《The 20th Archon》


 Chapter 1

    Blades hit, slid then retreated. Another block, another parry, another near-miss. The two wooden swords hit each other once more with a resounding thud, they strained and threatened to snap from the force. They pulled back once more and held for a second then swung.

    Arnimos''s sword splintered, small fragments scattered over the training yard, and his teacher''s wooden blade hit him straight in the chest. It stung, his teacher never did hold back. His swordsmanship teacher, a Luxicon by the name of Shil-Kas, stepped forward and raised the blade to bring it down in one strike upon his head. Arnimos raised his arm to block it and closed his eyes.

    He waited for a few seconds before opening one and seeing Shil-Kas with the blade still raised looking at him. Shil-Kas dropped the wooden sword.

    "Your instincts will not save you in a fight," Shil-Kas said. "At this rate, I will be old and grey by the time you have mastered the sword,"

    "I''m sorry sir," Arnimos said. "I was just... Scared of getting hit,"

    Shil-Kas put a hand on Arnimos''s shoulder.

    "Fear is a fine thing to have," Shil-Kas said. "Do not let it rule you however or you will not be able to control it,"

    Shil-Kas dug a finger into Arnimos''s chest, and for a moment he felt those things inside him stir. His Dichotomies, those horrible things latched onto his soul. All people had them, at least all who were not Shalbross, he was different. Many had only one, such as Shil-Kas who possesses only the one of a Luxicon, some had two, such as his Dichotomy trainer Tages, but unlike many others in the world, he had all 4 types. He specifically was an Archon, the rarest of all the races.

    Shil-Kas stepped back and picked up his dropped sword and the shattered remnants of Arnimos''s.

    "You are proving to grow stronger, however," Shil-Kas said. "With this growth, it means your Dichotomies are likely to imprint soon,"

    Shil-Kas went and tossed the broken and heavily damaged wooden swords. They could always just craft new ones after all.

    "Now that is all I have for you today," Shil-Kas said. "Be here at sunrise tomorrow until then you are dismissed to your lessons with Tages,"

    "Understood sir," Arnimos said.

    He gave a quick bow then rushed off, once his training with Tages was done he''d be free the rest of the day.

    He made his way through the palace. It was modest, at least compared to some of their neighbors and the Reborn Lords, large enough to show the city''s wealth and power but not so ostentatious to be an eyesore. He was the child of the lords of this city, one of the many small city-states just beyond Elysium, and his birth had changed it. He could see the city below bustling with people, it wasn''t always like this however.

    He had been told that before his birth they were just another minor player in the area but with his birth, the birth of the 20th Archon, they had received much attention. Many other lords wished to seize him when he was young but reportedly one of the Personifications, Demigods, had stopped them. Now the city was a bustling hub on the edge of Elysium, few dared challenge their city now especially as Arnimos grew. Once his Dichotomies Imprinted there would be few in this area that could challenge them.

    But such thoughts of conquest weren''t suited for him, he liked sparring and learning sure but war always seemed quite dreadful to him. He didn''t like violence, in some ways he feared it.

    He arrived at another training yard, it had a few dummies set up to act as targets and his teacher stood in the center with someone else in a cloak standing right next to him. His teacher wore grey robes with a thing tassel of purple dangling from his waist, his skin was petrified and cracked around his grey eyes to reveal dark almost earthen skin beneath. His teacher was an Oracle, another of the races. The other men wore a cloak that seemed to twist the air around them, obscuring attempts to make out any detail.

    Arnimos stopped a few steps from Tages and the other and bowed.

    "I have arrived," Arnimos said.

    "Yes, a tad late, however," Tages said. "But it can be forgiven,"

    "Might I ask who the other man here is?" Arnimos said.

    "Someone who shall help us in the lesson today," Tages said.

    "What is today''s lesson?" Arnimos said. "You were quite vague last time..."

    "We shall awaken your Dichotomies," Tages said. "Forcibly,"

    "Huh-" Arnimos said.

    He had barely the time to question before the figure removed the cloak and all he was trembled. His mind screeched, his soul winced and his Dichotomies flared, fear pervaded every piece of his being. His body was frozen and his Dichotomies began to produce energy, they fed on fear and now they had it in droves with such a thing standing before him. A being none could match, something beyond the power of any man. A Fear given form. A Fear granted power. A Fear Personified.

    The Personification held a timeless yet ancient appearance like it experienced all of time at every single moment. His mind knew not what this represented but his soul did, before him stood the Personification of Time.

    He fell to his knees in awe staring at the Personification, his eyes shot over to Tages who stood unfazed by what was happening. The Personification stared at him and it felt like his Dichotomies would tear his mind apart, they intensified his fear so greatly to feed upon that he felt he might go mad. Then with the suddenness that it came, it vanished, his fear washing away like words written upon sand.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    He stared still stunned for a few seconds before the Personification shifted slightly, he feared it might strike but then it offered a hand. It spoke with a voice as old as Shale itself.

    "R I S E" It said.

    Arnimos took its hand and pulled himself up. He dusted off his pants and looked at the Personification then to Tages.

    "What is-" Arnimos said.

    "Your Dichotomies wouldn''t Imprint," Tages said. "Despite everything, yours would not find something fearful enough to choose,"

    Tages then motioned to the Personification who seemed less and less terrifying by the second.

    "So I called upon an old friend," Tages said. "With his help, we will force your Dichotomies into Imprinting,"

    "How will that work?" Arnimos said.

    Tages nodded at the Personification who stepped forward and with a speed none could match placed a hand on his head. His Dichotomies came alight threatening to tear his mind asunder but then they were cowed.

    "I A M J I L K" It said. "P E R S O N I F I C A T I O N O F T I M E"

    His Dichotomies then flared to life once more this time not like wild animals but more controlled, he felt them changing and shifting as unimaginable power flowed through him.

    "T O Y O U A R C H O N I A M C O M M A N D E D T O G I V E G I F T" It spoke. "T I M E H A S B E E N W A S T E D W A I T I N G F O R Y O U T O A W A K E"

    His Dichotomies bent and screeched in ways that he thought nothing ever could, they were being beat into shape. Normally during a fearful event, they would Imprint upon that fear naturally and develop powers but his had stubbornly refused to do so, and now they were being forced.

    "I A M N O T M Y B R O T H E R" It said. "I C A N N O T S E E T H E F U T U R E T O G I V E W H A T Y O U N E E D I N S T E A D I G I V E Y O U W H A T Y O U F E A R E D N O T L O N G A G O"

    His mind strained at the pressure and he felt his soul bending as his Dichotomies continued to screech, it felt like he was being torn apart.

    "V I O L E N C E Y O U F E A R" It said. "I F T H E Y W I L L N O T C H O O S E I T T H E M S E L V E S T H E N I S H A L L S H O W T H E M W H Y"

    He felt power surging once more as something began to flow into his mind, memories.

    "W I T N E S S M Y K I N Y U L S I" It said. "P E R S O N I F I C A T I O N O F V I O L E N C E"

    His mind flashed with images of war. Men and Shalbross butchered each other, Dichotomies and Fear-Made artifacts laid waste to towns and armies alike. Innocents died for the mistake of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Cities burned at the hands of tyrants and liberators. Yet there despite the ages that passed in these flashes he always saw the same figure, one without a true form. He looked like any other soldier yet there was undeniable hatred in him... No, it wasn''t hatred, not as he understood it at least. That figure held no malice, it held no justification for what was happening. Why would it?

    It was not a man who could claim innocence or ignorance, it was not some weapon or creature unleashed without the ability to think for itself. It was not a Shalbross fighting to reclaim its home from invaders, it was not a Reborn placed somewhere it didn''t know trying to carve a safe haven for itself. It was nothing that could ever have a true reason.

    It was Violence and it scared him, yet not enough.

    Suddenly he found himself lying on the cold stone floor of the training yard, bits of ash lightly drifted down onto him that were kicked up when he fell. He stared around dazed, his mind was still reeling. He looked up at the sky feeling different, his Dichotomies felt awake.

    Arnimos looked around and saw the Personification, Jilk, standing silently next to Tages. Tages stared stunned at Arnimos.

    "Impossible," Tages said. "Your Dichotomies, they didn''t Imprint..."

    Arnimos rose from the ground, enraged.

    "What the hell was that?!?" Arnimos said. "What did I just see!?!"

    Jilk stepped forward and spoke with a voice much softer than previously.

    "I SHOWED YOU MY KINDRED YULSI PERSONIFICATION OF VIOLENCE" Jilk said. "TO FORCE YOUR DICHOTOMIES TO AWAKEN"

    "And why the hell would you do that!?!" Arnimos said.

    "Because we-" Tages said.

    "You know what actually," Arnimos said. "Screw this! I am not dealing with you today!"

    Before Tages could get another word in Arnimos stormed off. Tages considered following but stayed put and looked over to Jilk.

    "There is something wrong here," Tages said. "His Dichotomies should have Imprinted,"

    "PERHAPS THINGS ARE NOT AS SIMPLE AS THEY SEEM" Jilk said. "HIS MIND IS STRONG PERHAPS THAT ALLOWS HIM TO PERSIST WITHOUT IMPRINTING"

    "Still, they woke up," Tages said. "Even i do not know what a true Pure Dichotomy untainted by fear will do,"

    "SHALL WE TRY AGAIN" Jilk said.

    Tages stood considering it for a moment before driving off the thought.

    "If visions from you couldn''t do it then we''d need something much worse," Tages said. "It is likely only things that could do it would be truly great danger or your brother the Personification of Fear-"

    Tages felt the surge of energy as Jilk slightly exerted himself at the mention.

    "SPEAK NOT OF MY BROTHER TAGES" Jilk said. "HE IS DEAD TO US H E S H A L L N O T B E M E N T I O N E D"

    Tages winced and stepped back.

    "I understand lord Personification," Tages said. "Just bringing up things,"

    The power flowed back into Jilk.

    "GOOD" Jilk said. "NOW I MUST DEPART IF YOU REQUIRE ME YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME"

    In the blink of an eye he was gone, with no strong Dichotomies around he could do whatever he pleased. Tages stood for a second and wondered if it was right to force his Dichotomies to awaken like that and what it meant them not to Imprint.

    He drove doubt from his mind, he hadn''t the room for it with all that needed to be done. Tages turned and returned to his room, he''d give Arnimos a few days to rest then the training would begin in earnest.

 Chapter 2

    Tages silently walked through the halls of the palace heading for the throne room. He passed by a group of guards that frantically rushed past him, they were on edge. It was likely those with usable Dichotomies in the city felt it when Jilk revealed himself. No one liked getting visited by a Personification, especially when they didn''t know it was coming.

    He glanced out the window to the city below, it held a strange fusion of the designs of the Reborn cities further into Elysium and a more traditional style from the cities in the Barrens. A result of their place at the edge of Elysium. He watched as bits of ash kicked up by storms in the barrens drifted down outside, it was likely inert by the time it reached the city but some of it may be usable. He looked towards the dock where scant few ships were docked, traders from other cities unloading goods.

    He turned his attention back to his task as he arrived at the door to the throne room, two guards were standing in front of it. As he approached they tensed up and held their breath, a result of the 10 Fearstone rings he wore. They made many others feel nauseous and sick, they would to him too if they didn''t help suppress his warring twin Dichotomies. He walked past the two guards without saying a word and entered the throne room.

    It was a large room made of white marble reminiscent of the palaces of the great Reborn Lords, a red carpet ran from the main doors up to the throne where Lord Tikow sat. The throne itself was made of marble and designed to look like two great antlers attached at the base. Tikow sat in bright green clothes and wore a small crow atop his head, his body was strange to normal people though. As an Overlord, possessing Tyross and Arbeross Dichotomies,  he held physical features reminiscent of his fear. He had 8 eyes laid out in 2 strange diamond shapes and from his back extended 8 great arachnid legs.

    Tages approached till he was a dozen or so steps from the throne then bowed to Tikow.

    "Rise old friend," Tikow said. "You have no need to bow to me,"

    "I felt it only fair to give my respect," Tages said. "For the man who is paying me,"

    "Do not worry about such things," Tikow said. "What news do you bring?"

    "Your son''s Dichotomy has awakened," Tages said.

    "Ah good," Tikow said. "What is it if i may ask? Anything good?"

    "Yes quite good," Tages said, he couldn''t tell Tikow the truth just yet. "I believe it will be useful,"

    "And where is he?" Tikow said. "I thought he''d come with you for this,"

    "He had other business to attend to," Tages said. "Do not worry, he is safe,"

    "Why do you always talk like that?" Tikow said. "Your making me worried,"

    "There is nothing to worry about," Tages said. "You know i would tell you if there was danger,"

    "I know," Tikow said.

    Tikow sighed and looked out the great windows lining the throne room.

    "Do you hear the news of our neighbors?" Tikow said. "They say some of the neighboring city-states have started skirmishing once more,"

    "It is likely the peace forced upon them by the Personifications is ending," Tages said. "It would not have lasted forever,"

    "I hoped it to last longer," Tikow said. "Without it the Empire may get a chance to expand into the region,"

    "It would take many years before they could," Tages said. "They are focused on their proxy war in parts of the Barrens,"

    "I know but I still worry," Tikow said. "About what will happen to this city,"

    "It is unlikely there will be major conflict," Tages said. "The Reborn Lords don''t want more war in Elysium,"

    "Your right Tages," Tikow sighed. "We''ll have many more years of peace to prepare. Is there anything else you needed,"This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "No," Tages said. "That is all i had to report,"

    "Then I release you to go about your business," Tikow said. "Phemonoe wanted to speak to you, Oracle to Oracle business she said,"

    "I shall go see her then," Tages said.

    Tages bowed and left the throne room and headed for Phemonoe''s room. He wondered just what she needed?

    It took him many minutes of walking before he arrived at her room, he knocked then entered a moment later. It was a large bedroom with a massive bed placed in the center of the wall opposite the door. Besides the bed very little decorated the room, one would never guess she was the wife of the lord.

    Tages approached her and sat by a chair at the side of her bed. He looked at her, she looked sickly. Her skin clung to bone and her eyes were sunk in. She hadn''t recovered from having Arnimos and her twin warring Dichotomies had made it impossible for her to properly heal. He stared at her face, her petrified skin and grey eyes held far less life then they once did. Once he was seated she coughed lightly then spoke.

    "Ah, Tages," Phemonoe said. "You came,"

    "You asked for me," Tages said. "Of course I came, what did you need?"

    "Did he... Finally Awaken it?" Phemonoe said.

    "He did," Tages said. "He awoke them,"

    "What are they?" Phemonoe asked.

    Tages held his breath for a moment.

    "They didn''t Imprint," Tages said.

    "What does that mean?" Phemonoe said. "What does the Oracle of Dichotomy know of such things?"

    "I know nothing," Tages said. "I have never seen true Pure Dichotomies,"

    "I thought you knew everything about them," Phemonoe said. "Shows just how special my boy is,"

    "Yes, he is special," Tages said. "But you shouldn''t be worrying about that, you need to heal. We could get you some Fearstone rings-"

    Phemonoe looked at him staring in his grey eyes.

    "No, Tages," Phemonoe said. "It won''t change anything by now, they''ve spent too long tearing each other apart,"

    Tages looked at her, his Oracle''s eyes could see things no one else could. He watched as her Taniberas and Luxicon Dichotomies, Creation and Destruction, tried to annihilate each other.

    "Your son needs you, Tikow needs you," Tages said. "I need you,"

    "You''re all strong enough," Phemonoe said. "Besides I won''t die today, I just know its soon,"

    "I could stop it," Tages said. "I could Destroy one your Dichotomies, free you from it,"

    "No Tages, you can''t free me by Destroying," Phemonoe said. "I wouldn''t be who I was without these Dichotomies,"

    "Why do you want to go, Phemonoe?" Tages said.

    Phemonoe looked back at the ceiling and a small grin grew on her face.

    "The centuries have weighed long on me, Tages," Phemonoe said. "I want here in peace, not in some terrible conflict,"

    "What will you leave behind then?" Tages said. "Can you truly leave us... Me... all alone?"

    "You''re strong Tages," Phemonoe said. "I know you blame yourself for not being able to save them but you did all you could, you were a child born in a camp,"

    Phemonoe reached out a hand and put it on Tages head.

    "You''ll survive Tages, I know you and all the others will," Phemonoe said. "You survived the camp you were born in, you''ll survive this,"

    "And what of Tikow and Arnimos?" Tages said. "What will they do?"

    "I know they will cry when I am gone," Phemonoe said. "But they are strong enough to make it, i know they''ll do great things,"

    "They most certainly will," Tages said.

    Tages looked to the ground as Phemonoe''s hand rested on his head.

    "I brought the Personification to this city," Tages said.

    "I know," Phemonoe said.

    "I forced your son''s Dichotomies to awaken," Tages said.

    "I know," Phemonoe said.

    "Aren''t you going to ask why?" Tages said.

    "If you did it," Phemonoe said. "Then there was good reason,"

    Phemonoe removed her hand from Tages head.

    "Now go out and get them ready for whatever''s coming," Phemonoe said.

    Tages stood from her bedside and approached the door. He pushed it open and was about to step out then looked back at Phemonoe.

    "Writer has his eyes on your son," Tages said. "That is why i did what i did,"

    Phemonoe nodded silently, she knew even before he said anything.

    Tages left the room and headed for his own, he needed some time alone to prepare for what''s to come.

 Chapter 3

    Arnimos walked along the docks staring out at the sea, the waves lightly lapped against the stone. The salt in the air lightly stung at his eyes as he stared out into the deep blue. He glanced down though the waves by the dock, he could see various creatures living in the water. Many were made by the Reborn of the past but he could also see the discarded shell of a Noctilusk, a species of Shalbross, and based on its size, about as large as a ox, it was likely from an adult or elder.

    He continued his walk along the docks staring out into the waves. He tried to focus his mind on something else but he could feel his Dichotomies active now. They sat ready to pounce the moment he showed an ounce of fear, they needed only a moment of weakness before they could feast. He recalled what little he had been taught about Dichotomies and tried to focus on them, trying to push the energy they made from his encounter with the Personification back into them. Nothing happened.

    Suddenly then two people stepped off from a side street and stood in his way. He stared them down, each had olive colored skin and short brown hair with light blue eyes. They looked like twins though with one difference, one of them had their hair standing on end like it was always charged with static while the other seemed to twitch constantly.

    "There you are, you bastard," One of them said. "Thought you could avoid us?"

    "Was hoping to not have to deal with you two jackasses today," Arnimos said. "Unfortunately it appears my luck isn''t that great,"

    "Like hell we was gonna let you slip away," The other said.

    The two approached Arnimos and he stepped forward as well till they were in each other''s faces.

    "Why are you moping around here huh?" One said.

    "Got something on ya mind?" The other said.

    "Yeah you could say that," Arnimos said. "A few things in fact,"

    The two looked at each other.

    "Well then," One said. "Do you need-"

    The first one raised his hand.

    "Someone to talk to?" The other said. "We''re always here for ya, you know that right?"

    Arnimos gave him a friendly handshake.

    "Yeah, I came looking for everyone," Arnimos said. "Where''s Ronja and Filk-Kij?"

    "Ronja''s helping the local Dichotomy expert teach young kids about their Dichotomies," The first one, his friend Hilmas, said.

    "Apparently she has improved her Luxicon abilities greatly recently," The other one, the other brother Milhas, said.

    "I suppose that old man would like a Luxicon of Fear to help," Arnimos said. "What about Filk?"

    "Hear he''s got work as a "firemen"," Hilmas said, laughing to himself.

    "Come on now," Arnimos said. "Just because he''s an Arbeross of Fire doesn''t mean you should make such jokes,"

    "Don''t lie to me now," Hilmas said. "I can see you cracking a smile,"

    "Yeah," Milhas said. "It''s as obvious as an Arackfear in the warrens,"

    "That saying makes no sense," Arnimos said. "Arackfears live in the Warrens,"

    "You don''t always gotta make sense to make a point," Milhas said.

    "And what have you two been up to?" Arnimos said. "I hope no skullduggery,"

    Hilmas shrugged.

    "It''s just what we do," Hilmas said.

    "It''s like asking a Luxicon not to break things," Milhas said. "it just don''t happen,"

    "I hope nothing too bad then," Arnimos said. "So what is it this time, stole some meat from a vendor? Dumped a barrel of swill on a guard? Used your powers as Truths of Lightning to electrocute people?"

    "All that sounds pretty bad," Hilmas said.

    "Yeah, we just graffitied a wall," Milhas said.

    Arnimos sighed.

    "You two never change," Arnimos said.

    "Oh we do," Hilmas said. "Just not in the way you want us to,"

    "What, you want us to become guards or something?" Milhas said.

    "Honestly, two Truths with usable Dichotomies like yourselves could make a living in the guard," Arnimos said. "I could even talk about them letting these stunts slip if you join,"

    "Maybe in a few years," Hilmas said. "Once i got it all out of my system,"

    "I''ll think about it," Milhas said.

    "Now, back to our original point," Hilmas said.

    Hilmas put an arm around Arnimos''s shoulder.

    "What''s happening my man," Hilmas said. "What''s troubling ya?"

    "My Dichotomies Awakened," Arnimos said.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    "Good for you man," Milhas said.

    "And why''s that got you all down?" Hilmas said. "Did something bad scare you enough for them to Imprint?"

    "They didn''t," Arnimos said.

    "Come again?" Hilmas said.

    "They didn''t Imprint," Arnimos said.

    Hilmas and Milhas looked at each other confused then back at Arnimos then back to each other.

    "What''s that mean then?" Milhas said.

    "Don''t know, Tages seemed pretty confused by it," Arnimos said. "Don''t think that''s a good sign,"

    "Well, i''m certain your teacher will get you up to speed on how to use it," Hilmas said. "Till then, let''s go get the others to get you mind off this,"

    "That''d be fine," Arnimos said.

    With that the three were off. They walked away from the docks and through the winding streets of the city, they passed by old houses and shops and through market squares bustling with activity. All manner of things were bought and sold here, from food and clothes to more exotic and advanced things from some of the Reborn Lords and even a few Fear-Made items. As they passed through the square Arnimos found himself getting a treat for him and his friends, a bit of meat taken from an ox, an animal from the Reborn. They enjoyed their piece of it as they passed through the markets to an old two story home.

    It was old, designed in the traditional ways rather than in the styles of the Reborn, and looked like it was carved out of the ground. It had two stories and a small handful of windows with glass, a rarity, as well as a large walled courtyard, it was the home of Galtz, the local expert on Dichotomy. He would have been Arnimos''s teacher had Tages not been summoned for the job.

    They entered through the door to the courtyard, it was barren stone with a few bones and targets strewn about for training purposes. A handful of children, mainly from one of the 4 Big Races, sat listening and learning about Dichotomy. They appeared to be near the end of the lesson so the three waited until it was over and the children filtered out.

    After a few minutes all that was left was the three men, Galtz and Ronja. Galtz was a short man with a portly frame and friendly eyes yet when you looked at him you felt somewhat unsettled, a result of him being an Arbeross of Fear. Ronja was a tall woman, towering over the short Galtz and being eye level with Arnimos, Hilmas and Milhas, with deep red hair and petrified skin that was smooth to the touch.

    Galtz approached the three with a small smile on his face, he gave a small bow to Arnimos as he did so.

    "And how can I help you three today?" Galtz said. "Come to try out your Dichotomies some more you two?"

    Galtz glanced at Hilmas and Milhas.

    "Just here to pick up Ronja," Hilmas said.

    "But we''ll take you up on your offer later," Milhas said.

    "Feel free to stop by anytime," Galtz said. "Ronja! I''ll finish up here, you can go out with your friends,"

    "Thank you sir Galtz," Ronja said.

    Ronja trotted up to the three and looked them over.

    "So what are we doing today?" Ronja said.

    "Ain''t sure yet, just getting everyone before we decide," Hilmas said.

    "Maybe we''ll trash something," Milhas said. "That should be fun,"

    "As long as it ain''t nothing extreme," Ronja said. "I''m in,"

    "Good, we still have to get Filk though," Hilmas said.

    "He should be at the fire station," Ronja said.

    "Then let''s get going," Hilmas said.

    The now four of them headed off towards the fire station as Galtz waved goodbye.

    They made their way through the streets once more moving until they reached a guard post and the fire station. The fire station had a strange design with a large open area like some form of great beast was meant to be there, it was likely something was supposed to be there but theirs was just a design for one copied from some Reborn. They saw a handful of guys sitting around a table playing cards and waiting, Filk-Kij was there. As they approached it appeared the game of cards came to an end and Filk-Kij rose from the table.

    "I''d love to keep beating you all," Filk-Kij said. "Unfortunately, my shift is already over so i''m going home,"

    Filk-Kij turned and walked out the door and immediately encountered the four. He seemed to jump slightly as he suddenly encountered them.

    "You''re gonna give a man a heart attack sneaking up on him like that," Filk-Kij said.

    Arnimos looked Filk-Kij up and down, he looked different from the last time he saw him. He had the same tanned skin that radiated heat and the flamelike hair though this time it was put up much nicer and he walked with a much more confident air.

    "Sorry about that man," Hilmas said. "Didn''t meant to,"

    "Getting spooked by encountering us?" Ronja said. "If i didn''t know better i''d say you weren''t happy to see us,"

    "Of course I''m happy to see you all," Filk-Kij said. "Especially you Arnimos, been a while since you came down,"

    "Been caught up in studies and all that," Arnimos said. "Takes a lot of time,"

    "What about you?" Milhas said. "Looks like you really turned it around, never expected the firemen to hire a literal Fire Man,"

    Filk-Kij shrugged.

    "They say us Arbeross of Fire have an incredible innate resistance to heat," Filk-Kij said. "They offered the job immediately upon hearing what i was,"

    "Well that''s damn good," Hilmas said. "Now what about the pay? Government pay good?"

    "Good enough," Filk-Kij said. "Especially since I''m still in training. Why? Are you planning on getting a government job?"

    "Maybe, you never know," Hilmas said. "We always got someone who can help us with that,"

    Hilmas lightly nudged Arnimos.

    "Now let''s get back to the hideout to discuss our next scheme," Hilmas said.

    "As long as it ain''t nothing too illegal," Filk-Kij said. "Rather not lose my job,"

    "And I''d rather not bail you out of prison again," Arnimos said. "Just cause i can doesn''t mean i should,"

    "Don''t worry, nothing too crazy this time," Hilmas said. "Now let''s get going,"

    The five then left towards an old abandoned house on the edge of town they had been using as their "hideout" since they were kids. Normally such buildings would be torn down or resold but for some reason, i.e. Arnimos''s dad being the city''s lord, it had never been sold, torn down or messed with.

    The interior was much nicer than the exterior. It had three main rooms on its only floor. The first had a large table with comfortable chairs dominating the space, the second had a store of various things they nicked when they were younger and never returned or as a storage space and the last had a small impromptu stove and a few hammocks hung up from when some of them spent their nights here when they were young.

    As they entered Filk-Kij walked to one of the unlit candles and grabbed the top of the wick. He took a deep breath in then exhaled and the room seemed to grow hotter as the tips of his fingers became fire for a moment. He went around and lit each candle with this low level use of his Arbeross abilities as they all settled in around the table.

    They all began talking amongst each other speaking of everything and nothing but Arnimos sat just at the edge sometimes interjecting though mainly when he was spoken to. There was still a lot on his mind and he just couldn''t drive the memories the Personification had shown him from his mind. He could see the flashes of war and wanton violence and while it scared him it didn''t seem to affect his Dichotomies, they didn''t greedily eat the fear he felt now.

    Arnimos drove these thoughts from his mind and focused on spending time with his friends, he could just have fun now. He didn''t need to worry about all that for a few days at least.

 Chapter 4

    Arnimos breathed in and readied himself. He held the wooden sword out in a defensive stance and watched Shil-Kas as they circled each other, each waiting for the right moment. Shil-Kas took a step forward and his sword flashed out, Arnimos moved to parry but then Shil-Kas feinted him and struck his arm. It made a resounding crack and his arm stung, Arnimos attacked back swinging his sword in an upward arc, Shil-Kas parried the blow and drew his own sword back. He thrust it forward but Arnimos slapped it away with the flat of his sword. Arnimos delivered a quick slash but it was blocked, their swords clashed for a moment before both stepped back and readied themselves for the next bout.

    Arnimos took in a deep breath and focused his mind, driving away the faint stinging on his arm. Arnimos switched his stance to a more offensive one. He stood across from Shil-Kas for a second before stepping forward.

    Two quick slashes each parried, a third was narrowly dodged but threw off Shil-Kas''s footing. A fourth strike, a quick thrust, flashed out but was slapped away, Shil-Kas tried to counter attack and bring his blade up in a threatening arc. Arnimos tried to step back but was too slow, it made a loud thud as it struck his jaw. He stumbled back and became disoriented from the strike. He tried to steady his footing and raise his blade but he saw Shil-Kas step forward. He raised his blade high ready to strike down Arnimos.

    The world seemed to slow down, his breath caught in his throat as his mind focused. He felt his Dichotomies within him, one''s who even after his awakening had been docile, flared to life. They intensified his fear of being hit then ate it. He felt the pain and injuries he had suffered fade away and his body felt lighter. Strength he never had before flowed into him.

    Arnimos brought his blade up with blinding speed and parried Shil-Kas''s blow, the speed and force threw off his footing and left him stunned. Arnimos brought in three quick strikes, the first was narrowly avoided but the second and third hit. The second strike hit Shil-Kas with such force that air was driven from his lungs and the third hit him hard enough to drive him to his knees. Arnimos swung his blade towards Shil-Kas''s neck but stopped it a few inches away, he had won a duel.

    Arnimos dropped the blade as he felt his Dichotomies receding, they had gotten all they could. He offered a hand and Shil-Kas took it as he rose.

    "Good effort," Shil-Kas said. "It appears your Dichotomies are beginning to reinforce your physical abilities,"

    "Yeah, they are," Arnimos said. "It feels weird,"

    "You''ll get used to it," Shil-Kas said. "Now that they are fully Awakened however we''ll start training in how to combine your Dichotomies with swordsmanship, got that?"

    "I understand," Arnimos said.

    "All right," Shil-Kas said. "We won''t have training tomorrow as i prep some better lessons, get going to Tages now,"

    "Thank you," Arnimos said.

    Arnimos gave a small bow then walked through the palace. He hadn''t spoken to Tages in a few days, not after the incident with the Personification. He took his time walking through the halls shortly considering even skipping his lessons with Tages but decided against it, his parents had likely paid much for such a tutor.

    Arnimos entered the training yard where Tages stood, there were still dummies set up but also a chalkboard, a desk and a strange box. Tages also had something new, on his hip was a sword. It was strange looking like it was made of obsidian yet not in any shape you could ever get it to be, a Fear-Made weapon.

    "You have arrived, Archon," Tages said.

    Arnimos tensed as he looked around to make sure there was no one else.

    "No Personification this time?" Arnimos said. "Good,"

    "I am sorry for what happened last time," Tages said. "I believed it to be the proper path,"

    "Let''s just get on with this," Arnimos said.

    Arnimos sat at the desk.

    "So what''s the lesson today?" Arnimos said.

    "We shall be going over the basics of Dichotomy," Tages said. "To ensure you have a good enough base for training,"

    "I know the basics already," Arnimos said. "There are the 4 great races and a bunch of sub-races and some people manifest powers based on their greatest fear, is that good enough?"

    "No," Tages said. "We shall go over the basics of each race, the base function of Dichotomy and crafting,"

    Arnimos raised an eyebrow.

    "How are we going to craft?" Arnimos asked. "We are too far from the Barrens for any of the ash to be usable,"

    "If it was only carried by the wind," Tages said. "But within this box,"

    Tages lightly nudged the strange box which popped open to reveal a pile of ash. It looked just like the ash you might see from a campfire but it was different, lighter than it should be and almost begging to be changed.

    "Is enough ash to make things," Tages said. "It was crafted for the purpose of carrying ash from the Barrens,"

    Tages flipped the lid back down.

    "Any more questions?" Tages said.

    Arnimos sat silent for a moment, he had just one.

    "What did it mean then?" Arnimos said. "When you said my Dichotomies didn''t Imprint?"

    Tages sighed then picked up a piece of chalk.

    "We will get to that," Tages said. "Now let us start with the races,"

    Tages drew 4 circles with the names Tyross, Arbeross, Taniberas and Luxicon, the 4 great races.

    "You already know the 4 races," Tages said. "But what does each race do?"

    "They have different manifestations of their powers," Arnimos said.

    "And how is it determined which race one will be?" Tages said.

    "Your parents," Arnimos said. "You inherit the Dichotomies of your parents,"

    "In many cases, yes," Tages said. "But what about the Reborn?"

    "They are given the choice by the Author, if I remember correctly," Arnimos said. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    "Correct again," Tages said. "Respectively the choice are to Change, to Embrace, to Understand and to Overcome,"

    Tages write each choice next to the race names.

    "We know them as they manifest," Tages said. "To Usurp, to Become, to Create/Control and to Destroy,"

    Tages then wrote those next to the respective names.

    "Each race also holds their own physical characteristics," Tages said. "Tyross have color changing eyes, Arbeross look like their fear, Taniberas have crimson eyes and dark earthen skin and Luxicon have smooth petrified skin and what some Reborn describe as an "elf-like" look,"

    Tages listed that as well next to each race.

    "Originally in Shale, when I was young," Tages said. "Tyross had not come into the world yet and so there were only 3 races and 3 sub-races, today I will only discuss the great four and the three that existed in my time,"

    Tages made a small list for Arbeross and listed a few details about them.

    "First I shall begin with Arbeross," Tages said. "They "Become" their fear, taking on physical or mental aspects of it,"

    Tages made another list, this time for Taniberas.

    "Taniberas Create/Control their fear," Tages said. "They may create or control phenomena related to it and some can even conjure Fragments of their fears Personification,"

    Tages made a list for Luxicon.

    "Luxicon Destroy their fear," Tages said. "Their powers damage or negate things related to it,"

    Tages then made the list for Tyross.

    "Tyross Usurp their fear though most times it would be better to say they Change it," Tages said. "They take their fear and change things about it, for example a Tyross of Fire might change how hot a fire is or other aspects of it,"

    Tages then made another list this time labelled Blanks.

    "When Arbeross and Luxicon Dichotomies combine they create a strange tear," Tages said. "This tear does one simple thing, it sucks their fear out of the environment around them. An example, a Blank of Fire would suck fire into themselves extinguishing them from the environment around it, they can not project or otherwise use it just absorb it,"

    Tages made a list labelled Truth.

    "Arbeross and Taniberas Dichotomies left alone are strange, they merge together but due to the nature of the Arbeross Dichotomy they also merge with the body," Tages said. "As such, unlike other races, Truths use their bodies as fuel for their abilities rather than the raw energy of their Dichotomies. Their abilities are typically weighted towards one or the other but will still show signs of the merging between Dichotomies,"

    Tages hesitated for a moment before making a list labelled Oracle.

    "Before the Tyross and their children, Oracles were considered the strongest race of Shale," Tages said. "This is because of our nature, you see our Twin Dichotomies of Taniberas and Luxicon hate each other. Every moment they attempt to destroy the other waging an invisible war inside our bodies, they only can be suppressed by wearing rings of Fearstone which suck away a Dichotomies energy,"

    Tages flashed the ten rings he wore, they were all made of a strange purplish stone though one was also banded in gold.

    "Would I not suffer the same thing then?" Arnimos said. "Do I not possess all Dichotomies?"

    "It is the fact that you hold all four that makes it so," Tages said. "Well, in truth, it is your Tyross Dichotomy that does it, it acts as a stabilizing force to prevent your Dichotomies from trying to annihilate each other,"

    "I see," Arnimos said.

    "But back to the lesson," Tages said. "With both Dichotomies separate Oracles are capable of awakening 3 separate lines of manifestation, one for each and one for combining them once you have the control over them to do so,"

    "What do you mean "lines of manifestation"?" Arnimos said.

    Tages chose a small clear section of the board and made an empty list, it had 4 items.

    "Each Dichotomy manifests differently, even those with the same fear can have vastly different abilities," Tages said. "This is because all users of Dichotomy have 4 distinct ways to use their abilities, there are dozens of names for them but typically the Reborn call them the three Skills and the Ultimate,"

    "How specific are these "Skills"?" Arnimos said. "Do they have anything that should be noted?"

    "Every Skill is different, some are broad and allow wide-ranging effects while some are hyper-specific," Tages said. "It depends upon the individual. They can even only be tangentially with the fear, for example a Luxicon of Fire could have an ability that allows them to drive the air from a place to extinguish a fire,"

    "Why do you use the Fear of Fire as an example?" Arnimos said. "Surely there are other fears you could use,"

    "Simplicity," Tages said. "For example, explaining my abilities as the Oracle of Dichotomy would take a much longer lesson,"

    "What about Ultimate''s?" Arnimos said. "Why are they separate?"

    "That is because they are taxing upon a Dichotomy that they may only be used once a day," Tages said. "And they are exceptionally powerful. For example an Arbeross of Fi-"

    Arnimos shot Tages a glare, he stopped talking and stared Arnimos down for a second before sighing.

    "Fine, I''ll tell you one of mine," Tages said. "My Taniberas Ultimate is Dichotomy Creation, it allows me to create a single temporary Dichotomy of any race and put it in someone. There is more about it but i will not reveal that here,"

    "Could you not create an artificial Archon with that?" Arnimos said. "Could you not make yourself an Archon with that?"

    "There are some things you do not test," Tages said. "The Author''s mercy is one of them,"

    As Tages spoke the name of God The Author the room went silent, as though it was holding its breath. Tense seconds passed until sound returned.

    "Now that we have the basics of the races, let us go to the basic uses of Dichotomy," Tages said.

    "Why doesn''t everyone use their Dichotomy?" Arnimos said. "Everyone has one so why don''t they use it?"

    "For normal Shaleborn it would take years to decades of practice and training to awaken just their first Skill," Tages said. "The exception is Arbeross, their first Skill typically changes their biology or mind and is always active, but even then most don''t have the strength of mind to use it too much. They are left with the choice between madness or normalcy, many would choose the latter. Is that all?"

    "For now," Arnimos said.

    "Dichotomies feed off of fear, that you already know," Tages said. "They produce Dichotomy Essence when doing so but without control it is consumed by the Dichotomies soon after to power their abilities or-"

    Tages drew the sword from his hip and drew its blade along his hand, it seemed to create a cut far shallower than a blade of that size should.

    "To repair the body," Tages continued. "It is the simplest use of it that you do reflexively, your mind creates nightmares while you sleep which your Dichotomies feed off of to produce energy to heal you,"

    His wound closed a moment later. Tages then tossed the Fear-Made weapon and it stuck into the stone in front of Arnimos.

    "Cut your hand upon its edge," Tages said. "We shall see how your Dichotomies react,"

    "I don''t want to do that," Arnimos said. "Isn''t there another way?"

    "I suppose," Tages said.

    Tages picked up the blade and took a good few steps away from Arnimos. He held the blade out in front of him then rapidly slashed it towards Arnimos. Arnimos was too far away for the blade to hit him normally but yet somehow a shallow cut appeared on his chest.

    Pain flared in his body and his mind raced, it took only a moment for his Dichotomies to explode. In a flash the wound closed and Arnimos felt energy lingering in his body. Tages put the sword back on his hip.

    "It appears you can reflexively do it while awake," Tages said. "A good start, it will be much easier for you to learn it consciously,"

    "What was that for?" Arnimos said. "Are you trying to kill me?"

    "I am trying to teach you-" Tages said.

    "Maybe you could teach me in a better way then!" Arnimos said. "First you risk my life with a Personification and now you hit me with a Fear-Made weapon, you are a terrible teacher!"

    "Archon," Tages said. "I am teaching you in the way which is best, fear is needed for-"

    "Shut it, I don''t care!" Arnimos said. "I am leaving and going somewhere better where I won''t be attacked!"

    Arnimos stormed out of the room, Tages watched him as he left. Had he been too harsh? Should he have taken more care? Such thoughts were driven from his mind, they could have been had in better days but he did not have the time he needed to enact them. Perhaps he was driving the Archon too far but that was what he needed. Whatever was coming for him was not something he could face in his current state.

 Chapter 5

    Arnimos left the palace and wandered the streets alone and angry for a while. Why did his father choose such a man? Why couldn''t he just have a normal Dichotomy teacher? Why does he have to be an Archon? Arnimos took a seat at the sea''s edge and looked out into the endless blue.

    Here he was, one of the most blessed individuals in the world and he was complaining. Not only was he born to an important city lord he was also born as an Archon, did he have any right to complain about his circumstance? There were certainly a million others who would want what he had, even just a small part of it.

    He stared up into the sky, the sun hung lazily overhead slowly passing down towards the horizon. What was he supposed to do? Was he complaining despite having everything? Was he complaining about people having expectations? Could he live up to those expectations?

    "Something on your mind?" A voice said. "Something you want to talk about?"

    Arnimos looked over his shoulder and saw Galtz waddling up to him, he took a seat next to Arnimos.

    "You look conflicted?" Galtz said. "Something happen?"

    Arnimos looked back out at the sea.

    "Tages attacked me," Arnimos said.

    "Do you know why?" Galtz said. "I did not know him to be a violent man,"

    "He claimed it was to train my Dichotomies," Arnimos said. "To learn how to use them to heal,"

    "That would do it," Galtz said. "He''s always been quite different in his methods,"

    "Isn''t there a better way?" Arnimos said. "Some other method to train?"

    "Most definitely," Galtz said. "Many in fact though none as effective as making someone fear being harmed,"

    "Don''t you teach it a different way?" Arnimos said. "A better way,"

    Galtz sighed then stood up.

    "Follow me," Galtz said.

    Arnimos rose and followed as Galtz took a winding path back to his home.

    "Dichotomy is a terrible thing," Galtz said. "It is born from fear given to us by that Devil Author,"

    Arnimos stared at Galtz, something was wrong. He had just said Devil yet the words then morphed, he had said Devil yet somehow the word changed in his mind.

    "It intensifies then feeds off of the fear you produce if you do not know how to control it," Galtz said. "Were it given a choice it would make you Fear Frozen,"

    "What did you just-" Arnimos said.

    Galtz raised a hand to silence him.

    "Save questions for later," Galtz said.

    They passed by a group of kids playing in the street, they each had earthen skin and red eyes.

    "Of course we do not want to be Fear Frozen so many never learn to use their Dichotomy," Galtz said. "It takes too much time and is far too dangerous,"

    Galtz stopped at the kids for a moment and spoke to them, listening to them talk and play for a minute before continuing their walk.

    "To train Dichotomy is as much to train your mind as it is those creatures," Galtz said. "Your Dichotomies are living things as much as you, they must trained like carefully so they do not snap at people like a poorly trained hound,"

    "Hound?" Arnimos said.

    "Ah, yes... Sorry, force of habit," Galtz said. "There aren''t real dogs here, just imitations... No need to worry, just remembering older times,"

    The two finally arrived at Galtz''s house, he unlocked the door to the courtyard and they went inside.

    "Back to the main point," Galtz said. "To train them is a difficult task and each man had their own view on it, some better than others. Tages teaches the most effective way, the way he as an Oracle likely learned, while I teach a simpler way to children who are interested in learning about Dichotomy,"

    "And how do you teach?" Arnimos said. "Can I learn from it?"

    "I can teach you nothing more than the basics," Galtz said. "My teaching relies upon my Dichotomy, as an Arbeross of Fear I can "Become" Fear specifically i can copy abilities from a single Dichotomy of someone i touched in the last 5 minutes,"

    "What about your other Skills?" Arnimos said. "Or your Ultimate?"

    "My first changed my mind, the second is useful," Galtz said. "And very few of us ever awaken our Ultimate, I''d have to go see an Oracle if I even wanted a chance,"

    "Still, are you sure you can''t help me?" Arnimos said. "Nothing you can teach?"Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    "As I said, the basics," Galtz said. "If you do not wish for injury in it then we shall try to simply have you try to hold the Dichotomy Essence produced for 1 minute, tell me once you are ready,"

    Arnimos readied himself.

    "Let''s go," Arnimos said.

    Arnimos suddenly felt a tug in his soul as something changed about Galtz, nothing physical yet somehow he felt different. His Dichotomy began to eat at the edges of his mind as fear crept in, Galtz had Become Fear. The four intensified it, threatening the edges of his mind as they produced Dichotomy Essence. His body yearned to take it in and use it to fuel his body in place of food, water or even air but he focused and tried to keep it. He closed his eyes and focused his mind inwards, as the sight of Galtz disappeared his Dichotomies stopped producing and went still.

    Arnimos focused on the energy within. He tried to constrain it, to hold it in one place yet no matter how tightly he gripped a bit leaked out. He strained further, gripping tighter yet it kept flowing. The slightest feelings of hunger and thirst, even the need to breathe vanished for a few moments as it kept flowing till Arnimos was shaken from his concentration. His eyes shot open and the energy took only a moment to flood into his body and vanish completely.

    "You were focused quite hard there," Galtz said. "How did you do?"

    "I held some in my hands until you shook me," Arnimos said. "But i felt it slowly draining away no matter how hard i tried to hold it,"

    "An unconscious part of your mind wants the energy," Galtz said. "But you still held some, I guess Archons really do pick it up quickly as well,"

    "How can I learn to hold it better?" Arnimos said.

    "With time," Galtz said. "It takes much experimentation for us who can''t see Dichotomy to learn the exactness of it all but i''m certain you''ll get it in time,"

    "What about my Skills?" Arnimos said. "Can you copy them?"

    Galtz looked at Arnimos then at the ground.

    "Tages told me your Dichotomy was different," Galtz said. "That i shouldn''t copy it,"

    "Surely it would be fine to try just one, yeah?" Arnimos said. "Learn what the basics of mine should be?"

    Galtz stood there conflicted for a moment. He had known the Archon since he was a child, surely it would be fine if he took just a quick peek. Galtz put a hand out and touched Arnimos on the head then felt his Dichotomy explode with power as he activated it. He tried to pull some of it out to copy yet then he felt himself pulled in.

    His mind reeled as it stared into darkness, something was there with him. He tried to look around but saw nothing yet he could hear the faint sound of a typewriter. Suddenly, he heard a voice-

    Galtz jumped back and took in a few sharp breaths, what had he just seen? could he even say what he just saw. He looked at Arnimos who stared a bit confused at him.

    "Are you okay Galtz?" Arnimos said. "You look pale,"

    "It''s... nothing," Galtz said. "I think i''m going to go inside and lay down,"

    Galtz didn''t wait for Arnimos to respond and rushed back inside, locking the door.

    Arnimos stood alone in the courtyard for a minute before turning to leave, he was confused what had Galtz so spooked. Was there something really wrong with his Dichotomy?

    Arnimos walked back onto the streets, he spent some time wandering along the streets passing by merchants selling goods and guards patrolling. He passed by new homes being built and men and Shalbross moving goods about the town. As he wandered still confused on what to do he soon found himself in front of his and his friends little safe house, he stared at it for a moment before turning to walk away.

    "And where do you think you are going?" Hilmas said.

    Arnimos looked back and saw Hilmas and Milhas leaning out a window.

    "You look as down as Jeff at an old folks home," Milhas said.

    "Can any of your analogies make sense?" Arnimos said. "Just one,"

    "I thought that one was obvious," Milhas said.

    "But still, you think you can escape us now that you are here?" Hilmas said.

    "We''ll be latched onto you like a Mindshard if you try to run," Milhas said.

    "That one at least makes some sense," Arnimos said. "But can you please stop saying them?"

    "Are you going to run?" Milhas said.

    Arnimos stared at his two friends then sighed.

    "No," Arnimos said.

    "Then get on in here," Hilmas said. "We''ll try to get you in and out before Milhas thinks of another analogy,"

    "Get in here," Milhas said. "We''ve certainly got something to do,"

    Arnimos lightly chuckled and entered the house.

    <hr>

    Galtz stared at the ceiling, why did he see it again? He heard its voice, he couldn''t have heard it again. Was the impossible so easy now? Did Arnimos have the eyes of something terrible? Is It looking at him now?

    Galtz heard the lock of his door unlock, he looked towards it as it opened. A man stood in his doorway, it wasn''t him but something close.

    "Why are you here?" Galtz said. "How can you be here?!?"

    "Ah, ah, ah," They said. "You just saw too much,"

    "Was that?" Galtz said. "You didn''t... Did you..."

    "Do you like it?" They said. "What I have made?"

    "You don''t seriously think you can?" Galtz said.

    "Oh, I can," They said. "And I will, you would get to see if you just kept to yourself,"

    Galtz stared at the man for a moment before jumping up from his chair and charging the man. He took three steps before he suddenly fell to the ground, he looked to his legs which had simply vanished. He glared at the man.

    "You bastard!" Galtz said. "You should have stayed away!"

    "Now where''s the story in that?" They said. "Sayonara, Galtz,"

    The man wrote something in a notebook and Galtz''s felt as his body began to disappear. Galtz stared the man down, anger burning in his eyes.

    "You won''t get away with this!" Galtz said. "You hear me Wr-"

    His voice left him as he tried to speak the name.

    "Don''t spoil everything just yet," They said. "Not that you could even if you wanted,"

    As Galtz was finally about to fully vanish he watched as the man flipped up one of the floorboards and left a single sheet of paper then put them back just as they were. Galtz wanted to say one more curse but nothing came. He closed his eyes as everything faded into nothingness around him.

    This place, Shale, had been horrible to him. He hoped and prayed that some other god would reach between realities and tear him from this place, let him be Reborn somewhere kinder. No such help ever came though, there was only silence punctuated by the occasional ring of a typewriter.

 Chapter .

    "You know stories are such strange things," He said. "You can never quite tell where they are going,"

    He closed the notebook in his hand and looked down at the funeral. Many important figures were gathered here for the funeral of a man who had done so much.

    "A shame what had to happen," He said. "That in the end he won''t see everything that''s coming, he would have had such an... Interesting reaction,"

    "Then why''d you kill him?" Ma said.

    He looked back at Ma. Their vaguely human form with cracked skin that looked in constant decay stared at Him.

    "Of course Entropy wouldn''t understand," He said. "You Personifications never quite understood everything that was needed,"

    "I am trying to understand what led you to this course of action," Ma said. "Is that such a bad thing?"

    "No but you''d never come to understand anything," He said. "You''re too different from men to truly understand them,"

    "Like you are any better," Ma said. "You still have humanity in you,"

    "I am still quite human," He said. "And that''s why i''ll get what I want meanwhile you will continue to exist as you always have,"

    "Why don''t you just do what you want then?" Ma said. "Are there any who could stop you?"

    He sighed, of course the Personification couldn''t understand.

    "There''s no fun in a story that skips to the end," He said. "There must be careful preparation if this is to be good,"

    "You''re just like Him," Ma said.

    He glared at Ma.

    "I am nothing like Him," he said. "Do not compare to such a monster,"

    "Is it so nice to call the source of your power such things?" Ma said. "You are an Arbeross of Him,"

    "Just because I can draw power from Him does not make me like Him," He said. "He''s a monster masquerading as a God,"

    "You say such rude things about my creator," Ma said. "I''m half-tempted to kill you,"

    "You could certainly try," He said. "But we know how that would end,"

    "That we do," Ma said.

    He watched as people gave speeches and cried for Galtz, poor Galtz. Who was dragged into this world against his own will, He still remembered the day Galtz was Reborn.

    <hr>

    To say Galtz had lived a good life would be incorrect. Sure he had helped his community and created many good things but he was a gangster, a man who did such evil while masquerading as good. It was likely the news of his city would say that a local philanthropist died in a terrible act of violence and sweep under the rug the most unsavory aspects of his life, those in future would not be so kind however. For all he had done none would truly forgive his crimes, some can try to justify them by his hard upbringing and the company he kept but there was still an understanding that what he had done was evil. The only question that they could truly ask was, if his evil was better than someone else''s.

    Galtz stared down at his own lifeless body, he saw the blood draining from it. His body tried to breathe yet it only choked as his lungs filled with blood, the dozen bullet holes that peppered his body killed any hope of being saved. He looked over to his killers, some of his own men paid off to lead him to somewhere secluded and gun him down. They grew blurrier and blurrier with every passing second. This couldn''t be where he died, it couldn''t be. He tried to force his way back into his body, to fight with everything he had to rise to life for even a second more but he couldn''t. It began to grow more and more distant.

    As the world finally faded into darkness he floated almost like he was deep in a pool, everything was so calm. Then he began to hear something and felt a tug. He heard chanting in some horrid tongue and the terrible snare of drums, he looked behind him and could see a hole opening to somewhere terrible. A gate that opened to a realm of brimstone and pain, Hell. He tried to swim away but he felt pulled ever closer, he reached out desperately to be forgiven. To go somewhere else yet he could hear no heavenly choir, he was doomed. As he finally gave in and his arm went limp he drifted ever closer, he closed his eyes and waited yet then something happened. He felt like he was being pulled somewhere else.

    He felt a horrible tearing like something was trying to rend his soul apart, he wanted to scream but no sound escaped. It felt like something was picking him apart piece by piece and putting him back together. His body tried to draw in breath yet nothing came, he clenched his eyes shut tighter. He had to ignore it all, he had to-

    Suddenly he could breathe again, he drew in sharp breaths and fell to his hands and knees. Despite being on his hands and knees he felt no ground, as he caught his breath he opened one eye.

    He appeared floating above a massive desk with a stack of papers below, around it were bookshelves that seemed to go onwards into eternity. At the desk sat a Man Woman Entity Demon Author. This Creature Author wore a robe of strange color that hurt his mind to look at and the only visible parts of its body was the hands and face which seemed to shift whenever he blinked or looked away like his mind was projecting a human face onto this Being Author because his mind couldn''t accept the truth of the thing. This Anomaly Author seemed to be typing away at a typewriter lined with strange letters, It The Author slid the carriage of the typewriter once more and placed the piece of paper on the top of the stack below Galtz. Galtz looked down at it and saw a horrifying truth, the exactness of all he had felt in those last minutes of life written in painstaking detail in a tongue he didn''t read yet understood. This Devil Author then carefully bound the papers into a leather book and placed it into the shelves, as he stared at this book and the ones around it he saw flashes of people''s lives, his and others. He wanted to ask so many questions yet he couldn''t find the words to speak. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    This God Author then sat back down and turned to Galtz and waved a hand, the paralyzing fear that had gripped him seemed to melt away like ice on a warm spring day.

    "Now if you''re done admiring my work" The Author had said.

    "What are you?" Galtz had said. "Where am i?"

    "Where are my manners" The Author had said. "I am The Author and you are soon to be in Shale"

    "What is Shale?" Galtz had said. "Are you the Devil? Is this my eternal punishment?"

    The Author seemed to chuckle to himself.

    "You''re in my realm now, not the one you came from" The Author had said. "Now if you don''t mind i''d like to get to the questions"

    "What questions?" Galtz had said.

    The Author picked up an empty piece of paper and a quill pen then wrote a few things on it in that strange flowing language that the books were written in.

    "Now, do answer truthfully" The Author had said. "It will make it a lot easier for both of us"

    The Author then wrote another line on the paper.

    "What is your greatest fear?" The Author had said.

    Something creeped into Galtz''s mind, the memory of every single thing in his life that scared him. He remembered when the dark scared him as a child to the endless paranoia of his later years. All of it assailed him at once and his body began to feel hot, his breathing accelerated and his heart beat faster. Why did Fear itself scare him so much? He had become so unafraid of anything that now the very idea of being afraid of something scared him.

    "An interesting choice" The Author had said. "And would you like to Embrace this fear, Understand this fear, Change this fear or to Overcome this fear?"

    His mind raced, what did this mean? What was the meaning behind these choices? Was there meaning? He had to know.

    "What would Embrace mean-" Galtz had said.

    "Good choice" The Author had said.

    Before he could react the Apparition Author wrote something down, folded the piece of paper and stuck it into Galtz''s chest. He felt his body twisting and changing and he swore he felt some hungry fearful entity latched onto his soul.

    "Do so, enjoy Shale" The Author had said. "I have written quite the tale"

    With a snap of their ever-changing fingers Galtz was cast into darkness and felt himself falling. In fact it almost felt like he was drowning.

    <hr>

    He chuckled slightly as he recalled the Rebirth, so many Reborn ended up the same way. One would think in all of infinity there would be so many who could understand what was happening. Of course his wasn''t much better but he had learned much more than most.

    "Finally out of your little world?" Ma said. "What''s next?"

    "We begin the next part of the plan," He said. "There''s still so much that needs done,"

    He took a deep breath in and looked into the blue sky, it reminded him of home. If only, after all these millennia, he could remember more about it. He slid a hand into his pocket for his pen then stopped and glanced at Ma.

    "Head on without me," He said. "Someone''s here to see me,"

    "I can''t continue your plan without you," Ma said.

    "I''ll only be a minute," He said.

    Ma glared at him, he didn''t like that a Reborn ordered him around but he complied. His form decayed into dust on the wind, it would reform where he wanted it. After all, Entropy was everywhere. He turned around and faced the door to the roof, it opened a few seconds later and an old friend stepped through. He was dressed in grey robes with a single bit of fabric hanging from his waist giving a streak of purple, he had ten rings of Fearstone with one banded in gold. His skin was petrified and smooth with cracks around his grey eyes revealing dark skin beneath.

    "Tages," He said. "Just in time, I was about to leave. I see you still have the ring, does that mean you''re back with Ueki or are you still running from her?"

    "Why are you here?" Tages said. "You should be dead,"

    "That''s quite rude, you know," He said. "I came here to see the funeral of our good friend and you insult me,"

    "It was you who caused his death," Tages said. "Did you think I wouldn��t notice that his body was remade by you?"

    "Not my best work," He said. "But it worked well enough,"

    "That still does not answer my question," Tages said. "Why are you here?"

    "Just coming to see how things are," He said. "I don''t see the little Archon here, where is he?"

    "That is none of your business," Tages said.

    "It is quite my business," He said. "I am worried for the little guy,"

    "He is an adult," Tages said. "Despite his immaturity,"

    "Ah, yes," He said. "The youth, always such hard things to control,"

    "They are not to be controlled," Tages said. "Just guided along the right path,"

    "Sometimes that can''t be done," He said. "And when that comes you need more... Forceful measures,"

    "What are your plans with Arnimos?" Tages said. "Tell me or i will Destroy your Dichotomy,"

    He lightly laughed to himself then sighed.

    "We both know you aren''t strong enough for that," He said. "We could fight if you''d like but i don''t think you want that,"

    Tages grabbed the Fear-Made weapon at his hip, He grew a small smile.

    "Do you want to try this, Tages?" He said. "Or would you rather I just leave and this city be left on the map?"

    He and Tages stared at each other for a moment before Tages relented.

    "Do not return to this place again," Tages said.

    "You couldn''t stop me if I wanted to," He said. "Now i will be going, there is just so much to do,"

    He drew out a folded piece of paper in his pocket and unfolded it then looked at Tages before reading it.

    "Do say hi to Ueki for me," He said. "She does know you are here,"

    "And I''m assuming it was you who told her," Tages said.

    "I just want you two to make up," He said. "You know, between friends,"

    "We aren''t friends," Tages said. "Not anymore. Now leave,"

    "Always so rude," He said. "Toodeloo,"

    He read the Page and vanished from sight leaving Tages alone on the roof. Tages stood alone on the roof for a moment before turning around and leaving back to the funeral, there was certainly much that must be done in the upcoming days.

 Chapter 6

    Arnimos laid on the cold stone staring up at the night sky, he could see stars hanging overhead. Ursa Major, Ursa Minor, Orion, constellations that showed only here in Elysium. He stared up watching as the stars faintly glimmered in the night. He closed his eyes and listened to the world around him. He could hear the faint wound of the wind blowing over him and the silent chirp of insects.

    For some reason not long after arriving home from speaking to Galtz his father had sent him out to get some experience on the battlefield, apparently some raiders from the Barrens had been hitting the outlying villages that supported the city. 2 dozen men set out from the city to a fortified manor that would act as their staging ground. Among these people were also Hilmas, Milhas and Ronja who Arnimos had recruited so he wouldn''t be alone, he had wanted to get Filk-Kij but his job got in the way of that.

    He glanced at the world around him. A handful of lanterns sat on the edge of this roof driving away shadows, below a team of men watched and patrolled the grounds. He glanced over to where the Gallorend, a species of Shalbross, which they had been riding, were tied up. They looked like "horses", some animal from the worlds of some Reborn. They stood on four legs and had strange metallic grey hides that shimmered in the light. On their necks they had crystals formed like a mane that pulsed faintly with purplish energy, their eyes were as dark as Night himself and their mouths split unnaturally wide to reveal jagged crystalline teeth that emitted a soft, unsettling hum. At the end of their legs were clawed hooves that allowed them to tackle even the roughest terrain. Gallorend were rare beasts though and, including the 2 dozen here, their city only had 130, enough for a company, more than most other cities, but still not many.

    He heard echoing footsteps from the stairs, he glanced over and saw Ronja appear dressed in a simple uniform. She approached him and sat beside him.

    "Whatcha doing out here all alone?" Ronja said. "Trying to get Night to take ya?"

    "Just watching the stars," Arnimos said.

    "Don''t understand what people find so good about them," Ronja said. "They aren''t even natural to Shale, some Reborn made them ages ago when they first crafted Elysium,"

    "Maybe," Arnimos said. "Doesn''t change that I find them beautiful,"

    The two stayed in silence for a brief few moments.

    "Why did you agree to come with me?" Arnimos said. "You didn''t have to,"

    "Trying to abandon me, Arnimos?" Ronja said. "And i thought you were a gentlemen,"

    "Not like that," Arnimos said. "I mean, why did you agree to join this mission?"

    "Because I wanted to," Ronja said. "Do I need another reason?"

    "I suppose not," Arnimos said. "Just wanted to know,"

    "What about you?" Ronja said. "Why did you choose to invite me?"

    "Because you''re someone I can trust," Arnimos said. "I know you''ve got my back,"

    "Trying to butter me up now?" Ronja said. "You''re quite the devilish man,"

    "Is it working?" Arnimos said.

    "Quite," Ronja said.

    "Then I''ve done my job," Arnimos said.

    The two remained in silence for many minutes more watching the stars overhead, Arnimos began to drift off to sleep as time kept passing until he fully faded into unconsciousness.

    He awoke alone on the stone roof with the sun shining directly into his eyes, he shielded them with his hand as he sat up and looked around. He could see the men getting ready in the courtyard below and heard the bell ring once, a squad was departing towards the village on a normal patrol. He was supposed to be in it.

    Arnimos shot up and rushed down from the roof where he encountered the leader of this group of soldiers, Lieutenant Kalis-Fijki. A tall Taniberas man who had served as a mercenary in many conflicts until taking up a position in their city''s small military. Arnimos stopped as he saw the man.

    "Prince," Kalis-Fijki said. "You are going to be late,"

    "I''m sorry," Arnimos said.

    "And I noticed you were not in your quarters during the night," Kalis-Fijki said.

    "I was not," Arnimos said.

    "That is a violation of regulation," Kalis-Fijki said. "I will speak to you later, arm up and ready for your patrol,"

    Arnimos jogged past Kalis-Fijki and went to his private quarters, they were spacious and had nice living arrangements. As well in them were two things given to him by his father, a set of Fear-Made armor and a Fear-Made weapon. The weapon looked like a hammer crafted of pure silver, his father told him that it could strike man up to 3 dozen feet away and hit up to 5 men at once. The armor looked like a normal breastplate but as a Fear-Made piece of armor it was far more durable to conventional attack however, like all things, it could not stop Fear-Made weapons.

    He slipped on the armor, which was far lighter than a breastplate of its size should be, and picked up the hammer, which was far heavier then something its size should be. He hoisted the hammer up and attached it to his hip. He rushed out of his room and down to the courtyard.

    The other men on patrol were already in their armor and uniforms with their spears and sabers ready. Arnimos rushed over and hopped onto the back of his Gallorend and placed a hand on the reins. He felt a strange connection to the beast form as he grabbed them, it felt like their minds became closer. He patted it once on the side of its neck and went into formation. He was placed just behind the sergeant in command of the squad. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    "OPEN THE GATE!" The sergeant yelled.

    The large reinforced gate on the manor swung open and the men rode out. As they got onto the path leading to the village they fanned out slightly, the main group had 6 riders, including Arnimos, and would head towards the village while the other two groups of 3 riders each would patrol and check the surrounding areas. As they rode fast towards the village Arnimos found himself fighting in his mind to keep the Gallorend controlled, it desired to run freely and quickly as fast as it could where it pleased and had to be cowed to be kept under control.

    As they approached the village they slowed down to a trot and entered. The main road was lined with houses, a tavern, a church and a shop, in the center of town was a large bustling marketplace. The sergeant halted the riders and turned back to them.

    "Split into groups of two and patrol the town," The sergeant said. "Help any townsfolk who need it,"

    "Aye sir," The men said.

    The sergeant looked towards Arnimos.

    "You''re coming with me, Prince," The sergeant said. "Now, Disperse!"

    With that command they all split off around the town leaving the sergeant and Arnimos there at the entrance. The sergeant went over to a nearby post, dismounted and tied up his Gallorend.

    "Prince," The sergeant said. "Leave your Gallorend here, we''ll return for them later,"

    "You can just call me Arnimos," Arnimos said.

    "It is not befitting a man of your station," The sergeant said. "But if such is royal command then I shall,"

    "And why do we leave our Gallorend here?" Arnimos said.

    "We will have no need for them," The sergeant said. "Now with me, we can''t wait up,"

    Arnimos dismounted and tied up his Gallorend, the creature watched him with its dark eyes as he did so. He felt a strange shiver as he turned and followed after the sergeant. As they walked through the town people looked at them, mainly Arnimos with his unnatural armor and weapon. The sergeant walked until he arrived at the door to the church. He pushed them open and entered.

    The inside had a single red carpet running up the center to an altar, pews lined each wall though all were empty. At the front stood an old Luxicon man in grey robes, he had a small obsidian skull hanging from his neck. A sign of the worshippers of Nexeithos, Personification of Religion.

    "What are we-" Arnimos said.

    The sergeant raised a hand to silence him.

    "I have brought more helping hands for today," The sergeant said. "What do your people need?"

    The old man spoke in a voice so quiet and frail one could believe that the wind may carry him away.

    "We need to bring in the harvest, to build new fences," The old man said. "And to find a child which has gone missing, men say that Shalbross have taken her,"

    "I understand," The sergeant said. "I shall have my men do what they can,"

    "I thank you for your help, kind sir," The old man said. "May Nexeithos bless you,"

    "And you," The sergeant said.

    He then turned and left Arnimos following shortly behind.

    "What was that?" Arnimos said. "We''re here to fight bandits aren''t we? Why aren''t we hunting them?"

    "It is hard to track men through the Barrens," The sergeant said. "We''ll wait for them to show themselves and strike then,"

    "So we''ll be helping the townsfolk until then?" Arnimos said. "What will I be doing? Hunting the Shalbross who kidnapped a child?"

    "You will be," The sergeant said. "Using that hammer to help lay fences,"

    "Oh, this is gonna be..." Arnimos looked at the sergeant. "What?"

    "That hammer''s abilities will make it very easy to help lay fencing," The sergeant said. "So i''ll have you and 2 others go and help farmers lay some more fences,"

    "Wouldn''t I be better to help with the Shalbross?" Arnimos said. "I mean I have the-"

    "It is unlikely that it is Shalbross that have taken her," The sergeant said. "They are likely blaming anything on Shalbross, the child probably just got lost in some nearby woods and i''ll just send some men to help search,"

    "So instead I have to lay fences?" Arnimos said.

    "A soldier must serve the people," The sergeant said.

    Arnimos sighed, he had hoped to have something interesting happen.

    "Where should I go then?" Arnimos said.

    "I''ll collect another group," The sergeant said. "Find some farmers who need help then send you off, so remain here for now,"

    Arnimos sat on the steps to the church as the sergeant ran off. He looked around at the handful of people walking the streets and the carts packed with goods that ever so often passed through.

    "You look quite sad," A voice said. "Were you hoping for something more?"

    Arnimos glanced back and saw the old priest standing behind him, the old man took a seat next to Arnimos.

    "You''re the son of a Lord, aren''t you?" The old man said. "Did you come seeking adventure?"

    "I was sent here, I had hoped something interesting would happen," Arnimos said.

    "I''m afraid most places are quite boring," The old man said. "Our neck of the woods is normally all quiet, without these bandits marauding about nothing would ever really happen in this town,"

    "Does it ever get stale?" Arnimos said. "Having nothing to do?"

    "You learn to live with it," The old man said. "Some are given a life packed with things but most get perhaps only one or two big events in their life,"

    "What about the child?" Arnimos said. "Surely there must be Shalbross-"

    "I''m afraid there has not been Shalbross here in generations," The old man said. "And I find it unlikely a roving group of them kidnapped a small child from our little village, she is likely just lost in the woods. She''ll be found and everything will go back to normal,"

    They sat on the church steps for a few minutes more until the sergeant came back with two more men then sent all three of them to a farm near the edge of town. It was a small farm with a house, a barn and a shed surrounded by fields of grown wheat. Many fences here were looking old and in need of repair. The farmer and his 3 sons helped the soldiers as they began their work.

    Arnimos used his Fear-Made hammer, which destroyed conventional objects easily, to help remove each post and fix up the hole. Despite his Fear-Made weapon the work was still tiring as he bashed into the air again and again to help. After many hours of this this small farm with small fields around it had a new fence, the farmers offered the soldiers food which they accepted. They ate the meal, it tasted much better than the blander food that the soldiers typically quickly made and it was likely his hunger which Arnimos like it. After enjoying a home-cooked meal the soldiers left, met up with the rest of their squad and headed back to the fortified manor.

    Arnimos went to his quarters and took off the armor and placed the weapon down, he then collapsed onto his bed. He wanted so desperately to sleep. As he began to close his eyes his door swung open revealing Kalis-Fijki stood with a stern expression.

    It was going to be a long night.

 Chapter 7

    Hijki-Kal awoke as the sun streamed through her small window and bathed the room in golden light. She sat up and looked outside the window seeing the fields of wheat waving lazily in the wind, she felt it was going to be a good day. She rose from her bed and dressed in her simple clothes, it was a long gown with a sleeveless tunic all colored a mute blue. She did her hair up in a bun so it wouldn''t get in her face and looked at herself in the small mirror her mother bought some number of years ago from a passing Reborn. She looked at herself in the mirror seeing her smooth skin and slightly pointed ears, from her Luxicon side, and her color changing eyes which went from purple to red to gray and finally back to green only to repeat again. Her race was called Judges, the merging of Tyross and Luxicon, but she never really cared for that, she never learned much about her Dichotomy.

    She finished making herself look nice and went into the main room of their home, she smelt the pleasant aroma of the freshly cooked meal wafting through the house. She took a seat at the table, beside her youngest brother who was already seated, and waited to be served. As she sat down the front door opened and her father and two older brothers entered, they were likely feeding and checking in on livestock. They each sat around the table as her mother then gave each of them their food, it was a simple bread, porridge, some vegetables and cheeses as well as a small amount of meat from freshly slaughtered animals.

    Hijki-Kal and the family said a quick prayer to Nexeithos then ate, the food had little taste but filled their stomachs quite well. After they finished eating Hijki-Kal and her mother cleaned up as her father and her two older brothers went back out to the fields, her younger brother rushed off to go play with some of his friends from neighboring farms. As they cleaned the house her mother spoke.

    "Did you hear that Tul''s daughter is getting married," Her mother said.

    "To who?" Hijki-Kal asked.

    "I heard that it was to the new blacksmith who arrived in town," Her mother said. "Quite the strange pairing,"

    "I had expected her to marry Ruji-Luhk," Hijki-Kal said. "They seemed quite inseparable,"

    "Alas things always change," Her mother said. "It''s not too late for you to find a husband you know,"

    Hijki-Kal grimaced slightly as she spoke, she wanted to avoid talking about such things. She would have to change the subject.

    "I hear bandits have been marauding in nearby villages," Hijki-Kal said.

    "A dreadful thing," Her mother said. "May Nexeithos bless those affected,"

    "Do you think they''ll come here?" Hijki-Kal said.

    "I don''t think so," Her mother said. "Not with how many of the lords soldiers are near here, they even say his son is among them,"

    Her mother looked at Hijki-Kal.

    "You know their son is also quite young," Her mother said. "And he''s an Archon, you always could-"

    "Maybe," Hijki-Kal said. "But would you look at that, I just remembered I have to run some food down to the church. I''ll be back in a bit!"

    Hijki-Kal rushed out of the house before her mother could say anything. When would she stop asking? She made her way over to where a hand cart was and packed it with the food they were to donate then headed off. She walked down the dirt paths between fields towards the village, she passed more men harvesting their grain from the fields. She walked there just looking at the sky and daydreaming about a thousand things. She was so focused that she didn''t notice when a wheel caught a snag and nearly tripped her.

    She caught herself and looked back, one of the wheels had lodged into the ground. She tugged on it a bit harder but it wouldn''t bug her so she let go of it and crouched down. Some mud from a recent rain had sucked it in and it didn''t look like it would be easily taken out. As she pondered what to do she heard walking behind her, she looked over her shoulders and saw 3 men. Two were dressed like typical soldiers while one was wearing an unnatural looking breastplate and had a hammer that looked to be made of obsidian. The other two had the dark skin and red eyes of a Taniberas but not him. He had smooth skin with patches of the dark earthen skin and his eyes shifted in color much like hers, either this was a dream or an honest to god Archon was approaching her. One of the soldiers spoke up.

    "Excuse me miss," They said. "Do you need help?"

    "Uh- Um- Y-yeah," Hijki-Kal stammered out. "My cart got stuck,"

    "We''ll get it out right quick," They said. "Prince, could could break out some of the mud while we drag it,"

    "No problem," The prince said.

    By Nexeithos, it really was the prince. He was standing right here before her and was helping get her cart unstuck, it felt unreal. She stepped aside as the two soldiers grabbed the cart and began to drag it, the prince drew out the strange hammer he wore and struck the air. The mud sucking on the wheel was destroyed and after a few minutes of work they dragged the cart free.

    "There you go, miss," A soldier said. "Do you need anything else?"

    "No, that will be all-" Hijki-Kal said.

    "This looks like a lot for someone to carry," The other soldier said. "Arnimos, why don''t you help her get this where it needs going,"

    "Beats breaking my back fencing," The prince, Arnimos, said.

    "You''ll be back to it once it''s all done up," A soldier said.

    "At least it''s a bit of a break," The prince said.

    "We''ll be getting back to it then," A soldier said. "Join up with us at the Kal household once you''re done,"

    That''s her household, the prince was coming to her household. She didn''t know what to feel. The two soldiers walked down the road towards her house and the prince stood there beside her cart.

    "Lead the way," The prince said.

    "You don''t need to follow me," Hijki-Kal said. "I can get there myself,"

    "It''s a good chance for a break," The prince said. "And just call me Arnimos,"

    "Understood lord- I mean Arnimos," Hijki-Kal said.

    She grabbed the cart and began towards the town once more, she was on a first name basis with a prince now. This was not how she expected her day to go. After another half hour of trekking she arrived in the village and made her way to a side door of the church. She knocked on it and Father Gulmast opened the door.

    "Ah, Hijki-Kal, good to see you," Gulmast said. "And you Lord Arnimos, have you come to deliver food for the poor?"

    "Yes, Father," Hijki-Kal said. "We have much for them,"

    "Then please begin bringing it in," Gulmast said. "I would help but my body is far too old to be of assistance,"

    "Of course Father," Hijki-Kal said.

    She carried in bundles of food and placed them in a storage area, she was surprised to see Arnimos doing it as well. There was much she did not expect that she saw today. As the last thing was brought inside she took a seat outside on a small bench, Arnimos was still inside likely talking to Father Gulmast. She took a deep breath and looked up to the sky. As she thought her mind drifted until she was rudely drawn back to reality by a gaggle of men. They were older than her, some over double her age, and they reeked of alcohol despite it being the early morning.

    "Whatcha doin'' out here hich beautiful," A drunk said. "Lookin'' for a real hich"

    They began to get uncomfortably close, she rose from the bench and tried to back away but they were surrounding her on all sides.

    "Why you trying to run," A drunk said. "You scared of-"

    The world went silent then for a moment as they all felt their Dichotomies, things that typically rested and never awoke suddenly come to life in fear. For what was likely one of the few times in their life they felt Dichotomy Energy permeate their bodies, some terrible had spooked them. The drunks were all looking somewhere and as she followed their eyes she saw Arnimos standing in the doorway to the church, his eyes had stabilized on a purple that glowed brilliantly. The hammer in his hand seemed primed to strike as he stared at all of them. She was feeling the power of an Archon.

    "Step away from her," Arnimos said. "Now!"

    Their bodies moved both from their conscious effort and their Dichotomies trying to run, the group of drunks fled as quickly as they could, tripping and stumbling as they did so. Arnimos approached her, she stood in silent awe. He seemed regal as his body was infused with energy which was now dying down, his eyes stopped glowing and went back to switching colors. He put the hammer back on his hip.

    "Are you okay?" Arnimos said. "Did they do anything to you?"

    "No, I-I''m good," Hijki-Kal said. "J-J-Just fine actually,"

    She was not fine, her heart was racing. She had just been saved by a prince, was this a fairytale? Was she dreaming? She shook these thoughts from her mind. He was likely just a good person, nothing else. Not like a prince would marry a commoner, that only happened in fairytales.

    "Do you want me to walk you home?" Arnimos said. "I can, though you''ll need to give me directions to the Kal family so i can go to them afterwards,"

    "Yeah, sure," Hijki-Kal said. "I''d like it if you could lead me home,"

    "Then let''s get going," Arnimos said. "Unless you have other business in town?"

    "Actually then," Hijki-Kal said. "Can you wait here, there''s someone I want to go speak to,"

    "Take all the time you need," Arnimos said.

    "Thank you," Hijki-Kal said.

    She rushed off towards the tavern in the town, she had to speak to someone about this. She entered it to see it devoid of life beside the old tavern keep, a friend of her fathers, and her good friend Hjahlar, a barmaid. She walked up to Hjahlar and grabbed her by the arm then shouted over to the tavern keep.

    "I need to steal her for a bit!" Hijki-Kal said. "Thank you very much!"

    She dragged Hjahlar to a table in the corner and sat down.

    "So what is it this time?" Hjahlar said. "A new suitor or?"

    "I met the prince and he was really kind and now I want to get to know him but I don''t know if it''s proper or what i''m supposed to be doing or-" Hijki-Kal said, not taking a breath.

    "Slow down there," Hjahlar said. "I can''t help you if i can''t understand you, say that one more time,"

    "I met the prince and he was really nice," Hijki-Kal said. "And now I wanna get to know him more,"

    "Going after the prince," Hjahlar said. "You really do have your sights aimed high,"

    "Do you think I should?" Hijki-Kal said. "What should I do?"

    Hjahlar shrugged her shoulders.

    "Whatever feels right I guess," Hjahlar said. "I don''t know nothing about prince so I can''t help ya, I need to be getting back to work though,"

    "But there''s no people here," Hijki-Kal said.

    "That''s exactly why," Hjahlar said. "Talk to you later,"

    Hjahlar stood and went into the back of the tavern leaving Hijki-Kal alone at the table. As she sat there alone for a second then the tavern keep walked up and took the seat across from her, he sipped some ale from a large mug.

    "You''re lucky we''ve got no patrons," The tavern keep said. "Or i''d whoop ya for stealing my staff,"

    "I''m sorry," Hijki-Kal said. "I just needed some advice,"

    "Boy trouble?" The tavern keep said.

    "In a sense," Hijki-Kal said.

    "Just be who ya are," The tavern keep said. "If he likes ya for it then good for you, if not then he never deserved you,"

    The tavern keep took a big gulp from his mug.

    "Now then, get along to that boy before someone else takes him," The tavern keep said. "And if you''re gonna steal my staff again, at least buy something next time,"

    "I will, thanks for your advice," Hijki-Kal said.

    "Anytime," The tavern keeper said. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    She rose from the table and headed back to the church where Arnimos was patiently waiting.

    "Terribly sorry," Hijki-Kal said. "Let''s get going,"

    "No problem," Arnimos said.

    She grabbed the cart and they were off. They walked back down the same dirt path towards her home, she glanced over at him intermittently. As she looked closer she could see faint bruises on his skin. Training? Did he get in a fight? As she stared at him he then glanced at her, she averted her gaze quickly begging internally that he wouldn''t think she was weird. He opened his mouth to speak. Oh Nexeithos, he was going to say something terrible about her. She braced herself.

    "What''s your name?" Arnimos said.

    Huh? What did he mean? Is this some form of strange insult?

    "What do you mean?" Hijki-Kal said.

    "I mean you never introduced yourself," Arnimos said. "So what''s your name?"

    She cursed herself silently, she had never introduced herself.

    "I''m Hijki-Kal," Hijki-Kal said. "Daughter of Tulmar-Kal,"

    Arnimos nodded silently then a second later it clicked in his head.

    "We were going to your house?" Arnimos said. "Why didn''t you say anything?"

    "I didn''t think it that important," Hijki-Kal said.

    "Made me worried about getting lost for no reason," Arnimos said.

    Oh Nexeithos, why hadn''t she said anything? Was something going to be wrong now? Was he going to like her less? These thoughts troubled her as they arrived back at the farm. She saw her father and brothers setting up new fences with the help of the soldiers.

    "Suppose it''s time to get back to working," Arnimos said. "I''ll talk to you later,"

    "T-Talk to you later," Hijki-Kal said.

    Arnimos went over to the other men and helped replace a fence post, she brought the hand cart back to its spot then went inside. Her mother was inside sewing up a hole in one of her brother''s shirts, Hijki-Kal fell into a chair beside her.

    "How was your trip into town?" Her mother said. "Did Father Gulmast have any news?"

    "No, the trip was uneventful," Hijki-Kal said.

    "Is that why your face is a bit red?" Her mother said.

    She placed her hand on her face, it was warm. It was likely partially obscured by her petrified skin but he had to have noticed.

    "It was just a bit hot," Hijki-Kal said.

    "Must have been real hot getting escorted by a prince," Her mother said.

    Of course she had heard, the soldiers had come here after all. Of course she would know.

    "He is quite the pretty one," Her mother said. "I can see why,"

    "It''s not like that," Hijki-Kal said.

    "Oh, of course not," Her mother said. "No can you fetch some more fabric, we need to make new clothes for Rulist he''s growing up so fast,"

    She went out and grabbed some more fabric then went inside and spent the rest of her day helping her mother fix and make new clothes. Once it began to get dark her mother went and lit each lantern at the edge of the property then prepared a meal, it seemed much larger than usual. Hijki-Kal helped prepare some of the meats and vegetables. As they finished up her mother leaned up the door and yelled to the men that food was ready. Hijki-Kal had just started portioning out the food when she realized there were three extra spots set out. It took her a moment to realize.

    Her younger brother, arriving home a bit before sundown from some friend, sat down first followed by her brothers and father then by the soldiers and Arnimos. Hijki-Kal and her mother finished divvying out food and took a seat, her mother gave a sly grin as she took a spot. Hijki-Kal then realized the only spot was next to Arnimos, she shot her mother a glance who just looked back at her with a knowing glance. She cursed her silently as she sat down.

    They said a quick prayer to Nexeithos before beginning to eat.

    "I hope this isn''t too rude, prince but-" Her mother said.

    "Just call me Arnimos," Arnimos said.

    "Well then Arnimos," Her mother said. "What''s it like being a prince?"

    "A lot of work," Arnimos said. "Training, studying, all the like,"

    "That must not leave you much time for suitors," Her mother said.

    "My father has not yet accepted any offer of courtship for me," Arnimos said.

    "How will you ever find a good woman that way?" Her mother said.

    "I think I''ll find one in the end," Arnimos said. "No need to worry,"

    Her mother grew an even more devilish grin.

    "You''re right," Her mother said. "But what if you already had a willing suitor?"

    Her mother winked at Hijki-Kal, she wasn''t going to-

    "I suppose if I got to know them," Arnimos said. "And I liked them then it would be fine,"

    "Good to know,"

    The rest of the dinner was uneventful and once they were finished the soldiers packed up and prepared to leave. Her mother approached her.

    "Did you hear that? He might be interested," Her mother said. "You should demand her take you out as soon as possible, that''s what I did with your father,"

    "But-" Hijki-Kal said.

    "No buts," Her mother said. "Go ask or so help me there will be hell to pay,"

    Her mother practically pushed her out the door, she saw the three beginning to walk down the road away.

    "Hey..." Hijki-Kal said, weakly.

    They didn''t hear her. She summoned up her courage.

    "Hey!" Hijki-Kal yelled.

    They stopped and looked back at her.

    "Arnimos! Come here!" Hijki-Kal said.

    The two soldiers nudged Arnimos a bit who waved them off and walked up to her.

    "What did you need?" Arnimos said.

    She glanced back through a window and saw her mother watching her. She took a deep breath in.

    "When are you free?" Hijki-Kal said.

    She soon realized she just might have been too forward.

    "I mean, you''re new to town and everything so i thought i''d show you around and-" Hijki-Kal stammered out.

    Arnimos grew a small grin.

    "I''ll be free three days from now," Arnimos said. "You can show me around then,"

    He had given her an answer, this was great. She felt giddy.

    "All right, three days then," Hijki-Kal said. "And i''ll show you everything this town has too offer,"

    "It''s a deal then," Arnimos said. "I''ll see you then,"

    Arnimos jogged off to meet up with the soldiers, and she had a date with a prince. She had a hard time sleeping that night, so excited she was.

    <hr>

    She awoke the next morning with a spring in her step, she ate with an alacrity unseen and finished her chores in record time all so she could go into town and get everything prepared she could. She moved so fast she nearly tripped many times as she arrived back in town.

    She went to the small general store on the main road to the town and entered. It was a cramped and dusty old place, much less vibrant and far more quiet then the market place. Various baubles lined its shelves and it was designed quite strangely, its shelves were placed more like rows of carefully cultivated grapes rather than the typical layout one would expect. A result of how the owner was, he was a Reborn who made the store similar to the ones from his home.

    She looked around the shelves seeing various things that were rare to see anywhere else. Mirrors, high-quality fabric, imported foodstuffs and a large selection of books. She browsed the aisles for a bit until she came upon the clothing section, she found a vibrant blue dress and picked it up. She took and tried it on but it was too big, she stepped out saddened only to see the shop owner. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked at the man, he was always unsettling to see.

    "Is something the matter?" He said.

    He looked to be in his 30s and was completely bald but it was not that which scared her, it was his features. He had 8 eyes grouped together like a spider as well as 4 large spider-like legs jutting out of his back.

    "Um- Y-Yeah," Hijki-Kal said. "The dress is too big,"

    "That just won''t do," He said. "Give it to me,"

    She handed over the dress which he examined as two of the spider-like legs on his back tapped along its surface.

    "I''ll resize it," He said. "Come by tomorrow,"

    "Th-Thank you," Hijki-Kal said. "I mean you don''t-"

    "Oh, of course I do," He said. "Now is there anything else?"

    "No, that will be all," Hijki-Kal said. "How much do I owe?"

    The man seems to take a moment to think.

    "Tell your mother to bring some sweets to the store," He said. "I''ll consider that good enough,"

    "Thank you so much," Hijki-Kal said.

    She gave him a hug before waving goodbye and leaving, now she had the proper clothes. She now needed to figure out some more things to do. As she walked through the town she saw the beginnings of stalls being set up, how did she not realize it was this time of year. It was time for the harvest festival, there would be a lot to do. They could spend time at the festival most the day then go somewhere for the night but where to?

    She wandered the streets until she bumped into someone, Ruji-Luhk. She stumbled back and he fell over, spilling the crate of tools he was carrying onto the ground.

    "Ow!" Ruji-Luhk said.

    "Sorry-" Hijki-Kal said.

    She leaned over and offered him a hand. He took it and pulled himself up.

    "Should''ve watched where i was going," Ruji-Luhk said.

    "Don''t worry, I should have been more attentive," Hijki-Kal said.

    He bent down and began putting the dropped tools back in the crate, she helped him. Once they were all packed up he heaved the crate up.

    "Didn''t expect to encounter you in town today," Ruji-Luhk said. "What are you doing?"

    "Just looking around for spots," Hijki-Kal said. "Nothing interesting,"

    "If you are taking someone somewhere," Ruji-Luhk said. "I know a good spot not far in the woods just outside town,"

    "Really?" Hijki-Kal said. "Where?"

    "If you help me put these tools away I''ll show you," Ruji-Luhk said.

    She nodded and the two walked off. They left the town and walked down a dirt path by half harvested fields. They followed the path even as it went straight through a creek, as they approached the water split to avoid touching them. People said that long ago a Taniberas of Water had taken shelter in the village from people hunting him and for the villagers help he used a Partial Page to make it so that water would never harm the people of this village. Ever since then streams seemed to divert around the people and no matter how high the rose they never damaged any person or building.

    They went a bit farther until they reached the home of Ruji-Luhk, it was a moderately sized house with a workshop inside. His father was the town carpenter. The two brought the tools inside and hung them up where they needed to go. As they did so his father entered.

    "Ah, Ruji, you''re back," His father said. "Could you-"

    He stopped as he entered and saw Hijki-Kal.

    "I didn''t expect to see you here Hijki-Kal," His father said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

    "I promised to show her something if she helped me bring the tools back," Ruji-Luhk said.

    "He pushed all of his work off on me," Hijki-Kal said.

    "Oh of course he did," His father said. "Would you like me to punish him for that?"

    "Greatly," Hijki-Kal said.

    "Then I demand you show her where she wanted immediately," His father said. "And when you get back you are finishing up that table,"

    "Understood sir," Ruji-Luhk said.

    He would have had to do the table anyway. The two left the house and trekked towards the woods. As they approached ash began to lightly drift down from the sky, these woods were partially in the barrens. They saw the tall black colored trees standing tall with branches covered in charcoal colored leaves. As they moved deeper into the woods the grass on the ground became more and more replaced by ash, a sign they were nearing the edge of Elysium into the Barrens. After walking for a bit they came to a grove. Unlike much of the forest it was clear of all ash and even had a single brown tree with green leaves standing in the center.

    "Beautiful ain''t it?" Ruji-Luhk said.

    "How did you find such a place?" Hijki-Kal said.

    "Was wandering through the woods looking for my dog," Ruji-Luhk said. "Came upon this spot,"

    "This will be perfect," Hijki-Kal said. "Do you mind if I use it?"

    "Just don''t tell no one else about it," Ruji-Luhk said.

    "I won''t," Hijki-Kal said. "Oh, thank you so much,"

    She gave him a small hug then they went their separate ways, they each went back to their homes. She practically skipped her way home and did the rest of her chores. She ate and went to bed quickly, she would spend tomorrow preparing the final things.

    <hr>

    When she awoke she ate quickly and finished her chores even quicker, she went and set aside 2 portions of food for tomorrow then went into town. She went first to the general store. Inside the owner stood behind the counter and perked up as she entered.

    "Welcome back," He said. "I hope this is to your liking,"

    The store owner went into the back and came back with the, now smaller, blue dress, it looked even better then when she had first seen it. She tried it on and it fit perfectly. She looked at herself in the mirror, it was so vibrant. She switched back to her normal clothes and bagged up the clothes.

    "Thank you," Hijki-Kal said. "I won''t forget this!"

    "Don''t forget to have your mom bring some sweets over either!" He said.

    "I won''t!" Hijki-Kal said.

    She took the dress back home and stashed it in her room then headed back out, she was going to clean up the little grove. She walked past the stream and into the woods as she made her way to the grove. She found it in the same state as she had when she was there yesterday, branches and rocks strewn about. She spent some time humming to herself and clearing the area, making nice piles of sticks and rocks.

    ''What a beautiful spot this was,'' she thought to herself. ''And so private, we won''t be disturbed here,''. As she thought that her mind wandered too far and she grew a slight blush, ''he wouldn''t do that,'' she thought. She grew a small smile, tomorrow was going to be good. As she finished clearing up the large sticks and rocks she looked to the sky, she had spent so long the sun was beginning to set. She wiped beads of sweat from her head and left the grove back towards home.

    She passed by fields with bundles of wheat and newly erected fences. She passed by Ruji-Luhk''s house and saw him finishing up a table. She passed the church and saw Gulmast feeding the poor and downtrodden. She passed the general store and saw the old Arbeross helping another customer. She passed the old tavern where her friend and the old tavern keep waved at her as she passed.

    She walked down the old road content as she arrived back at home. She had the leftovers of the night''s meal and went to her room, her mother waited inside. She was looking at the dress.

    "It''s so beautiful," Her mother said. "Where did you get this?"

    "The nice owner of the general store gave it to me it," Hijki-Kal said. "Said that you should bring him some baked goods sometimes as repayment,"

    "For such high-quality goods how could I not," Her mother said. "Let me see you in it,"

    "Fine," Hijki-Kal said.

    She switched into it and her mother seemed overjoyed.

    "You look like me on my wedding night," Her mother said.

    Hijki-Kal blushed.

    "I look just fine," Hijki-Kal said.

    "You look wonderful," Her mother said. "I''m certain he''ll love it,"

    "I hope so," Hijki-Kal said.

    "I know so," Her mother said. "Now get some rest, you have a lot to do tomorrow,"

    Her mother gave her a kiss on the forehead then left the room, she got out of the dress and into some clothes to sleep in. She laid on her bed staring out the window at the night sky, it was hard to fall asleep. As she slowly began to drift off she began to dream about tomorrow, about the great day she was going to have. As she finally began to fade into unconsciousness she heard a knock at the door.

    Tomorrow was going to be a great day.

    Was.

 Chapter 8

    Arnimos sat on the cold stone roof looking up at the sky, it had been a strange week. He had helped farmers harvest wheat and put up fences, he spent most of his nights training with their Lieutenant and tomorrow he had an outing with a village girl. She was nice, it seemed like it would be well. As he stared at the sky some of the stars began to vanish, clouds passing in front of them. It was getting late, so he should go back to his room. As he was about to stand he heard someone running up the stairs, he looked over and saw Hilmas burst into view.

    "There you are," Hilmas said.

    A second later Milhas arrived.

    "We have missed you like a drunk man in an archery competition," Milhas said.

    Arnimos gave a hefty sigh.

    "You never change," Arnimos said. "How was your patrol?"

    "We had to camp in the wilderness for 3 days," Hilmas said. "I feel as though my back will never recover,"

    "I had to sleep on a pile of twigs and leaves," Milhas said. "About as comfortable as a Noctilusk in a desert,"

    "Well, at least you get the day of their harvest festival off," Arnimos said. "What about Ronja?"

    "She''s got patrol tomorrow from what I heard," Hilmas said. "She''ll be working while we''re partying,"

    "And we''ll be partying," Milhas said.

    "I''d love to join you but I promised to go with someone tomorrow," Arnimos said. "A local, she seemed pretty nice,"

    Hilmas and Milhas shot each other knowing glances.

    "Arnimos has a date," Milhas said.

    "We''ll have to see the lucky lady ourselves," Hilmas said.

    "It''s not like that," Arnimos said. "She just wanted to show me around,"

    "Oh, I''m certain she wanted to show you many things," Hilmas said.

    Arnimos glanced away from the two, his face grew a bit hotter.

    "Well then, we''ll be sure to stop by and see you two on your date," Hilmas said. "See you tomorrow,"

    "Talk to you-" Arnimos said.

    As he spoke the alarm bell began to ring, Arnimos shot up and the twins looked at each other. The three looked over the top of the walls from their perch and saw fire and smoke rising in the night.

    They dashed down the stairs with surprising speed taking only a few minutes to grab weapons and slip on armor before arriving outside. Outside men were readying the Gallorend and quickly donning their weapons and armor, all 2 dozen men from the city were preparing while the ten or so normally at the fort were helping them. Arnimos approached Kalis-Fijki who stood at attention barking orders.

    "What''s happening?" Arnimos said.

    "Someone has set fire to the village," Kalis-Fijki said. "I believe it to be the bandits, get your Gallorend ready we ride as soon as possible,"

    Arnimos nodded and went over to his Gallorend. He set the saddle and quickly checked it over to ensure everything was alright before hopping onto its back, as he hopped on he felt the connection between beast and rider form. He moved into the hastily formed formation, he took a position at the front beside Kalis-Fijki. While a single shout the gate was pulled open and the riders kicked into a furious gallop.

    They split into 3 groups of eight as they approached the village, each man drew sabers except for Arnimos who drew the Fear-Made hammer. As they got closer they could see parts of the town consumed in a blazing inferno with figures moving in the smoke. A man came running out of the smoke and into view, he had 8 eyes and a strange set of spider-like limbs on his back. He glanced back towards the smoke as three arrows pierced through it, two found their mark while the third struck the ground some distance away. The man fell as three bandits stepped through the smoke, they looked up and saw the soldiers.

    They hadn''t the time to scramble away before the men crashed into them, a squad of cavalry-men charged past, slicing the bandits down. Arnimos brought his Gallorend to a stop next to the injured men and hopped off, he knelt down next to him.

    "Are you alright, sir?" Arnimos said.

    The man pushed himself to his knees and pulled the arrows out, the wounds began to close.

    "I''ll survive," The man said. "Thank you for the help,"

    "Do you have any information on these bandits attacking this village?" Arnimos said.

    "I saw a man with scales and eyes like a dragon," The man said. "He lit the fire,"

    "Thank you for your help," Arnimos said. "Get to the manor, if you can, and shelter there,"

    Arnimos stood up and turned to leave but the man grabbed him by the wrist.

    "Wait," The man said. "I saw that man heading towards the farms on the northside of town,"

    North side of town... Towards where Hijki-Kal lived... His expression darkened.

    "I understand," Arnimos said. "Don''t worry, i''ll save them,"

    The man let go of his wrist and began to make his way towards the manor. Arnimos mounted his Gallorend quickly and set off northward. He passed Hilmas and Milhas who had stopped to help another civilian, Milhas was still on his Gallorend so he kicked off after Arnimos.

    "Stay with them!" Milhas said. "I''ll keep up with him!"

    Hilmas gave a nod. Milhas followed at breakneck speed till he was close enough to Arnimos to speak.

    "What is wrong?" Milhas said.

    "The bandit leader went this way," Arnimos said. "I''m going to get him,"

    "Shouldn''t we get the rest of the squad then?" Milhas said.

    "There''s no time," Arnimos said. "He might hurt someone,"

    "I see," Milhas said. "I ride with you then, let us go save some people,"

    The Gallorend passed empty fields and houses for a time until they reached the small farm of the Kal''s. It was eerily silent and no lanterns were lit on the property, a terrible sign. Arnimos leaped off of his Gallorend and Milhas followed right after. He marched up to the door of the house which sat slightly ajar and pushed it open. Inside it was dark, he reached to his waist and clicked on the Fear-Made lantern he had. It bathed the room in a dull white light revealing a slaughter.

    In the living room there was the body of a woman and a child, her younger brother and mother. It looked like she was trying to shield her child from blows but now they both laid torn apart like an animal had gotten in. His stomach churned as his eyes followed more trails of blood. He found lying against the door to Hijki-Kal''s room were the top halves of one of her brothers and her fathers bodies, they had an axe in their hands but its blade looked to have chipped off.

    His mind screamed to look away as everything was hitting him at once but he drove it down, there was no time. He walked forward paying no heed to the blood that got on him and pushed open the door to her room, it was empty with only an open window. The two men stood there staring then looked at each other. Arnimos was teetering at the edge.

    "GO!" A voice screamed.

    They heard a faint voice outside, they rushed out of the house. As they arrived outside they saw Hijki-Kal running out of their barn with her brother standing in the doorway with an axe at the ready.

    "Hijki!" Arnimos yelled.

    She looked at him.

    "Thank Nexei-" Hijki-Kal said.

    As she spoke then her brother let out a scream as something struck him in the chest sending him flying. His body landed a dozen feet away with a crushed chest, he was dead. She looked over at him and before she could scream a man stepped out of the barn. He looked to be in his mid-30s with no hair and wearing simple leather armor, his eyes were orange and had a slit down the middle while parts of his white skin was covered in scales. An Arbeross.

    "People are always ruining my fun," The man said.

    The man moved with unnatural speed towards Hijki-Kal, he raised a hand which turned into a strange draconic claw. He brought it down quickly but before it struck the boom of thunder echoed. Milhas grew slightly thinner as a bolt of lightning burst forth from him and struck the man in the chest, the man recoiled and his body writhed for a second. Hijki-Kal took this moment to rushed towards Arnimos.

    "Don''t try anything," Milhas said. "I''ll fry ya,"

    Hijki-Kal practically fell into Arnimos''s arms.

    "I''m so happy to see you he attacked in the night and got mom and my dad and my brothers tried to protect me and-" Hijki-Kal said.

    "It''s okay, I''m here now," Arnimos said. "He won''t hurt you,"

    She looked at him with teary eyes.

    "Thank you, i-" Hijki-Kal said.

    It took them too long to notice, Milhas should have kept firing. The man brought his head up as his muscles stopped twitching and formed a tight o-like shape with his lips then fired. A beam of flame as wide as someone''s head shot forth vaporizing everything in its path, even Hijki-Kal''s head. One moment she was looking up at him thankful and the next her body slump as all that was left of her head was a charred stump.

    "NO!" Arnimos shouted.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    He fell to his knees desperately clinging to her body, hoping that it would bring her back. A moment alive the next dead, his mind raced. He was an Archon, why was he so weak as to not be able to protect one person? Why did this happen? Is this cruel joke from some Devil Author Devil Author Devil Author Devil Author, some cruel Writer who desired for nothing more than to see him suffer? His eyes grew wet and he wept, was he really an Archon?

    <hr>

    Milhas looked at Arnimos seeing his friend crying over a lost love, oh this man would pay. He looked back at the Arbeross who held a sick grin.

    "If I can''t have her, I won''t let anyone else," The man said. "Now i''m feeling nice, run off now and i''ll let you live,"

    "You think that''s the kind of game we''re playing?" Milhas said.

    Lightning began to leap from Milhas, he was gonna destroy this man.

    "You better start praying," Milhas said. "Cause you ain''t leaving here alive!"

    A bit of his body shrunk as it was consumed to fuel his Dichotomies. His senses sharpened and his body felt primed to explode, lightning crackled up and down his body. ''Second Skill,'' He took a breath in, ''Lightning Veil''. He dashed forward with blinding speed and drew his sword, he delivered a slash along the man''s side then slid to a stop a few feet behind him. The man grit his teeth and looked back to see Milhas point his sword at him. ''First Skill,'' Lightning travelled along his blade, ''Arc Lance''.

    A bolt of searing light struck the man, he let out a low screech as it burned his flesh. Milhas wrapped himself in Lightning Veil once more, feeling as more of his body was consumed. Another blitz, this time an arm fell to the ground as he slid past, he dug his feet in and turned to face the man who was now in front of him. He had reacted far faster than Milhas had expected. The man brought his fist down which turned into a draconic claw. Milhas raised his arms to block but they pushed through, the claws, unnatural as they were, cleaved through his steel breastplate and left large gashes along his chest.

    Milhas coughed up blood and before he could dodge back he saw something move out from behind the man''s back, a dragon tail like a mace struck him in the stomach. The man then grabbed him by the head and slammed Milhas to the ground. The man opened his mouth in a wide o-like shape.

    ''Skill Three,'' His body lost more, ''Static Embrace''. Lightning arced directly from Milhas into the man''s body, his muscles writhed beneath the skin. Milhas kicked him in the stomach forcing him back then stood up and held his blade high, the man took only a few more seconds to recover.

    "Annoying little Truth," The man said. "A Truth of Lightning, I presume?"

    "And you''re an Arbeross of Dragons," Milhas said. "You don''t have much room to talk,"

    "No matter," The man said. "I''ll burn you to a crisp then the rest of that sorry town with it,"

    "Why''d you come out here then?" Milhas said. "Why not finish burning the town,"

    "��������������" The man said. "Because I wanted to,"

    Of course this man just wanted to burn down villages, what other reason could he have. Milhas probably couldn''t win this though, he had to eat too much of his body to win especially with his new wounds. He looked back to Arnimos who still wept, they needed to run.

    <hr>

    Arnimos wasn''t watching the fight, he was staring blanking at the stump as tears fell from his eyes. Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

    Nothing made sense. How could this happen? Why could this happen? As his mind raced for any answer his ears suddenly sharpened, he heard what he had the day Galtz had called the Author a Devil. A terrible wrongness pervaded his mind, he looked at the bandit. Whatever he had just said was for some reason stricken from the world and something else levied in its place and he wasn''t listening to hear it.

    It looked like the next bout of fighting was about to happen when Milhas suddenly wheeled around and bolted into Arnimos picking him up and running, the bandit chased after but he was slower. Arnimos reached out towards her body as they raced back towards the village.

    "NO!" Arnimos said. "We have to-"

    "We can''t," Milhas said. "She would have wanted you to live and i''ll be damned if I left you die,"

    More and more of Milhas''s body shrunk with minute that they ran. They arrived back in the village after many minutes, they had a good lead on their pursuer. When they got back they saw a handful of other soldiers lying dead on the ground while most were in various states of injury, many of the bandits in the town were dead or dying. Hilmas rushed over to the two as they arrived.

    "What happened?" Hilmas said. "Brother, are you alright?"

    Milhas put Arnimos down.

    "Arbeross... Dragon..." Milhas said, catching his breath. "Strong..."

    "I understand," Hilmas said.

    Kalis-Fijki approached them, behind him men were evacuating what civilians survived.

    "What do you know?" Kalis-Fijki said.

    "My brother says a Dichotomy wielder," Hilmas said. "Arbeross of Dragons,"

    "Just our luck," Kalis-Fijki said. "Get them on Gallorend and head back to the manor, we are pulling out,"

    "But what about..." Arnimos said.

    Kalis-Fijki looked at Arnimos, he seemed almost saddened.

    "Don''t worry," Kalis-Fijki said. "We''ll come back for them,"

    Just as Hilmas reached down to help up Milhas, someone burst through a bank of smoke, the man. One hand was turned into a draconic claw, he brought it down towards Milhas. Arnimos watched as the world seemed to slow, the claw inched ever closer threatening to kill his friend. Why was he so weak? Why couldn''t he save anyone? Wasn''t he an Archon? Shouldn''t everything in Shale tremble before him?

    He was scared of losing more people, scared of his friends or himself dying. Yet even now they refused to Imprint, they just remained feeding on his fear. Why did he let them? They were supposed to obey him, Dichotomies are to be commanded. He watched as inch by painful inch it crept closer, he forced his Dichotomies to heel and pushed their energy inwards.

    Arnimos moved with a speed never before seen. Faster than he had ever had before, faster then perhaps even Milhas had he jumped at the man and brought his hammer down.

    It struck with force far above what it should be able to knock him back, Arnimos''s hand shot out and grabbed him by the throat before tossing him into a burning building. Hilmas and Kalis-Fijki had just begun to draw their weapons as he slammed into the building.

    Seconds passed and the man stepped out of the burning rubble.

    "Finally woke up little Archon," The man said, he spat out some blood onto the ground. "Suppose I should be getting serious,"

    The man''s body twisted and deformed growing to a massive scale. His skin became entirely replaced by scales and he fell to four legs and great wings burst from his back. After a few more seconds it finished and he fully Became a dragon, it was likely his Ultimate.

    The man opened his maw and prepared to spit fire but then a flash of lightning moved along his jaw as Hilmas appeared on his head.

    "Nice try jackass," Hilmas said. "I''m gonna kill ya for hurting my brother,"

    Kalis-Fijki stepped up beside Arnimos with a single eye closed.

    "I''ll help as well," Kalis-Fijki said, drawing a Fear-Made knife from his hip.

    The dragon shook Hilmas from its head, he leaped to the ground then ducked below a tail swipe. He was much faster than Milhas. The difference between them was always very simple, Milhas focused on his Taniberas Dichotomy and Created lightning while Hilmas focused on his Arbeross and truly Became lightning. He brought the sword up as the tail passed overhead and left a nasty cut along its underside.

    The dragon stepped forward and swung its claws towards Arnimos and Kalis-Fijki, Kalis-Fijki grabbed Arnimos and pulled him back. The claw passed mere inches from them. He then slashed the air, and a similar cut appeared along the dragon''s arm.

    Arnimos raised the hammer and brought it down with all of his Fear-Enhanced might. Despite not connecting, a massive crack formed along the dragon''s chest. It roared then let out a burst of flame towards the two. Kalis-Fijki dodged out of the way a second before the fire even came out but Arnimos took it head on. It seared and burnt his flesh yet the energy within kept repairing it as quickly as it was destroyed. He took a step forward as the fire washed over him.

    Hilmas dug his feet into the ground and launched himself at the dragon''s mouth, striking it with such force that it was forced to move and blasted a nearby home with the last of its breath. Hilmas then brought his sword back and thrust it into the dragon''s eye, it roared and thrashed, throwing Hilmas to the ground and leaving the sword embedded. As he struck the ground the dragon swatted him with its tail, the strikethrough Hilmas through a wall and into one of the many burning buildings.

    It glared down at the only two remaining seeing Arnimos looked unscathed and Kalis-Fijki stood with a knife at the ready. The two rushed forward. Kalis-Fijki dodged each strike levied at him, avoiding each seemingly perfectly. Arnimos took each hit that came his way, his body seared with pain but he pushed through each section blown off by a strike healing a moment later.

    A quick flurry of slashes and a handful more appeared along the dragon''s body, it turned towards Kalis-Fijki and let out a burst of flame which he dodged. A swipe from the tail was ducked under and a slamming of claw masterfully rolled away from. Arnimos raised the hammer and struck the air thrice, three more great cracks appearing along its scales. It roared and brought its great wings back then flapped them once.

    Dust, fire and smoke surged through the air obscuring vision, Arnimos coughed as hot air and smoke assailed his lungs. He faintly saw Kalis-Fijki through the smoke, a moment later he dodged suddenly but not quickly enough. A claw came down and tore off an arm, the stunning from this allowing a tail strike to slam him into the ground. He heard the wings flap again driving away the smoke and dust the beast itself had brought.

    Arnimos stood alone against the dragon, it stared down at him with one baleful eye. It raised a claw and brought it down, Arnimos swung his hammer towards it. It was slapped aside, another swing and the leg twisted. It brought it head down in a quick motion and snapped at Arnimos but before it could close its mouth around him he struck the hammer so hard that its jaw came off. Horrid blood splattered everywhere as the beast reeled. Arnimos stepped forward and delivered another strike, scales shattered and blood began to leak. It swiped again, Arnimos ducked below it then slammed his hammer directly into the leg. It broke.

    It brought its wings back again, Arnimos slammed his hammer into the air. Dust and smoke obscured what happened but he felt blood splatter onto him. It was silent for a moment, as his Dichotomies began to wind down, he was exhausted. He lowered the hammer but as he did the man burst through the dust in a sprint at him. Arnimos brought the hammer up swiftly with the last of his Dichotomy enhanced strength and the man''s chest caved in, he fell to the ground coughing and sputtering.

    Arnimos watched the man for a second before looking over to Kalis-Fijki who was slowly rising, he looked over towards the building where Hilmas was struck and saw him clambering out with burns covering most of his body. Arnimos rushed over to Kalis-Fijki first and offered a hand down to him, he looked up at him with a genuine fear in his eyes.

    "Don''t let him..." Kalis-Fijki said, pointing back at the man.

    Arnimos looked back and saw the man had brought out a small piece of torn paper from a pocket. It felt strange, like it shouldn''t exist in this world. As though man were never meant to have it. A Partial Page. The man''s mouth twisted and words no man should ever be able to speak left his mouth, he did not know the words yet he understood them.

    Unlight The Fires, Bring Night And Send Them To Dark Far From Here.

    All the fire, all the smoke just vanished. There was barely any light here. Arnimos looked towards the sky and saw no stars above. He looked back at the man who was only faintly lit by the lantern at Arnimos''s waist.

    "I DIDN''T WANT THIS, LET ME BE FREE ������������" The man said. "Fuck you,"

    He heard it again, words struck from the records yet for some reason he still knew them all except the last one. A name maybe? Something to tell him what was happening. Arnimos stepped forward and raised the hammer but then he saw something in the dark.

    It was as tall as a man with skin as black as ink and a form that leaked. It was a half-formed nightmare. The monsters you thought you saw in the dark. The figure in the chair that turned to clothing once you turned on the lights. That scratching on the window you know wasn''t a branch. The creature under your bed that would drag you under were it not for your blanket.

    It was a monster in the dark that all men had once sworn to see, perhaps it looked different to everyone but they had all seen it. This was a Fragment. A Fragment of Night, Personification of Darkness.

    It dragged him from the lantern''s light, screaming into the dark where he then went silent. There was no sound, there was nothing beyond his lantern light. Something creeped just out of sight, just beyond the something he could see. His lantern began to flicker, shapes stood at the edge of the light. Monster in the dark he had stopped being scared of, amber eyes one could swear they saw watching from the window, a figure moving in the corner of your vision. None were real yet here they stood, just beyond his sight.

    His lantern flickered once more and a man appeared for a moment. He was dressed in robes as black as coal and had skin like a cloudy night sky, his eyes were limitless pits where light had never been seen. With every flicker he grew a step closer, his Dichotomies wailed to run. To flee what was coming. To flee Night.

    But he couldn''t.

    His courage was great but there was nothing any could do against a Personification. With every flicker it grew closer and closer until it was but a step away. Another flicker and it raised a hand, two more and the hand hovered in front of his face. And at the fourth the world went dark, a dark so great you wondered if light ever could have been real or if you had just misremembered.

 Chapter 9

    John walked the desert alone, the blazing sun bearing down on him. He pulled his large-brimmed hat down a bit more to cover his eyes. It was hot as hell and he had to walk these empty sand dunes, he wished he had a horse. He''d never seen a horse here in Shale but there must be one somewhere, right?

    He grabbed his canteen and took a swig from it, the lukewarm water ran down his throat. He didn''t need to drink but it still felt nice. He crested another dune and saw a small half-buried home in the sand, he approached it carefully.

    It was small, perhaps only big enough for 2 to 3 people. It had another small shed and a well attached to it and was on a bit of solid rock rather than sand. A place to refill his water, hopefully. As he approached his hand went to his hips, he hovered over one of his pistols. He had 3 pistols, 2 of them were conventional revolvers and the last one a Fear-Made weapon. He drew a conventional one and cocked the hammer back, he approached the door and pushed it open.

    Inside was a single room and a loft, it had a small stove in the center with a table nearby and a bed in the corner. There were some cabinets against one wall and dishes left out on the table. The place seemed uninhabited though, despite the sand that filled parts of the room through the open windows. He approached carefully and climbed the ladder to the loft. A child''s bed was pushed into the far corner but it looked like no one had used it in years.

    John uncocked his revolver and slid it back into his holster, just another abandoned house out here in the Forsaken Desert. He slid down the ladder and climbed out through a window to the shed, when he opened it he saw a variety of old tools set up like someone had just put them back. He went over to the well and pulled up its bucket, it was filled with water.

    "Damn good luck," John said. "Gonna refill my canteen,"

    John placed the bucket on the ground then searched through his pack for a few minutes until he pulled out a length of string with various green and violet beads. It was a Fear-Made item, it purified diseases from small quantities of liquid that it was dipped into. It had cost him a good chunk of Dichotomy Essence but it was well worth it, it made his life a lot easier.

    He refilled his canteens then dipped the item in each and held it there for 30 seconds before moving onto the next. It took only a few minutes before he was ready to go. As he was about to leave he gave another quick look over the house and shed, it took a keen eye and some digging to get what he wanted. Firewood. He added some of what he found to his supply then continued off into the desert.

    He wandered for hours more until the sun began to dip, Night was coming. He found a safe nook next to some jutting out rocks and set up his campsite. He put a tarp out over where he laid his belongings and sleeping bag then made a small area for his fire. He lit the fire then placed a lantern down and turned it on as well, it would provide better lighting but not heat. As the sun finally dipped below the horizon he sat down beside the fire and pulled out some food, once again, as a Reborn, he didn''t need food or drink but it just felt nice to have. Reminded him of home, of living.

    He prepared a simple stew and ate it, it was a nice warm meal. He looked up at the sky expecting stars but there were none, nothing about this whole damn world made sense. Some Regions he had heard of had stars because their makers put them there but most didn''t, instead you just had to stare at an infinite empty blackness whenever Night came. He watched the edge of the light looking for any sign of anything but saw nothing, it was unlikely anything would happen to him. He let out a long sigh, his breath crystalizing in the air before him as he crawled under his tarp and into his bedroll.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    He laid in fitful sleep, nightmares assailing his mind. You could never escape them no matter how hard you tried to, he just tried to live with them. All of his worst fears came true in them and he could do nothing to stop it. They seemed to stretch on forever until he finally awoke as the sun shone down. He sat up and took a few deep breaths, best to try and forget the terrors of the night before.

    He spent some time making a meal then packed up camp. Once it was done he returned to his journey through the seemingly endless dunes, he had somewhere to be. He was slowly making his way through the Forsaken Desert towards Paradise, home of the Gambler. An old friend of his left him for dead out here in these dunes, he was so far in that he was closer to the Ashen Seas or the True Barrens than most other parts of Shale.

    They were both hunting for treasure and their little posse caught wind of a Page in an old abandoned city. They set out with 30 folks, 5 Reborn and 25 Shaleborn, towards the city. By the time they reached the place there were only 5 Reborn and 7 Shaleborn left from the ravages of the desert, they entered the place but it was a madhouse. Whatever happened there had left the place teeming with Wraiths, Fragments of Death, and they had to fight through hell to reach the city center. Only John and his ally Alex, a Shaleborn, reached the place and found the Page, they took it and the whole city began to collapse.

    They managed to escape, obviously, but Alex obviously had different ideas then John, he wanted the Page all to himself. So he shot John right through the head and left him dead, he was likely heading towards Paradise to find a buyer for the Page then gamble all that money. Of course, John didn''t die, his Dichotomies were strong enough to save him, and he eventually dragged himself to a nearby town. Rest of that is history. Now John was gonna get to Paradise, find Alex and open his mind to the mistake he made, preferably he was gonna use some lead to do it.

    As he walked humming an old tune to himself his foot suddenly struck something, he stumbled back hopping on one foot.

    "Ah, damn," John said. "Fuckin'' rocks in the sand,"

    John shook his foot a bit then looked down at what he had hit, he didn''t see a rock but instead a person mostly buried in sand. He looked to have smooth grey skin with some patches of dark earthen flesh, his eyes which hung half open seemed to change color. He had learned to identify the basic races but he had no idea which this person was. He crouched down and pressed two fingers against his neck, his heart was still beating. John considered things for a moment, did he really have the time to be helping some stranger out in the dunes?

    He thought for a moment but just as he was about to leave he remembered the kind old man who had taken him in after what had happened, the old man only asked that he try saving folks himself if he got the chance. He let out a curse under his breath then grabbed onto the buried man and pulled him. It took a bit of effort before he finally dragged the man out.

    He was dressed in a military uniform and had a strange unnatural looking breastplate, in one of his hands was a Fear-Made weapon, a hammer specifically, and in the other was a lantern which was now completely dim. This person though looked no older than maybe 19, he wasn''t sure. They sure as hell had some expensive equipment though, either item looked like it could go for large sums if sold to the right person.

    John checked over the kid for wounds but found none. ''Must have a strong Dichotomy,'' John thought, ''It''ll make this a lot easier,''. John picked up the unconscious man and wandered for a bit until he found a place to camp. He wouldn''t go as far today but he could at least give this man a chance to wake.

    He set his tarp and bedroll then laid the man on it, he sat beside him and carefully made him drink some water. He sat beside the stranger for the rest of the day and night, hoping he would wake up come morning.

 Chapter 10

    Arnimos shot awake, he looked around and was not where he should have been. He was lying on a bedroll under a tarp in a desert, and a man in a poncho sat at a small fire cooking some food. Where was he? What had happened?

    He tried to remember but he couldn''t exactly place what happened to him after his encounter with Night, something felt wrong about it. Why couldn''t he remember?

    "Finally awake, huh?" The man said. "You been out-"

    The man looks towards the rising sun.

    "Nearly a day since I found ya," The man said. "Canteen by the bed for some water, got some food cooking up here,"

    Arnimos grabbed the canteen and took a long swig from it, he was thirsty though far less so than he expected. He put the canteen back down.

    "Thank you," Arnimos said. "Where am I?"

    "You must have gotten really lost," The man said. "You''re in the Forsaken Desert, we should be about 4 weeks due south of Paradise,"

    "Do you mean Elysium?" Arnimos said.

    The man looked at Arnimos quizzically.

    "It''d be a few months walk to that place," The man said. "And that''s not counting crossing the Unseen Peaks,"

    Arnimos looked at the ground. How was that possible? He was there just a day ago by this man''s estimation, how did he cross much of Shale in a day. Did Night move him? Why would a Personification do that? Why put him here?

    As he was thinking he felt something poke him, he looked up and saw the man pushing a bowl into his hands.

    "Eat up," The man said. "You''ll need your strength if you''re going to keep up,"

    Arnimos ate the stew, after having to eat military rations for the past few days it tasted quite good. He scarfed it down with surprising speed before placing the bowl on the ground.

    "Who are you?" Arnimos said.

    "Name''s John," John said.

    Arnimos looked at the man more closely now, he didn''t have the skin of Luxicon or Taniberas and his eyes were not Tyross. He must be an Arbeross or one of the sub-races.

    "What about you?" John said.

    "I''m Arnimos," Arnimos said.

    "Pleasure to meet ya then," John said. "What are you doing out here?"

    "I am not supposed to be," Arnimos said. "I was in a village in my homeland then bandits attacked then I fought a dragon then Night came,"

    "You fought a dragon?" John said. "You met Night?!?"

    "It was actually an Arbeross," Arnimos said. "But still a dragon,"

    "Still, surviving an encounter with a dragon and Night, real lucky to be alive," John said. "Know where that village is?"

    "Back in Elysium," Arnimos said. "Few days ride from the city,"

    John laughed.

    "Real funny," John said. "Now why don''t you tell me where it really is,"

    Arnimos stared at the man, his laughter began to die down.

    "You aren''t lying," John said. "How the hell you end up here?"

    "I just told you what I remember," Arnimos said.

    "You certainly been having an interesting time then," John said. "I''ll get you to the next town then we''ll split ways,"

    "What about you?" Arnimos said. "Why are you out here?"

    John pulled his hat down to cover his eyes.

    "Personal reasons," John said. "Let''s get packed up, we''ll travel for as long as we can,"

    Arnimos didn''t push further. The two packed up the camp then set off into the desert. They walked endless dunes dotted by the occasional outcropping of rocks. After walking for a good number of hours and with the sun hanging low on the horizon they reached a small outpost in the desert, it was destroyed.

    The buildings smoldered with the remnants of a raging fire and various walls seemed smashed down by something great. The two men looked at each other.

    "What happened here?" Arnimos said.

    "Looks like some tribes attacked this town," John said. "Let''s go check for survivors,"

    John pulled out a revolver, something Arnimos had only seen once or twice in his life. Firearms were rare to see in Elysium, the only places in Elysium that had them were the Reborn Lords and the Empire. This rareness came from the restrictions placed on the Region by the Reborn Lords, in fact if the Empire didn''t have the treaty it did then they wouldn''t have firearms either.

    The two approached the destroyed outpost and entered through a hole in its outer wall. It was massive and they both saw large prints in the sand.

    "Sand dragon," John said. "Definitely an attack by tribes then,"

    "Why would they do this?" Arnimos said. Stolen story; please report.

    "The inhabitants of the region have had a long standing issue with the colonists," John said. "There''s been a few wars between them and the nearby nations,"

    "What caused the issues?" Arnimos said.

    "Hell if I know," John said. "I don''t ask about such things,"

    "But don''t you want to understand the region?" Arnimos said. "At least the basics?"

    "Doesn''t matter much to me," John said. "I just ask about local prices and if they got any jobs, nothing else,"

    They looked down the main path in the town. A handful of carts and stalls were overturned with the goods spread across the street, a few bodies laid by the gate with rifles in hand and slashes across their bodies. They scanned the rest of the main street but besides the handful of dead guards there was nothing.

    "Let''s check some of these buildings," John said.

    John approached the door of one building and drew his other revolver. He pressed himself against the door and threw himself into it three times before it broke open, he raised his revolvers and pointed them inwards as Arnimos followed in a second later.

    It was an empty house, there was half-eaten food strewn about the table and the chairs were knocked over like people had to rush out. A single thin trail of blood led into a side room. John scanned the main room while Arnimos followed the trail of blood. As he stepped into the room he saw a grisly sight.

    A handful of pillows were placed on a large rug in the center of the room and in the center of these pillows he saw bodies. 5 people laid in a pool of dark red, slashes were all over their bodies though their heads were also separated from their bodies. Their faces were caught in a frozen moment of terror.

    Arnimos stared at the bodies, he felt sick to his stomach. He had seen slaughter before but it still unsettled him, so he began to back up.

    "What''d you find in here-" John said. "Holy hell, what in god''s name-"

    Arnimos backed out the room as John peeked in, saw what was here then backed away. Arnimos took another few steps back until he fell onto one of the chairs that was still upright.

    "Sorry you had to see that kid," John said. "Didn''t think they were that ruthless,"

    "Why''d they do that?" Arnimos said. "What''s the point?"

    "Trying to scare people off," John said. "Keep ''em from coming back,"

    "But did they need to..." Arnimos said.

    "Why don''t you go sit outside," John said. "I''ll check the other buildings,"

    "It''s fine," Arnimos said. "Just give me a sec,"

    John nodded then stepped outside, Arnimos took a few seconds to breathe. He needed to calm himself, he didn''t have time for this. He had to get back home as soon as possible. Once he felt much calmer he stood up and left the house.

    The next few houses were more the same, they were ransacked for anything worthwhile while butchered bodies were left in a pile in one room.

    As they reached near the end of the street all that was left was the sheriff office and the town hall.

    "I''ll check the town hall," John said. "You check the sheriff''s office,"

    "Got it," Arnimos said.

    Arnimos approached the door to the sheriff''s office and pushed it open. Inside was a small number of desks strewn about haphazardly, a weapon rack now devoid of weapons and 2 cells pushed against the east wall. It looked as though the people within had quickly rushed out, only a single figure remained inside.

    They stood in the center of the room and were dressed in a military uniform that was caked in mud and blood, the uniform seemed reminiscent of those worn by soldiers of the Empire. In their hands was a bolt-action rifle that was covered in so much mud that it should not be working anymore.

    "Hey!" Arnimos said. "Are you alright?"

    They looked at him, its face was nothing but a skeleton with rotten and charred flesh dripping off. It raised the rifle. Arnimos brought the hammer back as then he felt a searing pain in his arm, he looked and saw a nail dug into it. He grit his teeth and swung the hammer, the creature recoiled from the force. It then stabilized itself and took a step forward, the barrel of its rifle came alight in flame as a bayonet formed.

    Arnimos took a step back as the creature charged forward, it leveled the rifle then thrust it forward. The bayonet met his breastplate and slid, it didn''t have the strength to breach Fear-Made armor. Arnimos slammed the hammer into the creature''s chest, the chest caved in and blood splattered about but the creature remained standing. It tried to bring the rifle back to strike him with stock but Arnimos grabbed the barrel to restrain it. He struck the creature in the arm with his hammer, the arm broke apart from the strike and the creature seemed to screech yet no sound came out.

    It let go of the rifle with its other hand and in a burst of flame a shovel formed, its tip was sharpened and one could see small dents on it. It swung the shovel down, Arnimos stepped back as it scraped along his breastplate. Arnimos brought the hammer down again, it slammed into the creature''s shoulder. It lurched from the strike then Arnimos followed with another strike aimed for the head, the creature ducked under the blow and swung the shovel. It caught Arnimos in the leg, it sank in forcing him to a knee. Arnimos let out a loud yell as the creature tried to draw the shovel out. Arnimos grabbed the creature by the arm and pulled him forward, slamming his head into its face. With the small opening from the move he slammed the hammer into the creature''s shin to force it to a knee; another strike to the head caused its head to explode like shattered glass.

    The creature''s body and weapons faded, blood began to leak from the gouge in Arnimos''s leg. He fell onto the ground and focused his mind, he felt his Dichotomies stoke to life for a bit and the pain dulled. They should have activated themselves during that fight, why didn''t they?

    The door burst open as John came in with 2 revolvers at the ready, one was Fear-Made and the other conventional. He looked down at Arnimos on the ground.

    "What happened?" John said.

    "Soldier," Arnimos said. "He didn''t make any sound, just attacked me,"

    "Course they''re here," John said. "Can you stand?"

    Arnimos steadied himself and forced himself to his feet, his legs still burned but he could feel it fading.

    "Good enough," Arnimos said.

    "Then we''ll take what we''ve found so far and leave," John said. "Best not to remain,"

    Arnimos followed John as he exited the building and made his way out of the town.

    "What was that?" Arnimos said. "I don''t know any Fear Manifested Creature like that,"

    "Wasn''t a Fear Manifested Creature," John said.

    "What was it then?" Arnimos said.

    "Fragment of War probably," John said. "People here died from it, make sense that their fear drew his Fragments to this place,"

    "Why was it dressed like a soldier from the Empire?" Arnimos said.

    "Its Fragments are Legionaries," John said. "They take the form of soldiers, it means that someone out there who fears War, either primarily or just generally, views the Empire as the most terrifying part of it,"

    "I thought that Fragments only formed near their Personification though?" Arnimos said.

    "Where are we closer to War then here in this place of slaughter," John said. "Where else would War be?"

    "I thought that all Personifications had forms," Arnimos said.

    "They do," John said. "Just some don''t pull themselves all the way into reality unless they need to,"

    They finally left the village and crested a neighboring dune, Arnimos looked back at the town.

    "Should we really leave it like that?" Arnimos said. "Isn''t there something we can do?"

    "Best to let the desert claim it," John said. "Let their souls be protected from War by the dunes,"

    Arnimos stared down at the village seeing the first bits of sand starting to build up, he turned away and followed John. They had far to go still, no time to waste.

 Chapter 11

    Arnimos awoke with the rising sun, its heat assailed him with its furious glare. Arnimos rose and looked around the camp, he could see John packing up some of the last bits of it.

    "Finally up princess?" John said. "Sun''s coming up so we should get going, just three or four days out from the next town,"

    "Is it going to be like the last one?" Arnimos said.

    "This one''s far bigger," John said. "One of the colonies of the Empire in the region, it should be a safe place to stop,"

    "Is it going to be a simple trek there?" Arnimos said.

    "Shouldn''t encounter anything strange," John said. "Didn''t see no evidence of anything,"

    Arnimos gave a nod and rose from his spot on the ground, he helped pack up the camp then they set off.

    The desert was strange to Arnimos, there was nothing like it in Elysium. The constant heat, the blazing sun, the sand, the lack of clouds or even easily accessible water. It was a wonder anyone survived in this place, especially since there were few things one could light to keep away Night. The other Regions of the world, each crafted by a Tome, were all different and their makers obviously intended something with them though Arnimos knew not what the point of this Region was.

    Endless dunes and a handful of jutting rocks were all they saw as they walked until they crested another dune and saw something strange. Large plateaus suddenly came into view but they were not made of desert rock and instead seemed to shine like mirrors.

    "Damn it!" John said.

    "What''s wrong?" Arnimos said. "What are those?"

    "Stretch of Mirror Plateau''s," John said. "Of course some appear right in our path,"

    "What''s wrong about them?" Arnimos said.

    "They say if you look into them they show you all of your life and your greatest fear," John said. "And it just so happens that the natives consider them holy ground. So let''s get out of here before-"

    "Halt outsiders!" A voice cried.

    They both turned to where the voice came from, they saw a man forming out of the sand.

    "Why have you come to our holy ground?" The man said.

    "Just passing through," John said. "We didn''t mean to,"

    "What are you?" Arnimos said.

    John looked at Arnimos.

    "Don''t go asking-" John said.

    The man raised a hand and silenced John then looked at Arnimos, he stared for an intense and long moment before the sand forming his body stabilized and began to look human. He had tanned skin and a short well-kept beard. His clothes were thin and white but he had a deep-blue sash over his shoulder. As Arnimos stared at him something felt off, there was great power within this man.

    "I am a Vishashi," The Vishashi said. "A storyteller,"

    Vishashi stared at Arnimos once more.

    "I had not expected such company today," The Vishashi said. "Come with me, we shall lead you to where you need to go,"

    "Might I ask what you are?" Arnimos said. "Arbeross or?"

    "I am nothing but a Storyteller," The Vishashi said. "My race matters little,"

    "Could you give us just a moment," John said.

    John pulls Arnimos in close.

    "You know these guys?" John said.

    "No but," Arnimos said. "Something feels different about Vishashi,"

    "This all feels like bad news," John said.

    "I agree but they would certainly beat us," Arnimos said. "So we have to listen,"

    "Just keep an eye out," John said. "First sign of trouble and we scram, they''ve killed outsiders for less,"

    "Agreed," Arnimos said.

    They separated from their huddle.

    "We''ll go with you," Arnimos said. "If you can assure our safety,"

    "No harm shall come to you," The Vishashi said. "That I can assure. Now follow me,"

    The two men nodded as the Vishashi turned and walked into the Mirror Plateaus. The way the Vishashi moved was strange, it almost made it impossible to follow him. He almost seemed to fade into the desert if you ever took your attention off of him. They were led between two of the great plateaus, they averted their eyes so as not to look into them. After a while of walking they arrived at what seemed to be a camp placed in a large crater from which you couldn''t see any of the plateaus.

    The camp was made up of many tents with various people roaming around and performing various tasks, 4 large lizards laid in the shade of the crater resting. The lizards were massive and had scales similar in color to the sand.

    "Whole tribe of natives here," John said. "They even got 4 Sand Dragons,"

    "Those are Dragons?" Arnimos said.

    "That''s what people call them at least," John said. "Where are you taking us Vishashi?"

    "To see the chief of this tribe," The Vishashi said. "To know if he will send Kalach''s to guide you,"

    "We''re going to meet the chief of this tribe?" Arnimos said. "Anything we should know?"

    "Treat him with respect and so shall he treat you," The Vishashi said.

    They descended into the crater and the various tribesmen watched them. They approached a large tent at the center where two men stood in front with swords and bolt-action rifles. The Vishashi gave a wave and spoke in a strange tongue, the guards nodded and stepped aside allowing the men inside.

    It was large with a solid wood floor with a rug laid on top, inside atop a large floor cushion sat a man who wore clothes that were mainly white though he had a streak of a vibrant yellow across his chest. There were a few more floor cushions sat across from the man. The Vishashi gave a wave and sat across from the man, John and Arnimos followed.

    "This is Imal-Kalum," The Vishashi said. "Chief of this tribe,"

    "I am Arnimos, son of Lord Tikow," Arnimos said.

    "John," John said.

    The man looked strangely at the two then spoke in that same strange tongue which Vishashi responded in. It was impossible to tell what exactly was being said but it sounded good, no anger or anything else of the sort. The Vishashi seemed to tell a joke which the chief laughed at, Arnimos and John also awkwardly laughed at it. The conversation continued on for a while until the Vishashi turned back to the two.

    "Chief Imal-Kalum of the Rusted Souls has agreed that 5 of his Kalach''s shall escort you to the nearest settlement," The Vishashi said. "However he can not send them until the morning, you are offered a chance to remain within this camp until then,"If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    "Sounds good," Arnimos said. "Why can''t we leave now though?"

    "I shall be heading with your group," The Vishashi said. "And there are stories I must tell before I may go,"

    "Where will we be staying then?" Arnimos said.

    The Vishashi talked to the chief then turned back.

    "He shall have a Kalach guide you," The Vishashi said.

    The chief said something and one of the guards entered, the chief said a few more lines as the guard nodded. The guard motioned to follow him and the two rose, as they left the Vishashi turned to them one last time.

    "Sandfather be with you," The Vishashi said.

    "And with you?" Arnimos said back, confused but hoping he got the meaning.

    Arnimos and John were led to an empty tent where the guard motioned them to it, it was to be their sleeping quarters. It was better than their normal camp but not by much. The guard gave a bow then left the two alone, they looked at each other then settled into the tent.

    They sat around as day turned to night, the crater was awash in light. They saw as much of this tribe gathered around a great pyre, the Vishashi approached them as the tribe was gathering.

    "The chief offers you place in the celebration," The Vishashi said.

    "I have a question," Arnimos said. "Why do you speak another language? I thought there were no others in Shale,"

    "Out there perhaps," The Vishashi said. "But within the Desert there is one language that will not be translated,"

    "Why is that?" Arnimos said.

    "Because such is the Sandfather''s will," The Vishashi said.

    The Vishashi then bowed and headed towards the pyre where they could see tables being set up now. Arnimos and John looked at each other then got up and went out. They were seated at a table neighboring the chief and a few other old men of the tribe. There were others at the table and while they tried to talk to the two neither side understood the other.

    Once everyone was settled in the chief rose and gave a rousing speech, at least they assumed so based on the crowd''s reaction, then sat down as everyone began to feast and drink. The food was good, very good compared to what they had been eating, and the drink was strong but not too strong as to swiftly make one drunk, especially not one''s with strong Dichotomies like Arnimos and John. After the meal was finished the Vishashi stood up and seemed to tell a story between drags from a nargile. Once the story was done another round of drinks was delivered and the party began.

    There was carousing and song and dance for an hour or two, but neither John nor Arnimos really got into it and remained near the edge. After some time a few of the women of the tribe, most of them younger, came over and grabbed Arnimos by the hand and dragged him out. He looked back at John who had a small grin on his face.

    "Seems they like ya," John said. "Just enjoy the dance, I know I will,"

    "I don''t think they''ll be leaving you out of this," Arnimos said as he gave a motion with his head.

    John looked behind where Arnimos had motioned and an older woman stood there, she grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him up.

    Arnimos and John were made to drink and dance for what seemed like hours, their bodies hurt and John''s mind seemed buzzed but Arnimos was unaffected by the drinking. Must be the strength of his Dichotomies. As it all died down Arnimos dragged John back to their tent and laid him down, it looked like the alcohol had really gotten to him.

    "You gonna be good like this?" Arnimos said.

    "I''ll live," John said. "Had worse benders back home,"

    "I''ll trust you to that," Arnimos said.

    As Arnimos was crouched next to where John was laying the Vishashi entered. Arnimos looked back at him.

    "Is there anything else you require?" The Vishashi said.

    "John could certainly use some help," Arnimos said.

    "He will rest it off," The Vishashi said.

    Arnimos scooted away from John who swiftly fell asleep. He took a seat on one of the floor cushions and the Vishashi sat across from him.

    "What was it tonight?" Arnimos said. "I know you told a story but what story would you do for such a celebration?"

    The Vishashi took a deep breath in.

    "It was the final ballad of Kalach," The Vishashi said. "All tribes hear it once every 6 "years" as you outsiders call them."

    "What''s it about?" Arnimos said. "Also isn''t that what you called our guides?"

    "Kalach is the name of a warrior," The Vishashi said. "The final ballad told of his slaying of the Malish known as the Ivory King,"

    "So warriors are named after him?" Arnimos said.

    "Not exactly," The Vishashi said. "You would only give your child the name Kalach if you were a Kalach or if you believed he would become one,"

    "Is that why the name''s are in two parts?" Arnimos said.

    "Yes, to us there are two parts of a name," The Vishashi said. "The first is your father''s name and the second what your father believes you will be. There are few exceptions to this rule,"

    "Why are your names like that?" Arnimos said.

    "It is as the Sandfather decreed," The Vishashi said.

    "Why don''t you have a second name," Arnimos said.

    "I am a Vishashi," The Vishashi said. "Where I come from matters not, all that there is to me is my stories,"

    The two sat in silence for a moment.

    "Would you tell me one?" Arnimos said.

    "I know not how helpful such tales will be to you," The Vishashi said. "They are our legends passed from our forefathers when they were Reborn into this world, they have little meaning here to those who inhabit this place,"

    "I''ll still listen," Arnimos said.

    "Then let me tell you the Tale of Creation," The Vishashi said.

    The Vishashi waved a hand and suddenly great stretches of fabric hung from the walls of the tent. They were adorned with beautiful tapestries depicting some myth. The Vishashi gave another motion and a nargile appeared in front of him, he took a long drag from it then leaned back. His whole demeanor and pattern of speech changed as he did.

    "In the beginning... There naught but the... Sandfather..." The Vishashi said. "In the emptiness... He made sand... From sand he crafted the... Malish... First-Born... In dark and cold they grew... Disconnected from Him..."

    The Vishashi took another drag and motioned to one of the tapestries, it showed strange figures like men but their proportions were all wrong and their bodies seemed to stretch on endlessly.

    "Angry and hateful they... Left Him alone..." The Vishashi said. "So in the dark he made... Kuij... The Night... A being of dark filled with light... The light of creation..."

    As The Vishashi took another draw he motioned to one of the hung up tapestries, it depicted a man as black as ink with a million small glowing holes on his skin.

    "The Sandfather poked... A million holes into them..." The Vishashi said. "To give light to dark sands... Then he crafted a new people... The First Clan... The Machines..."

    He motioned to another tapestry, it depicted a strange group and metal men and beasts descending into great vaults below the sands.

    "The sands too cold... The light too much..." The Vishashi said. "They fled below the sands... They left Him alone again..."

    He motioned to another, this one showed Kuij missing their left hand which sat above the sands and was formed into a fist that glowed.

    "Sandfather took from Kuij... A hand which was skinned to reveal light..." The Vishashi said. "The light burned... It''s heat driving the dark and cold away... Then he crafted the Second Clan..."

    Another tapestry, this one showed men in massive bulky armor boarding strange vessels which flew into the stars above.

    "They too fled Him... Clad themselves in steel..." The Vishashi said. "Fled from heat of the desert... And into the body of Kuij..."

    Then he motioned to another tapestry which showed half the world shrouded in dark and half in light.

    "Kuij saw sadness in Him... The light of his hand burned all... Even Kuij..." The Vishashi said. "Despite that Kuij made a sacrifice... Kuij made himself to night, of dark and cold... A dark and cold that fled the light of his hand... One that no longer sees Him or his light..."

    Then he motioned to another tapestry which showed Kuij now also missing his right hand which was now a pale white that sat opposite his other.

    "To console himself from loss... Kuij tore hand from flesh... And scratched it so it may reflect... So he may see some of light in his... Isolation..." The Vishashi said. "And once a year... When moon blocks sun... Kuij can see the Sandfather once more... Until they separate again..."

    The Vishashi took another drag of the nargile then looked at Arnimos.

    "Then from sand he crafted the Third Clan..." The Vishashi said. "We lived beneath His light... For long there was peace until they... The Malish... The First Born... Returned..."

    The Vishashi motioned to the last tapestry which showed the Malish offering strange devices to some men.

    "They tricked our brothers... Made them abandon the Sandfather for homes of steel..." The Vishashi said. "Now only us... The Sandwalkers... Remain true to Him."

    The Vishashi took a long drag of the nargile. He breathed out and his demeanor shifted back.

    "That was the tale of creation," The Vishashi said.

    "What did you do there?" Arnimos said.

    "I simply recalled how my teacher had told me the tale," The Vishashi said. "I had thought that best,"

    "I thank you for the tale but I will be going to bed now," Arnimos said. "What are you though? I still can''t figure it out,"

    "Perhaps you will learn," The Vishashi said. "I shall see you upon the sun''s rising,"

    The Vishashi left and Arnimos settled into sleep, this was certainly not how he expected his life to be going.

 Chapter 12

    Arnimos and the rest crested another dune and in front of them saw a small trade post. It was a small cluster of buildings out in the dunes with only a few homes, a bar, a post office and a store. Arnimos looked back as John, the Vishashi and the Kalach''s came up just after him.

    "Finally a bit of civilization," John said.

    "Indeed outsiders," The Vishashi said. "Let us enter and then we shall see you on your way,"

    The group descended into the town, as they did so 2 soldiers eyed them cautiously.

    "First, i think i''ll get a drink at the old watering hole," John said. "Why don''t you join me Arnimos, it''ll be the sendoff to our little journey together,"

    "Sounds fine," Arnimos said. "I don''t think my father would like me drinking though,"

    "What he doesn''t know doesn''t hurt him," John said.

    "I shall join you as well," The Vishashi said. "The Kalachs have some things to purchase before we return to the tribe,"

    "Then let''s have a bit of fun," John said.

    The three split off from the Kalach''s and made their way to the bar. As they entered through the swinging doors they got a good look of the establishment. It was old and dusty with a thin layer of sand covering everything, an old jukebox sat in a corner playing quiet music. The only people here looked to be locals or more rough-and-tumble folk. They eyed the group as they entered and went up to the bar. The bartender, a Luxicon it seemed, eyed them.

    "What''ll it be?" The bartender said.

    "Get us three whiskey''s," John said.

    "That''ll be 6 marks," The bartender said.

    "You accept DE?" John said.

    "I do," The bartender said.

    John held out a hand which the bartender took, a thin stream of purplish energy flowed from John and into the bartender. Once it had stopped John pulled his hand back and the bartender poured three small glasses of whiskey.

    "Bartender," John said. "That was enough DE for the whole damn bottle, why only these three shots?"

    "Hard to get whiskey this far out," The bartender said. "Be lucky i have any at all,"

    John slammed the whiskey while the Vishashi took time to savor it, Arnimos just held it awkwardly. He had never drank before and didn''t expect his first to be in such a setting. The Vishashi turned to Arnimos.

    "You do not have to drink if you do not want to," The Vishashi said. "I know of many men who have never had drink in all their life,"

    "I know," Arnimos said. "I still feel like I should though,"

    "Are you worried about something?" The Vishashi said.

    "Is there really a point for me to drink?" Arnimos said. "I mean, my Dichotomies would just suppress the effect,"

    "True," The Vishashi said. "Those I know with strong Dichotomies due it for the taste more than the drunkenness,"

    "Is that why you drink?" Arnimos said.

    "I only drink because I was offered," The Vishashi said. "Normally we Vishashi would never drink, in case we were to encounter someone in need of advice,"

    As they spoke John had taken down two more glasses and was getting his fourth.

    "What are your thoughts on this place?" Arnimos said. "I saw how conflict between your tribes and the Empire is,"

    "It is not befitting of a Vishashi to comment upon political matters," The Vishashi said. "But if i am to speak then i wish there was a more equitable solution, i do not wish for violence between my people and the Empire,"

    "Do you believe there will be one?" Arnimos said.

    "I may pray to the Sandfather for such," The Vishashi said.

    "I do want to know more," Arnimos said. "Why do your people still follow the culture of land your predecessors came from?"

    "It is a matter of respect and tradition," The Vishashi said. "I have been told our forefather''s homeland was a desert much like the one we inhabit, to follow after them seemed only reasonable,"

    As they spoke John motioned over the bartender.

    "Now barkeep, I got a question?" John said. "You heard of a man by the name of Alex passing by this place?"

    "Depends," The bartender said, tapping the bar twice.

    "Already bought 6 shots," John said. "Ain''t that enough?"

    "If you ain''t paying extra then i''ll tell you just this," The bartender said. "That group of men in the corner came into town a few days ago, it seems they''re waiting for someone named John to pass through. Assume that''s you?"Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    "Might be," John said. "Say why they''re looking?"

    "Something about a bounty," The bartender said. "Nothing for me to ask about,"

    "I see," John said.

    John reached into a pocket and placed down a small pile of coins, 40 marks. He didn''t like spending them normally.

    "For the trouble," John said.

    The bartender looked at the marks then back at John and sighed.

    "Thank you mister," The bartender said. "Don''t cause too much ruckus,"

    "Try not to," John said.

    Arnimos looked over as John placed down the marks then looked over his shoulder towards a group of men in the corner.

    "What''s happening?" Arnimos said.

    "Think those guys know something," John said. "Got some questions for them,"

    Arnimos looked over at the group, it was 5 rough-looking men each with a pistol on their hips.

    "What are you asking them about?" Arnimos said.

    "Bit personal," John said. "You don''t need to get involved,"

    "I will," Arnimos said. "You saved my life, i''ll help you if i can,"

    John looked at Arnimos.

    "You''re a good one," John said. "Jump in if it gets violent,"

    Arnimos nodded and looked over, it seemed they had noticed them looking. The five men stood up and sauntered over to the bar, an older looking one stepped out in front.

    "You got an issue with us or something?" The older man said.

    "Nothing you need to worry about," John said.

    One of the other men looked at John.

    "Hey boss," The man said. "Don''t that guy look like who we looking for,"

    "An uncanny resemblance in fact," The older man said.

    "Got a common face," John said. "Who you searchin'' for anyhow?"

    "No business of yours," The older man said. "But we do got some questions for ya,"

    "Same," John said.

    John spun around and drew both revolvers pointing them at the group, the group drew theirs. Arnimos grabbed at his hammer and the Vishashi raised a hand.

    "Seems we got the right guy," The older man said. "Man said nothing about friends though,"

    "Gotta keep some things secret," John said. "Who hired ya?"

    "Man outta Paradise," The older man said. "Got some beef with him?"

    "You could say that," John said.

    "You comin'' willingly?" The older man said.

    "What do you think?" John said.

    "Thought so," The older man said. "Was hoping there''d be no fighting,"

    The men stood with weapons drawn for a few seconds, each side was tense. A single shot and the whole place would erupt into a fight. The tension stood for a few more moments until John fired first, one shot tore through the head of one of the men but the older man ducked and received a grazing shot to the cheek. The survivors let loose a volley of shots into John''s body, as the bullets passed through his flesh moved like water and the bullets seemed to have little effect.

    Arnimos stepped forward and brought the hammer up, it connected with the jaw of one of the men, throwing him back and breaking the man''s jaw. One man turned his gun towards Arnimos but the Vishashi gave a motion and a blade of hardened sand sliced through the air severing the man''s arm. The man had barely the time to scream before another blade silenced him. The last man standing there fired a shot towards the Vishashi whose body seemed to turn to sand and avoid the shot. John''s body stopped being like water and he brought the pistol up and put 2 shots into the last standing man''s chest.

    The older man recovered from his stumbling and drew an obsidian blade from his waist up in a quick motion, it delivered a slash along John''s chest that avoided being negated by his body''s water-like form. It was a Fear-Made weapon. The older man then stepped forward but before he could slash again another blade of sand cut through the air, causing the man''s head to fly off in a large arc.

    7 seconds, that''s how long that fight took. Arnimos looked around, he had barely done anything and the fight was already over. John looked over at him.

    "Let''s make ourselves scarce before the guards get here," John said. "Follow me,"

    John turned and ran, the Vishashi following shortly behind. Arnimos looked over at the bodies, the adrenaline still in him kept his Dichotomies in check but he could feel them scratching at the edge of his mind. It took him a few seconds before he turned away and left with the other 2.

    They ran for a few minutes till they found a secluded area to take a breather.

    "What was that about?" Arnimos said. "Why were those guys after you?"

    "Former business partner of mine betrayed me," John said. "He knows that if i''m alive i''ll be gunning for him,"

    "And what caused this?" Arnimos said.

    "Bit personal," John said.

    "What will we be doing now?" Arnimos said. "Not like we can stay around this town,"

    "I''ll be heading for Paradise," John said. "You can do what you want,"

    Arnimos stood there for a moment and considered, what should he do? He could head back towards home but he didn''t exactly know how to get there or follow John. He did save his life, wouldn''t it only be fair to help?

    "I want to help," Arnimos said.

    "Sure about that," John said. "It''ll be a long and violent trip there, not to mention what happens once we arrive,"

    "I still want to help," Arnimos said. "Paradise sound important, once I''ve helped you i can probably use it find a way home,"

    John seemed to consider it for a moment.

    "Fine," John said. "You help me and once its all over i''ll use the money I get to get you home,"

    "Deal," Arnimos said.

    "Good, now with that out of the way-" John said.

    "I would also like to come," The Vishashi said.

    "Agreed-" John said.

    "Why?" Arnimos asked.

    "I am certain the stories that will come from this will be great," The Vishashi said. "And i believe that the object John is getting is important,"

    "I ain''t handing it over to you," John said.

    "I am willing to pay a fair price once we have acquired it," The Vishashi said.

    John stared at him then sighed.

    "Won''t deny help from someone like you," John said. "But let''s get out of here posthaste,"

    The three departed town and onwards towards Paradise. It would be some time till they reached the city and there was still much in their way.

 Chapter 13

    Arnimos, John and the Vishashi stood looking out over the desert, the endless dunes led to a pass between 2 mountains.

    "Perfect spot for an ambush," John said. "We should be careful,"

    "How many do you think there will be?" Arnimos said.

    "Likely only a handful," The Vishashi said. "Too much ground for them to cover in large groups,"

    "Also would''ve seen them if it was a large group," John said. "Still, they have to have base nearby if there''s even more of them after us out here,"

    "How many more do you think they''ll be?" Arnimos said.

    "As many as he can afford," John said. "Well, afford and still have enough for gambling, which there certainly will be,"

    "You''d think he''d hired better men though," The Vishashi said. "The one''s in the town were little threat,"

    "Probably wants to avoid spending too much till we get close," John said. "So it''s best we reach Paradise as quickly as possible,"

    "How much farther?" Arnimos said.

    "3 weeks should do it," John said.

    "What''s the plan once we get there?" The Vishashi said.

    "Find him and kill him then get the "merchandise" back," John said. "Then i''ll get you both everything you need,"

    "Good enough plan," The Vishashi said.

    "Got any better?" John said.

    "Don''t believe this is the time for that," Arnimos said. "We should get moving through the pass quickly, maybe we can avoid any ambushers,"

    "Let''s hope," John said.

    The three descended a dune and trekked towards the pass. As they entered, shade descended upon them. The pass had gravelly ground passing in a thin trail surrounded by tall walls of sandstone with handfuls of small outcroppings just large enough to hide a person.

    As they walked John put a hand on his revolver. The gravel lightly crunched beneath their feet and a soft desert breeze blew through. They walked another dozen or so paces before they saw movement behind one of the rocks ahead. John had barely drawn his revolver before a man popped up and fired a shot, it sunk into John''s arm then John responded with a shot of his own.

    The man ducked as the bullet struck the rock, a handful of other men popped up from behind rocks or stood up on outcroppings and pointed their weapons. Arnimos grabbed the hammer and the Vishashi raised a hand. For a single second the pass stood silent before the bullets began to fly.

    John rushed forward and fired a handful of shots towards those blocking their way before diving for a rock, a few bullets bounced off rock but a few found their mark in a man''s arm or chest. A handful of rounds went towards him but they passed through his body like it was water, while he was focusing a conventional weapon was little use against him. A few shots chipped the rock he covered behind as he quickly reloaded his revolver and traded shots with a few of the men on outcroppings.

    Arnimos took out the hammer and swung it towards a man on an outcropping, part of the man''s skull caved in as an invisible force struck him. Arnimos then ducked behind a rock as another man shot at him, a few bullets bounced off the breastplate but one sunk into his arm. His Dichotomies came alight as the bullet struck, he was scared. He crouched as he focused the building energy towards his wound, the bullet popped out and the wound closed after a few seconds.

    The Vishashi stood there as a few bullets raced towards him, they cut through his body which turned to sand as he was hit. He focused his mind inwards on his Dichotomies, he let them feel fear but controlled them carefully. He channeled the energy into one and let it create a blade of sand in the air before him. He channeled a bit more and drew a curve with his hand, the blade became solid and flew out in the arc he drew with his hand. It flew and cut through stone and men with ease. The Vishashi began to focus his mind again.

    John rolled out from behind cover towards the men blocking their way forward, he fired 3 quick shots with his revolver then holstered the one in his off-hand and drew his Fear-Made one. As he aimed it at a man another popped up from behind a rock with a strange looking crossbow, it looked like it was made from marble and had a bolt made of that same marble. A Fear-Made weapon. John turned his gun but the enemy fired first, the bolt fired but it did not travel normally and instead hit him immediately after being fired. His water-like form didn''t matter to the Fear-Made weapon and the bolt sunk into his chest, blood began to seep out. He fired a return shot a moment later, the man''s arm exploded.

    Arnimos rose and swung the hammer towards another man on an outcropping, it cracked against his arm. The man let out a curse and dropped his rifle, he frantically drew his pistol and fired a quick burst of shots, of the 5 fired only 2 found their mark sinking into his leg. Arnimos fell to one knee and swung the hammer again, this time it struck him in the chest causing it to cave in and the man to stumble and fall from the outcropping. Arnimos felt his Dichotomies flaring to life even more, he closed his eyes and tried to focus on controlling them as the pain from his wounds grew duller.

    The Vishashi looked at the other 2, they were both injured. He stepped towards them but then he felt a surge of DE behind him, he turned and saw one of the men on the outcroppings had dropped his rifle and raised a hand which now had blood condensing in front of it. A Dichotomy user. The Vishashi drew another arc in the air sending a blade of sand, it missed the man and separated the outcropping from the wall. The man tumbled and landed on the ground with a thud, it took him a few seconds before he dragged himself to his feet, obviously injured. The man seemed to faintly glow as some of the injuries fixed themselves. The Vishashi took a stance and prepared for the coming fight.

    John scrambled forward and let loose a few shots from his Fear-Made weapon, 2 of the men fell as chunks were torn from their body. A handful of shots cut through him though they were still ineffective. He fired back with his normal revolver, a few shots sunk in but most missed. He looked over and saw a man pick up the Fear-Made crossbow and pull back the string, a bolt appeared in place as he did so. He aimed and fired, and another bolt appeared in John''s chest. John fired back killing the man but he could feel his strength leaving him, another shot or two would be his death. He rushed towards the crossbow.

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    Arnimos felt as his mind was trying to tear itself apart, his Dichotomies were too much. His sanity frayed and bent threatening at any moment to finally break. Images flashed in his mind, he saw everything he had feared. From monsters in the dark that weren''t there, to the loss of his friends, to the Personifications. It was as if his mind was trying to destroy itself from how it felt. He opened his eyes to try and drag his mind away but as he did so another bullet tore through his arm. He winced and his Dichotomies flared more, his mind was reaching its limit.

    The Vishashi stepped forward and threw out another blade of sand, the man raised a hand and blood formed in the air taking the strike. He then closed his fist causing multiple thin spikes of blood to form in the air around him, he pointed at the Vishashi causing them to projectile at him. The Vishashi channeled his Dichotomy and turned himself into a cloud of billowing sand, he shaped his body to avoid the spikes then rushed forward and reformed his body back to its normal state. The Vishashi then raised a hand and shot out another blade, it was deflected again. This fight was not going to be easy.

    John leaped over the rock and landed next to the crossbow, he raised his revolver and fired at the men fighting him. One fell as another fired a return shot and charged him, John moved to point his revolver but the man grabbed his rifle by the barrel and used it as a club, it struck through John''s hand not doing damage but throwing his weapon to the ground. John ducked back as he brought it down again, he grabbed his holstered revolver and fired 2 quick shots into the man''s gut, he stumbled back and fell to the ground. John leaned forward as a handful more shots went through his body and picked up the crossbow. As he did the weapon felt far heavier then it should and he could feel the power it contained, with how it seemed to be designed, and how effective its shots were against him, it was designed to have more of a punch then his revolver. He pulled back the string as another handful of shots cut through him, a new bolt appeared. He raised the crossbow as another man jumped out of cover then fired, the bolt impacted the man with such force as to send him flying backwards a few feet. John looked down at the weapon, this would be quite helpful.

    The Vishashi channeled his Dichotomies inwards then held his hand to his side, he would have to use a new ability to break the deadlock. He let his Dichotomies build energy before he channeled their power outwards into the sand that now surrounded him. Rather than a blade or his body instead he let the DE take its own form in the sand, one befitting of its wants. The sand around him began to shift, it began to whip slowly in a wind that was not there. The whipping sand rose in an imposing form that seemed like a large and long snake, it was a Fragment. A Fragment of Desert. The man across from him formed a large network of thinly connected lines of blood in a lattice around him, likely a defensive move. Neither of these moves were the other''s Ultimate, that they could both tell, but the victor would show whose side had the upper-hand.

    John threw himself behind a rock and drew back the string again, the enemy seemed never ending. Every time he shot one another just appeared. He popped over the rock and took aim and as he did so he finally noticed something, the guy he was aiming at was the one he just shot. He looked at the others he was fighting, he had already shot men with their exact same faces before. These weren''t people, they were results of Dichotomy. He cursed silently as fired another bolt into the clone that ducked back below the rock. He needed to find the user if this was going to end. He scanned around looking for faces he hadn''t shot before, he had to strain his eyes but he could see one 3 or 4 dozen yards away, it felt too far for this Fear-Made crossbow. He''d have to close himself. He took a deep breath in then stood and ran.

    The Vishashi and the man stood sizing one another up for a few seconds, trying to ascertain any weakness before the clash. They stood staring each other down until a soft wind blew in and the Vishashi pointed at the man. The Fragment surged forward and slammed its body towards the man, the lattice of blood shifted and formed an intricate web which seemed to catch the blow. As the web of blood caught the force the Fragment shifted its body, splitting its upper half into dozens of smaller snake-like pieces of sand that could worm through the gaps. The lattice shifted once again, moving to prevent any of them from getting through. The Vishashi watched, then raised a hand, he channeled his Dichotomy into the sand in the air. He saw as the man''s lattice kept changing form to prevent the Fragments from getting in, this ability was obvious now. A defensive ability that adapts to attacks levied against it but it seems it is only able to deal with a single type of attack at once. As the lattice shifted once again he drew an arc in the air and a blade of sand flew, the lattice shifted once more absorbing the blade but allowing some of the Fragments through. Seconds later the sand fell apart as the energy disappeared and all that was left of the man was a dried husk, he was strong but not stronger than the Vishashi. He turned back towards the other two and saw Arnimos kneeling injured and John taking off in a mad sprint, this was not a good sign.

    John rushed past the clones who continued to take shots at him but none got in his way, their creator hadn''t planned for this. He kept charging forward as he raised the crossbow and readied for when he was within range. He saw the user pop up from behind their rock and fire off a few shots, the first few did nothing. The user then threw down their rifle and picked up a revolver made of obsidian and fired it, there was no sound and instead he felt a horrible pain in his chest. John looked down and saw a hole in his chest, a moment later a few bullets struck him in the back. From the injuries he had sustained he finally couldn''t upkeep his water-like body and the bullets sunk in. John fell to his knees as his Dichotomies raced, the wounds'' pain grew fainter but they weren''t closing.

    The Vishashi ran towards Arnimos, he crouched next to him and looked into his eyes but he could tell his mind was elsewhere. He looked over to John just in time to see a shot from a Fear-Made weapon open a hole in his chest then a few seconds later a handful of bullets hit his back. As John fell the remaining men turned towards the 2, the Vishashi stood up and placed himself between Arnimos and the attackers. He held a hand out to the side and conjured the Fragment, he needed to defeat these enemies quickly.

    Arnimos stared at the ground as his mind raced, the threads of his sanity had nearly snapped and he could feel the building energy threatening to burst for at any moment. There was fighting happening around him but he couldn''t focus on it, something bad was happening but it was all so far away. As images flashed in his mind of all the worst things that could happen his breathing began to speed up and his vision grew blurry. What was it all worth? Was he going to die here? Why did all these things keep happening to him?

    As his mind raced he felt the energy in his body permeating every part of him, his body felt on fire. As his mind teetered at the edge of madness he began to faintly hear something, it sounded like a typewriter. His mind reeled and his Dichotomies pulled back, their constant increase stopping as though that had hit a brick wall. Suddenly the energy they were holding surged into his body, it felt like it was going to burst. His eyes shot open and the whole world became clear. As he looked around he saw the world moving in slow-motion.

    John was laying on the ground bleeding out, the Vishashi had summoned a Fragment to defend him, there were still many men firing at them. As he looked at them in this state he could see they were not natural, their features were just too perfect to be human. He saw as they levelled rifles, they were going to kill him and the Vishashi. He wouldn''t let that happen, he raised a single hand towards them all. ''An Archon has the Dichotomies of all four races,'' Tages had once told him. If the others here could use the abilities of their Dichotomies then surely even with his strange one he could do something as well, right? He focused the energy to where it felt natural, his Luxicon Dichotomy.

    The energy flowed out from his body and into it and it came alive, it ate the energy then sat primed like it was waiting for a command. He wasn''t sure what to do but his mind did what felt right and directed it towards those before him.

    The Vishashi stood with the Fragment at his side, it would be difficult to beat them all but he should be able to. As he prepared himself he felt a surge of DE behind him, he turned around expecting a new enemy but instead just saw Arnimos with a single hand raised and an incredible amount of DE suffusing his body. He opened his mouth and a single word left it.

    DESTROY

    Arnimos fell to the ground, his vision fading, he saw no more Fragment or strange men and whatever he had just done had obviously shocked the Vishashi. He lightly chuckled as he slowly faded out of consciousness. He did have a Skill, he''d have to ask the Vishashi what it did once he woke back up.

 Chapter 14

    Arnimos floated in a seemingly empty black void, he could feel nothing, hear nothing perhaps he couldn''t even see anything. As he moved his hands it felt like he was moving through water. As he tried to take a breath nothing came, his body reflexively kept trying to breathe but no air reached him. He moved his hand up to his mouth and felt nothing but the air, he trashed around reaching for something. As he did so his mind began to race and he felt something in his soul stir.

    A moment later a searing feeling permeated his body and this empty void flashed with a dark purple light. As the light dimmed he felt air reach his lungs and ground beneath his feet. He looked down and saw a section of limestone just large enough for him to stand on and the air around him no longer felt like moving through water. He reached his hand out and after a foot or so his hand seemed to pierce out of the pocket he seemed to have made. He drew his hand back in but none of the strange air followed.

    As he looked around once again he heard the faint sound of something clicking in rapid succession, like a strange ring of keys. He looked towards it direction and as he did-

    Arnimos shot up, he looked around and saw himself under the tarp of a small campsite. There was a fire making some food and John and the Vishashi sat a bit away. John was covered in scars that seemed to be slowly fading and the Vishashi sat talking to him. As he awoke the two looked at him.

    "You''re finally awake," The Vishashi said.

    "Had us worried there for a bit," John said.

    "What happened?" Arnimos said. "I remember us fighting some strange guys then..."

    "We beat ''em," John said. "Especially with the use of that power you got there,"

    "Yes, it was unlike anything I had ever seen," The Vishashi said.

    "Same here," Arnimos said. "Never used it before,"

    "It outputs a large amount of power," The Vishashi said. "And it destroyed the clones and the Fragment,"

    "Is this what my Luxicon Dichotomy does?" Arnimos said. "Did it damage anything else?"

    "Just my Fragment and the clones," The Vishashi said.

    "Hold on," John said.

    John quickly rifled through a bag lying beside him and pulled out a crossbow that looked to be made of marble, it had cracks running along its frame.

    "This Fear-Made weapon wasn''t this damaged when I picked it up," John said. "Think his Dichotomy could have done it?"

    "To damage a Fear-Made weapon takes great power," The Vishashi said. "For one of his abilities to do such a thing..."

    The Vishashi seemed to be lost in thought while John slid the crossbow back into his pack.

    "What does this mean?" Arnimos said.

    "Means you got some strange as hell abilities," John said. "Not that i''m gonna complain, saved my life and all that,"

    "We will have to spend time training them," The Vishashi said.

    "Sounds good," Arnimos said. "When should we start?"

    "Immediately," The Vishashi said.

    "Right now?" Arnimos said.

    "I''ll give you a few minutes to eat and wake up," The Vishashi said. "Then we start,"

    Arnimos got up and quickly ate the food that was being prepared before following the Vishashi a short distance away from the camp. The Vishashi stopped and looked back at him.

    "From what I have seen you seem to have little control over your Dichotomies," The Vishashi said.

    "I''m aware," Arnimos said. "Had enough teachers tell me that by now,"

    "Your lack of control is not only your fault however," The Vishashi said. "Quad-Dichotomies are exceptionally hard to tame, they require a different approach for each person,"

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    The Vishashi raised a hand and the sand around him seemed to begin dancing.

    "It took me many years to control mine," The Vishashi said.

    "That brings up the question again," Arnimos said. "What are you? An Archon as well?"

    "I am not lucky or unlucky," The Vishashi said. "But I am a member of the Quad-Dichotomy races,"

    "Tages never got around to telling me much about the others," Arnimos said.

    "Then let me teach you," The Vishashi said. "I am a Scribe,"

    "What does that mean?" Arnimos said.

    "You Archons have access to all of your Dichotomy''s abilities and can even combine them. Empaths, the third and last of the Quad-Dichotomy races, focus on drawing their fear out of the environment to fuel their powers," The Vishashi said. "But us Scribes do something else, we only have 3 Skills and our Ultimate but our special ability is that we can "Redefine" our fear. For example,"

    The Vishashi waved a hand and suddenly for around a meter around him the top layer of sand vanished.

    "That was a redefinition of one of my Skills to be Luxicon instead of Taniberas," The Vishashi said. "We can only redefine a limited number of times per day and, unless we have a definition we would like to get back, we do not get to choose anything other then the Dichotomy the redefinition should use,"

    "That''s interesting," Arnimos said. "But we have the same Dichotomies, why are our power sets different?"

    "It is the nature of their formation," The Vishashi said. "My Tyross and Taniberas Dichotomies formed and merged before my Arbeross and Luxicon which is what creates Scribes, Empaths are made by the merging of Arbeross and Luxicon then the manifestation of Tyross and Taniberas while Archons have their Dichotomies all manifest at the same time creating equilibrium,"

    "So the difference between me and you," Arnimos said. "Was that I was lucky enough to have all my Dichotomies come in at once?"

    "Yes," The Vishashi said. "And it because of that they are so hard to control,"

    The Vishashi put his hand straight out and furrowed his brow, sand began to flow from the ground and formed into 4 small balls in his palm. One of the balls then merged into another.

    "My merged Dichotomies mean that one is stronger than the others and since the stronger one is Tyross and Taniberas it means I can command mine to listen,"

    The balls then separated back out into 4.

    "For you however your Dichotomies are equal," The Vishashi said. "They require a firm hand and resolve to work together in the way you wish, they must learn listen to your mind over their wishes,"

    "And how do I train that?" Arnimos said.

    "It comes with time," The Vishashi said. "During our travels try to make DE then hold it but our training here isn''t about that, it is to try out your first Skill,"

    The balls of sand fell apart and blew away in the wind. The Vishashi then put a hand out to the side and a large snake made of sand formed.

    "Focus your mind and draw out DE then try channeling it into your Luxicon Dichotomy," The Vishashi said. "Then focus on whatever feels natural, your first Skill should come easily,"

    Arnimos closed his eyes and focused on his Dichotomies. They came alive and flooded his mind with fear, he focused on breathing as images of all the worst things flashed in his mind. The Dichotomies then began to feast and grow fat pumping out DE then he sharpened his mind past the horrible images and directed the flow of DE towards the Luxicon Dichotomy. The energy flowed into it and part of his soul felt filled to bursting. As he stood there silently for a moment wondering what to do he let instinct reign.

    Arnimos opened his eyes and saw the Vishashi there with the Fragment. He raised a hand as the energy swelled inside him. He directed it outwards, towards the Fragment. As the energy surged he heard the faint ring of a key.

    Energy exploded outwards and rushed over the land, parts of the sand ground beneath them, a construct of the Region, was annihilated as the energy passed over. As the energy hit the Fragment it made a horrible screech, something it shouldn''t be able to do, and was seemingly blown apart. The Vishashi recoiled as the energy passed through him.

    Arnimos fell to the ground panting, what he had just done felt horrible. There was something horribly wrong with what he just did, he didn''t know what but something within told him so. He took a few deep breaths and looked back up at the Vishashi who was stood with a partially horrified and partially intrigued expression.

    "You just..." The Vishashi said. "The sand... You Destroyed the sand..."

    "What''s so important about that?" Arnimos said.

    "The sand comes from the Region," The Vishashi said. "It should not be possible to Destroy it..."

    "Didn''t your Luxicon ability do that?" Arnimos said.

    "In a sense," The Vishashi said. "But not how you did,"

    "What''s the difference?" Arnimos said.

    "I just removed the sand by destroying the desert," The Vishashi said. "You destroyed the sand itself,"

    "So my Dichotomy destroyed part of the Region?" Arnimos said. "What could that mean?"

    "Whatever it is," The Vishashi said. "We shall have to experiment more, but we''ll stop todays training here,"

    The Vishashi walked over to Arnimos and offered a hand.

    "It seems that your Skills take a lot out of you," The Vishashi said. "We''ll have to spend some more time later figuring out how it works fully,"

    "Agreed," Arnimos said. "Something feels off about all of this,"

    Arnimos took the Vishashi''s hand and pulled himself up, then they went back to the camp.

 Chapter 15

    Arnimos, John and the Vishashi arrived at a small city out in the desert. It held maybe 1-2000 people and had a short wall surrounding it.

    "Some civilization," John said. "Let''s pick up some supplies then continue onwards,"

    "That would be the correct course of action," The Vishashi said.

    "Shouldn''t we be on edge?" Arnimos said. "Won''t there be more assassins?"

    "Yeah, but this is a big city," The Vishashi said. "It should limit their attacks while we''re inside,"

    "Don''t get it wrong though," John said. "They will be after us in here,"

    "Then I''ll stay on edge," Arnimos said.

    They approached the gates where a handful of guards stood, one raised a hand as they approached.

    "Name and reason for entry?" The guard said.

    "John, passing through," John said.

    "Arnimos," Arnimos said.

    "Vishashi," The Vishashi said.

    "Where ya going?" The guard asked.

    "Paradise," John said.

    "I see," The guard said. "How long are you staying?"

    "Maybe a day," John said. "Not terrible long,"

    The guard gave a motion and the gates pulled open.

    "Cause no trouble," The guard said.

    The three entered the city. It had tight streets packed with people and market stalls.

    "I''ll pick up some firewood and food," The Vishashi said. "What will you two do?"

    "We''ll try to get some information at the old watering hole," John said. "Let''s meet back up at the northern gate in a few hours,"

    "See you then," The Vishashi said.

    As a wind blew in the Vishashi turned into sand and travelled on it, John and Arnimos made their way towards a dinky bar. It was a small dusty place with only a handful of people inside. John and Arnimos approached and took a seat at the bar, John raised a hand.

    "Barkeep," John said. "A whiskey please,"

    The barkeep, a Taniberas man, walked over and poured a small glass of whiskey, John paid over some DE. Just as the barkeep was about to leave John gulped down the whole thing then looked at him.

    "Got some questions for you barkeep," John said. "If you don''t mind,"

    "Depends what you''re asking about," The barkeep said.

    "You heard anything about a bounty in this region?" John said. "Or any hired guns being in town?"

    "When aren''t there?" The barkeep said. "Be more specific,"

    "Anybody hunting an Arbeross looking like me?" John said.

    "Maybe," The barkeep said. "Maybe not,"

    John held out a hand towards the barkeep, the barkeep took it. DE flowed from John into the barkeep.

    "That enough?" John said.

    "Good enough," The barkeep said. "A man arrived a few days ago, said he''s hunting some outlaw on behalf of some rich benefactor in Paradise,"

    "Anything about him specifically?" John asked.

    "Yeah, he-" The barkeep said.

    As the barkeep spoke the swinging doors flung open, the whole bar looked over to see who entered. There was a Taniberas man in a black robe with a sword in his hand that looked too perfectly crafted to be natural, his eyes coldly scanning the bar until they settled on John.

    "That''s the man," The barkeep said.

    John looked at him then rose from his seat, Arnimos stood up as well.

    "Looking for someone?" John said.

    John''s hands hovered over his revolvers.

    "John," The man said. "Will you come willingly?"

    "Depends who''s asking?" John said.

    Arnimos placed a hand on his hammer, the Taniberas glanced over at him.

    "Associates," The man said. "I''ll have to charge extra,"

    "Why don''t you run back to your boss," John said. "And I won''t blow a hole in ya,"

    The man looked at them and sighed before crouching slightly and placing a hand on his sword.

    "I am Rulst-Kal," Rulst-Kal said. "And I have never failed to catch a bounty before,"

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    John drew his revolvers and fired a quick shot but a wall suddenly appeared in the way. Arnimos raised his hammer and swung it down, part of the wall crumbled. John drew out his Fear-Made revolver and jumped to the side trying to get a sightline on the man but as he did a box formed around him. Arnimos looked over at the box then back towards the wall as he swung again, this time the wall completely crumbled but it did not appear to be from his hammer.

    Rulst-Kal burst forward once the wall fell and swung his sword upwards, a thin slash appeared on Arnimos''s chest. Arnimos stumbled back and grabbed a bar stool with one hand. He then focused his mind inwards and felt his Dichotomies explode to life, fearful images dominated his mind and he tried to drive them away and focus. He focused the DE into muscles which burned with power then he threw the barstool at Rulst-Kal.

    They stumbled back as the bar stool struck into them and shattered from the force he threw it with. Rulst-Kal began to faintly glow with DE as the injuries began to repair themselves. Arnimos turned and swung the hammer at the box that contained John, as the first blow landed it seemed to do little. ''It must be the effect of a powerful Dichotomy,'' Arnimos thought, ''This may be beyond what we can fight.''

    Arnimos looked back at Rulst-Kal who stood tall as the last of his injuries closed. He looked at Arnimos with a cold, ruthless expression.

    "Should''ve surrendered when you had the chance," Rulst-Kal said.

    Rulst-Kal raised a hand towards Arnimos and suddenly he was cast into darkness.

    He couldn''t see the world around him for a second as his eyes adjusted and he found himself in a small room. As he tried to orient himself he noticed the walls slowly closing in, he swung his hammer but they took damage. The walls got closer. Arnimos pushed against one of the walls but he couldn''t slow it, the room kept closing in. Tighter and tighter the space became as slowly the walls and ceiling closed in first making it so he could barely move around, then barely turn around then the pressure began to crush him.

    The walls pushed on his body slowly trying to compress it, like it was going to turn his body into a fine paste. He tried to push back with what little strength he could muster in such a tight place but it was no use, this place was too strong. As he felt ribs beginning to strain his Dichotomies came to life, the fear of death gripped him. A thousand images flashed in his head as energy surged through his body, his life was flashing before his eyes.

    The Vishashi took off from the market towards the outpouring of DE he felt, he had not expected another attack so soon in the city. He maneuvered through the tight streets until he reached a rundown bar and burst in. He saw a Taniberas standing there with 2 boxes about the size of people near him, the man turned to look at the Vishashi as he entered.

    "You friends of these two?" The Taniberas said.

    "And what if I am?" The Vishashi said.

    "Gonna fight to get them back?" The Taniberas said.

    The Vishashi''s hand fell to his side and the thin layer of sand in the bar began to dance. The Taniberas sighed.

    "Always more fools," The Taniberas said.

    "It is you who is the fool here," The Vishashi said.

    The Vishashi raised a hand and the sand around the bar coalesced into spikes, he clasped his hand shut and the spikes all shot inwards towards the Taniberas. As they came in a few small what seemed like walls appeared that took the impact, a skilled use of Dichotomy. He must have had much experience, now the Vishashi just had to find out what his fear was.

    The Vishashi turned to sand and dashed back as the man pointed at where he once stood, a box appeared there. It must be how he captured Arnimos and John, what fear had created it though? The Taniberas glanced over at him as he then raised a hand and the spikes of sand unformed and flew to his side. They flowed into his hand and formed a knife.

    The Vishashi then pushed against the ground and dashed forward, it took only a few paces till he was in the man''s face. He brought the knife up but the man ducked back and swung a fist in response, it connected with his face. He gritted his teeth and thrust the knife forward but the man sidestepped it then grabbed his arm and pulled him into a punch straight to the stomach. This man was experienced fighting Arbeross if he knew to charge his attack with this much DE to avoid him just becoming something he couldn''t hit. The Vishashi let go of the sand knife then shot it towards the man''s chest, it sank into his shoulder as he tried to dodge.

    The Vishashi tore his arm from the Taniberas''s grasp then delivered a swift punch to the chest, the Taniberas slid back a few inches from the force. The Vishashi called the sand back to him. The Taniberas put a hand on his wound then looked at the Vishashi as it began to close.

    "You''re quite experienced," The Taniberas said. "But not enough to beat me,"

    The man was right, the Vishashi wasn''t sure if he could beat him in his current state. If he wanted to win he needed to use one of his Ultimate''s but the environment wasn''t right for the one he needed, he needed to get Arnimos and John and get out of here. It was likely Arnimos was preparing to break out himself with his Dichotomy and the Vishashi just needed to weaken the Taniberas enough for them to escape. The issue is, he didn''t want to reveal their hand just yet about what Arnimos could do.

    The Vishashi put a hand out and channeled his Dichotomies inward, he focused on them and felt them mold and change. He couldn''t beat the man with this but if he distracted the man enough that he''d be forced to dispel the boxes holding John and Arnimos. He felt his Arbeross Dichotomy flaring to life as it shifted and reached a version of its full potential. ''Ultimate,'' The Vishashi thought, ''Avatar Of The Desert''.

    His form shifted into an endless whipping mass of sand as his consciousness expanded to every little grain of sand in the room, he had truly Become the Desert. It was not the strongest Ultimate, not by a long shot, but its utility was beyond comparison.

    As the sand formed a vaguely humanoid figure the man raised a hand and part of the sand was put into a box. Inside the box he could see the walls closing in and trying to crush it, a hint upon his Dichotomy, but most of him remained outside. His sandy form unwound into thin tendrils of sand that whipped towards the Taniberas at high-speed. The Taniberas dodged a few but summoned walls to tank most of the hits; he could see the boxes beginning to have small cracks in them.

    The Taniberas drew the blade up in a line and the Vishashi felt a burning on his body, the Fear-Made weapon could still harm him. He drew in much of the sand then crafted it into a thin beam which he shot out at high-speed, a wall appeared in its path but it was quickly wearing through it. The boxes kept cracking. He channeled more and more into the thin beam of sand, more walls appeared and the boxes cracked more.

    He felt more burning on his soul, the Taniberas was still attacking him. He formed two tendrils to strike around the edges of the wall but two more walls appeared to block it. The boxes seemed near breaking. Another burning sensation and his mind began to strain, he couldn''t hold this form much longer. The tendrils whipped against the wall trying to get through as the beam quickly wore through another wall. He felt more injuries piling up, the end was coming. As his attacks continued to lash the walls he saw as the boxes shook then shattered and John and Arnimos came out.

    Arnimos was burning with DE, likely he was about to use his Luxicon Skill, and John looked pissed. They looked at the Vishashi then at the three walls he was attacking.

    "GO... QUICKLY..." The Vishashi said. "NOT... MUCH... LONGER..."

    They complied quickly and dashed out of the bar, once they were out and safely ducking through alleyways the Vishashi relented his assault and followed with as much haste as he could, he needed to get the most out of this.

    Rulst-Kal stood looking at the bar patrons who still sat staring at him, he dispelled the walls and stepped outside. As he did he felt a vibration in his pocket, he drew out the strange Fear-Made communicator and focused on it.

    "Well?" His boss said. "Do you have him?"

    "Complications occurred," Rulst-Kal said. "Don''t worry however, I have more information now,"

    "Well, good," His boss said. "But capture them quickly, I don''t want them reaching Paradise!"

    "No need to worry," Rulst-Kal said. "Next time, they won''t get away,"

    "They better not," His boss said. "Or you''re not getting paid,"

    "Heard it a thousand times," Rulst-Kal said. "Now I''ve gotta prep some stuff, talk to you once I got them,"

    "Hey, wait-" His boss said.

    Rulst-Kal stopped focusing on the communicator. ''Scribe of Desert, Unknown, and Arbeross of the Depths,'' He thought, ''Appears the unknown has something but not sure yet, I''ll have to try and force his hand.'' Rulst-Kal then refocused on the communicator, he had some people to call.

 Chapter ..

    Tikow sat on a balcony staring out into the sea, so much had happened. He had sent his son, Arnimos, and some forces to help secure against bandits but instead some of his strongest soldiers and his son had been defeated. Now he didn''t even know where Arnimos was, it was painful. He prayed every night that he was safe but as the days dragged on he lost more and more hope.

    He glanced back into the room, he saw Phemonoe carefully and slowly walking over before taking a seat next to him.

    "You shouldn''t be moving around so much," Tikow said. "The healers said that-"

    "I''m fine," Phemonoe said. "I need some sunlight and fresh air,"

    She stared at the sea, a light breeze blew in causing her hair to gracefully blow in the wind. The sunlight lightly bathed her petrified grey skin almost seeming to bring the vaguest resemblance of color to it. Her eyes with that ever dull grey seemed to be tinged in the lightest purple.

    "Are you feeling better today?" Tikow said.

    "As good as I have ever been," Phemonoe said.

    They sat in each other''s presence. There was little to say they were both hurting but neither could bring themselves to say a word to the other. There was always so much happening that moments like these had become rare. Tikow looked at her, here in the sunlight he could see bits of the woman he fell in love with. It was decades ago now that they met and married and now it seemed Tikow would spend decades, maybe even centuries, without her. He opened his mouth to say something but then he saw something, a lone carriage rode up to the gate of the palace. The guards seemed to move with an unforeseen alacrity around this carriage and a moment later a servant burst into the room.

    "My Lord!" The servant said. "The Reborn Lord Qulmilas has arrived!"

    ''A Reborn Lord?!?'' he thought. ''What are they doing here?'' Tikow looked at Phemonoe.

    "I''ll be back in a moment my dear," Tikow said.

    He wasted no time rushing out of the room.

    "Tell the guards to escort Lord Qulmilas to the court!" Tikow said.

    The servant bowed and rushed off, Tikow made his way to the throne room and quickly donned some more regal clothing and took a seat. He sat for a few minutes before the main doors opened and 3 men entered. One was Luxicon dressed in servant garbs, the next was a Taniberas, he presumed, dressed in a strange garb similar to that of a nun, especially strange since it was a man, and the last, dressed in regal clothing themselves, was Lord Qulmilas.

    "Presenting Lord Qulmilas!" The servant declared.

    The Luxicon and Taniberas gave a small bow.

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    "And to what do I owe the pleasure, Lord Qulmilas?" Tikow said.

    "I am here to discuss business," Qulmilas said. "We will require privacy."

    Tikow gave a motion and his guards departed leaving the 4 alone in the room.

    "What is the issue?" Tikow said. "If I may ask?"

    "There are many enemies here and abroad," Qulmilas said. "And I hear some of them have taken your son."

    "That is true," Tikow said, narrowing his eyes. "But we are working to get him back,"

    "Without him however it is likely the Empire will make a move," Qulmilas said. "Their restriction from attempting to seize an Archon is the only reason they haven''t yet attacked the independent lord of Elysium."

    "I am well aware of this," Tikow said. "What is your purpose in being here?"

    "We are not permitted to directly intervene in such matters," Qulmilas said. "However some of us are not very pleased with the state of things."

    "And what do you propose then?" Tikow said.

    "We are willing to help find your son and provide the support necessary to keep the Empire from invading," Qulmilas said. "In exchange, we would like the Page you have."

    Tikow narrowed his eyes at Qulmilas, ''how did he learn of the page?''

    "You make great assumptions in guessing that I possess a Page," Tikow said. "I will consider this proposal however, is there anything else?"

    "That is all." Qulmilas said.

    Qulmilas gave him no time to say goodbyes and simply turned and left, as he left the room another figure entered through a side door, Tages. The Oracle looked at the door that Qulmilas had just left through then back at Tikow.

    "It appears much is happening in a short time," Tages said. "This is not a good sign,"

    "What do you think is happening, old friend?" Tikow said.

    "Writer has made his move," Tages said.

    "And what will that mean for us?" Tikow said.

    "Nothing good, I know that," Tages said.

    "But there must be a way to beat him?" Tikow said.

    "There is," Tages said. "I do not know it yet however,"

    "Then what are we to do?" Tikow said.

    "All we can," Tages said. "If Reborn Lords came here that means that this is a far greater conspiracy then i had imagined,"

    Tages seemed to think for a moment before turning towards the door.

    "I must ride to Ragate and speak to the other members of the Luminary Enclave about this," Tages said. "They will know how to deal with this,"

    "What of Arnimos?" Tikow said. "How is he involved in this? Is he safe?"

    "I do not know," Tages said. "But knowing that man he is alive, the question is if that is a good thing,"

    "What should I do while I wait for your return?" Tikow said.

    "Continue as you have been," Tages said. "Do not let them know we are doing anything,"

    "I understand old friend," Tikow said. "I shall entrust it all to you,"

    Tages nodded and left the throne room towards the great city of Ragate, there he would find what he needed to counter whatever play was being made here. Tikow sat alone in the throne room and stared out a window into the city, it was going to be a long time before he got another moment of peace.

 Chapter 16

    Arnimos and John stopped in an alley quite a distance from the bar, they took a second to catch their breaths.

    "That was close," John said. "Didn''t expect such a strong guy to show up this soon,"

    "What were those powers?" Arnimos said. "They were pretty strong,"

    "Must be a skilled bounty hunter," John said. "And it''s likely we''ve not seen the last of him,"

    As they spoke a cloud of billowing sand blew into the alley then coalesced into the Vishashi, he took a moment to catch his breath then looked at the two.

    "It appears we won''t be able to get through any place without being attacked," The Vishashi said.

    "Yeah," John said. "What supplies did you manage to pick up?"

    "Just some firewood," The Vishashi said. "Enough to keep Night away for awhile,"

    "Then we should move out," John said. "Let''s not get caught up here for long,"

    "Shouldn''t we try to deal with the Taniberas?" Arnimos said. "We don''t want him pursuing us,"

    "He''s more skilled than us," John said. "Beating him won''t be easy,"

    "Especially since my Dichotomies are exhausted," The Vishashi said. "I had to use my Ultimate,"

    "We saw," John said. "Let''s get out of here before-"

    "Going somewhere?" Rulst-Kal said.

    They saw as he seemed to step out of one of the walls of the alley. John drew his pistol and Arnimos raised his hammer as the man stepped out, he raised a hand and pointed at the Vishashi causing a box to appear around him.

    "One threat down," Rulst-Kal said.

    The crack of a gunshot resounded as part of the Taniberas''s flesh was blown off from the Fear Made weapon. He began to faintly glow as flesh remade itself.

    "Stop resisting and make this easy," Rulst-Kal said. "Hate wasting effort,"

    Arnimos swung the hammer down but it struck a small section of wall that suddenly formed. Rulst-Kal crouched and placed a hand on his sword then drew it in a swift slash, a cut appeared on both Arnimos and John''s chest. John fired another shot but it was intercepted by a section of wall. Arnimos felt as his Dichotomies lashed at his mind, tearing at the edges as energy began to build and wounds began to heal.

    John dashed forward and fired another shot, another interception. Rulst-Kal began to raise a hand but John threw himself to the side and fired again. A chunk of the man''s hand was blown off. Rulst-Kal''s hand began to heal as he swung the blade again causing a cut to form along John''s arm.

    Arnimos charged forward and swung the hammer which was blocked by a section of wall but then he dropped it and threw himself at Rulst-Kal, the move was unexpected allowing him to tackle the Taniberas. Arnimos brought back his fist and delivered a strong strike to Rulst-Kal''s face. He brought his fist back again but then Rulst-Kal grabbed Arnimos and shoved him away with supernatural strength.

    John fired a shot as Arnimos was pushed back, another chunk of flesh exploded. John stepped forward and fired again, this time a section of wall intercepted the shot. Rulst-Kal kicked himself up and swung his blade out at John, a cut formed along his chest. John raised his revolver and fired another shot, as the section of wall intercepted it he raised his other arm and activated a Skill. His arm turned into a thin jet of water the he whipped at Rulst-Kal. The Taniberas jumped back but not quick enough and earned a shallow gouge on the leg.

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    "You are too much trouble," Rulst-Kal said. "I''ll be back,"

    Rulst-Kal touched the wall of the alley and he and the box holding the Vishashi merged into it. John fired a shot as he did but it simply made a hole in the wall. He looked back at Arnimos who was standing up and grabbing his hammer.

    "What was that?" Arnimos said. "How did he do that?"

    "Good question," John said. "Better question is where is he taking out Vishashi,"

    The two rushed over to where Rulst-Kal merged into the wall, they felt it and looked over it but saw nothing.

    "It must be his Dichotomy," Arnimos said. "Not only can he summon walls to protect himself and trap us in box, he can teleport somehow,"

    "This is just peachy," John said. "How are we supposed to find him?"

    Arnimos pressed a hand against the wall, something felt off. He closed his eyes and focused, he could feel a faint trail of DE on the wall. He opened his eyes and could see the faintest trail of purplish energy leading somewhere.

    "I see something," Arnimos said. "I think it''s the path he took,"

    "How''d you reckon that?" John said.

    "Feels like there''s DE here leading somewhere else," Arnimos said.

    "You''re just a bag full of tricks," John said. "Let''s follow quickly then, before he gets too much of a chance to recover,"

    Arnimos nodded and the two followed the trail. It seemed to jump between buildings and trailed along walls, something related to his fear perhaps? They followed it through winding paths and barren streets until they reached what seemed like a small courtyard where Rulst-Kal sat in the center with the box standing beside him. Rulst-Kal looked at them and seemed a bit shaken then stood up.

    "You got here quickly," Rulst-Kal said. "How''d you figure out where I was so quickly?"

    "Don''t matter to you," John said. "Now, how about you hand over the Vishashi and i''ll let you leave this place alive,"

    "Bold words from you," Rulst-Kal said. "Now how about i offer you a chance to surrender and-"

    Rulst-Kal snapped his fingers and a handful of men appeared in the windows of nearby buildings with weapons.

    "My boys won''t have to get violent," Rulst-Kal said.

    "Think we''re going down so easy?" John said. "Not a chance,"

    "What about you, kid," Rulst-Kal said. "Wanna run off?"

    "An Archon doesn''t run," Arnimos said.

    "Sure..." Rulst-Kal said. "Wait-What-"

    Arnimos raised a hand and let his Dichotomies run wild, madness ripped at the edge of his mind and a fear which could stop his heart filled his mind. He felt his throat closing and body developed a cold sweat as he heard the single ring of a key. Arnimos focused his mind and drove the energy inwards, it swelled inside his soul.

    Rulst-Kal was distracted for a second, just what John needed. He drew his revolver and fired, the shot took out a chunk of his leg. Rulst-Kal fell to a knee.

    "Blast him!" Rulst-Kal said.

    The men in the windows aimed their weapons, they would certainly take John out. The world slowed down as all these men aimed Fear-Made weapons at him, this was gonna hurt. He looked over at Arnimos who seemed to begin exploding with power, it would''ve been best to keep their trump card hidden but now was as good a time as any.

    Energy filled his Luxicon Dichotomy then he let it all out into the environment around them, a blast of wind blew over the area and the thin layer of sand on the ground was annihilated. The men in the windows winced as cracks formed along their weapons, Rulst-Kal took a step back and shielded himself. Cracks formed along his blade and the box disappeared exposing the Vishashi to the world.

    John dashed forward, Rulst-Kal raised his arms to block but John ran past and picked up the Vishashi then kept sprinting away.

    "Get out Arnimos!" John said. "Let''s meet up later,"

    Arnimos was taking deep breaths and on one knee.

    "You got it," Arnimos said between breaths.

    Arnimos rose and ran with what he could muster, they didn''t give pursuit. What had just happened had surprised them too much. Arnimos ran blindly through alleys and streets, he''d have to encounter his friends eventually.

 Chapter 17

    Arnimos moved through alleys until he was sure no one was pursuing him, he stopped and took a look around. He didn''t know where he was in the city, nor where his allies were. He took a moment to breathe then continued down the alley. This section of the city looked rougher and seemed far more suspicious, it seemed like a place where crime was more common. He walked until he arrived at what seemed to be a main street, it was a curving and confusing thing that almost seemed more maze-like then anything people would normally live in. There were few people on the street, mainly some homeless and more unsavory individuals. Arnimos picked a direction and began to walk down it but he kept glancing around to make sure no one was following him, he had to be sure.

    After a short time of walking he saw a group of three of these unsavory individuals look at him then stop leaning on a wall and beginning to trail him. Arnimos picked up his pace and so did they, it appeared a confrontation was inevitable. Arnimos prodded his Dichotomies but they felt tired, they didn''t want to produce more energy. Arnimos could probably beat the criminals but it might leave him injured, something he didn''t want to be dealing with while he needed to flee the city.

    As they got closer and closer Arnimos spotted something, a small caf�� nestled between 2 larger buildings. ''Might be safe,'' Arnimos thought. He changed direction and went towards it, his pursuers seemed to hesitate as he entered.

    Inside was a small caf�� with 2 or 3 tables and a small handful of chairs. There were only 2 other people inside, a Tyross who, based on his clothing, appeared to be the owner of this establishment, and an Arbeross?? who had had a strange suit that showed too much skin and white fur coat draped over her shoulders. The Arbeross was sat drinking a cup of something while the Tyross looked to be absent-mindedly cleaning dishes. As Arnimos entered the Tyross looked at him.

    "Ah, a new customer," The Tyross said. "How can I help you?"

    Arnimos walked over to the counter, passing by the Arbeross who shot him a glance and raised one of her eyebrows. Arnimos leaned towards the owner.

    "Can you call the guards?" Arnimos said. "Me and some of my friends were attacked and just now some men were following me,"

    "I mean i can try but they don''t really-" The Tyross said.

    "Say," The Arbeross said.

    Arnimos glanced over his shoulder to see the Arbeross stood right next to him, he hadn''t even heard her approach. He jumped back a bit, she just stepped closer, nearly pressing her body against his.

    "You got quite the strange look..." The Arbeross said. "You wouldn''t happen to be-"

    "Nope!" Arnimos said. "People say I look like one but I''m not one!"

    "A shame," The Arbeross said. "Because I-"

    She pressed her body against his, his face flushed and would be turning red if the color of his skin could change.

    "Am looking for someone who matches your description," The Arbeross said.

    ''Is she working with the Taniberas?'' Arnimos thought. ''Maybe i should ask for- she is still way too close''. She placed a hand on an arm and gave it a squeeze.

    "Quite strong," The Arbeross said. "But if you''re not who i''m looking for then-"

    "If I was then what would you do?" Arnimos said.

    "Well..." The Arbeross said. "I''d offer my services,"

    "What for, if i may ask?" Arnimos said.

    "To help you avoid capture and reach Paradise safely," The Arbeross said.

    "And why would you do that for someone you don''t know?" Arnimos said.

    "Because there is a certain someone who is trying to intrude on our business," The Arbeross said. "And taking him down a peg is just good business,"

    "And that''s the only price that I would pay," Arnimos said, then he stumbled over his words. "I mean that person would have to pay?"

    "That''s all," The Arbeross said. "So, what do you say?"

    She removed her hand from Arnimos''s arm and held it out to shake, he mulled it over in his head. More protection would be nice but he didn''t know if he could trust her, she seemed to be working for possibly dangerous people. He did need to find the others and escape though and she might be able to help. He took a few more seconds thinking, sighed then shook her hand.

    "It''s a deal then," The Arbeross said. "Name''s Shi,"

    "Arnimos," Arnimos said.

    "Now why don''t we get moving," Shi said. "And I''ll get you to Paradise quickly,"

    "I still have to get my friends," Arnimos said. "We''ve been separated,"

    "Don''t worry," Shi said. "We''ll get them real quick,"

    She then pulled him in close, nearly making their faces touch, Arnimos pulled back.

    "What- What are you-" Arnimos said.

    "Always so funny to see people like you fuss," Shi said. "Now let''s get a move, no need to keep everyone waiting,"

    "As long as you stop doing that," Arnimos said.

    "I''ll consider it," Shi said.

    The two exited the caf�� and the three men who were following Arnimos had disappeared.

    "The people who were following me," Arnimos said. "They''re gone,"

    "Probably got cold feet," Shi said. "Let''s find your friends,"

    <hr>

    John slid behind a crate and pulled the Vishashi close so he couldn''t be seen, he glanced around the side of the box and saw a group of 3 men rush past the alley he ducked into. He had gotten a good lead at the start but his pursuers were catching up quick, he needed to find Arnimos then get out of the city. John looked back at the Vishashi, he was still unconscious. It was gonna be hard to find Arnimos and get out of the city.

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    John picked up the Vishashi and took a deep breath, he then rose and sprinted out of the alley. He got onto the main road and kept running, he heard a faint shout behind him but he kept moving. He ducked into an alley then slipped through a handful more then back onto the main road, he needed to keep them off of his trail for as long as possible. As he cut through another alley he saw someone blocking his path, a Taniberas wearing a red suit. John knew this man, he was a criminal from Paradise.

    "Mind gettin'' out the way, Kagu?" John said.

    "''fraid i can''t do that," Kagu said.

    Kagu raised a hand and a ball of fire formed.

    "You mind surrendering?" Kagu said.

    "You already know the answer," John said.

    Kagu grew a small grin.

    "Your choice," Kagu said.

    John focused on his Dichotomy and turned his body to water, he shifted himself out of the way as the bolt of fire shot past him. He drew his Fear-Made revolver and fired a shot, a hole appeared in Kagu''s chest that quickly began closing. Kagu stepped forward as his fist became covered in fire, he made an arc with his hand and a slash of fire flew down the alley. John focused on his shifting body and moved some of the water to take the hit, he felt burning as some of it boiled. It was not the best method of defense but it was better than taking it directly. He fired another shot which made another hole then he holstered his revolver. He changed the form of his body, growing a thin tendril of spinning water then whipped it at Kagu, he ducked back but a gash formed on his arm.

    Kagu raised a hand and fire began to collect, John heaved the Vishashi and changed the pressure of the body parts holding him to throw him high into the air then John turned into a puddle. A beam of fire shot down the alley directly where John was standing a few seconds ago. John then surged forward as he reformed his body, he turned one arm into a tendril and swept Kagu''s feet from under him. Kagu tumbled to the ground as John caught the Vishashi then sprinted past while he had the chance. A bolt of fire shot past him as he ducked out of this alley.

    That bastard Alex was really determined to get him, had to be spending large sums of what the Page is worth to afford this. ''Wait a minute,'' John thought. ''Kagu is a member of a crime family, he isn''t just some random bounty hunter. Are we-''. His thought was interrupted when he saw a group of figures on the road in front of him, so this was what was happening. John stopped and looked at the men then looked back as he saw Kagu coming into sight out of an alley.

    ''Of course this is their plan,'' John thought. ''Should''ve considered it as an option more. Too many of them here to escape, too many to beat without the Vishashi''s help.'' John looked back at Kagu once more then back at the men in front of him. ''Arnimos,'' John thought. ''Seems we''ll be split up for a bit, hope they don''t catch you as well.'' John reached for his Fear-Made revolver then...

    <hr>

    Arnimos followed behind Shi as they walked the streets, there were very few people in the streets. He looked around, a few people seemed to watch them through their windows as he passed. Shi seemed to know where she was going and only intermittently glanced back to Arnimos to check if he was following. He followed her as she cut through another alley, it was cramped and forced them to walk single file. As he followed his hair stood on end, something was coming.

    Arnimos was no fool, if there was one thing Shil-Kas had given him it was the ability to react quickly to threats. Arnimos grabbed his hammer with both hands and raised it to block, Shi spun around and swung but her force only met the obsidian handle of his Fear-Made hammer. The force pushed him back a few inches, if it had struck his chest even his Fear-Made armor would have only been some help. Shi had a small grin.

    "Good instincts you got there," Shi said. "I was worried you''d be taken out in one hit,"

    Arnimos steadied his footing and pointed his hammer at her without saying a word.

    "Who do you work for?" Arnimos said.

    "Does a lady need to spell everything out?" Shi said. "Who my employer is doesn''t really matter, you should be focused on the situation at hand,"

    Arnimos brought the hammer back but then Shi lurched forward with explosive speed, he tried to bring the hammer down but she grabbed his arm then delivered a punch to his chest. He felt the air driven out of his chest and his grip weakened, she tore the hammer from his hand and threw it behind her. She swept out his legs and slammed him into the ground.

    His body ached and burned as he could taste iron in his mouth, Shi held him against the ground with one hand. She grabbed the Fear-Made breastplate he wore.

    "Having this on is a bit unfair," Shi said. "let me get it off for you,"

    Shi tore the breastplate off of him and threw it towards the hammer. She then lifted him up and slammed him into the ground again and again and again. He felt bones creaking and more blood beginning to pool in his mouth. Shi looked disappointed.

    "You looked so strong," Shi said. "Is this really all the strength you got?"

    Shi lifted him off the ground.

    "Because if it is-" Shi said.

    Shi slammed him into the ground one more time then kicked him with enough force to send him rolling for a few feet.

    "Then I''m sorely disappointed," Shi said.

    Arnimos laid on the ground clutching his chest as he coughed up blood, everything hurt. Again and again he keeps meeting foes like this, people who are stronger than him. He was an Archon, that meant he had to be strong. His vision began to grow blurry, he began to feel cold. He saw Shi slowly walking up to him, was he gonna die?

    Fear crept into his mind yet his Dichotomies sat not doing anything, why weren''t they doing anything? Shi stopped right next to him and kicked him onto his back then placed a foot on his chest, he felt his ribs straining as she put pressure on him.

    "You were looking so good at the start there," Shi said. "Now you''re just as boring as the rest,"

    He felt his ribs beginning to break. More fear flooded his mind but his Dichotomies did nothing. Again they did nothing themselves but as fear flooded his mind it refocused again, they were something that must be commanded. He reached out and pressed his mind into them and exploded.

    Energy swelled within him and his wounds began to fade, his vision sharpened and he stared up at Shi. Shi raised her foot ready to bring it down and cave in his chest, more fear flooded his mind. The energy swelled further then he focused his mind again, ''Follow the path that feels natural,'' Arnimos thought. ''Let it do what it needs to before you try to change it.'' He pushed the energy inwards and it flowed into his Taniberas Dichotomy.

    Energy flowed from his body and into the air, it formed intricate patterns and shapes as sandstone formed and took the strike. It cracked as Shi looked at Arnimos, he threw himself to the side then shot up to his feet staring at her.

    "Aren''t you just a bag of tricks," Shi said. "Might be some fun after all,"

    Shi pressed a foot in the ground and exploded forward, his mind focused and energy formed patterns in the air. He stepped to the side as a lattice of obsidian-like stone formed and took a quick jab from Shi. ''She''s too quick,'' Arnimos thought. ''I can''t beat her, I need to get away.'' He looked at his Fear-Made weapon and armor behind her, he would have to say goodbye to them.

    Arnimos jumped back and thought of a wall, the energy changed its shape once more and formed a tall wall between him and Shi. Once it was formed he immediately took off in a sprint, he needed to get out of here posthaste.

    As he cut through alleys and streets he swore he could hear someone always nearby, she would likely catch him. Her physical abilities were far greater then his and she was more skilled, he had to avoid confrontation at all costs. He ducked into another alley and peeked out, he saw a group of men dragging a tied up John and Vishashi. ''They got them too,'' Arnimos thought. ''I need to think of a way out of this.''

    Arnimos looked to the ground and saw John''s Fear-Made revolver, if he hit some of the men carrying the two, formed a wall with the energy he had left and bolted then he might be able to escape. Arnimos steeled himself then dug a foot into the ground and dashed out.

    The men didn''t notice him as he ran and slid forward then picked up the Fear-Made revolver, its grip was cool and almost sharp. He pointed it at a man and pulled the trigger, a dull, distant thunk resounded as a hole appeared in the man''s chest. The man fell forward and the other turned back towards Arnimos, he pointed the revolver and fired another shot at the other man carrying the two and he fell with a hole through the head. Arnimos dashed forward and focused on forming the image of a wall in his mind. Energy surged forth and condensed into a wall between the two and the rest of the group, Arnimos slid to a stop next to the two and grabbed them. He didn''t have time to-

    "Quick thinking," Rulst-Kal said. "Just not quick enough,"

    Arnimos glanced back and saw Rulst-Kal pointing at him, he didn''t have the time to raise the revolver before his fist flashed forward and he was cast into darkness.

 Chapter ...

    Tages rode down the streets but as he reached one of the outer gates he saw someone standing in his way, an Arbeross with tanned skin and flame-like hair. A friend of Arnimos, Filk-Kij. Tages stopped his Gallorend a few feet short of the man.

    "Do you need something?" Tages said.

    "You''re going after Arnimos and the rest," Filk-Kij said. "I want in,"

    "It would be dangerous for you," Tages said. "I can not entrust-"

    "I know how dangerous it is," Filk-Kij said, as he spoke heat seemed to radiate from his body. "I still have to help my friends,"

    Tages stared at him, his Oracle eyes could see what no one else could. His Dichotomy was heavily refined and importantly on the cusp of awakening his Ultimate. For this much skill to be in someone so young, he had to be a natural. Tages sighed.

    "Fine, I shall take where I am going," Tages said. "But you are to listen to me with what''s to come,"

    "You got it," Filk-Kij said. "As long as i can help my friends,"

    "Hop on," Tages said. "We ride for their post first,"

    Filk-Kij pulled himself onto the Gallorend and they took off. It took a few days through the wilderness until they reached where Arnimos and the other soldiers were sent. They found a smoldering ruin of a village and a heavily damaged manor that previously acted as the soldiers base of operations. Tages and Filk-Kij approached the manor to find only a handful of injured soldiers remaining, among them were Ronja and Milhas. Filk-Kij practically jumped off the Gallorend as he saw the two and rushed up to them, pulling them into a hug. Milhas winced in pain.

    "It''s good to see you two are safe," Filk-Kij said. "What happened here?"

    Tages crouched near the ruins of the manor''s outer wall, he looked at the damage. Consistent with Fear Manifested Creatures or Fragments and based on the fact that all of their lanterns have been placed around the breaches he knew what had happened.

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    "Night struck, didn''t it?" Tages said as he approached the three.

    "You''re right," Milhas said. "He struck my brother, the Lieutenant and Arnimos while they were fighting a dragon,"

    "They fought a dragon?" Tages said.

    "An Arbeross actually," Milhas said. "Ultimate made him a dragon,"

    ''A Shaleborn with an Ultimate, rare to see,'' Tages thought. ''Most definitely the influence of ������������,'' Tages mind focused, those words they were excised. He was watching. Tages looked at them.

    "Why are you here though?" Ronja said.

    "I was going with Tages," Filk-Kij said. "He''s going to find Arnimos,"

    "Then we''re going with," Milhas said.

    "You two are not," Tages said. "You''re too injured and I don''t need more people slowing me down. Besides, it is not Arnimos I am after,"

    "Then where are you going?" Ronja said.

    "To Ragate, to the rest of the Luminary Enclave," Tages said. "They will know what to do,"

    "Will it help find where my brother has gone?" Milhas said. "Will it help us find Arnimos?"

    "It may," Tages said. "Or it may show that they have died and it was all in vain,"

    "To damnation with it then," Milhas said. "I will go even if i must latch onto you like a Mindshard,"

    "I''ll go as well," Ronja said. "I may not be incredibly strong but Galtz told me my Dichotomy is incredibly useful,"

    "Galtz was correct on that," Tages said. "Those with a Dichotomy of Fear are rare but useful,"

    "So are you going to stop them?" Filk-Kij said.

    Tages stood for a moment thinking, taking them along would slow him down but he could use their help in what was to come.

    "I shall take you with me," Tages said. "But we ride for Ragate first, then we shall find your brother and Arnimos,"

    "Fine by me," Ronja said.

    "I see no issue," Milhas said.

    "Then let us go," Tages said. "We have too little time to dally long,"

 Chapter 18

    Arnimos awoke with the sun shining in his eyes, he winced and raised a hand to cover them. He couldn''t bring his hand that far, he looked down at his hands. They were chained to the metal bars of a cart, he could also see that a thin band of these shackles were a strange deep purple stone. His eyes focused as he glanced around, he saw the Vishashi and John also chained up next to him. The cart had 2 people on the front, the Taniberas and Shi, who were watching the surrounding desert and guiding a large lizard-like creature that was dragging the cart. Around the cart were 4 more of these lizards with 2 men riding on each.

    John looked over as Arnimos began to wake.

    "Welcome back to the world of living," John said. "You''ve been out for a bit,"

    "What happened?" Arnimos said.

    "We got caught," The Vishashi said.

    "They jumped us and wore us down in quick succession," John said.

    "Then they''re taking us to Paradise?" Arnimos said.

    "Yeah, ''ppears to be where we''re heading," John said. "Can''t say for sure though, after all... They won''t say nothing!"

    John yelled that while shooting the Taniberas and Shi a glare, they didn''t react.

    "Why haven''t you tried to break out yet?" Arnimos said. "Surely, we could just-"

    As Arnimos spoke he poked his Dichotomy but the energy that swelled suddenly drained out of him and into the strange purple stone.

    "Dichotomy won''t work," The Vishashi said. "They put us in Fearstone, it will take the DE from out from our system quickly,"

    "Shit''s damn expensive though," John said. "He really wants me,"

    "So what are we supposed to do?" Arnimos said.

    "Sit and wait," John said. "We''ll get out in time, don''t worry,"

    John leaned back and rested his head on his shoulder then fell asleep.

    "There''s not much we can do here," The Vishashi said. "Just wait, the Sandfather will guide us where we need to be,"

    "Surely there''s-" Arnimos said.

    "I''m afraid not," The Vishashi said, then leaned in close. "We''ll find our moment, conserve your strength until then,"

    The Vishashi leaned back and Arnimos followed, he looked up at the clear blue sky. He watched the sky as time passed, the sun slowly sinking lower and lower, as it sank below the horizon and the endless dark of Night began to creep in the cart stopped and set up camp. A large fire burned at the center while lanterns lit up the edge, a necessary precaution to hide so many from Night.

    Arnimos watched his captors as they set up camp. He saw one of them light the fire with the use of their Dichotomy, based on their skin color and what they did they had to be a Taniberas. His captors ate then went into tents to sleep leaving 2 of them to watch the camp and their prisoners. He looked over to John who was still sleeping then over to the Vishashi who seemed to be meditating. He looked back down at the shackles, ''there has to be a way out of this,'' Arnimos thought.

    He stared at them for a long time, they were made of old steel with the thin band of Fearstone running down the center. He had seen Fearstone before, Tages had worn similar rings before but Arnimos never asked about them. ''It didn''t instantly suck out my DE earlier,'' Arnimos thought. ''But it does it too quickly for me to build up enough energy to use my Luxicon or Taniberas Dichotomy.'' Arnimos sat wondering, ''Wait... What about my other Dichotomies? What would they give me?''

    Arnimos closed his eyes and focused his mind inwards then pressed against his Dichotomies. They roared to life but it was different, they didn''t have time to build fear and produce large amounts of DE before it was sucked away into the Fearstone. He didn''t have the time. After a minute or so of trying he stopped, opening his eyes and looking back around the camp.

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    Nothing had changed in that minute, he was still in the cart. It wouldn''t be so easy to get out.

    Days passed as the cart trudged ever onwards through the desert, the three men sat in the back languishing. It was just a few more days till Paradise then whatever fate was to befall them would happen. John seemed to spend the days sleeping or complaining while the Vishashi spent his time meditating, Arnimos stared at the desert as they moved through the endless dunes.

    ''How many times?'' Arnimos thought. ''How many more times do I have to fail?'' He watched as dunes passed the caravan by, each the same but different. ''What exactly am I meant to do?'' Arnimos felt the hot desert wind blow across his face. ''How do I keep losing?'' The sun beat endlessly down. ''Am I a bad Archon?''

    As Night came and they stopped and set up camp they left the 3 sitting in the cart with 2 guards sitting near the fire and occasionally glancing at them. John finally woke up as the camp finished setting up. He looked around then sighed.

    "Kinda hoped we''d get out by now," John said. "How have you two been?"

    "It has been a normal trek through the desert," The Vishashi said. "Nothing outside the usual,"

    Arnimos stared at the floor of the cart, he could see the grain of the wood. He could hear the other 2 talking but he wasn''t really listening, just thinking. ''What are we supposed to do? Why was I sent here?'' Arnimos thought. As his mind raced the world began to slow, he felt his Dichotomies stir ever-so-slightly. ''Am I just going to keep failing? I couldn''t save Hijki-Kal, I couldn''t save Hilmas or Milhas, I can''t save anyone.'' He felt his Dichotomies shifting, for a moment it felt like they were trying to change but then he heard a click.

    His mind focused, hid Dichotomies trembled immediately stopping whatever change they were trying to undergo. His throat felt like it was closing and his heart almost seemed to stop. He felt like the eyes of some evil God Author God Author God Author God Author God Author God Author were watching him. As the pressure kept increasing it felt like his mind was going mad, tearing away at the parts of his mind that kept him sane. More and more pressed on his mind and his Dichotomies grasped tightly, he could feel his mind fraying like a strained rope.

    John idly talked to the Vishashi, not much else to do. He glanced up at Night, it was a dark and starless sky. He glanced over at Arnimos who was staring at the ground, maybe he should talk to him.

    "Hey, Arnimos, are you-" John said.

    As John looked he began to see wisps of purplish mist begin to flow from Arnimos''s pores, he saw small purplish crystals forming in between his fingers. The Fearstone seemed to be taking in this DE but more and more kept flowing out, a truly staggering amount.

    "Hey!" John said.

    John put his hand on Arnimos''s shoulder, he felt a jolt run through his body. For a moment DE filled every fiber of his being before flowing away but something even worse than that pervaded his mind. He heard the familiar ringing of a typewriter and felt a presence he had not felt since his Rebirth. He recoiled instinctively, his very being seemed afraid.

    John looked over at the Vishashi who had opened his eyes and looked at Arnimos then at John.

    "What''s happening?" The Vishashi said.

    "Beats me," John said. "Just something horrible,"

    As they spoke the 2 guards seemed to notice the commotion and approached with their rifles. They walked over then looked in the back to see Arnimos leaking DE.

    "What''s happening here-" A guard said.

    Arnimos head then snapped to stare at the guards, his eyes were hollow and seemed covered in a thin film of that strange purplish crystal. He opened his mouth but no words man could ever understand left them.

    ��������������

    The energy surged out in a flash, as it touched the cart, the shackles and the guards they seemed to just vanish. There was no sound, no terrible screams or anything else, one moment it was there and the next it wasn''t. The three men fell to the ground, as John and the Vishashi stood up as their bodies began to slowly refill with DE now that the Fearstone was gone they noticed something. The desert in a 5 meter radius around them was gone, not like earlier where it left for a few seconds then healed but instead just completely gone and replaced by a section of ashen ground. The Vishashi looked around.

    "What a terrifying ability," The Vishashi said.

    "Let''s worry about that later," John said. "Let''s scram before anyone realizes anything,"

    "Heading into Night is dangerous," The Vishashi said.

    "We snag a lantern while we run," John said. "If we''re lucky he''ll not notice us till daybreak then we can keep on the way to Paradise,"

    John scooped up Arnimos who seemed to slowly stop leaking DE, as he touched him this time he didn''t hear the ring of a typewriter or feel that presence. He dashed towards the edge of the camp, he and the Vishashi each grabbed a lantern as they passed and they entered into the cover of Night with only a lantern to keep them at bay.

 Chapter 19

    Endless darkened sands stretched around the Vishashi and John, it almost seemed like the dark itself was trying to strangle out what little light they had. John looked at Arnimos, he had fallen unconscious after the use of his Dichotomies. Moving through Night with only 2 lanterns was dangerous enough, doing it with an unconscious man in tow was an even worse idea. He glanced back at the Vishashi.

    "What are we going to do now?" John said.

    "We must find a safe place to hole up for until the sun comes back," The Vishashi said.

    "Then let''s hope we find it before any of Night''s creatures find us," John said.

    They continued trudging through the desert, John swore he could see faint movement in the dark just beyond the light of their lanterns. He wanted to reach for his revolvers but he both didn''t have them and he was carrying Arnimos, it would be impossible to fight in this state. As they crested another dune they caught sight of lights in the dark, they saw a small collection of buildings surrounded by a wall with a few lanterns. Safety, perhaps. John didn''t trust it, he looked back at the Vishashi. The Vishashi shot him a look, they had to try it.

    The descended the dune and approached the gate, it was ajar with parts of it splintered and bashed open. John looked back at the Vishashi again, he held a grim expression.

    "It may be dangerous but we must," The Vishashi said. "Let me take the lead, I''ll use my Dichotomy if things get messy,"

    John nodded and let the Vishashi pass in front of him, the Vishashi held their hand up ready to strike as small amounts of sand began to swirl. Neither of them had any DE stored up due to the Fearstone so they''d have to produce some if they wanted to use their Dichotomies.

    As they passed through the gate and arrived in the courtyard they got a better look at the buildings. There were 5 of them and a well at the center, two on the right looked like storehouses, one in the middle looked like the main residence and the 2 on the left seemed like a small workshop and a guest building. The whole compound was deathly quiet and the lanterns around it flickered.

    "Let''s start on the left then make our way around," John said. "Then we''ll see if we can find something to block the gate,"

    "Agreed," The Vishashi said.

    The Vishashi and John stepped first towards the guest house and pushed open the door. It was a small 3 room building that looked like no one had been inside it for weeks. There was a bedroom with a large bed that dominated most of the space, a common area with tables and chairs laid out and a tucked away kitchen with pots and pans set out for cooking but they were completely empty. A thin layer of sand covered the entire house as they moved through. The Vishashi stopped at a rug in the common room and crouched down to get a better look.

    "What ya seein''?" John said.

    "This is Sandwalker craftsmanship," The Vishashi said. "This might be some form of trade post,"

    "Didn''t see any flags though," John said. "So it''s not one of the Empire''s,"

    "Indeed," The Vishashi said. "We''ll need to check the main residence to be sure,"

    "Let''s go through that workshop first," John said. "Pick up something that can be used as a weapon there,"

    The Vishashi nodded and the three left the guest house. They took a short walk and entered the workshop. It was a compact single room building, it had various tables and tools laid about and looked to mainly be for maintenance rather than building things. Around it were various tools like shovels and the like but, importantly to them, they saw a single sword. The Vishashi picked it up and examined it.

    "Sandwalker craftsmanship," The Vishashi said. "Strange, most Imal do not sell their work to outsiders,"

    "Does that really matter right now?" John said. "Do you know how to use it?"

    "I was Kalach before I became Vishashi," The Vishashi said. "I know the basics,"

    "Better than nothing," John said.

    John glanced around the workshop, it seemed undamaged and safe.

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    "I think I''ll leave Arnimos here while we clear out the compound," John said. "That good with you?"

    "I do not wish to leave him alone," The Vishashi said. "But i fear we must,"

    John placed Arnimos carefully on the ground and picked up a shovel that was hanging on the wall.

    "We''ll come back and grab him once it''s safe," John said, then glanced at Arnimos. "You did good, we''ll get you the best bed in the house,"

    "Let''s go quickly," The Vishashi said. "We have no time to waste,"

    John nodded and the 2 headed towards the main residence. It was a large 2 story building with fine crafted double doors at the entrance that were sitting open, they glanced at each other before slowly stepping in. They entered a large living room that was in shambles, chairs and tables were overturned and a large couch at the center had gashes across it. Most importantly though was the blood which stained the floor, it was still a bright red. Fresh.

    "Looks like we got something here with us," John said.

    "Let''s hope its left by now," The Vishashi said.

    As they spoke they then heard a faint crunching sound, they both turned towards the sound and it appeared to be coming from upstairs. The Vishashi stepped forward but John put a hand on his shoulder.

    "Let''s find out what room it''s in," John said. "Then you hit it form below with your sand,"

    "That is... A good idea," The Vishashi said.

    They slowly and silently crept through the ground floor of the house, checking bathrooms, the kitchen, the dining room and a pantry until they found themselves in another common room with the faint sound crunching seeming to come from the room directly above them. They slowly moved around to figure out the exact location then John stood off to one side while the Vishashi stood opposite. The Vishashi closed his eyes and focused, and sand began to swirl around him. He furrowed his brow focusing more as multiple blades of sand formed, John focused his mind inwards and prodded his Dichotomy forcing it to lash at him and produce energy. As one last blade of sand formed, the Vishashi put out his hand and they shot forward, the volley of them sliced upwards through the floor towards whatever was making the noise.

    A horrid screech resounded at the blades sliced through the stone and the part of the floor the creature was standing on gave way. Something horrible thudded into the ground between the two, it was no larger than a dog with a body made of hundreds of writhing tendrils that dripped inky black. Its form was covered in cuts that seemed to close themselves but also slightly shrunk the creature. It had a deer''s head with holes for eyes that seemed to endless leak black mist-like tears.

    John stepped forward and swung the shovel while the Vishashi raised a hand and sand began to coalesce. Tendrils unwound from the creature''s body and whipped out. 2 cut across John''s chest and 4 struck the Vishashi in the arms and legs. John coughed up a small amount of blood and brought the shovel down, it made a dull thud and slightly sunk into the creature. It was a Fear Manifested Creature, conventional weapons wouldn''t do much. They could kill it, if they had a lot more men with them.

    The Vishashi fell to one knee as the creature whipped another tendril at him, he raised a hand just in time to take the blow. His hand soared off, if he hadn''t blocked it it would have been his head. His Dichotomies flared to life with the injury, he could survive more than this but too much damage in his current state and he couldn''t use any of his Skills. The Vishashi blasted the gathered sand at the creature, it wasn''t as effective at cutting as the blade but it still did damage.

    John saw as the creature was pelted by a blast of sand, he took this chance. He dropped the shovel and focused the DE he had gathered into his body. In an instant it felt light, faster, stronger. He raised a foot then stomped down, it slammed the creature into the ground. He then brought back his hand but a tendril unwound and shot out, he tried to bring his arm down but nothing listened. As he looked over he saw his arm on the floor a few feet away.

    The Vishashi saw as John''s arm soared off and raised his remaining hand, this was too much for them without any Fear-Made Weapons or much DE to work with. He''d have to end this immediately. He focused inwards and wrapped his mind''s eye around his Taniberas Dichotomy as energy began to pour into it, he''d need his Taniberas Ultimate. ''Ultimate'' The Vishashi thought, ''Lord Of The Sands.''

    John jumped back as the creature took his arm off then he looked over at the Vishashi, his eyes were a deep purple and he could see sand pouring out from his body. He felt he needed to move. John dove to the side and grabbed his severed arm, once he had some DE he could reattach it. Just as he landed the Vishashi exploded with energy and the sand around him began to float. A moment later a torrent of sand shot at high-pressure eviscerated the creature and blasted through the wall of the house behind it. John closed his eyes as sand whipped around the room until it all seemed to stop upon which he opened one eye.

    He saw the Vishashi lying against the wall catching his breath as his flesh began to knit itself back together. John put his severed arm up to the stump and poured DE into it, for a moment the stump and his disconnected arm turned to water before they merged back together. John stumbled over to the Vishashi.

    "Good work there," John said, extending a hand to him. "That was a real damn nightmare of an enemy,"

    "Agreed," The Vishashi said as he took John''s hand. "I say we stay in the guest house tonight,"

    "Sounds like a good plan," John said.

    John pulled him up and braced him as he nearly stumbled, the two made their way out of the house and towards the workshop. They grabbed Arnimos and brought him along as they went to the guest house and got set up. Hopefully the coming days would be less action-packed, Lord Author knows they need it.