯re just adorable when you¡¯re embarrassed.¡±


    Solomon placed an armored hand on my back before he said, ¡°It¡¯s wonderful to see such heartfelt friendship. It makes me feel so young again.¡±


    I nodded without saying a word. I respected Solomon¡¯s intelligence. Jack and I are different enough that he¡¯d have noticed after a couple words. With that in mind, I said,


    ¡°I forgot an item in my room. I will be back momentarily.¡±


    Solomon replied, ¡°I¡¯ll get breakfast ready. I always start my day off with something I love, and the most convenient thing for it just so happens to be food.¡±


    I motioned my hair back as I said, ¡°Considering your size, it¡¯s no surprise.¡±


    He nodded before slapping my shoulder as he said with a chuckle, ¡°Same for you, Jericho.¡±


    As I walked away, Solomon spoke with Joan, ¡°He¡¯s got a bite in his words, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    Joan replied, ¡°He¡¯s just not a morning person. Just steer clear of him until he really wakes up.¡±


    As I closed the door, their voices muffled and I resolved myself to thank Joan later. She¡¯s as quick with her words as she is on her feet, so despite the sudden surprise, she maneuvered with her usual grace.


    With that situation handled, I waited within the room for Jack¡¯s awakening. I tested and measured the soul keeping abilities of several fire opals before he stirred from his slumber, brimming with energy. At that time, I disclosed with how the events of the night unfolded, but I glossed over the details of the killing. I knew he wouldn¡¯t react well.


    <hr>


    No, Deluge. I wouldn¡¯t. I just don¡¯t understand why you would do that. What meaning is there behind it?


    <hr>


    I needed a test subject for ensuring the technique¡¯s success. It worked well later on, didn¡¯t it?


    <hr>


    I suppose, but you could¡¯ve done so in a more humane manner, though I can¡¯t blame you for your ruthless abandon. They deserved as much after the cruelties they committed. In fact, those precise thoughts stormed and stomped and stabbed into me as I awoke that day.


    After Deluge had informed me of the tribe¡¯s condition, those forgotten feelings flared before I shook the wrath from my shoulders. Now was not the time for a rampage. That carnage would come later, when we needed the remnants.


    With that rude waking, I started the day. That irritation melted as I met Joan and Solomon chattering like old gossips as Solomon cracked eggs over a skillet over a pan with rubies underneath them. As I approached, I said, ¡°Ah, I feel better after collecting my thoughts.¡±


    Joan rolled her eyes before she said with an impish smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you had those.¡±


    Without skipping a beat, I pulled her towards me, my arm around her waist as I said, ¡°I was thinking thoughts of you, and how glad I am to be together.¡±


    The slightest tinge of red appeared on Joan before I she and I locked lips, treasuring the experience. Solomon whistled before saying, ¡°You both are hotter than rubies from the get go. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    I chuckled as Joan reddened further before I said, ¡°Bah, stop teasing us so much Solomon. Love is like well aged wine. You can drink it like cheap ale for only the intoxication and fire in your belly, or you can cherish each and every sip, relishing its flavors.¡±


    Sophia said, ¡°You just sound drunk to me.¡±


    Solomon burst into laughter before he said, ¡°Enough with the metaphors. You have hard day ahead you, Saint Jericho.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Remember the meetings for your responsibilities? I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be trying, to say the least.¡±


    I pursed my lips before I said, ¡°I mean no disrespect for you, but they seem content with your guarding of the palace, which seems like a simple requirement.¡±


    Solomon shook his head before saying, ¡°You¡¯s will be nothing like mine. I¡¯ve been a Saint for hundreds of years, so they let me be. You¡¯re fresh blood so to speak, so they¡¯ll work you to the bone. I know you¡¯re looking forward to it. I did when I first became a saint.¡±


    I frowned before saying, ¡°I became a saint offhand, if that makes sense.¡±


    ¡°What, offhand? How did you manage that?¡±


    Her tone mocking, Joan replied, ¡°He just felt the echoes of the wind pushing him onward into the future.¡±


    This time my skin flushed ever so slightly before I said, ¡°Come now. I just heard Gaia¡¯s voice. I had no choice but to follow the call.¡±


    She nudged my side as she said, ¡°Sounds saintly.¡±


    With a playful sort of sulking, I replied, ¡°You followed me though.¡±


    I released her as she chuckled and said, ¡°Sometimes I think I¡¯m crazier than you for doing so.¡±


    I walked towards her as I said, ¡°I like that kind of crazy.¡±


    Sophia interjected, ¡°And I can only stand your constant flirtation for a few minutes before I¡¯ll go crazy myself.¡±


    Joan and I glowered before she added, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to chide you or anything. It¡¯s just you both go into your own world if you talk to each other for too long. Just try to be more mindful.¡±


    Solomon brushed her off as he said, ¡°Now Sophia, correct me if my old eyes are wrong, but you almost sound jealous.¡±


    Brilliant as a torch surrounded by black, Sophia flushed red as an apple before she snapped like fire, ¡°And you sound blind. They should call you Solomon the sightless.¡±


    We burst into laughter before I supported Sophia¡¯s words, ¡°That was well said.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Solomon added, ¡°You had a bite in your words earlier, but she¡¯s got a stab in hers. It¡¯s refreshing compared with the trite frivolity of normal nobility.¡±


    Sophia scowled as she said, ¡°I like how you don¡¯t take everything someone says so seriously like most older people.¡±


    He pushed eggs onto a plate before dropping salted bacon onto the platter as well, the sizzling scent overtaking all else as he said, ¡°It¡¯s not something spoken about, but the elderly have a way of nagging all the time. I had a phase like that for a few decades, but it eventually passed. Now I realize how little words matter. It¡¯s the feelings behind them that you should pay attention to.¡±


    That friendly conversation continued, and like a bat flying out of hell, the morning passed quicker than I¡¯d like before Solomon and I set out towards the king. This time, I would meet with the real ruler instead of Albus, a fact I appreciated considering Albas''s disdain. We went through an alternate doorway tucked at the side of the monumental doorway this time. I appreciated the subtlety.


    Walking with both our footsteps thumping the ground like two titans, we attracted more than our fair share of attention. Of course everyone knew who Solomon was, and he received a throng of thoughtful compliments and gestures. Due to my gruff, brooding presence, they offered other, less cordial emotions for me. A sneer, a scowl, perhaps even a snarl from some of the unhelmed guards. At the very least, I felt welcome there. That coldness, I¡¯ve come to enjoy it, like the taste of a strong brew. It grows on you, even when you¡¯re unaware of what¡¯s growing.


    The scenery assisted with their obvious disdain. Vases, paintings, and pedestals lined the every hallway. Thoughts raced in my mind such as, ¡°Wow, I really shouldn¡¯t be here,¡¯¡¯ or ¡°Damn that¡¯s expensive.¡± Crude observations can result in apt descriptions. This was one of those times.


    I was a dog covered in mange here. Diseased and mad and malignant, the nobles saw an immortal saint holding a dangerous mercenary with a leash low to the ground. The beauty of this bastion juxtaposed the jeering, highlighting their scorn. Solomon noticed, so he said,


    ¡°Hmmm...I¡¯ve never seen the nobles react so poorly to someone before.¡±


    I glanced at a set of silver doors in front of us as I said, ¡°It¡¯s not unusual. I do give off an unsaintly sort of vibe, so I understand much of their anxiety.¡±


    The bright lights beamed overhead as Solomon said, ¡°I guess the cursed black warrior look has come back to bite you then?¡±


    I grinned as I replied, ¡°Almost as much as they¡¯ve kissed your ass.¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, not even by half, but half of that excess is still quite the sum. Any ideas for why they dislike you so much?¡±


    I place a hand on the silver handle as I slick my hair back and say, ¡°Two reasons, Solomon. For one, I have a knack of being handsome as heaven and divinely dashing. For two, their envy leaks through their eyes.¡±


    Though his helm guarded his eyes, the rolling of his head told of a vast rolling of the eyes, before he and I laughed as I opened the door. As I turned towards the room¡¯s center, eyes like living death stabbed at me. Unlike Albas, this man commanded respect. Upon his throne of steel, he leaned over and carried contempt without the unrighteous ridicule of the others. He relished in his role. He embraced his burden.


    Albas stood beside him while glancing with a decisive dislike in my general vicinity. He hated me, though I never understood why. It caused and created quite a few opportunities for me, however.


    Whenever we walked up, we bowed onto a single knee and sat in silence. With a piercing, powerful tone, the king glanced at Solomon before saying, ¡°Is this Jericho?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±


    ¡°He seems rather...dark.¡±


    Solomon shook his head before saying, ¡°He¡¯s far brighter than many other saints I¡¯ve seen. Despite his hardship, he has retained his humor and brightness, your highness.¡±


    King Gabriel sized me up in seconds before saying, ¡°He seems strong enough, but I doubt he¡¯s very stable.¡±


    I glanced with a grin as I said, ¡°If I may interject, your highness?¡±


    He raised an eyebrow and said, ¡°At your will.¡±


    ¡°I am stable as stone, and strong as steel. I¡¯ve heard the call of Gaia, and as she whispers revelation and rapture in my ear, I will crush calamity and break bane and bone in her name.¡±


    Albas replies, ¡°Oh really now?¡±


    I glanced up at him and said, ¡°Without doubt.¡±


    Albas glanced towards his father as he said, ¡°Why don¡¯t we have him prove his claims?¡±


    The king frowned as he leaned closer to Albas and said, ¡°I¡¯m more surprised with his words then his brawn. He¡¯s read the scripture.¡±


    Albas rolled his eyes before saying, ¡°Well we can¡¯t have a saint weak as paper can we?¡±


    Gabriel pursed his lips as he said, ¡°Quite right. Well then...What was your name?¡±


    Solomon said, ¡°He is Saint Jericho, the juggernaut. At least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    A puff escaped my lips before Solomon nudged me with his plated shoulder. I couldn¡¯t help it. The title seemed so ludicrous, like the daydreams of a child. Albas argued with Gabriel, so they never noticed my slip.


    In a sudden shift of atmosphere, Albas shouted, ¡°Who cares if he talks fancy. I won¡¯t accept some random guy walking in here like he owns the place.¡±


    My insides knotted as I cringed. The true brat broke free from his restraints, and just hearing the temper tantrum hurt worse than a sharp slap to the temple. Solomon laid his head in his hand as Gabriel said,


    ¡°Alright, what about a friendly spar between Solomon and Jericho. If he can last thirty seconds then he should more than fulfill your expectations.¡±


    Albas replied, ¡°That sounds wonderful. Thank you galy.¡±


    Solomon cupped his head in his other hand before I physically winced at the nickname. Solomon spoke of Alba¡¯s spoiling as if it weren¡¯t a glaring issue. It proved as perilous as a plague and bitter as wormwood bark. Begging for release, I said,


    ¡°That sounds...wonderful. Then if that is all, I should go meet the pontifex.¡±


    Gabriel turned towards me and said, ¡°Hold yourself for a moment there, Jericho. I¡¯ve an offer for you, if you¡¯d like to hear it. I believe it will be quite lucrative.¡±


    I tapped my knee as I said, ¡°Ugh, that won¡¯t be necessary.¡±


    Solomon slapped my back as he said, ¡°Of course it won¡¯t be necessary, but Jericho understands your unending generosity, so he pointed that out.¡±


    My jaw gaped in open dismay as I glanced at Solomon, wordless with astonishment. One of my eyes twitched before Gabriel said, ¡°I wish for you to report to me off the workings of the palisade. Though the Darkened One is a looming threat, they¡¯ve started doing things that shouldn¡¯t ever be thought of let alone done.¡±


    A pang of heated hostility altered my expression into a serious one before I said, ¡°Gladly, I accept.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. The spar will take place in the next hour. Be ready by then.¡±


    Solomon stood as he said, ¡°Is that not at least a little ridiculous?¡±


    Albas snapped, ¡°He¡¯s going to be a representative of Gaia. He should be ready for at least that much.¡±


    I stood before saying, ¡°Of course.¡± I turned towards Solomon and said, ¡°Hazing is regular practice, Mine happens to herald a greater hardship than the others. Let it be.¡±


    Solomon sighed before saying, ¡°Then would you prefer an armed spar or unarmed?¡±


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°Bring what you will. I fight unarmed, always.¡±


    Solomon frowned, ¡°You may one day end up with with no arms to fight with if you do so.¡±


    A grim grin grew on me as I said, ¡°What hasn¡¯t killed me has only made me stronger. Besides, you won¡¯t always have a weapon on hand.¡±


    ¡°Neither will you always have hands to fight with.¡±


    I placed a hand on Solomon¡¯s shoulder as I said, ¡°Let me hold my faith in this. Perhaps you will as well after our battle.¡±


    Solomon shrugged as he replied, ¡°You¡¯ve come this far using your own methods. I won¡¯t stop you now, but I worry for the state of your body afterwards.¡±


    Albas laughed as he said, ¡°So you¡¯ll fight him with your hands? What a joyous occasion this will be.¡±


    I turned towards him and replied, ¡°I pray for such an outcome.¡±


    With that, Solomon and I left towards the entrance from where we came. A steely quiet settled between us as we walked, Solomon¡¯s characteristic chattiness having been suppressed. Instead of reveling in the conflict, he moved with heavy, leaden steps as we traveled towards the closest arena near us.


    As we left the palace, we walked for less than five minutes before reaching a set of Academy gates. The name etched on the blackened steel brought back a medley of memories, each of them feeling like a deep cold that seeped into my bones. The icy burn swelled as I read, ¡®Saint Petra¡¯s Academy for Prodigies¡¯. They¡¯d declared her a saint and set up this school in her honor.


    Instead of dissuading the writhing wrath in my chest, the symbol spurred that searing rage. It revitalized the cold anger, melting that arctic ice until that acrimony beat through my veins like molten magma. Before erupting to the surface, Solomon opened the gates as he said,


    ¡°It¡¯s odd that we¡¯ve gained two Saints over the passing of a single year. I knew Petra whenever she was child before her parents were killed by a flesh vipers. That forged her into a person tougher than granite and as hard to hug as thorns. It¡¯s a shame she passed away while fighting the Darkened One.¡±


    I frowned as I swallowed the rampant rage in my chest like bitter medicine as I said, ¡°Did you ever meet any of her family?¡±


    He pursed his lips as he said, ¡°It¡¯s a strange thing, the Huxley family. They remind me of the Donovans with how harsh they are on their youth. They have high expectations, but unlike the Donovans, they only do so to those with talent only. Petra proved more than just talented. She was a complete prodigy. I like the name of this academy. It suits her legacy.¡±


    I grit my teeth before saying, ¡°What happened at Mareovosa?¡±


    Solomon turned towards me before saying, ¡°Did you lose loved ones during that tragedy?¡±


    I nodded before he placed hand on my shoulder as he said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, son. I lost family as well. Two of my grandchildren died there.¡±


    The grinding of my teeth sounded over our thumping steps as Solomon lowered his head and said, ¡°They were Francis and Malakai. Francis had this way of bullying anyone she liked while Malakai could inform you of anything you wanted to know about alchemy.¡±


    I squinted my eyes as I said, ¡°Francis? I think I¡¯ve met her before. Was she pale with orange, fiery hair?¡±


    Solomon turned towards me and said, his voice sad and sullen, ¡°That was probably her. She always pushed herself so hard to live up to my name. She hated living in my shadow. She promised me she would overcome it.¡±


    I nodded as we walked into a familiar sanded pit with pieces of glass melted on the surface. Unlike at Mareovosa, a tent covered overhead. Sapphires cooled this area, just as with the Donovan¡¯s mansion, and several tiers of seats formed around the area. Nelastra bathed in chaining so thoroughly that the practice devolved into sport instead of a means of defense.


    The fact stung like a hornet, but destroying the place would have result in the detonation of several of our plans, so we abstained. Solomon and I warmed up with a series of exercises as crowds poured in, though far fewer would see our fight than the one in Nern.


    Professors, bishops, and nobles lined the benches before Gabriel and Albus arrived as well, each with their own fancy seat especially for them. Of course as royalty they needed everyone to know the fact at all times with their dress, their guards, and their seats. The lavish luxury disgusted me more than I¡¯d like to admit, but I smiled with a pleasant familiarity before turning towards Solomon and shouting,


    ¡°When do we start?¡±


    Solomon glanced towards the arena chief before saying, ¡°I mean, whenever you are prepared...You know it¡¯s fine if you wish to back down. No one will think any less of you if you do so.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before saying, ¡°I would think less of myself, as would the honor of my word.¡±


    Solomon squirmed in his armor before saying, ¡°Alright. Since you decided to fight without weapons, so shall I.¡±


    I nodded before saying towards Albas, ¡°I dedicate this fight in your honor, Albas.¡±


    He brushed his hand as if shooing away a dog as he said, ¡°Do try not to tarnish it, will you?¡±


    I turned towards Solomon as I said, ¡°Then I am ready now.¡±


    Solomon¡¯s shoulders slacked before he sighed and spoke, ¡°...Then we may begin.¡±


    My foot slammed into sand, spraying the grit in all directions with an explosion of force. The cool air rushed across my skin as my heels puffed against the loose rock underneath me before the massive figure of Solomon stood in front of me.


    Unlike a few seconds prior, his gleaming armor altered from a saintly shine to an impenetrable fortress. The horns jutting back from his head proved his prowess, and silver scales on his armor bared against me like an armor of teeth. Instead of bending his knees and preparing for my arrival, he stood tall, towering overhead with an absolute confidence formed from countless victories.


    Instead of fighting a man, I fought against a literal force, a fundamental power of our existence. His steps quaked the earth. The clamping of his hands clapped the air. For a second, I swear his breaths could of created storms that roared in the far reaches of the world. You¡¯d imagine the illusion would wilt my fervor. No, I embraced it.


    My blood beat in my viens, half adrenaline and half fear. My skin screamed and crawled as I neared him, as if hoping for escape, but I put a mentally made wall behind me. There would be no escaping this. I needed every fiber of will and piece of power in me for this. If I fought with a half hearted resolve, Solomon would obliterate me like a tsunami swallowing a beach.


    Whenever I neared him, he threw a slap towards me with his right hand, heavy and hard as a brick across the temple. Instead of dodging, I lifted my left shoulder while pulling and torquing my right arm towards him. His blow slid up my and over my shoulder, scraping my face ever so slightly before I stomped into the ground with both my feet planted as if standing on stone.


    Force fired and fueled and fed up my through my heels then hip then hands until my right fist wobbled as I struggled containing the power behind it. Like two cannonballs colliding, my fist clapped against his silver scaled armor. A sound louder than a mountain splitting shot a wave of wind through the room before the torches blacked out.


    The gems powering the iridescent fires ignited before a second had passed, but the giant dent on the side of Solomon¡¯s armor and his stumbling frame created their own shockwaves before I said, ¡°I¡¯m ready for way, Solomon. Be ready for the same.¡±


    The suffocating silence accentuated the unearthly display of strength. The noble¡¯s jaws gaped open, a few of them drooling. Solomon stood back up before his the indention in his armor inflated back to its previous perfection. He slammed his fists together before saying,


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve faced a youth with something to prove. Show me what you have hidden, Jericho the Juggernaut.¡±


    With a wild and frenetic grin, I lowered myself before I bolted towards him like lightning. As I approached, Solomon stomped the ground, rumbling the ground while shooting sand towards me like an explosion of tiny needles. Instead of rushing through them, I leapt into the air, but Solomon grabbed my foot before slamming me into the sand with a strength overcoming that of Petra.


    My body convulsed as bones broke and skin split. My brain bounced in my skull as my vision fuzzed with disorientation. Solomon slung me overhead, shifting my vision with a rapid change in scenery once more before I collided with sand once more. He did so several times spinning me around and flinging me through the air like a ragdoll.


    Slamming into the marble lining of the arena, the white rock crushed and crumbled as my body sunk into the mineral. Those above me yelped in terror before lowered his hands and said,


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    I gripped my hands into the marble before shooting myself from the makeshift prison as I said, ¡°Never better. Let us continue.¡±


    Solomon laughed before charging towards me. He lacked the lithe agility of Petra or Joan, but even I feared his feet and fists. If not for Deluge¡¯s regeneration, I¡¯d be dead already, but I¡¯d expected as much.


    I¡¯d fought fiercer foes, however. Aether¡¯s endless stamina and utter strength overwhelmed Solomons. Joan¡¯s techniques proved sharper, and Razor¡¯s melding of defense with offense made Solomon¡¯s position seem frail in comparison. He was no unending and supreme power like Aether. He was not a storm of blades like Razor. He was a man, and like all other men, he could bleed. He could break.


    With that resolve, I met his charge with my own as he shot out a palm from over overhead towards my chest. I scooped under the blow before his leg dragged behind him, and in a feat defying his hulking stature, his foot arced over his head. Like a trained dancer, the fluid movement shot down towards my back like a guillotine towards a man¡¯s neck. The elegant appearance of the move contrasted with the devastating impact the blow promised.


    Realizing that earth shattering potential, my feet shifted faster than flight and stable as stumps before I tackled into his other leg and lifted with all my might. Before his heel chopped through my chest, I met my limits before breaking them. Sweat steamed off me as my insides heated from the exertion, and the burst of effort snapped bones in my fingers, yet Solomon went up.


    Like lifting a glacier, my back roared for release. Like moving mountains, my heels howled for freedom. As if wielding the world, a part of my mind moaned at the burden, yet I clobbered the suffering. Trampling my own emotions underfoot, I stampeded through the parts of myself that were weak and weary and exhausted. Like a man, I measured my mettle and mangled my might.


    And so Solomon raised from the ground, turning his blow from a symbol of death into a limp leg. Solomon¡¯s gasped as my knees wobbled before I flung with all the force of my body. Solomon flipped through the air before I blitzed like a bullet towards his head. With a ripping, raging roar, I crushed my fist into the side of his helmet, my arm carrying a deep desperation as it concussed into his head.


    Breaking bones and mushing metal accentuated the deafening boom of the blow. Solomon gyrated with a rapid rotation before slamming into sand, sending a wave of beads in all directions. The ground bounced and waved as it absorbed the impact, and torches wavered before Solomon stood almost immediately before slinging his fist into my stomach.


    Nothing like the slap of before, the punch pounded into my chest, rupturing organs and snapping my spine. Denser than lead and ruthless as death, the punch shot me through the air like a diving eagle. I shot through the tent overhead as I rose into the air, higher and higher still. Searing heat stabbed into my chest as the tiny pieces of friction built on my back.


    As I reached the apex of my height, I stared down at a wondrous view of the surrounding buildings. Blood streaked out of my hands and lips. The rapid rise had pooled plasma into them before bursting my skin. The gargantuan indention in my chest concaved a foot deep, and my flesh split out my back, pink before blood found its way outside yet.


    Before I fell, Deluge began regenerating the wounds levity left me. My steaming insides cooled as the cool air stole my internal heat. My spine snapped into place as my tendons and muscles popped and propped back into place. Little tendrils of meat forced my insides back into me through the hole in my back before I collided with the cobblestone road underneath me.


    Rocks shot in every direction before sat still for a moment as a deafening silence overtook the street. For just a fraction of a moment, I let myself lay down. I savored that second as if drinking ichor and eating ambrosia, and after entertaining that weakness, I quelled and crushed that weakness as I pressed my hand into the red, wet cobble underneath me. As I pushed myself up, the crowd gawked in amazement as if staring at a fallen angel. A sickly, ugly angel.


    Stumbling as I pushed forward, I dragged myself back towards the tent where Solomon laid on his knees with his helmet in his hands. Gabriel screamed as Albas, shouting obscenity after obscenity at the weak willed child. As I walked through the tent''s entrance, I puffed my chest with pride before cracking my neck and rolling my shoulders.


    Gabriel and Albas silenced as I walked up to Solomon and gave him a light, half hearted punch on the shoulder as I said, ¡°Come on big guy. Is that all you got.¡±


    He cupped my hand in both of his as he said, his voice shaking, ¡°I can¡¯t believe you...I didn¡¯t...I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I patted his shoulder, my hand clapping against the metal plate as I said, ¡°Have some faith Solomon. I have my pride as a warrior too yenno.¡±


    A puff escaped his chest before I pulled his knees with a groan as I in a grunt, ¡°I think that¡¯s about it for the spar.¡±


    As he supported himself like a puppet on strings, I turned towards Gabriel and shouted, ¡°Surely that¡¯s enough for you?¡±


    The room stared at Gabriel as he fumbled his words, ¡°What? I mean, yes. Ugh. Yeah.¡±


    Pulling on Solomon, we left the arena as I said, ¡°You seem more shaken up than me. Let¡¯s go see Sophia. She¡¯ll cook you up something to settle you down.¡±


    As we strode off into the streets, golems passed us while tall houses towered overhead. The sun beared down on us with her full strength, and after we walked for several minutes, Solomon said,


    ¡°Please excuse my seriousness during that spar. I unleashed my full power during mere spar with a child. I can¡¯t believe myself.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before I said, ¡°Age does not determine wisdom. Neither does it give you the right to look down on me.¡±


    Solomon said, ¡°No, no. I didn¡¯t mean it like that at all. I meant that I shouldn¡¯t have-¡±


    I put a palm between us as I said, ¡°Ahhhh, but that is how I took it. AS the offended party, I set the terms for forgiveness.¡±


    Solomon lowered his glance towards the street as he said, ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve added insult to your injury. What do you wish for?¡±


    A glowing grin popped onto my face as I said, ¡°I¡¯d like for to stand tall and say with pride, ¡®You pushed me until I approached my limits. It was an excellent fight.¡¯¡±


    Solomon turned towards me and said, ¡°But that is nothing compared with the pain-¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯d like you to act as if we fought as equals instead of treating our exchange as the trouncing of a youth. If you do so, I may give my forgiveness.¡±


    Solomon ceased his walk before he said, ¡°Most would squeeze anything they could from me, yet you just demand my respect. You are an odd saint.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°And you are an odd immortal. You launch me through our arena then act as if you¡¯ve murdered me with just that. I am Jericho the Juggernaut, not Jericho the spineless.¡±


    Solomon nodded before continuing our pace as he said, ¡°We should speak with Gabriel and Albas. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve much to say.¡±


    My frown deepened as I said, ¡°And I doubt they have much I¡¯d like to hear. Let them roast in the fires they started. I¡¯d rather relax and enjoy the rest of my day than deal with them.¡±


    Solomon nodded before saying, ¡°Well, you still have the meeting with the pontifex as well, though I already sent a messenger for postponing the arrangement since I figured you¡¯d want rest after fighting me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, rest. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s how you worded it. I¡¯ll show and shock them all by striding up uninjured.¡±


    Solomon said, ¡°You are covered in your own blood. We should get you cleaned and your wounds doctored.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before we entered an inn, making sure it was comprised of some stone before I washed myself in a bath warmed with rubies. Of course Deluge reabsorbed the blood on my skin without any effort. I had no need for cleaning, then and now due to Deluge¡¯s diligence.


    Besides, my blood was and is dangerous. Deluge uses strange materials in our body, so we radiate an energy that causes the mutation of living flesh. This creates a malignant, life absorbing


    So I completed the cleaning within seconds before I soaked in some water and left. Solomon saw me and said, ¡°That was quick.¡±


    I replied, ¡°We¡¯ve better things to do than wait on my bathing. If you¡¯re ready, then let¡¯s leave.¡±


    Solomon stood as he said, ¡°You sound irritated.¡±


    I smacked my mouth as I said, ¡°The water tasted strange here.¡±


    As we left, solomon explained how the water filtered through a spring at the bottom of the barrier while several saints guarded the gap, preventing the horrors lurking underground from coming inside.


    It explained the artificial taste. No trace minerals or stray bits of wood or algae. Just filtered liquid that Deluge said, ¡®Sat in our stomach for less than a second before entering our blood.¡¯ Ugh. Sometimes his wording made me wince. That was one of those opportune moments.


    Having accomplished the cleanup, Solomon and I tread towards a building that sat at the side of the palace. Embroidered with bloodstones and streaks of red that weaved into complex patterns. I saw these as streaks and splashings of blood. The dome stood with pillars of lead and glass covering its ceiling with the pink glow radiating inside. I saw the pink of fresh wounds and new tortures. Smooth pieces of alabaster lined the doorway and doorknob, creating a solid, sturdy entrance. I saw bones and the leftovers of plagues.


    This was the home of the palisade. I resolved myself after Petra died that I would kill every single member, down to their very last remnant and burning breath. They tampered with twisted operations and sinful surgery. They turned the university of Mareovosa from a bundle of life into a bloated, rotting corpse. They¡¯d stolen the lives of those I loved and cherished and fought for. As if diving into cold water, my nerves set onto a knife¡¯s edge as Solomon and I walked through the entrance.


    The thumping of Deluge¡¯s thoughts echoed my own as we met numerous entry men who applauded the fight between us. Several priests bowed while several passing nuns even giggled as we passed. With my sharp ears, I overheard one saying, ¡°He has a nice ass.¡±


    In the past thirty seconds, the palisade expressed a far more human side than I¡¯d seen prior. The people here walked with the energy that comes only from having a purpose, a goal driving each step. The hallways lacked the same delicate embroidery of the palace. This place was no symbolic gesture like the palace. It was a machine built for the purpose of destroying the Darkened One. Being followers, the people here congregated around this purpose like ants over a squirming cricket.


    On the surface, they appeared able and good and just, yet they hid a deep darkness right below the surface. As we paced deeper in the building, thick doorways hid their experiments. Just behind the layers of wood were giant splotches of blood painting the walls. Organs in the open air with the hoarse screams of tribesmen. Tendons and skin rearranged into abominable forms. These monsters would forme flesh around those husks. One of the doorways covered streaks of ground fingernail ebbed on the floor, ten lines leading into the abyss behind the wall of wood.


    Yet Solomon passed without stepping within their depths. He never glanced twice at these doorways, showing no curiosity at what lay behind them. Ignoring the plight of the prisoners was by no means his aim. If anything, I believed he did so to prevent losing his control and sanity.


    solomon clasped his fists with his absurd strength, his knuckles white underneath his gauntlets. As if he were made of moving steel, he shifted with every muscle tensed, his teeth grinding in his jaw. His right shoulder twitched at random, and despite having armor covering every inch of his body, just his haggard breathing and quelled quiet told me that he lacked any approval of this place.


    I held none either, so we tread like two reapers through these dark hallways before we reached a doorway surrounded by redwood and cedar. Their smells engulfed the musty, stagnant air at that depth, and as we as opened the doorway, a set of laying sofas lined a wall with light pouring through a set of fire opals.


    The room¡¯s warmth and welcoming scent ushered us in as a robed man read a book of scripture as he lounged on a velvet sofa. As if standing on hardened powder, the sandstone underneath our feet scraped with each of our steps, and as we approached, a pair of avowed and azure eyes glanced our way. His thin lips led to a thinner nose while his cheekbones jutted with a pristine prominence. As he smiled, a slight gap in his teeth added a certain charm as he said,


    ¡°Hello solomon. It is good to see you.¡±


    Solomon replied in an icy tone, ¡°I¡¯d love to think the same. I see you¡¯re still going about with your experiments.¡±


    With a visible strain, the man nodded before saying, ¡°We must. The Darkened One didn¡¯t steal a piece of Gaia. He drained it. Imagine a blighted future where he¡¯s sucked the very life from our planet¡¯s guardian. We cannot allow the death of our god. We¡¯ve already spoken of this.¡±


    Solomon snapped, ¡°And we shall speak of it each and every time I return. I will never let you forget what you are doing.¡±


    The man sighed before turning towards me and saying, ¡°Perhaps our new saint will show more acceptance of the church''s policies. Saint Jericho I assume?¡±


    He held out a hand, so I took it and ground out my words as if speaking with a mouth full of broken glass, ¡°It¡¯s good to meet you.¡±

 24 Scathing

    24 Scathing


    <hr>


    Shimerac, Aether¡¯s Creater - I don¡¯t want to live on in memory or as legend. I want to be rembered like the sun. Eternal, and a force of nature.


    <hr>


    The man finished shaking my hand before laughing with an awkward smile before he said, ¡°Well it¡¯s good that I am surrounded by two titans, but how about we discuss this elsewhere besides my personal chambers.¡±


    Solomon sighed as he said, ¡°Fine. Wherever you wish to go, we will follow.¡±


    I ripped my words like chewing briars, ¡°Blind and obedient, like two mindless golems.¡±


    A bead of sweat rolled down the man¡¯s forehead as he said, ¡°Neither of you are blind. You walk with Gaia¡¯s guidance, as do I. The unpleasantness here...I know it''s a hard medicine to swallow, but it is a necessary evil.¡±


    He walked between us as he said, ¡°We fight against the death of our God. Never has such a power come against humanity. Never has there been a greater cause for unity. Every empire agreed to the ceasefire. Peace and prosperity has proliferated as nations turn their weapons towards the dark demon roaming all of Alta.¡±


    He placed a hand on both our shoulders as he said, ¡°Both of you shall be pivotal in the upcoming battle. The Immortal Saint and Bastion¡¯s own juggernaut. You both must become the elements of oblivion. We must stand together against that monster. We must stand against the Darkened One.¡±


    Solomon¡¯s posture relaxed after the speech, but my hostile aura intensified as I hissed in a cold calm, ¡°Tell me, who is it that¡¯s standing together?¡±


    The man frowned before he said, ¡°Our world against a cascade of darkness.¡±


    I continued, ¡°Who are the people you use for your experiments?¡±


    The man squinted his eyes as an edge creeped in his voice as he said, ¡°They are not truly people per say, more so beasts who give way to mutation far more easily than the citizens of Nelastra.¡±


    I turned towards Solomon and said, ¡°Are those who huddle around Nelastra so subhuman that they deserve this fate?¡±


    Solomon frowned as he placed a hand on my shoulder as he said, ¡°I understand your ire. I deeply regret this path, but our direction is dictated by the oracle¡¯s prophecy -


    Broken in white bones, the wake of a demon comes.


    Crushing as calamity, it breaths blackfire from black lungs.


    With Jehovah¡¯s end, we break. We bend.


    At her last breath, darkness will descend.¡±


    The brilliant blue of the man¡¯s eyes dimmed as he said, ¡°I understand your pain, child. Let me tell you a story.¡±


    He walked over and said, ¡°There was once a boy named Abraham Elseyary. In his childhood, he saw the most evil aspects of the church during the worst plague of all time, The Rot of Death. Corpses piled on streets, corpses piled on carriages, corpses piled on graves he saw them all. Even now, the sight¡¯s carved into his eyes and his dreams and his thoughts.¡±


    He reached up and placed a hand on my shoulder as he said, his eyes translucent as glass, ¡°That man grew until he led the very organization that killed his parents. He replaced the ruler, not because of seniority or talent, but because they knew Abraham would never forget their past. They knew he would lead them with clear eyes and a clear mind.¡±


    I leaned towards him and said, ¡°Then why would Abraham enact orders for reviving the same methods used for the plague?¡±


    Abraham lowered his hand as he said, ¡°Because he understood why. He studied the maps detailing the spread of the infection, and he learned of how the palisade prevented many deaths by purging specific points where the plague was most virulent.¡±


    I frowned as I hissed, ¡°The palisade saved many by purging entire cities?¡±


    Abraham winced before saying, ¡°It pains me to say so, but yes. The plague infected like a series of chains that grew outward. By cutting those chains midway, they cut off the source of the infection, preventing Bastion¡¯s downfall along with Trilel¡¯s.


    I stepped back as Abraham continued, ¡°You see, Abraham realized the path most virtuous is cast in a series of shades, often varying hues of gray. We took the one that seemed darkest, yet held the greatest light at its end.¡±


    I sighed as I said, ¡°He sounds rather persuasive.¡±


    Smiling with dark circles that aged his face by a decade, Abraham said, ¡°He just knows how to tell a good story is all.¡±


    Solomon patted us across our shoulders as he said, ¡°I see you¡¯ve both warmed up to each other, so how about telling him his new tasks, aye Abraham?¡±


    Abraham nodded his head before saying, ¡°Ah yes, I had forgotten all about it.Well, one of our scouts went missing the other day, and our surveillance teams found tunnels being dug all around the city. We¡¯d like you to figure out and stop whatever¡¯s causing these problems.¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    With a knowing grin, I replied, ¡°It will be done.¡±


    Abraham continued, ¡°Of course, we¡¯ll need the help of your comrades as well. I overheard a rumor that your friend, Sophia I believe, was an extraordinary alchemist. We¡¯ve a dire need for talent here. The quicker we can finish our project, the quicker we can end it you see.¡±


    I nodded as my jaw set with anxiety. Solomon nudged me as he said, ¡°At least Joan hasn¡¯t been taken from you.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°Instead Sophia will work on these twisted experiments until her mind melts.¡±


    Abraham shook his hands back and forth as he said, ¡°No no no, she will be assisting a rather obscure project we call the obelisk program. Some scientists were trying to harness the power of the user''s soul instead of using an external power source. Many of our experiments have resulted in less than stable conduits, but since sophia¡¯s created many advancements with golems already, her expertise should help tremendously.¡±


    My frown deepened as I said, ¡°And she¡¯ll be used for creating abominations as well. Perfect.¡±


    Abraham returned my frown as he said, ¡°She will craft the creations we need for fighting the darkened one. Do you want the demon to put this world into darkness?¡±


    A grinding sound radiated through the room as I grit my teeth before I gazed with a glowering glare and said, ¡°No, Elseyary.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then let your actions align with your words.¡± Abraham turned towards solomon as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll be placing Joan under your care. She needs the guidance of someone wise, so you should more than suffice.¡±


    Solomon nodded before Abraham turned towards me and said, ¡°Remember, Gaia¡¯s newfound helper, you are a tool of the church, nothing more nor less. I tried being civil, but you forced my hand. I hope you harness that hatred of yours against our enemies instead of towards friends.¡±


    I bore a solemn stare through him as I said with a hint of sarcasm, ¡°Of course Abraham. May Gaia¡¯s guidance keep you just, and may she forgive your sins.¡±


    Abraham replied, ¡°Good luck on your tasks. I pray for your success.¡±


    Solomon nodded before grabbing my arm and pulling me from the room with a quick jerk of my arm. After fumbling past a few hallways, Solomon bellowed,


    ¡°Who taught you to speak that way? Was your mother a whore and your father a bastard?¡±


    The sharp shock of his words froze me before anger erupted from my chest, melting that cold as I snapped,


    ¡°They were the light of my life. Do not sully their names.¡±


    Like a slap across the face, Solomon shouted, ¡°I¡¯ve done no such thing. You spoke like a brute to Abraham. Would your parents be proud of such animosity? Did they raise you that way?¡±


    I stepped back before standing for a minute, without words nor reasoning. The gears in my head turned as I my guts turned to water. After milking the moment, Solomon leaned his head onto one of his gauntlets as he said,


    ¡°I forget that you¡¯re so young at times. You speak like a scarred veteran from border at times, yet you lash out like a spoiled child at others. Bah, I shouldn¡¯t be so harsh with you.¡±


    He lifted his face before saying, ¡°Excuse my statement earlier. It was uncall-¡±


    ¡°No, it was just what I needed. After learning what they¡¯ve been doing...it just...Fuck.¡±


    I grabbed the edges of my hair as pulled and growled my words like a wolf speaking human words, ¡°It¡¯s like a beast builds in my blood and belly and bones. If I don¡¯t oppress this malicious monster, it will creep out and crush everything around me.¡±


    Solomon laid a hand on my shoulder before saying with a cooling calm, ¡°That is the burden of power. Every inkling of strength you gain, the greater control you must use. I was already an old man when I first became a saint. You¡¯re not so fortunate.¡±


    He pounded his chest with his fist before saying, ¡°It¡¯s part of growing. That wild rage will die down as you age, just be patient.¡±


    I glanced at the ground and said, ¡°Patience was never one of my strong suits.¡±


    He patted my shoulder as he said, ¡°Ah, then allow me to use a different wording. Tell me, are you willing to endure?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°What? That isn¡¯t patience.¡±


    Solomon let his hand lower as he said, ¡°It indeed is, but people often mistake its meaning.¡±


    I frowned as I ground the gears of my mind. If I dissected what patience implied, it indeed meant the willingness to endure. The frown turned into a confident grin as I met Solomon¡¯s eye and said,


    ¡°I am relentless and rampant and roaring. Nothing may stop me, not even myself.¡±


    ¡°Hah, good. Let¡¯s tell the others the good news. I¡¯m sure there simmering with anticipation.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as I said, ¡°Of course they are. Sophia will be elated. I¡¯ll just walk up and say, ¡®You¡¯re gonna love this. All you have to do is deform a couple souls. Nothing noteworthy.¡±


    Solomon my back, pushing me forward as he said, ¡°I¡¯m sure glad you''re as excited as I am to tell them.¡±


    With that, we left the palisade¡¯s headquarters as muffled screams and the squishy slipping of metal on flesh grated my ears. At least I had a few thoughts swirling like a storm in my mind. It assuaged my ire and anger as I dwelt on Solomon¡¯s words.


    The way he worded the ideal of patience had a profound impact on me from that point onwards. Instead of viewing patience as the ideal of men who lived to sing no songs, I saw the core and cardinal virtue of my life. I may not be the quickest, strongest, or smartest, yet I could bear any burden. I could hold any hardship. At the end of all, I¡¯d stand as a survivor. I¡¯d stand and linger and laugh loudly, whether I wallowed on a pile of corpses or surrounded myself with loved ones.


    I¡¯d prefer the latter over the former, but I rarely proved so lucky despite the efficacy of my own efforts. Like a curse at birth, that never changed.


    Still, Solomon and I stood tall and towering as we crossed back over towards our earthly dwelling. Those thoughts withered and wasted away as we opened up the door with the warm glow of fire opals reminding me of campfires.


    Everyone¡¯s sat beside a fire at night. The flames sooth the soul and cool the fiery cold of night, all while giving a bit of light in a pool dark. Like beacons of safety, they ward off animals and silence the screaming nightmares that haunt dreams. To a traveler, fire¡¯s are as close to a shelter as you get while on the road. They are bite sized pieces of home in the wide wild world.


    That homeliness permeated every aspect of Solomon¡¯s house, and before I¡¯d realized it, the place soothed my shoulders and eased the aching of my feet. Sophia and Joan laughed on a fured Sofa while leaning over a polished table. Surrounded by the hum of Nelastra¡¯s street, there existed a singing silence here. The quiet boomed in my ears, refreshing as wintry water under a sweltering sun. This new place was home.


    With a reluctant grimace, I smashed that serenity as I said, ¡°So Sophia, how does helping the palisade sound?¡±

 25 As Above, So Below

    25 As above, so below


    <hr>


    Beakrag Bolton, Baron of Opin -The Geshians are a strange people. They are a wandering family with few things they hold dear. They are the best friends you can make...and the worst of enemies.


    <hr>


    Sophia glanced towards me before her eyes deadened. After waiting for the punchline of my joke, she said, ¡°You can¡¯t be serious? Surely not. There¡¯s just no way.¡±


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°Well, I mean...maybe?¡±


    She sharply stood as she said, ¡°Hell no. Tell them to off themselves.¡±


    Solomon walked over and said, ¡°Why are you all so against the palisade? What have they done to deserve this?¡±


    Sophia clenched her hands as she said, ¡°They¡¯ve done more than enough...I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    Solomon shook his head before saying, ¡°I¡¯m starting to remember the bad parts of having children.¡±


    Joan laid her hands on sophia¡¯s shoulders as she said, concern pouring from her voice, ¡°Sophia, just relax.¡± she turned towards me as she said, ¡°You meant that as a joke right?¡±


    I weighed my hands as I said, ¡°Ehhhhh, about half and half. I wanted to break into the subject with humor. That obviously backfired. I apologize for my mistake.¡±


    Sophia shook her head before saying, ¡°No...I get it. I should have heard you out before snapping like that. Gah, that sounds so awful though.¡±


    I nod as I said, ¡°I understand your ire. I despise their actions, but we¡¯ve been ordered by the head of the palisade, Abraham Elseyary.¡±


    Joan¡¯s eyes widened as she said, ¡°It¡¯s amazing. I¡¯ve read about these people all my life in history books. Now I get to meet them.¡±


    Sophia interjected, ¡°History has a way of being dark, deep, and winding. I try not to let it decide my decisions too often.¡±


    Solomon said, ¡°I¡¯m honored to hear that, but you both need to get going. Jericho, show Sophia where the palisade is. I¡¯ll explain what I want from Joan.¡±


    I nodded before Sophia and I left, Sophia¡¯s heels dragging as a gloomy grimace painted onto her face. After several minutes of her sullen silence, I said, ¡°Think of this as an opportunity. You can learn about the palisade from the inside while stealing their techniques. It¡¯ll be a blast.¡±


    She hunched as she said, ¡°I¡¯m gonna be tinkering with living specimens. Sounds atrocious.¡±


    I shook my head as I said, ¡°They¡¯ll be working on a project called Obelisk. They want to let a person use their own soul during fights. Sounds right up your alley.¡±


    She stood taller as she said, ¡°Really?¡±


    I leaned towards her as I said, ¡°It¡¯s true. Perhaps we can find some sort of shortcut towards your goal of creating a future without soulforging or gemchaining. Who knows.¡±


    A reluctant grin popped on her face as Sophia said, ¡°Alright, I¡¯m sold. I¡¯ll see if I can¡¯t make the best of this even if it kinda sucks.¡±


    I nudged her shoulder as I said, ¡°That¡¯s the spirit Sophia, but I have to warn you. There are malevolent forces there. Their perilous as a plague and the sights may peel your skin like the fires of purgatory.¡±


    We stopped walking as she leaned closer and said, her voice wobbling, ¡°What are they doing,¡±


    I whispered, ¡°Dark, deathly things Sophia. Feel that. That¡¯s fear, Sophia. Feel fright. Feel...afraid.¡±


    After my last word, I shouted like a man echoing his voice at a mountain top, ¡°Booooooo.¡±


    She leapt up while screaming before pummelling my stomach with punches as she said, ¡°You¡¯re the worst, just the worst. I hate you.¡±


    An irrepressible grin appeared on my face as I said, ¡°Just trying to get rid of some tension. You seemed so stiff. I didn¡¯t want you walking in there like you were scared. You¡¯ll be fine. If it becomes too much, we¡¯ll try getting the remnants some other way.¡±


    She nodded before I sighing as she said, ¡°This is gonna be miserable.¡±


    A near noiseless pitch drummed in my ears as I shrugged and said, ¡°Sometimes you either laugh or cry. Laugh, Sophia. Laugh loudly.¡±


    Walking forward, I relaxed before noticing the lack of steps beside me. As I turned around, tears fell from the cheeks of Sophia as she leaned over. I blinked before checking our surroundings in case something was wrong. With my instincts taking over, I dashed towards her before placing my hands on her shoulders as I said, my voice radiating concern,


    ¡°Are you alright Sophia? Did I hurt you?¡±


    She wiped her face as she said, ¡°No, no you didn¡¯t, I just, I...ugh. I don¡¯t know. You just sounded so sad.¡±


    I placed a hand on her cheek as I gleefully grinned and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine, really. You''re the one falling to pieces.¡±


    She shook her head as she said, ¡°That¡¯s not right. You¡¯re the one hurting. Damnit, what...you just need to be less...self-lying-ey.¡±


    I ruffled the hair on her head as she grumbled before I tapped my temple and said, ¡°Just between you and me, I hear a voice in my head, and he can be brutally honest at times, almost painfully so. Makes it hard to lie to myself¡±


    A puff of laughter escaped her tear stricken cheeks before I said, ¡°I know how hard this will be Sophia. I know this goes against everything you¡¯ve wanted to do. I know this is like swallowing molten metal, but I¡¯ve been in the belly of the beast and come out stronger for it. You¡¯re quite like me in that regard. You never falter in the face of an undertaking.¡±


    I leaned onto a knee, reaching eye level as I laid a hand on her shoulder as I said, ¡°You rise above and smash it with your will. In that tiny frame holds the soul of a colossus. Learn to trust yourself as I do. If you can¡¯t hold faith in your own judgment, hold faith in mine. ¡±


    After a large breath, Sophia let out a sigh carrying her wilting weakness before she said, ¡°Thanks for the pep talk. I feel way better now.¡±


    I stood as I said, ¡°Honestly speaking, so do I. Solomon said something similar to me after I nearly lost it in the Arbitrufix.¡±


    She glanced up, curiosity burning in her eyes as she said, ¡°Whad¡¯he say?¡±


    ¡°What I needed to hear,¡± I said with an impish smile starting to crop up my lips.


    She frowned as she squeezed her eyes into thin slits as she said, ¡°Thanks for the elaboration. You¡¯d make an excellent teacher.¡±


    A sly grin growing on my lips, I replied, ¡°And you¡¯d make an excellent student since you¡¯d never sleep through any lessons.¡±


    She blushed before I added, ¡°And fun to tease.¡±


    She tried hitting my side before I dodged with dramatic movement before sliding past a series of her other strikes. She unleashed a quick, quiet kick as I beamed a grin before her foot slammed into my face.


    Instead of moving backwards, I stood still as stone. Sophia¡¯s foot popped before she howled, ¡°Ohhhhh...Oh fuck. Owwwwww.¡±


    I bit my bottom lip as I snickered before a most reluctant smile slithered up Sophia¡¯s lips as she glanced at me and said, ¡°I forgot how hard headed you were.¡±


    We busted out in laughter before she limped towards the palisade¡¯s entrance as she said, ¡°I suppose I¡¯ll try helping with a broken foot. Wish me luck.¡±


    I waved as I said, ¡°Good luck. Keep your head down and your eyes open.¡±


    She shooed me away with a hand overhead, so I walked towards Solomon¡¯s sanctuary before entering into an empty house. The lingering scent of smoked meat and pepper kept me there before the the sound of scraping heels sounded outside. Within a few seconds, the door opened, revealing a stocky man covered in scars. The mane of gray on his head and chin along with his scars revealed who he was.


    Galen frowned as he opened then closed the door and said, ¡°Where are you, Jericho?¡±


    I rolled my eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for some guidance on the palisade¡¯s orders. Needless to say, I won¡¯t be carrying them out with any adequacy.¡±


    Galen squinted at me as he said, ¡°You¡¯re the best actor I¡¯ve ever seen. If I hadn¡¯t seen you before, I¡¯d never know you were the darkest demon, the blighter of blue skies, the-¡±


    ¡°Pfff, come now. Those titles are ridiculous.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow as he said, ¡°Are they though? From what I¡¯ve seen, you¡¯re truly terrifying.¡±


    I sat on the sofa of stone as I said, ¡°I¡¯m as terrifying as my enemies make me, no more nor no less.¡±


    Galen¡¯s eye twitched as he said, ¡°Then you must have quite the set of enemies.¡±


    I stood from my chair as I said, ¡°Meh, there their. Not pressing nor potent. Regardless, what did you want?¡±


    He frowned as he said, ¡°Solomon placed Joan under my care at the university. I¡¯m actually the principle there, so he thought I could foster her talents for chaining.¡±


    ¡°Heh, it¡¯s a small world.¡±


    He nodded as he said, ¡°It is. You know, the arcanum¡¯s stronghold has always been here in Nelastra. We¡¯ve plenty of ore for harvesting along with plenty of spare humanoids for souls in our slave golems. The produce here creates quite a few potent, addictive drugs, and the sub-humans outside of the barrier become dependant after a mere taste.¡±


    I glared as I said, ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡±


    He cupped his hand as he said, ¡°I figured that since you''re the one tasked with inspecting the two forces outside the wall, how about we make an arrangement of sorts.¡±


    My glare glowered as I hissed, ¡°What kind of debilitating contract would you want?¡±


    Galen leaned towards me as he said, ¡°I¡¯d like for you too ignore an increase in kidnappings of the orientals and treat them like casualties of the two forces outside the walls.¡±


    I slit my eyes before I said, ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°You want to take the remnants, right?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then if we instigate a rebellion, you¡¯d have a cloak of chaos whenever you aim to steal them as long as you align your thievery with the uprising.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°That¡¯s rather conniving, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    Glavin shrugged as he said, ¡°Perhaps, but it makes getting the remnants far easier. The tensions between the city and the tribes is already high. If we give the sub-humans even the slightest push, the precarious balance would tilt.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Good, then...Wait, what?¡±


    My voice forged into an adamantine iron as I said, ¡°No. We will not use such chaotic methods for something so simple.¡±


    Galen replied, ¡°Hah, are you serious? You¡¯re the Darkened One. This should be nothing.¡±


    I walked over towards him as I said, ¡°I am not the Darkened One. I am Jack Donovan, and I say this isn¡¯t just wrong, it¡¯s senseless.¡±


    Wrinkles rose on his forehead as Galen said in disbelief, ¡°You think this city is free from sin? They treat any outsiders like trash. They abuse the sub-humans outside as if their walking manure. Hell, you¡¯ve seen the palisade¡¯s experiments. The next king¡¯s a child and the-¡±


    I snapped, ¡°Does that mean they all deserve death?¡±


    ¡°Huh, what?¡±


    ¡°Please, do tell. Why are you head of the Arcanum?¡±


    Galen¡¯s eyes set to steel as he said, ¡°I wanted a brighter future for my family. Joan needed the tuition money and so did Petra. Before founding the arcanum, the drug and golem trades were utterly random. You couldn¡¯t walk through the streets without being kidnapped for use in some twisted procedure.¡±


    He met my eye as he said, ¡°If not for my intervention, you¡¯d find mercenaries at every corner. Now you can just pay a tax for protection. No more missing children. No more missing daughters.¡±


    The last line carried a deep sting before I interjected, ¡°Just as you have your reasons for leading such a twisted construct, so do Nelastrians have their reasons for living such twisted lives.¡±


    Galen bit his lip before sighing in frustration as he let his hands flop on his sides. He said, ¡°Alright, fine. I can see your set on your opinion.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°Why do you want the destruction of Nelastra?¡±


    His jaw knotted with frustration as he said, ¡°The city ordered Petra¡¯s staying at Mareovosa. This is where the proctors of the purge reside. They stole then killed my only daughter. What other reason should a grandfather need?¡±


    I winced as I said, ¡°Taking an entire city with you though, doesn¡¯t that seem extreme?¡±


    He frowned before saying, ¡°Don¡¯t you intend on the palisade¡¯s destruction? My revenge is no different.¡±


    I shook my head before I said, ¡°The palisade are creating technologies that could corrupt all of Alta. Nelastra is just a city, a collection of people. They won¡¯t create a new plague, but the palisade are well on their way to doing something similar.¡±


    Galen hissed, ¡°Those are just self justifications.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°They are still justifications. Do you have any for killing everyone here?¡±


    Frozen as a fossil, Galen paralyzed before I said, ¡°That settles it.¡± I placed a hand on his shoulder as I said, ¡°Try to help Joan with her powers. She¡¯s a rather rare case of potential.¡±


    I left him before he turned towards me and murmured his words, ¡°Ah...Solomon wishes for you to meet at the palace courtyard.¡±


    I nodded before leaving him as he ebbed a palpable disappointment. From what he said, Galen was a walking fire, a fierce force dead set on igniting everything around him when he died. Joan¡¯s presence emboldened him rather than soothed him as I thought it would, so now he burns beside the barrel of oil that is Nelastra. Like a lit match beside a fuse, he made me nervous and rightfully so.


    His connections with the Arcanum gathered information on the circumstances around the remnants or on the coming and goings of the palisade. Joan ensured his stability while Sophia¡¯s revelations created a near need for his scientist¡¯s expertise. I¡¯d keep my eyes close to his heels, but I needed Galen, just as much as he needed me.


    With his hatred curbed for now, I tread towards Solomon who over saw Joan and another strapping young knight as they spared. Cool on my skin and hard on my hands, the raised edges of surrounding palace shaded half the courtyard while several granite benches encircled an open center. Maples, wormwoods, oaks and leadwoods grew around us. Willows wove their wilted branches around the open patches of earth sprinkled throughout while roots rose and crawled over one another.


    Dots of sunlight crawled through the canopy while daisies, violets, balsams and brambles of baneberries cropped between these roots. This wet world grew green as a geshian¡¯s blood. Despite trying to prevent any attachments while there in Nelastra, I enjoyed the courtyard more than I¡¯d admit, though those gathered here were all business.


    Joan sparred against another knight as they bolted back and forth. Joan¡¯s mobile movements kept him guessing, and as her flowing attacks merged into a single storm of precise, powerful blows, she overwhelmed him with sheer speed. Solomon sat on the stone outcropping of the gated garden. He said little to nothing to Joan, but he berated the poor knight trying to match her,


    ¡°Keep your feet level...She attacks enough that you need to dodge more than one attack at a time...Meld your defense and offense as she has...Bah.¡±


    As I trotted up, the knight shot out a well placed straight right for Joan¡¯s chin, but she leaned back as the blow barely tapped her nose. As he pulled his punch back, she shot towards him with a heavy handed palm right at his gut. It sunk deep into the knight¡¯s pillow of a gut before the man gasped and fell over, unable to breath.


    I turned towards Solomon and said, ¡°Having trouble finding her a challenge?¡±


    He tapped the side of his helm as he said, ¡°I fight so differently than her. She¡¯s quick on her feet and with her mind. It makes it hard to see what she could improve.¡±


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°She¡¯s where I learned most of what I know about fighting.¡±


    The knight gurgled on the ground, ¡°She hits so hard...Can¡¯t do it.¡±


    I snickered before saying, ¡°Fighting¡¯s more about leverage and effort than strength. Anyone can deliver a monstrous blow if they know how to put their weight into every punch, even a delicate flower like Joan.¡±


    The man bit into the leather edge of his glove as he groaned before I glanced at Joan and said, ¡°Thatta girl.¡±


    She grinned before smacking her hands together and saying, ¡°Wanna have at it?¡±


    Solomon said, ¡°You and he fight in different worlds. I¡¯ll be personally instructing Jericho on how to use his strength against his foes. You¡¯ll be receiving the instruction of Galen until he finds your talents suitable.¡±


    She grumbled, ¡°I doubt that¡¯ll ever happen.¡±


    Solomon leaned towards her as he said, ¡°Why would you think that?¡±


    She grabbed her arms behind her at her elbows as she said, ¡°It just doesn''t sound like something a master would say.¡±


    Solomon nodded before standing as he said, ¡°I agree. You¡¯ve got a few issues to iron out I¡¯m sure, just like Jericho over here.¡± Turning towards me, he continued, ¡°You¡¯ve got quite a grip on your strength, but you don¡¯t know how to dish out damage without taking it in turn.¡±


    As he walked over, he said, ¡°You fight like you¡¯re invincible. That won¡¯t work on enemies stronger than you. You need you to focus on creating moments of weakness that you exploit rather than just grinding your enemies to dust.¡±


    He grabbed his side as he said, ¡°Trust me, someone will show you the limits of your strength. After that, you can only rely on what you know.¡±


    And so the drilling began. Unlike Petra, he elaborated on the reasoning of each maneuver while explaining when to use each technique. As he adjusted my stance, my blows became hard and heavy as a quartz brick across the side of the skull. Parry and pounce and dodge and duck. We went through dozens of exercises and motions, many of which I¡¯d never seen nor heard of. I won¡¯t bore you with the details, but in essence, he gave my fighting a structure.


    Before Solomon¡¯s instruction, I fought with a hazy mixture of instinct and fervor. My battles were the same as a dog¡¯s, vicious and primal. I pounded and pummeled my foes until a pulpy corpse rotted beneath my blood soaked fists. Not quite as elegant as I¡¯d like, but not a soul that faced me could deny my style¡¯s impact. It worked.


    Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t work well. Against an enemy like Aether, I''d be mashed like clay squeezing between a child''s fingers, except musing meat and blood instead of dirt. Petra almost ended me as well. I needed a style that combined the talents Deluge granted me with my own method for mutilation.


    Solomon¡¯s explanation served as that stepping stone of my evolution. With each correction on form or new technique taught, I absorbed and assimilated the knowledge with a starving curiosity. My mind groaned and grumbled after several dozen of these tricks, but I forced the rejuvenating food down my throat. I indulged on the knowledge.


    The session ended after three hours of this intensity. By the end of it, Joan glanced with a disappointed acceptance. I couldn''t blame her. If something pushed me to a certain extent, my thoughts set into a linear, focused force. Nothing diverged my attention at those times. I''d mince through the task with a ravenous resolve as if possessed. It made me far less conversational during crisis.


    Shaking that obsession from my shoulders, I discussed the gritty details of each maneuver with Joan before a blot of red formed at the edge of the garden.


    Holding her hands in fists, a woman with massive arms and stocky shoulders walked up. Each and every step scraped the stone beneath her heavy heels. Her mane of hair held interwoven iron that clanked on her armor with each of her steps. Thin circles of gray wrapped around her black pupils as she bore those eyes at mine. She beamed confidence. She radiated power. Like a moving mountain, she shoved aside anything in her path with both her words and her might.


    She strode up beside me, only a half foot shorter than me as she slapped my back and spoke, ¡°Fine day isn''t it Jericho? I''m Krakowah, the Saint of metal and magma. It''s good to finally meet you.¡±


    Her voice boomed bold with her open eyes holding no expectation. She spoke without weighing her words, so they sounded easy as seeing through glass. I liked her from her first word, so I replied, ¡°It''s good to meet you as well.¡± I leaned over towards Joan as I said, ¡°This is my lover, Joan. She''s a potent fighter and charming as a sunrise. Please treat her well.¡±


    Krakowah grabbed Joan''s hand as she said, ¡°You''ve got quite the beauty here. Glad to meet you as well.¡±


    Joan nodded as she grinned and replied, ¡°Good to meet you too.¡±


    Solomon slid towards us as he placed a hand on Krakowa¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°Excuse her brashness. She''s a relatively new Saint.¡±


    Joan raised and eyebrow as she said, ¡°Besides having a really hot hand, Krakowah seems nice.¡±


    Krakowa bellowed a laugh from deep in her gut she she said, ¡°Of course! I''d love to hear of your battles. I''m sure you both have much to tell. I wouldn''t mind listening.¡±


    I scratched my cheek as I said, ¡°Well, perhaps I have a few I could share.¡±


    Krakowah wrapped her arms across my and Joan¡¯s should really as she said, ¡°Then lets go for a drink. All stories sound better with wine and a warm fire.¡±


    Grins bloomed and our faces as she dragged us from Solomon as he said, ¡°Why not? Go wreck some havoc, but try not to burn anything down, Krakowahh.¡±


    She turned towards him, her eyes laughing as she said, ¡°Hah hah, no promises.¡±


    We wove through each street until we reached a wooden bar wilting at the side of an alley. Though the broken boards hanging from the walls showed an obvious disrepair, people let themselves speak without hiding. It was as if the bar itself was a burning booze that loosened lips. In this tiny corner of Nelastra, the rowdy and rambunctious came together for fun.


    Krakowah dragged us into the boisterous bar before shouting, ¡°Give me a barrel. I won''t be letting either of you leave sober.¡±


    As a middle aged bartender with a well groomed mustache and a well wiped countertop moved towards the back, I said, ¡°Good luck getting me drunk. I can drink just as I breath, forever and always.¡±


    ¡°Oh hoh hoh? I like your attitude. Get this man some baneberry brew with that barrel. Make it hard as Solomon¡¯s fists.¡±


    The man heaved a barrel from the back before Krakowah rustled underneath her armor before whipping a chain through the air. Fast as a shooting star, the metal links shot through the air, blurring into a bending blade. In an instant, the chain wrapped around the barrel before she jerked with a single arm.


    Catapulting the canister, the barrel sliced through the air before she caught it with the palm of her other arm. As if popping into existence, the hundred pound object popped right in front of Joan before Krakowah pushed the barrel onto the ground. Wood cried as her hand broke the seal atop the barrel as she said,


    ¡°So let''s start with a glugs.¡±


    She opened her satchel before revealing a hollow, hexagon glass of quartz. She took a swing her arm over the barrel,cruising the deep blue liquid into the cup before handing it to me as she said,


    ¡°The glass won¡¯t empty until the barrel does. It¡¯s been custom made. Let¡¯s see how long you can swallow that liquid fire.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before pouring the glasses contents into my mouth as usual, but as I turned the glass overhead, the wine fell like a waterfall without stopping. Instead choking, I gulped and gulped as the brew stabbed into my throat like swallowing a stream of fire ants. My eyes watered as the malted mixture melted my throat, acrid as acid and tasty as bitter wormwood bark.


    Of course I kept swallowing long after they thought I¡¯d stop. Deluge hated alcohol, so he des imitated it before it reached our bloodstream. I could drink an ocean of moonshine and come out sober as death and fun as a funeral.


    As a third of the barrel emptied, I unturned the glass before wiping my mouth as I said, ¡°Like chewing hot coals. Not so bad.¡±


    The suppressed silence ended as I set the glass on a table beside me. Many drunkards stood slack jawed, a few even cross eyed before Krakowah said, ¡°Amazing. You could out drink Solomon. I can hardly believe it.¡±


    Joan rolled her eyes as I said while cracking my fingers, ¡°I figured you''d want some of the barrel. No reason to drink it all at once.¡±


    Joan elbowed me before I laughed as Krakowah said, ¡°Thanks for the thought. Your gut¡¯s so large you could swallow someone whole.¡±


    Joan cringed before I stepped back and said, ¡°Keep the comparisons tasteful.¡±


    Krakowah chugged from the cup for a solid six seconds before handing it to Joan as she said, ¡°Get some fire in your belly. It should take the edge of my words.¡±


    Joan drank for a few seconds before she said, ¡°Aaaaaaah, man. That¡¯s got such a good kick at the end.¡±


    Krakowah¡¯s green tinted cheeks flushed as she said, ¡°I know right. I hate drinking with Solomon. He always acts like he¡¯s looking after a child when he''s with me. I''m 85 years old for Gaia¡¯s sake. You can¡¯t just treat me like a brat. I earned my Saintdom.¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°What did you do for your recognition?¡±


    A bright grin grew on her face as she said, ¡°I set Mareovosa on fire.¡±

 26 The Saint of Magma and Metal

    26 The Saint of Magma and Metal


    <hr>


    Monicer Frevelin -The soul guides the body. That''s why you can''t have more than one soul in a single body. They will each guide a portion of the flesh, creating a horrific monster of tremendous vitality.


    <hr>


    My smile wilted as I said, ¡°Ah, of course.¡±


    Krakowah nodded before she said, ¡°I came after the darkened one had killed Saint Petra. The room was covered in his disgusting filth. I heard from them that he killed an army of resources by his lonesome. I never imagined how he would do it.¡±


    A grimace fell on her face as she said, ¡°It was nasty work cleaning up that mess. He¡¯d mutated so many of the students there. It was like he was making a giant, screaming heart out of them.¡±


    She glanced at the floor as she said, ¡°We took a few of them back here to see if we could help them...I haven''t heard anything about them since.¡±


    She tapped her head with her hand before saying, ¡°Bah. We shouldn''t speak of such things.¡± With a heavy, sullen grin, she looked up and said, ¡°I did as Gaia would. I burned them. I burned them as they screamed their inhuman wails. Now they burn and scream in my nightmares.¡±


    I hugged her against me as I said, ¡°It¡¯s alright. You burned more than their bodies. You tore their shackles from them. You released them.¡±


    Joan placed a hand on Krakowah¡¯s gargantuan shoulder as she said, ¡°I think they¡¯d thank you.¡±


    Krakowah nodded, slowly at first until she nodded with the life and vigor of belief. She mumbled, ¡°I¡¯d want the same if I was in their skin...or their lack of it.¡±


    As I let her go, I frowned and I said, ¡°I killed a dragon and eight golems. Your duties sounded far harder and harrowing than my own.¡±


    Krakowah raised an eyebrow as she said, ¡°A dragon and eight golems? Quite a feat in my eyes, though you may have greased a few palms on the way up.¡±


    I smirked as I said, ¡°I''d like to think it''s my charming smile and elegant wording.¡±


    Krakowah hit my shoulder as she said, ¡°Hah, as if a brute like you could charm with a smile.¡±


    Cupping my chin in my right hand, I leaned towards her with a devilish and deviant grin as I said, ¡°It''s pretty profound, isn''t it?¡±


    Joan burst into a fit of giggling before she slicked her hair back, iron clapping against iron as she said, ¡°You''re the opposite of most geshians I know. They are always so small and shy. You hold your head high, full of pride and confidence.¡±


    She leaned towards Joan as she said, ¡°You wouldn''t mind if I took him for a spin would you?¡±


    Joan pursed her lips as she said, ¡°You¡¯re a geshian?¡±


    Krakowah replied, ¡°Ah, I suppose you wouldn''t know being new here. See my pupils and greenish skin. That is how you can tell I¡¯m a geshian.¡±


    With her endless curiosity inflamed, Joan continued, ¡°So the geshian guys are small? I thought they''d be enormous.¡±


    Krakowah said, ¡°Quite the opposite. We are a purely female society. We mate with other races until we return back to our homes and share our children as a family.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°How would a race like that get started?¡±


    Krakow said, ¡°After the Astral Cataclysm, two remnants of Gaia landed near our ancient capital. We took the pieces into our arms and embraced their loving light. We changed as Gaia saw fit.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°There should still be at least a few males left in your society even if the capital¡¯s citizens all changed.¡±


    She shook her head as she said, ¡°Nearly a thousand years ago, we performed the great cleansing and finished Gaia¡¯s work.¡±


    Joan paled as she said, ¡°Gaia¡¯s work?¡±


    Krakowah opened her arms as she said, ¡°We freed every male in the empire.¡±


    I closed my eyes as I said, ¡°Your ancestors...they killed them all?¡±


    Krakowah¡¯s eyes set like stone as she said, ¡°No they did not. They freed those who were away from Gaia. I will not let you speak ill of my ancestors.¡±


    I sighed before Joan placed a hand on Krakowah¡¯s arm and said, ¡°Sorry about that. It¡¯s just a...cultural thing between us.¡±


    Krakowah said, ¡°Gah. You''re right. I shouldn''t ruin the mood like that. It''s just, I love my family as much as a blacksmith loves iron, if that blacksmith sweat rust and bled steel.¡±


    I ignored the sinking in my stomach as I said, ¡°I urged your anger. It was my mistake in wording. I shouldn''t judge your history, and besides, none of us live from our past. We live from our future.¡±


    Joan stumbles before I gripped her waist as she said, ¡°Blah, that¡¯s some strong stuff. I can hardly walk anymore.¡±


    Krakowah blinked before she said, ¡°Hah, it¡¯s hitting me harder than I thought it would as well. I mean...I¡¯m starting to...¡±


    Krakowah leaned over before puking a pile of vomit onto the floor before landing on the brick floor. Like a chemical reaction, Joan emptied her stomach as well before I spoke in my mind,


    ¡°Deluge, what was in that barrel?¡±


    He responded, ¡°A moonshine of 160 proof along with diprenorphine.¡±


    I grimaced as I thought, ¡°I know it¡¯s bad when you speak a foreign language.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem for their lives. It pooled at the top of the barrel. If you hadn¡¯t drank first, they¡¯d have died already. Fortunate.¡±


    My teeth clamped as I dashed right for the bartender who polished a glass without any inkling of suspicion. Charging like a black brute, I reached him before lifting him by his collar and growling,


    ¡°Who sold you that barrel?¡±


    The man glanced around before saying, ¡°I...I got it from the usual supplier.¡±


    I stabbed a glance hotter than coals and bitter as turpentine as I hissed, ¡°Who might that be?¡±


    Chairs lifted as a hand gripped my shoulder. I turned my glance as a gruff, bald man said, ¡°This ain¡¯t the place to be causing a ruckus. Thing¡¯s ell get rowdy if you don¡¯t put Lester dow-¡±


    I roared with thunder in my throat, ¡°Two saints were poisoned.¡±


    He stumbled backward before I brought the bartender over the counter, his body hanging limp like a doll. As I set him down, he blinked before saying, ¡°I got it from the Hardwater tribe. They¡¯ve never done something like this before. I didn¡¯t mean to poison either of yah. I swear it.¡±


    I paced over towards Krakowah before tossing her over my shoulder and gripping Joan by a belt around her waist. My feet cracked the stone underneath me as I turned and said, ¡°If anyone leaves here, I will find you and bring you justice before Gaia. A member of the palisade will be here shortly. Prepare yourselves for an interrogation at their hands.¡±


    As I turned and left, the bald man fell onto his rear before gasping as he said, ¡°That¡¯s a death sentence. Please, have some mercy on us. We got families to feed.¡±


    I turned my face towards them as I said, ¡°God is merciful. I am not.¡±


    With that badass one liner said, I trotted out before giggling at my idle threat. There were fine people in that bar, through they carried themselves with a threatening swagger. I felt familial warmth from those here. They jumped at the seven foot monster grabbing their bar leader without a second thought. That required resolve. It required courage.


    Still, I could gain quite a sum of information from these people if I leveraged their terror. Therefore, a little scare was necessary, unpleasant as it was. As I trot through the city, I saw the setting sun, so I spoke in my mind, ¡°Deluge.¡±


    In his sardonic drawl, he replied, ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I trust you¡¯ll handle this matter without bloodshed?¡±


    Bellowing a delighted laugh, he replied, ¡°As always. Not a drop of blood will be spilt.¡±


    I sighed as I yawned, ¡°Relying on you is like jumping off a cliff. It¡¯s always a leap of faith.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a saint aren¡¯t you? Faith should be your specialty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s as much my specialty as subtlety is yours.¡±


    A shallow laugh escaped Deluge before he echoed in my mind, ¡°We¡¯ll get better in time, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    I pursed my lips as I reached the gate towards the palace. I thought, ¡°Somethings are better left unlearned.¡±


    Deluge replied, ¡°Just as some things are better off burned and bloody.¡±


    A guard at the gate ran up as he said, ¡°What happened?¡±The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°We were poisoned with diprenorphine.¡±


    The man held his breath before blasting his words behind him, ¡°Open the gates. It¡¯s an emergency.¡±


    The guard¡¯s competence surprised me as the clanking of chains and creaking of wood filled the air around us. The door opened before I jogged up several flights of stairs and reached the circular garden surrounding the palace. I reached Solomon who swung his sword and shield with vitality and vigor, mimicking the first time we met.


    He walked towards me before saying, ¡°What happened? Did they pass out drunk?¡±


    I shook my head before saying, ¡°We were poisoned.¡±


    He leaned towards me and said, ¡°What do you mean we? You appear perfectly able bodied and able minded.¡±


    I set Joan onto a patch of soft, green grass with a delicate movement before handing Krakowah to Solomon as I said, ¡°Ask them whenever they wake. I drank most of the liquor before they so much as sipped it. IT doesn¡¯t matter right now anyway.¡±


    I opened my arms as I said, ¡°You know who to get for their treatment and I trust you, so I came here. I¡¯ll be hunting down my lead while it¡¯s still fresh.¡±


    Before Solomon could refuse, I turned towards the wall before bending my knees and smashing my toes into the brick road beneath me. Dancing through air never got old, so I relished the sudden lack of levity before landing on the gate. As I turned around, I said,


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow morning.¡±


    Solomon let his hands flop onto his sides as he said, ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be beating some sense into you if you¡¯re lying.¡±


    I waved goodbye as I said, ¡°Good luck beating sense into the senseless.¡±


    Solomon shook his head as I leapt from the wall before acceleration tugged at my toes and slung my stomach. Gravity pulled until I crashed with colossal cracks ripping into the ground around me. Breaking the brick further, I dashed away before creeping into an alleyway as I thought toward Deluge,


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡±


    Deluge replied, ¡°As your eyes close shut, mine open wide.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at his feigned melodrama before handing off the conscious. Of course, Deluge took over from here, so his rendition offers a vivid detail my own descriptions will lack. Isn¡¯t that right?


    On the contrary, I find myself leaning more towards concision. Regardless, I skulked through the alleyways and golem ridden roads before reaching out of Mareovosa. The tranquilizer laced alcohol would only last for several more hours since we consumed almost all the toxins within the burning brew. I needed to figure out the culprit quickly, otherwise Joan could perish. I¡¯d rather her not die, so that purpose pushed my steps as I sprinted towards the fireshade tribe.


    As I reached towards them, they let me in with simple smiles and painless pleasure. The lowlit light of yellow and orange glowed above as they stood around vats full of crushed flowers. The scent, sickly sweet with hints of honey and sugar, drew in these fireflies, and children laughed beside the parents who showed them how they would live one day.


    Though I threatened them before, I gave them the formulas for several new dyes during my last visit. This spurred their pitiful economy, creating a sudden surge of prosperity. The beaten eyes of before beamed with a resonating hope that infected everyone near. I¡¯d created so many smiling faces, and I wouldn¡¯t leave my kindness unanswered.


    So as I approached the elder, she bowed before her young guards did so as well. I raised a palm towards them as I said, ¡°Formalities are unnecessary. Who and where are the Hardwater tribe?¡±


    Concern leaked onto the face of the gray headed tribe leader as she said, ¡°What happened?¡±


    I gripped my open palm into a fist before letting the limb sling at my side as I said, ¡°I¡¯m not here for questions. I am here for answers.¡±


    She bit her lip before saying, ¡°Of course. The Hardwater tribe makes the firewater your kind drinks.¡±


    I doubted the tribe would have any knowledge of opiates or how to cloak them, so I said, ¡°Are there any tribes specializing in poisons?¡±


    The leader grimaced before saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jericho. I do wish I could help you, but I am a leader. I can¡¯t speak of such things with an outsider. Please understand.¡±


    I grinned as I lifted an arm while leaning over her and saying, ¡°If I shove my arm down your throat and into your organs, I could transform into an insider quite quickly. I can give my good graces or take everything away. The result hinges on your words. Decide, now.¡±


    A guard jumped towards me, stabbing a spear towards my side. The flimsy wood and dull flint pricked my skin before the staff bent and broke. I turned towards him before the skin covering my ribcage split open as I said,


    ¡°So you want to see what¡¯s inside then?¡±


    The village leader reared back before a set of villagers screamed as my intestines snapped out of my body and wrapped around the guard¡¯s outstretched arms. At first he struggled. He squirmed and shook and stabbed, but the tendrils of flesh pulled him towards me as the others gaped in horror.


    Realizing his fate, the guardsman howled as tears fell from his eyes. My pink, mushy intestines fused with his skin as the broken bones of my rib cage vibrated with anticipation. In a visceral snap of movement, the jutting ribs snapping towards the man before the village leader fell to her knees weeping with despair.


    The man¡¯s face neared my torso as the dark crimson of blood squeezed between the varying shades of rosy red and light yellow. Like the darkest thoughts that pierce into the mind, my ribs snapped at the man¡¯s face. The elder begged and pleaded and asked for forgiveness. I grinned in silence. A symphony of screams beamed around me before the guard pushed his arms against my hip and upper chest, his arms convulsing with horror and exertion.


    He pushed with all manner of might as his muscles tensed. It never mattered. At the apex of the village¡¯s horror, his head sunk into my chest. My squishy organs molded into his every orifice. My ribs ripped into his neck like teeth. He sunk deeper as his arms clamped on his sides, unable to move any longer. As his feet left the ground, I yanked him outward, laughing as I unraveled the slimy tentacles from his body.


    Stripes oh his skin where missing. Pus and blood and mush melted his face as the man howled, his lips falling from his face. He grabbed for his eyes, but blood buried them under pools of red. Just as the guard bathed in acid, the fireshade tribe bathed in utter and complete terror as the guard melted from the outside, screaming in agony.


    The guard¡¯s howls silenced as life left his body. I consolidated his soul as my wound healed. After regenerating, I leaned towards the village elder, her pupils wide as if staring into a deep, dark abyss. Her hands held no strength. She carried the eyes of caught prey, pathetic and limp. With a smile sinister and knowing, I whispered, yet all listened and heard me as I said,


    ¡°Now tell me, leader of the fireshade. Will you swallow this darkness, or will I swallow you?¡±


    She gave me every piece of information I needed for finding the would be poisoners. I understand revulsion at my method of interrogation, but understand my own position as well. I¡¯d given these villagers valuable resources. In return, they attempted murdering me. The guard¡¯s intent was clear, and both Jack and I held scars from leaving enemies alive. The way I understood the guard and my interaction was we both tried killing each other. The young guard just lacked the capacity for doing so effectively.


    Of course his torment was unnecessary, but I needed the tribe¡¯s information. They could have given their gentle benefactor what he wanted instead of stabbing him with a crude weapon. It was a rather ungrateful gesture in my eyes.


    Besides all these trite and trivial excuses, I believed a simple truth.I will defend myself against those who attempt killing me. The moment he aimed at taking my life, he submitted his own.


    With my interrogation of the Fireshades complete, I went towards the Blackiron tribe, finding them wide awake and working like slaves. They toiled at bars black ebony, strips of steel, and clumps of crystal. Every set of palms blackened with soot, as if the grime would never wash from their hands. The dirt sunk deep under their thick hardened nails. Large brandings wrapped around each of their bodies, especially the gray males.


    They seemed similar to my own structure. Gray skin with black hair, though that could be from the perpetual dirt they wallow in. Their long, limber arms whipped as they swung tools, and their broad shoulders changed their center of balance from their hips to just below their sternum. Their muscles striated at their shoulders, and their hands held with stiff, strong fingers, more like moving stone then soft skin. If anything, they mimicked my own appearance.


    They glanced with a painfully aware respect. Unlike the other villages, they reached out their towards my back rather than cringing with disgust. The other tribes and nobles of Nelastra must have thought I belonged this Blackiron tribe. Based on the humble shacks and makeshift wear these people wore, they existed as exiles. Seeds of thought sprouted in my mind as I trot up to a man wearing a chainmail.


    The gray on his head meant he was the elder, and so far, no villages had more than one or two grayheads. A square brand burned over his cheek and lips, leaving him disfigured as he bowed and rasped,


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see a Blackiron mercenary. Why have you come back home?¡±


    I rolled my eyes before I said, ¡°Alright, are you the tribe¡¯s leader?¡±


    The old Blackiron¡¯s eyes opened wide as he said, ¡°What? Have you been gone so long that you forgot your leader?¡±


    I shrugged before tapping my temple as I said, ¡°After few gory battles, my head¡¯s a little less full. I ask for your patience.¡±


    He nodded before saying, ¡°Ah, of course. My head¡¯s a little less full after so many years swinging this hammer too. The leader of the Blackiron tribe is the leader of the Blackiron mercenaries. Kade is past the pits loaded with milk of magma.¡±


    As interested as I was about this milk of magma, I quelled that curiosity before saying, ¡°Goodbye then.¡±


    The elder clenched his hand into a fist as he said, ¡°You as well. Keep our tribe in your heart and gold in your mind.¡±


    As I paced through an arch of polished silver, the wooden shacks transformed into a fortress of steel. Draping from the thick canopy overhead, chains covered in the fangs and horns of beasts littered above me. Tubes of steel crawled in and out of every tree trunk like pulsing veins. The ground beneath turned to metal, and as I pushed further, a dry heat collapsed onto my skin from all sides.


    Pits full of orange eyed moths with vibrant, glowing sacs of white behind them sucked on misshapen monsters without eyes. Corded wire sewed their lips shut as the moths drained red from their skin. As I glanced at a creature engulfed in a blanket composed of a white glow, a steel skinned man dawned in hydra skin walked into the pit before grabbing a moth.


    He squeezed the white glow of its sack by pressing his thumb through the moth¡¯s chest. With a trained efficiency, he grabbed each and every one of the dozens of moths, killing them as he squeezed their glowing goop into a bucket. After finishing of almost all of them, he walked out of the cage before pouring the white into pit back where the smiths hammered metals into shape.


    I absorbed the soul of the creature before walking up a set of rough stairs where two tall, thinly clad women fawned over the broad chest of a man made of metal. Instead of gleaming, his skin blackened into a charcoal armor covered in countless scarred streaks of fresh, shining steel. Each of his wounds revealed the fresh alloy underneath, and the curving claws at his fingertips ended in sharpened spines. As I neared him, his eyes snapped open, twisting and contorting with the sharp popping of moving metal.


    As his eyes met mine, he raised an eyebrow, his eyes glowing beneath slit eyes, like half hidden coals. Burning blue, his piercing gaze laid onto me before he said in an inhumanly deep and ringing voice,


    ¡°Who decided to intrude into my lair?¡±


    I replied, ¡°A monster in a man¡¯s skin.¡±


    The man laughed, his mouth covered in slab of black. After looking me over, he said, ¡°I can feel your weight through the metal beneath me. What you say must be true, so tell me. What does this monster want?¡±


    A grinning snarl took over my face as I said, ¡°I want to know why your tribe wanted to poison two saints.¡±


    The man¡¯s shoulders shifted, the black bending like a moving, gritty shadow. The ladies at his side stood and left him as he released his hands from them before standing and popping his neck. After staring at me, he said, ¡°Of course our tribe never did such a treachery, but say we happened to dump poison in a barrel, how, perchance, would someone like you know?¡±


    I slit my eyes as I said, ¡°I¡¯ve sharp ears and a stomach like stone.¡±


    Kade clapped his hands, the metallic ring shaking the air around him before he said, ¡°So you swallowed it? Incredible. How would you have figured out that our tribe attempted the poisoning?¡±


    Like a crescent moon waning, my smile dampened before I said, ¡°I melted a man¡¯s face and stole their soul.¡±


    Kade nodded before stepping towards me and saying, ¡°You¡¯re like a young Blackiron, but I¡¯ve never seen you?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°You are a curious creature, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Like floating fires, he stared his eyes like weapons at me as he said, ¡°Someone should remember you after you die.¡±


    My grin returned at full force as I said, ¡°Ah, excellent. I was itching for a piece of carnage.¡±


    He spread his arms before he said, ¡°You¡¯ll find more than a piece, little one. You¡¯ll find a living leviathan.¡±

 27 End of Brutality

    27 End of Brutality


    I charged towards him before he placed out a blackened hand. My fist collided with his palm, bending iron and breaking bones screeching. As I swung my other fist, he said, ¡°You fight,¡± He bent backwards, dodging by rat¡¯s hair before continuing, ¡°like a mongrel-¡±


    A set of claws hard as brimstone sliced into his face as four streaks of shine bloomed through his black face. His eyes ceased their dancing as he bent forward and slung the weight of his leg into chest. My chest caved inwards, revealing teeth at the end of my ribs that chomped into his foot as I grabbed him and pulled him deeper while saying,


    ¡°I told you. I¡¯m a monster.¡±


    Ever since fighting Petra, I¡¯d decreased the ph of my blood until it could corrode through solid rock. Jerking his hand from the burning pit, his hand sizzled and shined bright as Solomon¡¯s platemail. After glancing at his hand, Kade hissed, ¡°What sorcery is this?¡±


    My torso closed as I rasped, ¡°My own miracle.¡±


    Kade grabbed a chain from atop the tree before swinging upwards, so I followed with a leap of my own. He turned midair before slamming his foot into my skull, but it caved in once more. The edges of my bones clamped into his booted feet before I dragged him down. The air around me emptied into a void before a clear wave crushed into me like a chipped cliff.


    Flying backwards, I impacted against steel tree, wood snapping as the metal tubes crumpled. The sticky sap intermingled with the wounds on my back before I fell onto the metal floor. After shaking my head, a chain¡¯s links clanked before a line of metal slapped into my side, snapping my ribs and splitting my skin.


    The vision around me tumbled into a blurred circle as agony radiated from my snapped sides. My senses grew hazy before a voice entered my ears,


    ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the offense, but you snap like a twig.¡±


    Saliva pooled in my mouth, but my own blood tasted like copper rather than sweet as sugar. I spit out a tooth and glob of liquid as I said, ¡°Then you crumple like paper.¡±


    Focusing my efforts, the sinews of my skin restored while my tendons and muscles squirmed back into place. Kade threw down the chain before spreading both his hands to his side. Pulling on an invisible force, he strained before his hands clapped in front of him. Kinetic force trampled me from both sides as crimson spouted from my mouth and out my wounds like squeezing a cherry.


    My arms broke. My legs hanged limp and lifeless. Both clavicles pulverized into my torso before Kade leapt towards with both hands gripped together and over his head. His legs and arms reared back before a rare, powerful emotion exploded in my chest; it was fear. My blood built me back up, forcing my flopping organs and bones together. Before his hands split my broken body in two, stray bones and hands rolled me away from him before I slurped away from him.


    Rolling like barrel down a hill, my body gained momentum before I rolled down the set off steps leading up to Kade¡¯s fortress. He sprinted behind me, his footsteps thumping as he shouted in his metallic voice,


    ¡°Come on. You were so eager before.¡±


    As I rolled past several screaming Blackirons, my blood snapped onto them before submerging them in my body. Within seconds, I assimilated five members before the moth collector of before stood in the way of my exit, his metal skin omening my doom.


    Kade chided behind me, ¡°Good luck passing Macor.¡±


    Pools of mothen milk surrounded me along with glowing steel over the pits. Heat sizzled over them as several dozen hands rolled me forward. Macor spread his arms and leaned down, so I slipped sideways before he tackled into my side. My globular body fell over a pit before grabbing ahold of Macor¡¯s leg and dragging him down with me.


    He caught the side of the ledge, so we both hung over the pit of glowing white. Heat solidified the blood at my bottom and drained my strength as I dried up. Cracks radiated up my deformed body while the black pit metal surrounding me, preventing my escape. As I glanced upwards, light leaked through the green canopy overhead. Anguish grew in my body as I glanced around with several floating eyes in my sluggy body.


    I found no escape, so glanced upwards where Kade glanced down at me and spread his arms as he said, ¡°Pathetic. You tried using my allies as hostages.¡±


    As he spoke, my body crawled ever so slowly up and over Macor as I gurgled, ¡°No...I assimilated them.¡±


    Kade reared back before saying, ¡°What? Assimilated?¡±


    ¡°They are a part of me now.¡±


    Kade gripped the edges of his head before scratching his head as he howled, ¡°You demon. You...you¡¯re an abomination. You were dead the moment you walked in here. Why did you kill them?¡±


    A blob of black blood shot up and into the eyes and ears and mouth of Macor as I said, ¡°I...need to...survive.¡±


    Kadelet let his arms lower down to his sides as he said, ¡°You¡¯ve killed five innocent people. You¡¯re just like the so called saints of Nelastra. You are nothing but a hollow, evil monster.¡±


    More and more of my body flooded in Macor¡¯s body as I gurgled, ¡°Think...why would I not bring other...saints with me when I came here?¡±


    His eyes squinted as I made Macor¡¯s body my own. As Macor died, I gripped the ledge with his iron fingers as Kade said, ¡°So you were the new Saint?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have challenged the only exile in the saint¡¯s history as your opponent.¡±


    I spit out bits of phlegm from my globular mouth as I rasped, ¡°Exile?¡±


    ¡°I denied their sainthood. I stayed with my fallen brothers. I wouldn¡¯t leave them to rot while I lived in luxury. It doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re dead now.¡±


    My mind strained until my body convulsed as I rapidly absorbed all the intricacies of Macor¡¯s metal body. I analyzed and learned all the pieces of his body before Kade reached down and said,


    ¡°Excellent work brother. We¡¯ll watch him burn in the pit.¡±


    I grabbed his hand with Macor¡¯s before Kade squinted his eyes at Macor. He said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, the heat getting to your head?¡±


    Kade grabbed and pulled Macor¡¯s head up, revealing the torrent of blood funneling into his mouth and nose and eyes along with my flesh and bones.


    Kade¡¯s eyes popped open before he gagged and thundered, ¡°You stole my brother. You filthy mongrel.¡±


    Macor¡¯s dead hand clamped onto Kade before the black warrior reared back his right hand overhead. Pulling the same unseen force, Kade growled and grimaced as he slammed a wave of power downward. A force denser than a solid wall of titanium and heavy as a planet forced me down right as I shoved myself into the iron shell of Marcor¡¯s carcass.


    The igneous, molten white innards of the moth¡¯s devoured my shell as I strained for survival. The unbearable heat ebbed from all sides like being in the clamping jaws of a giant. The metal melted as tiny bits of the viscous white lava poured into my safe haven. My floating heart pounded as my mind expanded under the pressure.


    Before I fell, I absorbed pieces of the moth¡¯s sac from the skin of Macor, so I replicated the substance all around my globular body. Drops of the magma poured in through Macor¡¯s steel body as he liquefied, burning my insides as I toiled and worked. Like living in fire, I created the sac around me right as the last remnants of Macor¡¯s shell dissolved. There I floated in an endless expanse of scorching goop.


    Bits of the heated slime coursed within me, so I quarantined the packets of pain with the moth sac before jetting them from me. After several minutes, I refocused my thoughts before using pieces of the Blackiron¡¯s bodies for creating my own. Like a caterpillar in a cocoon, Jack¡¯s normal form balled up in this semiclear sac.


    After a few minutes, I incorporated the sac into the structure of my own skin, allowing movement in this mushy prison. My oxygen reserves dwindled before I swam for the surface before slamming into iron. Feeling with fingers, I searched for the surface before finding an opening above me.


    With a careful, creeping rise, I pushed my head above the slop before inhaling slowly as I could. The burning air dried my lungs. The heat pushed my body to the borders of death. My fingers and feet numbed from burns, yet I lived. I had lived.


    After scooping the milk from me, Kade¡¯s voice entered my ears in a distant echo,


    ¡°They¡¯ve sent an abomination to kill us. The palisade will not stop until we exiles have been decimated. We must kill them before I calcify.¡±


    My curiosity peaked, so I crawled out of the mothen milk, clinging to the walls with claws on my hands and toes. Kade continued, ¡°Soon I will die to the sickness that¡¯s plagued our people for centuries. My iron skin will stop me from breathing. I will die a dog¡¯s death if I let Gaia run her course, but I have other plans.¡±


    The surrounding tribes roared before he shouted, ¡°I will invade Nelastra and kill their pitiful saints. No more oppression. No more feeding our children scraps from their garbage. We will rise above. We will conquer.¡±


    As he spoke, I moved my arm under the moth milk, finding no barriers between the pits, so I dove underneath before rising from another pit. Closer and closer I skulked towards Kade until I laid within a pit behind him. I created two pouches of the moth milk before sliding up the walls, silent as a winter night.


    At the apex of his speech he said,


    ¡°We will crush this curse and give our people hope for the future. We will never see the convulsions of a starving child or the tears of their mother. We will-¡±


    Leaping from the pit, I punctured the pouch over his back, smothering him in the super heated sludge. He panicked as he scrambled and writhed, the mush melting him as I said, ¡°I thank your brother for shielding me. His corpse kept me safe until I escaped.¡± I patted my belly as I said, ¡°I¡¯ll send him my regards.¡±


    The crowd screamed before I leapt onto Kade and tore the corrosive, white slop from his back before revealing Kade¡¯s now shining exterior. He fell onto the ground as I leaned over him, my skin shivering and shaking as I growled,


    ¡°That telekinesis of yours must be difficult to channel when you''re in so much pain.¡±


    I Stabbed five fingers into his face before crushing his iron skin from him, revealing the green, mushy flesh underneath. He howled under his mask, muffled and in anguish,


    ¡°Why must it all end here. I had so much to do. I need to live. I must live.¡±


    I scooped a piece of his flesh out as I said, ¡°You will. You¡¯re more useful alive than dead.¡±


    Kade and the crowd quieted as I continued, ¡°I¡¯ll let you all live here, but never tell a single soul of what happened here or attempt another poisoning. Macor died from falling in these pits along with the others, not from the Darkened One eating him.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Kade¡¯s eyes blazed through his misshapen skull as he said, ¡°You...You are the Darkened One?¡±


    I leaned close as I said, ¡°The ender of all and killer of gods. Remember my name. Remember my mercy.¡±


    I released him before jumping into the trees with a sample of Kade¡¯s meat and the mothen magma. They¡¯d serve as delicious samples for study. Whatever source or knowledge he used for his power, I wanted it. Grinding a body into mush from a distance would serve as a useful skill.


    After returning towards Solomon¡¯s house, I fell onto my bed before falling asleep in an instant. Jack awoke this time, so he should continue our story.


    It was a first. I almost always end up experiencing our grueling battles, so my mind exhausts itself. I then sleep for several days while Deluge attempts maintaining my daily life. On more than one occasion I¡¯d opened my eyes with several of my friendships shattered and my body warped.


    In that respect, I awoke that morning with a denser body. Before that moment, my skin moved like thick clay that bounced back into shape after releasing it. Whenever I pinched myself, I felt the consistency and hardness of pliable wood. Two pouches, one full of green mush and another full of a white, burning liquid stood in a pouch of hydra skin at my side.


    Using my experiences as a reference, I discerned the material¡¯s temperature to be around 2000 degrees. If it touched anything near here, it would instantly enflame whatever it touched. I believed that Deluge already killed our would be poisoners, and these were mementoes of his. He described the truth in detail later. We filled in the gaps of our knowledge during that discussion.


    After stretching my muscles in the morning, our group enjoyed another breakfast with Solomon before he elaborated on what happened with Krakowah and Joan. Krakowah opened her eyes within an hour after I left, Joan slept until right before the sun rose, so I missed her by a few minutes at most. She left for training with Galen, the principal of the new academy, her grandfather, and the leader of the Arcanum. His life intertwined with our own in wicked web of lies. Galen seemed stable, however, so planning around him proved simple.


    After the short discussion, Solomon spoke of what the Palisade actually expected from me. Very little, it turned out, so they assigned a small, easy task in their eyes. Instead of using their saints as tools, they utilized them like trump cards. They would get them out of difficult situations when the need arises, so they kept them healthy and happy until then.


    That attitude left me with quite the gaps of free time, so after a nuanced negotiation, Solomon and I agreed to training with one another during the evenings. He wanted a challenge while I wanted experience versus a stronger enemy. It served us well during my stay there.


    With that done, I met with Krakowah whose blood boiled in the palace. She paced all night and day in single line, her hair frazzled and her hands heated. Stepping past the elegant marble and excessive decour embroidering the walls, I walked up towards her menacing figure before tapping on her muscled shoulder as I said,


    ¡°Mind if I interrupt you?¡±


    As if snapping from a trance, Krakowah replied, ¡°Ah, of course. I just couldn¡¯t forgive myself for what happened last night. If not for your intervention, I¡¯d have died a dog¡¯s death. Even now just thinking of it...¡±


    Her gauntleted hands glowed with a white hot heat as she snarled, ¡°It¡¯s like there¡¯s a storm raging in my mind. I can¡¯t stand it. I-¡±


    I sook her shoulder before saying, ¡°Calm down. I¡¯ve dealt with the poisoners. They were some spiteful tribe.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow as she said, ¡°Dealt with?¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°I purged them.¡±


    She blinked before sighing as I let go off her shoulder. She tightened her grip, her knuckles white underneath her armor as she said, ¡°It¡¯s just...In that instance, I was less than useless. You drank almost all the poison, yet you willed your way through it, put us somewhere safe, then handled the threat before I even awoke.¡±


    She relaxed her hands, air steaming from them before meeting she met my glance while saying, ¡°You¡¯re already a better saint than I am.¡±


    I contemplated her words for a moment before saying, ¡°It¡¯s like this. Imagine if we¡¯d fought against a crowd of acidic creatures. What do you believe would happen?¡±


    She raised an eyebrow as she said, ¡°What does that have to do with our sainthood?¡±


    I placed a palm to her words as I said, ¡°Just answer earnestly. What would happen?¡±


    She shrugged before saying, ¡°I would crush them with my chains while you crushed them with your fists.¡±


    I shook my head and said, ¡°There composed of acid. I couldn¡¯t fight them since I only use my hands and feet in combat. You would dispatch them from a distance with ease. It would boil down to the specific circumstance and the talents we bring. I am immune to poison, therefore I handled the last crisis. You may handle the next one in a way that only you could.¡±


    She stood taller and grinned as I continued with a hand cupping my chin, ¡°Though, you may find matching me difficult. I have a habit of being awesome.¡±


    She slapped my back, her big, broad hands knocking me forward before she said, ¡°Hah, you¡¯ve got fists of granite, a stomach of stone, and a tongue of silver. You¡¯ll make Gaia proud one day. I know it.¡±


    I stood straight as I said, ¡°That''s the idea.¡±


    Krakowah froze for an instant before glancing at her hand, the metal glowing with heat before she stared at me and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I forget myself at times. That must have hurt like a smith hammering his hand.¡±


    I felt my back by stretching my arms around me before saying, ¡°Eh, it¡¯s not so bad.¡±


    Krakowah squinted her eyes before grabbing my hand in hers. The playfulness of earlier ended as she pierced a glare right at my eyes. After a second, she boomed a laugh as she raised my right hand and said,


    ¡°You can handle this heat, Jericho. Tell me,what kind of training gave you this resilience?¡±


    I glanced at my left palm as I said, ¡°Ahhhh...Perhaps it¡¯s gained from drinking a bit of the dragon¡¯s blood.¡±


    Krakowah let me hand go before punching my shoulder as she said, ¡°Hah, good one. I¡¯ve already tried myself. It just tastes like iron and salt. Didn¡¯t feel a bit different the day after besides an unsettled stomach.¡±


    Shrugging as if bewildered, I said, ¡°Our bodies change in mysterious ways. One day you burn, the next you don¡¯t. Only Gaia knows the origin of miracles.¡±


    Krakowah opened her hands as she said, ¡°If you¡¯d rather not reveal any secrets, say so. It won¡¯t bother me.¡±


    I nodded before we walked out into the courtyard of the palace, birds singing songs as crickets drowned any quiet with their steady hum. The wind brushed leaves and cooled skin as Krakowah said, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since anyone¡¯s touched my hand and not been burned.¡±


    I replied, ¡°Would you mind disclosing the last instance?¡±


    ¡°It was when a member of the Blackiron tribe was offered up for sainthood. When I clasped his hand, he gripped mine in turn. I liked him quite a bit. He had a wild, hungry look in his eye, not unlike yours.¡±


    I squinted my eyes as I said, ¡°The Blackiron tribe?¡±


    ¡°They are one of the three strongest tribes along with the Dreadnought tribe and the Bloodglacier tribe. They were so prolific at one point that a member of their tribe was offered sainthood, but he neglected the offer. He has since been labeled a heretic along with his tribe, exiling them from Nelastra.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°If you deny sainthood, then you¡¯re exiled?¡±


    ¡°Of course. Denying sainthood is denying Gaia¡¯s grace. You let her spirit within you, and you work for the church thereafter. It¡¯s the highest honor imaginable, and certain saints become as influential as kings. Solomon is a perfect example.¡±


    I remembered how he defied Abraham Elsiary who¡¯s power rivals a king¡¯s. After thinking it over, I said, ¡°Why would he deny that honor?¡±


    Krakowah opened her arms wide as she said, ¡°It¡¯s something I shouldn¡¯t say.¡±


    I squinted my eyes as I said, ¡°Am I not trustworthy?¡±


    Her shoulders slacked as she said, ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean anything like that-¡±


    I shoved her shoulder as I said, ¡°Good, then how about sharing some of your hard earned wisdom with a young, ever so unwise saint?¡±


    Krakowah burst into laughter as she said, ¡°You''re more dangerous with your words than your arms. Alright, I¡¯ll tell you, even though it is not my secret to tell.¡±


    I nodded before she leaned close while continuing, ¡°The story starts with Solomon. You¡¯ve seen how much larger he is than other saints, correct?¡±


    I nodded before she continued, ¡°That is a consequence of how he came to be. He told you of how he caught the fragment before it shattered on the ground?¡±


    Nodding once more, she continued, ¡°Well, I doubt he told you of who or what he was doing at that time. You see, he was a slave of Nelastra.¡±


    My eyes opened wide as she continued, ¡°You didn¡¯t hear this from me of course, but he was a loyal labourer of the king. So loyal, in fact, that they let him near something as holy as a remnant of Gaia. He was much like the Blackiron¡¯s exile, Kade. He had accumulated enough accolades to be considered a saint, yet they denied him the opportunity since he was from the forgotten tribes. That prejudice disgusts us Geshians since they changed from Gaia¡¯s will.¡±


    As we stopped walking under the shade of a wormwood, she said, ¡°Regardless, when he caught the remnant, he didn¡¯t let Gaia into his mind. He rejected her because he believed himself unworthy because he hadn¡¯t been chosen yet. It was the ultimate showing of servitude.¡±


    This remark sparked my attention above all her other words. Whenever Deluge and I absorbed the remnant of Gaia from Mareovosa, we struggled fighting her off with both our wills. To do so alone shows a resolve dense as gold and unbroken as brick. These thoughts danced in my mind as she continued,


    ¡°He had been the champion of the Dreadnought tribe, but even though their champion gained the status of a hero, nothing changed for their people. They continued being enslaved as mercenaries or guards or beasts of burden. I can tell you, Solomon¡¯s only regret is how his people have been treated despite his service to Gaia.¡±


    A grieving grimaced plastered to my face as I said, ¡°So after seeing the neglect of the Dreadnought tribe, Kade decided against becoming a saint.¡±


    Krakowah nodded before she said, ¡°It¡¯s a damn shame. I¡¯ll never forget Kade¡¯s words that dark day,


    ¡®The church asks for my life and all that I am for what? You gain the Blackiron¡¯s greatest champion, yet my people will languish just as we always have. This is an empty choice. I have not been chosen to be a saint. I have been commanded to be a slave.¡¯¡±


    Deluge and I learned this later, but Kade had said so right before grasping the remnant and forcing its presence from his mind as well. After hearing his story, I agreed with Kade. Solomon still lived in a small, quaint house surrounded by his dead family. It was such a sad, languishing life for a legendary hero. He deserved more after centuries of service, yet the church and king¡¯s used him like a rag before throwing him away. They disguised their abuse behind pretty words, but I saw straight through their lies. I saw the awful truth with my own eyes.


    Krakowah continued, her words strained, ¡°Sadly enough, I believe that in more ways than one, he¡¯s right. Human saints receive different recognition than other, nonhuman ones. From my own experiences, I¡¯ve finished twice as many missions as Saint Ara, yet she receives far more fame and recognition.¡±


    Of the many saints throughout Bastion¡¯s history, several stuck out between the other names. Solomon stood head and shoulders above the rest, but Ara also had her feats recorded in any legitimate book of history. The down to earth opinions of these legendary figures closed the distance I¡¯d felt from them.


    Up till my visit to Nelastra, Saint¡¯s seemed out of reach, like grabbing the sheen of a star in the sky. They accomplished the unbelievable. They acted as living angels, yet Solomon and Krakowah acted like friendly, flawed humans. They struggled through strife. They persevered through personal trials. They did not carry their long lives with the sadness of years. They carried the sadness of centuries, and they did so smiling.


    In a way I never expected, they showed me the defiance of the human spirit. They restored my faith in man not through feats of strength, but with their humanity. They showed strong weakness with their hardship, not their triumph. They showed a flawed perfection with their regret, not their success.


    I zoned out for at least a minute as these thoughts tumbled and turned in the chaotic storm of my mind. Krakowah kicked my shin, snapping me from my trance as she said, ¡°I do not give out words lightly. Either listen or leave.¡±


    I sighed before saying, ¡°Ah, excuse me. I lost myself in thought.¡±


    She frowned as she squinted her eyes and said, ¡°So what thought is so important that you must ignore me?¡±


    I glanced at her as I said, ¡°How human you are.¡±


    She stepped back, saying, ¡°What? What do you mean human?¡±


    ¡°Saint¡¯s are nothing like the perfect beings spoken of in legends. They are flawed as I am. I¡¯ve realized that heroes like you and Solomon are people like me or anyone else, and that makes your lives far more remarkable.¡±


    She blinked before nodding as she spoke more to herself than me, ¡°That¡¯s a reasonable thought to distract yourself with.¡± She stared at me, her eyes sharp as daggers, ¡°You sound older than Solomon at times.¡±


    I brushed my hair back as I said, ¡°Even I have my moments of brilliance.¡±


    Her lips made a thin line before she said, ¡°One secret for another. Where did you come from?¡±


    I bit my bottom lip before saying, ¡°Well, somewhere far away.¡±


    Krakowah spread her arms wide as she said, ¡°Am I not trustworthy?¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°Way to weave my words against me.¡±


    She grinned as she said, ¡°I learned from the best.¡±


    Glancing up, I said, ¡°Hmm...Alright, I¡¯ll tell you a little, but remember, this is a pact of secrecy. Do not let any rumors crop up.¡±


    She beamed a grin as she pounded her chest with a fist as she said, ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll keep it between us saints.¡±


    So I told her a little of my past. I was the bastard child of the Donovan family who had risen from my banishment after the death of my parents. Krakowah soaked in the knowledge like a dry desert soaks water as she asked questions about every facet of what happened after my parents died, but I glossed over the intricacies. I¡¯d rather her not know the details considering my circumstances.


    She learned little, but she appreciated the gesture regardless. I didn¡¯t realize at the time, but Krakowah was a prolific gossip. Within a few short days, all of Nelastra knew that Saint Jericho was a member of the Donovan family. I still regret exposing any piece of my past to her that day, so much so that I cringe and choke and sink at the thought. I gave her a key to my past, and she spread the knowledge behind that closed door as if eating forbidden fruit.


    I unleashed the miscreation and chaos lurking behind those doors. I unleashed the death of a kingdom and the downfall of Nelastra. I unleashed cataclysm.

 28 Unyielding Fame

    Unyielding Fame


    Abraham Elsiary gave me access to the palisades archives for my accomplishments that day. I borrowed piles upon piles of books from there for myself and Sophia, and Deluge¡¯s samples assisted her research. Her work on the Obelisk Program advanced her studies even further, progressing our goal of eliminating soul forging.


    As much as Sophia hated the palisade, she didn¡¯t deny their ingenuity. Before the other nobles learned of my origins, sophia and I discussed the palisade¡¯s most puzzling find.


    Sophia wanted a view of the capital as she ate, so I carried her as I leapt onto the edge of the palace¡¯s wall. Having finished my sparring with Solomon and learned of Deluge¡¯s battle with Kade, pieces of thought rummaged around like a swarm of seagulls diving for fish. A quiet talk with Sophia sounded like a break from all the endless reading and training under Solomon¡¯s wing.


    So we sat at the side of the alabaster wall, both our feet dangling from the side. The wall warmed under the sun, so despite the coming cool of night, Sophia and I remained comfortable and at ease. The lights and torches around the city each ignited one at a time, so within a few minutes of sitting there, Sophia and I glanced at a sea of stars set in another ocean of orange. The white marble, the steady hum of city chatter, the hum of golems, and even the electric purr of the enormous dome around us made this city feel unmoving and invincible.


    We sat in silence as I leaned back onto my elbows, my head hung behind me. I soaked in the rejuvenating calm after a long, hard day. That genuine relaxation always amazed me, yet I understood why I could rest there.


    Nelastra owned a near gravitational force. The city sucked you in if you stayed long, and by then, both Sophia and I enjoyed it there. I already loved that city, despite it¡¯s pressing flaws. Living a life there could please anyone, even spoiled royalty. Having children there with Joan, few things would have please me more.


    Yet something inside me urged me forward. Deluge wanted more than just a cozy life. He wanted a legacy, and even though I sound content, I needed a goal as well. The palisade wouldn¡¯t stop until after the Darkened One had been obliterated, and they¡¯d darken the world to do so. They already had.


    Sophia interrupted my wondering mind as she said, ¡°They found something.¡±


    I turned towards her, ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The palisade. They¡¯ve discovered a meteorite.¡±


    I leaned closer, ¡°And what revelation did they find in the hunk of rock?¡±


    Sophia bit her lip, ¡°More than I¡¯d like. The star...It had some kind of metal in it. It¡¯s too hard to break or snap or even scratch. They chipped a diamond in the first day.¡±


    I frowned, ¡°Sounds like they can¡¯t use it.¡±


    She shook her head, ¡°Not now, but maybe later. I think it¡¯s what Aether¡¯s made of. This is a big deal, Jack.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, ¡°Bah, its a hunk of something indestructible. As long as it isn¡¯t enough to make another golem, we¡¯re fine.¡±


    She nodded, ¡°I agree, partially at least, but it¡¯s shown some rather unique properties. It holds souls perfectly, just like alexandrite, but it has no limits with the amount that it can hold or use either.¡±


    Sitting upright, I said ¡°How¡¯s that different from Alexandrite?¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    She grimaced, ¡°It bonds to any living thing that touches it.¡±


    My eyes widened as I walked on the edge of a discovery. I silenced for few seconds of thought, ¡°Sounds too dangerous to use.¡±


    Her brow wrinkled like an old rag, ¡°They¡¯ll use it anyway. They already have.¡±


    My eyes widened, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Whatever they let touch it, loses it¡¯s mind. That rock¡¯s like an endless supply of madness, but they won¡¯t stop trying to use it. It allows anyone to use their soul as energy.¡±


    My chest hollowed. Dread pricked my skin, and I trembled before I asked a question, yet I already knew the answer, ¡°What are they going to do with it?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll kill us all. They¡¯ll make a mindless army hellbent on killing everything. We can¡¯t let them continue this. Everything, and I mean everything will become this horrific nightmare that we can¡¯t wake up from.¡±


    Her hands shook as and a her eyes twitched, ¡°I don¡¯t...I don¡¯t know what to do. They started making human golems that use their own souls. Some people tried speaking up. They put them on that thing. I can¡¯t do this. I won¡¯t do this.¡±


    I laid a hand on her shoulder, ¡°Sophia, calm down. This is a pretty simple fix. We could get Aether to pick it up and move it. I¡¯m sure they had Golems move it there right?¡±


    She shook her head before saying, ¡°It absorbs the souls of normal golems.¡±


    I frowned before saying, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll pick-¡±


    Sophia shouted, ¡°No way in hell are you touching that thing. I won¡¯t watch your mind be destroyed.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Of course not. I¡¯ll put some material between me and it, then I¡¯ll hide it somewhere.¡±


    Sophia turned at me and screamed, ¡°They can find it. It¡¯s over. Everything¡¯s-¡±


    I snapped my fingers, ¡°Sophia, stop.¡±


    ¡°But they-¡±


    I interjected, ¡°Do you remember the day I took you from your room at Mareovosa?¡±


    She blinked before I continued, ¡°You looked so eager, like you were going on a camping trip with friends. Luke had this dumbfounded expression whenever he saw Aether, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    A reluctant laugh escaped her before I continued, ¡°At that time, my secret had been exposed. They knew that I was there so called Darkened One. My entire life fell to pieces in an instant.¡±


    I pointed around us, ¡°Look at how that turned out. I¡¯m heralded as a hero now in Bastion¡¯s most beautiful city. I¡¯m surrounded by friends at all sides. Things worked out then, they¡¯ll work out now.¡±


    She bit her bottom lip, ¡°How can you know that?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°I don¡¯t, but I have faith in us. Have some faith in us as well.¡±


    She laughed again, ¡°Alright, but how are you gonna move that giant boulder?¡±


    I gripped my hand, ¡°I think you already know the answer.¡±


    She rolled her eyes, ¡°Sounds like it might involve some improv.¡±


    I beamed a bright, confident grin, ¡°But of course my dear.¡± I stood and offered a hand, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Joan¡¯s lonely without us.¡±


    After leaping from the gate, we reached in front of Solomon¡¯s house where several nobles banged on his doorway. As I walked up, they turned and stampeded towards me like a pack of starving coyotes. Shouts bled into a single booming drone before I roared,


    ¡°Quiet. This is the immortal Saint¡¯s home, not some dirty brothel. Leave.¡±


    After a short, sweet silence, a mumble began after a feminine voice said, ¡°He does sound like a noble.¡±


    ¡°Ah, he does. He looks like a Blackiron though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in poor taste to comment on a saint¡¯s appearance. You know that.¡±


    As I passed through the murmuring mob, they opened a pathway towards Solomon¡¯s home. After opening the doorway, Galen stood with Joan and Solomon as a short, blond haired girl spoke to them. White armor like snow hung on her dainty shoulders while she spoke with a high pitched tenor. She floated on her feet like fairy, and she drew the eye with a magnetic pull towards her. Despite her pleasant appearance, her words sliced like hidden razors digging into your throat as she said,


    ¡°So you had the heir of another empire being coronated as a Saint?¡±


    Solomon replied, ¡°No. He is simply Saint Jericho. If he wished for the Donovan¡¯s patronage, he¡¯d no doubt have it. Let him be, Ara.¡±


    She placed a finger on her cheek, ¡°Hmm, we¡¯ll see.¡± She turned to me before a grin bloomed on her face, sweet as honey and piercing as pain, ¡°Ah, there you are Jericho Donovan. We¡¯ve got quite a lot to discuss.¡±

 29 Spitting Fire

    Closing the door behind me, I stepped up as I said, ¡°What do you mean by Jericho Donovan?¡±


    She poked my chest while leaning forward as she said, ¡°No need in denying it. I¡¯ve already verified your identity. The Donovan family found the wreckage of your carriage after sending a relative to search for you. After seeing you in person, I can see how you survived.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before glancing at Joan as I said, ¡°Who is this anyway?¡±


    Joan already propped on a hip, her patience thin as water, ¡°She¡¯s apparently Saint Ara, though I never imagined she¡¯d be so short.¡±


    Ara pursed her lips before saying, ¡°All of your are just tall. Besides-¡± She turned to Solomon as she said, ¡°Not all saints come out of the process as clean and dainty as I did. Isn¡¯t that right, Saint Solomon?¡±


    Before he could reply, I said, ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the bit of venom in your words. I think I¡¯ll call you Miss Viper.¡±


    Miss Viper squinted her eyes as she said, ¡°You¡¯re not even a saint yet. You can¡¯t just call me whatever you want. I assure you of that.¡±


    I nodded before turning to Joan and saying, ¡°So how did Miss Viper learn who I am?¡±


    Joan frowned, ¡°Krakowah got drunk before telling her. Apparently, it¡¯s a big deal.¡±


    I shrugged before saying, ¡°Well they only sent her, it musn¡¯t have been too big a crisis.¡±


    Ara snapped, ¡°It¡¯s a far larger concern than you''d believe, and stop talking like I¡¯m not here. It¡¯s unbecoming of nobility.¡±


    I flashed a beastial grin as I leaned towards her, ¡°Not a drop of my blood is noble nor normal. I assure you of that.¡±


    She stood her ground before saying, ¡°Not according to who you''re lineage. You¡¯re not just nobility. You¡¯re royalty.¡±


    I sighed before crossing my arms, ¡°My family died a while back. The Donovan¡¯s offered making me a member of their family, but I learned a little of the subject. After reading in the archives of the palisade, I found a Donovan biography. I was curious, so I poured through the pages. I found that only direct blood relatives could be selected, so it wasn¡¯t a problem.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Ara nodded before lifting a finger to the air, ¡°Yes, it wasn¡¯t a problem. It is now. We know your a direct descendant. The king has ordered your immediate imprisonment by the palisade. They are more than just suspicious of you at this point.¡±


    Ara¡¯s eyes turned to steel as she hissed, ¡°Trust me when I say they have interesting methods for interrogation. We¡¯ll figure out what you¡¯re doing in Nelastra.¡±


    A bead of sweat poured off Joan¡¯s forehead before I walked over towards Solomon while saying, ¡°While I¡¯m away, would you keep Joan safe? It shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±


    Solomon¡¯s shoulders hung as he said, ¡°Bah. Of course I will. I tried telling them that you are no spy, but they wouldn¡¯t listen to me. The church can¡¯t even trust saints anymore. What has this world come to?¡±


    With a sly smile, I said, ¡°It¡¯s full of change and never lacking in surprises. Keep your mind young.¡±


    A sardonic laugh bellowed from Solomon¡¯s chest before he said, ¡°You should try the same.¡±


    I nodded before dashing into a hug with Joan, lifting her from the ground as she giggled before I said, ¡°Try not to break anything while I¡¯m gone, troublemaker.¡±


    Joan pulled my head close as she said, ¡°You¡¯re the one to talk.¡±


    As I set her down, Ara said, ¡°The most monstrous things often have the most convincing disguises. Let¡¯s go, Jericho. Ser Regis awaits.¡±


    Solomon shouted, ¡°What? He¡¯ll be tortured? I will not stand idle as he faces torments that no man should endure.¡±


    Joan tapped her fingers on her side as she said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys scared you¡¯ll stop Jericho from becoming a Saint? He could just leave after-¡±


    Ara¡¯s eyes opened wide, manic and laughing as she poked my side and said, ¡°Solomon knows better than anyone. You aren¡¯t given the title of saint. It is forced onto you.¡±


    The gritty sound of grinding teeth filled the room before Ara jumped beside Solomon and said, ¡°Did I touch a nerve? It must be ever so painful to be under the Empire¡¯s heel, but you¡¯ve got a strong back. You¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    Solomon¡¯s hands shook before I said, ¡°Can we start with the torture already Miss Viper? I can¡¯t handle anymore petty, thinly veiled jabs aimed at Bastion¡¯s greatest champion.¡±


    Harsher than breathing in broken glass, Solomon said, ¡°Champion is another word for slave.¡±


    The depth of his despair shook the room, yet Ara¡¯s grin grew at the sight. Deluge said in my mind, ¡°We don¡¯t have to experience all this.¡±


    I thought back, ¡°We do. If they learn who I am, then they¡¯ll hide the remnants here. We¡¯ll never find them afterwards.¡±


    Deluge laughed as I said aloud, ¡°Then let¡¯s get this over with.¡±


    Ara turned towards me, frenzy growing in her eyes before she said, ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll enjoy breaking you.¡±


    My words stayed steady with a witty snap as I said them, ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard Miss Viper? I can drink poison. That includes your own.¡±

 30 The Endless Hour

    Ara guided me into the bowels of the beast as I reached into the palisade¡¯s inner chambers. She and I walked through ever evolving hallways, each more gruesome than the last. First, all paint left the walls. Scratches and scrapes altered from a happen stance to an inevitability, and the smell of musty mold and the repulsive rot of marrow and flesh leaked into our noses.


    The walls shrunk until I ducked my head while walking at a slight slant. Something about the air thinned, like I was slowly suffocating as I squeezed by. Whenever the sound of hollow screams began radiating in the background, Ara said, ¡°You''ll be just like them, filthy Donovan.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, ¡°I''m pretty clean most of the time. Do I smell bad?¡±


    She clenched her hands into fists, ¡°You''ve got nerve, but that won''t last long.¡±


    Hellish howling intermingled with the screams along with a familiar ring in my ears. I breathed deep before I said, ¡°You''ll be using plague doctors on me then?¡±


    She clapped her hands before saying, ¡°Hi hi, exactly. I hope you like watching your parents die over and over.¡±


    ¡°Mind elaborating on why you act like an angry child? Seems like you¡¯d need a reason for lashing out like that.¡±


    Ara murmured, ¡°The Donovan¡¯s where cruel to me. I don¡¯t need any other reason.¡±


    Needless to say, her comments dug under my skin, but killing her over something so trivial, well, that¡¯s even pettier than she was.


    Regardless, the horrors of the palisade became clear after she placed me in a room with a steel operating table in it. Teeth, hair, and nails scattered around the room while a patch of redd moss grew on one of its corner, pulsing like a beating heart. The humidity and heavy heat of the air caused a clammy sweat on Ara¡¯s face in seconds, yet no sweat dripped from mine. Deluge¡¯s modifications eliminated any of my sensitivity to temperature.


    Behind the table stood a masked man holding a black scythe of ebony and bone. The ringing in my ears blurred my vision as visions of cooking flesh and empty eyes swirled in in this prison. Ara pushed me towards the table, and I stumbled forward as my breathing and composure unraveled into ragged, convulsing movements.


    Like a sensation between pain and discomfort, I squirmed under my skin as I blinked nothing out of my eyes, yet they watered. Needles jabbed from my skin as they both strapped me to the table, Ara eager to start the torture. In my eyes, it had already begun.


    Ara giggled at me before I laughed loud. The laugh continued until Ara snapped with displeasure, ¡°What is so funny?¡±


    My teeth clattered as my mother burned alive in front of me, yet I said, ¡°If this is all, then this is nothing new. I have felt this pain and lived through it. I shall do so once more.¡±


    She swung a fist against my left jaw, radiating a shot of torment up the side of my face. Red ice prickled up and out of my skin, piercing my face till a minced piece of meat remained of my left cheek. before Ara snapped, ¡°Sir Regis and I shall bring something far worse than just dead parents. We¡¯ll be showing you a whole nother world.¡±


    I forced my jaw open, snapping the frozen blood before I said, ¡°Go ahead then Miss Viper. Show me something new. I¡¯ll return the favor later.¡±


    She screamed before smashing her hand against my left arm, the same deep cold penetrating my insides as before. As if crushed by a siberian snake, coils of agony shot up my arm before the limb convulsed in sheer torment. Ara¡¯s face flushed at this point, her breath coming in full pants like a dog in heat.


    Sir Regis said, ¡°We can¡¯t kill him here, Ara. This is merely an interrogation, not an execution.¡±


    She shook her head as she said, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ve heard rumors of Jericho¡¯s apparent invincibility.¡±


    Deluge frowned in my mind as he said, ¡°This is quite the mess we¡¯re in.¡±


    I replied, ¡°Stop them if we are close to death, but I know we can go through more than merely this.¡±


    He replied, ¡°Good luck sustaining through the experience. You¡¯ll come out new and refreshed, I¡¯m sure.¡±Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    A laugh escaped my broken face before Ara clenched her fists in frustration. She howled at Sir Regis, ¡°Help me. I can¡¯t stand his incessant grinning. I want some to hear some howling for Gaia¡¯s sake.¡±


    Obeying the order, Sir Regis lifted then lowered his scythe into my right arm, and no longer could I smile. A darkness deeper than decay and moving as death seeped in. My arm shivered and jostled around as if possessed before the limb snapped then slammed into the table beneath me.


    The metal crumpled like the pop of squashing a cockroach underfoot. My restraints snapped before I fell to the hard, moist brick beneath me. I pushed my face into the stone, the rock cracking as my forehead broke it. My arm writhed at random before slamming into the chest of Sir Regis, sending him across the room before his body popped against the wall like a blood filled balloon. I dashed away from Ara as she screamed before I grabbed my arm and pushed it down.


    Ara said, ¡°You killed him. You will be tried for murder you heathen.¡±


    I shook my head as I said, ¡°I can¡¯t help but move a little when I¡¯m...¡± My voice broke as I said, ¡°This much pain.¡±


    My body heated until the ice melted in moments. It coursed back into me before I grit my teeth and pounded my black, deformed arm into the wall. A wave of woe rippled through my body, numbing my hand before I dived through the misery. In an instant, I controlled my arm like sliding back into its flesh before Deluge said, his voice harsh as broken glass,


    ¡°They sliced into our souls. I wouldn¡¯t allow it.¡±


    I nodded with full agreement before saying to Ara, ¡°What kind of torture involves breaking the soul of your captor?¡±


    She frowned before she snapped, ¡°I can restore wounded souls. This is the capital¡¯s favorite form of torture. It leaves no physical marks, yet it hurts worse than any pain.¡±


    I frowned clasping my right arm once more as I said, ¡°Eh, it was pretty bad, but I¡¯ve felt worse.¡±


    Her jaw gaped open as I continued, ¡°Once, I cut of my own legs and crawled away from a monster that was shooting worms under my skin. It¡¯s something unlike anything else, I¡¯ll tell yah.¡±


    My nonchalance left her confused and off balance before she snapped, ¡°How did you heal those wounds?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. Can¡¯t remember.¡±


    She ground her teeth before screaming once more, but I snapped my fingers, releasing a deafening boom before I said, ¡°Stop whining like a child. I¡¯m done dealing with it.¡±


    The door behind her slammed open as several armed guards and plague doctors stormed in. They surrounded me before Abraham stepped out from between them, his frown displeased and distant,


    ¡°Well, well, well. Look¡¯s like you murdered Sir Regis during your torture. That¡¯s a capital offense here at the palisade.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before saying, ¡°They ruptured my soul, so my arm went berserk, killing him. That¡¯s like testing a man¡¯s reflexes by slicing a sword towards his throat then complaining when your head¡¯s lopped from your body in reply. This is absurd.¡±


    Abraham¡¯s placed his fingertips together in front of him as he walked around the room. After approaching me, he said, ¡°How about we make a deal?¡±


    I squinted my eyes as I said, ¡°What kind?¡±


    ¡°One where you might not die.¡±


    I slicked my hair back as the scent of Sir Regis¡¯s corpse spread to us. Like inhaling the aroma of a perfectly peppered steak, I breathed deep before saying, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll hear you out.¡±


    A glowing grin exploded on his face before he said, ¡°Wonderful. You see, we have a rather special stone we acquired not long ago. If you wouldn¡¯t mind being a test subject, I can pardon your death sentence.¡±


    I thought towards Deluge, ¡°Do you think the star stone will destroy our minds?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It can¡¯t be stronger than Gaia¡¯s remnant.¡±


    I shrugged and said aloud, ¡°Alright. Sounds simple.¡±


    The guards near us cringed before Abraham clapped his hands and said, ¡°Perfect.¡±


    As the guards left the room, Arbraham walked closer towards me before saying, ¡°You know, I enjoy my enemies close, but you. You¡¯re a little too powerful for your own good. Solomon, he¡¯s a mindless thrall. You, you think too much.¡±


    He leaned close as he said, ¡°This is what happens to those who show me disfavor. This is what happens when-¡±


    I gripped three fingers into his mouth with my thumb and index finger around his throat. With a vice grip, I locked him there, unable to breath or move. Pulling him closer, I said, ¡°I can pop your skull like a snapping a twig. Do not misunderstand. I do not obey your orders.¡±


    I lifted him from the ground as his face purpled. After a moment, I spoke with words crushing as calamity, ¡°I choose to play along.¡±


    Dropping him onto the ground, he heaped in a pile of limp limbs before coughing for several minutes. I left him before reaching Ara and flashing a cold, callous grin as I placed a fingertip on her forehead. A bead of sweat dripped down her pale cheek as I ground my words like granite,


    ¡°Nothing could stop me from killing either of you. Not Solomon. Not Gaia. Not even my own kindness. You forfeit that luxury, and with one more annoyance, you donate your flesh and blood.¡±


    There I left them both pale with sheen''s of cold sweat, leaving them alone in that corpse ridden room. Long after I left, I heard echoes of Ara¡¯s words,


    ¡°He¡¯s not human.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t wrong, but what awaited me within the star stone was something far worse than mere madness. I awaited a revelation.

 31 Not Quite Madness

    I passed through the palisades inner chambers, following the guards until we reached a section of the building plated with white ceramic. Scratches lined the walls, and the steady hacking around us made the entire building a butcher¡¯s shop in both sound and smell. A quiet, tearing meandered through all these other sounds.


    The electric drone clashed in my mind like a swarm of marble hornets. Unlike the plague doctor¡¯s ring, this sound invited the mind, but the odd delight my mind took in nearing the stone evoked fear unlike the pain of the plague doctor.


    I¡¯d fought against all orders of pain, from a scraped shin to biting through my arm. Pleasure wasn¡¯t something I experienced often, if almost ever in combat, yet as we neared the object, the guards giggled as if drunk. Several members covered in ceramic scales moved throughout the room as well, though they walked with precise steps, there movements sober as death.


    We reached down a hall before seeing a room of pure white tile with a black rock at its center. his whole area ebbed an alien atmosphere, from the costumes to the endless white around us. Orderly lines traced across the object along with perfect circles etched in the boulder. Laughter emanated from the stone, endless as time and haunting as a harbinger. Several of the scaled members shuffled the guards from the area after the head guard laughed and explained the situation.


    One of the masked members ran up to me before shouting, their voice muffled, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    I oppressed the laughter as I said, ¡°I¡¯m here as a test subject, apparently.¡±


    Sophia slammed a fist into my side as she said, ¡°No you are not. I refuse. You feel it right? Everyone who leaves that stone just laughs until they die. I¡¯m not letting you do the same.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before I said, ¡°Do I seem giddy right now?¡±


    She relaxed her arms before saying, ¡°Ah, I suppose not, but touching the stone is entirely different.¡±


    Two guards pushed me past her as I said, ¡°Think of this as a calculated risk. See you afterwards.¡±


    She chased us before another masked member stopped her. A sudden, hoarse howl slit through the laughing ring in my ears, yet I used her savage screams as fuel for my fire. They poured power into my veins, and the reminded me why I was here.


    You see, I envisioned a complete consumption of the stone. If it¡¯s influence spread in the palisade, it may complicate my fight against them, but another reason reared it¡¯s ugly head through all the others; watching Sophia unravel to pieces over its influence. Seeing her be slowly swallowed up by this rock, it sunk my stomach and stung worse than inhaling ash.


    I would absorb whatever this thing was. Deluge held absolute confidence in our ability to dissuade it, and admittedly, so did I. When a conflict devolves into a war of wills, I¡¯d pulverized those that stand in my wake. I¡¯d never lost, not even against the remnant of Gaia, the god of this world. It was my firm belief that in mental struggle, I was the uncrowned king. I stood taller than the those around me, and so I stood proud and tall and towering.


    As I paced inside the room, one of my assigned escorts poked my arm, drawing my attention as he said, ¡°Alright. Just go and barely touch it with the tip of your finger before you recoil. If you hold, it will stab into you before killing you, just like the others who tried touching it for more than a few seconds.


    I placed a hand on his shoulder as I said, ¡°Thanks for the tip. I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡±


    As I turned, he murmured, ¡°Not everyone here¡¯s like Ara or Abraham. Most of us just want to stop the Darkened One. I just...Please, don¡¯t hate the palisade. Hate the orders from higher up.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    I turned, my gaze toxic as a viper¡¯s venom as I hissed, ¡°A man chooses. A slave obeys.¡±


    I turned towards the strange rock before walking up. As I neared it, the sharp clap of the door closing pulsed through the room. After waiting a second, I spoke aloud, ¡°I can feel something alive in there. Prepare yourself.¡±


    I laid my palm onto the stone, and at that instant, thin, sword-sized shards invaded my flesh. They shot through bone and blood and skin like a boulder piercing paper. Holding firm, I thundered against the invading presence. Like injecting liquid pain, it coursed up through every inch of me, from my scalp to my heels.


    The substance continued until a foggy voice formed within my mind. It was hard to tell since every breath sliced my lungs to slivered mush, like ground meat. At this point, the shards pierced into my skull before stabbing in and through my face. It felt like the hardest liquid imaginable slithering through your body as a thousand live worms. As my senses dulled then died, pain encompassed my entire being.


    Deluge shouted in my mind, ¡°I don¡¯t understand how this is supposed to make someone laugh.¡±


    I gurgled out a laugh through a torrent of blood before the agony endured as the hard liquid danced within my body. As if the material giggled uncontrollably from within, my insides shredded into a fine mush as every inch of my body became sticky and wet. Every nerve spiked in pain. Every inch ripped in torment.


    The pain choked me. It consumed all thought, all emotion, all humanity, and left excruciation in its path. Nothing remained standing from who I was. Deluge regenerated an endless set of bodies, yet the unending flood of frenzied slashing continued. Every beat of my heart was like acid pumping in my veins. Every moment lasted forever and always.


    Time lost all meaning. My consciousness turned to pulp, my guts to water, my blood to air. Even with all the force of my will, I faded into the most minute of points. So little of myself remained, that I lost sense over what I defended against, yet one question kept detonating in my mind.


    Why do I endure? A simple question without a simple answer, yet I found my reason. I was afraid,. Not of death mind you, but of loneliness. After my parents succumbed to thunder, I scrambled for many months in this world. If not for the haunting yet welcome company of Deluge, I¡¯d have crumbled under the iron bending weight of solitude long ago.


    After struggling for those months, I¡¯d found a place for myself, and I¡¯d never let it go. Even if Gaia wrapped her world crushing hands around my neck, I¡¯d slice open my chest until I could breath. I would live. I had to live.


    And so the tiny fire of my mind continued, even underneath the bottomless ocean above it. Like the throes of a madman, the flame grew brighter and brighter until a shaded voice whispered in my mind, ¡°Presence of eldritch confirmed. Infection present. Cannot terminate. Returning to Elysium.¡±


    The liquid snuck out of my skin, denser than mercury and hard as Aether before pouring into the air in front of me. The pain subsided, slow at first before a near orgasmic relief followed its departure. In a bizarre scene, the liquid filled into an invisible shape, like water in a glass, except without a cup keeping the water¡¯s shape. The sight paralyzed my pain with wonder. This star thing defied everything I¡¯d ever known. I¡¯ve never seen something quite like it since.


    The material left my body, ending my agony before I collapsed onto my knees. The ceramic cracked under my knees before the block propelled through the ceiling. A dull, cracking thud shocked through the room, cracking the tiles all around as the star stone disappeared without even a hint of its previous existence.


    I blinked at the ceiling before the doors slammed open behind me before a ceramic scaled person hugged around me. At that moment, I was a waking version of sleep, literal exhaustion. Deluge had fallen into comatose the instant the ship left, and my leaden eyelids weighed on me as well. What occurred, I had no and still have no comprehension to this day, but there was one thing I understood. Whatever it was, it omened something sinister.


    As adrenaline left my blood, I numbed before I heard Sophia cry out the words,


    ¡°Thank you...Thank you...¡±


    I said as I fell forward, ¡°Just improvising, for a friend.¡±


    The masked men stampeded into the room as I crumbled into the concrete in front of me, cracking more rock. As my vision darkened, Krakowah¡¯s shouting boomed,


    ¡°I will not stand for this.¡±


    Abraham replied, ¡°I needed to make sure he was trustworthy-¡±


    ¡°You can take your trust, and shove it up your ass.¡±

 32 Ignite

    By the time I awoke, Saint Solomon and Krakowah created an enormous mess of the whole ordeal. Solomon believed the interrogation involved tough words from a stern voice, not outright torture. Krakowah¡¯s outrage exploded from her lips like a rampaging river. With their dissenting voices, the charges for Sir Regis¡¯s death were voided along with the my apparent stealing of their star stone.


    When Saint Ara was forced to apologize in public, Krakowah laughed until tears poured from her eyes, her belly bouncing with every breath. Solomon¡¯s disdain for the palisade swelled after the event, and instead of agreeing in disgruntled silence, he voiced his concern cautiously. Even though I¡¯d never seen his face, his eyes opened wider after that. His voice sharpened.


    He¡¯d come to realize how dangerous the palisade¡¯s experiments were. Unlike with the plague, the church turned on their most trusted vanguards this time, and the thought unsettled his composed calm. Even after centuries, he changed his way of thinking. He changed himself.


    In turn, I stayed more or less the same. I leveraged the sudden boon of fame for expressing tolerance and acceptance of the tribes. Tragedies like Solomon and Kade held heavy in my hand and on my shoulders, so I pushed for the kin¡¯s rights. Of course, the nobles pushed back with unwavering prejudice.


    Still, my efforts cemented a growing resistance against their unreasonable oppression. My chest puffed with pride at the thought, and Solomon thanked my efforts with a sincere and austere thanks that left me feeling fine and fresh.


    The victims of the beacon remained mad and mutating. The palisade mentioned the effects parallels with their other prototype; veins sprouting in every direction along with a desperate desire for blood in all forms. Saint Ara froze them with the powers of the Blood Glacier tribe, but even then, the swirling monsters morphed under the icy prison, alive and waiting for warmth.


    Abraham hid a boiling hatred under his every smile in my direction, but Ara conceded after I rid them of the star stone. Sophia spoke with Ara about my mistreatment, but she never gave a decent answer in reply. Whatever reason she had, it simmered at the surface of her skin, threatening to spill over at any moment.


    The situation resulted in sizeable increases in prestige along with the respect of the other saints and the recognition of Nelastra¡¯s nobles. All in all, it played out well for me, and Sophia¡¯s slipping sanity regained its previous stability. She breathed easy, sighed less, and smiled with a full, frequent creasing of the eyes.


    The tempo of my stay turned into a smooth routine as the weeks passed and my coronation came close. Joan talked about Galen¡¯s satisfaction of the Arcanum¡¯s activities, and Deluge discovered the secrets of Kade. The man used a telekinesis fueled by Gaia¡¯s energy, simple as that. Even with Deluge¡¯s utter mastery over all things biological, mimicking a god¡¯s force was beyond him, so he kept busy with other matters like gaining the tribe¡¯s trust. It was four days before the coronation ceremony when we learned of an essential discovery from Deluge.


    I combed through the tribes that night before returning to the hollow underground where Razor and Aether hid. Despite the tense argument he and I had prior, Aether searched around Nelastra, digging miles and miles of tunnels. He mined several pounds of alexandrite, and the heaped pile shimmered a violet reflection of the other, charged alexandrite slabs he carried.


    Aether covered the cavern in walls of boulders, preventing the incessant flow of insects from all directions. Carvings he drew depicted the endless wealth of jewels below us. He engraved opals, tourmaline, onyx with obsidian, amber with amethyst, even lapiz lazuli. Elegant and refined, they bundled onto the central art pieces of the cavern.


    Aether¡¯s tireless labor produced murals of marble, flowing into the iridescent reflections of bismuth. In the passing month, Aether had transformed the bug ridden hole in the ground into a king¡¯s castle condensed into a single room. The room was poise and style and grace. Several minutes passed as I explored its intricacies, enthralled at the detail and variety of construction of each nook, cranny, and corner.


    As I bathed in the afterglow of the area, I walked up to Aether before saying, ¡°Ah...Hmm...Alright, I wanted to apologize for what I said before...Human emotion distorted my thoughts and my words, and you faced the brunt of my callous, brutal nature because of that...I meant to help you, Aether, not harm you. I am sorry.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Aether turned towards me, his voice like the sun, ¡°I forgive you, and besides...you were right in many ways.¡±


    Grasping at the opportunity, I said, ¡°Of course I was.¡±


    Razor giggled in the side of the room as the fur of the white wolfs I saved hung from her frame. She floated over before saying, ¡°Sometimes you show your age, like anytime you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    I frowned before saying, ¡°I see you showed favor towards the wolf¡¯s fur.¡±


    She nodded, her smooth facing glowing like an ocean full of phosphorescent jellyfish. She and Razor offered enough light that the room had no need for the alexandrite slabs of before. That light shifted as Razor spun around like a lazy cat floating in the air as she said,


    ¡°Aether found something during his mining trips that you probably have quite the interest in.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as Razor laid her back onto my head, her body defying gravity as I said, ¡°Besides this room?¡±


    Aether nodded before turning towards me and saying, ¡°I dug until I reached a cavern much like those near Mareovosa. After several hours, I found a type of people covered in metal.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°They were the Blackiron tribe.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so you know of them then?¡±


    My hand shivered for a second before I said, ¡°More than I¡¯d like, in fact.¡±


    Aether paused before saying, ¡°Well, they seemed like a perfectly kind people to me. Regardless, they reached an edge of the barrier underground. I was curious, so I watched them until they found a gap under the barrier.¡±


    My eyes turned to slits as I said, ¡°Really now?¡±


    Aether nodded before continuing, ¡°After they breached deeper, something...killed them.¡±


    His voice strained at his last words. Even then, his naive nature remained through all the carnage of our journey. After experiencing the sensation for so long, I¡¯d become endeared to it, as if he were a giant, indestructible puppy. In a weird way, it disturbed me.


    Despite that, Aether said, ¡°I followed behind with Razor afterwards. Razor took care of the things down there.¡±


    I turned my eyes up her as I said, my words rough as sandpaper, ¡°What was down there?¡±


    Razor replied, ¡°A few things like what you said Petra looked like. They were far easier to kill than her though.¡±


    When we fought against Petra, our previous mentor, she had deformed into a mass of veins and pulsing mounds of flesh. Her black blood kept her together like a living shadow. Hands and faces struggled for release from her. Even with her head riven from her disgusting body, she continued fighting for hours after. She spewed fountains of puss and corrosive acid, melting her surroundings. The wretched gurgles of the insane and squirming organs fought for freedom under her translucent skin. She embodied the worst of the palisade¡¯s potential, and her haunting memory lived on forever in my mind.


    Hearing how others had fallen the same way, it cut into my chest like a well swung axe. I grimaced as I said, ¡°I understood they¡¯d done the unthinkable, but hearing of it...¡±


    Anger surged, so I swung a hook right into Aether¡¯s back, breaking the bones in my hand before I fell to my knees. A torrent of agony swarmed up my arm before Razor laughed at me while kicking her back feet. I squinted my eyes at her before saying with spite, ¡°Funny, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    She floated from me before replying, ¡°It is better to laugh from pain then to cry. Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    I frowned before I snapped, ¡°That doesn¡¯t really apply to other¡¯s misfortune.¡±


    She landed on her feet before pulling me against her as she said, her voice warm, ¡°It was my misunderstanding. In our culture, we would laugh at the death of any members. In its own way, it kept their memory alive as they wished it would.¡±


    She laid the nape of her neck over my head as she said, ¡°Who wants their loved ones to cry? I never understood that human custom. It just adds to the sadness.¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°I can relate. It makes little sense to waste the resources.¡±


    Aether turned and said, ¡°We found something else important, more so even.¡±


    I pursed my lips, ¡°What would that be?¡±


    Aether said, ¡°Guarded by several saints was a rather large slab of Alexandrite, glowing brilliant as a second sun. There was the remnant.¡±


    Razor flew onto Aether as she said, her voice melting, ¡°Ahh, it felt sooo good. Her power¡¯s as brilliant as it ever was.¡±


    I opened my hands before glancing up at the second chandelier of silver and amethyst. I spread my arms before I bellowed a laugh deep as dark water and uncertain as Nelastra¡¯s near future. Razor flew towards me before saying, ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    With a toothy, fanged grin, I replied, ¡°How easy killing a god can be.¡±

 33 Flurry

    We understood where two of the remnants would be, one powering the barrier around Nelastra and another during our coronation ceremony. If we discovered the third one¡¯s location, I could consolidate all three within an hour of each other before departing from this place.


    After finishing my discussion with Aether, I spent my night speaking with the tribes. By now, my presence evolved from a mere disturbance into the coming of Nelastra¡¯s fall. Kade disclosed my identity to the other villagers, yet despite the palisade¡¯s kidnappings, the tribes revealed nothing of my presence.


    They hid my identity with the will of martyrs. Of course, I¡¯d killed many of the palisades kidnappers over the course of my stay here, but those caught resisted the torturous might of the palisade. They held onto hope.


    That emotion brimmed in the eyes of every tribe I visited. My invasion of Nelastra required there compliance, so for the first time, I appreciated my reputation as The Darkened One. It manipulated these tribes into tools, though valuable tools nonetheless. The splintering tribes would follow the upper echelon¡¯s path, so convincing the Bloodglacier, Dreadnought, and the Blackiron tribes took precedence.


    Convincing the Dreadnought tribe required less than a few words. They craved any splinter of a chance for release from slavery. The Bloodglacier¡¯s required a greater finesse since they were a young, fresh tribe in comparison with the others. They still held ties with some of the Nelastrians, even if they¡¯d exiled them.


    The Bloodglaciers were a clan of nobles who fell out of favor with the king after one of their daughters murdered a prince. They were wed to marry the next day, so the king lashed out in outrage, sending the entire bloodline to the outside of the barrier.


    Over decades, they built up their society as the remnant¡¯s energy stole their humanity. They clung to their noble lineage, practicing their newfound powers and keeping up their civility. Out of all the tribes, they received the best treatment, and they reveled in their standing. Still, getting them on my side only required a few choice words.


    Their only Saint, Ara, had made mistakes that cost them any chance of returning to Nelastra. Despite their attempts of remaining civil, they could feel their minds slipping away as the years passed. In closing, I reminded them of the fate of the Blackirons and Dreadnoughts. Even though Solomon conquered and crushed more than any other, his tribe remained slaves. In a sense, that was all Solomon really was. A glorified servant, held at the mercy of his oh so pious captors.


    In the end, I gained their acceptance, so a single tribe remained unloyal. Gaining any inkling of the Blackiron''s trust would require a deft handling of more than just words, I needed cold, hard proof.


    I skulked over towards Kade¡¯s sanctuary of steel, curious of what was occurring. Instead of hiding, I walked in through their village entrance, the eyes of the others full of fear and an odd sensation. Despite my apt attention, couldn¡¯t quite decipher what it was that laid behind their glances, besides a disturbing reverence.


    The same shanty, hardly holding shacks met my eyes while the pits flared sparks and plumes of flames when a Ieaf or branch fell within them. The glowing, white moths gathered around the metal casted trees, their wings glaring with dark eyes on them. As I paced through, a congregation of the Blackirons followed behind me, but I kept cool headed. None dared near close after watching my fight with Kade.


    As the wooden shacks turned to an iron fortress, I glanced closer at the iron construct. After many years, the metal was worn and weary, aged for hundreds of years, yet spots of new popped from all the old. As I analyzed the construct, the iron¡¯s origin became clear. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    This was the Blackiron¡¯s ancestors piled onto every surface of the forest. Kade¡¯s stronghold stood upon a foundation of literal corpses. From the thickness of his own armor, I guessed he would soon join them. It was a pragmatic use of their bodies. Morbid, but still pragmatic.


    At of this smoothed mound of metal, I found Kade sitting upon his thorned throne. He leaned onto his hand, his broken and black armor thick around him. His face regrew the iron of before, but the scar from his ripped face flesh popped on his face. The uneven, jagged lines of the scar traced down the side of his jaw, exposing a portion of his human teeth. At the scar¡¯s edge was the opening towards one of his nostrils, puffing air with each of his heavy breaths.


    His silence never changed as I approached. He remained sitting even as several other Blackiron members neared me. I stepped within four steps of him before I said,


    ¡°No doubt you noticed, but I never exposed who poisoned the saints. Do you know why, exile?¡±


    A small puff of laughter escaped Kade before he said, ¡°Tell me then. Why?¡±


    I replied, ¡°I have a simple goal. I want what¡¯s inside Gaia¡¯s remnants. Our goals coincide.¡±


    Kade slammed the edge of his throne, bending metal with a concussion of sound echoing around us. He shouted, his voice visceral, ¡°You killed Macor. You deformed me. I bet your monstrous friends underneath the barrier enjoyed tearing Werquel and Maesop apart as well.¡±


    I scowled as I spit, ¡°They were no friends of mine. I¡¯ve already eaten their remains.¡±


    A lie, of course, but they would know no better. Kade leaned forward, holding himself up with his right arm on the throne as he hissed, ¡°How am I to trust you after seeing what you¡¯ve done?¡±


    I took a step closer as I said, ¡°Because there are ties thicker than blood. Do you know why your bodies are entrapped in steel?¡±


    Kade leaned back as he said, ¡°The sins of our ancestors have cursed us.¡±


    I clapped my hands together as I said, ¡°That is partially true, considering your tribes banishment started with the crimes of your forefathers, but that is not why you continue to deform.¡±


    Kade¡¯s eyes slit as he clenched a hand on the edge of his smashed throne. He suppressed a consuming curiosity, so he said, ¡°What do you think then, Darkened One?¡± His last words rubbed right through bark, rough as a cobblestone road.


    A sardonic smile crept up my lips as I said, ¡°It is a result of a mutation from the radiation given off by Gaia¡¯s remnants.¡±


    Kade rolled his eyes, ¡°Of course. There god cursed us long ago. Your telling us nothing new.¡±


    I lifted an arm, popping each of my fingers one at a time. After finishing my four fingers, I said, ¡°Imagine if this curse could be taken away.¡±


    Kade slammed his words, ¡°It cannot. We have tried every antidote, every potion and ritual. Nothing has freed us. We will remain this way until every single one of our children calcifies into blocks of iron. Until our children dance on our corpses.¡±


    The despair in his voice grinded through rock before he flexed his hand outwad, bending iron as he did so. In reply, I spread my arms like a priest offering salvation as I said,


    ¡°I am The Darkened One.. I am here for one reason, and it is not to spread darkness.¡±


    His eye twitched before he hissed, dripping spite in his words, ¡°That¡¯s right...The ender of all and killer of gods, right?¡±


    I nodded as I said, my arms lifting, ¡°I will kill Gaia and her most devout followers, the palisade. I will rip and tear and maim and murder those that steal your children. I will replace your darkness with light,¡± I leaned close, ¡°But I have a task I need done.¡±


    His voice disguised a slight quiver, but I detected his desperation as he said, ¡°I¡¯ll entertain the thought. What task would that be?¡±


    The Blackirons behind us drew closer, their eyes hiding hope and a greed driven frenzy. They wanted freedom from their endless prisons. I popped my neck, turning my head till the liquid released in my spine before I said,


    ¡°Hold back an immortal.¡±

 34 The Arcane

    At that moment, Kade tilted his head as he said, ¡°You want us to hold back Solomon?¡±


    I shook my head back before saying, ¡°No, I want you to hold back the saint or saints underneath the barrier. If they collapse upon me as I hunt for the other remnant, I will die before I can absorb the fragments energy.¡±


    Kade Leaned his hand into his face as he said, ¡°You want me to sacrifice our tribe so that the murderer of my brother may do what he wants?¡±


    I frowned as I let my arms lower, ¡°No, I want your tribe along with the others to stage a false assault on the capital during my coronation ceremony. Distract them for two, perhaps three hours, and I will have obtained the other remnant.¡±


    Kade stood before wrapping an invisible force around my neck with the lifting of his arm. He growled, ¡°You cannot save us from this hell.¡±


    As blood swelled in my face, I beamed a grin both brilliant and devilish. As his eyes opened wide, I said with utter and absolute confidence, ¡°I am crushing as calamity and broken as bane.¡± He slowly lowered me as I continued,


    ¡°I am the misshapen terror of your nightmares, and he who carves a swath of shadow in my wake. Nothing in this world can stop me, not you, not time, not even Gaia. I rip through pain. I endure through agony. I¡¯ve known no name. I abandon humanity.¡±


    I roared like thunder and boomed like power, ¡°Find faith in the coming dark, or squalor on the carcasses of your mothers and fathers. Choose to live your life as a man, or die as a slave. Decide, exiled saint.¡±


    A suffocating silence crashed into the crowd as Kade¡¯s shoulders shivered. After a long, leaden quiet cast over us, Kade murmured, ¡°I once lived for the light. I embraced the teachings of Gaia and discovered the satisfaction of kindness. Look at what that gave me.¡±


    He glanced down as he continued, ¡°I will die while watching my tribe struggle every day for food or water. Every moment, I regret my past. I despise the church. I despise the palisade...I even despise Gaia.¡±


    He met my eye, his own flaring with life and full of fire as he said, ¡°If we cannot find hope in light, then we will follow darkness. The Blackirons will serve you, Darkened One.¡±


    I laid a hand on his shoulder as I said, ¡°Perfect. Three days from now, welcome the other tribes into your village. Let them use your tunnel to the saints underneath Nelastra. Bring the remnant to the palace within Nelastra once you¡¯ve obtained it. I will be waiting.¡±


    As I lowered my hand, Kade shouted while raising his, ¡°Did you hear him Blackirons? We will end the curse of iron. We will end our tyranny. No more tribute. No more tives. No more missing children. Will you help me, brothers and sisters?¡±


    The crowd boomed behind me before I stood tall, my shoulders wider than a door and my right arm raised high as I said, ¡°To the end of your oppression. To the beginning of your freedom.¡±


    After the crowd bellowed their approval, they dispersed, every voice vibrating with half hidden energy. Kade and I discussed a few details before I left them to their devices as they made preparations for the assault.


    After having fought Kade myself, I had a painful understanding of just how destructive he could be. Having his clan¡¯s power as well finished this piece of our plan. With that done, I left towards Nelastra, eating all the way there.


    And so I slept at Solomon¡¯s home, brimming with excitement at the prospect of nearing our goals. Gaia¡¯s corruption would wane while we gained ground. As I drifted into slumber, I believed our plan full proof, yet cracks already formed just underneath the surface. They would appear at the worst of times.


    Before then, Jack¡¯s friends held an event in his honor. The night before our coronation, Solomon held a get together with our friends at his home. I¡¯d never garnered that same reaction, though gaining the fellowship of humans eludes me, even now.


    However, Deluge, it never seemed so difficult for me. During that night, Krakowah, Solomon, Joan, and Sophia all gathered before I arrived at Solomons. I crawled home after a long, arduous day at the archives. Abraham had chided me for the missing agents of the palisade since so many had gone missing so soon. Despite that, I dragged my feet with a satisfied exhaustion.


    So much of the history of everything around me opened up over these past few weeks. I¡¯d learned of the sciences and the arts. I¡¯d explored the continent and the stories hidden in its hills and the mysteries in its mountains. Instead of roaming around without any understanding, I tread with a quiet confidence spawned from effort.


    I¡¯d always wondered why the people I met wanted power. After staying at Nelastra, I learned why. They believed that by controlling others, they would feel full and fierce and mighty. I felt all those things, yet not once did that satisfaction arise from a mastery of others. That assurance arose from a mastery over myself.


    That warm glow overwhelmed my mental exhaustion, so those thoughts bounced in my brain as I opened Solomon¡¯s door. A smell warm as the sun and heavenly as home rushed around me. The smoke of a well lit fire ebbed ever so slightly into the room while I could taste fresh bread and bacon in the air. Once the door opened, absolute darkness met me as I walked within. Muffled breaths sounded around me before I walked over towards the table at the center of the room.


    As I lifted a sheet covering a pile of fire opals, Solomon, Sophia, Joan, and Krakowah shouted beside me. Happy birthday, Jericho. Beside the fire opals was a violin with a carving on the side; ¡°In memory of Jill.¡±


    The words cut deep. Long ago, I¡¯d kept a harp from my mother as my memento. Joan had smashed the instrument by accident not long after we met, and even now, she¡¯d apologize for it every now and again. It weighed on her, and the violin I bought at Nern had snapped during our travel towards Nelastra. Jill was my mother¡¯s name, and in her own way, this was Joan¡¯s sincere apology.


    The gesture struck the depths of my soul. Never since the death of my parents have I felt so full and warm and rich. Their death left a void in my chest, but I carried that burden with all the others. At that single, monumental moment, that emptiness ended.


    My friends kindness blew away the cold of life, leaving the warm waters of affection. I bathed in that glow as they all beamed excited grins at me. This was something I thought I¡¯d never experience again, yet here it was, hitting hard with the piercing potence of an unexpected joy.


    A glowing ember formed in my throat as my vision blurred. My breaths grew short and strained. My eyes burned before streams formed on my cheeks as I choked on my words, ¡°Thank you...for being my family.¡±


    Joan and Sophia hugged against me before Solomon placed a hand on my shoulder like a father. Krakowah leaned away before she raised an arm, her voice shaking ¡°That¡¯s...I can¡¯t.¡±


    Tears fell from her cheeks before I puffed out a tiny laugh. Joan left an arm on me as she pulled Krakowah into the group hug, and there she sniffled out tears while saying, ¡°It¡¯s just...beautiful.¡±


    The atmosphere infected the others as Solomon choked, ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I had a family...I¡¯d almost forgotten what it feels like.¡±


    As we hugged one another, I basked in that pleasant pain. In a sea of silk, I floated on air, like a newborn angel until falling back to earth again. After I recollected myself, I grabbed the violin before Solomon said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you played the violin.¡±


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°I can string a note or two. Nothing special.¡±


    Joan and Sophia giggled before Krakowah said, ¡°Why not play something now?¡±


    I pursed my lips, ¡°It¡¯s been longer than I¡¯d like since I last played, but I worry that I might mess up a few notes.¡±


    As I said so, I shifted my shoulders, noticing their weight. Since my stay at Nelastra, Deluge packed on hundreds if not thousands of pounds onto my frame. I¡¯d gained several more inches in height, standing seven and a half feet high. Solomon stood over me still, but not by his head and shoulders anymore. I no doubt weighed more than him by then.


    My fingers still moved as I remembered them to, however. As I shifted them around, a sly, smooth grin grew on my lips as I said, ¡°I suppose I could pull a few notes together.¡±


    Joan bounced on her heels as she said, ¡°You guys are in for a treat.¡±


    Solomon and Krakowah sat in chairs of stone before the saint of magma and metal grabbed Joan and Sophia, lifting them onto her shoulders as she said, ¡°Don¡¯t let a maiden¡¯s tears go to waste now. Give us something good. Let this life inspire you, and in turn, stir the hearts around you.¡±


    As her words ended, I tuned the violin, plucking the strings and checking its sounds. The violin echoed with an eerie, haunting beauty. The body of the wood held sound like a lost lover, never wanting to let go, and the strings shook with a change fluid as well made wine. As I pulled the strings, Solomon said,


    ¡°Ah, that violin is unlike any other you¡¯ve ever used, no doubt. The strings are made of yara auberon silk. It¡¯s a vicious variety of the bull spider. They have a habit of forming colonies laced with the silk. Hard to get a hold of that without dying, for most. The wood came from an ironoak. I figured you¡¯d need something sturdy.¡±


    As I eased into the instrument, Solomon continued, ¡°It will take some getting used to.¡±


    I beamed a grin as I said, ¡°Thank you all. This is a gift deep as the ocean. It¡¯ll take time to find all her secrets.¡±


    Joan frowned as she crossed her arms and said, ¡°You make it sound like your lover.¡±


    I leaned over towards her before saying, ¡°Ah, but she is simple fling. You are like the moon, deep, piercing, and forever.¡±


    She smiled before wrapping her arms around my neck. As I stood up, she lifted of the ground before giggling as she rubbed her nose against mine, her eyes laughing and her smile dancing. After the heartwarming scene, Joan jumped down before I said as I prepared the bow of the violin,


    ¡°It is best I recite a classic since I¡¯m rather rusty. How about Gaia¡¯s coming?¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Without waiting for a reply, I played. The echoing of the violin stretched each note until the rhythm coursed through the air of the room like warm wind in winter. Notes cascaded against one another, each telling a tale of two lovers. They fought fiercely, yet over time, their blows softened until the couldn¡¯t bare harming the other.


    The sounds harmonized like healing and lingered like loneliness. The music exposed every lapse and imperfection of the two, but they coalesced, a magnetic force pulling them together. They filled every fault. They found peace in each other.


    As the melody meandered through their walkways of life, each of them grew old. Their bodies waned and wilted. Time aged there affection until the fervent bonds cooled into a warm glow like embers after a fire. The world changed around them, but they only came closer until overnight, one outlived the other. As anguish swelled in the song, I told the timeless tale.


    ¡°Once was a woman who lost her lover of times past. A melancholy dark as despair and cold as a mountain¡¯s peak impaled the lost lover. Stuck in a daze, the woman fumbled through years that turned to centuries. Like a haunting ghost, she found her heart holding on, burnt black and still as death. In her wake, she spread gray onto the land, a shadow of what she was.


    Overtime, this gray grew and grew until the very sky cracked and he who holds the sky upon his shoulders wept at the weight. Life lingered despite that perpetual shadow, endless as the gray widow''s sorrow. Those who crept close to shadow or toiled in twilight congregated there. They found a home amidst the silver sky.


    The songs notes evolved into a growing dread as I continued, ¡°The god of the sky, Baldowuh, discovered the spreading gray. He hated all that wasn¡¯t light, but even his brother, Nox Luna, hated gray. They wished for purity and order and chaos, yet here stood a mere apparition who dared challenge them. In their anger, they fused into one supreme being, Equinox.


    Equinox shook the earth with each of his steps as he neared the lonely, lost widow. As Equinox neared her, it roared its voice, ¡°You who spread gray. Leave this world. It is mine and mine alone.¡±


    The widower replied, ¡°I only wish to die. If you may give me release, I would relish your company.¡±


    Equinox thundered, ¡°Being beneath the dirt would suit you well. Bury yourself alive, worm¡¯s meat, or I shall do so for you.¡±


    And so she dug her grave, somber as silence and desperate for death. As she laid the last handful of dirt upon her face, the ground latched onto her. Sensing her power, it connected itself with her, fusing her into the ground. In that instant, a new god was born, Gaia.


    She tread through every part of the land before casting her gray into the ground and onto the earth. Every part of the world drenched in the everlasting ash that she forced into our planet. In time, Equinox left the flawed, tainted earth, creating the night and stars and sun. Gaia ruled the earth, her every move a storm of thunder, her every thought a maelstrom of worms.


    The earth obeys her, along with those who live on it. Those that ignore her are pulled into Gaia¡¯s grasp, infected with the despair of her lonely longing. Follow her teachings and prosper, dare defy her, and you shall decay into worm¡¯s meat.¡±


    The ominous, eerie echoes of the violin died down until silence blanketed the room. The sensation soaked deep, into every chink, slit, and crevasse of the room. Right at its peak, Krakowah¡¯s voice shattered that oppressive atmosphere,


    ¡°Now that was a song worth remembering. Absolutely splendid. I¡¯ve heard the song so many times, yet it has never felt so...haunting. Almost like an omen.¡±


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°It¡¯s the effect of the violin. I couldn¡¯t measure the drawn out notes all that well, though I love the sound it makes.¡±


    Solomon slapped my shoulder as he said, ¡°Nonsense. If I hadn¡¯t known, I¡¯d have gathered that you¡¯d played it all your life, let alone one evening.¡±


    A simple smile crawled up my lips as I said, ¡°It¡¯s one of the few things I have a talent for. Thanks for the compliment.¡±


    Solomon nodded before saying to Krakowah in a not so hidden sarcasm, ¡°Now if we could sharpen his fighting to the same level...¡±


    Joan and Krakowah giggled before I said, ¡°Eh, we can¡¯t all be kings of every kingdom.¡±


    I reveled in the joy of that night. Every single second hummed delight and breathed bliss. The air shimmered. The laughter spilled over like a tipped barrel of wiltworry wine. Perhaps my own account casted the memory in a rosy tint, but whoever I open my eyes, I can see it no other way. The night was joy. Nothing more, nothing less.


    Joan and I loved one another than night with a blooming passion. As lustful as our young love was, we slept as the moon crept midway across the sky, white as the sheen off well water. After we¡¯d had our fun, we met with Sophia as Krakowah snored on the furred sofa in Solomon¡¯s study.


    As she created tiny, little sonic booms from her ogreish wheezing, I reviewed over our plan for taking the remnants of Gaia. Joan and Sophia would penetrate through the underground entrance with Razor and the other clans. Aether would service as the distraction for Solomon during the ceremony. I and Deluge would absorb the remnant before interrogating the king and finding the last piece of it.


    After assimilating the two other remnants, Razor would carry Joan and Sophia while Aether and I run through the other direction. The plan operated like any good one, with plenty of breathing room and fallbacks, yet simple and steady enough for shifting circumstances.


    As we reviewed, Krakowah interrupted our wording with her ridiculous hacking slumber, but we spoke without worry of her waking. If she could sleep through her snores, she could sleep through our planning, I assure you.


    With the plan finalized, I slept before Deluge reviewed the plan with Aether, Razor, and even the tribes. My worries peaked that morning, but Solomon and Krakowah kept an obvious, buzzing excitement with their every movement.


    As the sun reached the highest point in the sky, we three saints left Solomon¡¯s for the palace, ready and waiting for the coronation. We reached past the polished marble of the entrance, fountains fuming water that reflected rainbows. As we walked up towards the unopened iron doors, the pontifex stood with a warm, welcome smile. His arms crossed in front of him, hidden under his robe, and the fortune of treasure embroidered on his hat and garments glimmered golden and bright in the sunshine.


    As I stepped up, Solomon bowed before the pontifex as he said, ¡°My liege.¡±


    The pontifex grinned as he said, ¡°It is good to see you, The Immortal Saint.¡±


    Solomon replied, ¡°And you as well. Is the ceremony ready?¡±


    ¡°They are ready. After Jericho changes clothes, we will let him enter of his own accord.¡±


    He turned towards me and said, his voice sharp, ¡°Follow every order exactly that the ceremony commissioner gives you. Do you understand?¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°In Gaia¡¯s name, I do.¡±


    ¡°Good. He¡¯s waiting in the well room at the Eastern side of the main entrance. I¡¯ll be waitin for you once you''re inside.¡±


    After finishing his words. He walked along the red and gray granite tiles surrounding the palace. Alabaster gleamed behind him, bathing his silhouette in a white gleam before an armored knight opened the door beside the giant iron doorways. Solomon guided me as we walked towards the left of the palace towards a small, but luxurious room. Inside, three servants, garbed in the green and white of Bastion, stood with several garments of white and green in their arms.


    Smooth flowing patterns interlaid the cloth along with Gaia¡¯s symbol in green, the tree surrounded by twelve circles. A rope dangled over a white well, full of floating pink petals from roses. Flowers adorned the pillars of the walls, bunched into beautiful bouquets of asters, amaryllis, callas and carnations and freesias. As I walked up, a man with a black markings around his eyes looked me over before saying,


    ¡°You look young for a saint. You¡¯ll wear these old fashioned garbs like a second skin despite that I¡¯m sure.¡±


    I nodded before he continued as his servants handed me dozens of different shirts, belts, and cloaks, ¡°Whenever you enter, do not smile or laugh. Walk with your head straight and center, like a statue pointed towards the remnant. If you glance away, they¡¯ll take it as a sign of your betrayal, got it?¡±


    I nodded as his servants wrapped several garments around my waist and shoulders that draped past my feet. They weighed me down as the commissioner continued, ¡°Walk in, slow, very slow. Make your steps from your heel to your toes. We don¡¯t want you tripping while you stare.¡±


    Krakowah chuckled before saying, ¡°Oh mighty Jericho, the juggernaut. Please don¡¯t forget us after the ceremony,¡± as they placed a fancy hat over my head and laid the last mantle on my shoulders. I looked like a Blackiron covered in daisies. In a word, ridiculous, so I frowned as the commissioner continued,


    ¡°You¡¯re a saint. I shouldn¡¯t hear any complaints about something as simple as clothes. Anyways, Solomon and Krakowah will walk beside you incase you respond poorly to the remnant. Before the pontifex hands you the remnant, recite this oath with both your hands in front of you,


    ¡®I swear to live and breath for Gaia. Each and every part of myself is devotion, my body faith, my mind resolve. I give unto her what I am so that I may be more than human. I am henceforth Saint Jericho.¡¯¡±


    He barely tapped my finger as he said, ¡°Touch the remnant like that, just the tiniest touch. Do not hold it. The remnant will destroy your mind. Only Solomon and Kade have made it out alive, though I¡¯d argue that Kade was dealt a fate worse than death.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a strong will and a stronger soul.¡±


    He tapped my shoulder as he said, ¡°I¡¯m glad you got yourself a protege Solomon. He sounds like you, with a little less mutt mixed in his voice.¡±


    The words cut like an envenomed whip, Krakowah wincing back as a grinding noise came from Solomon¡¯s helmet. After a second, the man leaned towards me and said,


    ¡°Try not to let anymore of that rub off on you. If you get any grayer, they¡¯ll think you''re a Blackiron. Trust me, there¡¯s nothing worse in this world.¡±


    I snapped my words like slitting a throat, ¡°I¡¯ve seen far worse fates, I could be like you for example.¡±


    He stepped back as a relieved breath escaped Solomon¡¯s helm. The commissioner¡¯s eyes squinted tight as he said, ¡°Well then, I see you¡¯ll just be another dog like him.¡±


    Before I could slap him, Krakowah roared, her eyes bloodshot, ¡°Speak no more, little man, or I¡¯ll show you that a woman can break more than just your heart.¡±


    The commissioner bit his lip before stammering, ¡°Bah. You can all rot in hell for all I care. Go to your damn ceremony like good hounds.¡±


    I clamped my teeth before I said, ¡°Of course, commissioner. Besides, I¡¯m tired of speaking with trash.¡±


    As we walked away, the commissioner seethed under his red skin. I raised a hand before Krakowah clapped it, satisfaction spread on her face in the form of a grin. Solomon half heartedly said, ¡°That was inappropriate...but thank you.¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°Anytime, Solomon. Anytime.¡±


    As I walked towards the iron gates, I glanced at their soaring height as I said, ¡°He never told me where to enter, did he?¡±


    Before Solomon could stop me, I clenched my hands onto the edges of the doorway, my fingers digging into the entrance before stone minced under the doorway. Once more, I pulled this doorway open, my body straining as I swelled with tenacity. The ground quaked beneath us. The sound echoed off the inner place wall and around Nelastra.


    My arms quivered with exhaustion as I finished opening our path, but they steadied soon after. I struggled less than last time, so much so that Solomon said, ¡°You¡¯ve gotten better at this. They¡¯ll be calling it Jericho¡¯s gate here soon.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as I said, ¡°You sound as sincere as a slave merchant.¡±


    He chuckled as he said, his voice confident, ¡°I¡¯m at least that sincere. Mostly.¡± He grabbed the edges of the door before pulling them closed as he leaned back. They glided over the stone before clamping shut, Solomon¡¯s brawn evident.


    After a few quick breaths, we stepped up the alabaster steps leading towards the palace doors. By now, the tribes already clustered in the musty tunnel leading towards the spring that pierced Nelastra¡¯s underground entry. They¡¯d blitz the city¡¯s center. My act hinged on my ability to act and control my emotions. If I let myself rampage, Solomon and Krakowah could restrain me, if not kill me outright.


    With a quiet resolve, I entered through the hickory doorways. As they opened, Galen stood beside the pontifex, a fearful panic in his eyes at the sight of me. I stayed cool and composed, my steps slow as I entered. Knights surrounded every entry around us, the armor¡¯s shining like stars as the gems hummed with power.


    Golems stood beside the doors, preventing any escape as rows of eyes planted onto my skull like roots growing through my eyes. Upon a pedestal, the remnant shook the air near it, Gaia¡¯s energy distorting everything around it, bathing those here in corruption. I swallowed saliva at the sight of it, my palms sweating like little streams. Cool air brushed my feet as my head heated from the muggy scent of heavy breaths.


    Fear, frenzy, rage, violence and hysteria swelled in the room like a pus filled cyst. Banisters lined the walls, Bastion¡¯s colors coating them. A palpable tension simmered like a lit fuse, threatening a wall ripping detonation. As Galen¡¯s eyes fell onto mine, he smirked, his eyes satisfied and his smile etched like a wooden carving on his old face. In reply, I grinned back, my expression like frozen fire. With that glance alone, I shook all faith he had in his plan as his sudden smile crumbled like gray ash. After taking a few steps, Solomon said,


    ¡°Ugh, soooo...Why are so many mercenaries here?¡±

 35 Tension

    As Solomon¡¯s heels scraped the floor, the grating filled the chamber. A murderous quiet crawled towards us before Galen stepped forward and said, ¡°So tell me, Jericho. I¡¯m sure you already know why.¡±


    I shrugged and said, ¡°I thought this was all a part of the ceremony.¡±


    Krakowah¡¯s jaw set to steel before she knotted her fists with heat brimming from her vast shoulders. After she stepped forward, she roared, ¡°Is this how you greet a Saint to the city of storms then, Galen? One accusation after another.¡±


    Galen snapped back, ¡°You have not seen what¡¯s underneath that boy¡¯s skin. You¡¯re both walking beside the embodiment of a nightmare.¡±


    Krakowah thundered, ¡°Nightmare boy over here saved my life. He¡¯s trained with due diligence. I¡¯ve seen him with Solomon every day, and it''s brutal.¡± She threw a hand out as she continued, ¡°He comes home one day before facing torture at the hands of Sir Regis, a legendary interrogator. Now he comes to his coronation ceremony with swords pointed at his throat and daggers at his back. What kind of madness has overtaken you?¡±


    She spoke to Abraham Elsiary who stood at the edge of his seat, sweat pouring from his forehead as he said, ¡°I saw what¡¯s there. I know what you¡¯re hiding. You¡¯re no saint...You¡¯re something else.¡±


    My voice quivered with false outrage as I said,  ¡°What are you accusing me of? Am I some underling of The Darkened One?¡±


    Galen stood tall, his chest swelled as he pointed towards me. He said, ¡°No, monster. You are The Darkened One.¡±


    I squinted my eyes with confusion as Solomon and Krakowah exploded with a laughter both long and hard. After emptying their chests, Krakowah wiped a tear as she said, ¡°Oh really now? Ole Saint Jericho¡¯s the darkened one is it? I suppose he¡¯s a geshian and Blackiron too?¡±


    The king stood from his seat as he said, ¡°Come out, Greplis.¡±


    The grouchy custodian who first met me whenever I walked into Nelastra walked out from a side room, his back hunched as he hobbled his steps. After pacing up beside the king, my pupils dilated. With his voice as hollow as a gutted deer, Deluge said in my mind, ¡°That is the custodian I walk by everyday when I go outside...¡±


    As Deluge finished, the king shouted, ¡°Tell us. How many times have you seen Jericho walk into and out of Nelastra at night.¡±


    Greplis grimaced as he said, ¡°Every single night, your highness.¡±


    ¡°And when would he come back?¡±


    ¡°Just before dawn.¡±


    The king nodded his head before he stepped forward, his eyes squinted in an alloy of rage and terror. After reaching the edge of his stared platform, he boomed,


    ¡°Galen has told me about his fight with you at Mareovosa. He told me all your threats. Greplis tells me that you skulk around all night without any rest. You are of an enemy kingdom¡¯s blood, and you¡¯ve threatened Abraham the Enlightened and saint Ara. There¡¯s been reports of you instigating the forgotten tribes.¡±


    His voice grew louder still as his face reddened, ¡°You associate with that filth, taking their side instead of the holy city that offered you sainthood. You act like a saint, but underneath, you are a monster threatening the devastation of every man woman and child here. Ara told me of how your flesh reconstituted after the tore it off. No such saint exists. Only one thing can do such evil.¡±


    I drooped my shoulders while staring at my hands. My heart raced in my chest, pumping red all through me like raging rivers. My hands shook with adrenaline before my voice ebbed, weak as a plague ridden child, ¡°There is nothing I can do here.¡±


    The king¡¯s opened eyes squinted with surprise as he hissed, ¡°What?¡±


    I continued as I slowly peered upward at his eyes, ¡°I¡¯ve toiled without end, night and day for Nelastra. This is the recognition I receive for my efforts. Did you know that the Blackiron¡¯s were attempting an uprising?¡±


    The confusion in the king¡¯s eyes grew before my voice shook with hurt and betrayal as I roared, ¡°Surely your kind knows of the sudden scar across Kade¡¯s face. I fought him off from invading Nelastra.¡±


    A series of shocked sighs ebbed through the room before the king glanced at Galen as he said, ¡°No, I did not. All of our scouts went missing recently. I¡¯d received no reports.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    I nodded before saying, ¡°That was Kade¡¯s own doing. He¡¯d hid his plans by tunneling under the earth until he found the underground spring under Nelastra. He wanted to destroy the barrier. I held him alone.¡±


    Solomon grabbed my shoulder as he said, ¡°Why did you not speak of this with us? We could of helped you.¡±


    I snarled as I said, ¡°And what? Get tortured again before they found out the truth? You¡¯ve seen what they¡¯ve done for you over time.¡±


    Solomon stepped back as he let out a pained, grunting gasp. I sunk my words deeper as I said, ¡°I help those around me for Gaia, not for recognition, and regardless, I¡¯d hate to watch the palisade purge an entire people for trying to get freedom.¡±


    Solomon¡¯s knees shook as he placed a palm on his chest. As he stumbled, I turned towards the king, saying, ¡°You people treat the tribes as less than animals. I wanted to try reasoning with them before that. Excuse me for my mercy.¡±


    The room went silent as I said, ¡°You¡¯ve all lost yourself in the madness of paranoia. You turn towards your brothers and sisters with eyes full of fear. These are not the times where we fight one another. Against the looming threat of the blackened demon, we must stand united as a people, not fragmented as men who fear their own shadows.¡±


    I pointed towards Galen as I said, ¡°He is a betrayer, a weaver of tales. Visions of The Darkened One have driven him mad, now he seeks asylum by pitting us against one another.¡±


    Galen looked around as every eye drilled into his head. A drop of sweat fell from his chin before he stammered, ¡°No, he speaks lies. He¡¯s a mutant. A demon. The ender of all. Please believe me. He stole my daughter. He¡¯s taken everything from me, and now he plans to take the remnant. Please, please!¡±


    He grabbed onto the edge of the king¡¯s collar as his rambling lost any semblance of coherence. The king slapped a paralyzing palm into his cheek before the king snapped, ¡°Execute this drivel. He has been infected by The Darkened One¡¯s taint. Off with him.¡±


    I interjected, ¡°No, your highness. That is not what has driven him mad. It is the death of his daughters. He is a grieving man searching for consolation. Please, forgive him...As Gaia would.¡±


    The king bit his lip before sighing. He turned towards the shaking frame of Galen as he said, ¡°Detain him. We will give him a trail for his crimes against our newest saint.¡±


    Galen raored, ¡°No one will see the truth. We are stuck in his web of lies. All will burn. All will perish.¡±


    The ripping of iron busted the eardrums of those near him as he glowed with the essence of a hundred souls. Every pouch radiated unreal power before Krakowah leapt forward with a molten chain in hand. She whipped the interlocking cable overhead before wrapping the glowing iron around Galen. She pulled, jerking Galen through the air before she clasped him under her arm as he howled.


    The chain¡¯s cooled in an instant before she bowed to the king and said, ¡°I will put him in prison, if you¡¯d like.¡±


    The king¡¯s disgust flooded his words as he said, ¡°Please do.¡±


    As she carried Galen away, she turned and said to me, ¡°You¡¯ll be a fine saint. I know it.¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The room listened as Galen wept under the muscled arm of Krakowah. He murmured under his heaving breaths, ¡°I just wanted my daughter back. I just wanted her safe. Please, don¡¯t let him taint her like Petra. Please, please.¡±


    Out of the entirety of my act, that single moment proved the hardest undertaking. My breath caught in my throat. My eyes burned at his words. This man put everything on the line for a chance at gaining his daughter back from an evil force. He had failed, miserably so, and with words, not even actions.


    I¡¯d anticipated his betrayal, so I planned accordingly. So far, my plan moved with smooth motion. The next step proved crucial.


    After Galen left, the king turned towards me and placed a palm on his chest as he said, ¡°Please excuse me for my indiscretion. I never imagined he had been driven to such lengths by his own machinations.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°It is nothing.¡±


    The king grinned as he said, ¡°I will consider what you have said about the tribes. Perhaps our treatment of them has proven...unfair at times.¡±


    Solomon gasped again, this time from a pleasing pain. I grinned back to the king as I said, ¡°Excellent.¡±


    The king nodded before turning towards the armored knight who held the remnant while saying, ¡°Commence the ceremony. There has been more than enough delays.¡±


    The walking set of dark, gray, and thorned armor clanked with each of its steps as it walked towards the outer edge of stairs leading to the throne.


    As the amor stopped, a deep voice replied, ¡°Step forth, Jericho, knight of Nern, slayer of dragons, and Bastion¡¯s juggernaut.¡±


    I took each step, sweat building under my hydra skin as fast as Deluge could reabsorb it. If the timing of our plan inched even a moment off, then our plan would fail. Utter chaos would ensue.


    I reached within a hand¡¯s grasp of the beaming alexandrite. The pulsing energy slithered against my skin and rattled my bones. The sound of static filled my ears as the man spoke,


    ¡°Do you pledge your soul to Gaia?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Do you devote your life to Bastion and to the empire¡¯s prosperity?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Then tap upon this peice of god, filling yourself with her radiance. Give only the lightest touch, for she drives even the most devoted mad if they grasp for too long. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    He lifted the remnant in front of me before I reached the back of my hand, slower than thick mud. Right before the back of my finger tapped the remnant, the doors leading into the room snapped open as a messenger howled,


    ¡°The Darkened One is attacking the city.¡±


    In response, my eyes slanted into slits as I grinned with a maniacal glee.


    Perfect.

 36 Deception

    Solomon said, ¡°What? The Darkened One?¡±


    The man nodded as he said, ¡°He is invading from underground. A horde of the forgotten tribe has joined him. The ground is shaking. The blackfire is burning. It matches the descriptions given in Nern.¡±


    Solomon slammed his shield into the ground before turning to me and saying, ¡°Are you ready to kill a legend?¡±


    I shook my head as I said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Solomon, but if anything, I would get in your way. You¡¯ve seen the difference between our strengths. I will stay here and guard the remnant along with the king and pontifex. We can¡¯t risk their lives for glory.¡±


    Solomon nodded before saying to the king, ¡°His words are wise. Do I have your permission to leave then, your highness?¡±


    The king nodded as he said, ¡°Go, immortal saint. Tear that monster asunder.¡±


    Solomon beat his chest with a fist before dashing out of the room, his steps quaking the earth beneath him. As he leapt above the gates, I reached out a hand towards the remnant before grasping the giant gem.


    A torrent of souls, larger than the moon and dense as mercury poured through the gem and into my hand. My mind swelled as Deluge consolidated the souls, our minds wary of what comes next. My hand burned like fire as my flesh glowed as the souls channeled into consolidation. No amount of force could rip my hand from the object as light screams echoed in my ears.


    Veins of phosphorescent blue crawled up my arm as I grit my teeth and clasped my fists. Imagine containing the world in your hand. My whole arm strained with an equal effort before the souls waned into a light water. As the last souls spilled, a presence large as space and forceful as gravity clashed into my mind.


    Our minds warred against one another. The piece of Gaia¡¯s wrestled for control, its every movement like a tectonic plate crashing against my will. The power broke bones and ruptured veins. My hand¡¯s clasped until blood poured from them. My teeth shut until they cracked. Like pushing against a tsunami, I planted the feet of my mind as I braced against it.


    Against that behemoth, I stood on the sun. Oppression like the hatred of a father cracked my nails and bruised my flesh. The corners of my conscious groaned as something so unfathomable attempted turning my mind to mush. My skin split. My toes and teeth shattered. My wrists and toes snapped and my feet crumbled. My body dilapidated like a stone weathered by years of rain and wind, yet I endured. I remained. Against this wall of steel, I pushed back, firm as an ironoak.


    I measured my mettle. I resolved my might. I chose to stand. I chose to fight. I understood my goal. I understood my pain. I withstood any burden. I withstood any bane. I remembered a dying man¡¯s words as I wrestled for control. ¡®I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.¡¯


    I carried the sins of my father and the love of my mother. I dragged the undertaking of malignance and the wishes of an angel. As Gaia¡¯s mind faltered, my will only grew. Deluge amplified my strength with his own, our goals clear as air and focused as a wolf¡¯s hunt. The hands I planted on this wall of steel dug deep into the slab of metal before I thundered in my mind, ¡°You are no master of mine. I decide who I am. I decide who I will be.¡±


    With an inexhaustible determination, I grated and grinded Gaia¡¯s will until a fine powder remained. I retaliated against the abyss, my blows solid, my defense hard. All sense of time ceased as I brutalized this god¡¯s mind. Deluge steadied my ravenous and frenzied carnage. He allowed my every effort to concentrate on offense.


    With a sudden slip, Deluge swallowed the titan. It fell into the chasm of our subconscious, fusing with the other fragment. As my vision returned, guards stood close around me, their breaths held in their chests. The king glanced with worry, his teeth chewing his nails while the tall knight stood stiff as a corpse.


    As I released the remnant, the ashen knight said, ¡°Are you...alright?¡±


    A smile molded with malice and forged in fires of hatred shot across my face, letting loose my teeth that sharpened as I spoke, ¡°I¡¯m hungry, actually.¡±


    As I said so, I clamped my arms onto his before tendrils of meat crawled from out of my skin. Gasps of horror spread across the room as the tails of flesh bore inside, weaving in and out of his armor. The sick, gurgling sound of sucking liquid created gags from nearby soldiers as my body drilled through his eyes and ears and brain.


    He died in seconds before Deluge drained the knight¡¯s body from the shell. The sun overhead waned as a cloud passed overhead right as I released the gray knight¡¯s armor. It clanked onto the floor, empty as the eyes that glanced at it. As the empty remnant clapped against the floor, I rolled my shoulders, adjusting to the new sensation of pulsing souls.


    Those around understood nothing. They gaped with horror before I grew sharp spikes from my palms. I whipped a hand through the crowd, slicing throats and decapitating several guards. Reality soaked in as the guards panicked. Spears stabbed into my arms and chest and legs, yet I broke their wooden handles before retching acid onto them or impaling them with limbs like moving marble.


    Men screamed in agony as I stomped skulls apart and tore guts open. Blood flung around me, a melody of red around the golden trimmed stone. Iron armor crumpled like paper as I caved in the chest plates, spurting organs out every orifice. My blows ripped red as a crimson banner before I stood upon a mountain of carcasses, each ready for eating.


    After the carnage, I paced towards the king of Bastion, a sea of blood surrounding me. My own steps caused ripples in the red pools, and in the eyes of the once noble ruler, a madness born from fear refused the sight in front of him.


    Dozens of decaying corpses rotted on the ground and across the walls. My hydra skin already absorbed the blood, leaving me clean at the center of this massacre, even though I was the titan who ripped them apart. I wanted to eat what was left of these people, yet I withheld that desire from those around me. Few things estrange a person as quickly as eating your enemy¡¯s remains.


    Lavish tapestries carried the colors of Bastion, white and green in honor of their god, Gaia. Twelve gems circled the leaves of a vast tree, and a ring, smooth on the inner edge and spiked on the outer one, encompassed the entire spectacle. The roof above us arched over a hundred feet in height while a gold trim embroidered the white marble that composed the entire spectacle. The large windows allowed light onto the king¡¯s throne at all times of the day, creating an illusion of holy grandeur as long as the sun passed through the sky.


    Intimidating the man who sat upon that throne proved far more difficult than I anticipated, yet I never doubted my own talents in that regard. Even before Deluge molded with me, I already owned a savage glint of cruelty. That malice grew over time, and by then, I¡¯d evolved into a rather callous creature.


    Drawing from that ruthlessness, I listened to the king¡¯s words without sympathy. He spoke them in a voice intermingled with absolute disbelief and fervorous panic, ¡°What are you?¡±


    I lifted an arm covered in black, scaled skin before a set of burning white talons grew from my fingertips. I grinned with sharpened canines and the slitted eyes of a predator. I growled out in a deep, haunting voice,


    ¡°I am the death of your god and the beginning of a new era. I am the Darkened One.¡±


    At that moment, Razor and Aether strode into the castle, their figures daunting as their dim glow. By now, Kade and Solomon fought one another, keeping each other busy as I found the remaining remnant. Aether had paced under the dome with the other forgotten tribe members before regrouping with me here. Razor already pierced through their defenses the day prior. She waited until Aether rose onto the surface before she joined him.


    Galen¡¯s betrayal fell right into my open hands. I used the accusation in order to clear doubt, leaving the guards exposed. I used that opening for assimilating the remnants power, and with Krakowah and Solomon preoccupied, not a single soul stood between me and the shard of Gaia.


    In essence, the many months of planning coalesced here, at this single piece of time. After staying there, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to run in and murder those present. As twisted as Nelastra, the city of storms may be, I found a home here. I met friends who I¡¯d live my life with. I found family amongst the beauty of this barrier. I wouldn¡¯t spiral into a maelstrom of hatred like Galen or Petra. There was no need for the death of a city. What was needed was a change in leadership.


    Deluge and I had already set that separate plan into motion. Solomon and Kade could already be figuring out my plot, so time was of the essence. Killing the guards had been an unfortunate result of my plan, but they¡¯d hinder my interrogation of the king. In their present, pulped state, they amplified the effect of my words rather greatly instead.


    So as I finished my pre-planned one liner, the words left my lips with a strange impact. On one hand, the king paled at the declaration, yet on the other, a colossal golem stood in silence while the queen of razor¡¯s floated overhead and giggled. Aether¡¯s hands jostled back and forth. He struggled just seeing the sight around him. On the other hand, Razor reveled in the carmine and carnage, so she giggled, exposing her inhumane character.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Maintaining my act, a light smirk formed on my own face before I leaned closer and said,


    ¡°Now tell me, where is the remaining remnant of Gaia?¡±


    The king¡¯s eyes darted around, hoping, praying for escape and finding none before he said, ¡°Is that why you¡¯ve come here?¡± Accepting his death, his eyes hardened before he hissed, ¡°Do you intend to kill our people then our god?¡±


    I laid my face in my hand for a moment before I lifted my face towards his. As I did so, I said, ¡°What is it that you want?¡±


    The king glanced around in confusion before I continued speaking, ¡°I ask as a form of insurance. You see, the best way for ensuring someone¡¯s compliance involves knowing what they hold dear. In your case, I may guess at a few of the more important pieces.¡±


    I lifted a hand out towards my side, glancing towards my claws as I said, ¡°On one hand, you care for your own life and the life of your guards I¡¯m sure. The guard¡¯s lives served as an example of my potential for destruction. Your own life may be bargained for yet.¡±


    I clasped the hand into a fist as blood coagulated on my fingers while my claws retracted. I said with my tone both cruel and adamantine, ¡°Refuse me and I will kill each of your relatives in a wave of carnage your empire has never seen, and in the wake of my massacre, your precious empire shall fall and collapse, along with your lineage.¡±


    The old man¡¯s face paled as drops of sweat dripped down his forehead. After I gave him a curt moment of deliberation, I snapped, ¡°Then this is the end of Bastion-¡±


    He shouted, ¡°No, no...I¡¯ll tell you. Just...please, leave my family out of this.¡±


    In order for someone¡¯s resistance to crumble, all you need is equal parts of danger and the unknown. Sporadic, random changes in attitude throws anyone off balance, leaving them manipulatable, so I raised an eyebrow as I said with a serene calm, ¡°I¡¯ll leave you alive as well if you just give me what I want.¡±


    He blinked for a moment before he spoke with disbelief pouring from his words, ¡°You would spare me?¡±


    I grinned as I said with a near familial warmth, ¡°I¡¯m not quite as cruel as your religion would believe I am. I¡¯d rather not kill you.¡± My amiable smile transformed as the light in my eyes dimmed while my smile warped until a crooked grimace. With a voice like ice, I said, ¡°Though the proclamation of before still stands.¡±


    His eyes glanced around at my companions before he closed his eyelids, and after deliberating for a second, he said without opening his bloodshot eyes, ¡°The remnant is within a crypt underneath Saint Jericho¡¯s chapel. You¡¯ll find it in the catacombs.¡±


    As he finished his words, a spark of realization caused the hairs across my skin to bristle while a smile encompassed my face. This smile carried no warmth, however. The smile carried a heated hatred that boiled beneath my skin like magma. The smile carried the suffering of souls and the might of madness. The expression opened my eyes far too wide while the sharpness and number of my teeth made my face both inhuman and sinister.


    With the king gasping in horror, I turned towards Aether and Razor as I said, ¡°It appears as though the Arcanum is lying to Joan.¡±


    The king squinted his eyes as he said, ¡°What?¡±


    I reached out, stabbing my fingers up and through the bottom of his jaw until they reached out his eyes sockets. His death came faster than he could comprehend. I stood, his body dragging on the ground while stuck on my fingers, so I shot my arms sideways. As the king¡¯s corpse landed, his cooling meat clapped against the stone.


    Aether gasped, ¡°I can¡¯t understand...How can you murder so easily?¡±


    I frowned as I glanced at the ripped out face of the king, pooling black blood around him. I said, ¡°It¡¯s something that takes a piece of you, at least at first. But after a few times, you¡¯ll have nothing left. You become broken and numb and null, like some walking, breathing void.¡±


    The words rung like sound through a hollow room before Razor wrapped around me while saying, ¡°You feel delicious. Nothing like what you spoke of earlier.¡±


    I rolled my eyes before pushing her from me with a smile spread across my lips. I replied, ¡°Appearances can be deceiving. Come now. We must find the last remnant.¡± I picked up the remnant¡¯s remains before Aether picked me up with Razor before saying, ¡°Let¡¯s rid ourselves of this place.¡±


    With his explosive strength carrying his feet, Aether shot towards the wall as wind drug my eyelids and cheeks open. In a stop just as sudden, I smashed into the edge of his body before he said, ¡°Where am I going?¡±


    I pushed my bruised face from him before I mumbled, ¡°To the outer ring of the palace. It¡¯s in the newest chapel on the northern side.¡±


    Aether nodded before colliding through the wall with the ease of tearing bread. A bombardment of tiny rocks brushed against me before we rose above a cloud of dust. Inertia pulled and pushed from every side as Aether moved across Nelastra, eyes pinned on us. Not a soul believed the sight. The strongest golem carrying a saint wrapped in a vas queen, running around, looking through churches. We looked like a sandwich of unbelievable sights.


    After peering through a dozen buildings, we reached a short, stout building with claret colored windows. The dull gray of the lead lined around the doors and windows, accentuated the blackened stone. The white mortar popped in your sight from between those bricks. A small set of low lying stairs led up to the cherry red of the finished doorway. Every surface sheened with a pristine polish.


    So far, finding a new building had proven arduous. It turns out, the barrier keeps the buildings within Nelastra well maintained since it casts a shield against the elements. How do you weather stone without wind or rain? You cannot, so only slight scratches from human error indicated a building''s age.


    No scratches lined this small building. The chapel felt fitting, like a warm meal in winter while wearing your favorite mantle. I deserved no more for what I would do there.


    After cracking open the door, I found a well with three doorways behind it. Two doorways lined the sides of the room like guards while the central stairway led downstairs, into the catacombs underneath the chapel. Gems of orange lit the inside room, the welcome warmth of fire opals lighting the room.


    Scents of earth, water, stone, wood, and grit filled the nostrils, as if in a cave full of lumber. Cedar and lavender sat still in the air, their oils spread all throughout the room. After passing through the darkwood pews, Razor and I leapt from Aether¡¯s back before walking down the steps. The door swung open, no noise present due to well oiled hinges.


    A dark blue ebbed from several sets of lit lapis lazuli. Tombs lined up and down the chapel, each of them carrying a corpse. Carved on their tops was an embodiment of Gaia, her long hair streaking down the sides of her closed, gentle eyes. Her circle lined around her shoulders, and inscriptions etched on their sides.


    Dozens of names of different tribesmen lined these tombs. They¡¯d created tombs for each of the  forgotten members sealed here. The palisade tried remembering their sacrifice by putting their bodies under the ground and surrounded by stone. It was a pretty thought, but nothing more. The family''s wept at their missing member still. Those they loved would never know of this remorse. Even with thousands of these graves, how did that help the tribes? In any meaningful, tangible way?


    So the heartfelt gesture sung to deaf ears, besides for Aether. He stopped advancing towards the back wall as he laid a hand on a tomb while saying, ¡°These tombs are of the those that died to the palisade. This...¡± He squeezed his hand tight. ¡°If this doesn¡¯t mean anything, then what does?¡±


    I sighed before walking beside him and pulling the top from the tomb. A bundle of hearts pumped at the center of the pit, viens diving into the rock around them. Different half formed organs jiggled with each beat of the heart. The slimy texture of the organs created a thick humidity in the air, and the scent would make a gravedigger gag.


    Claws of all kinds twitched of the walls, each spike scrambling without purpose. Eyes glanced around, some locking on us, others on the lights around. As an arm scraped the side of the grave, a deformed mouth spit red mist from itself as it choked. After coughing several times, the side slit opened as a weak voice as weary as atlas gurgled,


    ¡°Help...me...¡±


    Aether stepped back as he murmured gibberish in horror like a scared child. Growing ten sharpened talons from my fingertips, I pierced the top of the creature before slicing across the poor thing¡¯s entire body. I gave that abomination the healing help of death as I minced the inside of that coffin until only a pile of mushy blood remained, like pulped juice.


    In an instant, Aether spoke with his voice like broken glass, ¡°Why...why did they do this.¡±


    I absorbed the mush through my hand as I seethed, ¡°Some say for god. Others, for evil.¡±


    A bitter and grim and oppressive scorn pulsed in my chest as I beat my heels into stone. I reached a plate of diamond with another hollowed diamond over it. It radiated at the back of the room. Underneath, the iridescent glow of a remnant colored the hard gemstone in a mixed melody of colors. I palmed the top off, shooting the hallowed diamond across the room.


    The energy of the remnant flowed outward, bathing all of Nelastra in its corrupting aura, but I let the spill occur for only seconds. With hatred in my heart and ire in my veins, I smashed my hand into the stone. Deluge devoured the souls, consolidating with a hungry anger as I readied my own will.


    I compressed my mind into a blunt hammer of might. As the souls cleared, the remnant of Gaia charged into me once more. However, I met its charge this time. I swung the hammer of pure human right into Gaia¡¯s will like a wooden club cracking the back of a skull. The magnitude of the assault created rifts across the behemoth, its will already waning. I growled my words like an eruption,


    ¡°Succumb, corrupter of worlds. I am your end and this world¡¯s new beginning.¡±


    And so the darkness I swallow, drinking dark ichor bled black. Unlike the remnant of before, no battle took place. Instead, the sounds of slaughter tore and squelched like a bull¡¯s butchering. I vulcanized in the blue fire of brimstone. I galvanized in the thunder of Baldowuh. I drenched in wrath and bathed in spite.


    For the first time, I unleashed the evil anger lying dormant in my soul. All the contained rage ruptured like smashing a bottle of thunder, wind, and rain. The shock shook Gaia¡¯s mind to its core, preventing any meaningful retaliation. Within two minutes, another remnant lay dull and dead and desolate.


    After absorbing yet another leviathan of a conscious, I knees collapsed as I fell to the floor. The ground shook, and my head rang like a bell just struck with a sledgehammer. My vision blurred and each breath pressed on my chest, pushing me down like lead. Hunting for relief, I pressed my face against the cool rock beside the remnant, letting the icy cold bleed into my face.


    After several minutes, Razor floated beside me before saying, ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    I blinked several times, my vain attempts at clearing the thick haze over my eyes resulting in an opaque vision. I took all my exhaustion and sighed it out, and I pushed myself up afterwards. My hands shook while cold sweat dripped down my chin. My ankles wobbled before I bit through the inner lining of my lip.


    A searing, clarifying pain cleared my mental fog before I shook my head and said, ¡°I¡¯m alright. I just needed a moment.¡±


    Aether walked over as he said, ¡°You do not seem fine. Not in the slightest.¡±


    I said, ¡°No really, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    Agony erupted in my head as a blood vessel burst. For a few seconds, I grimaced, completely paralyzed by the sensation before Deluge healed the wound. Noticing my sudden pause, Aether said, ¡°You are not fine. You need to rest.¡±


    I screamed, ¡°I will never rest.¡±


    Aether lowered his gaze before I reeled in my wrath. My speech littered with gasps as I said, ¡°I...I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just rather short of temper...right now. You and I both know...no one else can do this. I have to get all of them...I¡¯ve worked too hard and too long to give up now.¡±


    Aether reached out a healing hand as he said, ¡°You will lose yourself if you continue.¡±


    I snarled, ¡°I already have. I¡¯m a walking shell, not a man. Let me stumble my own way at least.¡±


    Aether lowered his hand, scathed by my words. After a moment, he said, ¡°I wish I could help you.¡±


    I walked past him and up the chapel as I said, ¡°No one can help me now.¡±

 37 Sly Suggestion

    We walked out of the church, my steps fumbling. A headache screamed in my head like the howling of a dead family. Every nerve in my body shivered. My mind trembled at the weight it carried. Three remnants piled in my mind. The thought of assimilating another one was like kicking the chair out from under my feet at my own hanging.


    Still, work remained undone. We paced out the chapel before I fell down the stairs leading out of the chapel. As my lips split against the rough stone under me, several pounding sets of footsteps rumbled the cobblestone. As I glanced up, blood leaked from a broken mouth while a sheen of sweat collected on my eyebrows.


    Several sets of eyes stared back at me. One set of eyes owned broad shoulders with whips of molten metal while another carried a sword shining in the sun. Another wore armor of ice, crimson as red wine. Here was Solomon and Krakowah and Ara. They¡¯d defeated the tribes already.


    A stripe of metal had been ripped from the helmet of Solomon, revealing two deformed, malshapened eyes. Beneath the sick yellow skin and squinted brows was a set of noble, nigh angelic eyes. A melody of emotions piled on that short strip of skin. Pain, spite, and guilt, but most of all, hurt. After a moment, Solomon cried out,


    ¡°Why? Why did you do this?¡±


    I pushed myself from the ground, my arms shaking. After sitting up, I slouched as I said, ¡°I¡¯m a mindless force of darkness. Why do you even ask?¡±


    Solomon hissed, ¡°Don¡¯t spit in my face with those lies. I know you better.¡±


    I frowned as I said, my voice scathing, ¡°Apparently not as well as you¡¯d believe.¡±


    He slammed his shield into the stone, cracks radiating from the impact as he roared, ¡°You betrayed me. You betrayed the empire. You betrayed Gaia.¡±


    I cackled out a weak, pained laugh before I said, ¡°I am the only saint who stayed true to himself. You all cast aside yourselves for something greater. You ended up being nothing more than glorified slaves.¡±


    Krakowah snapped back, ¡°I spent decades fighting evil since before you could even old enough to wipe your own ass.¡±


    I said, ¡°Did you decide that what you fought was evil, or was it decided for you?¡±


    Ara stabbed her words, ¡°You''re the one who can¡¯t see past his own shadow.¡±


    A surge of agony grinded through my temples as I said, ¡°Do any of you even know who or what  Gaia is?¡±


    Disgust riddled Krakowah¡¯s face as she said, ¡°She¡¯s the benevolent ruler of this world.¡±


    I grimaced as I said, ¡°You¡¯ve felt her right? There¡¯s nothing benevolent about that thing. You¡¯ve seen what her energy has done to those outside the barrier. I¡¯ve seen children with bulging tumors under there face, missing ears and eyes, even one who¡¯s skin cracked like paper. Gaia¡¯s light shattered those people. She shattered you as well.¡±


    Ara forced her hand onto the stone beneath her. Shards of ice shot towards me, crawling like a fast millipede. The attack could¡¯ve killed me, but an enormous, dull yellow blade slammed down in front of me, stopping the attack. The cracking of ice matched the hollow hum of Razor¡¯s horn as bits of cold landed on my face. The shavings of ice melted as Razor said,Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Save the fun for after the talk.¡±


    Attached to a blue orb, the yellow blade brushed aside the red ice before Solomon said, ¡°Gaia prevents the destruction of Nelastra. She has blessed these people with her kindness and banished those outside to exile. You speak blasphemy.¡±


    I let out a ragged breath before saying, ¡°You remember the energy let off by the remnant? That is what causes the corruption. The church keeps the remnants since they give them an endless source of souls for their forging and chaining. They want a land of monsters so that they can maintain dominion over those who can¡¯t fight them.¡±


    Solomon stepped back as he said, ¡°That¡¯s madness.¡±


    I stood up by pushing my knee with my hand as I said, ¡°Is it though?¡± I took a step forward as I said, ¡°Look at what they¡¯ve done to their heroes.¡±


    I pointed at Ara as I said, ¡°Your entire people were cast aside for allying with a rival nation. Now you¡¯ll slowly lose your minds as Gaia¡¯s light lets itself in.¡±


    Ara bit her lip before I said to Krakowah, ¡°The geshians killed half their people for nothing, and now you¡¯re a slave of another nation, far from home. You¡¯ll never see your father¡¯s face. She stole that from you.¡±


    Krakowah¡¯s hands trembled before I turned to Solomon and said, ¡°And you...Hundreds and hundreds of years of dedication and reverence, yet you live in a small home beside the palace. Your family is dead. You¡¯re treated like a dog. Your people are slaves with you as their leader, the man who abandoned everything for a hollow title, empty as air.¡±


    Solomon Lifted his sword as he thundered, ¡°You wretch.¡±


    Slicing through the atmosphere, he swung the sword down like a guillotine. The blade enlarged in my vision before Aether reached out his hand and stopped the blade by uncurling a single finger. Wind exploded all around us as the sword¡¯s impacted ebbed around us. The ground beneath solomon¡¯s feet crushed like folding tin. Chips of the sword¡¯s blade shot out around us. Sound erupted from the point of contact, yet Aether¡¯s hand moved not an inch.


    Solomon¡¯s arms shook as Aether raised his hand, taking the blade with him despite Solomon¡¯s struggling. Krakowah and Ara¡¯s confidence deflated as Aether grabbed the blade with two fingers and his thumb then folded the metal like putty. The beautiful blade crumbled, just like Solomon¡¯s anger.


    Solomon let go of the sword before Aether tossed the metal aside. This was no normal throw. The air around us followed the swing of his arm like an instant hurricane. The only visual evidence of his throw came from Aether¡¯s arm disappearing. The explosion of noise occurred after the movement, like a thunderclap right beside your eardrum. After less than a second, a portion of the barrier surrounding Nelastra lit up like a solar flare as the blade bounced on its surface.


    Solomon gasped as he said, ¡°What...how?¡±


    Aether replied, ¡°Shimerac would know. He¡¯s the one who sealed me.¡±


    Krakowah screamed before brandishing two chains from the air, the metal materializing in a fiery flash. She leapt forward while swinging the chain before the spiked tips whipped against Aether¡¯s shoulders.


    Metal splintered like wood cracking before Aether said, his voice flat, ¡°Is that all then? I¡¯d rather us get the last remnant, if you wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±


    The red glow around Krakowah¡¯s fists exploded into a torrent of blue as she shouted, ¡°Why is something like this allied with the Darkened One?¡±


    Aether tapped his center crystal as he said, ¡°It¡¯s sad that we must fight, but I have my reasons. What has been done to me must not be allowed to continue. This unfeeling body is more a moving prison than life.¡±


    Ara squinted her eyes as she said, ¡°What does that have to do with Gaia?¡±


    Aether glanced at her before saying, ¡°Do you know what I am?¡±


    Ara reeled back as she said, ¡°What? Ugh...a golem.¡±


    ¡°Precisely. I am a byproduct of soul forging. Why does your kind forge or chain souls?¡±


    Ara glanced around before saying, ¡°Well...to fight monsters, mainly.¡±


    Aether nodded before saying, ¡°What makes those monsters?¡±


    A sudden spark appeared in all their faces as their eyes went wide and their jaws slackened. After a moment, Aether continued, ¡°That¡¯s right. The remnants. You worship a maker of monsters.¡±

 38 Desolation

    I nodded as I said, ¡°I just so happen to be Gaia¡¯s strongest creation. My resolve forged in her fire, and now I defy her.¡±


    Ara stammered, ¡°That¡¯s bullshit. There¡¯s no possible way we¡¯ve been worshipping something like that.¡±


    Razor floated over them as she said, ¡°Think about it. What is Gaia? Do any of you really know?¡±


    Solomon stamped his foot into the ground as he said, ¡°She is a harsh and healing god. I¡¯ve fought off her presence when I grabbed the remnant centuries ago. There was no evil or demonic presence like what you all speak of.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°Come now, surely by now you¡¯ve realized that not all demons are what they seem. Me, for example.¡±


    An irritated hiss escaped Solomon¡¯s helmet as Razor continued, ¡°I¡¯ve spoken with her, though only the smallest parts. She lives in the ground, just as your religion suggests, but there¡¯s nothing holy about her.¡±


    Krakowah snapped, ¡°How can something so powerful not be a god?¡±


    I grimaced as Aether said, his voice cold, ¡°I am powerful. Do you believe I am a god?¡±


    Krakowah bit her lip as Razor continued, ¡°Do you think storms are gods? Or eruptions? They are powerful, but does that make them your rulers? No, they simply are.¡±


    Aether stepped forward as he said, ¡°If you understand, let us through here. I will not kill, but I will not risk my friend¡¯s lives either.¡±


    Solomon grit his teeth as the wrinkled skin around his eyes furrowed. He said, ¡°All this time I¡¯ve lived for the church. I abandoned my family. I allowed the churche¡¯s genocides and atrocities. I followed them...Are you telling me that everything is just a lie? That our society is built on a misunderstanding?¡±


    A mental throe of suffering split my sight into a blur, but I maintained my footing as I gasped, ¡°Yes. All of it.¡±


    Ara shouted, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡±


    I chided her like a child, ¡°And what? Walk in through the front gates and say, ¡®By the way, your religion is a lie and I¡¯m The Darkened One.¡¯¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    A sharp sigh escaped her throat as I said, ¡°One thing I learned early on is that the church never listens, regardless of reason. You all close your eyes and run forward, blind and hard of hearing.¡±


    Ara¡¯s fingers curled until they clamped into fists. Veins appeared on her forehead as she snapped, ¡°You killed everyone at Mareovosa for what then? The remnant?¡±


    I grimaced as I replied, ¡°The palisade killed everyone. They believed that I was an infection, so they quarantined the entire campus before culling the population. Whenever I arrived, they¡¯d fused the student¡¯s souls into the malformed body of Saint Petra.¡±


    Solomons whispered, ¡°That¡¯s impossible...¡±


    My words erupted, ¡°The palisade found a way, that¡¯s why they created that deformed monster.¡±


    I opened my arms as my words left my lips like acid, ¡°I had to kill my former mentor. I had to kill the sister of Joan, and her father...I exiled her from her family. I stole her from them, just as lightning stole mine. I saved who I could, but they killed so quickly. There was nothing I could do.¡±


    My words weakened until I murmured like rain, ¡°I tried so hard, for so long, but in the end, there was nothing I could do. I, the apparent embodiment of darkness, the killer of gods couldn¡¯t even give a broken girl back her family back. I could only tear it apart.¡±


    I heaved as I stared at my hands. A calming quiet saturated around us at that moment. I opened the suffering of my soul to them, and like leaping in cold water, their minds opened. I wasn¡¯t some forgotten prince or entity of evil. I was as human as kindness and brittle as dry leaves. Even after a minute, they said not a word, as if sound were a sin.


    As I tilted to my side, Aether kept me standing as he said, ¡°You¡¯ve another remnant still. Save your strength for then.¡± Aether stared at Solomon as he said, ¡°Please, let us go and kill this corruption.¡±


    My eyes rolled in my head at that moment, but my conscious whipped back as Krakowah¡¯s hands shook and sweat began pouring from her her brow. Her eyes snapped wide before she fell to her knees as she rambled, ¡°I...She¡¯s hurting me. I can¡¯t listen. Hah...Hah...¡±


    Her breaths grew heavier before Ara¡¯s brow furrowed. Ara snapped, ¡°What are you doing to her, Darkened One?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°Besides enlightening her?¡±


    Krakowah smashed her hand into the cobblestone, creating a pile of powder that she grabbed and squeezed in her hand. Against my skin, I noticed a light breeze pulling towards her. Wind caused little concern under normal circumstances, but no wind blew in Nelastra.


    Krakowah¡¯s hands exploded blue and bold once more before building into the vivid color of cobalt. Like a fiery liquid of lapis lazuli, blue fire spread from her before the ground around her singed. A wave of heated air drove the other saints away from she glared at me, her glance staring into an endless abyss.


    She mumbled, ¡°I...can¡¯t let you...live...Gaia won¡¯t let me.¡±


    Ara¡¯s own eyes ripped open before shards of sanguine ice expanded out of her skin. She snapped her teeth before Solomon said, ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Razor replied, ¡°Gaia¡¯s taking over.¡±


    Lifting his left hand, Aether said without worry, ¡°It is a shame. I hate harming others.¡±

 39 Collide

    Solomon said, ¡°There is no reason to harm them. Let them overcome with their own will.¡±


    As he finished his words, a dollop of drool drained from Ara¡¯s gaping mouth.  Her head twitched several times before I said, ¡°Oh yes, they look more than able in that regard.¡±


    Solomon sent me a look of disapproval before Krakowah stood from her paralysis. Her head hung low. In a granite voice louder than war, Krakowah said, ¡°I first thought it was a fluke, but no, someone is here taking away from parts of me. What is your aim?¡±


    I replied, ¡°Care if I ask a question first?¡±


    ¡°State it.¡±


    Solomon gasped with disbelief as I asked, ¡°How are you controlling Krakowah?¡±


    ¡°She entangled her soul in mine.¡±


    I replied, ¡°And Solomon did not?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He resisted the joining. Now answer me.¡±


    I stated, ¡°I''m taking the fragments of your soul back from the surface. They''re causing problems.¡±


    And Krakowah¡¯s face morphed into a mask of skepticism before she said, ¡°Hmmm. I couldn''t regain them from the humans. How are you doing so?¡±


    I shrugged before saying, ¡°A little force with a pinch of deception.¡±


    She turned to Aether as she said, ¡°I see this must be the force. How did your undertaking fail? You and I could have coexisted.¡±


    Aether said, ¡°What?¡±


    A haunting laughter escaped Krakowah¡¯s throat before she said, ¡°You must have forgotten. You are old. I shouldn¡¯t feel surprise at the discovery.¡± She turned towards me and said, ¡°You are too young to have forgotten, however. What is your undertaking, fledgling?¡±


    I sighed before saying, ¡°I¡¯m as confused as Aether. Hell, maybe more.¡±


    Krakowah stared at me with a blank, empty expression for several seconds before saying, ¡°Are you...human?¡±


    I tapped my temple as I said, ¡°More or less, though I¡¯m not quite normal.¡±


    Krakowah stood tall before she said, ¡°You humans have been quite unstable. So I can¡¯t allow a false eldritch to run amok. If you harness your function, you will become annoying.¡±


    I said, ¡°I¡¯m a little disappointed. Am I not already?¡±


    She nodded before saying, ¡°Perhaps a little. Now stand still.¡±


    The blue fire flared on her fist before Krakowah shot her fist towards me. The attack met metal as Aether blocked Krakowah¡¯s fist with his palm, crushing her knuckles against his invincible body. Cracking bones and splitting skin gushed around us. A mild displeasure etched onto Krakowah¡¯s face as she said,


    ¡°You are protecting him?¡±


    Aether replied, ¡°Yes.¡±


    She replied, ¡°Well, that complicates things.¡±


    She turned towards Solomon and Ara as she said, ¡°Are you his allies as well?¡±


    Solomon and Ara slammed their knees onto the cobblestone road as the stammered, ¡°No, your grace.¡±


    Krakowah nodded before laying her fingertips onto the edge of his face as she said, ¡°You rejected me before. Will you now accept me?¡±


    With tears in his eyes, Solomon shook as he choked, ¡°I...I would do anything.¡±


    I rasped, ¡°Even after what I told you? Even after learning who deformed you and your family?¡±


    Solomon¡¯s eyes met mine as the icy cold of before heated into a familiar warmth. The tops of his cheeks creased as the stripe of visible face smiled, knowing and sincere as always. His eyes closed as Solomon said,


    ¡°I¡¯ve waited for three hundred years, Jericho. You can¡¯t turn the tides of fate with a few words, but thank you...You were a son to me, if only for a few days. You gave me a spot of sunshine in this gray life of mine.¡±


    I grit my teeth as I snarled, ¡°She is no god. She is the corrupter of worlds. You will become a broken doll. A hollow, empty plaything of hers.¡±


    My words sliced through the air between us like swallowing shards of a broken sword. Solomon replied,


    ¡°I remember when my last daughter died so long ago. She was 89 years old, heaving on her deathbed. I can recall watching her convulse in agony, sweat pouring down her forehead. A dreadful fever left her hot to the touch. Do you know what I was thinking the entire time?¡±


    After a moment of silence, Solomon continued, ¡°I thought to myself, ¡®Please don¡¯t go.¡¯ She was only a tightly wound ball of pain, yet I wanted her to stay with me. I believe those feelings are much like your own. Don¡¯t let them consume you like they consumed me.¡±


    I ripped my words, ¡°You want me to forget? To let all the misery melt away? I swallowed a darkness, and it grows in me. I leave that dark wherever I go, and you want to glow bright in that dusk? You want to shine in Gaia¡¯s false light while I bask in blackness?¡±


    Solomon¡¯s peace cracked as he held no answers. He stayed mute, so right as Gaia tapped into his soul, I glowered at him. Wayward and wicked, I said,


    ¡°You want to burn bright in the wake of my shadow?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll swallow you whole.¡±


    Razor landed beside me as she said, ¡°Sounding more like The Darkened One now, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    My voice dulled as I said, ¡°Everything¡¯s just a different shade of gray. Mine happens to be a bit darker than the others is all.¡±


    She shrugged before razor replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter to me, but you may alienate Joan and Sophia at this rate.¡±


    I frowned before I turned to Razor and said, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you joined Gaia¡¯s side yet? I thought you¡¯d do so once she exposed herself.¡±


    Razor replied, ¡°Well that¡¯s insulting. I¡¯m more than just an animal, you know.¡±


    I nodded before a slight smile crept up my lips as Razor continued, ¡°I¡¯ve a culture and...What brightened your mood?¡±


    I said, ¡°An unexpected surprise.¡±


    As I finished my words, Krakowah¡¯s fingers dug into the side of Solomon¡¯s temple. The squirming squish of sound made my stomach sink faster than a roofed tile that hits your head on the way down. I ran forward before Razor lifted me from my shoulders as she said,


    ¡°Let¡¯s let Aether handle this. You need to get that remnant.¡±


    I frowned as we lifted like swooping falcon.


    Ignoring her complaints, I watched from above as Solomon¡¯s skin regrew into the dull yellow from a sickly green. The wrinkles disappeared from around his eyes as the mounds of meat scattered across his face remolded into smooth, strong features. His armor bent as his chest and arms and legs expanded until the metal cracked open.


    Solomon pulled the plates off, rupturing the metal with ease. As the silver scales scattered on the cobblestone, a chorus of clanks resonated. I was glad for the white noise since the sound of grinding bones and slopping gums hurt my ears. Just as quickly as the monstrous lines and humps of Solomon¡¯s deformed frame became clear, they evaporated.


    Lumps of contorting muscle that pushed his bones from their sockets readjusted into a stable physique. His joints realigned. His hands turned from calloused bricks into lithe limbs capable of holding a pen instead of only club. Teeth that jutted from his lip and cheeks receded and adjusted. The wisps of gray hair turned to a white mane that fell down his shoulders.


    Sweat dripped off him before he raised his head, and his noble voice fit him as he said, ¡°I feel young again.¡±


    Krakowah nodded as Gaia said through her, ¡°I can¡¯t have my servants so disorganized. You wouldn¡¯t be able to fight this eldritch then.¡±


    Solomon lunged upwards as he said, ¡°Of course, your grace.¡±


    She pointed at Aether as she said, ¡°Kill it then kill that other one.¡±


    Solomon pounded his chest, booming a sound like giant drum before he said, ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll rip them apart.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    At her last word, Krakowah¡¯s body wilted into a pile on the ground. After a second or so, she raised her head and glanced around, confusion painted across her face. She said, her voice normal, ¡°What the fuck just happened?¡±


    Solomon placed a hand on her shoulder as he said, ¡°You harbored a peice of Gaia within you. She spoke with us and restored me. She commanded we kill them.¡±


    Krakowah nodded before standing. She smashed her fists together before saying, ¡°Then let¡¯s get to it.¡±


    My blood boiled at their lack of concern over their decisions. In an instant, both of them had no concerns over killing me. All our time spent together became null, like a void replaced their memories.


    My teeth grinded as Solomon said, ¡°You two kill the other one. I¡¯ll handle this behemoth.¡±


    Aether stepped forward as he said, ¡°You will not.¡±


    Ara and Krakowah leapt towards Razor and I before Solomon charged Aether and smashed his fist into Aether¡¯s waiting hand. A shockwave shot the metal scales outwards like a heavy hailstorm. A sound louder than an eruption passed through me before echoing off Nelastra¡¯s barrier. The stone under Solomon¡¯s feet crushed to powder. Blood poured from his hand as the bare bone of his exposed knuckles grinded on Aether¡¯s unmoving hand.


    Aether said, ¡°Is that it then?¡±


    Solomon pulled the fist back before grabbing his shield from the cracked cobble and smashing the thousand pound slab of iron into Aether¡¯s side. The shield collapsed around Aether as the metal squealed like a banshee before Solomon reared back and slammed the iron into Aether again.


    The shield split in two before Solomon cupped the leftover plate in his right hand and slapped the steel against Aether¡¯s temple. The crisp clap collided with deafening boom that left a sharp ringing in my ears as Aether stumbled sideways. Rather than Aether fumbling from damage, the ground had collapsed beneath him, causing him to lose balance.


    Even though Aether¡¯s invincibility ensured his victory, Solomon could stretch out the conflict for at least a few minutes by decimating the nearby terrain. Razor just idled as she gazed at the tremendous conflict, keeping us afloat. I snapped her from her trance as I said,


    ¡°We need to get to the remnant. I won¡¯t be able to fight after absorbing it, and I doubt I could do so if I fought Krakowah and Ara. Come now, let¡¯s go.¡±


    She nodded before we darted across the tops of buildings with the sounds of clashing titans behind us. As I turned around, the chapel in my name collapsed while a molten chain wrapped around a brick chimney. The interlocked links snapped taut before Krakowah leapt onto a ceiling.


    She brandished her chains as though they were extensions of herself as she whipped and pulled herself across each rooftop. Ara followed behind her as she crawled along a growing pillar of pink ice. She held two hooks in each hand, long as crowbars that she stabbed and pulled herself forward. They traveled far faster than I ever imagined they would, so I snapped,


    ¡°We must go faster.¡±


    Razor replied, ¡°Then I¡¯ll slice through the wind, little one.¡±


    Blades sprouted from her, literally cutting the air ahead of us as we gained speed towards the central well of the city. A wind crashed pushed against me as buildings shot past us from below. Like the winding of a snake, hills moved up and down, as if the very ground were alive. After a mere minute of our flight, we reached the palisade¡¯s headquarters with white marble gleaming.


    An enormous, Aether-sized hole jutted from the side of a collapsed wall. We swooped through the gap before entering a well of red in every direction. The slivers of several guards painted the walls crimson while their organs rotted across the floor. Clean cross sections gave a perfect view of the human anatomy as we passed, proving the lethality of Razor¡¯s weapons.


    Rats ran towards shadows as we passed, their feasting interrupted by our intrusion. Broken furniture piled in defensive lines, useless against either Aether or Razor or I. Long, winding gash marks carved into the walls while chips of rock and even boulders laid across the hallways.


    An eerie stillness chilled the air, leaving the whole area cold and lifeless, besides the rats. Gems lit the each hallway with a melody of different shades, but Deluge absorbed the glittering souls as we passed. In a tangible sense, we were finally living up to our nickname of The Darkened One.


    After we finished spreading darkness and all that, we reached a damp room stuffed with pipes and gages. The far off sound of water hinted at why the gap beneath Nelastra existed. Such a large gap in defenses needed a powerful reason for existing, but it proved a basic need - water.


    These pipes pumped countless gallons of spring water from a spring beneath us, giving Nelastra water as it needed it. This is why we could attack from an angle of surprise. This network allowed our plan¡¯s ongoing success.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Other sounds leaked into the roar of rushing water. Clashing swords and sticks. Snapping bones and clapping of iron against iron. Pained howls and shouts of victory. Beneath us was a war between two forces. As we swept down an angled tunnel towards the noise, I asked,


    ¡°How did you and Aether leave this much of a mess behind?¡±


    Razor replied, ¡°They thought Aether was a member of the palisade¡¯s golem army. They didn¡¯t trust me really, but they believed in Aether.¡± She giggled. ¡°It¡¯s funny how firmly they believed that the tribes lacked the intelligence to craft a golem, especially considering how effective the tribes were.¡±


    I nodded in reply. Nelastrian¡¯s held a great pride in their heritage which bolstered their ambition, but it left them arrogant. Chaining and other advanced techniques could cause havoc in the body, but so could a wooden club caving in your chest. Crossbows with aerodynamic designs could plunge through a man¡¯s skull, but so can a stone spear.


    The three tribes could easily crush Nelastra without the saint¡¯s assistance. Their soldiers evolutions left them able as an army of demons. Whenever we lowered into the chasm, their effectiveness became apparent.


    The cave sported a pit of magma at its center. A wall of black metal separated the glowing lava with a set of four pipes, each large enough for a man to stand in. The black, ropey rock surrounding this pit offered the battleground for the tribes and chainers. There last stand took place here.


    Walls of wooden spikes covered in corpses pointed towards a new opening, the broken rock a more vivid gray than the older rock surrounding it. Dozens of maces and spears and even bows stuck out of dozens of corpses. The sweltering heat drained any stamina and left the air thick and hard on the lungs. Patches of the black shell covering the magma lay opened, leaving a gentle orange glow on the scene. Long shadows let the imagination wonder, turning even normal faces sinister. The globbing of lava left a constant reminder of how close death was wherever you stood.


    The more sane members of the tribes roamed around killing any stragglers left over from their battle. The less human ones carved off trophies like scalps and teeth and noses. A small portion even ate the human corpses. I¡¯ve done the same, but not in the eyesight of others. It reduces moral, to say the least.


    A small pocket of the palisade continued fighting near the back, beside a sealed doorway. A battalion of shield bearers guarded a row of chainers behind them as they crafted pyres of ice and spikes of earth. Several cracked rock underneath approaching tribesmen, others flew overhead, using wings and swords of light. The whole scene felt surreal, like walking through a garden with death.


    Reality set as one of the chainers screamed towards us,


    ¡°Thank Gaia, there¡¯s Saint Jericho. We held on!¡±


    I sighed sadly before I spoke towards Razor, ¡°Let me down at the edge.¡±


    She let me go from under my arms, and I fell downwards beside a bloodied line of wooden pikes. The black rock beneath me cracked and crumbled before I walked towards the fighting tribesmen. When I landed, the fighting stopped as the resonating thump of my landing left the battle still.


    The forgotten eased aside while I walked past them, their bloodied gazes transfixed. The chainers stared in surprise before Deluge gre my arms out till they dragged on the stone floor like chains. A spike grew from my palms and the tips of my fingers. The chainers stood stunned, so I whipped an enlarged hand around a man¡¯s chest using my right arm.


    The man gurgled blood for only a moment before the pressure crushed him. The officer leading the defense shouted, ¡°Fight, you cowards.¡±


    Before they could retaliate, I crushed another man with my left arm. Wielding the corpses as clubs, I slung the balls of metal and meat in my hands, pulverizing the crowd of chainers. The violent, extreme speed of my blows crumbled chests and ripped through limbs. I stole life with these carcasses, pounding them to powder.


    Razor used enormous blades that dart through thick slices of soldiers. Clean cross sections became clear before fountains of crimson sprayed through the air. The choking cries of the dying danced in the air. The red rain doused a dark red atop every body, leaving dripping torrents of thick, coagulating blood on every surface.


    Razor laughed like a spawn from hell while we disposed of the palisade. As much as I¡¯d like denying it, I relished in their torment. These people destroyed my life by ripping it apart. Now I¡¯d reply in kind, though in a more physical form.


    A few chainers survived my assault, so the pained moans of the fading filled the cavern. As one of the strongest members grabbed my ankle, I turned as he spit, ¡°Why? Why did you betray us?¡±


    I leaned close as I said, ¡°I¡¯m not quite a saint, as you¡¯ve seen. I¡¯m more a monster in human skin.¡±


    A tribeswoman stomped his chest, spewing blood out of the man¡¯s nose and mouth and into his eyes. The thick coat covered my face before I stood, blinking the gunk out of my eyes. As I glanced down at the woman, she trembled before I laid a hand on her shoulder and leaned close. I said,


    ¡°Now is the time for violence. Well done. What is your name?¡±


    She trembled before she whispered in a heavy, hoarse voice, ¡°I am known as Maeve.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°You¡¯ve lost many members of your family, haven¡¯t you?¡± She nodded before I continued, ¡°Remember, these are the demons who tore them from you. We¡¯ll find many of the missing above here, if you search with the others.¡±


    She gasped as Deluge absorbed the blood from my face, clearing my complexion. With a glowing grin, I said, ¡°Keep your humanity. Give the innocent mercy and the weak kindness. Lead the others in finding your fallen, but know this. Now is the time for violence, but the time for peace will come later.¡±


    She nodded, her attention rapt. I stood tall before shouting, ¡°You are free from your oppressors. You may live without unrelenting mutation or horrors lurking in the trees. The city of Nelastra is yours now, but how will you take it?¡±


    The faces around me glanced back and forth before I said, ¡°Will you kill the kind? Will you bathe in cruelty or live with malice crawling from your insides like a skin of maggots?¡±


    I roared after a short pause, ¡°No. Do not live like your oppressors. Rise above them. Show them your humanity with compassion. Give their lies no ground to stand on. Fight against the divisive. Embrace your freedom, but do not take it from others.¡±


    An old, angry voice snapped between my words, ¡°They don¡¯t deserve a damn thing from us.¡±


    I replied, ¡°Then neither do any of us deserve from them. Remember why we came here. To end the tyranny of the palisade and cease Gaia¡¯s corruption, not to kill a city. That being said-¡±


    As the last guard of the palisade gurgled on his liquefied organs, I stomped his skull to mush. The slop scattered across the ground like a thick, pulpy paste. I said, ¡°Show no member of the palisade mercy. Kill them all. Bathe in their blood.¡±


    I took the silence as an agreement, so I turned before I said to Razor, ¡°Would you mind opening the door.¡±


    She nodded before partially evolving her hands into her full form. She gouged her claws between a lockless plate of iron before leveraging her claws like crowbars. The metal howled as it bent and crumpled before Gaia¡¯s energy exploded from the hole. A gray mush covered the inside of the door. The substance blocked the energy, not the iron.


    Pushing myself up with stretched arms, I leapt up before hooking a hand into the crevice she created. Deluge melted our body before I pushed myself through the gap. Razor followed not far behind before I fell onto the floor like a sack of flour. I laid on the ground for a second before Razor floated beside me and quietly murmured,


    ¡°Why did you fight. You didn¡¯t have to. I could have killed them all.¡±


    I sighed, my breath scattering a thick layer of dust. I welcomed the coming cold of the floor beneath me. A subtle breeze brushed on my back before I murmured, ¡°I wanted to add some umph to my speech. I think it worked well.¡±


    ¡°Why would you want more umph?¡±


    ¡°So that I may save Nelastra from genocide. I never wanted to kill every citizen. I never wanted to create a rebellion. In the end, I just wanted to help people. I haven¡¯t forgotten that yet.¡±


    Razor giggled as I raised a hand, and she dragged me towards the remnant. A mushy gray substance covered the walls and the pipes on the far side of the wall. Hundreds of mechanical pipes dug into a clear, crystal plate.


    Liquid energy flooded into the barrier in waves. This fragment released enough radiation that my eyes watered and my nose bled. Razor shined in the glow, feasting on the outpour of energy. Pushing my hands through the gray putty, I lifted myself slowly, like lifting lead. After I stood, Deluge said,


    ¡°This remnant contains far more energy than either of the other remnants. You won¡¯t be able to control it with what¡¯s left of your feeble mind.¡±


    I nodded before saying, ¡°Sometimes, we choose our fate. Sometimes, we¡¯ve already chosen. Let¡¯s get this over with. I¡¯m so tired.¡±


    Deluge grumbled, ¡°Avoid letting your mind crumble. I¡¯d lose all confidence without your weakness here for comparison.¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°I¡¯d miss you too.¡±


    Deluge grumbled before I stepped beside the remnant. I breathed deep before slicing my hand through the gray mush covering the alexandrite. As my hand touched the crystal, I crumbled.


    Arcs of electricity ripped out of my skin, darting across the room like weaving branches. My blood evaporated. My muscles tensed until the little blood left squeezed from me like a squeezing a rag. The lightning left long lines of open wounds and burned flesh behind them. My hand clasped onto the gem like a curse, gorging my body with immeasurable force.


    My tendons tore and my bones snapped. The radiation vibrated through me, turning my body to a sloppy, slimy jell. My conscious lept in and out of my skull. Every piece of my existence burned until ashen embers remained. My soul brimmed and burst. My will decayed and crumbled.


    No amount of will could overcome such agony. No amount of perseverance could stomach such pain. I cried like a newborn baby, but my tears choked in fire and my cries drowned in lightning. Like cut open guts, I laid bare and open for all to see. Every part of me wasted away until a slate of white remained. Even with all my experience dealing with pain, I¡¯d never felt anything of equal caliber. Time ceased as every piece of existence fell into a single, penetrating point - torment.


    Yet when, where, or how the pain ended, I still don¡¯t understand. Pain like that, it never ends. It tears parts of your mind away, replacing the missing parts with an enduring fear. Like rain, memories of that moment come, ruin my day, then leave me cold and wet and alone.


    Yet the surge left me. Every muscle had ruptured, every bone left splintered. All my skin burned and split and cauterized like a leather shoe forced through a meatgrinder. My hand dropped from the remnant, black as night and brittle as chalk. Deluge whispered in my mind,


    ¡°The portion of Gaia¡¯s mind jumped into our subconscious without a fight.¡±


    My body crinkled like a lump of petrified wood. Razor floated over, her hands clasped against her head as she cried,


    ¡°What just happened? Are you alright? What am I saying, the child¡¯s a piece of charred coal.¡±


    She laid her hands on my thin, crumpling back. As her smooth palms touched my skin, the cells across my back shot outward like needles. Draining her, they slowly sucked out her insides for a moment before she ripped her hands away. Blue ooze poured from her hands before Deluge came into conscious. My mind receded into the subconscious where I licked my wounds. Deluge  cracked his fingers into fists as I faded into the black.


    And so I came into conscious. My body numb, I rose like a shambling, flakey piece of jerky. I said like leather, ¡°What just happened?¡±


    Both hurt and relieved, Razor said, ¡°You exploded in a giant ball of white for several minutes before trying to drink me.¡±


    I turned towards the sound of her voice, bits of skin falling from me. Blind and nearly deaf, I said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry Razor.¡±


    Using the flat edges of two claws, she lifted me into the air as she rose. She replied, ¡°I thought you died.¡±


    In a whimpering whisper, I replied, ¡°No, I did. My body revived itself. I was lucky.¡±


    She tore the remnant from the canister and pipes before taking the remnant from the wall. We slid through the gap she leveraged as a pounding noise raged in my ears. In the edge of the room, Krakowah pummeled a tribesmen into cream with her chains. Razor set me onto a pile of corpses at the center of the room as Krakowah roared,


    ¡°Nelastra is no more. The barrier is gone. The palisade is destroyed. Our king is dead, and you¡¯ve even taken our god from us. You monster.¡±


    As tubes grew from my body and invaded the bodies beneath me, I said, my voice dry,


    ¡°And so the city you built on the backs of slaves and the bones of lost children has received my judgment. The palisade has received retribution for their crimes.¡±


    The sickening sound of draining blood and flaying skin and moving meat echoed off the cavern walls along with my voice,


    ¡°Now you ignore your crimes and feign justice. Is enslaving countless humans in golems and letting them labor not enough? You needed the young and weak of the tribes for experiments as well, even after gouging their lives for your own needless luxury.¡±


    Another set of arms jutted from my back as my strength revived. Like a monster rising from the corpses of their allies, I bloated off the decay beneath me until I brimmed with material. Using these substances, I rebuilt my body until a heaving monster drooled in front of them.


    Yet another odd aura emanated from me. The energy of the barrier caused a strange reaction with Jack¡¯s soul.  Over time, his soul had steeled into a dense metal of energy, reflective of his iron clad will. However, instead of condensing into a single, finite point, it dispersed throughout his entire body now.


    Like a haze of steel, his soul rooted into every pore of his skin and every blood cell in his body. It gave access to a unique usage for the souls I stored. Sophia and I hypothesized using the souls I carried for empowerment since long ago, but they would destabilize my flesh. Without any means of controlling the will of the souls, my body would deform into an abomination within seconds, just as Petra¡¯s had.


    With Jack¡¯s soul dispersed throughout our flesh, I could use it as a net that holds the souls of others within our body. Just as Petra before us, we would use the innate tenacity of a human spirit for strengthening our body, yet without the horrific consequences.


    So I tested five souls spread evenly through this body of ours. The results were palpable.


    Like Razor, a subtle gow emanated from my skin. Unlike Razor, the glow devoured the light around me. The aura blurred the air, and just like the remnants, a radiation ebbed as well, though with far less power. Unlike my own consolidation, Jack¡¯s soul controlled them within our body, not our mind. The soul¡¯s will had become flesh.


    Controlling the five souls still required intense focus, but with practice, something like this would become second nature. In a few years, we would be able to use hundreds if not thousands of souls at a time. In decades, we may stand as strong as Aether. For now, we stood strong as doors of stone.


    Ara snapped, ¡°Now you reveal your true form, Darkened One. Enough with the lies. I¡¯ll snap your blood apart as it freezes.¡±


    An excited, sharp laugh escaped me before I said, ¡°And I¡¯ll sip on the sweet, succulent taste of your marrow miss Bloodglacier.¡±


    Krakowah screamed, ¡°I trusted you.¡± She whipped a chain through the air that slapped flesh from my face. She took another step forward as she said, ¡°We trusted you.¡± She snapped another lumbering blow across my cheek, the chain etching out my skin. She whipped both her chains into the air, streaking like thunder as she roared, ¡°And you betrayed us.¡±


    Before the hooked pikes stabbed into my flesh, I grabbed the chains with both my hands. After gritting my teeth, I roared, ¡°You betrayed me.¡±


    Confusion snapped onto her face as I pulled the chain an arm¡¯s length closer as I said, ¡°I told you how Gaia has poisoned all that surrounds us.¡± I pulled her another arm¡¯s length closer as I said, ¡°I showed you how the palisade decimated what their church stands for.¡± I pulled her another arm¡¯s length. ¡°I opened my soul to you and Solomon.¡± Another pull. ¡°I showed you my family, and let you meet me for who I really am.¡± Another length, ¡°I spoke of the injustice your kind commits to the tribes, and of your faith¡¯s true evil.¡±


    With another pull, she reached within an arm¡¯s length, so I lifted her from the ground with a single hand. I pulled her face close, mirroring my own deformed maw as I said, ¡°Yet you chose to give your soul to a faceless, unforgiving god instead of believing this masked monster. You chose to embrace what you¡¯ve known. To take a path that is easy and simple, instead of taking the thorny path leading to retribution.¡±


    I glanced downward as I whispered, ¡°You abandoned Jack for an empty promise.¡±


    My arm shook like a tree in a storm before I tossed her aside. Krakowah cracked the black rock around her before Ara howled, ¡°You and your words. Beasts shouldn¡¯t speak. They should sit down and die.¡±


    I snarled back, ¡°Sorry to disappoint you, but I already have.¡±


    She rose her arms, her white and silver chainmail clapping on her wrists as three shards of red ice formed over her head. Slinging her arms, she lobbed each of them towards me like bullets of red. I slapped the first aside, the shard shattering with a crisp crash of sound. Turning my hips, I grabbed another from mid air before clapping the shard into the other, creating a cascade of orange ice.


    Stomping the ground beneath me with my right foot, I snapped up an enormous plate of basalt covering the magma. Exposed lava lit the cavern in an orange light as I stepped my left foot forward before torquing my hips and forcing the plate to move.


    Like a flying meteor, the rock slab shot through the air before Ara howled and slammed her hands into the ground. Massive crystals of ice stabbed forward, meeting the plate with a deafening crash. Superheated steam exploded before the heavy hailstorm darted towards me.


    Like diving through a storm of needles, the hail stabbed into my skin, expanding into my blood, freezing my flesh. Crashing forward, I leapt into the lava, creating another explosion of steam. Lava lobbed all around me as Ara heaved for breath.


    Swimming through molten magma, I slithered beneath them, safe from the heat around me thanks to the moth¡¯s film. Underneath Ara¡¯s previous position, I stabbed my four hands into the rock shell above me before stretching my legs back. Pulling forward, I lobbed my legs into the rock.


    An eruption of liquid rock detonated from underneath before I hooked my legs into the rock, deforming the joint. My spine bent backwards as I pulled my gargantuan body out of the magma like a real, living demon.


    A cloud of icy air crashed against me as I rose up. The lava crystallized on top of my skin, locking me in place. A wave of cold ice rushed over me from outside my makeshift prison, but Ara¡¯s exhausted breathing echoed from outside. I could hear her chest heave as sweat dripped from her chin and arms. She fell onto her knees as she said to Krakowah, ¡°Finish him. I doubt that¡¯ll kill him.¡±


    After a adjusting myself, I forced my jaw open, cracking open my muzzle. I laughed for a while before I said, ¡°Come now. Is that all you have, Saint of Snow?¡±

 40 Of Ice and Flesh

    One of my shoulders cracked as I writhed under the shell of snow and stone. After several seconds, my arm ripped from the rock, then another, and yet another still. A set of scalding chains dug around my shoulders, locking my arms in place, but without stopping, I tore one leg from the rock before cracking the stone around my neck.


    With a bone breaking clap, I clamped my teeth into the chains. As I strained, the interlocked links shrieked like a swarm of dying vultures. After a few seconds, the chains severed with a thunderclap of teeth against teeth as my jaws clamped together. As the chains fell onto the floor, I snapped from the ice and earth.


    I fell forward before lifting myself with my spine coiling in an arch. As I rose up, I spread my arms and a chuckle escaped my lips. The laugh loudened until the sound resounded off the walls. Tears fell from the eyes of Ara as I lowered my face beside her. Placing a clawed fingertip against her forehead, I said,


    ¡°Why are you crying then?¡±


    A snarl snapped onto her face as she said, ¡°Because it¡¯s all over. Bastion is dead. The palisade is dead. Now I am. We lost. Evil won.¡±


    I roared, ¡°And if you defeated me, then would you have achieved victory? No. Your city is in shambles, your people in panic, and all you care for is killing me. Aren¡¯t you just the very embodiment of a saint, hungry for blood as your people spill it.¡±


    I tapped her forehead as I said in a whisper, ¡°I could repay the torture of earlier with my own if I carried grudges.¡± I leaned closer as I said, ¡°I could invade your flesh and ravage your mind...There¡¯d be nothing left of you.¡±


    Cold sweat fell from her cheek. I lifted up as I said, ¡°But hatred is heavy. It presses harder with time, and I already carry quite enough.¡± I turn to Krakowah, ¡°Try to shake the madness of your people from your shoulders, would you? It would allow your king to progress without relying on Gaia¡¯s mutations.¡±


    I walked past them while pulling in the nutrients of several corpses around me. Razor followed as she said,


    ¡°That was a quick recovery...You seem so...enticing.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as I said, ¡°I¡¯ve no idea how Jack accomplished the feat of keeping souls dispersed throughout our flesh, but that is the enticement you taste. It mimics the energy dispersal of Gaia.¡±


    We reached into the palisade¡¯s primary building as she said, ¡°And it taste¡¯s delicious, like the blood of a god.¡±


    We reached outside, the sun beaming through the crystal plate. I inhaled through my nose, smelling for hints of Aether¡¯s before I said, ¡°Aether¡¯s towards the entrance of Nelastra. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    With endless vitality pumping through my limbs, I jolted towards the edge of Nelastra. As I passed through winding walkways, golem guards rallied citizens into stone fortresses. Nobles with panic stricken faces murmured amongst themselves, their words wobbling with uncertainty. The barrier¡¯s subtle glow ended, casting the city in a gray overcast.


    My abominable form created shrill screams and frenzy where I passed. They¡¯d run and hide behind a barrel or doorway as if a thin plank of wood could protect them from me. Foolish. Soon enough, they¡¯d need more than the courage to run away. They¡¯d need mountains of mercy, and I doubted the tribe¡¯s willingness to give them the much needed resource.


    Razor and I reached a pathway of powdered marble with thick drops of dark blood dotting the rubble. The 50 foot wide path of decimation carved through the city like a shovel through dirt, leaving crushed corpses spread across the ground. The sound of the two colossi fighting reverberated even here, miles from their destruction. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Following the noise, Razor and I followed the noise until the collisions crashed like cataclysm. The earth shook with each eruption of force. Waves of dirt, rock, and wood flew into the air. Splintered planks and folded metal and crumbled cobblestone acted as bullets that stabbed inches into rooftops. My skin rippled as waves of sound, solid as earth and pulsing as a heart, permeated through and across the ground. My skin bristled as we reached over a hill, exposing the two behemoths.


    Beaten and bloody, Solomon continued his onslaught, ineffective as it was. He had already beaten his fists to bony stubs against Aether¡¯s armor. Even with the inevitable outcome looming, Solomon slung his body against Aether without any indication of stopping. Aether¡¯s balance interrupted with each of Solomon¡¯s charges as the road crumbled like a liquid under their feet. In effect, they fought on a sea of powdered stone.


    Once Aether saw me, he lifted an arm before slapping the side of Solomon¡¯s shoulder. Like a puppet being jerked on strings, Solomon flipped through the air before embedding himself six inches into a stone wall. His eardrums burst at the impact, blood dripping from his ears. His muscles twitched and pulsed as he attempted moving, but the damage dealt had built on him. He could no longer move.


    As I walked forward, he heaved for breath, inhaling the grit around him. As I approached, his new, clear eyes set on me. In each oculus, he held a hard, terrible, hatred. In response, I grinned wide as I said, ¡°Come now Solomon. Why so angry?¡±


    He choked, ¡°You killed the palisade. You killed my companions. You even destroyed Nelastra. There¡¯s nothing else left for me here. No god to serve or cause to follow...Just kill me already.¡±


    I stepped close before lunging onto one knee. With a wicked grimace, I said, ¡°Are you so blinded by Gaia¡¯s light that you cannot look around you?¡±


    Solomon spit, ¡°All I can see is the end.¡±


    I sliced my words like a rusty knife through flesh, ¡°Then open your eyes for a few moments, worm.¡±


    Solomon¡¯s face lit with sudden understanding as I said, ¡°Did I tear apart a quarter of the city in a futile battle? Did I ignore my citizen¡¯s safety to fight against the Darkened One? Did I allow the palisade to be decimated so that I could have a chance at glory, for a chance at killing the Darkened One?¡±


    I continued, my voice biting, ¡°Did I let my brothers and sisters wallow in suffering for self satisfaction? Did I choose blissful ignorance instead of scathing truth? Did I allow the palisade to kill and experiment freely? No. I did none of those things...Did I?¡±


    One of Solomon¡¯s hands clasped as he whimpered, ¡°I was so close to god. I...I couldn¡¯t-¡±


    I roared, ¡°I am closer than you have ever been, yet I never let her lies infect the eye of my mind or the sight of my soul. I retained who I am, but you...you gave yourself away.¡±


    Solomon¡¯s shoulders slumped, and his will withered. I said, ¡°We will leave this place soon. There will be chaos and destruction unless someone rises and leads the divided factions. The tribes gave me leadership, but I passed the right to Kade. He had enough spine to stand against his oppressors.¡±


    Solomon said, ¡°I wanted to feel full...to be less empty and hollowed. My family died. I was alone, living like a rotten stump. Imprisoned. Alone. I wanted to feel purpose. I wanted to live again.¡±


    As hot as burning brimstone, I said, ¡°And so you disregarded reality for your own greed. You let Gaia deform your mind and body for false promise. You are a betrayer of truths, and now I act as your arbiter.¡±


    I slammed my palm across his cheek before I spit, ¡°I judge your life as . Decide your purpose, mongrel. Protect this pathetic city instead of chasing a shadow¡¯s dream. Live a life that is your own, not as a puppet for some false god.¡±


    As Solomon winced, his fists unclasped, and his heavy breathing grew steady. I walked away as I said to Aether and Razor, ¡°Leave him alive. He will act as the representative of Nelastra.¡±


    I walked over to Aether before wiping swaths of congealing red from his body. Razor scraped bits of phlegm and fingernail while Aether said, ¡°What a confusing man. I don¡¯t understand why he accepted Gaia instead of you.¡±


    I frowned as I finished taking in the last bit of blood. I said, ¡°Some people cannot change. Others change slowly. Solomon is the latter, and he paid his price with pain.¡±


    Aether nodded before saying, ¡°I believe losing his new family was enough.¡±


    I hissed, ¡°His new family paid the same price whenever they lost him, I assure you. That is no payment. That is dispersal.¡±


    With a slicing sarcasm, Razor said, ¡°Well then, we killed the palisade. We got the remnants. What now, Darkened One?¡±


    I turned towards her and said, ¡°We stop a genocide with revolution.¡±

 41 Upheaval

    During the past week, Sophia and I discovered a useful invention we called the obelisk, named after the project that spawned it. By inserting a thin slice of quartz beneath  the second vertebrae of the spine, the user gained full control over their soul. This gave us the water we needed for choking out the raging fire that was the forgotten tribes¡¯ anger.


    You see, the tribe¡¯s mutations were caused by their souls resonating. Gaia¡¯s energy disturbed them, like ripples through a pond, but unlike water, a human body can only bend so much before breaking. With the obelisk implanted, they could curb the deformation of their minds and bodies. In effect, we absorbed the source of their blight before giving them the cure to their symptoms.


    We tested the obelisk on several willing villagers and not so willing palisade guards. Sophia and Jack never knew of the latter, but I figured we¡¯d need to confirm the effectiveness of the surgery on humans eventually. I decided sooner rather than later and on humans I deemed less desirable. I¡¯d handle their chiding later.


    For now, this gave us a means of leveraging the tribe¡¯s loyalty, so I proceeded towards Kade and the other tribe leaders with a serene certainty. Razor floated behind me, and after passing a broken Nelastra, we reached the unending spring that fueled Nelastra for all this time. It¡¯s waters were why the gap in the barrier below existed. They called it the Everspring, but the clouded water was bloody and thick and carried corpses.


    Kade, coated in his dark, iron skin and beaming pride, spoke beside a gray bearded brick of a man. His shoulders spanned a width equaling his height, and his blue skin and mounds of muscle shifted with each of his gestures. As he walked, he chose each step with care, and his words carried the same weight behind each of them.


    Beside the both of them, a thin, wiry woman glanced between the two of them, cunning as a fox. She watched them close, like a vulture waiting for a lion to leave its prey. She spoke between the pauses of their words, inciting them to argue amongst one another. The furs that covered her gave her away as a Beastguider.


    The Beastguiders could control animals to some extent, though they lacked the refinement of many tribe¡¯s abilities. They relied on raw talent since they were a new tribe, yet there skills were necessary to the stranded citizens of Nelastra.


    An entire population of skilled workers lay waiting, vulnerable to the great green forest that surrounded them. Contracting a beast rider for a tame monster enabled a reliable method of transport in comparison with horses. Many dark, twisted things could consume a healthy mare in a single swallow. Beastguiders offered the only alternative. Many tribes prospered from the fall of Nelastra, but none would gain as the Blackirons would. I made sure of that.


    As I paced down a set of chipped, worn stairs, the eyes of the tribes set on me. Some eyes held the elation of the newly free, others held the apprehension of confronting a force. Kade¡¯s entire aura held a dense sense of gratitude. If it were a well, the water at its bottom would fill an ocean. I drank that water dry.


    I¡¯d yet reverted my form as I strode up. The long limbs with rippling mass and hard horns made my grimace all the more imposing. As I lumbered, the gray beard and wiry woman moved aside as I said,


    ¡°How are you Kade?¡±


    He walked up, his iron gestures grinning as he said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling light. Thank you, Darkened One.¡±


    I nodded as I said, ¡°I only did as I would regardless. However, I need a favor.¡±


    He nodded as he spoke with his steel voice, ¡°Anything.¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°Go to the blacksmith¡¯s union beside Petra¡¯s school for Prodigies. You will find two girls, one named Joan and the other Sophia. Obey their orders. I will be there shortly.¡±


    He nodded before saying, ¡°Of course.¡±


    He turned before picking up speed with a sudden sprint. With a weighted leap, he landed atop a roof before disappearing in a forest of roofery. I turned towards the other two and said, ¡°Who are you two?¡±


    The blue man stepped in front of me, half my height yet just as wide. He said in a gruff, gritty voice, ¡°So you''re the Darkened One? I expected someone more ominous.¡±


    I leaned close and said, ¡°Inside me are horrors. Pray I never need to use them on you.¡±


    He frowned before rolling his eyes and saying, ¡°I am Jakfar, son of Jacklow. I advise the leader of the Titanic Tribe, Yuguhtar. We were discussing how to handle Nelastra.¡±


    I frowned as I stood straight and said, ¡°Well then, what options are you considering?¡±


    Jakfar frowned before saying, ¡°Why should we tell an outsider?¡±


    I leaned my forehead onto a hand before the woman stepped up and said, her voice lean as her features, ¡°Jackfar. Use more respect. He freed all of us.¡±


    Jackfar replied, ¡°Do you not believe he will use us just as our other rulers did?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    I snapped, ¡°I rule noone. You may fight amidst yourselves. It doesn¡¯t matter to me. I only require knowledge of what your plans are.¡±


    Jackfar replied, ¡°The titanic tribe wants the humans to serve us as slaves, just as we served them.¡±


    The wiry woman said, ¡°We Beastguiders want the humans to share their knowledge and land.¡±


    I said,  ¡°Then what did Kade desire?¡±


    Jackfar scoffed as he said, ¡°He had iron in his brain, he does. He wants to let the humans be free and take nothing despite what they¡¯ve done to us.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°And here I believed the tribe¡¯s primitive wrath would burn the city to nothing but ashen embers.¡±


    The wiry woman said, ¡°Not all of us lost our sanity. Many of us are still human.¡±


    Turning to her, I said, ¡°Hah, you are as human as I am.¡±


    Jackfar stepped up as he said, ¡°We are nothing like you, mutant.¡±


    I said, ¡°I agree. I¡¯m not as dull.¡±


    He reached for a half hidden hammer, but I snapped my fingers around his neck before he could pull the weapon out. His face reddened as I lifted him into the air and said, ¡°Do not test me, little one. I am dark water, and you are a spark. Try burning me, and you will drown.¡±


    I tossed him aside where he fell like a wingless bird. As he landed, the wiry woman said, ¡°My name is Loa. We have heard tales told of you by humans and other tribes alike.¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°Any details, like consuming children or swallowing darkness?¡±


    ¡°On more than one account.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious. Do you believe them.¡±


    Her voice quiet, she said, ¡°More often than not.¡±


    My eyes turned to slits as I said, ¡°They are fairy tales told by children or myths by men.¡±


    ¡°Yet here you are. The monster of the myth standing beside me.¡±


    I glanced around as I said, ¡°We are all monsters here. No need to deny it. Regardless, implement your plan. Using the humans as slaves would be a waste of the knowledge they have. Besides, they are weak and easily broken. They make poor slaves compared with horses.¡±


    She frowned as Jackfar stood up and said, ¡°Bah. It¡¯s for more than just economic gain. It¡¯s to send a message.¡±


    I snapped back, ¡°It is for self satisfaction. Be quiet. You are exposing your stupidity.¡±


    He grit his teeth in anger, but he neglected reaching for his weapon that time. Having said what I needed to satisfy Jack¡¯s altruism, I leapt up onto the cobblestone wall of a noble¡¯s home. While stabbing my talons into the stone, I crawled atop the roof with the crisp crushing of rock vibrating around me.


    As I reached the shingle covered top, I glanced at the palace at the center of Nelastra. Spires of ice, colored red as wrath, uplifted from cracks in the wall, out of windows, and from the surrounding marble slates. I raised an eyebrow at the sight, so Loa answered my unspoken question,


    ¡°The Bloodglaciers set up their den in the palace. From what I heard, there was a bloodbath there when they arrived, giving them just what they needed.¡±


    I smiled as I said, ¡°A fortress of crimson at the peak of a dead city. How fitting.¡±


    I charged towards the blacksmith¡¯s building, clay tiles and slate shingles fell and snapped underfoot. A gentle breeze blew across my skin any time I stood still. That breeze signaled change. No longer would this be a city separate from the world. All the horror and brutality and pain would gouge in, like a needle into skin.


    As citizens screamed at my passing, the blacksmith¡¯s plumes of white smoke bubbled into clear nets above the plumes. Smoke had been strictly regulated due to the barrier. A type of silk from a flea species found outside the barrier could hold the smoke and filter it as it rose. I¡¯d eaten some so I could filter any air I needed to in the future.


    With an earth cracking thump, I landed at the blacksmith association¡¯s broken doors. The solid iron hinges held firm, but the wood behind the metal brace bent like putty before something crawled in. Kade had forced his way through.


    As I did the same, the heat of hot iron and the smell of coal saturated the room. Tools of all sizes and shapes rested atop innumerable work stations, each table well worn over time. Scorch marks, winding scratches, hot embers, and gray soot etched onto every surface. This place had plenty of experience dealing with hard labor. I wondered whether it had seen surgury.


    I crawled along on six legs, the hunch of my back scraping the roof as I walked. As I squeezed through another door like a gelatinous mush, the sound of Joan¡¯s voice filled my ears. They no doubt heard my approach.


    Joan was talking about how she controlled her own soul and how that had helped her prevent her body from unraveling. I skulked up the stairs before sliding past another doorway as Sophia, Kade, and Joan stood in a circle beside a sweltering plume of heated coals. Kade listened intently, his hand holding his chin as he looked down at them.


    Joan stopped speaking once I began pouring through the doorway. Her face paled as my joints and bones popped out and back into sockets. My flesh molded back into shape before I shook the stiffness from me. As I came close, Joan pointed her finger and said in a hoarse scream,


    ¡°What the fuck is that?¡±


    A knowing grin traced my lips as I said, ¡°I¡¯m Deluge. What did you think I was, a tribesmen?¡±


    She stepped back as she said, ¡°I didn¡¯t...What in the hell happened to you?¡±


    I approached, my steps dragging on wood as I said, ¡°I reformed for combat. Do I disgust you when I look this way?¡±


    She blinked before saying, ¡°I mean, who wouldn¡¯t you disgust. I can¡¯t believe it. I heard about your er...powers from Jack, but I never imagined it would be so gruesome.¡±


    I reformed back into Jack¡¯s normal form as I said, ¡°That is nothing compared to my potential. Ask Kade.¡±


    Kade¡¯s left eye twitched before he said, ¡°I¡¯m surprised your companions are so pleasant. I expected two witches, but they are normal girls. In part at least.¡±


    I cracked my neck before saying, ¡°That part is larger than you¡¯d believe. Especially for that shorter one.¡±


    Sophia frowned as she said, ¡°Alright, I didn¡¯t know how to tell him what we had planned. I was hoping you would be able to frame it better than I could.¡±


    Kade glanced between us before saying, ¡°What¡¯s your plan?¡±


    I set an arm on his shoulder as I said, ¡°A painful, agonizing surgery.¡±

 42 Mold

    Sophia laid her hand on her forehead as she said, ¡°Should''ve seen that one coming?¡±


    Kade squinted his eyes with the slight squeal of bending metal. He turned towards me and spit, ¡°I thought you were different now. I see that isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    Joan raised her palms towards Kade as eshe said, ¡°He just sucks really, really bad at explaining things. Let Sophia tell you instead.¡±


    Kade calmed slightly before Sophia raised a hand and said, ¡°It will be a surgery, and it may be painful, but if it works out, we will be curing your people of their calcification.¡±


    Kade frowned as he said, ¡°What do you mean curing?¡±


    I chimed in, ¡°Your species dies whenever the iron alloys on your skin fully cover your joints and orifices. We have a way of stopping it¡¯s progression.¡±


    Kade raised an eyebrow and spoke with revived interest, ¡°Hmmm...Alright then. What does it involve?¡±


    I continued, ¡°The insertion of a crystal slice into your spine. It will prevent the flow of multiple souls throughout the spinal fluid, preventing disparate orders from the resonating soul energy and your genetic code.¡±


    Kade blinked, his expression unchanging before Sophia said, ¡°We¡¯ll put a tiny piece of gem in you so that you can control the growth of your iron.¡±


    Kade¡¯s eyes widened as he said, ¡°Are you telling me that you can save us? You can save our people?¡±


    She nodded before saying, ¡°As you can imagine, I doubt we could convince the rest of your tribe from letting us perform the surgery without a successful example supporting us. Deluge told us you were close to death, and since you''re the Blackiron leader, the others will follow if you go through with it.¡±


    Kade frowned as he said, ¡°How risky is this...operation?¡±


    I said, ¡°You will not die.¡±


    Kade¡¯s frown deepened as he said, ¡°Somehow, that¡¯s not reassuring.¡±


    Sophia said, ¡°Uh, Jericho can keep you alive is what he means.¡±


    Somehow, Kade¡¯s frown deepened further, transforming into a skeptical scowl as he said, ¡°Call him what he is. The Darkened One.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as I said, ¡°I am known by many names, but most know me as Jericho. That mythical title you spoke of represents something I''m not.¡±


    Joan said, ¡°I don''t know. That change earlier was pretty damn horrific.¡±


    I glanced towards her as I said, ¡°You understood what Jack was capable of when you and he decided to court each other.¡±


    She grimaced as she said, ¡°It¡¯s just different when you see it in action. Hard to visualize the turning process.¡±


    I squinted my eyes towards her as I said, ¡°Is it really so disturbing? I am merely reorganizing my flesh.¡±


    She shook her head before glancing down and saying, ¡°Please, let¡¯s just not talk about it anymore.¡±


    I turned towards Kade as I said, ¡°We will be doing the same for you soon.¡±


    Kade snapped back, ¡°Would you mind making promises that aren¡¯t as ominous?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°What? That is what we will be doing, though on a smaller scale than my own transformations.¡±


    Sophia sighed long and hard before turning towards a glowing pit of coals. She said, ¡°We will need to bend some of your iron skin out of the way during the procedure. That¡¯s why we decided on performing the operation here.¡±


    Kade grimaced as he said, ¡°That sounds painful.¡±


    I leaned an arm over his shoulder as I grinned and said, ¡°It will be.¡±


    Kade grit his teeth as I walked him towards the set of coals. I said, ¡°I freed your people remember? This is the next step in that process, but I will need your compliance. Otherwise, this technology will never be accepted by the tribes.¡±


    I lifted myself up and grabbed a coal in my hand as I said, ¡°Think of this as purging your taint in fire.¡±


    Kade glanced outside, the barrier around Nelastra reflecting a sublime sheen of orange in the distance. The blacksmith association¡¯s was built on a hill, giving excellent sight of the surrounding area. Kade bit his inner lip, lost in thought before he hit himself in his head three times and said,


    ¡°Fuck...Alright. For my people.¡±


    Growing a thick, gray scalpel from my palm, I said, ¡°Hah, hah, hah. Perfect.¡±


    Slice


    Kade laid across a steel table, his anxiety palpable. Joan reassured him with a voice that echoed her own unease. As Sophia and I procured the tools and medicinal supplies, Kade¡¯s breathing grew ragged. As I created a set of skin splitters as I called them, Kade said,


    ¡°Why would you need something like that?¡±


    I kept forming the tool as I said, ¡°For pulling your skin apart. If I use my hands, there may be far greater injury.¡± I turned towards him as I said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Any tool I make is steril.¡±


    Kade blinked as he said, ¡°You say that as your fingers grind into that gray blob you made.¡±


    I turned back to the tool as I said, ¡°In fact, I do. Sit still, or else this will hurt even more.¡±


    Kade began mouthing the word what right as I stabbed a gray needle through his spine. The sharp spine pierced into the depths of his neck before gouging out the otherside. Orange blood, delicious as juice and thick as syrup, poured from the wound as Kade grunted. I leaned over him as I said,


    ¡°That is to hold you still. This won¡¯t take long.¡±


    His eyes glared full of hatred and brimming with unease before Sophia laid a her small hand across his metal cheek and said,


    ¡°It will be fine. I promise.¡±


    Kade¡¯s eyes met hers before his breathing calmed. Kade¡¯s hands twitched before he closed them and murmured, ¡°I¡¯ll hold you to that.¡±


    She smiled as she said, ¡°Good. Keep that stubbornness. It¡¯ll help quite a bit.¡±


    She grabbed my gray scalpel before saying, ¡°Turn him around.¡±


    I turned the exiled saint onto his back, his skin clanking the wood. Kade grunted as I moved him, but he uttered no complaints. Sophia had given him a serenity. I hoped it would stay with him.


    I grew talons from my thumb and the first two fingers of my right hand. Using my thumb and middle finger, I pierced a half inch into the nape of his neck. Kade grit his teeth as the talons sunk through his skin and into his flesh.


    Taking my other talon, I sliced down the middle of his neck until I reached his spine. Kade¡¯s hands gripped into the iron plated table, mushing the material like squeezing marrow from a bone. His breathing grew unsteady as I said,


    ¡°I¡¯ll be spreading the wound for space during the operation. Prepare yourself.¡±


    I grabbed the splitter I made and set it on his neck. Four prongs set onto the length of the wound before I began turning the torque. A spiral screw attached to a hinge, allowing me to turn a wheel and slowly ease the wound open. Without the leverage this tool offered, I¡¯d be able to open his wound without jerking. Otherwise, I may gouge off his neck.


    I am unused to using my strength with precision. Jack would be more able with this task.


    However, Kade didn¡¯t appreciate the slow, excruciating process. As I turned the screw, the prongs spread along with his wound. Tears fell from his eyes as he bit into a cloth Sophia supplied him earlier. His body convulsed, but the spine prevented him from thrashing his upper body.


    I finished opening his wound as Sophia finished washing her hands with an alcohol solution. We used a variant of firewater from one of the tribes mixed with a mild acid. It worked well.


    She placed the bladed end of the gray scalpel onto Kade¡¯s open spine, her hand steady and still. With a slow, controlled movement, she slid the blade across the disk connecting his vertebrae. A clear fluid poured from the wound before I sopped the growing pool of blood with my hand.


    Joan paced at the far side of the room, her hands darting around without purpose. She chewed her lip while we worked, yet Sophia stayed icy as a glacier. She had a habit of entering a mindset when diving into her work. She would ignore a crying baby and house fire during those times. When she focused with such tenacity, I liked the look in her eyes. It was like staring into a void. No information poured out. Information only streamed in.


    That mindset allowed her to pry open the spine of Kade as I held him down. He fought the agony with all his being, but my empowered limbs left him still. He howled with a mired misery, like dog having its nails pulled out, one by one. Sophia heard a cold silence instead.


    Without shaking, she grabbed a slice of yellow chrysoberyl, a gem with many of the same qualities of alexandrite. It would hold souls almost as well, but the mineral was far easier to find. Considering how many surgeries she and I would be performing, we needed a more common mineral than alexandrite, so we used chrysoberyl in its place.


    She slipped the edge of the paper thin plate of gem into the small slit in Kade¡¯s spine as I held him down. Using all this bodies new strength, I kept Kade still, but he writhed like a cornered animal. All composure left him by now. Tears rained down from his eyes. Patches of his skin shivered. His comprehension of physical agony expanded.  Despite this, I wasn¡¯t worried. He had a strong mind. He would hold his sanity, if only by a slither.


    Sophia wasn¡¯t worried either. She grabbed a batch of ironoak sap mixed with silk from the molten moths. With a thin brush, she slathered the solution onto the open portion of his spine, sticking the wound in place like a seal. As she removed her hands, I turned the spreader¡¯s torque, giving the wound slack as I sopped up another pool of blood.


    After closing the spreader¡¯s legs, I pulled up the tool and set it on a table at our side. I grabbed the alcohol solution and poured a pool into Kade¡¯s injury for only a second. In an instant, I soaked in the alcohol with my hand, preventing him from feeling infinite pain.


    Sophia dabbed the brush in the adhesive as I made the razor sharp talons on my finger tips dull. As I pressed the flat claws at the ends of my fingers against the edges of the wound, Sophia dabbed a slight line of the solution onto the edges of Kade¡¯s iron skin. As she ran her brush down the side of his gaping laceration, I pulled his iron skin together.


    After setting the wound, she dabbed the solution onto the outer edge of the wound as I grabbed charged sapphires from a bag at my right. The twisted souls of monsters born in ice writhed at their centers, but I quelled my hunger. We needed these souls.


    I as the solution dried, I placed the arctic gemstones onto the closed wound, leaking their crawling cool into hi injury. Kade¡¯s howls ceased whenever we closed his wound. It was out of exhaustion rather than relief. His feet and hands still twitched at odd intervals. His breathing still lacked the steady pace of someone sleeping.


    Still, the worst was over. Whenever he could control himself, Kade would awake with a direct filter preventing Gaia¡¯s corruption from controlling his soul. He would be free from her invasive grasp, like letting a deer¡¯s leg out of a bear trap. He would have his scars, but he would live and learn from them.


    Well, either that or die. It mattered little.


    His surgery allowed me to introduce the new technology in a way that wasinclusive. Up till now, few of our actions reduced the number of golems. If anything, we¡¯d increased their number, so Aether¡¯s anger over thewas justified. This would be our first step in fulfilling his hard earned wish. He deserved our support. He would have it.


    The tribe¡¯s deformities would decrease, and that would wilt people¡¯s fear of the surgery. The surgery allowed the reduction of Gaia¡¯s influence as well while destroying gemchaining and soul forging. In a word, it was a devious solution.


    Sophia came up with the idea after hearing of what happened with Petra¡¯s transformation. She believed that if that many souls could be drained into a single body, then surely an owner¡¯s soul could be severed from their own. I believed it horrific at first, but the results differed from what I expected.


    The patients ended up like Joan, controlling the momentum and might of their own spirit instead of destroying the souls of others for power. We would be able to obliterate the long held systems of this world without bloodshed. Joan¡¯s unique circumstances allowed for this revolution.


    So after tweaking my tools as we waited for Kade¡¯s recovery, he awoke with a swollen neck and choked voice as he said,


    ¡°I feel different. Very different.¡±


    Joan nodded before her white scar glowed white as a full moon as she said, ¡°Your like me now.¡±


    Kade blinked as a plume of fierce fire grew in her palm. While we traveled, Joan had practiced her skills, and now she could control her soul as well as she could chain, perhaps better.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°See? Isn''t it awesome?¡±


    Kade lifted an arm before pulling it sideways. As he did so, a sword shot across the room. The silver sword stabbed deep into the soot covered wall as he said, ¡°It feels as easy as breathing now. I can''t believe it.¡±


    Sophia explained, ¡°The slice of gem acts as a filter, preventing Gaia¡¯s warped soul from controlling your mind and body. From what Jericho told me, you had powers similar to telekinesis, right?¡±


    ¡°I suppose.¡±


    ¡°Then they will increase as you master them further. The fact you where able to access this ability without having yourself operated on is increadible. You should be proud.¡°


    I interjected, ¡°You can control your body as well, to a certain extent. That should prevent you from dying due to your kinds stonification.¡±


    Kade frowned as he said, ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡±


    I grinned as I said, ¡°You will never feel Gaia again.¡±


    He frowned as he said, ¡°That''s another perk.¡±


    Joan nodded and said, ¡°She''s not as kind as people make her out to be.¡±


    Kade turned to me as he said, ¡°And you are not as evil as they say either.¡±


    I shrugged and said, ¡°it is relative. I have eaten many humans alive, destroyed a civilization, and created a process for disconnecting a people with their god. To many, I am the end. To others, I am abeginning.¡±


    Kade grinned as he said. ¡°My children will sing songs of you. Our halls will echo your history. The tribes will never forget this kindness.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as I said, ¡°I set out to destroy Gaia. Not help your people. Remember that.¡±


    Kade opened a palm, slow and weak as he said, ¡°But you still helped us.¡±


    Joan grinned as she said, ¡°No problem. It¡¯s what we do.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°Let''s leave him. I can''t stand his gratitude. It¡¯s like drinking honey. So sweet that it''s disgusting.¡±


    As I turned and left, Sophia picked up our tools as Kade said, ¡°Until we meet again, Darkened one.¡±


    I raised a hand without turning away from the door, yet his smile saturated and soaked the air until I could hardly breath. I preffered his hatred. At least I could trust that.


    We paced downstairs before devising a plan for making the surgery widespread. We sent several Blackirons to retrieve Kade, and he spoke of the benefits of the surgery, even demonstrating his augmentations. Over the next few hours, we performed dozens f surgeries on other Blackiron warriors until the blackmsith¡¯s association swelled with metal not made for forging.


    Several of their shaman¡¯s learned the operation as we showed them. They accepted rather willingly, high off victory and hungry for power. We used the afterglow of their sudden freedom as a way of weakening their skepticism to potent affect. Within less than a day, the tribe worshipped my word like a messiah.


    After three more days of converting the iron tribe, we spread knowledge of the miraculous surgery to other tribes. Using Kade as a figurehead, we created a movement that used the afterglow of achievement for converting these heathens. Within a week, all other tribes began the surgery.


    Of course we worked ourselves weary during that time. I acted as a bridge between the humans and the tribes. In many respects, the reputation of Jericho remained untarnished since few knew of ,y sins against the church. I left no one alive to tell them.


    Jack regained. Consciousness after the second week had passed. Much of the chaos had passed, and the tribes and saints already filled the void left behind by the palisade and king.


    Kade recovers after his first week, and his iron skin retreated until he regained his human face. He acted as the leader of the tribes, and he quelled their booming bloodlust. His influence turned this red revolution into a humane one. In the end, the tribes acted with a consideration and kindness the humans never gave them.


    The Bloodglaciers hunted down any living members of the royal family or Donovans while living in luxury at bastion¡¯s castle. They created a cold haven for themselves at the center of Nelastra, accepting the surgery as a way of gaining their lost humanity.


    The Titanic tribe stayed outside the barrier and rejected the surgery. Their kind¡¯s intelligence never increased. Instead, they relied on the strength of their backs and the might of their arms amidst the forest. They enslaved a large portion of the humans along them when they left. A fitting end for such. A close minded people.


    The beast runners grew close with the humans left in Nelastra. In exchange for their unique skills, humans formed close knit communities with them. They maintained the rich resource the other tribes forgoed. They kept the knowledge of Bastion¡¯s capital alive.


    Another tribe rose to prominence amidst the chaos as well, the wormwoods. They used decaying corpses for fueling their twisted abominations. Considering the state of Nelastra¡¯s populace, they had plenty of fuel for their monsters. I considered destroying them, but they looked towards The Darkened One with reverence. They never gave me a concrete reason for their decimation, so I left the. I regretted that deely.


    Solomon left the city after several days of wandering. We wouldn''t see him until much later, surrounded by a monster made of dreams and nightmares. Ara rejoined the Bloodglaciers, relishing in the Donovan¡¯s destruction. She drank the dark liquor of hatred until drunk, just as Jack had.


    Many of the saints showed a demeanor unfitting for supposed saviors. Saint Talos, the giver of light used his power over luminescence for creating caves that noble Nelastrains would hide in for exorbitant prices. Saint Theis, the kindred forgiver sold each of his cures for heavy prices. Even Saint Naomi, healer of hearts used her control of love as a narcotic.


    Desperation leaked into every facet of Nelastrian¡¯s lives. Many died. Others evolved. Without the protection of society, the nobles turned to sponges waiting for a good squeeze. Every tribe used them. Many tortured their tormentors. Others gave mercy befitting the saints who skulk through the city.


    The city stabilized within weeks, so since Jack deemed himself responsible for the turmoil that ensued, we would stay until order returned. We toiled and labored each and every hour from sunrise till sunset, ensuring the city stayed livable for humans and tribesmen alike.


    During my own excursions, I discovered a lingering part of the palisade. While we¡¯d decimated their ranks, a few survived the ordeal and escaped. They carried their experiments with them. I¡¯d wondered who would take them in, but I found their caregivers quickly.


    The Wormwoods worshipped the palisades experimentation with holy fervor. They viewed the manipulation of the body as a natural evolution. The palisade disagreed, but after skulking through Nelastra at night, I discovered signs.


    Viens spread across a portion of earth above their little cave. They hid under the earth, biding their time till they could come out and ravage this city. The situation could devolve , so I discussed the matter with Jack. He responded poorly.


    Within minutes, we visited the Wormwood¡¯s lair at the southeastern corner of the city, near the palisades abandoned stronghold. The decay, death, and desolation here proved perfect for their needs. They scrounged and molded bodies into hulking mounds, each of them plastered like balls of rotting ground beef. With a little sorcery as they called it, they¡¯d animate these balls of flesh into giant guardians. In my eyes, they proved interesting.


    Jack found them far less than fascinating.


    In fact, you could even say I found them repulsive, but it¡¯s all perspective anyway. I passed through the ruins of Nelastra, amazed at the city¡¯s tenacity. The torches still burned, powered by souls that still lingered within them. The phosphorescent fauna gleamed and glowed. The golems of before maintained their previous work routes, oblivious of the destruction around them.


    Most of the city¡¯s functions had been automated in a sense, not needing any maintenance or care for their continued function. That kept Nelastrians rich with resources outside of food, which they traded for their skills with the tribes. The noble¡¯s blatant abuse of their pricing stopped after the fall as they called it.


    I strutted past an abandoned alley, the windows of each house shattered and drops of blood scabbed onto the sides of each building. A tiny body hung from the edge of a window. The empty eyes glared at me with a pale face behind them, yet I no pang of guilt stabbed my side. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t care. I couldn¡¯t care.


    After taking on the barrier¡¯s energy, I felt less for those around me. I numbed and froze and forgot about those around me. The shock heightened my sense of touch, yet destroyed my empathy. Either that or the sheer volume of pain I experienced let me discount the pain of those around me.


    Regardless, I found the change unsettling. Even Deluge remarked about the sudden shift in mentality. Instead of walking around with genuine concern for my fellow man, I peered with a cold, creeping stare, like glancing at a doll instead of a human. I moved out of a sense of duty instead of concern, a piece of what I once was. In that child¡¯s empty stare, I found my own two eyes staring back, just as empty and lifeless and void.


    Still, I tread past the alleyway and down a set of stairs with purpose behind each step. I had set out to make this world a better place, and I hadn¡¯t lost sight of that just yet. If I followed my feelings from the beginning, I¡¯d have died a slave.


    No, I conquered these emotions of mine. That¡¯s why I walked with thumping steps towards the Wormwood¡¯s little hideout. They must of thought I was a fool for letting them gather so many corpses, for letting them create so many monsters. They knew nothing.


    I let them clean the decay from Nelastra to a single point before tearing them apart. I learned from the Palisade that letting uncontrollable elements remain causes more harm than it prevents.


    With that in mind, I reached over a hill that reached a golem¡¯s roadway. These traced all through Nelastra in giant circles, each carved into the hillside and covered in bricks wedged tighter than a beggar¡¯s pocket. The Wormwoods removed some of these brick and burrowed into the hillside while using bones for supporting their cavern. So scary.


    I hunched over as I walked under the short roof, my form casting a long, dark shadow into the cavern. As I reached fifteen feet inside, a short white goblin of a man walked up and said,


    ¡°Who dares tread inside our lair? We will...ah...The Darkened One.¡±


    I rolled my eyes as I said, ¡°Yes, the one and only. I¡¯m here to discuss important matters with the head of your tribe.¡±


    The pale goblin man blinked before saying, ¡°We haven¡¯t heard from any messengers about this. What are these important matters you speak of?¡±


    I sighed before rearing back a palm. The goblin man¡¯s eyes opened wide right as I swung forward and clapped his skull against the side of the cavern. A loud crunch echoed across the chasm along with the scent of fresh flesh. Without thinking, my joints cracked and popped into place as I prepared my body for combat.


    With a sarcastic tone, Deluge said in my mind, ¡°Why not try talking your way through things? We did it that way before.¡±


    I replied, ¡°That was when it was necessary. These mongrels are continuing the palisades work. You¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°Using the writhing mutants left behind by the palisade was a rather unsettling sign. I find their work fascinating, however.¡±


    ¡°I do not. They will all die.¡±


    ¡°I remember the ignorant child who¡¯d have let these worms live.¡±


    ¡°I am a child no longer.¡±


    ¡°You are a human no longer.¡±


    It pained me, but I couldn¡¯t disagree. Without replying, I stomped further into the cavern, the bones shivering around me with each step. By the time I reached the inside of the cavern, these mongrels ran around in their dark cave, hidden in darkness.


    As they scurried around the entrance, I grabbed the edge of the wall, crunching a femur as I said, ¡°I am The Darkened One. Did you believe the darkness would stop me?¡±


    Like a bloodhound, I used sound and scent as I dashed forward towards the closest blot of smell. My hand wrapped around soft meat before blood erupted in the air. Screams bounced across the walls before I mushed my hands through his body like a child squishing clay.


    Without waiting, I shot towards the next closest tribesman, my growl causing them to howl. I slashed a five clawed hand through the cluster of smell, the wet slosh of blood spraying across my arm.


    My skin absorbed the wet as I darted around, coating the room with entrails. Bodies lay sliced and slivered and skinned. Their whole clan lay deformed and lifeless, their heritage ended. Shocked screams shot through the air,


    ¡°Get the guardians. He has turned on us. The Darkened One has forsaken us.¡±


    I growled in reply, ¡°I must be a convenient excuse for your obsessions with death.¡±


    Within minutes, the room¡¯s only sounds were my own breathing and the squirting blood from arteries as stragglers bled out. Grabbing a fire opal, I lit the room, revealing the carnage. White and red lay humped on the floor. Several corpses smeared against the wall, like balloons full of blood.


    Passing the massacre, a deep grumbling grew from within the cavern as I skulked downwards. Rumors floated around about what the Wormwoods had done. Their hunger for dead flesh outgrew their supply, so they killed for their twisted passions. The palisade worked with them, using the Wormwood¡¯s knowledge as a catalyst for their own experiments. I wouldn¡¯t allow it any longer.


    They lived as shadows of the palisade, and I would end them.


    So I sprinted through hallways line with bones. As I descended deeper, familiar signs showed themselves. Wrapping around the bones, gargantuan arteries pumped and drained blood from fresh bodies. They must of been the source for Petra¡¯s transformation. All the more reason to kill them.


    That anger swelled in my chest and infected my mind. I hated these monsters. I despised them. I wanted to see the light in their eyes dim. I wanted their blood out of their bodies and on the floor and across the walls and splattered on broken bones.


    That hatred blinded me as I tread onwards while using Deluge¡¯s preferred form. I¡¯d practiced using it since Deluge defeated Krakowah and Ara. Without the extra limbs, we¡¯d have perished then, so I practiced until I sweat tears and leaked blood. Along with the ability of storing souls in my form¡¯s flesh, I wielded a power I¡¯d never known.


    The power was malevolent, crawling, and ugly, yet Solomon and Aether fought a fight I would never be able to. Instead of just striking, they destroyed. Instead of battling, they obliterated. With a new avenue for augmentation, I could come closer, if only by an inch. Otherwise, I¡¯d amount to mere fodder in any meaningful clash.


    The souls gave and gained in the process. Each time I stored another new soul, a set of voices grew in my mind. I could feel their emotions tearing into my psyche whenever I held them despite all my efforts for containing them. Instead of dealing with pain, I faced a fierce storm of hatred and loathing and anger. Fighting grew ever more difficult because of this, but I imagined it as if wielding a larger sword.


    It was heavier and harder to use, yet its destructive potential was higher. I boiled the process down to a single phrase, power through dominance. If I overwhelmed the wills within me, they¡¯d give me their strength. That was the time to use it.


    So I gathered five souls, holding them without a struggle. Imagine sharing several people¡¯s mind within your own. It provided a desperate hassle at times, yet I found myself with a will harder than glass and infectious as evil. You¡¯d be amazed how simple it is to oppress. If you push, most tend to bend.


    And so I bended the souls and the bodies of the wormwoods, submerged in my anger. I could drown in my rage, endless and abominable, so I breathed it in. I crawled through a tunnel, my upper arms scraping the tunnel¡¯s top. The air turned dryer till Deluge said,


    ¡°Incredible. The veins are sapping the nearby moisture.¡±


    As a vein pulsed beside me, I said, ¡°It seems as though they¡¯ve created another Petra.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve created more than just one.¡±


    My steps turned to stomps. My calm trot transformed into a berserker¡¯s charge. I smashed through a door of bones before tearing another room into slithers. More mush remained than limbs or fully formed organs. I crushed the carcasses. I smashed each and every of them, from their elders to their newborn babies.


    I found a home in that darkness around me. No one would know who, what, or why I did what I did besides myself. That was a dark time in my life. The Wormwoods held the unfortunate circumstances of setting me off at the wrong time.


    By the time I reached the darkest depths of their little base, the brown and black walls of dirt seeped crimson with a deep dye of red. I bathed in red without smothering. I loved the gush and squish and snap and smash of retribution. It almost disgusts me how much I enjoyed it. Almost.


    The bones gave way to pillars wrapped in veins of all sizes. They pumped and pulsed every few seconds, living like a beating heart in your hand. Bits of metal between the pulsing organs reflected an orange light from torches nearby. Within clear tubes full of pus and floating gems, several withered corpses sat within, gray and withered.


    As I neared them, I tapped the glass. A set of the eyes opened from within. The eyes opened wider as my eyes met theirs. They must have expected a heroic rescuer from all the noise coming from above. I wasn¡¯t so sad that I disappointed them. Being a saint¡¯s far harder than being a monster.


    You see, there are no saints in this world. Just demons who¡¯ve half hidden how harrowing their souls are. I, in particular, hid mine rather poorly.


    Still, I winced at the sight of how dilapidated these living corpses kept alive. Deluge murmured, ¡°They rival our own tenacity, don¡¯t they?¡±


    I reached a hand back before clapping my hands together. His skull squished into pulp while I said, ¡° as Deluge absorbed the souls within the gems and the body. The heads of the other withered corpses turned to me, some looking fearful but most looking relieved. If I¡¯d had my soul milked, I¡¯d be wilted and weak as well.


    I gave them what little mercy I could. As I killed the final storage pod, a white light popped into view. The center of the room lit, revealing the kneeling form of a muscled man. The extra light revealed the veins ending at the tubes. Jutting from each tube, a set of covered cords dug into this man¡¯s back, his form heaving.


    As I approached, the sheen of sweat and dirt on the man revealed his utter exhaustion. Even without stepping beside him, the smell of body odor and grease permeated from him. Two cords pulled at his arms apart as he glanced up at the light. The black cloth covering his face muffled his groaning.


    I already knew who he was by then. I¡¯d smelled him before. I walked up and said,


    ¡°Like father like daughter then.¡±


    He roared at the top of his lungs as I ripped his mask off. He glanced towards me, drool dripping from a ravenous and vengeful scowl. He howled with all his heart and soul until his  voice grew hoarse. As he quieted, I leaned down towards him and said with a distorted voice,


    ¡°Hello, Gallen.¡±

 43 Abomination

    Galen Replied with a dry voice, ¡°You killed the others.¡±


    I nodded before he continued, ¡°Now you¡¯ve come to kill me.¡±


    I nodded again before he said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand you, Darkened One. I thought you said you didn¡¯t want Nelastra to burn.¡±


    I shrugged as I said, ¡°I don¡¯t believe it has.¡±


    ¡°That filth rules the palace along with all the other retched garbage who¡¯ve come to power.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow, ¡°I¡¯m curious. What makes you believe they¡¯re any less than you?¡±


    He glared, the arch of his eyebrows casting his eyes in a shadow. He said, ¡°I don¡¯t. I just know it¡¯s all filthy, disgusting garbage.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember you being so cynical.¡±


    He frowned as he said, ¡°You¡¯ve never known what it¡¯s like to lose both your daughters to an inhuman abomination, yet be powerless before it. Now I¡¯m at the mercy of that monster.¡±


    I shook my head as I said, ¡°You¡¯re not at my mercy.¡±


    An arid laugh escaped him before he said smiling, ¡°I figured you¡¯d do the same to me as my daughters.¡±


    I frowned, ¡°Joan still smiles.¡±


    His gaze turned to stone as I continued, ¡°She laughs. Her eyes dance every once in awhile. She¡¯s been distant since I killed the king.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps she discovered what you really are?¡±


    My eyes opened wide as I said, ¡°I am nothing compared with what these Wormwoods have done to you though, am I? They¡¯ve violated your flesh and invaded your mind and torn your sanity asunder.¡±


    A vein bulged on Galen¡¯s forehead as he said, ¡°They¡¯ve done their fair share of madness.¡± He winced before continuing, ¡°They said they¡¯d turn me into a saint. I never imagined they¡¯d end up doing to the others.¡±


    I glanced around at the piles of grayed mush around me. They captured a dozen saints and tried siphoning their holiness into him. They refined the process used on Petra till they could create a sentient, normal human. Even though the thought appalled me, I couldn¡¯t deny the gravity of the feat.


    If they¡¯d mass produced the process, I¡¯d be facing an army of regenerating, bloody, and driven warriors. Just imagining the task sent a shiver down my spine. Fortunately, I¡¯d eliminated the threat before they finished the procedure. Here was yet another instance where mercy would complicate matters. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I cracked my neck before saying, ¡°It ends here. I¡¯m done with leaving loose ends.¡±


    Galen¡¯s left shoulder twitched before he said, ¡°Even if you kill me, I¡¯ll haunt you with my hate.¡±


    I cracked my fingers as I said, ¡°After death, there is nothing. The only place you can haunt me is here, in this life, not the one after. That¡¯s why your church had to be destroyed. The palisade focused so much on what happens after death that they lost focus of what they did while they were alive.¡±


    I grimaced as I continued, ¡°They ripped apart what little they had left of their humanity. They decimated entire cultures, silenced those who disagreed, and ripped families apart. You and Petra both sided with them, blind to what they¡¯ve done to you and the ones you loved.¡±


    He hissed back, ¡°Are you telling me that what you¡¯ve done is any better? How many did you slaughter? How much did you sacrifice to kill Gaia? You''re just a self righteous, malformed ghost of what you were. You linger and infect this world with your taint.¡±


    I roared, ¡°I alone fight against the corruption that surrounds you. I alone saw that rosy little cell you all surrounded yourself in. I exposed the wretchedness your church afflicted. I tore that cage apart with my own hands, and I sacrificed my humanity to do so.¡±


    Pain leaked into my voice as I said, ¡°You have never heard the wailing of a mother whose child was stolen from them by the palisade. You never opened your eyes and saw their slow descent into the abyss of insanity. You all rode on the back of a beast, high and mighty.¡±


    I leaned close as I raged, ¡°Who fed that beast? The tribes boiled alive in the bowels of that monster, food for its march, food for its life. I killed that beast, and now you all have to stand on your own feet instead of the backs of theirs. Now I hear you whine about walking, as if you were spoiled children.¡±


    My face contorted with malice as I seethed, ¡°Face your reality. Face the hell you created. Live in the misery you forced you forced down their throats.¡±


    Galen winced as I stood tall. I stepped my left foot forward and torqued, letting my right arm drag behind me. Like a  falling anvil, my fist grew heavy and hard. I gritted my teeth as my hand impaled his chest. I let out an angered roar as I jerked the hand backwards, out the side of his chest.


    His arms stayed tight on the cords, letting his pull outwards. His chest gushed and squished while the cords pulled him apart, keeping him taught. Like two horses pulling a man¡¯s arms off, his limbs ripped apart and gouged off. I turned around, making my towards the tubes before a disgusting slurp slid across the floor behind me. I turned my head and glanced behind me. The cords snapped. A force like gravity pulled Galen¡¯s body back together. He rose from his death, reborn and hanging like a puppet on strings.


    Where his flesh connected, a green glow aurated. The lines crawling across his skin reggressed until he stood, alive and well and awakened. His eyes opened, met mine, and shock riddled his scarred face. He glanced down and shivered before saying, ¡°I¡¯m alive? I don¡¯t...¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as I said, ¡°I wonder what they''ve done to you?¡±


    He clenched his fists, smiled, and said, ¡°I feel wonderful.¡± He looked up and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to cleanse you.¡±


    My form reformed into my normal, human body as I crushed my fists together. Like steel slabs slamming, the sharp, piercing clap shattered the glass tubes around me. I grinned as radiation ebbed around me. From five soults to ten to twenty, the energy grew in power. I said,


    ¡°I am more than a myth. I am rampage. I am ruin.¡±

 44 Hunted

    The same swords of light snapped into his hands like lightning. The air blurred around them, the scorching light bright enough to blind. Without fear,  I charged towards him, my feet crushing stone beneath me. He ducked down and circled low to the ground, dodging my first hook before hammerfisting the side of my temple.


    In flash of force, I flew sideways. The earth beneath him caved while I dented the steel lining and crushed the vein covered walls. A wet wall surrounded my back before Galen turned towards me and stepped forward. He bent back and tensed his arm backwards, keeping it close behind him. Pulling an unseen force, he pulled the arm up and over his head before a pillar of spawned at the same angle as his fist.


    Reeling from the blow, I pushed myself from the wall before the column crushed the side of my jaw. The earth had hardened, letting the attack dislocate my bottom jaw. He turned again, this time upward. Another column collided, though this time with my stomach.


    I slammed into the roof as he pressed a palm. I expected soft earth above me, but I met a cruel, solid layer of stone. He¡¯d changed the material midway through his assault. I learned of that after.


    I couldn¡¯t focus during. I was distracted, you see. The pillar peirced my own chest before Galen howled, ¡°How does it feel?¡±


    He jerked his arm down sideways before ripping a portion of my chest out. He stomped his forward, sending a swarm of spines from the roof before slamming his swords together over his head. He turned them around before slamming the sword down.


    A wave of gravity lobbed my limp, skewered body from the roof. As I landed, the earth turned to water. I slapped against the wet water like a foot clapping cobble. It was hard as concrete and cold as a coma. The pool swallowed me before freezing.


    Shards of glassy cool invaded my body. A numbing agony took over as Galen thundered, ¡°I know your weaknesses. I spoke with Ara. You¡¯re made of flesh and bone, just like us.¡±


    I dealt with the pain while Deluge went to work. From our body sprouted a dozen long, sharpened horns, cracking the ice. Jerking my arms, I shattered it from me before leaping from the pool. As I landed, Galen charged me.


    He stampeded like a landslide. Bending down, I steadied myself before meeting his charge with my own. We were cataclysm as we collided. The Wormwood¡¯s testing turned Galen¡¯s flesh to steel and made his arms like an angry bear¡¯s paws. They gripped against mine with unyielding pressure.


    Deluge attempted melding our flesh with his, but they set up defenses for it. Like Petra, Galen¡¯s blood had a mind of its own. Deluge described it as if every single cell fought for its life. That made assimilation impossible.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    The Saint¡¯s unlocked powers poured into Galen. Now he had the body of a mutant, the mind of a master, and the soul of a Saint. This was no enemy we could fight.


    But fight we did. His hands crushed the bones in our hands, so Deluge changed them in deformed daggers from the mush. I whipped four hooks like swinging scythes. Galen ducked and dodged before bending down. His foot slid across the floor as I jumped, but he plated the ground with ice.


    I landed on the slippery surface, falling on my face before Galen finished his turn. He lifted his right hand up, then slammed the fist down into my back. He howled, ¡°Do you like the pain? How about now?¡±


    As he lifted his hand, gallons of my blood burst from my back. He pulled it out before changing it into a dark, cold spear. Glancing up, I saw him pull his hands apart, splitting the spear. With my own frozen blood, he stabbed the four pieces into my limbs.


    I grit my teeth while he stomped my face and said, ¡°Gaia has heeded our call. Can feel her power?¡±


    I grinned before saying, ¡°No. I feel pity for your corrupted mind and corrupted body.¡±


    He grabbed my hair before slamming my face into the ground while saying, ¡°You''ve lost your mind. Your flesh is frenzy. You morph and deform with the mask of a human face.¡±


    He lifted my head, slamming my face again and again and again. My face pulped as he leans over and says, ¡°You should have killed me while you had the chance.¡±


    I growled, loud and long as Deluge split our sternum into a set of teeth. I feigned a weak struggle, disguising our chest¡¯s excavation of the dirt beneath us. I said, ¡°I was ignorant then. I gave out mercy. I assure you, it won''t happen again.¡±


    Galen released my hair as he said, ¡°I won''t make the same mistake. I will be a hero. You will be remembered in history as true evil. As a monster with no face. As a demon with no soul.¡±


    ¡°Have you forgotten who I am? I¡¯ve become the abyss that stares into you. I undertake the trials that make men tremble. I fight against forces unknown and unseen.¡±


    Galen raises his heel as I said, ¡°I am The Darkened One.¡±


    As his foot lowers towards my chest, dirt exploded from the hole in the back of my chest. My back folded backwards into the hole Deluge dug right when Galen stomped. His leg caught in the hole we dug as I burrowed under the ground. My chest chomped at the dirt, spitting it behind me as Arms from my chest pulled me further downward.


    Within seconds, I reached outside the cavern and underneath Nelastra. I burrowed for minutes, reaching far away from the Wormwood¡¯s lair before unveiling myself from the ground. Cobble tore as I lifted chest first from the ground as Deluge said,


    ¡°We cannot fight that thing.¡±


    I nodded as my chest reformed. I stood tall before cracking my neck and saying,


    ¡°We don''t have too.¡±


    ¡°He will become a thorn in our side.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already a pain in the ass, what difference does another make?¡±


    ¡°I will not kill you or Joan or Sophia.¡±


    I frowned as I said, ¡°It¡¯s true, though you''ve tried.¡±


    ¡°Not with any recency.¡±


    I waited there, standing for along time. My left hand twitched before I glanced down and said,¡±What have we unleashed...¡±


    Deluge chided, ¡°An abomination.¡±

 45 Creating Distance

    Galen was danger incarnate. A man who would hate me for all time, and regardless of how far I ran, he¡¯d find us. He wanted his daughter back. He wanted a family of his own. Instead of fighting against a misguided religion, we fought against a single father. I feared him far more.


    Questions plagued me. What toll would his mind pay for his abilities, or how could I kill him. Worst of all, what would he do with Joan if he found her? There was a distance between Joan and I since overturning Nelastra. Deluge explained his reformation in front of her, but she shook up far worse than I ever imagined.


    Regardless of how she looked at me, I still loved her. I wanted, no, needed her safe. Staying in Nelastra would cage us in with Galen, so without any real warning, I walked into the stunning room Aether built. Pillars lined the now expansive room, regal and thick. Every surface stayed polished to perfection, like the prized possesion of a collector.


    Amid the marble and subtle glow of gems, Joan and Sophia talked about what had happened. Sophia and Joan laid in a hammock of wolf furs, the same wolves that Razor killed. Swinging like lazy lovers, they engrossed in their conversation.Without meaning too, I hid myself from them, listening close as they discussed the details.


    Joan said, ¡°I hate much he¡¯s changed. It doesn¡¯t feel like he¡¯s here anymore. It;s like he¡¯s obsessed with this mission.¡±


    Sophia replied, ¡°Of course he is. I mean, if you think about it, he¡¯s lost quite a few people to Gaia.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I mean...The thing is, it feels like he¡¯s getting further and further away, like he really is what people say he is.¡±


    ¡°Joan. You know that¡¯s not true.¡±


    ¡°Is it thought? You¡¯ve seen what he¡¯s like at nights. When he turned back at the blacksmith, I almost screamed, cried, and threw up all at once. It isn¡¯t right. It doesn¡¯t feel like him. I haven¡¯t heard him play any music for months.¡±


    She sat up and turned towards Sophia as she said, ¡°It¡¯s insane. He doesn¡¯t have the same nice, poetic way of saying things. He¡¯s so much more blunt, like I¡¯m talking with a brick.¡±


    Sophia¡¯s face turned grim and angry as she said, ¡°Do you realize how petty you sound right now?¡±


    Joan frowned before she said, ¡°Oh, so now I¡¯m petty?¡±


    Sophia leaned up and said, ¡°Do you realize just what he¡¯s had to do? Do you realize just how hard it¡¯s been for him? Do you even care?¡±


    ¡°Of course I care, I just want him to take a break. Have you seen how long it¡¯s taken for him to get four of the remnants? Only a year. He is so tired, all the time I see how empty he is.¡±


    Joan¡¯s eyes water as she continues, ¡°It¡¯s...It¡¯s terrifying. That thing inside him...It¡¯s eating away at him, making him move when he needs to sleep. It¡¯s carving out Jack.¡±


    Sophia blinked before glancing down. A few tears streamed down the edges of Joan¡¯s face as Sophia said, ¡°I think he¡¯s just wanting to end this as quickly as possible. I think he knows that the longer this takes, the less of him that will be left.¡±


    Sophia turns to Joan and continues, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for him. All the people he¡¯s killed, they haunt him. He¡¯s not as stony and hard as you think he is.¡±


    Hearing Joan hurt me, but I listened closer as they continued. Seeing secrets lures you in. I fell into the trap head first, hearing things better left unheard.


    Joan said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I just...I haven¡¯t heard from grandpa in weeks. He stopped meeting up with me a while back. I think Jack...killed him.¡±


    Sophia bit her lip as she said, ¡°No, there¡¯s no way. He would never do that...at least, I don¡¯t think he would.¡±


    My hands shook with a silent outrage. They understood nothing. They wondered why I wouldn¡¯t tell them the things I¡¯d done. They wondered why I kept part of myself in the dark. It was obvious. They¡¯d never seen me fight. They¡¯d never known my horror. Joan saw me reform then grew distant. I could only imagine what she would do if she saw me battle.


    We hide the ugly, mean, and malicious sides of ourselves from others. Joan wanted me to share everything with her, but she just didn¡¯t understand how much I hid. She didn¡¯t know how much I protected her from, not just horrors in caves or monsters in the dark, but myself as well. I was one of those horrors in many ways as well.


    Of course I wouldn¡¯t expose my incessant hunger for anything that moves. Of course I wouldn''t show her my regeneration. Of course I wouldn¡¯t show how I could swallow someone whole. I am disgusting. I am a revolting malformation of nature, a miscreant. She was so perfect, and I...I¡¯m nothing more than The Darkened One.


    So she fell in love with one side of me, not me in my entirety. Knowing that hurt like wildfire on an open wound. I paced out of Aether¡¯s haven, spiraling in misery. In my eyes, the love of my life saw me as a what I was. An abomination, just like her father, just like Petra.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    So I wandered into Nelastra for a bit, stuck in a misty haze. As I passed the entrance, many mentioned my name. Saint Jericho by many, The Darkened One by many more. Deluge stayed silent, letting me wallow for a while. Even with his lack of humanity, Deluge appreciated just how deep Joan and Sophia¡¯s words cut me.


    Many rings circled Nelastra, old roads for golems that now stood empty. On a flight of stairs at one¡¯s edge, I sat sulking like a child. I had worked till I tore the callouses from my hands and broken my back, yet none of my friends appreciated it. I¡¯d lost the little slice of home I carved out here purely for my principles.


    There I wallowed for a while. I leaned on my knees, hunched over as a set of footsteps sounded beside me. Each step landed heel first, thumping like the feet of a giant. A pair of black, rusted boots thumped beside me. I lifted my head, and there was Krakowah staring at me.


    She changed since our last meeting. Instead of Bastion¡¯s armor, she wore a set of leather with her chains wrapped around her waist and shoulders. Plates of gray iron wrapped around her forearms, runes carved into them. Like writing with lava, they glowed. Scars tore through both her hands till reaching the center of her palms.


    From within her palms, a dimly lit light pulsed, as if a fire burned beneath the white scars. She stared at me, dumbfounded with surprise and shock. The gray ring around her pupils had turned to red. She¡¯d shaved the sides of her hair, making a the top of her hair run down to a long, ragged ponytail behind her.It was as if the Krakowah of before had tore off her shackles.


    She was no longer a puppet. Krakowah was unleashed.


    Booming and commanding, she said, ¡°It is odd seeing you here.¡±


    ¡°I thought you left back to Geshia.¡±


    ¡°No. I listened to what you said last time we fought.¡±


    I frowned as I turned up to her. I said, ¡°It was a hard day. Mind reminding me?¡±


    She blinked before saying, ¡°You said that I should shake my people¡¯s madness off their shoulders. I thought of it, for a long, long time. I agree. It is strange. You have a way of telling people what they need to hear, when they need to hear it.¡±


    I sighed before saying, ¡°And her I thought you¡¯d attack me on sight, not tell me I told you something deep and meaningful.¡±


    ¡°You would defeat me. Why fight a battle just to die? I would rather live and love and laugh.¡±


    A reluctant grin traced my lips as I said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen worse ways to live.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ve lived those ways, almost all my life.¡±


    I raised an eyebrow as she walked in front of me and said, ¡°It¡¯s the strangest thing. That surgery you and your doctor created, I had it done. I couldn¡¯t believe it. Here I was, trapped in a cage with bars I could not see. Now I can walk where I please.¡±


    She clasped her hands into fists of steel. She said, ¡°I never knew it. The whole time I was a puppet on invisible strings. You, you are no Darkened One. You saved me. You tore off the shackles I fought so hard to keep on...Thank you.¡±


    I nodded while a subtle and slight smile crept up my lips. I said, ¡°It was nothing. Anytime.¡±


    She nodded before she said, ¡°Nothing or not, I learned more from you than I have from the church in thirty years. You are a teacher of hard truths, Jericho.¡±


    I stood up as I said, ¡°Call me Jack.¡±


    Krakowah frowned as she said, ¡°Jack?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my real name.¡±


    She nodded her head as she said, ¡°Ahhh, Jericho was just a falsehood then?¡±


    ¡°Indeed it was. I put on that mask so that I could infiltrate Nelastra and take the remnants without having to find them.¡±


    She nodded as she said, ¡°You are a trickster and a teacher too.¡± She tapped her chest twice, thumping each blow before she said, ¡°Do you wish to hear a story of mine?¡±


    ¡°I suppose. I always have time for a story.¡±


    ¡°Let me know if this is a good one.¡±


    Krakowah stomped a foot, creating a pillar of earth under her that she sat upon. I sat on the stairs again before she started her story.


    ¡°There once was a girl who grew up in a far away land. She would find herself lost in her dreams, fighting dragons and demons and evil of all kinds. Her family inscribed her as a part of the Helios Temple, worshippers of sun and fire.


    There she learned styles of earth and fury and metal. She showed a great talent for each, becoming a prodigy of her people. Overtime, she found herself fighting the very evils she wished so strongly tdestroy when she was young.


    Decades passed, fighting all the while before she glanced back and saw what her family had become. Fat from the treasure she had found and earned, they used her gold for their own comfort, telling her sweet lies the whole while so that she would continue her fighting.


    Of course she wasn¡¯t so stupid, so in fit of rage, she left them for better places. She told them that she left for a pilgrimage in Gaia¡¯s name, but in truth, she left out of spite. She hated them. She wanted the old family she knew before wealth had tainted them.


    It would never be so. She crossed the Khadid Dessert and Borea Mountains, reaching a far away city known as Nelastra. She was treated as an outsider by many, but at the center of the city was a light that she found herself drawn too.


    Religion offered her a way of living where you didn¡¯t need wealth or huge houses or anything besides blind faith. She followed this light, shutting off her soul and let something else take its place. She lived for many years like this, controlled by the light until a wave of darkness came and ripped her from her daze.


    She found what it was that caused her to leave her home. It wasn¡¯t the way her family had acted.  It was a question of why and what. Why did she fight? What did she fight for? Her family had always answered for her. She ran from them only to find someone else giving her answers.


    She couldn¡¯t evenfor herself. She needed others to do that for her. To put words in her mouth and speak in place of her.


    She thought, long, hard, and for the first time, on her own. She found reasons worth fighting for. She found her own purpose with reasons all her own. She would free her people from the lies of her forefathers.


    She discovered that to do so, she would need that very same darkness that had freed her. She needed it to help take her people from their cages.¡±


    Krakowah reached out a hand and said, ¡°Help me, Darkened One. Help me free my people.¡±


    Grabbing her hand, I said, ¡°With pleasure.¡±