 
## DARKQUISITION

### ADVENTURE ARC THE FIRST:

### ENTITY OF ASCENDANCY

By

Zürthüryx Hemtolig Qosdarlu and Thejyreq Vazgothicus Ldeikone

"Those who think they're better than the average person are usually worse."
LICENSE NOTES

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## CONSECRATION THE FIRST:

## COUNTERCLOCKWISE

Deep in some beasts and men

Echoes "I decide when"

Dreams in the night of life

In the middle of strife

Coming out wielding might

As an arm for what's right

Time may sing their song true

Igniting dreams anew

Onto a gracious call

Naming the righteous all

## DISCLAIMER

Rating: Eighteen and over

\- Graphic violence

\- Graphic nudity and sex

\- Harsh language

\- Other adult issues

## CHAPTER THE FIRST:

A JOURNEY IN THE KEY OF DEATH

Year of our Lord: Eighteen ninety

Season: Spring

Month: May

Day: Monday

Date: Fifth

Time: Four o' clock in the afternoon

A deceptive noise traveled through the air. It appeared to only sound like thumping, but there was actually more to it than that. It was the footsteps of six people walking side by side on an old dirt road. They were dressed in black clothes and cloaks with hoods attached to them. The hoods were covering their heads and most of their faces right now. A concealed sword and sheath rested at each of their sides. To the left and right of them was a forest of mighty oak trees. They were playgrounds for one's imagination as to what could have been lurking inside them.

It was late in the afternoon, so the sun was beginning to set. It still managed to bestow its bounty of light upon the world nonetheless. A few clouds in the sky quietly watched them with an almost obsessive interest. There was also the faint sound of a stream, which was somewhere deep within the forest. As they were walking, one of them noticed something on the right side of the road. He stopped to look at it while the other kept on moving. He whistled to the others and then they headed over to where he was. Once they got close enough, they looked at the carving too. It was some words and they said "In nature there are predators...and there is prey."

They scrunched their eyebrows a little and looked at each other. Then they looked around for more carvings but couldn't find any. They figured it wasn't important anyway, so they headed back to the road and continued on their way.

Not long after, a man stepped out from the left side of the woods. He walked onto the road and then turned to face them. He was stout, had a rugged appearance, and his clothes were tattered. There was also this unsettling twinkle in his eyes. The group of men could see him, but they were too far away to make out any of his details.

"Why, hello there," said the man as he clapped his hands together. "I noticed you read my message. As you may already know, predators and prey can come in many forms. In this case you're the latter."

He then removed his sword from his sheath and pointed it at them.

"I know this because I'm your predator," he said. "Oh excuse me, I mean I'm one of your predators."

He snapped his fingers and seven more men emerged from the woods. They were all different shapes and sizes, but looked like rejects from the lowest pits of Hell. Their clothes were battered and they looked homely. The most interesting thing about them though was their grimaces. They removed their swords from their sheaths as they walked.

"I'd like to introduce you all to my men," he said. "We've been together for quite some time now. I'd say...two years. During our time together, we've killed and robbed our fair share of people. We wish we could tell you the exact number, but we've lost track. I guess you could say we have some experience in this particular 'industry'."

The six people didn't say anything. They just stared at their opponents.

"What?" asked the man. "Don't any of you have something to say? You're about to be killed."

They didn't respond.

"Are you six mute," he asked, "or are you just being stubborn?"

The six men still didn't respond.

"Whatever," he said. "The reason doesn't matter. In case you don't know this, dead men remain silent forever."

A slight breeze blew through the area and made the cloaks of the six men flutter gently. It also kicked up some dirt and dust from the ground. Then they started to walk back over to the tree with the carving on it. One of them pulled out a throwing knife and began to carve something else into it. The rest of them took turns watching their associate work and keeping an eye on the other group of men. Once he finished, he put his knife away and the six of them went back onto the road.

"Hmm," said the man as he scratched his chin. "I wasn't expecting that, but I'm flattered. Now let's see what you did."

He started to walk to the tree and gestured for his men to meet him there. When they reached it, they took turns looking at the carving and watching their targets. It now said: "In nature there are predators...and there is prey. Right now, you can either fuck off or we can fuck you up. Pick one."

The robbers shared a hardy laugh for a while. After a few seconds, their leader spoke.

"You honestly think you can stop us?" he asked. "Don't be foolish and try to fight us. Just let us make your deaths as quick and painless as possible. That's the best option you have in this situation. I highly suggest you choose it."

They then headed back to the road. They positioned themselves side by side, except for the leader. He took his place in front of them and laid his eyes upon them.

"So," he asked, "are you ready to tear our victims limb from limb?"

"Yes!" they yelled in unison.

The six warriors just gazed at them without any expressions on their faces. They just emitted thousand-yard stares. The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a little stone. He held it up so they could see it.

"I'd like to introduce you all to the item," he said, "that'll start your destruction. I'm going to throw this skyward and when it comes back to the ground, you're going to die. Do you understand?"

Again, they said nothing. They shook their heads up and down to show compliance instead.

"Good," he said, "you're fast learners. I also must commend you all on how nonchalant you're being about this. It's almost as if you don't care you're going to die. Are you ready? Your demises begin..."

He lowered his arm and then flung it high into the sky. Everybody watched it with immense anticipation. It wasn't that sunny outside, so they could see it rather easily. Time was now appearing to crawl at an unbearably slow pace. After a few seconds, it started its decent. As their eyes stayed fixated on it, it hit the ground and bounced around a little before stopping. Then they looked at each other in a void of silence.

"...now!" yelled the man.

One of them charged one of the six warriors with his sword. The thirst for blood was strong within him. When he got within a couple of feet of his target, he raised his sword and swung it down. The warrior stepped to the side and evaded the vicious attack. He then removed his sword from his sheath and plunged it right into the mugger's chest. It went into his heart and then out the other side of his body. The man wiggled around on the sword for a few seconds, but then went limp. The warrior tried to pull it out, but to no avail. He then lifted his leg and pushed the corpse off it. The body hit the ground and blood started to ooze out of the wound.

"Shit!" yelled the leader of the muggers. "I'll see you rot in Hell for this!"

He then looked around at his men.

"I want their bodies unrecognizable!" he screamed.

All the muggers ran towards the six warriors in one fantastical charge. The six warriors just stood there watching them get closer. They were so focused on their opponents they appeared to be running in slow motion. Once the hellhounds got within proximity, the rest of them drew their swords for battle.

One of the muggers flung his sword down at one of them. The warrior blocked his attack with a horizontal slash. Then they kept their weapons locked and pushed on each other's to break their stance. The will to hold their ground was evident in their eyes as they looked at each other. Then the warrior quickly cocked his head back and thrust it right into the mugger's face. The bone in his nose made a horrid sound as it cracked in half.

"Ahhhh!" he yelled as he stumbled backward with blood gushing from it.

The warrior positioned the tip of his sword at the man's neck. With a mighty thrust, he sent it through the area until it came out the other end. The man's spine was severed so he died instantly. Then the warrior pulled his sword out of him and he fell to the ground on his stomach. Blood continued to leak out of his nose and neck wounds.

During this, another one of the six warriors was fighting another one of the muggers. Their adrenaline was rising higher with every passing second. This made their attacks harder and faster.

"Come on and die already!" yelled the mugger.

He did a horizontal slash but the warrior ducked under it. He stood back up and then circled behind him. He pulled out his sheath and horizontally swung it at a spot right below the man's neck. It connected and broke his spine in two. The mugger died instantly and toppled over onto the ground like a ragdoll.

Another mugger tripped over the body of the second mugger who was killed. He fell onto his left side. All of a sudden, one of the warriors shoved his sword right through his neck and into the ground. A stream of blood began to flow out of his mouth like a red waterfall. He then pulled it out. The mugger's head moved up with it until the sword came out. Then it fell back to the ground with a small thud.

"These guys are really good," the leader thought. "I underestimated them."

He looked around at the remainder of his men.

"Keep on fighting!" he yelled. "We can defeat them!"

Somebody crashed into his back from out of nowhere. It knocked him down onto his side. He then looked at the person who collided with him. It was the lifeless body of one of his men with a wound on the front and back of his head. A few seconds later, he shifted his eyes towards the fighter who disposed of him. He was standing a couple of feet away from the body, looking at him as well.

"Damn you!" screamed the leader. "Damn you all to Hell!"

He stood up and tried to impale the warrior with his sword. He stepped to his right side and slammed his sword down onto the leader's one. It went into the ground. Then the warrior raised his leg and did a forward kick at the leader's chest. It knocked him back a little.

"Now you're just playing with me," he said.

He then lunged at him.

While this was going on, another mugger was engaging another one of the six warriors.

"You're so dead you asshole," said the mugger as he was swinging his sword at him.

He was easily evading the random slashes of the mugger's sword. In between one of his attacks, he pulled out his sheath and smashed it into his face.

"Ahhh!" he yelled in pain as he spun around.

When he finally turned all the way around, the warrior put his sword right up to his neck. Then with a confident grin, he dragged it horizontally across it. Blood began to pour out of his wound, so he put his hands over it as he fell to his knees. Not long after, he fell to the ground on his stomach like a stone.

Meanwhile, the leader kept swinging his sword like a madman at the warrior. The warrior was able to block every one of his attacks though.

The leader paused after one of his swings, so the warrior went for a decapitation strike. However, he rolled underneath it and stood back up.

"Fall back!" he yelled to the last remaining member of his group.

They ran the other way as dust shot into the air. Once they were far enough away from their opponents, they came to a halt.

"Should we just get the fuck out of here?" asked the man.

"No," said the leader. "We have to accomplish our mission. We also have to avenge our fallen comrades."

The other man thought about this for a moment.

"You're right," he said. "So, how do you plan on doing this?"

"Okay," said the leader as he looked right into his eyes, "this is what we're going to do. You..."

A sword flew right through the man's head. Blood exploded out of the exit wound onto the leader's face. There was also some brain matter on the tip of the sword. The leader just looked at him with a horrified expression on his face. Just seconds ago his comrade exhibited the flame of life...and now it was gone. It had been extinguished without mercy. The mugger fell backward onto the ground and then the leader wiped the blood off his face. He took at it before flicking it off. With fire in his eyes now, he laid them upon the warriors.

"You killed all my men!" he screamed.

They just stood there silently and looked at him without any expressions on their faces. There was no need for them to say anything because their actions said it all.

"Even if I can't kill one of you," he screamed, "I'll sure as hell try!"

He grabbed the sword in his comrade's head and pulled it out.

One of the warriors then flew at him with impeccable speed. The warrior swung his sword at him, but he crossed his two swords together and blocked it. The warrior then lifted his leg and kicked his knee.

"Crap!" he yelled as he lowered his swords and fell onto his other one.

The warrior raised his sword and flung it down to cut his head in half. However, the leader blocked it with his swords. The warrior then hit him in the head with his knee. The leader yelled in pain as he dropped his swords and flew onto his back. The warrior went up to him and put his foot on his throat. Then he pressed down on it. Once again the leader yelled in pain.

"I don't know who in the hell you guys are or where you come from," said the leader as he looked at him, "but I do know this. I won't die this easily. You're going to have to do much better than this."

He grabbed the warrior's foot and pushed it upward with all of his force. He jumped back to prevent himself from losing his balance. The leader quickly grabbed one of the swords and sat up. Then he tried to stab him with it. The warrior parried the attack and then cut off the leader's hand. The dismembered body part fell to the ground along with the sword.

"Ahhh!" yelled the leader as he looked at his injured arm.

The warrior then took his sword and decapitated him. However, he did it so fast the leader's head remained on his body for a few moments. Then it fell off and hit the ground. Next, his body fell over and it landed on his head. Blood started to flow from his wounds like how a fine wine starts to flow after its bottle has been opened.

The warrior who threw his sword through the mugger's head went up to the leader's body and reclaimed it. Then the six warriors walked off the road and went into the woods to find the stream. Once they found it, they rinsed the blood off themselves and their weapons. Then they went back onto the road and cleared the bodies off it. This was one of those times where they thought being courteous to others was the right thing to do. Afterwards, they basked in their newfound victory while resuming their trek to the city of Vallone.

## POEM THE FIRST:

## THE ROAD OF DEATH

On the road of death they walked

With ears paying close attention, no one talked

Then men of evil entered my friend

All of them did meet their end

### CHAPTER THE SECOND:

### SET THE STAGE ON FIRE

Eventually they reached the main entrance to the city. The sun was now a little lower in the sky, but there was still enough light for them to see. They left the forest a while back and were in a mostly open area now. It was a nice change of pace from the claustrophobic feeling of the previous landscape.

When they reached the entrance to the city, they noticed something. They walked up to it to get a better look. It was a wooden sign nailed into a wooden post, and it was sticking out of the ground. The name of the city was written in calligraphy using black ink. The person responsible for it was an exceptional calligraphist because its beauty was beyond words. They admired it for a moment and then started walking again.

"We finally made it to Vallone," said the first who crossed the threshold.

He pulled down his hood so his whole head was revealed. The disappearing sun's rays beat down on his wavy light blonde hair. Everyone else did the same.

"This looks like a quaint little town," said another one of them.

"So," asked one of them, "how are we going to start looking for the Tablet of Omainu? We don't know its exact location. All we know is it's somewhere in this city."

"Yeah," said another one.

"We're just going to have to ask people if they know where it is," said the first one who stepped into the city. "We'll split up so we can cover more ground. After an hour, we'll meet back here. It's our only choice."

Unknown to them, an elderly man and woman were watching them from a distance. Then they began to talk amongst themselves.

"They have swords," said the woman. "They can't have those here. Should we tell them that?"

"No," said the man. "They could be some of 'them'. It'd be best to just leave them alone."

"I don't know," said the woman. "They don't look familiar."

"They could be new," said the man. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They quietly walked away from them.

The group of men agreed to this plan and then headed in separate directions. As they walked through it, they took in the scenery.

The city was mid-sized and had an old-world charm to it. It was a melting pot of rural and urban architecture. They found the style very intriguing.

In the middle of it were apartments and various stores with space in between them. This gave the citizens a sense of privacy they cherished. They all seemed to be made out of wood and plain to the eye. Only some of them were painted and the colors were faded. This made it hard for the group of men to tell one building from the next. They also noticed other people having the same problem.

Then they turned their attention to the outskirts of the city. They saw some plain looking townhouses with wooden sidewalks in front. There were also fields stuffed with crops next to some of them.

School and work were over with for the day, so a lot of people were roaming around now. The kids ran and played with each other while the adults talked with each other. The whole scene was like a living painting created by God.

As one of them was walking down a sidewalk, he noticed two attractive women talking to each other in front of a store. He casually strolled up to them. They saw him coming, but they didn't see his sword because his cloak was covering it. Therefore, they didn't think he had one so they acted accordingly.

"Well, hello there handsome," said one of the women as they noticed him coming their way.

"What can we do for you?" asked the other one.

"I have a question," he said. "Maybe you two can answer it for me, if you'll be so kind."

"Why sure," said the first one. "What is it?"

"I was wondering if you know anything about an object called the 'Tablet of Omainu'?" he asked.

Another one of the six was walking past a store on his right side. He noticed a ladder up against the wall with an older looking man on it. He was repainting a spot next to a window. As he did this, he accidentally dropped the brush.

"Damn it," he said. "I'm too old for this crap."

He then turned around and looked down at ground. After a moment, he found it. However, the ladder started to tip backward because he put it too close to the wall.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed.

He turned back around and grabbed the ladder as tightly as he could. There was nothing else he could do. Acting quickly, the man on the ground ran up to it and pushed it back against the wall. The man on the ladder looked down at his savior. He saw something on the man's waist for a second before he draped his cloak over it. It looked like a sword handle to him, but he quickly ignored such a thought. Since swords were banned in the city, the chances of it being one were low. He figured it was just his eyes playing a trick on him.

"Thank you," he said. "If you didn't help me, I could have ended up in bad shape."

"You're welcome," he said.

"If there's anything I can do to repay you," he said, "please tell me. I'd be glad to do it."

"Normally I don't seek rewards for things like this," he said, "but in this case, I will. I was wondering if you could answer a question for me."

"Are you sure that's all you want?" he asked.

The man on the ground nodded his head.

"Okay then," he said. "What do you want to know?"

"Have you heard of the Tablet of Omainu?" he asked. "And if you have, do you know its whereabouts?"

After an hour of asking around about the tablet, they started to come back to the city's entrance. One by one, they showed up until they all were there. They were filled with anticipation about what information the others had gathered.

"So," asked the first one who stepped into the city, "did any of you get anything on the tablet?"

"Some of the people I asked knew it was real," said another one, "but didn't know where it was. However, most of them just thought it was a legend."

Everyone else said similar things. It seemed their intelligence gathering had been a failure.

"That doesn't surprise me," said the first one who entered the city. "It's not a very well known artifact. I guess we'll just continue the search tomorrow. We've been traveling for quite some time, so I think we should find a place to rest for a bit. We can use it as our base of operations too. Did any of you see any inns while we were scouring for information earlier?"

"No," they answered.

"Then we need to find somebody who does," said the same person. "This is a city so there should be one around here somewhere."

"Yeah," said another one, "and if it's far away, we'll probably want a ride there too. I don't think any of us wants to walk anymore."

"Then I'm your man gents," said a voice.

They looked at each other for a moment and then turned around. Behind them was a horse drawn carriage with two brown horses connected to the front of it. There was also a burly looking man sitting on a perch behind them. Tightly in his hands were some reins.

"I know one and it has a good reputation," he said. "I can get you there with no problem. Climb aboard."

"Thanks," said one of them.

They walked around to the back of the coach and climbed into the back. There was a wooden bench on each side of the interior. Each of them plopped down on one. Normally, these seats wouldn't feel comfortable to them. But at this moment in time, they did. After any kind of physical labor, being able to relax in any manner was a divine pleasure they greatly cherished.

"And we're off," said the driver as he snapped the reins.

They started to head east. It was a rickety ride because the roads weren't paved that well. The men jostled around in their seats.

"This is like having sex," said one of them to another, "except without the woman, or in your case, the man."

Everybody laughed.

"Do you want me to stick my foot so far up your ass," he quipped, "I'll be able to use your head as a shoe?"

"That wouldn't even work," he said. "My head would be too big."

"You're wrong," said a third one. "It'd be too small. You don't need much room for what you're carrying in there."

Everybody laughed again.

"Calm down," said the one the insult was directed at. "It wasn't that funny. It was only mildly humorous."

"No it wasn't," said another one. "It was absolutely hilarious."

"Fine," said the one the insult was directed at. "It was sidesplitting, but can we just move on?"

A couple minutes later they came up to a magnificent fountain on the left side of them. They gazed at it with great curiosity and wonder as they passed it. Then they moved their attention to the statue of a man in the center of it. None of them recognized him though. He was standing on a circular platform with holes around it. Crystal clear water was shooting out of them into a marble pool below. There was a sense of elegance about it, but also a sense of power.

"Excuse me driver," said one of them. "How close are we to the inn?"

"I reckon about a half-a-block or so," he said.

"Can we get off here?" he asked.

"Sure," he said.

He stopped the carriage.

"Here you go," he said.

"What do we owe you?" he asked.

"Uh...five griveers," he said.

"I'm curious," he said. "How do you figure out how much a passenger owes you?"

"To be honest," said the driver, "I just make an educated guess, that's all."

Then he noticed the sword resting at his side. Suddenly he took a deep breath.

"Actually," he said. "You don't owe me anything. It's on me."

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes," he said. "Don't worry about it. Now off you go."

The six of them climbed out the back of the coach. The driver then snapped the reins and they watched him as he rode off.

"Good thing I caught myself," he thought. "That could have been a trap. If it was and I fell for it, who knows what could have happened to me."

Meanwhile, the six men were still standing around.

"That was really strange," said one of them.

"Yeah," said another one, "tell me about it."

"Okay," said a third one, "let's get a closer look at that statue."

They began to walk towards it.

"I wonder who the statue represents," said one of them.

"Me too," said another one. "I hope there's something on it that'll tell us."

They finally reached it and then looked for something that would tell them that information. They looked all over but couldn't find anything. However, they did find something else. It was an engraving at the base of the platform and it said: "I am everything. You are nothing."

"That's a very interesting saying," said one of them.

"Okay," said the first one who entered the city, "that's enough sightseeing. Let's continue to the inn."

They started to walk in the direction of it. On the way there, one of them noticed a store.

It was a small building that stood in between two others. It was made out of gray round stones and had a cedar wooden door right in its center. There was a small bell above the door and a sign above that. It said "The Dark Zethen" written crudely in black ink. On each side of the door was a small window that showcased obscure and exotic items.

"Hey guys," he said. "Wait a minute."

Everyone stopped walking.

"We should inquire about the tablet here," he said as he pointed at the shop. "It looks like it sells those kinds of items."

"Okay," said the one who entered the city first, "but this is going to be our last stop before the inn. We have to get some rest."

The person who led this trip went up to the door and opened it. As the door swung outward, the bell rang. He then went inside, while the others followed suit.

They walked around the rectangular room and scanned all the shelves. One rested against each wall and there were also some in the middle. They saw a wide assortment of wonders from across the land sitting on them. There were trinkets and knickknacks just to name a few. Each of them yearned for a home, but the ominous vibe of the store made that impossible. Then they noticed that the light grew dimmer as it traveled to the back of the shop. They thought about the surprises that could be waiting for them in this pocket of darkness.

"Welcome strangers," said a man's voice.

The six of them shifted their eyes to the back of the room. They saw an old man sitting on a wooden stool with three lit candles on a counter in front of him. He was not much taller than the stool he sat upon. The flames next to him danced around in a hypnotic state like they were possessed by spirits.

"My name is Potav," he said. "I'm the proprietor of this fine establishment."

Then he saw their swords and took a big gulp. A painful memory began to flood his mind, but he quickly cast it aside. He continued to act as if he didn't know they had them.

"The name of your little shop is pretty mysterious sounding," said one of the men as he was looking at a stone figurine on a shelf. "Is the word 'zethen' a real word, or is it a made up one?"

"It's made up," said Potav. "I wanted to come up with a word that sounded mysterious. Now, at the risk of sounding arrogant, I think I accomplished that. Would you agree?"

"Yes," he said. "By the way, does it have a meaning?"

"Not at all," said Potav. "It's just a word and nothing more."

His small narrow eyes shifted from him to another one. This man was holding a necklace up to his face. He was studying it intensely.

The first one into the city began to walk up to Potav. He did this slowly, but with great power and confidence.

"We come with a question," he said.

Potav moved his eyes to him and stared. It was as if he was looking right through him and at something else. After a few seconds, the person stopped walking.

"We were wondering if you knew anything about a little object called the 'Tablet of Omainu'," he said.

The other five warriors stopped what they were doing and went up behind him.

"The Tablet of Omainu?" asked Potav. "I know what that is, but could you please tell me why you're asking me about it."

"So," he asked, "you have heard of it? To answer your question, we noticed your shop and saw it sold items similar in nature. We just figured we'd have better luck getting information about it from somebody who worked here."

"You have good reasoning," said Potav. "I commend that."

"Thanks," he said. "Now I have another question for you. Do you believe the Tablet of Omainu is real or just a myth?"

"Of course I believe it's real," said Potav. "In fact, I know it is. I've seen it with my very own eyes. But who are you six and why are you interested in something like that?"

"I am Tearthis," said the first one.

"I am Dragus," said the second one.

"I am Artain," said the third one.

"I am Mondren," said the fourth one as he scratched his reddish brown dreadlocks with his right hand.

"I am Nios," said the fifth one.

"And I am Rykarn," said the sixth one.

"Those are our names as individuals," said Tearthis. "As a team, we're called Hex Immortal. Our pasts as individuals wanting to do what's right have brought us together in the present to amplify that ideal. Hopefully our future, or futures, will tread on similar tides."

"Yeah," muttered Rykarn as he rolled his eyes, "let's end on a note of uncertainty. That's comforting."

"How very interesting," said Potav as he rubbed his chin. "However, that doesn't answer my second question."

"We've heard about it," said Mondren, "and our mission is to get it in our possession so nobody can use its evil power. We don't want to see this world come to an end."

"That's an extremely noble thing of you to do," said Potav. "There are a lot of people out there who wouldn't even think of taking on a task this dangerous. You're a very special breed, aren't you?"

"Thank you," responded Mondren. "We're just very idealistic individuals; that's all."

"And modest too," said Potav. "Modesty is a good quality to have."

He lifted his left hand up to his mouth and coughed.

"I suppose you should be told where it is then," he said.

"Yeah," said Dragus, "and it seems like you know where it is. Am I correct?"

"Yes," he said, "but may I ask how you figured that out?"

"I could tell by the way you said your statement about telling us its location," said Dragus.

"I could never keep information from others," said Potav. "I always end up giving it away somehow. It's one of my traits I'm not proud of."

He slowly took his feet off the rungs on his stool and put them on the ground.

"The Tablet of Omainu," he said as he slowly stood up, "currently rests in the hands of our government."

He'd been sitting for so long it was a delight for him to be standing again.

"Why would your government have it?" asked Tearthis as his gray eyes froze in their place.

"Because it isn't too fond of freedom," said Potav. "You see, it's a dictatorship and the person at the helm of it is Contanis. He and his followers want to use it in their quest for power. Six years ago, they appeared in our town without warning. For awhile they just acted normally like everybody else. Then one day they overthrew our government with a swift act of violence. After that, they went after our police force and completely obliterated that as well. No one from either of those groups was spared. Then they replaced everybody in those groups with themselves so there wasn't any opposition. I have no idea how long they were here before they attacked us. This however I do know. Ever since that day, our lives have been an absolute nightmare."

The flames of the candles next to him no longer gave the impression of dancing. Now they gave the impression of crying. It was as if they could feel his pain.

"They control this city with an iron grasp," he continued. "One of the first things they did was confiscate all our weapons. They didn't want us to be able to defend ourselves anymore. Either they were destroyed or kept by them. However, they allow us have tools we need for work. They also outlawed all religions. The idea of people believing in anything above them doesn't suit them. They see themselves as the supreme rulers of us with Contanis at the top. I swear sometimes they really believe they're gods."

Hex Immortal just looked at him, listening attentively while trying to comprehend the situation he described in the back of their minds. They never liked to get involved in something they didn't fully understand. Doing so could cause them very serious problems.

"Not only that, they impose a great number of heavy taxes on us," he said. "They see the money we earn as their property. Then they use it to fund their totalitarian endeavors. There's still more though. They impose food quotas on us. At specific times they come and demand particular amounts of certain foods. If any one of us is caught not following the rules, we'll suffer ghastly consequences. It doesn't matter why we did it; all that matters is we did it."

"It sounds like we're dealing with some despotic fucks," said Dragus.

"Damn right," said Potav. "After they settled in and explained to us how our city was going to operate from then on, they discovered my shop. Then Contanis and Kotlor, his second in command, asked me about the tablet like you guys. But instead of asking where it was, they wanted to know how to activate it. You see, they already had it. I can't tell you when though because I don't know. Anyway, they demanded I tell them how to do it or they'd force it out of me. I was honest with them and said I didn't know how, but they didn't believe me."

Then he turned away with a disgusted look on his face. It was like he wouldn't be able to tell them the rest of his tale. However, he overcame his sensitivity a couple of seconds later and turned back to face them.

"Therefore, they tried to beat it out of me," he continued. "They did it in this very room, and some my merchandise was destroyed in the process. After a few hours, they finally decided I wasn't lying and stopped. Then they just left in disgust. Luckily I didn't suffer any permanent damage. Well, some of the townspeople were kind enough to help me fix up my shop. They also gave me some money and items to sell. God bless them."

Then Rykarn had a realization.

"I have a question," he said. "We saw a fountain in the city earlier today and there was a statue in the center of it. Is the statue of Contanis?"

"You're correct," said Potav. "He hired a sculptor from another village to make it for him five years ago. However, I never learned what his name was or even where he came from. Anyway, it's a testament to our oppression."

"Haven't you ever tried to take him and his minions down?" asked Nios.

"We did once," said Potav, "but failed miserably. A year after our city was taken over, a bunch of villagers banded together and tried to stage a coup d'état against them. They used weapons they hid from them as well as tools. However, Contanis and his followers killed them all. They either died in battle or were captured and executed. Even those who were connected to it in other ways were sentenced to death."

A bird then flew over the store and interrupted Potav with a couple chirps. It was almost as if it was letting the town below know it wasn't bound to the nightmare it was. Whether it was mocking them or not, no one knew.

"We've officially named that day 'The Day of the Great Contention'," he continued. "Now on every anniversary of it, we mourn those who tried to free this city from the stranglehold of this government. We have to do it in secrecy though because Contanis banned it. Anything that honors something that defies him and his régime isn't allowed. If anybody is caught acknowledging it, they'll face the same consequences. Someday we'd like to build a memorial in their honor, if that's ever possible. Now that I think about it the anniversary is tomorrow."

"Where's the compound located?" asked Tearthis.

"It's on the outskirts of the city next to the river," said Potav. "It's to the east of this location."

Tearthis took a deep breath. He, along with his friends, now had all the information they needed.

"Could you excuse us for a second?" he asked. "My friends and I need to discuss something."

"Go right ahead," said Potav. "I don't mind."

The others walked over to Tearthis and then they got into circle.

"Ah, a circular formation," thought Potav. "This is just like how people of years past would discuss important matters."

They then began to speak softly to one another.

Potav could hear them, but couldn't make out what they were saying. Nonetheless he watched them vigilantly. This whole situation intrigued him. In fact, it actually intrigued him more than his own merchandise. It made him feel odd because that never happened before. After a few more seconds, the room became silent again. Tearthis then looked at him.

"We've discussed your city's predicament thoroughly," he said, "and we've come to a decision. We'll take down your government and get the Tablet of Omainu. Your government is already too powerful. The last thing you need is for it to have even more power."

Potav couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"So that's what they were talking about," he thought.

Then he began to think about a how a ragtag group of six men could bring down Contanis. He wanted to know if such a thing was possible. After a few seconds, he eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn't. This whole situation just got even more bizarre than it already was. Nevertheless he agreed with them.

"I'm happy you all feel that way," he said, "but how are you going to do that? You're just six men. Destroying them would be damn near impossible. They're a highly skilled group of fighters. If you attack them, they'll slaughter you. It's suicide."

"We'll do our best," said Tearthis. "Thanks for the information."

They turned around and walked out of the shop in single file.

"I wish you God's speed Hex Immortal," said Potav to himself. "The future of our city as well as the world depends on you."

Then he walked over to a shelf near the left wall. He pulled a rag out of his right pocket and began to clean it.

At interim, another event was taking place. A man was dragging a woman by her long brown hair on an old dirt road. Since she was being dragged on her back, her white long sleeve shirt and brown pants became dirtier by the moment. She was also able to peer into the sky. Even though she was afraid right now, she was still able to admire its true beauty. He was taking her to the government's compound. Since they were close to it, nobody else was around. Everybody in the city liked to keep their distance from it.

"Stop!" she yelled. "Let me go!"

"Shut up you stupid cunt!" he yelled back.

He was much stronger than her, so her chances of escaping were earth shatteringly low. As he pulled her across the ground, she continued to scream. Then she grabbed his right ankle just as he was about to move that foot. He tripped and fell onto the ground. This also made him left go of her hair. She climbed back onto her feet and started to run away.

"Damn it," he said.

He climbed back onto his feet as well and turned around.

"It's useless!" he yelled. "You won't get away!"

He started to chase after her with all the strength he had. Catching and subduing her as fast as possible was his top priority now.

"Help!" she yelled as she ran. "Please help me!"

Her cries went unanswered because they were the only people in the area. Even if there were others around, it wouldn't have done any good. People certainly would have heard her, but they would have been too scared to do anything.

As for the man, he quickly caught up to her. Once he got close enough he grabbed the back of her shirt. She struggled to break free but it was no use.

"How dare you make me look like a fool, you little bitch," he said.

He was really pissed. He hated it when his plans didn't go smoothly.

"Let me go you bastard!" she yelled.

"Compliments will get you nowhere," he said.

Then he turned her around and did a right hook to her face. She instantly fell to the ground, but was still conscious. She was just a little stunned.

"I told you, you wouldn't get away," he said. "Now listen to me very carefully. If you try to escape one more time, I'll make this whole situation worse for you. Yes, you heard me right. I can make this situation worse. Now let's get going, you little slut. You've wasted enough of my time."

He bent down and grabbed her hair again. Then he started to drag her just like before. A few minutes later, they reached the front of the rectangular stone wall for the compound. In the center of it was an oak door. A few seconds later, a small piece of wood on it slid to the left. A man's face was behind it and he looked agitated.

"What's with all the noise?" he asked as he looked around.

Then he saw who was by the door.

"Oh, it's you Kotlor," said the man.

"Greetings Balaz," said Kotlor.

Balaz closed the opening. All of a sudden, the door opened from the inside. He walked in while still dragging the woman by her hair. She continued to scream.

"What's with the broad?" asked Balaz.

"There's a small incident that must be attended to," said Kotlor.

"What happened?" asked Balaz.

He explained the situation to him. Then Balaz kicked her in the back and she screamed again.

"Thank you for the thoughtful gesture," said Kotlor.

He started to drag her again while Balaz closed the door and locked it. They went through the courtyard to the main building. When they reached it, he took her up to the fourth floor and into the throne room. He let go of her and she continued to lie on the ground. Now she was sobbing and it echoed softly throughout the room.

This room was one of the biggest in the building. All its light came in through the six windows stationed on the right wall. Kotlor enjoyed looking out of them because they allowed him to view his empire. There were also brass torches along the walls. However, they weren't lit because there was still enough sunlight coming in. This would change in the next couple hours though.

"Kotlor, "asked a man's voice, "what brings you here?"

He was sitting upon a huge marble throne. Each armrest had a sword lying on it, while a dragon's head rested at the top of it. It was carved so exquisitely a glance at it would give the impression it was real. It was as if the dragon's head was there to protect him from any danger that may arise.

Kotlor then kicked her in the stomach.

"Ah!" she yelped in pain.

"Overlord Contanis," he said, "this wench has been hiding food from us. I discovered a secret stash under the floorboards in her house. Here it is."

He dropped a bag onto the ground. Inside it were rice balls, meat, and vegetables.

"Woman," asked Contanis, "is what Kotlor says the truth? Have you been withholding food from us?"

Even though he asked her these questions, he knew Kotlor was telling the truth because he was extremely loyal to him. He just asked them because he was interested in what she had to say about it.

The woman knew if she told him Kotlor lied, he wouldn't believe her and kill her. She also knew if she told him it was true, he'd still kill her. Therefore, she decided her best option was to try and get sympathy from him. Then she would try to strike a deal with him. She felt if she could do at least one of those two things, he might let her live. This was certainly better than falling prey to the cold hands of death.

"Yes," she whimpered as she continued to lie on the ground, "but I needed it for me and my children. The amount we're allowed to keep is barely enough. If you spare me, I'll give you the food I owe you now along with the food I'll owe you next time. That way you'll get everything you're supposed to get. I'll also throw in some money to make up for the trouble I've caused you. I promise to never do it again. I swear."

"That's a pretty tempting offer," said Contanis as he leaned back on his throne. "However, you must be made an example of to the other villagers. That way we can reinforce an important idea: if you fuck us, we'll fuck you right back."

"No!" she yelled as she looked up at him. "I beg you! Please don't!"

"Kotlor," said Contanis as he stood up from his throne, "get her back onto her feet."

He grabbed her shirt and yanked her up to her feet. He continued to hold onto her shirt so she couldn't escape. Unknown to him though, this wasn't necessary. She was so frightened she couldn't move, let alone escape. In fact, she was so scared, she didn't even know if she could continue standing.

"Now strip her of her clothes," said Contanis as he removed the sword from the right armrest.

He pulled her shirt off and then flung it to the side.

"Stop it!" she yelled.

He then did the same to her white brassiere.

"Okay," said Koltor. "We're halfway there."

He threw her to the ground. Then he grabbed her pants and took them off.

"Please have mercy!" she yelled.

Next he took her underwear off. Now she was fully exposed. Even though he didn't rape her, she still thought of it as such. He just raped her dignity instead of her body. To her, it was just splitting hairs.

"Good," said Kotlor. "You're now ready for your punishment."

He grabbed her right arm and got her on her feet again. Then he put his right arm across her throat and pressed her back against him. His grasp was so tight she couldn't move or make any sounds. All she could do was look straight ahead into doom.

Contanis descended the steps of his throne and walked up to them. Then he gazed into her sky blue eyes. He could see the fear in them. This brought him a feeling of excitement.

"I can't guarantee much in this world," he said to her, "but I can guarantee this: what I'm about to do to you will hurt...a lot. It's really quite a shame though because you're a very attractive woman."

He gently caressed her left cheek. She could sense coldness, but it wasn't coming from his hand. Then he shifted his eyes to Kotlor.

"Turn her around," he said, "and lift her off her feet."

Kotlor followed his orders.

"Listen you whore," said Contanis. "Let this teach you that you shouldn't defy the will of your government."

He raised his sword and pointed its tip at her hindquarters. Then he brought it back before thrusting it into her opening. Her eyes looked like they were about to bulge right out of her head. She screamed louder than she ever had before. The sword cut through her insides, causing massive internal bleeding. Blood began to drip out of her mouth and the opening of her posterior.

Kotlor dropped her to the floor. She was still alive, so he began to gasp as she made some subtle motions with her arms and legs. Then she coughed up a small amount of blood onto the floor.

"Tomorrow Kotlor," said Contanis, "we can stick her carcass on a spear in the center of the city. It'll inform the others what their fate will be if they choose to challenge us."

"I agree," said Kotlor. "That'll definitely scare them into submission. Fear is our most valuable weapon."

Contanis then bent down and pulled the sword out of her. She screamed again in agony. He put it up to his face and examined it. There was blood and excrement on it.

"Kotlor," he said, "bring me a towel so I can clean this off."

He walked out of the throne room and came back with a towel a few seconds later.

"Here you are my overlord," he said as he handed it to him.

"You're a good soldier," he said as he began to wipe off his sword with it. "You're very loyal to me. I can always trust you to do what's necessary."

"Well," he said, "you know what you're doing. You opened up a whole new realm to me, which turned out to be true. You saved me from myself. If you didn't do that, I could have been this very person on the ground right now. I'm proud to call you my overlord."

Contanis finished cleaning his sword and handed the towel back to him. He then walked up to his throne.

"I appreciate that," he said as he put the sword back in the armrest. "I really do. My duties get stressful sometimes, so it's nice to have a comrade nearby to help."

"Well," asked Kotlor, "what do we do now?"

"It's like I always say," he said as he walked back down to him, "pleasure after business. Let's retire to my chamber for a game of chess."

They left the throne room.

"You know," said Kotlor as they walked, "I've always wondered why you're so fond of chess. You seem to play it quite often."

"Chess is a lot like my life," Contanis. "I used to be a pawn. I was controlled by all the other pieces. Then one day I said 'no more' and rose to the king I am today. Now I control all the other pieces, and it's only a matter of time and maneuvers before I declare checkmate. How I yearn for that declaration. That moment's beauty is unimaginable to me."

A couple minutes later they reached the arched cedar doors to his room. Before they entered, he slid his left hand across the steel capital letters of his name on them.

"I never get tired of seeing my name here," he said. "Not only does it look magnificent, but it also fills me with...great pride."

Once he was done, he opened the right one. In the middle of it was a polished steel lock. According to him, no god would be able to penetrate them if there were any. This lair was meant for only one ruler: him.

They walked inside and Kotlor closed the behind him. Privacy was something they strongly encouraged.

Kotlor spotted a wooden table off to the right and went over for a closer look. There were some unlit candles and a chess set on it. All the wooden pieces were in their proper places on the chessboard. On one side they were all painted black while on the other they were painted white. He fixed his eyes on the chess set and lost himself in their handcrafted artistry. This made it hard for anyone to play with them. It was also the reason why they permanently sat out on the table. They deserved nothing less.

Meanwhile, Contanis patrolled his room to make sure everything was in order. There were unlit candles along the walls and two closets in the left corner of the room. The right one held his clothes while the other housed his weapons. On the right side of the room was a fireplace with some remnants of burnt wood in it. At the back of the room was a four-post bed that rested above the floor. Next to it was a cedar table with an unlit candle and knife on top of it.

Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, so he went over to the table Kotlor was standing next to. He pulled a matchbook from his right pocket. Then he removed a match from it and lit the candles on it.

"Take a seat," he said. "This is all the light I want. I like the presence of a small amount of light in a dark room. You see, it's trying to light up the whole room but to no avail. It's a losing battle. No matter how hard it tries, it can never win."

"Ah," said Kotlor, "it's a fine example of futility. I can appreciate that."

He sat down and then Contanis did the same.

Now Contanis pulled out a silver steel cigarette holder and a matchbook from his left pocket. After lighting the match, he lit a cigarette. He put the holder away and then the match caught his attention.

"Huh," he said as he looked at it. "This match is similar to that girl we just dealt with."

"How so?" asked Kotlor.

"Let me show you," he said.

He blew on the flame until it went out.

"Do you understand?" he asked as he continued to hold it.

Kotlor just stared at it as the smoke rose from it. After a few seconds, he had the answer.

"You snuffed out the flame, just like how you snuffed out her life," he said.

"Not bad, but that's not the whole answer," he said. "We don't know if she's dead or not. If she is, she's identical to it. If she isn't, she will be shortly."

He placed the cigarette in his mouth and sucked in the intoxicating fumes. Then he took it out and blew them into the air.

"I still don't understand why you smoke," said Kotlor. "It's bad for your health."

"A lot of enjoyable things are," said Contanis. "Even the ones that don't seem bad for you can be if you do them enough. Life is about making choices and accepting their consequences. Let's begin our game now, shall we? You can be white and I can be black."

"That suits me just fine," said Kotlor.

While they enjoyed their tainted game, Hex Immortal made their way to the inn. Just like in the eye of a tropical cyclone, they were in the downtime between two battles...and they were going to cherish it."

"This place better be decent," said Rykarn as they walked. "I don't want to stay in some dilapidated piece of crap."

"Well," said Tearthis, "the carriage driver said it was good. All we can do is hope he told us the truth."

"Man," said Rykarn as he punched his right fist into the palm of his left hand, "I'm going to be pissed off if he didn't."

Then Dragus noticed the inn. It was a couple buildings ahead.

"There it is," he said as he pointed to it.

"Good," said Artain. "Now we'll get our answer. If it turns out he lied, at least we can look forward to Rykarn's meltdown."

They walked across the main road towards the entrance of the elm two-story building. Above it was a gemstone sign that said "Tranquility Inn". On the left side of the door was a row of windows with another one above that. Hex Immortal wasn't able to see inside them though because the blinds were closed. However, they had a hunch they belonged to the rooms people rented.

"So far, this looks nice," said Mondren. "I hope the inside is as well."

"Well," said Artain, "whatever it looks like, it doesn't matter. We just need a place to stay."

Dragus started to walk towards the door.

"Hold it," said Tearthis.

He stopped and turned around.

"What?" he asked.

"I just want to remind you all," said Tearthis, "there's no timeframe for how long we're going to be here. We'll be here as long as it takes to get the Tablet of Omainu. We'll also share one room to conserve money because we don't have that much left. This means we should keep our eyes open for opportunities to makes some more. Of course, we'll only do that if we have the time. God only knows what's going to happen while we're here. Okay, that's it."

Dragus turned back around and walked up to the door. He opened it and to their surprise, they were greeted by a pleasant light jingle. They looked up to find a small bell hanging above it. They then walked inside.

The room they entered had a humble interior. They didn't see any paintings or statues around, but it wasn't a big deal. All they wanted was a place to sleep, much like the other guests. A gentle warm feeling washed over them and made its way outside. They imagined this intoxicating feeling would also lure all sorts of others into its quarters.

They also noticed the faded blue carpeting on the floor. A musty odor was coming from it, but it only added to the hominess of the inn. On the left side of the room was a counter with rows of hooks and keys hanging on them behind it. However, they weren't without company.

"Welcome gentlemen," said a lovely looking woman with warm brown eyes. "My name is Yi and I'm the owner of this hotel."

This was when she saw the handle of his sword. She started to become nervous.

"Nice to meet you," said Artain. "We're weary travelers and we'd like to rent a room for the night. Would you be able to accommodate us?"

She didn't respond. Her attention was still focused on his sword.

"Miss," said Artain. "I asked you if we could have a room for tonight. Can you help us?"

Finally she calmed down and shifted her attention back to him.

"Are you okay?" asked Artain.

"Yes," said Yi. "I'm sorry about that. I'm just tired, that's all."

"That's good to hear," said Artain. "Now, how about that room?"

"Yes, we can accommodate you," said Yi. "Are you planning on staying one night or more?"

"Well," said Tearthis, "to be honest, we're not sure. We have some business we need to take care of and we don't know how long it's going to take. I'm sorry we can't give you an exact number."

"That's quite all right," said Yi. "I can honestly say I've never heard that answer before. Okay, I need just one more piece of information from you. How many rooms would you like?"

"Just one," said Tearthis.

"Are you sure?" asked Yi. "It'll be very cramped with six people."

"Yes," said Tearthis. "We need to conserve our money."

"That's understandable," said Yi. "Okay, let's discuss your payment plan now. I have an idea. You could just pay me thirty griveers right now, and then pay the rest when you're ready to leave. What do you think about that?"

"Good," said Tearthis. "That works for us."

He pulled out the money and handed it to her.

"You guys can sign in now," she said, "and while you're doing that, I'll get your room key."

She turned around and looked at the wall of keys behind her. Each key hung on a hook under the number of the room it belonged to.

"I wouldn't mind her grabbing my key," said Mondren under his breath.

Tearthis turned around and gave him a dirty look. His eyes pierced his flesh and went right into his soul. The sharpness of them was unmistakable.

"Just sign in Mondren," he said forcefully.

He pulled the quill pen out of the ink jar and signed the guestbook. Then one by one the rest of them did the same. While Dragus was waiting for his turn, he found a small silver bell on the counter and picked it up.

"The length of your attention span is embarrassing," said Nios. "Just be careful with it and don't make too much noise."

"Yes 'Mom'," said Dragus.

When it was his turn, he put it back.

As this was going on, Yi found the key she was looking for. She grabbed it and turned around.

"Okay," she said. "You'll be staying in room thirteen. Since it only has two beds, I'll bring up some more pillows and blankets for you."

"That sounds great," said Artain.

She then handed him the key.

Meanwhile, Nios was signing his name in the book. He was the last one.

After he finished, they headed to the staircase in the right corner of the room. Above it hung an old wooden railing. On the steps were carpeting just like the floor, and the color of it was the same. Unfortunately the odor was too.

"After Yi welcomed us," said Artain as they walked, "I noticed her eyes drifted away from me to something else. I'm not sure what it was though."

"She was probably looking at me," said Dragus sarcastically. "You know I'm quite the stud."

"You mean 'dud'," said Nios sarcastically. "There's no way a woman as fine as her would be interested in a man as ugly as you."

"Hey," said Dragus sarcastically. "I find that offensive."

"I'm sorry...I can't help you with that," said Nios sarcastically. "It's not offensive to me."

When they reached the top, they walked through the hallway to find their room. After a while they found it in the corner. Artain went up to the door and unlocked it with the key.

"I wish we could afford more than one room," said Dragus as they walked into it. "Yi was right about it being cramped in here."

"I don't like it either," said Tearthis, "but like I said before, we don't have a choice."

Atrain walked straight ahead to the window and peered down at the ground below. He felt it brought some wonderment from the outside world into a room where it was lacking.

"The view isn't too bad," he said. "There isn't anything blocking it."

Nios went over to the dresser next to the right bed and touched the clock on it. It reminded him time stops for no man, regardless of where they were. Then he laid his hands on the candles. They reminded him light is the cornerstone of all life. Without light it couldn't exist.

"Hey," said Dragus as removed his sword and sheath, "how come you can touch the candles, but I get in trouble for touching the bell?"

He then placed them on the left bed.

"That's simple," he said. "My chances of breaking something are a lot lower than yours."

"That's a lie," said Dragus as he sat down next to his sword. "I rarely break things."

"Sorry Dragus," said Tearthis as he stood by the closet door, "but Nios is right. You're not very careful with things."

He opened the door and looked inside.

"Is there anything in it?" asked Rykarn as he took off his bag.

"No," said Tearthis.

"Damn," said Rykarn as put it on the left bed. "I was hoping the previous people who stayed forgot some things."

Tearthis closed the door. Then Mondren walked up to the right bed and removed his sword and sheath. He placed them next to the wall and then lay down on the bed.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Nios.

"I'm lying down on my bed," said Mondren.

"Why do you think it's your bed?" asked Nios. "It could be my bed for all you know."

"No it's not," said Mondren. "It's my bed and I'll tell you why. It's mine because I said so."

"Wrong answer," said Nios. "You better get off that right now or Dragus and I will make you get off."

"Okay," said Mondren. "If you two do get me off, which one of you gets it?"

Nios looked up at the ceiling for a few moments and shifted his eyes around. Then he looked back at Mondren.

"I don't know because I didn't think that far ahead," he said. "Let me get back to you on that."

"Okay," said Mondren. "Have fun."

"It's nobody's bed right now," said Tearthis as he walked up to them. "I'll determine the sleeping arrangements a little later."

"This sucks," said Mondren. "Why do you get to make that decision?"

"Because somebody has to," said Tearthis.

"Even though your excuse blows," said Mondren, "I'm not going to fight with you. If I do, you'll just drag it out until I give up anyway. It's a waste of time and energy."

"Thank you," said Tearthis.

"Knock, knock," said Yi as she walked up to the open door. "We have your accommodations."

Then she walked inside with another woman following her. This woman matched Yi in terms of beauty, but her dark brown eyes showed there can be different kinds of it. Just before they came up stairs, Yi told her they were carrying weapons. Even though she wouldn't be shocked by them now, she was still alarmed by them.

"This is Talez," said Yi. "She's my personal assistant. She helps with the housekeeping and various other things around here."

"Hello," she said.

They then put the items on the closest bed to them.

"Is there anything else you guys need?" asked Yi.

"Actually there is one more thing," said Artain. "Where's the bathroom?"

"We have an outhouse," said Talez, "and it's located behind the building."

"Thank you," said Artain.

"Now," asked Yi, "with that question answered, do you have anymore?"

"No," said Tearthis. "We're good to go."

"Splendid," said Yi, "but if you do come up with anything else, don't hesitate to ask anybody who works here. We're here to make our guests' stays the best we can."

"We won't," said Artain.

"I thank you for choosing our inn and I hope you enjoy your stay," said Yi.

"I hope you have a wonderful time here too," said Talez. "Goodbye."

The two of them began to leave the room.

Before they walked out the door, Artain had a revelation. He now realized what Yi was looking at when he asked her about the room earlier. It also occurred to him this might have had something do with them not being charged for their carriage ride. This was a misunderstanding he wanted to clear up and fast.

"Wait," he said. "There's one more thing I'd like to address."

Both of them stopped and looked at him.

"Okay," said Talez. "What is it?"

"Yi," said Artain, "I know what you were staring at when I was talking to you at the counter. It was my katana."

"Oh," she said as she lowered her head.

"It's okay," said Artain. "We're not any of Contanis's men, nor are we criminals. We're on your side. You have our word."

She looked at him again.

"That's a relief," she said, "but this means you know about our city's dark secret then. It always embarrasses me when people learn about it."

"You shouldn't be," said Artain. "You have no control over it."

"Please be careful," she said. "If they find out you have weapons, they'll kill you."

"Don't worry about us," said Artain. "We'll be fine."

"When visitors come here," said Talez, "we pray they don't learn out about what our government is like during their stay. Not knowing that makes their time here more enjoyable."

"It's the age old saying of 'Ignorance is bliss'," said Tearthis.

"Yes," said Yi. "Well, we'll be going now."

She left the room first. Then Talez did and closed the door behind her.

"I could have a wonderful time with her," said Mondren under his breath.

"Shut the hell up Mondren," said Rykarn. "One of these days someone is going to hear your comments, and then you're going to have to pee out of your mouth because that's where your dick will be."

"Fine," he said, "but what'd you think of my remark?"

"What can I say?" asked Rykarn. "When you're right, you're right."

Mondren then had a revelation.

"If Talez is Yi's personal assistant," he said, "then that makes her, her bitch, right?"

"Yes," said Dragus, "figuratively, and literally, I might add."

"Can we stop the mindless social commentary?" asked Rykarn. "I love it as much as you guys do, minus Tearthis, but we have to figure out the sleeping arrangements. Who's going to get the beds and who's going to get the ground?"

"I was just going to discuss that," said Tearthis.

Then he turned his attention towards everybody.

"We'll alternate nightly," he said. "Artain and I will get the beds tonight while Dragus and Mondren will get them tomorrow. That means Nios and Rykarn will get them on the third day. After that, we'll start over."

"Well," said Rykarn, "I guess that plan is as good as any."

Everyone else agreed except for Dragus. He took a quick look at the two beds before briefly looking at Tearthis.

"Hold on a minute," he said. "Tearthis, I don't think you're going to fit in either of the beds. You're too tall. And even if you do, I can't believe you'd be comfortable. Why don't you just sleep on the floor the whole time instead of rotating with the rest of us? It'll be easier on you that way."

"Nice try," said Tearthis, "but I can see through your thinly veiled concern about me. You just want one less person in the rotation schedule so you can sleep in one of the beds more."

"Even if he doesn't mean it," said Mondren, "he may be right about the bed being too small. Why do you have to do this all the time?"

"I'll be fine," said Tearthis. "I'm used to things not accommodating me that well."

"I don't mean to interrupt," said Nios, "but I think we should eat now. I'm starving and I'm sure you guys are too. I mean, the last time we ate was this morning."

Everyone agreed with him without hesitation and took their seats. Tearthis and Rykarn went and sat on the right bed. Nios and Mondren sat on the left one. As for Artain and Dragus, they reluctantly sat on the floor. Then they went into their strapped canvas bags for some food and beverages. All they had were some pieces of dried beef and a round tin canteen filled with some water.

"We'll have to go shopping sometime tomorrow," said Nios as he pulled a piece out of his bag. "I don't have much left and I think it's the same for you guys too."

The rest of them just kind of nodded and muttered to themselves.

"I think we should discuss what our next move will be," said Tearthis. "Obviously, it'll be taking down their government. I believe it's in our best interest, as well at the city's, to do it as soon as possible. However, we should get some sleep first. We'll get up at 11:30 tonight and hopefully begin the attack by midnight. We should be able to get to the compound within a half-hour. Now I know if that doesn't give us a lot of time, but I think it's the best thing to do."

"I agree," said Artain. "There should be a better chance of us doing it without them knowing. The longer we wait the better chance they'll have of figuring it out."

"Why are we going to do this at midnight?" asked Dragus.

"Because it's the beginning of a new day," said Tearthis, "just like how it's the beginning of a new life for the city. Also, it'll be The Day of the Great Contention. Hopefully, we'll be able to accomplish what the townspeople couldn't five years ago. There's no better way to honor their attempt at the freeing the city then by trying to do it again."

"How are we going to get up?" asked Nios as he pulled his canteen out of his bag.

"If the clock can be set to ring at a specific time," said Tearthis, "we'll do that. If it can't, the first person who wakes up will have to wake the others. Hopefully he'll wake up before midnight."

"I don't know if that should be our backup plan," said Dragus, "because it's not foolproof. It'd be too easy for us to oversleep."

"I know," said Tearthis, "but it's all we have."

"We should have asked Yi and Talez if the clock could be set to ring at a specific time," said Artain as he shook his head.

"That would have been nice," said Tearthis, "but it's too late now. When we're done eating, go check it out. If we can't figure it out, we'll just have to go find one of them then."

After a few more minutes, they finished eating. Then Artain got off the ground and went over to the clock. He opened up the back of it and looked inside.

"Yeah," he said. "It can be set to ring at a specific time."

"Good," said Tearthis. "Set it."

He picked it up and stuck his left hand inside. Then he played with it for a couple of moments before putting it back on the table.

"It's ready to go," he said.

"Good," said Tearthis.

Then he turned his attention towards everybody.

"Let's get some sleep now," he said. "We're sure as hell going to need it."

Everybody followed the sleeping arrangements Tearthis laid out earlier. By the time 9:00 PM came around, everyone was asleep.

A few minutes later, Mondren had to go to the bathroom. As quietly as he could, he got off the floor and made his way towards the door. On the way he saw Dragus out of the corner of his left eye. He was sitting next to a lit candle and looking at something. Mondren couldn't tell what it was though. He decided to go over to him and see what was going on.

"Hey," he whispered as he sat down on the ground beside him, "what are you doing? You should be getting rest for the attack tonight."

Dragus didn't look at him. He continued to look down as his straight black hair hung over the front of his shoulders.

"I know," he whispered. "I was just looking at the strange engraving on my sword. I'd like to know what it means."

His sword was a katana. However, it wasn't an ordinary one. What made it different was there was an identical engraving on each side of the blade. In fact, all Hex Immortal's swords were like that. Each one had a different engraving on it though.

"We all wonder what they mean," whispered Mondren, "but we've been through this before. Any person we've asked about them hasn't been able to read them. It must be some language nobody, or very few for that matter, can understand anymore. Besides, don't worry about what's on your sword right now. Just worry about what you're going to do with it in the next couple hours, okay?"

"Okay," he whispered, "but before I go to bed, I want to know why you're up."

"Because," whispered Mondren, "I don't feel like using my bed as a bathroom."

"I see," he whispered. "Do you need any help with that?"

"No," said Mondren, "I don't need any help going to the bathroom. Now go to sleep you pervert."

He stood back up and left for the bathroom.

Dragus put his sword back into his sheath and blew out the candle. Then he climbed back into bed. Soon he drifted off to sleep.

For the next couple hours, they were at peace with their surroundings. It was the calm before the storm. Then at 11:30 PM, the alarm went off and woke Tearthis up. He sat up and looked around. Everybody else was still sleeping.

"How come I was the only one who woke up?" he asked himself.

Then he noticed the alarm's sound was muffled. He looked at the table and saw there was a cloak draped over the clock.

"Uh," said Tearthis as he shook his head, "is it too much to ask for people to be extra careful when the situation is critical? Thank God I was close enough to hear it."

He climbed out of bed and turned it off. Then he went over to Nios and shook him from his slumber. When he opened his eyes, he saw Tearthis kneeling before him.

"It's time," said Tearthis with a stern expression on his face.

Nios grinned at him while the ends of his long mustache dangled in the air.

## POEM THE SECOND:

## TOWN OF OPPRESSION

A town they did come to

With little knowledge about it they knew

Controlled with a steel grasp

An evil that they could not let pass

## CHAPTER THE THIRD:

## THE STORM IN MOTION

After Tearthis woke him up, he went to wake up the others. Then they grabbed their gear and headed towards the door. Tearthis was at the front of the group just like where a leader should be in this situation. When he reached it, he stopped and turned around. He stood perfectly still as he gazed upon his comrades. His eyes were like razors that cut into their souls. The rest of Hex Immortal could feel themselves bleeding from his stare.

"May whatever you believe in, be on your side today," he said. "Now let's go do something we wish we didn't have to: kill some tyrannical bastards."

He turned back around and opened the door. They marched into the hallway and made their way to the stairs. As they moved, all sorts of emotions like fear and disgust permeated the air around them. There was also a little solace in there. However, any passersby would have been none the wiser to this because they didn't show them. They were careful not to bother the other guests in the hotel as they walked through it. When they reached the first floor, they went out the main entrance.

Since they were outside now, they began to run but still remained quiet. Thanks to the information from Potav, they knew exactly where to go. After a few moments, they found the river on the edge of the city. They then ran parallel with it until it took them to the compound. The full moon and stars gently showered the earth with its faint light. From a distance, these six men looked like shadows flowing through the land. At any moment they could have disappeared into the night.

"There it is," said Tearthis as they kept running.

They focused their eyes on the compound.

It was a couple blocks away from them. The fieldstone wall surrounding the building seemed intimidating. It normally safeguarded what was inside, but not this night. As they got within proximity of it, they could see it better. It looked old, like it had been created hundreds of years ago. That didn't mean it was frail though. It looked sturdy and more importantly, impenetrable.

"I'll check to see if there's anybody on watch," said Artain.

He removed two throwing knives from his leather bandoleer. He then ran up to the wall and up the face of it a couple steps. He jammed the knives into it, and then used them as climbing pitons to scale up the rest of the way. When he reached the top, he stuck his head slightly over the edge to see what was straight ahead. He didn't see anything.

Then he hoisted his body over the wall until he was hanging off the other side. He looked down and saw a man standing below him. He was totally oblivious to his presence. Then Artain removed his sword from his sheath. He dangled it over the side with the tip facing downward. Once he lined it up with his head, he let it go. The blade traveled down quietly and quickly into his head. It stopped moving once it reached his abdomen. He then quietly toppled over onto his left side as blood spewed from his mouth and head. Artain quickly looked around for other guards, but he didn't see anymore. Then he looked back at his friends and waved his right hand at them.

He turned back around and pulled himself onto the top of the wall. Then he hopped off it onto the ground below. The other five members climbed over the wall in the same fashion. While they were doing this, Artain went over to the body and pulled his sword out.

Once they regrouped, they stared at the fieldstone building through the blackness. They stood in awe of its magnificent presence. It looked just as old and strong as the wall did. Four rows of windows ran around its exterior, so there were four floors inside. At the top was a slanted roof with gargoyle statues sitting around on the outer rim. Hex Immortal looked up at them and studied them intently. They were very realistic looking. One wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly flew off the roof. It was absolutely spine-chilling.

Tearthis turned his attention to Artain.

"Now that we're in," he asked, "what should we do?"

"We'll split up and eliminate the outside guards using stealth tactics," whispered Artain. "Once they're gone, we'll go inside. Remember to hide the bodies of the ones you dispose of. We want to keep our advantage of surprise for as long as we can. The longer we can do this, the easier the attack will be."

"Okay," whispered Tearthis, "is everybody ready?"

They nodded in unison.

"Then be off," whispered Tearthis as he flicked the back of his left hand at them.

They each headed off in different directions. Their goal was to turn a night of peace and quiet into one of chaos and bloodshed. For this kind of transformation a special conductor was needed. In this case, there were six of them: Tearthis, Artain, Mondren, Rykarn, Nios, and Dragus.

Mondren was creeping alongside a wall in the shadows. He was nearly invisible. When he came across a corner, he poked his head around it slightly. One of the government pigs was standing a couple feet away from him with his back facing him. Even though his left eye was light green and his right one was dark brown, they were now red with bloodlust. He removed his sword from his sheath and squatted downward. Then he crept towards the man. When he got close enough, he lunged at his him. He put his left hand over his mouth and slid his sword across his throat. Blood started to gush out of the wound.

The man knew he was going to die, but wanted to try to take out his assailant. He spun around with his last ounce of energy and thrust his sword at him. Acting quickly, Mondren moved to the left and dodged the incoming attack. He then raised his right leg and kicked the man against the wall. He started to slide down it while Mondren watched. He finally reached the ground and ceased to move. Just like how Mondren's eyes showed bloodlust, this man's eyes showed something too. It wasn't bloodlust though, it was death.

Then he looked around for a place to hide the body, and saw some containers stationed near the wall. He picked it up and carried it behind them.

Meanwhile, Dragus was hiding in one of the wall's corners. He was waiting for some targets to come into sight. After a while, two did.

"Did you hear about Overlord Contanis and Lord Kotlor killing that bitch?" asked one of them. "Apparently, she wasn't giving us the food she owed us."

"Yeah," said the other one. "That's what you get when you don't obey Contanis's orders."

"I can hardly wait until her corpse is stuck outside," said the first one. "It should scare the rest of the townspeople into submission."

"Me too," said the second one. "After they see what they did to her, I'm sure they won't try to pull anything."

A throwing knife flew into his left eye and pierced his brain. Blood exploded out of his wound as his body dropped to the ground.

"What in the hell?" asked the first guard as he looked at the body.

He then looked around to see who committed the treacherous act. However, all he saw was darkness and heard was silence.

"If you aren't already aware of this," he said as he slowly walked forward, "you've just committed a heinous crime: the murder of one of Overlord Contanis's guards. Your punishment will be severe. Now I demand you show yourself!"

A second throwing knife sailed through the darkness. It landed in his forehead and he fell over as well. There was a pool of blood underneath each of their bodies. Then Dragus emerged from the shadows and went up to them. He made sure they were dead and then removed the knives from them. Then he took each of the bodies into the dark corner he came from. Here, they'd be safe from prying eyes.

"They were killed in the darkness," he whispered to himself as he looked at them, "which was the same place where they lived their lives. No other end could have been more fitting."

As for Tearthis, he was sneaking along the side of the wall behind the facility. A few moments later he noticed a huge apple tree about thirty feet in front of him. He also noticed two guards standing to the right of it. Then he quietly sprinted towards the tree while sticking as close as he could to the wall. When he got close enough, he rolled right behind it. He landed back on his feet but remained crouched.

Then he scanned the area and saw a group of barrels next to the building. He also saw some apples next to him on the ground.

"I should come up with a plan," he thought.

He started to formulate one. It wasn't long before he came up with something he thought was good. Then he slowly and quietly picked up one of the apples. After taking some time to aim it, he tossed it at the barrels.

"What was that?" asked one of the guards as he looked around.

"It sounded like it came from those barrels," said the other one as he pointed at them.

"You stay where you are," said the first guard. "I'll go check it out myself. It was probably just a stupid squirrel or something."

He abandoned his post and went to check out the sound. When he got up to the barrels, he poked through them until he found something.

"An apple?" he said to himself. "What's this doing here? Some stupid animal probably just hid it here for later."

He then started to turn around.

"There's nothing here except for an apple," he said to the other guard.

Once he finished, he saw he was gone.

"Come on Rox," he said. "You know you're not supposed to leave your post."

He began to walk back to his station. While he did this, he looked around. A couple seconds later, he noticed Rox's arm sticking out from behind the tree.

"What are you doing?" he asked jokingly as he walked towards it. "You're not taking a dump, are you?"

When he reached the tree, he found Rox nailed to it with a sword through his chest. There was also a trail of blood running from his chest to the ground. Both amazement and horror simultaneously filled him to the core.

"Oh, shit!" he exclaimed.

He withdrew his sword quickly and looked around. He didn't see anything though.

"I have to warn the others," he said. "We could have a serious problem on our hands."

When he turned his back to the tree, Tearthis leaped off a big branch and landed right behind him. He heard this, but was too slow to do anything. Tearthis kicked the spot right behind his right leg with his left foot. It gave out and he fell onto his right knee. Tearthis then put him in a headlock and covered his mouth with his right hand. With a quick jerk, he snapped his neck. Then he let go of him and he fell face first onto the ground.

He went over to Rox and ripped his sword out of him. His body slid down the tree leaving a trail of blood on it. Then he dragged their bodies one at a time up the tree, and placed them on the branch he just jumped from. This way they'd be better hidden from view.

As for Nios and Rykarn, they made their way to the back of the compound. Once they got there, they stopped at the left corner of the main building. Then Nios peeked around it.

"Okay," whispered Nios as he pulled his head back. "There's a fieldstone storage building behind this building to the right. It's not as big as this one, but it's still a decent size. There are also two lookouts guarding it; one on each side. The question now is how do we take them out by surprise?"

"If we're quiet enough," said Rykarn, "we can follow the left wall and get behind the storage building. It looks dark enough to keep us from being detected."

They crouched and sprinted to the wall, which was parallel with them. Then they went alongside it until they reached the corner. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, they dashed over to the back of the storage building. Quickly but quietly they scaled the side of it onto the roof. Once there, they crawled across it to the front.

Rykarn looked over the end to check on the guards. Then he gestured to Nios he was going to take out the right one, while he'd take out the left one. They got into their respective positions and peered over the ledge. Then they each dropped a throwing knife on their target. Each one got impaled in the head with it and died instantly. Nios and Rykarn took a moment to make sure they were dead before dropping onto the ground. Then they reclaimed their weapons.

"I'll check these guys for a key," said Nios. "If we can get into that storage building, we can ditch their bodies there."

First he searched the body of the person he killed.

"I found one," he said as he pulled a key out of his pocket. "I hope this is the right one."

He went up to the door and put the key in. Then he twisted it and to their surprise, the door unlocked.

"Good," he said, "we can get in."

He opened it and they went to retrieve the bodies. They each grabbed the person they killed and hauled them inside. They found some barrels so they put the bodies behind them.

"What is this place?" asked Rykarn as he looked around.

Nios looked in some of the barrels and found food.

"This must be their food storage," he said.

"Well," said Rykarn, "they won't need this anymore once we get through with them."

"No shit," said Nios. "Now let's go find the others so we can figure out what the hell is going on."

Rykarn ran out of the room followed by Nios. Then he closed the door and locked it. They wanted everything to look untouched so as not to arouse suspicion.

They ran around the right side of the main building and went past the apple tree. They saw the others near the building waiting for them. There were also some barrels to the right side of them.

"Well," said Tearthis as Nios and Rykarn came up to them, "I'm glad to see you two also survived."

Then he turned his attention to the whole group.

"Did any of you find anything important?" he asked.

"Yes," said Nios. "Rykarn and I found a storage building behind the main building. It houses food which might have come from the townspeople."

"That's interesting," said Tearthis.

He then looked at the building they were next to and placed his hand on it. Through the cold and rough stone, he could feel its power...its strength...its wickedness. Just because it was a lifeless object didn't mean it couldn't possess and express feelings.

"I'm guessing this is where their government officials work," he said. "Some might even reside here. Well, tonight it'll also be the place where they'll fight...and die."

He then turned his attention to Artain.

"Artain," he said. "Now that the outside is secure, how should we go about handling the inside of the main building?"

Dragus then looked towards the front gate. He saw somebody there.

"Wait," said Dragus. "I see a guard by the front gate."

The rest of them shifted their attention towards it. They saw Balaz and he was facing towards the front of the main building. His pale complexion made him stand out better in the light starved environment.

"We should get rid of him before we continue," said Artain. "Let me do it."

"You might need some help hiding his body after you kill him," said Dragus. "He looks fat."

"I think I can handle it myself," said Artain. "You guys stay here."

He crept to the side of the main building and removed his katana. He then looked around the corner carefully because he didn't want to be spotted.

"This is so fucking boring," said Balaz. "Nothing exciting ever happens around here. Nobody ever tries to break in and attack us because we're just too damn powerful. Ah well, I guess that's the price you pay for being so strong."

"Come on," whispered Artain, "turn around."

A few seconds later, Balaz turned around so he was facing the gate.

"Good," whispered Artain. "Hopefully he stays like that."

He pulled his sword out and crouched down. Then he turned the corner and made his way up to him. The tension of the situation seemed to thicken the air around him. His heart started to pound as he emptied his mind.

"Poor Bastard," thought Artain. "He doesn't have a clue what's coming his way."

Balaz opened the window on the door and looked through it. All he saw was nothing.

"It's just as boring on the outside as it is in here," he said. "This really blows."

Meanwhile, Artain was still moving towards him He felt like time was moving at the speed of a glacier. When he got up behind him, he stopped. Then he held his breath and quietly stood up. With his right hand, he positioned his sword horizontally with the sharp side facing Balaz. Then he placed his other hand on the dull side of it. After putting it next to the back of his neck, he steadied himself and then shoved it right into him. Flesh and blood went flying as the blade worked its way through. Once it severed his spine, he died.

However, his sword got stuck half way through because he didn't use that much force. He yanked it out and Balaz began to fall towards him. He caught him and draped him over his left shoulder. Then he carried him back to his teammates.

"Where should we dump him?" asked Rykarn. "We really should've figured this out before Artain killed him."

Then Mondren looked at the barrels.

"If one of those barrels is empty," he said, "we can stick him in that."

"Hurry up," said Artain as he started to shake a little. "He's heavy."

Tearthis went over to one and took the lid off. Then he looked inside.

"This one's empty," he said. "Put him in here."

He carried him over to the barrel and placed him inside. Then he pushed him down until he wasn't sticking out of the top anymore. The rest of Hex Immortal just watched with amusement as he did this. Once he finished, Tearthis put the cover back on.

"Now Artain," said Dragus, "what were you going to say before our interruption?"

Artain turned his attention to the whole group.

"We should execute a full-scale assault on it," he said. "We'll each go through different windows on the various floors. I'll take the first floor from the right. Rykarn will take the second floor from the right, and Mondren will take it from the left. Nios will take the third floor from the left, and Dragus will take it from the right. This means Tearthis will take the fourth floor and he'll do it from the left. If we attack them this way, it'll be harder for them to engage us all. This will give us better odds."

"Let's do this," said Tearthis. "Move out."

Dragus climbed up to the third floor. Once he made it, he shattered the window with his sword and sheath. A guard was walking through the hallway near the room this window was in. He heard the noise and decided to investigate. When he opened the door, a throwing knife flew into his stomach. It was painful, but it didn't kill him.

Then Dragus climbed into the room and dashed at him with his sword. The man removed the throwing knife and blood spurted out of his wound. Dragus swung his sword at him, but he used the knife to block it. He pushed so hard Dragus jumped back a couple feet. Then he quickly grabbed Dragus by the throat with his free hand. He dropped his sword and grabbed the guard's hands, but he couldn't break free. Then the man lifted him into the air and cast him against the left wall. After hitting it, he fell to the ground on his left side. His opponent then walked up to him.

"Game over piss-ant," he said as he drew his sword from his sheath.

He raised it above his head. Excitement had now overcome him because victory was just within his grasp. All of a sudden though, Dragus plunged a throwing knife into his right foot. He used so much force it penetrated the floor.

"Ahh!" he screamed. "Fuck you, you little shithead!"

He tried to move but he was nailed to the floor. Then he swung his sword at Dragus, but he rolled out of the way. After climbing onto his left knee, Dragus made a double-handed fist and leaped at him. He smashed him in the face and the guard dropped his sword as a tooth flew out of his mouth. Then Dragus jogged over to his sword. The man pulled the knife out and tossed it aside. Then he went to pick up his sword too. With their swords in their hands now, they just stood where they were and gazed at each other. The only sound now was their heaving breathing. A few moments later Dragus came at the man again. He swung his sword at him but he blocked it just like before.

"You made a big mistake by trying to stop us," said the man.

"No I didn't," said Dragus. "You made a big mistake by enslaving this city."

Dragus was tired of this shit now, so he slammed his right foot on his opponent's injured one. He closed his eyes and shrieked as he dropped his sword. Then Dragus sliced through the man's neck all the way through. A few seconds later, his head rolled off his shoulders and hit the ground with a thud. Then his body fell backwards onto the ground with another thud. Soon each of them was lying in a pool of blood.

"Oh good," muttered Dragus as he looked at the body. "I can take a breather now."

While this was happening, another guard was walking through the same hallway. He heard the commotion and decided to investigate. When he reached the room, he found Dragus standing there and the body lying on the floor.

"Oh my God," he muttered as his eyes opened real wide.

He then pulled a sword out of his sheath. Dragus looked at him while clenching his sword. Another sword then suddenly shot out the front of the man's neck. He started to cough up blood and then the sword was pulled out. The man fell to his knees as he grabbed his throat and gurgled. Blood was running out of his neck like water out of a breached dam. Then he fell onto his stomach and jostled around for a few seconds. The person standing behind him was none other than Artain.

"You know," said Dragus, "I could have handled him myself."

"Hey," said Artain, "I didn't want everyone else to have all the fun. I wanted to kill some of these tyrants too."

"But you already did on the outside," said Dragus.

"I know," said Artain, "but I didn't get my fill yet."

"Ah, touché!" exclaimed Dragus.

He then walked up to the corpse and kicked it.

"I think our little friend is dead," said Dragus.

"You think?" asked Artain. "For Christ's sake, I impaled him through the neck with a sword. If he managed to survive that, then I'd deserve to die by his hands."

He looked around the room and saw a rectangular wooden desk. There was also a wooden chair sitting next to it. The top of the desk was bare though.

"You go stand guard at the door," he said. "I'm going to check out this desk. Maybe there's something important in it."

"Okay," said Dragus.

He walked up to the door and Artain went over to the desk. When he finished rummaging through it, he went up to Dragus.

"There wasn't anything in it," he said.

"That's kind of a letdown," said Dragus. "I would have thought there would have at least been porn in it. Oh well, there's always next time."

They walked into the hallway and noticed it was lit with brass torches on the right side. They could also hear the crackling of the flames in them. It wasn't the only thing keeping them company though. A little ways through the hallway was another person. He was staring at them with a confident grin.

"So," he said, "this is where all the raucous was coming from. Apparently two peons broke into our headquarters. I'm surprised you made it this far. We're not exactly novices in the area of combat, so I'll give you credit for that. But now your little escapade comes to an end. I'll make sure both of you bleed from every opening on your bodies."

Artain turned his attention to Dragus.

"This hallway is too small to use weapons," he said. "Since you're not very experienced with fighting in small places, let me fight him."

"I know," said Dragus as he shook his head up and down.

"You can wait here," said Artain.

"Okay," said Dragus. "You know, I'm going to have to work on that."

"If another opponent shows up," said Artain, "you might get your chance."

"I won't be looking forward to that," said Dragus.

"What are you guys," asked their opponent as he cracked his knuckles, "a bunch of pussies? Get on over here so I can deprive you of your lives."

"Don't worry," said Artain. "I'm coming."

He walked up to him and tried to kick him in the right side. However, he stepped to the left and dodged it. The man then did a quick jab to his chest. Artain stumbled back a few feet and grabbed it. He also let out a few deep breaths.

"That was pathetic," said the man.

He then grabbed Artain's head with his left hand, and smashed the front of it into the right wall.

"I can't believe you actually made it in here," said the man. "You're just as weak as those stupid villagers."

He smashed it against the wall again. Blood started to leak out the side of it and some of it got on the wall.

"I just thought of an idea," said the guard. "I want to see if I can get your brains to leak out of your head. What do you think about that?"

He then pulled his head away from the wall and tried to slam it into it again. This time though, Artain put his arms on it and braced himself. The man kept trying to push his head into it, but he couldn't do it. He stood his ground too well.

"You can't keep this up forever," said the man.

Artain swung his right leg backwards and hit him in the right shin. The man screamed and let go of his head. Then Artain turned around and did an uppercut on him. He flew into the air and landed on the ground on his back. Soon after, he sat up with blood running down his chin.

"Well, what do you know?" he asked as he staggered to his feet. "You're not a complete weakling after all."

"I'm going to kill you where you stand," said Artain. "I guarantee it."

"I don't think so," said the man. "I'm going to splatter your body all over this hallway."

Then he did a front kick at Artain with his left leg. However, he grabbed it and tried to punch him in the face with his left fist. The man blocked it with his right arm though. Then he tried to punch Artain in the face with his other hand. However, he grabbed it before it could touch him.

"You clever son of a bitch," he said. "You managed to trap me. Congratulations."

Then Artain kicked the man in the chest with his left foot while letting him go. The man stumbled back a couple feet but regained his balance. Artain then leaped at him and wrapped his hands around his throat. The man tried to pry his hands off while he started to squeeze it. He was getting desperate now, so he started to punch him in the chest. Artain squinted and grunted a little as he was getting hit, but wouldn't let go.

"If you believe in Heaven and Hell," said Artain, "you better start figuring out how to make it to Heaven."

The man's punches were starting to slow down now. His skin was also beginning to turn blue. After a few more seconds, his arms fell to his sides and he stopped moving. Artain let go of him and he fell to the ground on his back. He noticed some red marks on his neck before starting to pant. Then he dropped to his knees while continuing to look at the guard.

"Are you okay?" asked Dragus as he came up to them.

"Yes," said Artain as he wiped some of the blood on his forehead off. "I'm fine. My chest just hurts."

"I have to admit," said Dragus, "I didn't know if you were going to make it."

Then he knelt down near the man and checked his neck for a pulse.

"Me too," said Artain. "I did have some trouble with him, didn't I?"

Then they stood back up.

"Is he dead?" asked Aratin.

"Yep," said Dragus.

"It felt good to slowly suck the life out of this piece of scum," said Artain.

"I'm sure it did," said Dragus, "but we have to keep moving forward. We don't have the time to revel in this."

While this was going on, another one of the government minions was walking up the stairs. When he reached the third floor, he started to walk down the hallway. Artain stood still and squinted for a few moments.

"Do you hear that?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Dragus.

"It sounds like footsteps," said Artain.

"It does," said Dragus.

Not long after, it stopped.

Then they looked in the direction of the noise, and saw the guard standing there. His eyes and mouth were wide open as he looked at the scene before him. Dragus and Artain just stood where they were and watched him. They wanted to see what he was going to do. After he took it all in, he turned around and made a hasty retreat to the stairs.

"Damn it," said Dragus, "he's probably going to alert the others about us. We have to stop him."

They started to run through the hallway after him. As they pursued him, he kept getting farther and farther away from them. When they reached the stairs, they walked down them as fast as they could. They made it to the second floor and went into the hallway. By this time the man wasn't in their sight anymore. They frantically looked for him for a while, but he was gone.

"It looks like we're screwed," said Artain.

"We should go find the others and warn them about this," said Dragus.

"Good idea," said Artain, "let's move."

They picked a hallway and bolted through it hoping to find the rest of their team.

Meanwhile, the person who saw them ran straight to Contanis's chamber. He soared through the hallway and stopped when he reached it. Then he took a breather for a minute before rapping on the right door.

"I'm sorry to disturb you my Overlord," he said, "but there's a situation that demands your immediate attention."

Contanis got out of bed and rubbed his eyes. He then walked up to the doors and unlocked the right one. When he opened it, he saw a person standing there stricken with fear.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Some intruders have gotten into our building," he said, "and one of the guards is dead. I don't know how they got in and if they killed him though. I'm also not sure if they damaged anything."

Contanis turned around and walked all the way to the other end of his room.

"God fucking damn it!" he yelled.

He grabbed the knife on the table and threw it at the wall to the left of his visitor. It hit it blade first and dug into it. Contanis then walked up to it. He saw it was at about eye level with the guard and snickered a little. Then he regained his composure.

"Get the word out to everyone about this invasion," he said. "I want these bastards killed in the most horrid ways imaginable."

"Yes, my Overlord," he said.

"One more thing," said Contanis. "Don't worry about Kotlor. I'll notify him personally. Now go."

The man hurried out of his bedroom.

"Who are these people?" asked Contanis to himself. "Are they more townspeople revolting against us; people they hired to attack us; or people who have nothing to do with them? Since today is the anniversary of their first attempt to destroy us, it'd make sense for this attack to be associated with them. It'd be a sweet gesture of poetic justice for them. Well, it doesn't matter who they are. The important thing is how well they'll deal with the rest of us, including the Shadow Sifters."

He gently closed the door. Then he went over to his closet and picked out some appropriate attire. Since this was a battle, he wanted to face it with a little class. Presence was an important weapon in his arsenal. Then he did the same for his weapons. Once he was ready, he briskly walked across the hall to Kotlor's quarters.

Two square cedar doors greeted him with a dark kind of dignity. This was only enhanced more by the black lock on each one. Above them was Kotlor's name in bronze. It was in capital letters and half of it was nailed onto each door. Contanis's influence on Kotlor didn't just extend to his ideology. It extended to his sense of architecture and décor as well.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the right door. The sternness of it coursed through his body and he could feel it.

"Kotlor," he said. "Wake up. We have a problem."

After a couple seconds, Kotlor went up to the door and opened it. He was wearing nothing but a pair of white silk shorts.

"What's going on?" asked Kotlor.

Contanis proceeded to tell him what the guard had just told him. When he finished, Kotlor lowered his head and shook it from side to side few times.

"Shit," he said.

Then he looked at Contanis again.

"I'd sure like to figure out these unknowns," he said.

"I'm in the same fucking boat," said Contanis. "Now I'm going to my throne room. As for you, you know what to do."

Kotlor just nodded.

## POEM THE THIRD:

## LET THE ONSLAUGHT COMMENCE

To the compounded they all headed

Peace and justice would soon be embedded

They began to ferociously annihilate...

Of course, the oppressors had to retaliate

## CHAPTER THE FOURTH:

## FORCES FROM THE OVERWHELMING DARKNESS

As for Hex Immortal, they continued to work their way through the building in fragments of devastation. Every time they slew one of the "demons," they could swear they heard a chime from a bell...a liberty bell.

Artain and Dragus were still running through the hallway without letting up. The action they saw gave them the adrenaline rush they needed to do this. They didn't know what could befall them at each given turn, so all sorts of scenarios raced through their minds. Then after what seemed like an eternity of running, they met up with the rest of their team. The others were at an intersection of two hallways.

"Guys!" yelled Dragus as he and Artain sprinted towards them. "Our surprise attack might have been compromised. A guard spotted Artain and me after he killed another one. Then he took off to do god knows what. We chased after him, but we lost him."

"Damn it," said Tearthis as he put his right hand on his forehead. "Our job may get tougher sooner than expected."

Next he turned his attention towards Artain and Dragus.

"Thanks for the heads up though," he said. "At least we know the circumstances have changed now."

He turned his attention towards everybody.

"Is there anything else you guys think I should know before we continue?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Artain. "Besides the guard who got away, there were three more we took out. Dragus decapitated the first one in the room he broke into. A second person then showed up to kill him, but I stabbed him in the back of the neck from behind before he could do it. After that, we went into the hallway and saw the third guard. In a nutshell, I fought him hand-to-hand and choked him to death. This is where the guy who escaped came in."

"I ran into two people," said Rykarn. "They happened to be in the room I entered from the outside. I slit the first guy's throat, but his blood got on my hands and made them slippery. Well, I dropped my sword so I had to fight the second guy hand-to-hand too. Basically, I put him in a headlock and snapped his neck."

"I killed a person along the way," said Nios. "He happened to open the door to the room I was just entering from the outside. I drove my sword down his throat all the way into his stomach. You can imagine the pretty sight of his insides after that. Anyway, that was the end for him."

"I came in contact with two," said Mondren. "I met the first one in a hallway. It was too small to use my sword in, so I knocked him over and crushed his windpipe with my left foot. As for the second one, I killed him by stabbing him in the chest."

"I thought you were supposed to be creative," said Artain. "What in the hell happened?"

"There's nothing wrong with the basics every once and a while," said Mondren. "You need to give them more credit because they're the foundation for all the other attacks."

Artain thought about it for a moment.

"I guess flashiness isn't everything," he said.

"Save your discussion on the philosophy of killing for later," said Tearthis. "From what you guys told me, you ran into nothing out of the ordinary. However, I did. I didn't run into a single person. After I broke in, I just sneaked around until I found Rykarn."

"You're a lucky son of a bitch," said Dragus. "The rest of us fought for our lives when we came in here, and you just had a leisurely stroll. It's not fair."

"What are you talking about?" asked Tearthis. "It's not fair to me. The rest of you got a start on liberating the city."

"Wow," said Dragus. "I never thought of it like that."

"Good," said Tearthis. "Now, let's end this chitchat and get going. We have more work to do."

## Together they made their way through the rest of the hallway. As they walked, the only things that followed them were their shadows and the sounds of their footsteps. They didn't like it, not one bit. There could have been something powerful and dangerous churning silently in this building for all they knew.

## While this was happening, Kotlor was getting dressed. Once he finished he left his room for the hallway. A lit torch in a holder on the right side of the wall was his destination. After reaching it, he grasped it with both hands and began to pull on it in his direction. It began to move along with the block it was connected to. Once they were out of the cavity, he gently placed them on the ground. Then he looked inside the hole. There was a black button on the back wall of it and he pressed it. A section of the wall then opened inward. After putting the block back, he took the torch out of the holder and walked into the opening.

## The dark room was brightened a little by the light from his torch and the hallway. Then he went around the room and lit the unlit torches on the walls. They were the only other potential sources of light for it. Once he finished he extinguished his. Now the room was glowing with light from the flickering flames. The next thing he did was put his torch back. When he returned, he stopped at the doorway this time. He wanted to take a moment to admire what was behind it.

This room was the government's armory. All kinds of weapons in battle ready condition lined the shelves. It truly was a museum of horrors. There were also many stories hidden within them. They were almost as much a part of the weapons as their other components.

## He walked into the room again and went over to the left-hand corner. Out of all the weapons in the room, only one came to his mind for this situation. Once he reached it, he stopped and gazed at it with unwavering eyes. A tingling then shot up his spine.

"This will be their downfall," he muttered.

In another part of the building, Hex Immortal was standing alone in one of the many hallways. The solitariness was still unnerving to them.

"What should we do now?" asked Rykarn.

"We should probably find the Tablet of Omainu before we kill anybody else," said Tearthis, "if we're able to. Keep in mind its location could change to a more secure one if they find out we're after it."

Mondren then heard the sound of footsteps.

"Listen to that," he whispered.

The rest of Hex Immortal became as quiet as possible. The footsteps got louder as they went on.

"I'll handle this," he whispered.

He took a couple steps forward so everyone else was behind him.

After a few seconds, the person making the noise turned the corner and came face to face with them. His eyes and mouth opened real wide, but the shock didn't last long. His eyes went back to normal and he smirked.

"Fantastic," he said. "I found you. Prepare to die."

## He pulled out a throwing knife with his right hand and ran straight at them. Mondren removed a throwing knife too and stood firmly in his place. When the guard got close to him, Mondren leaned to the right and ducked. Then he plunged his knife into the man's groin with his left hand. The man stopped in his tracks and screamed while blood gushed from his wound. While he was distracted by this, Mondren removed his knife and stood back up. Without hesitation he then slashed the front of his throat with it. Now the man was bleeding from two wounds. He knew his time was short, but wanted to try one more attack on him. It'd be his parting gift as well as a present for his comrades. He jabbed his knife into Mondren's right shoulder.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed as blood started to flow out of the wound.

## The man's grip loosened on the handle and then he let go. He fell backwards onto the ground where a pool of blood formed under him.

"Just give me a second," said Mondren.

## He grabbed the knife in his shoulder and started to pull it out. He squinted and clenched his teeth while he did this, but refused to make any noise. His attacker already had the satisfaction of hurting him, and he figured that was enough.

## The rest of them just watched him with a morbid curiosity. Not one sound escaped their lips either.

Once it was out, he dropped it on the ground. Then Nios went over to him and examined his injury.

"It doesn't look too bad," he said. "You can patch it up later."

"Good," said Mondren, "let's get going."

They continued on their way. After some time, they came across a wooden stairway. They decided to go down it and it squeaked with each step they took. They thought about how ironic it'd be if the guards couldn't stop them, but a dilapidated staircase could.

## When they reached the first floor, they entered a gigantic room. There were huge decretive pillars standing in rows in the middle of it. On the east wall was an uncovered mid-sized window. They could see the full moon and stars shining through it. In the middle of the pillars was an ornate water fountain. Coming from it was a gentle calming sound. It was as if the water was trying to wash away the sins of the government. Behind it was a closed door.

After they took in the view, they returned to their haunting aloneness.

"Something seems wrong," said Tearthis. "Nobody is attacking or following us. With all the people in this place, we shouldn't have gone this long without any trouble."

"I agree," said Nios. "It's like they're acting as if nobody broke into their building. Maybe they're doing this to get us to lower our guard. Then they'll strike."

"Who knows what the fuck they're doing," said Mondren, "but I don't want to wait around to find out. We should scout around a little so nobody gets the drop on us."

Each of them began to sweep the room in a different direction. They searched for more guards or anything else that could have been a threat to them, but couldn't find any.

Something moved across the floor without warning. None of them could hear or see it, so it went unnoticed. Nios's right arm started to bleed all of a sudden.

"Shit!" shouted Nios. "Something cut me!"

Everybody else rushed up to him.

"What happened?" asked Artain.

"I don't know," said Nios. "I just felt a sharp pain and then my arm started to bleed."

He looked at his wound and felt around it for a little while with his left hand.

"It's not that bad though," he said.

"This isn't making any sense," said Dragus. "What in the hell is going on?"

"Let's find out," said Artain.

He turned his attention to everybody.

"We're going to spread out and look for this threat," he said. "Remember to be on your best guard."

## Each of them took an area and started searching for the attacker. As they walked, the only sound keeping them company was the subtle noise of the water fountain. The tension was so great seconds felt like years to them.

"I wonder what kind of object sliced my arm," thought Nios, "and whether my attacker was a person or something else."

## A couple minutes later, the mysterious thing from before made another move. This time it was aiming for Rykarn. He sensed it once it got close enough, and jumped out of its way to the right. As he was in midair, he swung his sword at it. His blade connected with something and there was a clanking sound. Then the thing disappeared into the darkness again.

"Crap!" shouted Rykarn. "This thing might be wearing armor!"

"Everybody, form a circle back-to-back near the window," said Artain. "We need the light and it'll be harder for it to sneak attack us."

## They all ran to the window and got in formation. Now the idea of fear was beginning to materialize, but they weren't about to let it control them. They discussed their next course of action.

"This thing must be black or wearing something black," said Rykarn, "since it's hard to see in the darkness. We have to come up with a way to see it easier, so we can drop it easier."

But before anybody could respond, Tearthis noticed their unidentifiable opponent heading towards them.

"It's coming back for more," he said. "Brace yourselves."

## This time it had its sights set on Tearthis. When it got within reach, Tearthis swiped his sword at it. However, it drew its sword in the nick of time and blocked his attack. Then it pushed its sword against Tearthis's and knocked him backwards. After colliding with Rykarn and Mondren, the three of them tumbled to the floor. Tearthis landed on his back, while Rykarn and Mondren landed on their stomachs.

"Are you guys okay?" asked Nios.

"Yeah," said Tearthis, Rykarn, and Mondren roughly at the same time.

## Dragus, Nios, and Artain fanned out to see if they could find their opponent. While they did this, Tearthis and Rykarn picked themselves off the ground. They then joined the others on their hunt. As for Mondren, he was still laying on the floor. He climbed onto his right knee and happened to look out the window at the moon. This gave him an idea.

Their opponent was in the left corner of the room now. Since that area was quite dark, Hex Immortal wouldn't be able to see it there. However, it could see them and it was waiting for its next opportunity to strike. After a few moments it decided to go after Dragus.

## It rushed at him with its sword raised above its head. Its intent was to vertically cut him in half. At the last second, Dragus noticed it and jumped to the right side as it swung its sword downward. However, he wasn't quick enough and its sword slashed his left leg. It then swiped its sword at his head. Dragus raised his horizontally and blocked it though. Then as hard as he could, he pushed his opponent back with his. It stumbled back a couple feet and then he sliced down at its head. Unfortunately, all he hit was air. The thing vanished once again.

Everyone went back to the window.

Dragus's heart was racing now and his mind was scattered. This foe embodied terror in a way he hadn't experienced before.

"Are you all right?" asked Nios.

## Dragus took a few moments to collect his thoughts.

"Yeah," he said. "I just got shook up, that's all."

## Then he examined his injury.

"As for my wound," he said, "it's just a flesh one."

"Don't worry," said Nios, "we'll get him."

"I know how we can see our assailant," whispered Mondren.

## Everybody turned their attention towards him.

"I'll use my sword to reflect the moonlight around this room," whispered Mondren. "That way it can't hide in the darkness anymore. When we see it, one of us can attack it. Whoever does it though should be quiet and use a dark colored weapon."

"Ah," whispered Artain, "fighting fire with fire. I like it."

He thought about how to attack it for a moment.

"Why don't I throw my sheath at it?" he whispered. "I can stun it and then somebody can go in for the kill."

"Okay," whispered Mondren. "Here it goes."

## He put his sword up to the moon and some of its light hit it. Then the light reflected off it as a beam. Very carefully, he moved his sword around to shine the light around. A few seconds later he spotted a silhouette.

"It's in front of the water fountain," whispered Mondren.

## Artain looked for it and once he saw it, he drew his sheath back. Then he whipped it at their attacker while Mondren moved the light away. It flew into its head and made a dull thud. Soon after, their opponent dropped its sword onto the ground. Then it toppled backwards into the fountain with a big splash.

Acting almost instinctively, Tearthis rushed over to it. Their adversary was totally submerged and Tearthis grabbed its head. Then with all his strength he held it under the water. It started to flail its arms and legs around, trying to knock him off. He stood his ground though. Before long, bubbles started to exit its mouth and make their way to the surface. As time went on, its movements slowed down while the amount of bubbles decreased. Eventually they stopped.

## Tearthis pulled the body out of the fountain and draped it over his left shoulder. Then he carried it over to the window so they could see what it was. As the rest of Hex Immortal joined him there, he dropped the body onto the floor like a sack of dirt. They could see it was wearing a helmet now. Tearthis grabbed it with both hands and removed it.

"Well what do you know," said Tearthis, "it's a man just like us."

The man's lifeless blue eyes stared at the ceiling. He was now a shell of what he used to be just moments ago.

"He really had me going," said Dragus. "I thought it might have been some sort of creature."

"I was right," said Rykarn as he looked at the body. "Everything he's wearing is black, as is his sword. Not to mention all of it is thin so it's light. No wonder he could move so fast."

"I bet his purpose was stealth oriented combat," said Nios as he waved his right index finger in the air. "Contanis was smart to have him around."

"Who's to say he was the only one," said Artain. "There could be more."

Everybody just gave each other a worried look.

"Hey," said Dragus, "we can use his shirt for makeshift tourniquets."

He pulled off the guard's chest armor and dropped it onto the ground. Then he tore off three big pieces of his shirt. Mondren took one and tied it around his injury. Dragus did the same and then helped Nios with his.

"There we go," said Dragus. "These should hold us for a while."

"I don't get it," said Nios. "He wore black and we couldn't see him, but we wore black and he could still see us. How is that possible?"

"We must have something else with us he was able to see," said Tearthis. "But what was it?"

Artain glanced at his sword.

"I think I know what it was," he said. "I think it was our swords. They're silver colored so there's a bigger contrast between them and the darkness. Plus, they're reflective so the moonlight bounced off them."

Nios got a twinkle in his eyes all of a sudden while looking at the body.

"Uh oh," said Tearthis. "I can see that look in your eyes Nios. You have an idea, don't you?"

"Was it that obvious?" he asked. "Well, let's just say...Contanis is about to inadvertently help us."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Tearthis as he squinted.

"All I'll say is you guys will have to leave me behind for a little while," said Nios.

"Ugh," said Tearthis as he put the palm of his left hand on his forehead. "You better be damn sure whatever you're going to do will help us."

"I think it will," said Nios.

Tearthis turned his attention towards the rest of Hex Immortal.

"Well," he said, "you heard him. Let's keep moving forward by ourselves."

The five of them went over to the door and Artain opened it. There was an eloquent staircase behind it that ran down into an architectural netherworld. They walked down it and it squeaked as well. When they reached the first underground floor, they found another closed door. Artain opened this one too and they went through it.

They stepped into a big room with a closed door at the other end of it. Cupboards lined the walls while some chairs and a table sat in the center of it. There was only a little light in the room, so seeing was going to be a challenge. They figured it'd be wise to move through the room slowly. This was one of those times where they were willing to sacrifice time for safety. After making their way through some of it, Dragus bumped something.

"I just walked into something," he said.

They all became tense. It was like they couldn't breathe because all the air had been sucked out of the room. Memories of what happened to them on the first floor came back with a vengeance.

Dragus started to shake and raised his arms out in front of himself. He felt around for whatever he bumped into to get a better idea of what it was. After a couple seconds, he touched something.

"I think it's a chair," he said.

They all breathed a sigh of relief and continued on their way. Dragus kept his arms out in front of himself as he walked now. It wasn't long before he felt something else.

"There's a table in here too," he said "Be careful so you don't hurt yourselves."

Then Artain felt a slight breeze on his right side.

"We have more company," he said as he turned in the direction of it. "Ready yourselves."

Since there wasn't much light in the room, it had to prepare before it engaged them. It took his helmet off and closed his eyes. Then it pressed down on them with the palms of its hands for ten seconds. This way its eyes would be reset for night vision. However, Hex Immortal didn't do this so their opponent had the edge in this confrontation.

The thing headed back to Artain and tried to hit it with its sword. However, he parried it with his. Then they went back and forth trying to strike each other. A symphony of metal clashing against metal traveled though the darkened space.

While this was happening, the rest of Hex Immortal just stood around unsure of what to do. They didn't like this feeling of helplessness, but there wasn't much they could do. This was as much a physical battle as it was a psychological one.

"There has to be something we can do to help stop it," thought Dragus. "Maybe I can find something we can use."

He put his arms out in front of himself and started to walk around the room. The chaos in the background was distracting, so he had to concentrate hard on what he was doing. This could very well have been their only key to victory.

## As for Artain, he was still fighting his attacker. He did a horizontal slash with his sword, but it jumped back and avoided it. After it landed, it stepped forward and slammed its sword down on Artain's. Then it pushed his sword to the ground, and put its left foot on top of it to hold it there. Artain desperately tried to move his sword, but it wouldn't budge. His opponent then kicked him in the chest with its right foot. He let go of his sword and went sailing backwards onto the ground.

Meanwhile, Dragus was still searching for something to help them. With each passing second their demise was one step closer. He was too determined to let that happen though. A short time later he felt something.

"I think this is a cupboard," he said to himself. "Maybe there's something inside that can help us."

As for Artain, he was now lying on the ground. He took out his sheath and started to wildly swing it around as he got back up. During one of his swings, he hit something and heard a clank. Once this registered, he did a roundhouse kick in the direction of it. He hit his attacker in the head and it fell onto the ground on its right side. This made a loud thud.

"I better take this chance to find my sword," he thought.

He dropped onto all fours and began to frantically search for it.

While this was going on, Dragus was still rummaging through the cupboards.

"Come on," he said as he was just about to open one. "Let there please be something useful in here."

He opened it, but couldn't find anything inside.

"Damn it," he said as he closed it.

He started to feel around for another one. It wasn't long before he found one to the left of the one he just opened.

"Good," he thought. "I'm not out of luck yet."

He began to open it.

"Please let there be something in this cupboard," he said.

Meanwhile, Artain finally found his sword and climbed back onto his feet.

"I hope that bastard is down for the count," he thought.

## As for Dragus, he was feeling around in the cupboard. A few seconds passed and then he felt something.

"This feels like a blanket," he thought.

He pulled it out and some dust from it flew into his face. Then he sneezed.

"Perfect," he thought. "It's dusty."

During this, Artain was still waiting for his opponent. Soon it appeared with its sword heading in his direction. He got his into position and blocked it.

"Ugh!" he blurted out as he pushed back his assailant with it.

As this was going on, Rykarn was also pondering the situation.

"I should help him," he thought. "The best way to attack it would be from behind. Now if it's like the other one, then its armpits will be vulnerable. But then there's Artain. I'll have to use a smaller weapon, so there's a smaller chance of him getting hit with it. One of my throwing knives should work."

## Rykarn pulled one out and took a deep breath. Then he charged at it from behind. When he got close enough, he thrust his knife at its left armpit. It saw him coming though, so it jumped to the right and dodged the attack. Afterwards it retreated back into the darkness.

Meanwhile, Rykarn kept running forward as he looked around for the attacker. Then he felt his knife jab something. Immediately he came to a halt.

"Ah!" yelled Artain.

He realized what he'd just done and sweat started to drip down his face. Now all he could do was hope it wasn't that bad. Then he thought about what if it was. The uncertainty of this was gnawing at him like it was starving.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed. "Are you okay? I was aiming for your attacker's left armpit. I'm sorry."

"Relax," said Artain. "You just hit me in the left shoulder, so I'll be okay. Friendly fire just comes with the territory."

Rykarn calmed down and pulled the knife out. Then Artain put some pressure on his wound with his right hand.

Just then, Dragus came up to them and showed them his discovery.

"I found something we can use to fight that thing with," he whispered. "It's a dusty blanket. I'll walk around the room and shake it, so the dust flies around. If I can get it to sneeze, we'll know where it is and then we can finish it off. We just have to make sure we cover our noses though."

Artain turned his attention to everybody.

"I think we should give it a try," he whispered. "A plan is a plan."

The rest of them agreed to it too.

Everyone covered their noses except for Dragus. Then he walked around the room as he shook the blanket. By now he was tired of their adversary, so he was really thorough with this.

The rest of them waited around and listened for any sneezing sounds. It wasn't long before Rykarn heard one behind himself.

## He turned around and swung his sword. The thing was close enough so it made contact with its head. It fell onto its left side on the floor and Rykarn went over to it. He grabbed it and turned it on its back. Then he ripped its helmet off. Underneath the armor was another man. He started to squirm suddenly, so Rykarn tried to hold him in his place.

## Dragus sprinted up to them with his sword and shoved it into the guy's mouth. He kept pushing on it until it came out the back of his neck. Blood spewed from his mouth as some of his teeth broke off and fell into it. Then he went limp.

"That's one more of these assholes down," said Tearthis.

Dragus pulled his sword out of the man's mouth.

"I hate getting my sword all bloody," said Dragus, "but it's worth it."

"You should try giving your life for something," said Rykarn. "Now that's a sacrifice."

"I hope I don't have to do that," said Dragus, "but if the time comes, I think I would."

"I think the rest of us would too," said Rykarn.

## Silence then came over the room, but this one had a weight to it. It was like there was something more to it than just a lack of sound. A few more moments went by before it was broken.

"I wonder how many more of these people there are," said Mondren.

"I hope there aren't many," said Dragus. "They're a pain in the ass to fight."

"Let's go down to the next floor," said Tearthis. "I want this to be over as soon as possible."

"Hold on a second," said Artain as he knelt next to the body. "I want to put a tourniquet on my injury too, but I'm going to need some help."

Then he looked at Rykarn and snickered.

Rykarn nodded and walked over to him.

## Once that was taken care of, they made their way to the door. Mondren opened it and they found another staircase. They walked down it to the second underground floor.

"Be extra careful," said Tearthis as they froze in their places. "If we run into any of those things here, there might not be anything around to help us this time."

Mondren opened this door as well and they walked into another darkened room. It had the same layout as the previous one, but that didn't ease their anxiety. They crept through it while paying close attention to their surroundings.

A big thud broke through the air suddenly.

"What in the hell was that?" shouted Mondren as he turned around.

## There was a mysterious figure pinning another one on the ground with its hands and feet. However, the pinned one flipped the other one over itself. It landed face up on the ground and the second one climbed back to its feet. Then it picked up its sword. Soon after, the first one got back onto its feet as well and drew its sword. They each stared at each other, waiting for what the other one was going to do.

Meanwhile, Hex Immortal was just standing there and watching them. They didn't know what to make of this.

"What's going on?" asked Dragus.

"I don't know," said Tearthis, "so let's just see where this goes before we intervene."

## The second one charged at the first one like a bolt of black lightning. When it got within proximity, it thrust its sword at it. However, the first one deflected the second one's sword with its sword. Then the first one spun around and hit the second one in the front of the helmet. This made a vertical crack all the way up it. The second one did a vertical chop, but the first one rolled out of the way. It got back up and hit the second one in the back of the helmet. This also made a vertical crack all the way up it. The two halves of the helmet fell off the sides of its head and hit the ground.

Now Hex Immortal and the first figure could see its opponent was a surprised looking man. The figure then quickly drove its sword through his forehead. Blood shot out of the wound, and splattered on the figure as well as the floor. It pulled its sword out and more blood flew out of the wound. The man fell facedown onto the floor. A pool of blood was now forming around his head.

"Please tell me you're Nios," said Mondren. "You better not be a guard who just got bored and decided to go on a killing spree."

The figure didn't respond, but took its helmet off instead.

"Relax" it said. "It is me, Nios."

Everyone took a sigh of relief, but then they became somewhat frustrated.

"That was your plan?" asked Mondren. "You wanted to scare the shit out of us."

"Not only that," said Artain, "you confused us too. That's not exactly the best thing to do to the people on your side during a battle."

"I'm sorry," said Nios, "but that wasn't my plan. It was to step in if you guys needed my help. Well, that guard I killed was going to hit Mondren with his sword from behind without him knowing."

"Why wouldn't you tell us what you were going to do?" asked Mondren.

"I wanted to keep my plan a secret," said Nios, "because another guard could have overheard it."

"I can see that," said Artain. "By the way, how'd you know his helmet would break if something hit it?"

"Actually," said Nios, "I didn't know that. I just wanted to see if it would and if it didn't after a while, I would have tried something else."

Artain sighed.

"Well," he said, "you got damn lucky my friend."

"I know," said Nios.

"And thanks," said Mondren.

"You're welcome," said Nios, "but I was only doing my job."

"You were," said Tearthis, "but you should still get our gratitude. Now let's check out these doors and see where they lead."

POEM THE FOURTH:

## ABSOLUTE DISARRAY

As Hex Immortal quickly made their way through the building, Kotlor did as well

A blackened figure struck hard and fast, thus thrusting them into an unforgiving hell

They fought and killed him valiantly until they reached what lay beneath the soil

Darkened rooms and more blackened figures were the rewards for their merciless toil

CHAPTER THE FIFTH:

## DEEP IN DISCOVERIES

## They walked around the room and looked at all the doors.

Tearthis walked towards the right side of the room and found two steel doors. There was a doorknob on each one along with a cylindrical lock above them.

"Hmm," said Tearthis at he stared at them for a moment.

"Everybody, come look at these two doors," he said.

## They walked up to him. The tension was still in the air, but now it was growing because of their newfound interest. They all wondered what could have been waiting for them on the other side of the doors. This time they were really hoping it'd be something good. Being punished for doing the right thing was starting to wear thin for them.

"They're more heavy-duty than the other ones we've seen so far," he said.

"I think we should go through them first," said Rykarn as he looked up and down them.

"Why?" asked Tearthis.

"Because this is the kind of door you'd use to protect something important," said Rykarn.

He grabbed the left doorknob and twisted it. However, it wouldn't budge.

"It's locked," he said. "That doesn't surprise me though. If you have doors like this, you're going to make the most out of them. That means I'm going to have to break through it. The rest of you can stand guard while I'm doing this."

The rest of them turned around and then Rykarn got to work.

He knelt on his right knee and pulled a small leather case out of his bag. In it were all his lock picking tools. He opened it and started to rummage through it.

"This can be any kind of lock," said Rykarn, "but I'll start with the pin tumbler one first because it's pretty common."

He pulled out the properly sized torsion wrench and hook pick. Then he inserted the hook pick into the keyhole and felt around for some pins.

"Yep," he said. "This is a pin tumbler lock all right."

## He placed the torsion wrench into the keyhole and proceeded to open the door. This created some light clicking sounds in the room. A few moments later, he took them out of the keyhole.

"I got it unlocked," said Rykarn, "and I didn't even break a sweat doing it."

"Good job," said Tearthis.

He put his tools away and stood up while everybody else turned back around.

"Now let's find out what's behind this thing," he said.

He opened the door slowly. As it swung inward, it revealed an almost completely dark room behind it.

"Remember to be on the lookout for any of those things in black," said Artain. "This is another great environment for them."

The rest of them nodded and then they entered cautiously. As they walked around, they listened very carefully for any noises. The only one they heard right now was the sound of their footsteps. Something unpleasant greeted them a few minutes later.

"Good god," said Tearthis as he started to cough a little. "There's an odor in here. Somebody find a torch and light it so we can see in here."

The odor that filled their noses was by no means an ordinary one. It was one few people and creatures came across, if at all. Well, they were one of the few who experienced it. In fact, they were more familiar with it than they wanted to be.

They separated and began to look for torches.

Dragus walked with his arms straight out in front of him again. After a minute or so, he felt something.

"This feels like a wall," he said to himself. "If it is, there should be some torches on it."

He kept his hands on the object and started to move across the right side of it. As he did this, he moved them up and down it to see if he could find a torch. Some time went by and then he stumbled upon one.

"Guys!" he yelled. "I found one! I'll have it lit in a few seconds!"

Then he moved his right foot and felt something squishy.

"What in the heck is that?" he asked himself.

He got a match a ready and pulled the torch off the wall. After he lit it, he blew out the match and dropped it on the ground. Then he took his foot off the object and lowered the torch to see what it was.

Lying before him were three bodily organs. One was a long piece of large intestine and the other two were ones he couldn't identify. He followed the intestine with the torch until he found its source. It turned out to be a naked man and he was sitting up against a wall to the right of him. The intestine ran into a cut that started at his chest and went down to his pubic area. He also noticed a scrotum sitting on the floor in front of the body.

"Whoa," said Dragus. "Guys, take a look at this."

They walked up to him and took a gander at the atrocity before them. It was like its horrendousness casted a spell over them because they couldn't move or speak.

## A minute went by and Nios was the first to snap out of it. He knelt on the floor on his left knee and looked at them.

"Well, I think these two things are pretty self-explanatory," he said. "Is there anything else you want us to see?"

"Yes," said Dragus.

"Lead the way," said Nios as he stood back up.

Dragus took them to the things he stepped on earlier. When they got up to them, Nios knelt again and looked at them.

"We know the long tube shaped organ is the big intestine again," he said. "As for the other two, the bigger reddish brown one is the liver and the smaller brownish one is the spleen."

"I want all the torches in this room up and running now," snarled Tearthis.

Nios quickly stood up again and they walked around the room trying to find them. Then one-by-one they slowly lit them, revealing the room's contents one piece at a time. Eventually all of them were lit except for one. Mondren was standing in front of the wall on the opposite end to the room's entrance. Since the room was relatively bright now, he easily found the last one. It was on the wall he was facing. He took a gulp and shakily lit it. Then all of them looked around the room to see what they were dealing with.

"Son of a fucking bitch!" exclaimed Mondren.

The light they conjured up for the room revealed to them more darkness. They were in the government's torture chamber.

Lying face up in the middle of the room was a male toddler's body. It was vertically cut in half with both pieces close to each other. Blood and organs were lying in between them, adding an extra layer of disgustingness to the scene. On the left side of the room was a weapons rack. It housed all sorts of axes, spears, swords, and maces that looked worn and bloody. Next to the wall on the right side of the room was a stretching rack. A pool of dried blood was in the middle of it, while a man's arm was tied to the upper right corner of it. The rest of the body was nowhere to be found.

"Look at that," said Mondren as he pointed at something.

The rest of them turned in the direction he was pointing in.

They saw a middle-aged man hanging upright from the ceiling. His arms were above his head and they were tied together with one end of a chain. The other end of it was connected to the ceiling. There was also a cut that ran down from his chest to his pubic area, just like the body Dragus found earlier.

Rykarn then spotted something tied around his neck.

"What's that?" he asked as he gazed up at it.

"It looks like a small intestine," said Nios, "but I'll take a closer look at it."

He was standing on the opposite side of the room from it, but then started to walk towards it. When he got close to the body, he grabbed the nearest torch and looked inside the wound.

"His small intestine is missing," he said, "so that thing around his neck must be it."

Then he looked at the man's neck for a moment.

"It also looks like he was strangled to death with it," he said. "I don't think I've seen something like this before."

"These kinds of things never cease to astonish me, no matter how many times I experience them," said Tearthis. "How can people do them?"

"I've asked myself that question many times," said Dragus, "and I'm still trying to find an answer to it."

Artain then spotted an iron maiden. It was on the opposite side of the room's entrance in the left-hand corner. He went over to it and opened it. The body of a teenage girl fell out onto the floor on her stomach. Entrance and exit wounds from the spikes were all over her body. There were also areas on her body where the skin had rotted away. At least for this person, the torture chamber was also a tomb.

"It's so forlorn," he said, "that these people had to die this way."

The stench of rotting flesh and organs continued to drift through the air and fill their nostrils. Dragus pinched his nose.

"I can't stand the smell anymore," he said. "I'm going to have to leave soon."

"Me too," said Tearthis. "Let's move on before we all get sick. Besides, we can't help these people anyway. All we can do is pray for them."

## They each grabbed a torch and walked out the door. Rykarn was the last person out so he closed it. Normally a person would get used to something if he or she experienced it enough. This was one of those rare exceptions. No matter how many times they saw people who were murdered, they never got used to it. All it did was serve as another harsh reminder of why they were on this journey in the first place.

They walked through the hallway some more and found another set of steel doors. Each of them had a doorknob in the middle. There was also a keyhole under each one.

"Pick this one too Rykarn," said Tearthis. "These doors are similar to the ones we got through before."

He picked the lock and then they walked through it. The cold and damp air greeted them without any kind of warning or mercy. What they found was a hallway with many steel doors on each side of it. As they walked through it, Mondren placed his hand on the right wall. It too felt cold and damp. Rykarn went up to the first door on the left side and picked the lock on it. Then he opened it.

It was just a small stone room with nothing in it; not even torch holders. If somebody was inside and the door was closed, that person would be in total darkness. It'd be nearly impossible for this person to know if he or she were dead or alive.

"This must be their prison," he said.

"Just think;" said Nios, "defying them in anyway would get you thrown in here. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if they threw you in here even if you didn't do anything. Whatever the case though, there would be no way to escape."

"No," said Artain, "you're wrong. There would be one way: death."

There was a brief moment of silence. A chill then ran down their spines suddenly. Even though they weren't being held captive in here, they felt like they were.

"We should check the cells for any people who are still alive," said Tearthis. "Let's hurry."

## They spread out and opened the twenty cells one-by-one, while their torches lit the way. In four of them they found nothing just like the first one. In seven of them they found a body. One of those also had a pile of feces and puddle of urine in the far left corner. In eight of them they found trays of what appeared to be rotting food. If that's what it really was, it could have been given to them that way for all they knew. They wouldn't put it past the government to do that.

As for the odor, it wasn't as bad as the one in the torture chamber. They were at least delighted about that, if a person could be happy about such a thing that is. After a few minutes, they were done looking through them all. Not one cell had a living person in it.

## They walked through the rest of the hallway and found another pair of doors. Their appearance was the same as the previous two sets they went through. Artain walked up to them and rapped on the right one. A cold and emotionless knocking sound echoed throughout the hallway.

"Great," he said. "I wonder what monstrosity lies behind this one."

"Well," said Tearthis, "there's only one way to find out. Rykarn, do your thing."

He picked the lock on the left door and opened it. They walked inside and discovered an octagon shaped room with a big wooden door on each of its sides. There was also a repulsive odor that almost made them gag. In fact, it was so bad it almost made them vomit.

"I wonder if these people ever clean these places," said Mondren as he walked forward a few steps.

"Who knows," said Nios. "They could actually like being in the company of more filth."

Then he took a short pause.

"Come on," he said, "let's find the source of this odor."

Rykarn went up to the first door on their right and unlocked it. He opened it and they all peered inside. What they saw horrified them to their very cores. There was a bed with a dead naked woman lying face up on it. Her cold and motionless green eyes stared up at the ceiling. She looked to be in her twenties.

Nobody said a thing because they were too busy absorbing what they saw. There were a bunch of different things that could have been going on in the room, but one kept nipping at their heels. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Dragus broke it.

"I know what this is," he said. "This is a rape chamber."

## The bludgeoning silence came back. They resumed standing still in their places as they processed this. After a few seconds, Tearthis walked up to the body to get a closer look. He discovered a huge gash in her neck with dried blood in and around it.

"After they were done with her," he thought, "they must have just disposed of her. She was seen as nothing more than a mere good."

H turned around.

"It just keeps getting worse," he said. "It's like we're in Hell's quicksand. We just keep sinking into new depths of depravity. Let's search the other rooms. Maybe we'll find somebody who's still alive."

They all left the door and began to check the other rooms.

## Nios chose a door on the right side of the hallway. He tried to open it and surprisingly, it was unlocked. Inside was another dead woman lying face up on a bed. Her legs were also spread apart. He walked up to her to get a closer look. Like the previous woman, she looked to be in her twenties. There was also a gash on her body as well, but it was on her forehead instead. He figured somebody must have impaled her there with a sharp object. With a steady hand, he moved his torch along her body so he could examine the rest of it. It wasn't long before something intriguing caught his attention. Then he turned back around.

"I found something you guys might want to see," he yelled.

They all left their places and came into the room.

"What'd you find?" asked Artain.

"I was looking over her body for injuries," he said, "when I found some bloodstains in front of her vulva. Then I took a look inside and saw it was mutilated. They must have stuck a sharp object in there and cut her with it. Here, take a look if you want."

He put the torch in front of it and they went in for a closer look. The way the inside of her vulva looked was now the way they felt inside.

"How fucked up can a person be?" asked Tearthis.

"These people are sick," said Rykarn.

"This is why we have to stop them," said Dragus. "We can't let them commit these atrocities anymore."

They left the room in disgust and looked through the remaining ones. Two of them each had a dead woman inside who looked to be the same age as the previous two. Most of the rooms however were empty inside except for a bed. Eventually, they made their way to the last one.

Artain tried to open the door but it was locked. He walked back a couple of feet and lifted his right leg into the air. Then he kicked it as hard as he could. There was a thunderous low sound, but the door still didn't move. It wasn't even damaged.

"Damn it," he said. "Rykarn, I need you to open this door."

## He came up to it and picked the lock with ease. Then he opened it and went inside. Artain went in next and the rest of Hex Immortal wasn't far behind.

They found another naked woman lying face up on the bed. Her eyes were closed and she looked to be around the same age as the other women in the chamber. Each of her arms and legs were tied to the nearest bed post with a dull silver chain. There was also a pool of urine in front of the bed and a rancid smell filled the air. The vile nature of the scene was what they had come to expect.

"That scent," said Dragus. "It smells like feces."

He looked around for the cause of the smell, but couldn't find anything.

"I don't see anything in here that could be responsible for that smell," said Dragus. "Maybe it's hidden or it was removed."

Nios walked up to the woman on the bed and knelt in front of her. Then he looked inside her vulva. He wanted to see if it was shredded like the other one.

"It doesn't look like it was cut up," he said, "but looks infected."

He stood back up and examined the rest of her body. Her bones were highly visible so she was malnourished. There were also cuts all over her body.

These cuts look infected too," he said as he looked at them, "but they don't look fatal."

Then he gazed over at her chest. It was moving slowly up and down, but the movements were steady.

"She's breathing," he said, "so at least she's alive."

## Her eyes opened suddenly and he jumped backwards a few steps. Then she turned her head slightly towards him. He hazed into her brown eyes but didn't say anything because he was in shock.

"Who are you?" she asked in a weak voice. "What are you going to do? Are you going to rape me?"

He was still in shock, so he didn't respond. Instead, everybody else got a little closer to the bed. Tearthis was now standing next to Nios.

"Don't fret," he said. "We're here to help. We're right in the middle of killing Contanis and his men. We're trying to save Vallone."

"Okay," she said even though she had a hard time understanding what he just told her.

Tearthis turned to look at the rest of his team.

"Let's untie her now," he said.

## They all pulled out their swords and started to saw away at the chains as fast as they could. Their swords weren't the best tools for the job, but that's all they had. As they worked, there was a grinding noise that started to wear on them after a while. A few minutes went by before they finished their task.

The woman moved her arms and legs a little. Then she let out a sigh of relief. She couldn't remember the last time she was this comfortable.

Tearthis put his sword back into its sheath.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions?" he asked.

"Not at all," she said.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"It's Gosunie," she said.

"Okay, Gosunie," he said. "Were you sleeping?"

"No," she replied. "I passed out about two hours ago. It was probably from losing so much blood."

"Well," said Tearthis, "you're safe now. All you have to do is wait right here. When we finish doing what we're doing, we'll come back for you. That's a promise."

"Don't bother," she said. "It's too late for me. I can feel it."

"She must be dying from the infections in her wounds," said Nios.

"You can leave now," she said. "You're just wasting precious time here."

Tearthis placed his hands over her right hand.

"We're not going yet," he said. "We may not be able to save you, but at least we can stay by your side until you pass. This way you'll die in this place surrounded by people who care about you. We don't want you to die here alone or in the company of those who did this to you."

"Thank you," she said as tears formed in her eyes. "You know you don't have to do this."

"We know that," he said, "but we want to."

She turned her head towards the ceiling. Then she blinked her eyes a couple times and took some deep breathes.

"Contanis," she said, "and his men have abducted women and had their way with them since they first took over Vallone. He'd give orders to his men to scour the city and find them. Other times, his men would just do it by themselves. They only went after younger women though because they found them the most attractive. About a month ago Contanis decided he wanted some new women, so he sent Kotlor and some others out to retrieve them."

She coughed a little but tried to remain still. She didn't have much energy left, so she wanted to save it for telling her story. In the back of her mind though, she knew she might not be able to tell the whole thing.

"They eventually found me," she continued, "along with some others and dragged us here. We were stripped of our clothes and tied to these beds, where we were supposed to remain until we died. They brought us food and water, but only enough to just keep us alive. We were raped and injured almost every day. That's how I got all these cuts."

She got tired again and took another break. It was embarrassing for her to tell them this, but not telling them would have made her feel even worse. Then she thought about how it wasn't her fault and this made her feel a little better. A minute later she found the energy to continue.

"Since we couldn't leave the beds," she said, "we had to go to the bathroom like this. The reason why my cuts and vulva are so infected is because they rubbed my feces in them. They also put it in my mouth, nose, and ears. The same went for the other women as well. The idea was to see if we could get it out before we suffocated to death. If we couldn't, they'd take it out at the last minute. They wanted us to stay alive for as long as possible. As for the messes, they'd only clean them up when they couldn't stand them anymore. Out of all the women taken that day, I'm the only one who's still alive. I consider the others to be the lucky ones though."

She stopped talking because the fatigue became unbearable. A few moments went by and surprisingly she found just enough strength to go on.

"Ever since Contanis took over Vallone," she said, "I've prayed for it to return to what it once was. With your arrival, maybe my prayer has been answered."

"I hope it has been," he said.

"You have to succeed," she said. "You can't let any others become...what I've become."

She took another breath and she was gone. She laid there motionless with her lifeless eyes still open. Her life was now only a memory. As she continued to look at the ceiling in silence, they continued to look at her in silence as well. A few seconds later Tearthis let go of her hand. Tears began to form in his eyes but he was able to stop them from rolling down his cheeks. Since they were fighting a war right now, he didn't think it was an appropriate time to do something like that.

"It's time to go," he said solemnly. "There's no reason to stay here any longer. Besides, we have a job to do."

He walked past all of them and went out the door. Nios could see this was bothering him and went after him.

The rest of them stayed behind in the room for a little longer. Then Dragus and Artain left the room. Not long after that, Mondren began to leave. When he reached the doorway, he turned back around and looked at Rykarn. He was still standing there looking at Gosunie.

"Let's go Rykarn," he said. "We have to continue looking for that tablet."

"I'll be there," he said. "Just give me another minute."

Mondren just nodded and went into the hallway.

Rykarn continued to look at her for a few more moments. Then he walked over to her and knelt beside her. He looked into her eyes and then ran his left hand through her long curly brown hair.

"I promise you," he said, "that we'll bring your tormentors to justice. All you have to do now is rest. You've earned it."

Tears started to form in his eyes. However, he didn't have the strength to hold them back like Tearthis. They began to run down his face. He found it ironic that out of all the battles he fought in his life so far, this was one he couldn't win. He closed her eyes and wiped the tears off his face. Then he slowly stood back up and walked out of the room. When he got into the doorway, he closed the door behind him quietly.

He didn't have to know her personally to be upset, just like the rest of his teammates. Any innocent person suffering affected them, especially if they witnessed it. It was a prime example of how cruel people could be. In fact, one could even argue it was exceptional.

## Meanwhile, Tearthis was still walking through the hallway. Nios briskly walked towards him until he was in front of him. Then he stopped and turned to face him. Immediately after this, Tearthis stopped.

"I know you're upset," said Nios, "but there was nothing we could have done. She was too far gone. We would have had to get here earlier to save her, but I'm not sure how much though."

"I know," said Tearthis. "It's just it doesn't matter how strong, smart, and skilled you are sometimes. You can't do everything."

"That's part of being human," said Nios. "No matter how good you become at something, you'll never be perfect at it."

They heard some footsteps and turned in the direction they were coming from. The rest of the group was walking towards them, and they stopped once they got close enough.

"I was the last one to leave," said Rykarn, "so I closed her eyes and shut the door. I felt she deserved some peace and quiet, as well as some dignity."

"Those were thoughtful gestures," said Tearthis. "I'm sure Gosunie says thank you."

He turned back around and walked past Nios. Then everyone else followed him. Their torches continued to glisten as they marched through the hallway without talking. As they moved, their shadows danced gracefully on the walls. They had to constantly remind themselves these images were their shadows and nothing else. Dragus's torch then went out.

"Just great," he said. "I guess it makes sense though. How often would people come down here to refill them?"

"We have other ones," said Artain, "so just get rid of it and we'll move on. But..."

Dragus let go of his torch and it hit the floor. A high-pitched sound rang through the room. They all stood very still and quiet. Their hearts were beating in their chests and they paid close attention to their surroundings. Once the echoes stopped, there was only silence. They appeared to be safe now.

"Damn it Dragus," said Artain. "I was just going to tell you not to drop it. That noise could have let somebody know we're here. That last thing we need right now is another shit storm."

"Sorry," he said.

"Yeah," said Artain, "you will be when one of those bastards rips out your fucking spine and beats your corpse with it."

"Okay," said Dragus as he raised his hands in front of himself. "I said I was sorry."

"You should...," said Artain.

"That's enough Artain," said Tearthis. "It was an accident."

"Fine," he said. "I'll stop."

"Wise choice," said Tearthis. "Okay, let's keep moving."

Mondren's torch died unexpectedly.

"Crap," he said.

## He bent over and gently placed it on the ground so there wouldn't be any more noise. Then he stood back up and they walked towards the door at the other end of the room. When they reached it, Tearthis opened it and there was a staircase behind it just like the rest. He led the way as they ventured down it.

Nios's torch went out as they were making their descent. The rest of the team kept moving as he rested it up against the wall on the step he was on. Once he was done, he caught up with them and they went down the rest of the way. They walked into a long cobblestone hallway that was about five times the size of a normal one. In fact, it was so long the light from their torches couldn't reach the end. If there was anything at the end of it, it was nicely wrapped in a shroud of mystery. This made them nervous.

"This thing is huge," said Artain. "It could go on for miles."

"It better not," said Dragus. "All this walking is starting to take its toll on me."

They started to walk to the other end when Tearthis's torch extinguished. He just placed it against the wall on the ground and continued walking. They got close to the other end of the hallway when Rykarn noticed something about the floor. It intrigued him so he knelt down to get a better look at it.

"I'll be damned, "he said as he stood back up, "a big piece of the floor is broken off from the rest."

"Look," said Artain as he pointed at something in front of them.

They all looked straight ahead and were astonished by what they saw.

"A dead end?" said Nios. "You mean this hallway doesn't lead anywhere? You have to be fucking kidding me."

A cobblestone wall stood right in front of them. After all the work they did, this is what they had to show for it. This was a crushing blow to their morale. They could almost hear the sound of laughter coming from it. Each of them let out a big sigh as they glanced at the floor. Then they looked around in distress and disarray.

"What the hell is this?" said Tearthis.

Artain walked up to the wall and put his hands on it. He then patted around for a bit and stopped.

"This feels like a regular wall," he said as he turned around. "I don't know what to say."

"This doesn't make any sense," said Mondren. "Why would they have a hallway that doesn't go anywhere? This would only make sense if it's used for storage."

"That's possible," said Tearthis, "but if they wanted one, why wouldn't they have made a room instead? Also, there'd be things in here. Why would they make a storage space and not use it?"

"Maybe," said Drgaus, "they didn't put anything in here yet, or they did but it was moved somewhere else."

"True," said Tearthis, "but it's still weird."

During this, Rykarn was busily thinking about the dead end. He was doing it since they first found it, and an idea just now slithered into his head.

"It could be a façade," he said.

"What do you mean?" asked Nios.

"When people want to protect things," he said, "they usually put them in a locked safe or room. However, they sometimes hide them in a place that gives the appearance they're not hiding anything at all. If done correctly, it can be the safest option of them all."

"So what you mean," said Nios, "is there might be a secret door in here somewhere."

"Exactly," he said. "When people have a secret entrance, they usually have a secret button or switch nearby that opens it. However, we don't know if this wall is a door. Let me examine it first."

He walked up to the left side of it and got his face really close to it. Then he scanned it from top-to-bottom as he walked towards the right. When he reached the center, he stopped.

"There's a vertical slit in this wall you can barely see," he said. "It runs from the top of it to the bottom in the center. This means this wall is comprised of two pieces. There are also two other slits. One runs horizontally at the top of it from one edge to the other, as does the slit at the bottom. These three slits are signs of at least one door. The mechanism that triggers this is probably close by."

"Where should we start?" asked Nios.

"We'll go with this wall first," he said. "Two of you can start on the left side and work your way to the middle, while the other three can do this from the right. We have to hurry though because the torch could go out at any time. We don't need to make this any more difficult."

Nios and Dragus took the left side while Tearthis, Artain, and Mondren took the right. Each of them began to push on every stone in the wall. The dampness of them reminded Hex Immortal of all the tears shed by people in the city. It took them a couple minutes to do this and nothing out of the ordinary turned up.

"Damn it," said Tearthis as he hit the palm of his left hand against the wall. "There has to be a button or switch somewhere. Rykarn, where should we look next?"

"Look on the sidewalls," he said, "but start closest to the end wall and work your way back."

Nios and Dragus were the closest to the left wall, so they headed over there. The same went for Tearthis, Artain, and Mondren with the right one. As they did this, Rykarn stayed where he was and observed them.

After a few seconds, Dragus put his left hand on a stone half-a-foot above the ground. Then Tearthis put his right hand on one at the height of his neck. Then each of them unintentionally pushed on the stones at the same time. Each of them slowly slid into their respective walls.

A couple seconds later, two sections of the end wall started to swing inward. Their hinges made a high-pitched squeak as this happened. It was hard on their ears but also pleasing to them because they may have found something.

"So," thought Rykarn, "there were two buttons that had to be pushed in simultaneously. I always forget about that configuration."

His torch went out suddenly.

"Thank heavens," he said. "We got it open just in the nick of time."

He walked up to the left wall and placed the torch on the floor against it.

"I sure hope there are some other torches in the room we just found," said Mondren as he watched the two doors open.

After they finished moving, they walked inside and Rykarn lit a match. He wanted to see if there were any torches in it.

"I found one," he said as he walked up to the left wall, "and with any luck, there will be a lot of fuel in it."

He lit it and blew out the match.

"Okay," he said, "let's see if there are any more."

## He grabbed the torch and started to follow the wall around the room. Every torch he came across he lit, and before long he got them all. The light danced around the room with joys as its contents were revealed to them.

## They stared in awe for a moment because they had never seen anything like this before. Lying before them were all sorts of objects from all over the world. There were statues, vases, chests filled with jewelry and silverware, and more. It was as if the world had surrendered all its treasures to the government of Vallone.

"So," said Nios, "this is where they keep all their valuables."

"I'd really like to know how much all this stuff is worth," said Dragus, "and where it all came from."

"I'd like to know that too," said Tearthis, "but that's not why we're here. Everyone spread out and search the room for the tablet."

Each of them went in a different direction and began searching for their prize. A few minutes went by and they regrouped empty handed.

"Where could it be?" asked Mondren. "We searched the whole room. Maybe it's somewhere else."

"Or maybe Potav was mistaken about them having it," said Tearthis.

"That's possible," said Rykarn, "but we should do some more tests to make sure. Now, it could be in another secret room. If it is, hopefully we can get to it from this one. This item is so important I could see them using two layers of security for it. It looks like we're going to have to find another hidden button or switch. You guys know what to do."

Everyone went up to the walls and moved their hands across them. Nios was examining the wall opposite to the opening they came through when he found something.

"Rykarn," he said as he turned to face him, "I found a small hole in this wall."

He walked up to the wall and looked at it.

"Hmmm," he said as he rubbed his chin. "This may be some sort of lock. Now, I'm not sure what goes in here but let's try your sword."

"Why?" asked Nios.

"It's just a hunch," said Rykarn.

Nios removed his sword and slid it into the hole, but nothing happened.

"Try taking it out," said Rykarn.

Nios did that but the same thing happened.

"Okay," said Rykarn. "Since that didn't work, there might be more holes. Everyone, try to look for them. If you find one, stay near it as a marker so we don't have to look for them again. Once we find them all we'll try putting our swords in them again. If that doesn't work, then we'll have to figure out what does. Let's get started."

Nios stayed where he was while the others began their search. After a while Artain found one on the wall to the left of the entrance; Dragus found one on the wall to the right of it; and Mondren found one on the ground. The dimensions of the holes appeared to be the same as the one Nios found.

## Meanwhile, Tearthis was busily looking for them on the right wall. A few moments went by and he turned around.

"I didn't find any," he said, "but it looks like Artain, Mondren, and Dragus did."

"Yeah," said Rykarn, "so I think we found them all. Now this is what we're going to do. On the mark of three, shove each of your swords into the opening. If that doesn't work, remove them on the mark of three again. Get ready."

Nios, Artain, Mondren, and Dragus got their swords into position.

"Okay," he said. "One...two...three."

The four of them simultaneously placed their swords in the holes, but nothing happened.

"Okay," said Rykarn. "One...two...three."

They simultaneously pulled their swords out, but still nothing happened.

"I was afraid of this," he said. "In order to activate the switches, we might have to put them in one-by-one in a certain order."

He pulled his lock picking case out of his bag. Then he took a piece of paper and ballpoint pen out of the case.

"Since there are four holes," he said, "there are twenty-four possible permutations. Now, we're going to have to test out each one. It's going to be a pain, but it's the only thing we can do."

## He placed the piece of paper on top of the case.

"To keep track of all this, I'm going to write down each permutation as we do it," he said. "The first one will be Nios, Artain, Mondren, and then Dragus."

## He wrote their names down on the paper.

"Begin," he said.

One-by-one they put their swords in the order Rykarn specified. Once again nothing happened. Then they went onto the next permutation. After eight of them, they still hadn't made any progress.

"Ninth one." said Rykarn. "Dragus, Nios, Artain, and then Mondren."

He jotted their names down again.

## They slid their swords into the holes in the specified order again. Something happened this time however. A door sized section of the right side of the end wall began to squeakily swing inward. Nios was still standing next to it, and he jumped back a little in shock as he watched it open. Once it finished, they cautiously walked up to the opening and peered inside. All they could see was a blanket of darkness like when they first entered this room.

POEM THE FIFTH:

## TO CARRY ON

A mere six men all dressed in black

Faced with horrors but would not turn back

In places challenging puzzles laid around

A secret room, which they had found

## CHAPTER THE SIXTH:

## THE FAMILIAR PATH OF MOST RESISTANCE

"Listen up everybody," said Tearthis. "Be careful when you enter because there could be a trap in there. I wish there was a safer way to do this, but I don't think there is one. When we get inside, the next thing to do is to light the area up. It also wouldn't hurt to pray the tablet is in there."

"Let me go inside and light it up by myself," said Mondren. "Don't worry about the praying either."

Tearthis thought for a moment and then nodded.

He slowly walked inside and lit up the torches hanging on the walls just like in the last room. Not long after, the guard known as darkness retreated and was replaced by the guard known as light. Everybody else filed in while paying close attention to their surroundings. Eventually all their eyes fell on the center of the room.

Standing before them was a wooden column with a glass case resting on top of it. On the side of the case facing them was a padlock. The case and lock worked in tandem as guardians for any contents in it.

It just so happened there were some things inside it right now. There was a wooden pedestal with none other than the Tablet of Omainu resting on top of it. The tablet was a small marble rectangle with a dovetail handle jutting out each of its sides. Anybody who saw it and knew of its great power would have contended its appearance didn't do it justice. Their eyes opened wide as did their mouths. For what seemed like an eternity, they didn't blink or make a sound. Their agonizing search was finally over.

"Are my eyes deceiving me?" asked Artain. "Is this really it?"

"I think so," said Tearthis, "Rykarn, open that case."

He went over to the lock and examined it.

"This is odd," he said. "It looks cheap. Anyway, a pick rake should do the trick."

He went into his case and pulled one out. Then he put it into the lock and started to tinker with it.

"Why would they use such a cheap lock?" asked Artain.

"Probably because they thought nobody would make it into this room," said Nios. "They had the tablet very well hidden."

After a minute of working on it, the lock opened. Then he took it off the case and opened the glass door.

"Good work," said Tearthis. "Let's take it and get out of here."

Rykarn reached inside the case and his hands started to tremble. However, he got them under control and took the tablet off the pedestal. Once the tablet was out of the case, he placed it in his bag. The pedestal then rose a couple inches.

"What in the hell was that for?" asked Tearthis.

"The start of 'something' I bet," said Rykarn.

"Well," said Tearthis, "whatever it's going to be, it's going to be bad."

They all pulled their swords out and waited around silently for something to happen. A few minutes went by and nothing happened, so relief as well as confusion started to wash over them. Tearthis didn't want anybody to become too comfortable though.

"Listen up everyone," he said. "Just because something didn't happen now doesn't mean it won't happen later. From now on we're under high alert, so please be on you guard. Now let's get out of here."

They quickly but cautiously walked out of the room. When they reached the other one, they looked around but it appeared to be the same as before.

"This troubles me," said Dragus. "It's like the calm before the storm."

"I agree," said Mondren. "It's very eerie."

"I think it'd be wise to just leave this room," said Tearthis. "As much as I'd like to look around some more, it's too dangerous."

They hastily made their way to the entrance and went through it. As they walked, they stepped on the dislodged section of cobblestones again. The stones sank a couple of inches this time however.

"I don't remember that happening the first time we walked over them," said Nios.

Rykarn thought for a moment.

"I have a theory," he said. "The pedestal must have been weight sensitive, so it rose when I took the tablet off it. This must have enabled the disconnected section of cobblestones to sink when stepped on."

"Was that the last step before the bad thing is supposed to happen," asked Nios, "or was it just another prelude?"

They heard some screeching noises and stopped dead in their tracks. Then a long creaking sound and a short piercing one filled the hallway. Soon after that, wind started to blow through the room. This caused their cloaks to dance violently in the air.

"There's your answer," said Rykarn.

"Ground yourselves!" yelled Artain.

They drove their swords into the ground to keep themselves from getting blown away. However, Mondren couldn't do it fast enough and the wind knocked him to the ground on his back.

"Crap!" he screamed.

Then it started to push him towards the wall on the other side of the hallway. He desperately clawed at the floor, but couldn't get a hold of anything. Memories of his life were also bursting through his mind now.

"Grab my hand!" hollered Dragus as he extended his right one.

Mondren extended his and flailed it around for Dragus's. Luckily he was close enough to him and he found it. He grabbed it as hard as he could and then with his free hand, tried to shove his sword into the ground. It wouldn't go in though.

"Hurry up," said Dragus. "I can feel your hand slipping."

After a few more tries, he finally did it and then crawled back up to his feet. Once he was ready, Dragus let go of his hand.

"Thanks for saving me," said Mondren as he wiped the sweat from his brow.

"No problem," said Dragus. "You deserve to die in a better place than this hellhole."

"Gee, thanks," said Mondren in a monotone voice.

"From what I'm hearing Mondren," said Tearthis, "I'm guessing you're okay."

"Yeah," said Mondren, "at least for now."

Tearthis turned his attention to everybody else.

"Are the rest of you okay?" he asked.

"Yes," said everybody else around the same time.

"Good," he said. "Now we need to figure out a way to see in here. Anybody have any ideas?"

Rykarn thought for a moment.

"I have one," he said. "You guys could scrape one of your throwing knives on your sword to create sparks. If we can see well enough with them, I'll figure out the situation in here."

They each pulled a throwing knife out and gripped them tightly. This was one of those times where their gear was as important as their lives.

"I'm ready," they said at roughly the same time.

"All right," said Rykarn. "We'll do it on the count of three. One, two, three."

They started to scrape their knives against their swords. There was a high pitched grinding noise as the sparks flew through the air in all directions. Then Rykarn looked around the hallway in the faint flickering light as fast as he could.

"Good, I can just make things out," he said. "It looks like a steel door slid down from the ceiling at both ends of the hallway. Then the wall on the right side rose into the ceiling, and an air duct behind it began to blow wind into here. As for the left wall, small spikes protruded from it. My guess is anybody who tries to take tablet is supposed to get impaled in here."

"And this time," said Nios, "'anybody' just happens to be us."

Rykarn looked around one more time to make sure he saw everything. Even missing just one detail could be enough to get them all killed.

"Okay everybody," he said. "You can stop now."

They put their throwing knives away.

"I think my hunch was right," said Tearthis. "Damn it."

"What are we going to do?" asked Artain. "We can't sit here forever."

"The only chance we have is to blow the door open with a bomb," said Rykarn. "Since it's made out of metal, it'll be too heavy for the wind to affect it much."

"That won't work," said Nios. "The wind will blow the fuse out."

"Not if we use a short one," said Rykarn.

He pulled a bomb out of his bag.

"I need you to hold this," he said as he gave it to Tearthis.

Tearthis grabbed it with is free hand and then Rykarn pulled a throwing knife out of his bandoleer.

"Now hold it steady," said Rykarn.

He began to saw near the bottom of the rope sticking out of it. Once he finished, he put the throwing knife away and took back the bomb.

"Since the fuse is short now," he said, "it can't be lit here or it'll explode before it's thrown. This means it'll have to be thrown first. I might as well do it."

He threw the bomb at the other end of the hallway. A few second later there was a thud.

"All right," said Rykarn. "Now I'll throw a knife at the door. A spark from the impact should fly onto the fuse and light it. Then hopefully it'll explode and take out the door. I'll need some light to see where the bomb in though."

The rest of them got into position while Rykarn pulled out his throwing knife again.

"We'll do this on the count of three like last time," he said. "One, two, three."

They each scratched their knife across their sword and he quickly looked around for the bomb.

"I see it," he said, "and it's near the door."

He threw the knife close to where the bomb was. Then the rest of them stopped grinding their knives against their swords.

A few seconds later they saw some sparks and almost instantaneously the bomb went off. Smoke sifted through the air as some flames briefly appeared. Then there was a creaking sound, followed by a thunderous crash.

"It sounds like we did it," said Nios.

"Yes," said Rykarn, "but we should make sure. Now isn't the time to assume anything. You guys know what to do."

Everybody got into position again.

"One, two, three," said Rykarn.

They started to scrape their throwing knives against their swords again. Rykarn looked at where the door was and it wasn't there this time. Instead, it was lying on the ground in the stairwell surrounded by dust.

"That's enough everybody," he said.

They stopped again and he turned his attention towards Nios.

"Good call Nios," he said.

He turned his attention to everybody again.

"Don't start celebrating just yet," said Rykarn. "We're only half done with that being the easy half. We now have to figure out how to get to the other side of this hallway without turning it into a morgue."

"The only way I can think of," said Tearthis, "is to block the wind somehow."

"With what though?" asked Dragus.

Tearthis thought for a moment and then started to shuffle his feet on the ground.

"Maybe we can use the floor," he said. "I felt a loose piece. It might be big enough to use as a shield against the wind. I'll get it out because I'm the biggest person in the group."

"Use this to tie yourself to somebody else," said Artain as he handed him some rope, "so the wind won't blow you into the spikes."

"Thanks," said Tearthis as he took it.

Then he turned his attention towards the whole team again.

"Who wants the honor of trying to keep me alive long enough to save our sorry asses?" he asked.

"I'll do it," said Dragus, "but I'm sure as hell going to keep you alive longer than that."

Dragus grabbed Tearthis with his free hand and Tearthis tied the rope around himself. Then they switched positions and Dragus did the same thing. Afterward, Dragus grabbed him so he wouldn't tip over. Then Tearthis double-checked everything before turning his attention towards everybody again.

"The rest of you can make sparks for me to see with while I do this," he said.

They started producing more light and he shoved his sword into the crack around the loose piece of cobblestone. He pushed down on it like a lever, but it wouldn't budge. Then he started to push on it harder. His whole body became tense and his face turned a little red. The piece finally started to come out of the floor now.

"Come on you son of a bitch," he said. "Get up here."

He kept pushing down on it with all his strength. Fatigue was starting to settle in now, but he wouldn't let it stop him. Little by little the slab of cobblestone kept moving higher into the air.

"We're almost there," he said, "but I'm going to need everybody except for Dragus to help lift it the rest of the way."

The four of them put their knives away and grabbed the piece with their free hands.

"Is everybody ready?" asked Tearthis.

"Yeah," they said in unison.

"Okay," said Tearthis. "Let's do this."

They raised it until it was completely upright.

"Now let's turn it clockwise until one of the flat sides faces towards the wind," he said.

They started to push on it and it made a grating noise as it moved across the floor. A few moments later it was in position.

"Do you want us to do anything else?" asked Nios.

"Yes," said Tearthis. "Make some light so I can check out the section of stone."

They followed his orders and he scanned the stone from top to bottom. It was about an inch thick and went up to Nios's chest.

"This just might work," he said. "You can stop now."

The sparks disappeared again.

"This is how it's going to work," he said. "One of you and I are going to crouch behind the side of the section facing away from the wind. Then we're going to drag it through the hallway and into the stairwell. After that, the other person is going to wait there while I'll come back for somebody else. This is going to take more time, but it'll be safer."

He put his sword horizontally and faced the dull side of the blade towards himself. Then he dug it into the side the section facing away from the wind.

"We can use my sword as a handle," he said. "I can push on the dull side of the blade and the person accompanying me can push on the hilt."

Then he turned his attention towards Dragus.

"Since you're already tied to me Dragus," he said, "you'll be the first to go."

"Okay," said Dragus confidently, "let's cheat death."

"I hope your optimism isn't in vain," said Tearthis. "Let's move."

Tearthis ducked behind the proper side of the piece and Dragus did the same next to him. Then each of them grabbed his sword and started to push it through the hallway. This produced the same grating noise as before, but they were too focused on their objective to let it bother them. A little while later, they reached the stairwell and Dragus untied himself.

"Sit tight," said Tearthis. "I'm going back for everybody else now."

Then one-by-one he brought the rest of them into the stairwell. However, he became more exhausted with each trip. On the last one, he had to push himself to his limit to do it. Once it was done, he tipped the section over onto the ground with his sword facing upward. Then he sat down.

"Let me rest...for awhile," he said as he panted.

"I can't believe you actually moved that thing," said Nios.

"Me neither," he said as he continued to pant.

Then the reality of the situation finally started to sink into their minds. They were very close to death, but managed to escape its jaws. They felt a strange combination of joy and fear brewing inside themselves.

"I'm amazed we got out of there alive," said Rykarn.

"That's because I didn't make you join this outfit," said Tearthis as he stopped panting. "You chose to."

Then he stood up and began to pull his sword out. At first it didn't budge, but then it started to slowly slide out.

"Ugh," he said as he finally pulled it out, "and choice usually brings out the best in people."

He brought his sword up to his face and examined it for a moment.

"Okay," he said. "I'm ready to go if you guys are."

Then they started to backtrack up to the ground floor. They made it all the way back up to the second underground floor when they spotted something. After closer inspection, it turned out to be a cauldron with fire dancing in it. It was at the top of the stairs near the doorway to the first underground floor. They stopped dead in their tracks and looked at each other.

"This isn't good," said Mondren. "There wasn't any fire there before."

A guard appeared suddenly on each side of the cauldron. They each were armed with a crossbow and a quiver filled with arrows.

"Fire!" yelled one of them.

The six of them rushed to one of the sides of the doorway to escape the line of fire. The arrows flew past them like hawks and hit the ground.

"You're trapped!" yelled one of the guards. "There's nowhere to go!"

"Yeah!" shouted the other one. "This is where you're going to die!"

"That guy is right," said Mondren. "The staircase is the only way up. What do we do?"

"I guess I'll have to save you guys again," said Nios. "Just stay here and don't do anything."

"I think I know what you're going to do," said Dragus, "and I don't like it. It's too dangerous."

"They control the choke point," said Nios. "This is the only chance we have to get out of this. I have to do it."

"Okay," said Dragus. "Good luck."

"Why are you trying to hide?" yelled one of the guards. "You're just going to die! Why not get it over with now?"

Two more arrows whizzed past them and struck the floor.

Nios took a few moments to take some deep breathes and clear his mind.

"I have to succeed," he thought. "If I don't, we're all going to die."

He waited until they shot another round of arrows to buy himself the most time he could. A little while later two more arrows sailed by them and hit the ground. This was his cue and he charged up the staircase. The two guards saw him coming and reloaded as fast they could. They were able to do it before he reached them and fired at him. As the two arrows flew towards him, he put his sword up and blocked both of them. Even though he was wearing armor, he thought they still could have hurt him if they hit it. The guards loaded their bows again and fired two more arrows at him. This time he blocked only one of them though. The other slipped by and hit him in the stomach. He froze in his tracks.

"Damn," he said. "That hurt but it's not going to stop me."

He started moving again while the guards loaded their bows a fourth time. They fired again and he blocked only one of the arrows like before. The other one flew past him and down the staircase.

While this was going on, Dragus poked the top half of his body around the corner to see what was happening on the stairs. Not only did he see Nios and the guards, he also saw the arrow heading right for him.

"Whoa!" he blurted out as he went behind the corner again.

He wasn't fast enough though and the arrow hit him in the right shoulder. Blood started to run down his arm.

"Fuck!" he yelled.

He grabbed it with his left hand and slowly pulled it out. This made him flinch but he eventually got it out. Then he looked at the bloody tip of it for a moment before tossing it on the ground.

As for Nios, he was close now so the two guards realized they were going to have to engage him in close combat. They dropped their crossbow and unsheathed their swords. A fury was also present in their eyes now because they weren't thrilled about this.

"May the Lord protect me and guide me to victory," he said to himself.

"Come on you little bastard," said one of the guards. "It's time to die."

Nios swung his sword horizontally at the left guard's sword as fast as he could. Before the guard knew it, Nios's sword smashed into his and it flew out of his hands. The other guard saw this and jumped back so he wouldn't get hit by it. Nios then lifted his sword above his own head and brought it down on the guard. His sword hit his right shoulder and traveled down to the left side of his waist. The two halves fell to the ground as intestines and blood oozed out of them. The other guard just stood there in shock as he looked at what had just happened.

"No," he muttered.

Nios turned around and lunged at him. When he got close enough, he thrust his sword at his chest. The guard snapped out of it and jumped out of the way. Then he plunged his sword into the dent on Nios's armor. It was weak enough that the sword got through and pierced Nios's skin. The man then quickly pulled it out. Nios screamed in pain as blood flew into the air and leaked out of his wound. The guard snickered and rammed into his chest with his left shoulder. Nios flew to the ground on his back and groaned. The guard strolled up to him and kicked his sword away. Then he knelt in front of him.

"Now," he said, "I'll give you what I promised earlier."

He reached down and took off his helmet. Then he stood back up and held his sword over Nios's head with the tip facing down. Nios looked at the tip of it and began to sweat. He could almost hear the sword chanting his name.

"I'll see you in Hell," he said.

He plunged it at Nios's face. However, Nios grabbed it with both of his hands just before it made contact. Then he tried to push it away from his head while the guard tried to push it into his head. This stalemate went on for a while and they started to shake from exhaustion. Neither of them would let up though. There was too much determination in them for that.

"Why are you trying to stay alive?" asked the guard as he stared into Nios's eyes. "You're going to die eventually anyway, so why not get it over with now?"

A throwing knife protruded from the guard's forehead all of a sudden. Blood trickled out of the wound and dripped onto Nios's face. A few second later he fell towards him and Nios rolled to the left. The man hit the ground with a thud and Nios sat up in relief. Standing before him near the stairs was the rest of his team.

"Friends don't let friends get killed," said Tearthis as he walked up to the body.

He bent over and took the throwing knife out of his head. As he was doing this, he noticed Nios's stomach injury.

"How's your wound?" he asked.

"It's not that deep," said Nios as he looked around. "I should be fine."

"That's good to hear," said Tearthis. "Here, let me help you up."

He extended his hand and Nios grabbed it. Then he lifted him back to his feet.

"Thank you for getting us out of there," he said."It was a brave but also crazy thing to do."

"I was only doing what a friend would do," said Nios.

Tearthis turned around.

"All right men," he said. "Let's continue the slaughter."

They began to walk again and Dragus went up to Nios.

"Tearthis is right," he said. "You're one brave but crazy bastard."

"Thanks, I guess," said Nios as he squinted.

"Seriously though," said Dragus as he put his left hand on Nios's right shoulder, "the last thing I'd want to do is to have to haul you out of here in a body bag."

"That goes for me too," said Nios.

They made their way up the next staircase. As they got close to the top, they saw some light.

"Stop, everybody," said Tearthis as he gestured to them.

They ceased moving.

"Since there's light in that room," said Tearthis, "be prepared for anything when we get up there. Rykarn, you're in charge of the Tablet of Omainu since you have it. Under no circumstances are you to let anybody get their hands on it. There's no way in hell they're getting it back now. Do you understand?"

"I'll do what it takes," he said as he nodded.

"Good," he said. "Let's go to the ground floor."

They started walking again and soon after they reached the floor. They found lit torches lining the walls of the room with Kotlor standing at the far end of it. Resting near him was an object covered with a luxurious black blanket. A bitter taste appeared in Hex Immortal's mouths from out of nowhere.

"I don't like where this is going," said Tearthis.

They all held their breath as they slowly walked towards him. After a few moments, Kotlor spoke.

"That's far enough," he said. "Stop right where you are."

They followed his order because they didn't want to run the risk of making their situation worse. Deep in their minds though, they knew it probably wouldn't help.

"Greetings gentlemen," he said with a condescending tone. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Lord Kotlor and I'm the second in command of this city. Since you now know who I am, would you six be so kind as to introduce yourselves to me."

"We're Hex Immortal," said Tearthis, "and we've come to destroy your stranglehold over this city."

"That's very blunt of you," said Kotlor emotionlessly, "but I'm afraid you won't be able to relieve us of power. This is as far as you're going to get. I'm going to obliterate you all right here, right now."

"How'd you know where to find us?" asked Artain. "This isn't a small building."

"That's a very good question," said Kotlor. "You see, we always assume intruders will be heading for this area so we check it first."

"Why do you always assume that?" asked Artain.

"That's not for you to know," said Kotlor.

"Maybe we already do," thought Artain.

Kotlor shifted his eyes towards the body of the man lying near the window in the room.

"From what I see of the dead Shadow Sifter," he said as he pointed at him, "you aren't amateurs. Those soldiers are some of the finest we have, but that doesn't mean you're going to kill me. It just means my killing of you will be all the more rewarding."

Mondren began to laugh and shake his head from side to side.

"You with the dreadlocks," he said as he pointed at him, "what are you laughing at? You're about to die. Please don't tell me you find humor in that."

"How can one man's heart," asked Mondren as he stopped, "go from pumping blood through his body to pumping darkness?"

"What?" asked Kotlor. "Does this predicament spark your curiosity?"

"Yes," said Mondren. "I always like to get into the mindset of people like you. I like to see where it all began."

"Hmm," said Kotlor as he rubbed his chin. "I could humor your curiosity with the tale of how I became enlightened, but I don't know. We're enemies so it might not be appropriate."

"Just because we're enemies," said Mondren, "doesn't mean we can't have a pleasant conversation."

He thought about his words for a few moments while Hex Immortal just stood there awaiting an answer. They were now anxious and sweat began to drip down their brows.

"You make a good point," he said. "I'll tell you my story. Consider this entertainment my only act of compassion towards you. I also recommend you cherish it because it's a rare occurrence."

Their anxiety now turned into a strange kind of relaxed anxiety. The danger had subsided only to arise again sometime later.

"I was born in the town of Iptun as an only child," he said. "My father taught me swordsmanship while my mother taught me farming. However, they died from influenza when I turned eighteen. Since I was on my own now, I became a farmer to support myself. After that I met a woman named Losa who was two years younger than me. We dated for two years and then we got married. Well, we were blessed with a child named Jezry two years after our marriage. The three of us lived happily together for the next six years. Then one fateful day, I found more than I ever thought I could."

## POEM THE SIXTH:

## IT IS NOT YET THEIR TIME TO DIE

A trap for those who tried to take

They made their leave so it was not their fate

Then they fought and killed with their own hands

Till they reached the second in command

## CHAPTER THE SEVENTH:

## A SPELL OF PLEASANTNESS

Year of our Lord: Eighteen eighty-three

Season: Autumn

Month: September

Day: Friday

Date: Twenty-first

Time: One minute after six o' clock in the morning

The sun's rays shined gently down on the town of Iptun. It was almost as if they were pointing it out as an example of what other towns should aspire to be. When you visited it, it was the type of town where a part of it would stay with you when you left. A town like this would remain in your heart forever.

In the middle of it was a ranch-style oak house with a cobblestone road next to it. Shingles accented the roof while a red brick chimney was perched on the right side of it. In the back of the house was an old wooden water well and a crop field.

The field was home to beefsteak tomatoes, butternut squashes, purple eggplants, as well as other fruits and vegetables. There were two reasons for the variety. The first one was if an animal or disease came into the field, not all the crops would fall victim to it. The second one was the customer base for it would be larger. These were the hallmarks of a true businessperson.

On the left side of the field was an oak stable and shed. The stable housed a horse while tools and other supplies were kept in the shed. The oak theme of all the structures on the property being made out of oak wasn't an accident. The owners liked consistency as well as oak, so it only made sense for them to do it that way. The structures were also in pristine condition because they took pride in everything they had.

The scenery in the backyard was breathtaking, but it wasn't perfect. A compost pile for the field sat to the left of the well. It wasn't hard to tell which visitors were never around one before because of the way they'd react to it. The family found this amusing because not a lot happened in their town.

The drapes on the window in the master bedroom of the house glowed faintly yellow with the light of the sun. Kotlor was lying on the right side of the bed, while his ever-loving wife Losa was lying on the left side. They were each facing each other when Losa woke up and opened her eyes. Each time she saw him, she cherished it like a gift from God. She smiled and then ran her fingers through his long brown hair.

"It's time to wake up," she said.

Just then Kotlor awoke and opened his eyes as well. The two of them continued to lie in bed and just looked into each other's eyes for a moment. His were brown just like hers, but that wasn't all they saw. Their eyes also acted as little windows into their souls. Unlike their eyes though, their souls were a little different but still compatible. When Kotlor looked at Losa, he also cherished it like a special gift.

He took the cover off himself and got out of the bed. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of grey pants because he got warm easily. Then Losa did the same. The simple white nightgown she was wearing fluttered as she walked over to the mirror on her dresser. She put the hair at the base of the back of her neck into a ponytail. This was her favorite hairstyle because she liked the style itself and she thought it made her look younger. Kotlor shared the same opinion. Then she snuck up behind him and put her arms around him. She kissed him gently on the cheek and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Good morning," she said. "Did you have a good night's sleep?"

"Yes," he said. "I feel like I can take on the world."

"That's good to hear," she said. "In case you were wondering, I had a good one too."

She let go of him and took her head of his shoulder.

"I'm going to get Jezry up," he said, "and then I'll get myself ready for the day."

"Okay," she said. "I'll start working on breakfast while you do that."

He walked out of the room and went over to Jezry's. When he got there, he knocked on the door a couple times.

"It's time to get up Jezry," he said.

Then he opened it and walked inside. Jezry was lying in her bed but she was awake. Kotlor and Losa never took a moment with her for granted. Each one was very special to them. As for Jezry, she didn't think in terms like that because she was still too young. That wasn't to say she didn't love them though.

"Good morning Dad," she said as she sat up.

She moved some of her blonde wavy hair away from her sky-blue eyes. Ever since she was born, Kotlor thought she was the prettiest little girl in the whole city. Unsurprisingly, Kotlor reserved the spot of most attractive lady in the whole city for Losa.

"Good morning," he said.

"Where's Mom?" she asked.

"She's going to start breakfast," said Kotlor. "You know, she could probably use some help. Why don't you go give her a hand?"

"Okay," she said.

"Good," he said, "and while you two are doing that, I'm going to wash up."

She pulled the blanket off herself and got out of bed. Then she walked out of the room. As she passed Kotlor, he patted her on the head.

Kotlor left her bedroom and headed to the well. When he got there, he lowered the bucket into the water and pulled it back up when it was full. Then he took it into the house.

He walked into the bathroom with it and poured it into a wooden bathtub on the floor. The tub wasn't full enough yet, so he made a couple more trips for water until it was. Then he got undressed and grabbed a sponge from a cabinet near the tub. He climbed into it and sat down. The coolness of the water was refreshing and revitalizing to him. His eyes closed and he sighed as he leaned against the side of it. After a few minutes, a noise came from the kitchen suddenly.

"Kotlor!" yelled Losa. "Breakfast is ready!"

"Okay!" he yelled back. "I'll be there in a little while!"

He started to wash himself with the sponge and got out when he was done.

"I can empty the bathtub later," he thought as he looked at it.

Then he wiped himself off with a towel and wrapped it around his waist. After going back to his bedroom to get dressed, he went into the kitchen. He found Losa sitting at the far end of the table, while Jezry was sitting in the middle. The smell of oatmeal and brown sugar was also in the air. He walked over to the other end of it and sat down.

"We're running low on food," said Losa, "so I'm going to the store tomorrow to get some more."

"Can I go?" asked Jezry. "I want to help."

"Yes," said Losa. "Tomorrow is Saturday, so it's not a school day."

"Yay!" shouted Jezry as he raised her arms in the air.

"Okay Jezry," said Kotlor, "but you better behave if you're going with her. You usually cause more trouble than you help."

"I won't cause any problems," said Jezry. "I'll be the best helper I can be."

"All right then," said Kotlor. "You made a promise and I'm going to hold you to it."

"Don't worry," said Jezry. "You can count on me."

"Now that's what I want to hear from my daughter," he said.

He grabbed the jar of brown sugar and sprinkled some on his oatmeal. Then he began to stir it.

"After I'm done eating," he said, "I'll go check on the squashes. They're still not as big as they should be. I hope there's nothing wrong with them."

"Can I help you?" asked Jezry.

Kotlor looked at the clock hanging on the wall. Then he looked at Jezry.

"Sure," he said. "School doesn't start for another forty minutes. You'll have to be careful though. I don't want you to hurt any of the plants."

"Don't worry," said Jezry. "I'll be careful."

"That's my girl," he said as he smiled.

"While you two are doing that," said Losa, "I'm going to start the laundry. Your pants from yesterday are just filthy."

"I'm sorry I tripped over the hoe and fell in the field," he said. "I'm going to have to start remembering where I put things."

Jezry giggled a little.

"It's okay," said Losa. "I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at the fact the three of us constantly get our clothes dirty. That shouldn't be happening this often."

Then she glanced over at Jezry.

She was holding a spoonful of oatmeal in front of her mouth. Then she tipped it upside down and the oatmeal fell back into the bowl with a little plop.

"Stop playing with your food and eat it," said Losa. "Don't you want to go check on the squashes with your dad?"

"Yes," she said.

She scooped up some more oatmeal and put it in her mouth.

After they were done eating, Kotlor took her out the back door of the house. They went past the compost pile and it made Kotlor think of all the damaged vegetables that ended up in it. It was a little sad they couldn't be sold, but at least they could be used as fertilizer for the other ones. They kept walking until they reached the field.

"They still look too small," said Kotlor was he peered down at the squashes. "They should be bigger than this by now."

"What's wrong with them?" asked Jezry.

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe it's so hot all the water in the ground evaporates before they can get any. I'm going to get the watering can."

He left for the shed and Jezry followed him. When they got inside, they looked around for the can. A few seconds went by and Jezry found it resting against the left wall.

"I found it Dad," she said.

He came up to her.

"Can I carry it to the well?" she asked.

"Why not," he said. "After all, you found it."

She picked it up with both hands and they were off. When they got there, she put it on the ground while he lowered the bucket into the well. A little while later, he pulled it back up and poured the water into the can.

"Can I carry it again?" she said.

"Not this time," he said as he hung the bucket back on the hook on the well. "It's too heavy for you."

They went back to the field where he started to water the squashes with it.

"I hope this helps," he said as the last couple drops came out of it.

"Me too," she said. "I don't want them to die."

"Yeah," he said. "That wouldn't be good for us."

Then he looked at the sun and took note of its position in the sky.

"I think it's time for you to go to school," he said. "You can carry the can back to the shed and then we'll get your school supplies and lunch."

"Okay," said Jezry.

He gave her the can and they hurried back to the shed. She put it back where she found it and they went into the house.

When they got into the kitchen, they found Losa waiting for them. There was also a lunch bag and tan sack sitting on the table.

"What am I getting for lunch today?" asked Jezry as she looked at it.

"You're getting a roast beef sandwich with white bread and a tomato from our field," said Losa.

"That sounds good," said Jezry.

Kotlor took the two items off the table and escorted Jezry to school. Losa decided to stay behind so she could finish doing the laundry.

The two of them walked down the cobblestone street towards the schoolhouse. It was on the same street as their house, but at the other end of it. As they walked, they saw adults heading to work and other children heading to school.

"I want you to behave yourself and learn a lot today," he said. "School is very important."

"I know," said Jezry as she rolled her eyes.

A couple minutes later they reached the school. There were other parents dropping off their kids too, but Kotlor didn't know any of them. As they walked to the front entrance, parents and their children were having conversations. He wasn't paying attention to them though. All he could focus on was the worn stone wall in front of him. Every time he saw it he grumbled.

Then out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the windows off to the side open. He looked at it and saw Jezry's teacher standing behind it. He and Losa considered themselves very lucky Jezry ended up with her as her teacher. Not only was she nice and exceptional at what she did, Jezry was fond of her as well.

"Hello," she said as a gust of wind blew her long blonde hair around.

The two of them walked over to the window. As they got closer, Kotlor was able to appreciate her beauty more. He thought she was almost as pretty as Losa.

"The same goes for you too Ninn," said Kotlor as they stopped walking.

"How are you doing today?" she asked.

"Pretty good," he said, "pretty good."

"Is our produce doing well?" she asked.

"For the most part," he said. "The squashes aren't growing as well as they should be."

"That's too bad," she said. "Hopefully they'll make a turnaround."

"I'm praying for that," he said, "but we'll be fine if it doesn't happen."

"That's good to hear," she said.

Then she looked at Jezry.

"We'll be going through some more math problems today," she said. "I know you were having some trouble with that yesterday, but you'll figure it out. I'll make sure of it."

"My mom helped me with that last night," said Jezry. "It makes more sense to me now."

"That's nice to hear," she said. "You should get as much help as you can as soon as possible. Waiting just makes things worse. My first husband used to say that a lot before he passed away. Well, I have to finish getting ready so I'll see you in class."

Then she turned her attention to the both of them.

"It was nice talking to you two," she said.

"Same here," said Kotlor.

She walked away from the window and they went back to the main entrance.

On the way Kotlor thought about Ninn. He knew her first husband passed away, but he didn't know any of the details. When Jezry got into her class, she said he died and that was all. He just figured she wasn't comfortable talking about it. What made him even sadder was the thought of him not being that old when he died. She looked to be around Losa's age, so he could have been around his age. However, she got married to another man and had a baby with him. It was nice to see her happy again. He really thought she earned it.

They reached the old wooden doors and he handed her, her things.

"You have a good day at school," said Kotlor as he opened one of them. "All right?"

"Yes Dad," said Jezry.

"Good," he said. "I'll pick you up at the normal time."

He gave her a hug and kissed her on the forehead. Then she scampered off inside and he went back home.

When he arrived, he got started on the field. He watered all the crops and checked to see if any of them were damaged. Once he identified the ones that were, he hauled them to the compost pile.

"Well, it's that time again," he said to himself.

He went into the shed and got a shovel. Then he came back to the compost pile and started to gracefully stir it with the tool.

"It doesn't matter how many times I do this," he said. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this smell."

Meanwhile, Losa was still doing the laundry. Eventually she finished and moved onto cleaning the house. This was a chore Kotlor and Jezry weren't fond of, but she found it sort of relaxing. In a way, it made her at peace with the world.

When noon came around, Kotlor and Losa took a break for lunch. They were going to eat the same things Jezry was going to have.

"Kotlor," said Losa as she picked up her sandwich. "How are the squashes? I forgot to ask you earlier."

"They're still too small," he said as he shook his head.

"That's too bad," she said. "I wonder why they won't grow."

Then she took a bite out of it.

"I thought maybe they weren't getting enough water," he said, "so I watered them. If they don't get any bigger soon, we won't make as much money at the market as we did last time."

He picked up his glass of water and took a sip from it.

"Don't worry," she said. "We'll be fine. We'll just have to cut back on spending for a while. We can survive with fewer things."

"I know," he said, "but you and Jezry deserve better than this. I wish I were able to give you two more."

She put her sandwich back on her plate and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Money is important," she said, "but being together is the most important thing of all. Besides, we're not in that bad of shape. We're not starving and we have a place to live. Remember, there are people out there who don't even have those two things. We're still fortunate."

"You're right," he said, "but I still wish we had more."

"I do too," she said.

She grabbed her tomato and took a bite out of it.

After they finished eating, they went back to their duties.

When 3:00 PM rolled around, Kotlor went back to the schoolhouse to pick up Jezry like he promised. She came outside and walked over to him. Then he grabbed her hand and they started to head back home.

"Did you learn anything interesting in school?" he asked.

"Kind of," she said.

"What do you mean by 'kind of'?" he asked.

"We did adding today again," she said, "but it's hard. Can you help me with it sometime today?"

"Sure," he said.

"Thanks," she said.

When they got home, Jezry helped Losa finish cleaning the house while Kotlor toiled in the field some more. 4:00 PM came and he was still working in the field. He had a feeling this might happen, but was really hoping it wouldn't. Then out of the corner of his left eye, he saw Losa walking towards him.

"We're done cleaning the house," she said. "Are you done working in the field yet?"

"No," he said as he looked at the crops. "This is taking longer than I thought."

"Jezry told me you promised to help her with her math homework," she said as she stopped, "but how about I help her while you finish this."

"Good idea," he said as he continued to look at them. "I just hope she understands."

"She has to learn you can't help her all the time," she said. "Anyway, just try to finish as fast as you can."

She hugged him and went back into the house.

At 5: 00 PM, she stopped helping her and started making dinner. Tonight they were going to have chicken soup and white bread. The chicken came from the market but she was going to smoke it. Not only did it preserve the meat, but her family liked the flavor as well. She was also going to put in some vegetables from their field. As for the bread, it came from the market too. Normally she made it herself but this was one less thing for her to do today.

About an hour later she called them for dinner. They came into the kitchen and the savory aroma of the meal filled the air. Losa was sitting in her usual spot and they each sat in there's. Kotlor began to fill Jezry's bowl with soup as Losa started to slice the loaf of bread.

"So," said Kotlor as he put the bowl in front of her, "how did your studying go? Did your mom teach you how to add?"

"Yes," she said. "It makes more sense to me now."

"That's true," said Losa as she placed a piece of bread on Jezry's plate. "She was having problems at first, but after a while she got better. Hopefully that continues."

"I hope my teacher notices how much better I am tomorrow," said Jezry.

"That's good to hear," said Kotlor. "Math is very important. If you're good at it, you'll have a lot more opportunities."

He put a spoonful of soup in his mouth.

"How's the field doing?" asked Losa.

"Good," he said. "There weren't many damaged vegetables today. Except for those and the squashes, everything else is ready for the market."

"That's nice to hear," said Losa.

"I can't wait until it's time to take them there," he said. "It's always exciting to see how much we sell and how much we make. Our produce is usually pretty popular."

Jezry took a sip of water from her glass.

"I like going into town too," said Losa. "It's a lot of fun."

"Me too," said Jezry. "There are neat things in it."

After they were done eating, Losa finished helping Jezry with her schoolwork. Then the three of them spent some time together. They played with some of Jezry's toys and told each other a few stories. Around 9:00 PM, they decided it was time to get some sleep. Losa changed into her nightgown and tucked Jezry into her bed.

"Goodnight," said Losa as she stood near it.

Then she leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Goodnight Mom," said Jezry.

She blew the candle on her dresser out and walked out of the room. After quietly closing her bedroom door, she went back into the master bedroom.

Kotlor was laying on the right side of the bed and she went over to the left side. She got in and placed the covers over herself. Then she lay down with her body facing away from his. A few moments later, he moved his body up to hers until he was pressed against it. Then he began to softly kiss the back of her neck.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

He stopped and looked at her.

"I'm trying to get you in the mood to make love," he said.

She turned to face him.

"Oh, really?" she asked as she smiled.

"Is there a problem?" he asked.

"No," she said. "I just want to know why."

"Well," he said, "we haven't been intimate with each other in a while. It's been so busy around here lately with Jezry and the crops. I've been trying to find the perfect opportunity, and I think I've found it: now."

He raised his left hand and started to gently stroke her hair. The softness of her hair was pleasing to him as was the roughness of his hands to her. The whole time she just stared into his eyes and listened without saying a word.

"Waiting has been very frustrating for me," he said, "but it hasn't been all bad. It's made me want you even more."

"Well," she said as she winked at him, "there's nothing quite like delayed pleasure. I'll tell you what; I'll give you a chance."

He grinned and started to kiss her neck again. She could feel the warmth of his lips on her skin. Her eyes closed and she concentrated on the sensation. Before long, her breath started to speed up. Then she let out some slight moans. Things like this always brought joy to her. They made her feel sexy and desirable.

After a few seconds, he stopped and she opened her eyes.

"How am I doing?" he asked.

"Not bad," she said as she tilted her head to the right.

"Should I keep going?" he asked.

"Instead of me telling you what I want," she asked sensually, "how about you try to figure it out. It'll be like a game."

"Uh...okay," he said. "I could go for a game like that."

"I was hoping you'd say that," she said.

He lifted his head and looked at the ceiling for a moment. Then he took a deep breath.

"Well," he said as he looked at her again, "I think you want me to keep doing what I'm doing."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because of the tone in your voice when you brought up the game idea," he said. "So, am I right?"

A few suspenseful seconds went by and then she started to nod slowly.

"You know," she said, "the most attractive thing a man can do for me is listen to what I'm saying and how I'm saying it. It shows he's serious about pleasing me."

He got out of the bed and went over to the dresser next to it. While he was doing this, she sat up and watched him as if she were hypnotized. He opened a drawer and pulled out a wooden box. Then he opened it and pulled out a match. She twitched with anticipation as he did this. Her eyes followed him around the room as he lit the candles in it.

The little flames flickered with delight as a soft yellowish glow covered the room. Their details were still hidden, but they liked it that way. It created a sense of mystery and allure in their surroundings.

Then they looked around the room and saw their shadows dancing on the walls. This was accompanied by a slightly smoky scent in the air. With just a little work, their bedroom had been transformed into an oasis of magic.

Their eyes met again and he started to slowly remove his clothing piece by piece. As he took each article off, he delicately dropped it onto the floor. This caused her to blush and made her heart rate increase. Even though she had seen him without clothes before, she couldn't help herself. When he finished, he gestured for her to return the favor. She climbed out of bed and did the same. They were so focused on each other in this moment that neatness was the farthest thing from their minds. As he watched her, he licked his lips and started to get a warm feeling inside. By this time the only thing she was wearing was her underpants.

"Now this feels better," she said as she took it off and dropped it on the floor.

They just stood there facing each other for a second. They wanted to take some time to appreciate each other's figure in their purest forms before going any further. After a few seconds, Losa strolled up to Kotlor and raised her right hand up to his face. He closed his eyes and grabbed her hand with his left one. Then he nuzzled his cheek into the palm of her hand. It felt silky and smooth to him. It was also comforting to him like a favorite toy to a child.

He put his arms around her and brought her right up against his body. He could feel the warmth radiating from it. It was far warmer than anything a fire could produce. Then he placed his lips on hers. They were so soft and silky to him. Ever since he kissed them for the first time, he never wanted to kiss any others. His heart told him they were the only ones for him. As they did this, he ran his hands down her back. He desperately yearned to become one with her. After a few moments, she moved her head and began to kiss his neck.

He swiftly picked her up and sat her on the right side of the bed. She stopped kissing his neck and went back to his lips. As they were doing this, she fell backwards onto the bed and he fell forward onto her. This was when he entered her. A little while later, they stopped kissing and gazed into each other's eyes. Then she put her left hand gently upon his right cheek.

"Before we continue," she said, "I'd like to ask you a question. Have you forgotten our little 'arrangement'?"

Kotlor got a blank stare in his eyes for a few seconds. Then he remembered what she was talking about.

"Why yes," he said. "I remember it."

"You're lying," she said. "You forgot about it until I reminded you just now. I can tell by the look in your eyes."

"Fine," he said. "You caught me. Can we just move on?"

"Yes," she said with a smirk on her face.

"Okay," he said. "So, do you want me to continue what I'm doing?"

She shook her head quickly from side to side.

"All right," he said. "Let me see if I can figure out what you want then."

He thought about it and all kinds of things ran through his mind. A little while later he finally came to a conclusion.

"I give up sweetheart," he said. "Please tell me."

"No," she said.

"Can you at least give me a hint then?" he asked.

"I'm not going to do that either," she said. "You have to figure it out on your own."

He began to think about it again and after a while, he settled on something. This time he thought she might have wanted his position during what they were doing. He lifted himself until he wasn't inside her anymore. Then he grabbed her waist and rolled onto his back as she rolled on top of him.

"Did I make the correct choice?" he asked.

"Yes," she said as she raised the top half of her body straight up.

He shifted his eyes to her chest because he found it enchanting. In fact, he found it to be perfect. She didn't hold it in such a high regard as he did though. Nonetheless, she was flattered by what he thought of it. He gazed at it for a while and then looked back up at her face. Since he found so many aspects of her body beautiful, he had trouble focusing on just one.

"You're so cute," he said.

Instead of responding, she lowered her head and placed a kiss upon his lips. While she was going this, she slightly bit his bottom one. This excited him because he liked it when she played a little rough in bed. She let go and sat up on her knees. Then she began to rock herself back and forth as she closed her eyes. All he could do was watch her in a hypnotic trance. Her seductive performance captivated him so much he couldn't blink.

"Oh...oh...oh," she quietly moaned. "This feels so good."

A few more seconds passed and he couldn't control himself any longer. She had become just too enticing for him, so he placed his hands on the front of her thighs. Then he ran them up and down them. After a while he moved them to the inside of her thighs. A little later he moved his hands up her stomach until he reached her naval. Feeling every inch of her body was one of his greatest pleasures. During this, she continued to rock back and forth as she moaned in absolute ecstasy. Nothing aroused him more than seeing her aroused. It was his ultimate aphrodisiac.

"From what I can see," he said as he watched her, "you seem to be enjoying yourself. Am I right?"

"Yes," she blurted out.

"Good," he said. "Just to let you know, I am too."

The candles around them kept burning just like their passion for one another. For them, the act they were doing now was the best way to display this passion. All the other acts shamefully dissolved into nothingness when they came into its presence.

"You know," he said after a minute, "you don't have to do all the work. I can do some too, if you're okay with that."

She stopped moving and opened her eyes. Then she put her hands on his chest where she rubbed them across it. By now his breathing was pretty heavy, so she could feel his chest moving up and down. He could always make her melt like the sun shining on some ice.

"You didn't answer my question," he said as he chuckled. "Do you want me to do some of the work or not?"

She stopped moving her hands and looked into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Yes, you may."

"Thank you," he said.

He started to slowly move the lower half of his body up and down. This caused the springs in their mattress to squeak, but they didn't find it annoying. They thought of it as the most beautiful sound in the world: the sound of their love for each other.

"Yes!" she exclaimed as she kept her hands on his chest. "Oh God, yes!"

She leaned forward until her chest dangled in front of his face again. He lifted his head and buried it in it. Then he started to pleasure her breasts with his mouth and tongue.

"Keep going," she said. "Don't stop."

Soon she became exhausted and fell forward onto him. She laid her right cheek on his left one and nuzzled it. As he kept thrusting, he wrapped his arms around her. It was almost as if he was trying to prevent someone, or something, from attempting to take her away. She was his and his alone.

"I love you so much," he said softly into her ear. "I wish we could freeze this moment so we could live in it forever."

"I feel the same way," she said. "I don't want it to end either."

Her pleasure became so great she started to climax. With each passing moment, it became more intense. This feeling traveled through her body until it was in every last inch of her. She was now in a state of absolute bliss. Everything else in her mind burned away so her joy could reign unencumbered.

"Mmm," she exclaimed.

She continued to savor the moment for all it was worth. This feeling was one of her favorites. There was nothing else in the world that could make her feel this way.

"Hold on," she said after a few more seconds.

Kotlor stopped thrusting.

"What is it?" he asked.

She moved the lower half of her body up until he wasn't inside her anymore. Not long after, her lower region became wet as did Kotlor and the bed. Then she lowered herself back onto him and placed her head next to his.

"You did it again," she said.

"Good," he said as he touched her left hand. "Satisfying you is one of the most important things in my life. I'm happy I was able to do it again."

"That was wonderful," she said. "There's nothing else like it."

"Well, we're not done yet," he said.

"I know," she said. "Please continue."

He started to move up and down again. Soon after, he started to feel a tingling sensation. As with Losa, the sensation intensified with each passing moment.

"Ah," he moaned.

Then he climaxed just like she did only mere seconds ago. Not only did he feel it, but she felt it as well. He stopped moving and stared into her eyes for a second. Each of them was panting hard now as beads of sweat dripped off their bodies. Their hair was also messy and sweaty. Despite this, they still saw the beauty in one another.

"Well," he said as he calmed down. "I think that about does it. What do you think?"

She leaned over him again and looked at his face.

"Yeah," she said.

She shook her head from side to side a couple times.

"It's a shame we made such a mess," she said as she looked around the room, "but it was worth it. Anyway, I think we should get some sleep now. We're going to have a busy day tomorrow."

"I agree," he said.

"Until next time," she said.

"Until next time," he repeated.

She kissed him on the lips one more time and then rolled off him. Kotlor then got out of the bed and went for some towels. When he returned, she crawled out of bed and they wiped each other off with them. They did this because the mood hadn't totally subsided yet. Once they finished, they threw the towels aside. Then he scooped her up from behind suddenly and held her in front of him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm going to carry you to your side of the bed," he said.

"All right," she said as she threw her head back. "Thank you."

He carried her over to her side and placed her down gently.

"Now I'm going to blow out the candles," he said.

"What should I do?" she asked.

"All you need to do is get comfortable," he said.

She nodded.

He walked over to one of the candles as she draped the covers over herself. Once all the candles were blown out, he got back into the bed with her. Even though the flames from them were no more, their smoke lingered on as a reminder of their romantic escape.

"Like always," she said as he placed the covers over himself, "you were magnificent tonight. You can always satisfy me that way."

"Thank you," he said. "You were incredible too."

She smiled at him and he did the same. Then she began to think about how fortunate she was to have him. Not only was he a good lover, but he also was a good husband and father. He worked hard to provide for them and was always there when they needed him. She honestly believed she couldn't do any better. He was everything she desired in a man. He was truly her soul mate.

Then she turned to her other side so she was facing away from him. A few seconds later she felt him move, and then felt the front of his body against her back. Right after that she felt his left arm resting on her chest. They each closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep to dream of pleasant things. Of course, none of them would be as pleasant as the one they just shared.

## POEM THE SEVENTH:

## PORTRAIT OF LIFE

Iptun, a city just like any other

Within it, a family who was just trying to survive

They may have had financial worries, but they also had one another

Despite the odds stacked against them, they marched on and somehow thrived

## CHAPTER THE EIGHTH:

## A TOUCH OF VILENESS

The next morning, Losa and Kotlor woke up to the sound of birds chirping. Kotlor got out of bed and put some pants on. Then he left the room to wake Jezry up. Once he did that, they got ready for the day and had breakfast.

Afterwards, Losa went to fetch a pencil and some paper to make a shopping list with. Kotlor and Jezry just stayed behind and waited for her. Before long, she came back with the supplies and sat down again.

"What are we going to get?" asked Jezry.

"All kinds of things," said Losa as she started writing. "We have to get meat, fish, bread, fruit, oatmeal, sugar, brown sugar, and spices. This house is almost empty. I don't know how we made it this far."

"What about vegetables?" asked Jezry.

"Come on Jezry," said Kotlor. "You should know better. We grow vegetables so we don't need to get any at the market."

"Sorry," she said as she looked down at the table. "I forgot."

Then she quickly looked back up at Losa.

"Don't forget to buy bananas," she said. "I really like those."

"I know you do," said Losa as she chuckled, "so we'll get some. Remind me though if I forget, okay?"

"It's a deal," she said.

Losa turned towards Kotlor.

"Is there anything else we need," she said, "or is this it?"

"I think that's it," he said.

"Good," she said. "We're all set then."

For the rest of the morning, Kotlor and Losa worked around the house while Jezry played. At noon they had lunch and then Losa decided it was time to go shopping. She grabbed the list from the kitchen table and took Jezry to the front door. Kotlor went with them because he wanted to see them off.

"We'll be back within an hour or two," she said. "What are you going to do while we're gone?"

"I'm going to work in the field," he said. "It's a job that never ends."

"Okay," she said, "but don't exhaust yourself. I don't want to come back and find you dead."

"Don't worry," he said. "You won't. If I get tired, I'll take a break."

"Good," she said. "We'll see you later then."

She grabbed Jezry's left hand.

"Bye Dad," said Jezry as Losa opened the door.

"Bye," he said as he waved at them.

Losa led her out the door and closed it.

Kotlor made sure they were gone and then headed over to the closet in the master bedroom. He opened it and lying on the floor was a worn-looking katana with some swordsmanship books next to it. The crops came first but he thought if he finished early, he could get in some practice with it. It'd be the perfect time because Jezry and Losa wouldn't be around to bother him. He picked up the sword and slid it under his belt. Then he went outside to work in the field. About an hour into it, he started watering the squashes.

"There better not be anything wrong with you," he said as if they could hear him.

While he was doing this, a group of men were walking down the road towards his house. They noticed him, but he was too busy working to notice them. They walked all the way up to the left side of his house and stopped.

"Hey you!" yelled one of them to him.

He jumped a little and put his watering can on the ground. Then he put his right hand over his eyes to block the sun, and looked in the direction of the holler.

"May we have a word with you?" shouted the man again.

He lowered his hand and walked back towards the house. The sun was starting to get to him now, so he went under the canopy above the front door. After taking a deep breath, he gestured for them to come over to him.

They walked up to him as he wiped some sweat from his forehead. He noticed they were wearing somewhat tattered clothes and looked a little grimy. The thought of them having just emerged from a rough situation entered into his mind. This was the only possible explanation he could come up with. However, their eyes didn't reflect this displeasing nature. They showed lives that were above their physical appearances. It was like the men saw something about themselves that others didn't.

"May I help you?" asked Kotlor.

"Yes," he said. "We could use some assistance."

"Okay," asked Kotlor, "How can I help you then?"

"We've been traveling for quite some time," he said, "and we need some supplies. You see, your house was chosen as the source for them. Unfortunately that makes you a witness and we can't afford one. In other words, we're going to kill you and take your stuff."

Kotlor squinted and leaned in a little.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"Here are your answers," said the man.

He raised his leg and smashed it into Kotlor's chest. Kotlor went flying into the air and crashed into the door. It came off its frame and went flying through the air with him. Not long after, it landed on the living room floor while he landed face up on top of it.

The pain in his chest and back was so bad he couldn't get up. He couldn't even move his head, so he just stared at the ceiling. However, he didn't think anything was broken.

Meanwhile, his attacker walked into the house with the others not far behind. One could see by the way they waltzed in they were very arrogant. They acted as if they were the ones who owned the place.

"I'm so glad Losa and Jezry aren't here right now," thought Kotlor. "I have to get these people out of here before they get back. I really hope I can do that."

"This is a nice home you have," said one of the men as he looked around. "It has a very nice décor."

"Get out now!" shouted Kotlor as he kept looking at the ceiling.

The man walked over to him and knelt by his face. Kotlor turned his head slightly so he could see him.

"I'm sorry," he said. "We can't leave. My friend told you earlier we need your things. You should really listen more carefully to what people say."

He stood back up.

"Come one everyone," he said. "Let's get our stuff."

Everybody except for Kotlor's attacker spread out and started to wander around the house. After the pain subsided a little, Kotlor began to pick himself off the door. When he finished he found his rather tall assailant standing before him. His cold brown eyes showed no fear, and more worrisome, no mercy. This was the moment when reality hit Kotlor like a brick. He never fought anybody before, let alone a group of people. His heart began to race as his stomach sank. The thought of these people in his house was also unsettling. It disgusted him and made him feel violated.

"I told you to leave," said Kotlor. "Now go."

"No," said the man. "We have a job to do. As the others search for goods that may be of use to us, I'll deal with you myself."

"Who in the hell are you people?" asked Kotlor.

"My name is Contanis," he said, "and that's all you need to know."

He placed his hand up to his mouth and coughed a little.

"You'll have to excuse me," he said as he ran his hand through his short black hair. "I have a passion for cigarettes."

"You sick bastards," said Kotlor. "I don't know if I'll be able to stop all of you, but I'm sure as hell going to try. That's the way I want to die if I'm going to."

"Your efforts will be futile," said Contanis as he pulled out his katana. "You'll never be able to defeat me, let alone all of us."

While keeping his eyes on Contanis, Kotlor slowly drew his sword from his sheath.

"I commend your bravery," said Contanis, "but it'll be in vain. Listen, I'll make you a deal. If you lay down your sword now, I'll kill you quickly and painlessly. This way we can avoid an unnecessary confrontation. I'll be spared of extra work while you'll be spared of misery and humiliation. It's a win, win for both sides. What do you say?"

Kotlor raised his right hand and gave him the middle finger.

"I'll take my chances," he said.

"You made a very bad choice," said Contanis. "You should have accepted my offer."

He thrust his sword at Kotlor, but he blocked it with his. Then Contanis used all his weight and pushed him back with his sword. Kotlor stumbled and fell to the ground on his back like before. Contanis walked up to him and tried to stab him in the head. However, he rolled out of the way and his sword penetrated the wooden floor. Kotlor then crawled up onto his right knee while Contanis yanked his sword out. Once he did that, he swung his sword down at his head. With great swiftness, Kotlor raised his sword above his head and parried it. Then he jerked it up and Contanis's sword snapped back into his forehead.

"Crap!" he yelled.

Then Kotlor pushed him into the wall with all his strength and pinned him there. As Contanis struggled to break free, he looked into Kotlor's eyes. There was something in them that intrigued him. It was yet another reason why he wanted to keep fighting.

"He's much stronger than I expected," Contanis thought. "I can see his aggression, his anger, his hatred. He'll stay true to his word about fighting us to the bitter end."

"Listen you sicko," said Kotlor. "I'll use every ounce of my energy to stop you. Do you hear me?"

"Yes," said Contanis, "I hear you. Now make me fucking believe it."

He punched Kotlor in the stomach and he stumbled back a couple feet. Then he thrust his sword at his chest, but he jumped back and evaded it. Now Kotlor was sweating and panting something fierce now. With his left hand, he quickly wiped the sweat from his brow before it got into his eyes.

"I'm surprised," said Contanis. "You actually have some skill, but it won't be enough to beat me."

Kotlor didn't say anything. Instead, he threw his sword at him like a spear. Contanis swerved out of the way and the sword flew into the wall blade first. However, he bumped a wooden table and the kerosene lamp on it fell off. It crashed into the ground where it broke into a bunch of pieces. This didn't faze Contanis and Kotlor though. They didn't even flinch.

"Holy shit!" thought Contanis. "He's trying anything to stop me."

Kotlor rushed over to him and punched him in the arm he was holding his sword with. It fell out of his hand and hit the floor. Then Kotlor grabbed his arm and flipped him over his shoulder. He hit the ground with a mighty thud and laid there stunned for a second. Then he swung his legs backwards and hit Kotlor in the chest. He stumbled back into the wall, but he stood his ground. Then Contanis started to get back onto his feet as he ran at him again. He saw him coming and quickly got onto his right knee.

"That's right," he thought. "Come and get me you son of a bitch."

He bent down as Kotlor grabbed him from above. Then he swung the upper half of his body up and Kotlor went flying through the air. With a loud thud, he landed on the ground in front of the sofa. Contanis climbed back onto his feet and went over to get his sword. When he returned, he found him on his right knee with his left hand on the sofa.

"What is this?" asked Contanis. "You can't stand anymore? What a damn shame this turned out to be. I thought you were stronger."

"Don't underestimate me you arrogant bastard," said Kotlor.

His body ached so he used the sofa to help hoist himself back up. Contanis just stood there and watched him shake as he did this. Once he was standing again, Contanis did a vertical slash at him. However, he grabbed the blade before it hit him. Now blood started to trickle down his arm onto his hand.

"So," said Contanis, "you'll suffer a small injury in order to avoid a major one. You should be proud of yourself right now. You've shown you're a worthy adversary."

"I'll do anything to defeat you," snarled Kotlor.

During the standoff, Contanis's men were starting to walk back into room with the times they took.

"There's nobody else here," said one of them to Contanis as he entered.

Then they realized what was going on, so they dropped their items and pulled their swords out. The supplies were important, but Contanis's safety was their number one priority.

Contanis turned his attention towards his men while still looking at Kotlor.

"You don't have to interfere," said Contanis. "We're going to leave now."

Then he gave his attention back to Kotlor.

"I think I'm going to let you live," he said. "You've shown me you're a good fighter and that makes me want to talk with you further. My men and I will be staying on the outskirts of the city tonight on the west side. If you're interested, please pay us a visit. As for your belongings, you can keep them. Think of it as a reward for being my equal."

Kotlor let go of his sword and then Contanis turned his attention to his men again. Strewn across their faces now were confused expressions.

"You heard me," he said as he put his sword back into sheath. "Put his stuff down. We're going to leave."

They put their swords away as well and then hastily left through the front door. Kotlor watched them leave and once they were gone, he took a deep breath. Then he looked around the room as he collected his thoughts.

"I should really take care of my wounds first," he said, "but I really want a drink."

He went into the kitchen and pulled a bottle of whiskey out of the cupboard. Then he went over to the kitchen table and plopped down on one of the chairs. After pulling the cork out, he put it up to his face and sighed in relief. Then he took a swig of it.

"Son of a bitch," he said. "What a day."

A little later Losa and Jezry came home from shopping. They walked up to the front of the house and they noticed the empty doorframe. Then they saw the door lying on the floor inside.

"What's the door doing in there?" she asked.

"What's wrong?" asked Jezry as she looked at her.

"I don't know," said Losa.

They cautiously walked inside and saw all the items Contanis's men had dumped just a short time ago. They also saw the broken lamp on the floor. More fear started to brew inside them now.

"Why are all these things in the living room?" asked Losa as she looked it. "They're not supposed to be in here."

Then she looked straight ahead.

"Kotlor," she yelled, "are you in here?"

"Yes," he yelled back. "I'm in the kitchen."

They walked into it and found him sitting at the table. Next to him was a partially empty whiskey bottle.

"What in the hell happened?" asked Losa as she set the groceries on the table.

"There's nothing to worry about," he said as he waved his hand at them. "Some thugs just came in here to try and rob the place. They also tried to kill me, but I got rid of them."

"Good lord," said Losa. "Are you okay? Do you want to go to the doctor?"

"I'm fine," he said. "I don't need a doctor. I just have some small bumps and bruises."

"Thank God," she said. "Look, stay here and I'll get the first aid kit."

She hurried out of the kitchen and then Jezry went over to him. He picked her up and put her on his right knee.

"I'm glad you're all right," she said as she hugged him.

"I am too," he said.

A minute later, Losa came back with the kit and placed it on the table.

"I'm going to put you back down now," he said, "because your mom has to make me all better."

"Okay," she said.

He put her back on the floor while Losa opened the box.

"Are you sure you don't want to see a doctor?" she asked.

"Yes," he said a little more forcefully.

"All right," she said. "I believe you."

She began to work on him. Afterward, he worked on the front door while Losa and Jezry cleaned up the rest of the mess. He got it back on the frame and reattached it, but it wasn't done properly. After what just had happened to him, he didn't feel up to putting a lot of effort into it. He figured he could do it the right way tomorrow after getting some rest.

Later that night they ate dinner, but there was more silence than usual. The incident had interrupted their lives, and it wasn't going to be easy for them to get over it.

"Should I visit them or not?" thought Kotlor. "They appear to be evil, but I'm intrigued by what Contanis said. Maybe I've just misjudged them. Besides, I can always leave if I end up not liking the rest of what he has to say."

Then he began to rub his chin with his left hand.

"On second thought," he said to himself, "this could be a setup to finish me off. If that happens, I'll try to escape. It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring my sword just in case. Also, I should report them to the police after I leave."

He took a break and glanced over at Jezry and Losa.

"The only good thing about this is they won't be there," he thought, "so they shouldn't be in harm's way."

All these thoughts were starting to get to him, so he tried to concentrate on the meal. He cut a piece off his steak and put it in his mouth.

"You know what," he thought, "I think I will take Contanis up on his offer. I'll go there right after I'm done eating."

"Kotlor," said Losa as she broke the silence.

He looked at her.

"This is the third time I've tried to get your attention," she said. "How's your steak? Does it taste okay?"

"Yes," he said. "It's good as usual."

Jezry then plopped a piece of her steak into her mouth.

"I like it too," said Jezry. "It's nice and wet."

"I think you mean 'juicy'," said Kotlor.

"Okay," said Jezry. "It's nice and juicy."

Losa turned her attention towards her.

"Thank you for the compliment," she said, "but don't talk with your mouth full. It's impolite and more importantly, you could choke."

"Yes Mom," said Jezry.

Losa took a bite of her baked potato.

"I can't believe how big these are," she said after she swallowed it. "They could be meals by themselves."

"Yeah," said Kotlor. "They're almost as big as Jezry, but they taste better."

"That's mean," said Jezry.

"What?" asked Kotlor. "Do you want to taste good so people will eat you?"

Jezry thought about this for a moment.

"No," she said.

"Good," he said. "Be happy you taste bad then."

"Okay," she said. "Hey, do you and Mom taste bad too?"

"I do," he said, "but your mom tastes delicious. I could eat her all the time."

Losa got a blank expression on her face for a moment. Then she reached over and slapped him on the left shoulder.

"Ouch," he said. "What'd you do that for?"

"I know what you meant by that," said Losa. "Don't say things like that in front of her. It's not appropriate."

"Well," he said, "that's the way I feel. Besides, she doesn't know what I'm talking about anyway."

"I still don't think you should be doing it," said Losa. "Now, eat your food."

After they finished eating, Kotlor tried to come up with a different reason for wanting to leave the house. This was because he couldn't let Losa and Jezry know the truth. He thought about it for a while and came up with something plausible.

"I'm going to go to the police," he said as Losa stood up from her chair, "and tell them what happened. I don't know how long it's going to take though."

"I completely understand," she said as she picked up his plate. "You should report them. I hope they catch those...scumbags."

Then she got a distressed look on her face and put her left hand on her forehead. Tears began to run down her cheeks, but she regained her composure.

"I'm so happy you weren't hurt...or killed," she said. "I don't know what I would have done if either of those things happened."

He put his right hand on her face. Then he gently moved her head until her eyes were looking into his.

"Everything is okay now," said Kotlor. "You shouldn't worry about what could have happened. You should just worry about what did happen."

"You seem to be taking this whole situation very well," she said. "I thought you'd be more bothered by it."

"Being upset about it isn't going to change anything," he said. "Life goes on after these things happen. Besides, you won't be able to focus on the good things in life if you just focus on the bad."

She smiled and he stood up from his chair. Then he kissed her on the lips.

"I'll see you later," he said.

"You and Ternay have a safe trip," she said.

He walked over to Jezry, who was still sitting at the table.

"I'll see you later too," he said as he patted her on the head with his right hand.

"Bye Dad," she said. "Have fun at the police station."

"Okay," he said as he gave her an awkward smile.

He left the house and headed for the shed as the cool air brushed against his skin. He walked inside and went into the far-left corner. Resting against one of the walls was his sword and sheath. Normally he kept them in his closet, but this time he put them here while Losa was making dinner. He didn't want her to see them because they'd make her suspicious.

"This better not be a trap," he said to himself as he picked them up. "There are going to be a lot of people there."

He put them in his belt and then went over to the stable to get Ternay ready.

"Okay Ternay," he said as he walked inside, "it's time for another trip."

Then he took a whiff of the air.

"It smells like mold in here," he said, "and I'm sure you can smell it too. My guess is the boards are starting to rot again, but don't worry about it. I'll take care of it as soon as I can."

He made his way to a closed stall on the right side of the room. Inside it was the five year old Clydesdale and she was as alert as ever. He was taken by her majesty and just admired her for a minute. It didn't matter that he'd seen her every day since he and Losa bought her three years ago. She was a great workhorse and had a great personality to match. He and Losa thought of her as their other daughter, while Jezry thought of her as her sister. This earned her the reputation of being the most well taken care of horse in the town.

Despite the danger this trip could hold, he needed to take her with him. The location was pretty far away from his house, so walking there wouldn't do him any favors.

He went over to a cart filled with stuff on the left side of the wall, and started rummaging through it. The cart was there for Ternay to pull if they needed to move anything heavy. She never minded it though. In fact, they got the feeling she kind of liked hauling things around. They figured it was because it made her feel useful. Once he found the harness and saddle, he took them out and went into Ternay's stall. He carefully put them on her and then climbed on top of her. After gently kicking her sides, he rode her out of the stable.

As he was riding, the sun began to set and a slight breeze blew across his skin. These two things along with Contanis's nature made him feel uneasy about the meeting.

"This is a bad idea," he said to Ternay. "Nobody in their right mind would meet with men like those right before nightfall. This is just asking for trouble. We should go back home."

He turned around and headed back to his house. However, Contanis's words continued to echo inside his head.

"Even though this could be dangerous," he said to Ternay, "he might have something of interest to me. He might have something I didn't know I was looking for."

He pondered this for several minutes and eventually the temptation became too great. He turned back around and galloped towards the meeting place again.

When he reached the outskirts of the town, he found a campfire surrounded with men and tents. He figured it was Contanis's group, so he rode up to them and stopped next to a tree. After climbing off Ternay, he tied the reins around the trunk of it to keep her from getting away. Then he went up to the group of men.

As he walked, he noticed Contanis sitting on a log with a man standing to his right. Each of them was facing his direction and they smiled deviously when they saw him. Then Kotlor shifted his eyes to the fire. He could swear it was feeding off the energy of the people surrounding it instead of the oxygen in the air.

"Greetings," said Contanis as Kotlor came up to them. "I'm glad you took my offer to heart."

He stopped a couple feet away from him and just looked at him with a drab expression on his face.

"Why'd I have to come out here to continue this?" asked Kotlor. "Couldn't we have just finished it earlier today?"

"Because," said Contanis, "your house was neither the appropriate time nor place."

He began to sit down on a log across from him.

"Don't bother sitting," said Contanis. "You'll just have to get back up right away."

Kotlor stopped and just looked at him. He could feel his hands beginning to shake.

"Why?" he asked.

"I told you I wanted to talk with you before," said Contanis. "That's still true, but I'd like to do something else first. I feel we should continue where we left off earlier today because I want to confirm something...something very important."

Kotlor quickly stood back up and pulled his sword from his sheath.

"So this is a trap to kill me," he said, "you rotten bastard."

"No," said Contanis as he raised his right hand in front of himself. "It's just as I told you."

"I don't trust you," said Kotlor. "You could just be using that as a ploy so I'll stay."

"I see you're angry," he said, "and distrustful of me. That's good. Use those two things as fuel when you fight me."

He stood up and began to walk to the left. Kotlor followed him and when they were far enough away from the fire, they stopped. Contanis started to draw his sword and then Kotlor did the same.

By this point, each of them could feel their energy pulsating within themselves as well as each other. They were like two windows ready to be shattered, but not into shards of glass. The shards would be violence. Contanis's men formed a circle around them and watched them. They hoped this shattering would be nothing less than magnificent.

"Listen up men," said Contanis. "No matter what happens, I don't want any of you to intervene. This is my fight and my fight alone."

He stepped forward suddenly and swung his sword horizontally at him. Kotlor jumped backwards though and narrowly escaped the blade.

"You have quick reflexes," said Contanis. "A lot of people don't."

Kotlor dashed towards him and spun around to the right. Then he crouched and thrust his sword at Contanis's waist. However, Contanis placed his sword there and blocked his with one of the blade's flat sides.

"You also know a variety of attacks," he said. "It's a shame this one didn't work despite your admirable attempt. Doesn't that make you angrier?"

Then he kicked him in the chest with his left foot. Kotlor went flying onto the ground on his back as a cloud of dust rose from it.

"Way to go Contanis," said Balaz as he shook his left fist in the air.

Contanis turned towards him and gave him a slight bow.

"Why thank you," he said. "I appreciate that."

While he was distracted, Kotlor got onto his right knee. Then he noticed a decent sized rock on the ground in front of him.

Meanwhile, Contanis turned back towards him.

"Pick yourself back up," he said, "or are you perhaps done?"

"I'm getting back up," said Kotlor.

He shoved his sword into the ground in front of the rock. This way it'd be hidden from Contanis's view. Then he picked it up and dropped it into his right pocket. Once he knew he had it for sure, he hoisted himself back up with his sword.

Immediately after this, Contanis lunged at him with his sword. When he got close enough, he thrust it at his head but Kotlor moved out of the way. As the sword flew past him, he punched Contanis in the chest with his left fist. Contanis staggered back a couple feet before swinging his sword diagonally at Kotlor's head. He ducked under it with impeccable speed though and dived at Contanis. He grabbed him around the waist and they went sailing onto the ground. Once they landed, Contanis rolled on top of him and pinned his arms to the ground with his. Then he lowered his head until it was few inches away from his face. Kotlor could now feel his warm sinister breath on his flesh.

"This must really piss you off," said Contanis. "You come all the way out here and I kick your ass with ease. How embarrassing this must be for you."

"No," said Koltor. "You're the one who should be embarrassed."

He swung his head forward and smashed it right into Contanis's.

"Ah!" screamed Contanis in pain as he let go of his arms.

Then he slugged him in the face with his left hand and he fell to the ground. As he lay there stunned, Kotlor grabbed his sword and stood back up. He wasn't fast enough though. By the time he was standing again, Contanis was too with his sword. He gazed at Kotlor as he rubbed the part of his face that was hit.

"That was a pretty good shot," he thought. "He almost broke my face."

"I'm getting sick of this," thought Kotlor. "It's time to bring this to an end."

"Congratulations on making contact with your attack this time," said Contanis. "You're certainly physically strong."

"You haven't seen anything yet you son of a bitch," said Kotlor as he shook his head from side to side.

"I haven't?" asked Contanis. "By all means then, please demonstrate."

Kotlor slipped the rock out of his pocket and clenched it in his fist. Then he began to walk backwards. As for Contanis, he was still oblivious to Kotlor's surprise.

"It's always nice to see a person who's my equal on the battlefield," said Contanis.

"I may be your equal on the battlefield," said Kotlor, "but I'm not your equal in anything else. You should never forget that."

"Now I don't know about that," said Contanis. "It's unwise to make a judgment on something you don't yet fully understand."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" asked Kotlor as he stopped.

He was now a pretty good distance away from Contanis.

"Be patient," said Contanis. "All shall be revealed when the time is right."

He raised his sword above his head and then dashed at him.

Kotlor stayed where he was and kept his eyes fixated on Contanis. Then when he got close enough, he hurled the rock at him. Before Contanis knew what had just happened, the stone smashed into his forehead.

"Yes," thought Kotlor. "I nailed the motherfucker."

His head snapped backwards as he stopped dead in his tracks. There was gash on his forehead now and blood was starting to run out of it onto his face. Kotlor looked at his hands and saw that his grip on his sword had loosened, so he bolted up to him. Once he got close enough, he knocked the sword out of his hands with his and it hit the ground. Then he put his sword right up to the left side of his neck. Contanis regained his senses and brought his head forward. His eyes ended up meeting Kotlor's and they stared at each other. The only sound now was their slow heavy breathing.

As for Contanis's men, they were still watching them. What they just saw amazed but also frightened them.

"This is madness," said Rox to himself. "I have to stop this."

He put his hand on his sword and began to pull it out of his sheath.

"Stop right there," said Balaz as he walked up to him. "I'd follow Contanis's orders if I were you."

"He might kill Contanis though," said Rox. "I have to stop him."

Balaz took his sword out and placed it near his neck.

"I said put it back," said Balaz fiercely. "His orders mustn't be breached. If you continue, I will take you down."

Rox sighed and slid his sword back into his sheath. Then Balaz removed his sword from his neck.

"That was the right decision," said Balaz as he put his away. "You would have thrown your life away for no good reason."

Meanwhile, Contanis was still playing with Kotlor's mind. He was like a malevolent blacksmith pounding away at a sheet of metal with his hammer. With every strike he was trying to shape it into a different form. Any normal person would be horrified by the form he was trying to create, but not him. He'd be pleased with it.

"Tell me," said Contanis, "what'd you hit me with?"

"A rock," said Kotlor. "I found it after you kicked me to the ground earlier. You didn't see it though because I covered it up with my sword when I picked it up."

"You're also resourceful," said Contanis. "You exploited an object in your environment to give yourself a tactical advantage over me. Not only that, you were also shrewd enough to hide it from me as well. That's very interesting."

Then he began to laugh heartily.

"What's so goddamn funny?" asked Kotlor.

"This definitely verifies it," he said as he stopped. "You're indeed my equal in combat. You show all the signs of a great warrior: fast reflexes, a variety of attacks, strength, resourcefulness, and shrewdness. However, one thing still puzzles me."

"And what's that?" asked Kotlor.

"Why haven't you killed me yet?" asked Contanis. "You said earlier this was a trap designed to kill you, so wouldn't you have done anything to get out of it? Perhaps you don't truly believe that. Maybe you believe I was speaking the truth when I told you I wanted to talk with you more."

"You and your men are pure evil," said Kotlor. "I'd never trust any of you."

"If that's really what you think," said Contanis, "then you should strike me down. Go ahead. Do it."

Kotlor pressed the blade against his neck a little. A small drop of blood dripped out of the cut and rolled down his neck.

Contanis's men watched this without blinking. They held their breath in weary anticipation. None of them have ever seen their leader so close to death before. They felt as if time had stopped.

"Contanis," muttered Rox, "what are you doing? This is suicide."

Balaz put his hand on his shoulder.

"Have faith in him," he said. "He's far wiser than you think."

"I hope you're right about that," said Rox. "If he dies, I don't know what the fuck we're going to do."

A few seconds later, Kotlor pulled it away and put it against his side.

"Now that's the choice I hoped you'd make," said Contanis. "That proves you must trust me."

He calmly walked back to the log he was sitting on before and sat down.

"Please," he said, "have a seat. You've earned it."

Kotlor put his sword away and walked over. He sat on the log he was going to sit on before. The flames danced around them as if they were possessed by some demon not of this world.

"I'm not going to beat around this one," said Kotlor. "I'm just going to go straight for the jugular vein. During our duel, you said I was a good fighter as well as your equal? Why's that important to you?"

Contanis pulled out a silver steal cigarette holder from his left pocket. The light of the fire made it glisten so Kotlor's eyes were drawn to it. It was like he was in some sort of trance. Then Contanis took a cigarette out and put it back. Now Kotlor looked back at him like the spell over him had been broken.

"Do you mind if I smoke?" he asked.

"No," said Kotlor.

Contanis held the cigarette up to the fire. Once it was lit, he slowly placed it in his mouth and inhaled the fumes for a while.

During this, Kotlor just sat patiently and waited for him to finish. It wasn't easy though. The mysteriousness of the answers to his questions kept prodding him.

Meanwhile, Contanis lazily removed the cigarette from his mouth. Then he tilted his head and blew a mist of smoke into the air. Even though he was in the middle of something important, he felt there was no need to rush this. Sometimes savoring what he was doing was the only way to do it.

"I'm going to be straight with you," he said. "My men and I are part of a special group called the 'elite'. We're known as elitists and we're better than those who aren't because we're stronger. When I say 'stronger', I mean we're physically stronger and better in combat than they are. However, that's only the first half of the equation. The other half is we've been enlightened to rule them by any means necessary. They're merely weaklings who serve no other purpose besides being subjugated by people like us."

"But why should the weak be ruled by the strong?" asked Kotlor. "Shouldn't they all be treated the same?"

"The idea of everybody being equal is a farce," said Contanis as he waved his right hand at him. "The strong have the right as well as the obligation to rule over the weak with absolute power. If the two groups are different, why should they be treated the same? If one group is better than the other, why shouldn't they be treated as such?"

He took another puff from his cigarette. Then he flicked some of the loose ash from it onto the ground, just like the people he considered inferior to him.

"When you pinned me against the wall in your house earlier today," he continued, "I peered into your eyes and saw something. In them I saw your power, your strength. You're definitely part of the elite like we are. That's why I asked you to come out here tonight. I want to discuss your future."

Then he realized something. He pulled out his cigarette holder again and removed another cigarette from it.

"Please forgive me for not asking you sooner," he said as he held it up. "Would you care for one?"

"No thank you," said Kotlor. "I don't smoke."

"You don't?" said Contanis. "You could have fooled me because you don't seem bothered by it."

"That's not exactly true," said Kotlor. "Sometimes it makes me cough a little."

He put the cigarette back and placed the holder in his pocket. Then out of the corner of his eyes, he saw little flashes of yellow circles in the air around them. After taking a closer look they turned out to be fireflies. Normally this many wouldn't be out at this time of the year, but the weather was warmer than usual. He took a moment to admire them as they glowed miraculously and drifted through the air in silence. Even a man of his nature could appreciate their beauty and grace.

"Now," said Kotlor, "back to what you were saying before. What do you mean by 'discussing my future'?"

"I'd like you to join us," said Contanis. "You'd make an excellent addition to my group."

"I see," said Kotlor as his eyes wandered.

"That's not all though," said Contanis. "You see, the rest of us are heading to a city called Vallone tomorrow. We want to try to take it over."

"And that's because its residents are weaker than you," said Kotlor.

The smoke was now starting to irritate Kotlor. He quickly placed his hand up to his mouth and coughed.

"Yes," said Contanis, "but that's not the only reason why Vallone was chosen for our plan. Its government and police force aren't that experienced because it's fairly new. This means the odds of gaining control of it will be in our favor."

"Well, how do you know the residents are weaker than you?" asked Kotlor.

"Because of statistics," said Contanis. "The vast majority of them will be weaker than us. As for the ones who are as strong as us, we'll try to get them into our ranks. If they refuse though, we'll kill them. We don't need any threats lying around now, do we?"

Kotlor was amazed by Contanis's plan. This wasn't some hackneyed scheme. He put a lot of thought into it and covered all the angles.

"Now," continued Contanis, "if you decide to join us, you'll be given power beyond your wildest dreams. Just think what you could do with it. You could have all the money, drugs, women, and alcohol you wanted. You could also do whatever you wanted with them. In fact, the only limit would be what you'd set for yourself."

As Contanis spoke, a peculiar coldness appeared in the area despite the fire raging on in-between them. Kotlor felt it and began to shiver a little, but he wouldn't let it distract him from listening to what Contanis had to say. Contanis felt the coldness as well, but he continued to sit still like a statue. This wasn't anything he hadn't experienced before.

"Wow," said Kotlor, "I don't think I've ever come across an opportunity like this before."

"Exactly" said Contanis. "Not only does it entail so many wondrous things, it may only tempt you once in your life. This is something you should seize. I can't stress that enough."

He took one more puff of his cigarette and then knocked some more ash off it. Smoke started to rise from the pile on the ground, but that was all.

"Enough about me," he said. "Let's learn a little about you. When did you start practicing with the sword?"

"A couple years ago," said Kotlor. "I saved up enough money and bought my katana used. It's the only sword I've ever owned."

"Why?" asked Contanis.

"Do you mean 'why I started'?" asked Kotlor.

He nodded.

"I thought it'd be a fun," said Kotlor, "and good for me to learn self-defense. Judging from what I saw today, learning swordsmanship wasn't such a bad idea."

"Do you have any formal training?" asked Contanis.

"No," said Kotlor. "I could never afford it. However, I've bought books on sword training over the years. I guess you could say I'm self-taught."

"That's remarkable," he said. "Teaching one's self can often be a more difficult way to learn something. You never fail to impress me."

Kotlor didn't say anything. He just stared at him.

As for Contanis, he grew antsy so he began to move his legs around.

"There's one last thing I'd like to ask you before your departure," he said as he stopped.

"Okay," said Kotlor. "What is it?"

"Do you have a family?" asked Contanis.

"Yes," said Kotlor. "I have a wife and daughter."

"Very good," said Contanis. "By any chance, do you happen to have a photograph with you? I'd like to see what they look like."

"Yeah, I have one," said Kotlor.

He pulled one out of his left pocket and handed it to him. It was a picture of the three of them standing in front of their field.

"They're lovely," said Contanis.

Then he gestured for one of his men to come up to him. He did and Contanis handed him the photograph.

"Take a look at it and then show it to the others," said Contanis.

The man nodded and walked away. Soon the rest of the men huddled around him and he passed it around. While they were doing this, Contanis and Kotlor just waited patiently until they were done with it. Once they were, the man holding it returned it to Kotlor.

"Let me ask you something about your family," said Contanis as Kotlor put it away. "Could they hold their own against us?"

Even though he asked this, he actually knew the answer to it. He also knew Kotlor knew it as well. The reason he asked it was to get him to say the answer out loud. This way it'd be reinforced for him.

"What do you mean?" asked Kotlor.

"If they were home when we attacked you," said Contanis, "could they've defended themselves?"

"No," said Kotlor, "of course not. I'd have to protect them because they don't know how to fight."

"Do you realize," said Contanis, "by doing that, you would have hindered yourself? Instead of dealing with just me, you would have had to worry about them. They could have gotten you killed. Just think about that."

"That's...possible," said Kotlor as he squinted.

"If somebody can't learn how to take care of him or herself," asked Contanis, "why should you be responsible for them? That's not fair to you. Listen, weak people die all the time. That's the law of nature. The only thing they can do is hold people like us back. Why should you be punished for being good at something?"

Kotlor looked at the ground. Every point Contanis made was like a needle that pierced deeply into his mind. Getting them out was going to be tough. A brief time later, he looked back up at him.

"If all the weak people happened to die," continued Contanis, "only the strong ones would remain. That world would be the best world of all. There'd be nobody who'd hold the strong back. Now with that being said, it comes down to one question and one question only. Do you want to spend the rest of your days being a bodyguard for people who don't deserve it? Or do you want to spend the rest of your days being a ruler of people who do deserve it?"

By this time his cigarette was a little nub, so he chucked it into the fire. Kotlor watched him in silence as he did this. When it landed in the flames, he shifted his eyes to it and watched it get consumed by them. Once it was no more he laid his eyes on Contanis again.

"In order to prove you're worthy of joining us," he said, "you have to complete a special task. You have to exterminate your wife and daughter. This can be done however you like, but you're going to have to bring back their heads to us as proof. Keep them recognizable though. We want to makes sure they're the right ones."

He turned his head to the left and spit on the ground. Then he faced Kotlor again.

"We'll be in this city until 10:00 AM this Tuesday," he continued. "You'll be able to find us in the alley next to the flower shop on the main road. Once that time hits we'll set out for Vallone. Therefore, you'll have almost two and a half days to do this. Do you have any questions?"

Kotlor shook his head from side to side listlessly.

"Very good," he said. "I have nothing more to say. You may depart."

Kotlor just continued to sit there. He didn't say anything; not even a thank you. All this information overwhelmed him and he didn't know how to respond to it. Finally, he stood back up and went over to Ternay. After untying her from the tree trunk, he climbed on top of her and galloped into the darkness.

Contanis and his men watched him until he vanished. His reaction to this fascinated them.

"The seed has been planted," said Contanis to himself. "All we can do now is hope it grows."

One of Contanis's men turned his attention towards him.

"Do you think he'll actually go through with it?" he asked.

"I really don't know," said Contanis, "but I do know this."

He stood up and quickly stretched his arms and legs.

"Everyone," he said, "may I have your attention?"

Everybody concentrated on him.

"Remember what I said earlier," he said. "If Kotlor fails to complete his task, we'll slay him and his family before we leave for Vallone. It's very crucial the police don't learn any of this."

"They could have told other people about this you know," said the same man.

"We'll keep an eye out for other people who know," said Contanis, "and if we find any, we'll kill them too. There's no way our plan can be foolproof, but we're sure as hell going to make it the closest we can."

"Yes, Contanis," said all his followers in unison.

Then he shifted his attention towards Rox and walked towards him. As he did this, he gave him a cold stare. Rox was oblivious to this at first, but then he noticed it. Suddenly his mouth went dry as his skin turned pale.

"I heard what you were going to do during my battle with Kotlor," he said as he stopped. "Don't you ever disobey my orders again. If you do, I'll kill you immediately and without mercy. I will not tolerate such insubordination."

"Yes sir," said Rox. "I'm sorry. I'll never do it again."

"I hope you speak the truth," said Contanis. "Your life depends on it."

"It's just I've been surrounded by inferior people my whole life," he said. "It wasn't until I met you and the rest that I found people who were on my level. Even since then, I've become very protective of you all. I don't want to lose any of you because I don't know if I'd find anybody like me again."

"I know what being surrounded by inferior people is like," he said. "We all know that too well. It's one of the most horrific feelings there is. I also appreciate your sentiment towards me. However, the fact remains you were going to disobey one of my orders. So remember, keep your emotions in check from now on."

Then he turned his attention towards Balaz.

"Thank you for stopping him," he said. "You're a loyal follower."

"Thank you," said Balaz. "I exist only to serve you."

He turned his attention back to Rox.

"Put out this fire," he said. "I'm going to retire for the evening."

"Yes, Contanis," said Rox.

He left for his tent as Rox went to retrieve a bucket of water.

While Contanis was walking, Balaz sprinted up behind him.

"Contanis," he said, "please stop for a second."

He stopped and turned around.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Kotlor almost killed you," said Balaz. "If he chose to do it, he would have. You left your life completely in his hands. How could you do something so dangerous?"

"It was the only way to properly test him," he said. "If he chose to kill me, then it would have been my time to die. Is that all you wanted to say?"

"There's one more thing," said Balaz. "Even though he didn't kill you, he still defeated you. Doesn't that mean he's stronger than you?"

"Physically," he said, "maybe. Mentally, I don't know. My words had such an effect on him he couldn't bring himself to kill me. He had to hear more. I don't know if he would have been able to do the same if our roles were reversed. Are you done now?"

"Yes," said Balaz. "Good night."

He left to go keep watch on the campsite while Contanis headed towards his tent again. When he got inside, he went over to two canvas bags in the left corner. He took a towel out of the white one and dabbed his forehead with it.

"Wow," he said to himself. "This still stings. Nevertheless, it's still a worthy parting gift."

After he finished, he placed it in the black one. Then he went over to a brown one near his makeshift bed of a couple blankets. He reached inside and pulled out a stone tablet.

"I've searched long and hard for you," he said as he began to caress it with his left hand, "but now you're in my possession. Don't worry though; I'll take good care of you. The power you hold demands it."

POEM THE EIGHTH:

POISON IN THE PARADISE

A life that started out with the sun

Till around came the enlightened one

With two battles came an insight exposed

A dark opportunity was then proposed

## CHAPTER THE NINTH:

## PASSION PROGRESSION

Instead of going home, Kotlor decided to continue riding for a while. He wanted to think about Contanis's words.

"I've never met anyone who had an ideology like that before," he thought. "It completely contradicts everything I believe in. I'd never join them...would I? Of course not, they're fanatical sociopaths."

Then he started to think about the police station.

"I'm too exhausted from all that happened today to report them," he thought. "After I get some rest tonight, I'll go down there first thing tomorrow morning. This has to be done right."

A half-an-hour went by and then he figured it was time to go back home. Fortunately, he happened to be close to his house. As he rode, he decided to look at the woods on his right. There was nothing there that caught his eye, but he still felt like doing it anyway. He stared quietly into the infinite darkness until he arrived home.

Before he went into the house, he took Ternay back to the stable and started to take off her gear. After he finished, he locked it up and went inside the house. He walked into the living room and found Losa and Jezry on the couch. Losa was reading a book to her.

"Hi Dad," said Jezry as they looked at him.

"Hello," he said.

"Did you have fun at the police station?" asked Jezry.

"I sure did," he said.

"That's good," said Jezry.

"So," asked Losa, "how'd it go?"

"Fine," he said. "I told them I wanted to report something and then they asked me a few questions about it. After answering them the best I could, they said they'd start investigating it as soon as possible. That was pretty much it. It wasn't anything special."

"That doesn't seem like it should have taken this long," she said. "Are you sure you didn't do anything else?"

"Actually I did," he said. "I rode around for a while after I left the station. You know, to clear my head."

"Heck," said Losa, "that's no big deal. You should have just told me that in the first place."

"Anyway," he said, "I think I'll go to bed. I've had a very tough day."

"I understand," said Losa. "You've been through a lot today."

"Are you coming too?" he asked.

"In a little while," said Losa. "I'm almost done with this chapter. When I finish, I'll put Jezry to bed and then join you."

He nodded and left the room. Then Losa went back to reading the book to Jezry.

As Kotlor walked to the master bedroom, he took a deep breath. He was amazed he didn't leave any clues for her that something was wrong. Everything she sensed was what he wanted her to. His ruse had worked perfectly.

A few minutes later, Losa finished the chapter and put Jezry to bed. Then she went into their bedroom. After changing into her nightgown, she climbed into the right side of the bed. Kotlor was facing away from her and she turned to face his back.

"I really hope they catch them," she said, "and give them an appropriate punishment. Justice needs to be served."

"Me too," said Kotlor. "I don't want them to get away with this."

"When things like this happen," said Losa, "it makes me wonder why they happen. It was like when we first got married. A week before the ceremony, my sister was robbed and murdered when she was coming home from work late that night. What was really sad was she was only two years older than me."

Her breathing was starting to become frantic now, so she closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. It was always hard for her to talk about her sister because they were really close. Once it was back to normal, she reopened her eyes.

"It was as if God was saying everything has to balance out," she continued. "For every good thing that happens, a bad thing must happen as well. Now eight years later, something bad happens to you. Maybe our situation will have a happy ending though. Whoever was responsible for my sister's murder was never caught. If everything is supposed to even out, then the people responsible for what happened to us will be caught and punished."

"Let's pray it happens that way," said Kotlor. "Come now, let's get some sleep. We certainly could use it."

"You're right," she said. "I'm just so thankful you only got some scrapes and bruises."

She scooted over to him and kissed his right cheek. Then she gazed at his backside until she fell asleep.

The next morning, the three of them got ready for the day like normal. However, the day wasn't an ordinary day. It was the day Kotlor was going to take his crops into town and sell them. They went into the shed and got the wooden baskets to put them in. Kotlor and Losa could carry several at once while Jezry could only carry one at a time.

After a couple trips, they had brought them all out. Then they went into the field and began to harvest them. All the good ones they found went into the baskets, while the bad ones were put aside for the compost pile.

Some time went by and Kotlor worked his way up to the squashes. When Losa noticed this, she got Jezry and they went over to him. They just stood there in anticipation as Kotlor quietly looked them over.

"Can the squashes come with us?" asked Jezry as she broke the silence.

Kotlor looked at her.

"No," he said. "They're still not ready."

"That's sad," said Jezry as she looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry Kotlor," said Losa as she put her left hand on his left shoulder. "I was really hoping they'd be ready for today."

He just sighed and turned his attention towards them again.

"Sorry," he said. "You're going to have to sit this one out. If you get big enough in time though, I'll make a special trip just for you."

He turned his attention back towards Jezry and Losa.

"Okay, let's get the rest of the crops ready," he said.

Each of them took a section of the field and got to work.

After they finished, he went into the stable to get Ternay. As he walked towards the stall, he saw her lying on the ground. She stared at him for a moment before getting up and shaking her body. It was like she knew what was going to happen today as well.

"Come on Ternay," he said as he began to put her bridle on. "It's that time again."

He put her harness on and hooked her up to the cart. Then he took her to the field. The baskets were too heavy for Jezry to handle now, so Kotlor and Losa had to carry them themselves. The first thing they did was pick out the ones they wanted for themselves. Not only did they eat them, but they also planted their seeds for more crops. This way they could save money and that was especially important now. Once that was done, Kotlor lowered the door to the cart and they began to load the rest into it.

While they were doing this, he couldn't help but think about the squashes. If they didn't get big enough by the first frost of the season, that would be the end of them. It'd also be the end of him trying to recoup the money he spent on them. He clenched his teeth and growled slightly.

After that, they walked over to the front of the cart. Kotlor climbed up onto the seat first and Losa helped Jezry up onto it next. She then followed suit.

"I can't believe I forgot to get some of the things I wanted yesterday," said Losa. "Oh well. It's always fun to go into town."

"One of the things you forgot was the bananas," said Jezry.

"Well," said Losa, "you were supposed to remind me to get them if I forgot."

"I forgot too," said Jezry. "I'm sorry."

"So let me get this straight Losa," said Kotlor as he looked at her, "you were supposed to buy something but you forgot to do it. Now in case that happened, Jezry was supposed to remind you but she forgot to do that. Therefore, you didn't buy what you were supposed to."

"Yes," said Losa, "but you should already know this. You were there when we first talked about it."

"I just wanted to make sure I had it right," said Kotlor.

Then he started to shake his head from side to side.

"You know, that's sad," he said.

"It is, isn't it?" said Losa as she smiled slightly.

"Did you forget anything else?" he asked.

"Yes," she said, "a bag of brown sugar. That's all though."

"Okay," he said.

"Of course," said Losa, "there might be other things I want to buy too."

"Remember we're on a budget," he said, "so don't go crazy."

"I know," she said. "Don't worry."

"All right," he said, "are you ready to go?"

She nodded and then he looked at Jezry.

"How about you?" he asked.

"Yes Dad," she said.

"Good," he said.

He looked straight ahead.

"Okay Ternay," he said as he grabbed the reins. "Let's get a move on."

With a quick snap of them Ternay began to walk forward. A gentle breeze and the warmth of the sun washed over them as they embarked on their small journey. Since the sky was devoid of clouds today, they could see it reach on forever.

"It looks like we're going to have a pleasant ride today," he said.

They arrived in the old city about a half hour later at 11:00 AM. It was hard to imagine this prosperous city started out as a small town a couple hundred years prior. As Kotlor and his family rode through it, they went past all sorts of establishments. They weren't the main attractions though. That title belonged to the cobblestone streets and the lampposts that graced their sides. When dusk would fall upon the city, its workers would go around and light them.

This was like an event and people from all over would come to witness it.

A little while later, they reached the store Losa and Jezry wanted to go to. He pulled up to the entrance and stopped. The wooden sign above the door read "Hol's Food and More".

"How long is your shopping going to take?" asked Kotlor.

"It should take us no more than half-an-hour," said Losa as she got off the cart.

"Okay," said Kotlor as Losa helped Jezry off. "You probably already know this, but I just want to make sure. I have no idea how long it'll take me to unload all the crops. That means whoever gets back here first will just have to wait for the other."

"Yep," said Losa. "Well, we'll see you later. I hope it goes well."

"Bye Dad," said Jezry.

They waved at him and he waved back. Then he flung the reins up and he was off again. As he rode across the street, he watched all the people wandering about. Soon after, he moved his eyes to the right and stared off into the distance.

"It's true Losa and Jezry are weaker than me," he thought, "but does that really mean they should to be enslaved or killed like Contanis said? Shouldn't they have the right to live freely like people who're stronger than them? Is there anything wrong with some people being weaker than others?"

His eyes now lazily shifted to the left, but he still looked off into the distance.

"Then again," he continued, "Contanis did say I was special. He said I was one of the few people strong enough to be part of the ruling class. Now, he might be right about that. I'm pretty good with a sword and I have the potential to help him rule. I could leave this mundane life behind for one of pleasures that can only be dreamt of."

Then he scrunched his face and shook his head around violently for a few seconds.

"What should I do?" he thought. "Should I join Contanis or stay where I am?"

He turned a corner and came up to his first drop-off spot.

"Well," he said as he reached it, "I'm here."

He stopped Ternay in front of the old brick store. Above the front door in black ink was a sign that said "Nydon's". He hopped down from the cart and went inside.

Standing behind the counter was a tall man wearing black glasses. He also happened to be the person the store was named after, the owner. At first Kotlor thought he did that because he was arrogant or thought it'd be good advertising. Then one day he asked him, and he said it was because he wasn't very creative. Kotlor was amused by this because he was kind of an aficionado of artistic things.

"Greetings Kotlor," said Nydon.

"Hello Nydon," he said as he walked towards him.

"I hope you have a lot of tomatoes," said Nydon as he came out from behind the counter. "I'm running low because they're quite popular with my customers. And if you do, they better not be ripe. I want them to last on my shelves as long as possible."

"Don't you fret," said Kotlor as Nydon straightened his tie. "I have a lot out there and they aren't ripe yet either. That's a promise."

"I also hope they're in good shape," said Nydon.

"I can assure you that too," said Kotlor.

"Well," said Nydon, "let's get them now, shall we?"

"You're very sure you're going to buy from me today, aren't you?" asked Kotlor.

"Of course," he said, "everything you've ever brought me has been exceptional."

He walked over to the wall and picked up a plank of wood. Then he opened the door and placed it under it. After making sure the door wouldn't budge, he turned his attention to Kotlor again.

"This way it'll be easy to carry them in," he said.

Then he gestured for him to go through the door first.

Kotlor walked outside towards the cart with Nydon not far behind. They went over to the back of the cart and Kotlor pulled the door down. Then he looked inside and spotted a basket of tomatoes to the left.

"Good," he said. "That's just what I was looking for."

He took it out of the cart and set it on the ground. Then Nydon knelt beside it and began to look them over.

While this was going on, Contanis and his men were hanging out in an alley across the street. It was a couple buildings down from Nydon's store on the left. Immediately to the right of it was the flower shop.

"I can't wait to get to Vallone," said of them. "It's about time for us to have some real power. I'm tired of just wandering around and trying not to get caught."

"I hope the residents there don't try to resist us," said another. "Not only would it save us time and effort, it'd also save them their lives."

"Precisely," said Contanis. "There's no way they can beat us. Even though they may be weak, let's hope they have some brains."

During this conversation, Rox was staring at the ground with his arms folded. He wasn't paying attention to what the others were saying. There was something on his mind and it all started last night. He wasn't sure if he should bring it up though. There was this fear inside him of getting in trouble for it.

Contanis looked at him and studied him for a bit. Suddenly he began to sense something was bothering him.

"Rox," said Contanis. "You seem withdrawn. Is there anything wrong?"

He immediately started to ponder what he should say. To buy himself some time, he coughed a little and then slowly lifted his head.

"No," he said as he looked at Contanis. "I'm just tired from last night. It was very intense to say the least."

He came to the conclusion it'd just be best for him to keep his mouth shut. Mucking up Contanis's plan was something he wasn't fond of doing.

"That it was," said Contanis. "It's understandable why you feel tired. I feel the same way, probably more so."

Then they heard footsteps behind them. They stopped talking and turned towards the entrance of the alley. Soon after, a voluptuous black haired woman walked past it. Everybody went back to talking amongst themselves except for Balaz. He kept watching her.

"Well, what do we have here?" Balaz asked himself.

When she reached the other end of the entrance, he went up to it to look at her some more. Now her backside was facing him.

"Hmmm," he said under his breath. "She has a nice ass."

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed something else interesting.

"Look," he said as he pointed at someone. "There's Kotlor."

Everyone stopped talking and rushed up to him. Then they looked in the direction he was pointing in.

"I'll be damned," said Contanis. "It is him."

"Should we go over there," asked Balaz, "and ask him if he's made his decision yet?"

"No," said Contanis. "Leave him be. We don't want to put any more pressure on him than there already is. Now let's get out of here before he sees us."

They walked discretely out of the alley and headed in the opposite direction of Kotlor.

"What should we do now?" asked Balaz.

"Let's get our supplies," said Contanis, "since we didn't take Kotlor's."

Meanwhile, Nydon was almost done looking over the tomatoes.

"These seem to be close to being ripe," he said, "but I'd like to do one more test."

"I don't understand why you have to do this," said Kotlor as he rolled his eyes. "You said everything I bring you is exceptional."

"Just because you've brought me good vegetables in the past," he said, "doesn't mean it's going to happen every time. I just want to be extra safe."

He took a small knife out of his pocket and cut a piece off a tomato. Then he looked inside the opening.

"It looks good," he said. "I don't see any signs of bugs or rotting."

He plopped the piece into his mouth and carefully chewed it. After what seemed like forever, he finally swallowed it.

"You never disappoint me," he said. "This is pretty good. Of course, it's not as good as when it's fully ripe."

"I'm glad you liked it," said Kotlor.

"Okay," he said. "Since the tomatoes seem good, I'll buy some. Two baskets should do it."

"Great," said Kotlor as he clapped his hands. "That will be twenty griveers."

"I can see your prices are still reasonable," he said as he took his wallet out. "I'm impressed."

"Why thank you," said Kotlor. "I try to be fair."

Nydon pulled out the money and handed it to him.

"Much obliged," said Kotlor. "Now, let me help you carry these in."

Nydon picked the basket off the ground and walked into the store. Then Kotlor removed another one from his cart and followed him. When he got inside, he found the other one resting against the wall on the floor.

"You can just set it down next to mine," he said as he pointed to it. "I'm going to get my baskets to put the tomatoes in. I'll be right back."

He went into the back room to fetch them. A few moments later he returned with two and they started to transfer them. Once they finished, Nydon thought they could have a friendly chat for a while.

"So," asked Nydon, "how are Losa and Jezry?"

"They're doing fine," said Kotlor.

"That's good to hear," said Nydon.

"Yeah," said Kotlor. "Things are going pretty well, except for our squashes. I couldn't bring them down here today because they weren't big enough. I don't know if I'll be able to sell them this season."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Nydon, "but you're not alone. Everybody has their problems. If it'll make you feel any better, I'll tell you one of mine. About two weeks ago, some punk kids came in here and stole some candy."

"Did they get caught?" asked Kotlor.

"Yes," said Nydon. "Luckily there were two police officers walking past the store when they ran out. Needless to say, I got my merchandise back in one piece."

"At least you got your stuff back," said Kotlor. "If I can't sell the squashes, that money will be lost forever."

"It'll be okay," said Nydon. "You'll find a way to make it."

"Thanks," said Kotlor. "Well, I better be on my way. I have some more stops to make."

He picked up his baskets and walked to the door while Nydon followed him.

"I thank you again," said Nydon. "I'm sure my customers will love the tomatoes."

"You're welcome," said Kotlor. "I enjoy coming here."

"I'll see you next time," said Nydon.

Kotlor walked outside and put the baskets back into the cart. After waving goodbye to him, he climbed back onto the cart and took off. While he continued on his way, he resumed watching the people making their way through the city. He wondered what they were thinking about. Did they have important things on their minds like he did, or were they thinking about trivial things?

Then he started to ponder Contanis's words some more. They swirled around in his head like a violent hurricane of massive proportions. During this, clouds began to form in the sky. It was as if Mother Nature had read his mind.

"First off," he thought, "are there people inferior to me in combat? That's an obvious one: yes. Hell, some people don't even have any fighting skills. Second, does being better than them in that way mean I can morally rule over them? These are fundamental questions I have to answer, and soon."

He stopped at the next store.

Meanwhile, Losa and Jezry were still shopping. They were at the back of the store checking out some spices. Even though they already had some, Losa just wanted to see what other kinds the store had. She thought she might surprise Kotlor with some different ones the next time she bought some.

"Why didn't we go with Dad?" asked Jezry. "Maybe the stores he's going to have the stuff we want."

"That's true," said Losa, "but I didn't want to tag along. We might have gotten in his way."

"Okay," said Jezry.

Losa glanced at the grandfather clock next to the wall.

"We still have some time left," she said, "so let's get our things and head over to some other stores."

"Yay," said Jezry. "I want to go to some more places."

They went to get some bananas and a bag of brown sugar before going to the checkout counter. When they go there, a man was in front of them. He was checking out so they had to wait.

"What's that thing?" asked Jezry as she pointed at a big metal contraption.

"You should know what that is," said Losa. "You ask that every time we come here."

"I know," said Jezry, "but I keep forgetting. Please tell me again."

"Fine," said Losa. "It's a coffee grinder."

"Oh," said Jezry. "What does it do again?"

"Uh," said Losa. "It grinds coffee beans into grounds. If you want to make coffee, you have to do that first."

"What are grounds?" asked Jezry.

"They're very small pieces of something," said Losa.

"Oh, I get it now," said Jezry. "That's neat."

The man was done checking out, so he took his things and left. Losa and Jezry then walked up to the counter.

"Hello," said the man behind it. "What can I do for you today?"

"I just need to buy these two things," said Losa.

She placed them on the counter. He took the bananas and put them on a scale. While he was weighing them, Jezry watched with great interest.

"Okay," he said. "You're a little under a pound."

"That's fine," said Losa.

He punched the prices into the cash register.

"Your total comes to three griveers," he said.

Losa handed him the money and he put into the cash register. Then he put the items into a paper bag for them.

"Thank you," he said, "and please come again."

Losa grabbed it and they walked out of the store.

About an hour later, Kotlor had finally gone to all the stores he wanted to. Therefore, he rode back to the location he dropped Losa and Jezry off at. As he was riding up to the corner, they were waiting there with their purchases. However, Koltor didn't notice them because he was still deep in thought with Contanis's philosophy.

"Contanis said if I join them," he thought, "I could have all my desires fulfilled. No more would I have to toil in the field and worry about money. Why would I want the life of a peasant when I could have one of a king, maybe even a god? It doesn't make any sense. Of course, this is assuming I'll get it. Contanis better not have lied to me or promised me something he can't guarantee. So, it comes down to one question: do people's differences make them better or worse than others?"

Then he realized what he was saying.

"Why am I even thinking about this?" he thought. "Contanis's beliefs are evil. Even the requirement to join him is. I'd have to murder my wife and daughter to get this chance at ruling that city. I won't do this. It's wrong."

He got right up to them and started to pass them like they weren't there. They just stood there and looked at him in confusion for a second.

"Kotlor!" shouted Losa as he rode away from them.

He abruptly stopped Ternay and turned to face them. There was a look of fright on his face like he just regretted doing some heinous act.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't see you down there. I must have been distracted by something."

"Relax," said Losa. "It's okay."

She put Jezry onto the seat and then got up on it herself. Once Kotlor made sure they were comfortable, they began their journey back home.

"Did you sell everything Dad?" asked Jezry.

"You bet I did," said Kotlor. "All the people who bought my vegetables said they were the best. For some reason, I always keep amazing them."

"That's wonderful," said Losa. "Hopefully that streak will continue for a long time. Now for the important question, how much did we make?"

"Two-hundred griveers," he boasted.

"Wow," said Losa. "That's fantastic."

When they got home, Kotlor let the two of them off near the house and they went inside. Then he rode over to the stable to put everything away. Once he did that, he decided to feed Ternay. He put some food in her feedbag and put it on her.

"I'll be back in a half-hour to see if you're finished," he said.

As he left the stable for the house, he could hear her nosily chewing. Not only was it a busy day for him, it was for her as well.

The next morning around 6:00 AM, Jezry came into the master bedroom. She saw Kotlor and Losa sleeping in the bed and went over to them. Today was exciting for her because there was no school even though it was Monday. Since the building was old and rundown, some schooldays were set aside for maintenance.

When she got close to the bed, she climbed on top of it. This didn't wake Kotlor and Losa though because they were too sound asleep.

"It's time to get up," she blurted out.

Kotlor opened his eyes and looked out the window. There was a drape covering it but he could still tell it was dawn.

"I can't believe this," he thought. "It's dawn and it's already starting. I can't get any time to myself. This is aggravating."

Then Losa woke up and sat up.

"Jezry," she said, "stop jumping on the bed."

She stopped a few moments later.

"Go get ready for the day," said Losa.

"Yes Mom," said Jezry.

She climbed off the bed and left the room.

"I don't even know why we have clocks with her around," said Losa.

"I don't know why either," said Kotlor. "We should sell them all and pocket the cash. If it turns out I can't sell the squashes, maybe I can get my money back after all."

Losa chuckled and then got out of bed to start breakfast. When she was out of the room, Kotlor got out and started to get ready for the day. Before long, the three of them sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast.

"After I'm done eating," he said, "I'm going to put some shingles on the roof."

A couple weeks ago a storm blew some of them off. He was going to fix it the next day, but there was only enough time to look at the damage. Once he figured out all the supplies he needed for the job, he got them the day after that. Then he spent the next couple weeks trying to work on it, but other things kept interrupting him. It wasn't until now that he finally had the time to do it.

"Okay," she said, "but I want you to be careful. I don't want you to fall off and get hurt, or worse."

"Relax," said Kotlor. "I'll be fine. I've been up there many times. Besides, I think I can handle a roof if I can handle a thug."

Losa shook her head from side to side.

"I know you've been up there before," she said, "but it still scares me."

"Can I help?" asked Jezry.

"I'm sorry," said Kotlor, "but it's too dangerous for you to be on the roof. It's also not safe for you to use tools. You can help when you're older."

"But I'll be really careful," said Jezry. "I promise."

"The answer is still no," said Kotlor more forcefully.

"Fine," said Jezry as she pouted.

They finished eating and then Kotlor got to work on the roof. After getting his supplies together in the shed, he walked over to the side of the house. He rested the ladder against it and climbed up it onto the roof. As he was rummaging through is bag, Losa walked up to him. He was too busy trying to find what he looking for to notice her though.

"Hey Kotlor," she said as she smiled. "How do I look in my outfit today?"

She was wearing a white silk gown with thin black stripes on it. Out of all the clothes she owned, this was one of the flashiest.

"Is this really that important?" he asked as he continued to look though his bag. "I have to fix the roof. Besides, I've seen it before. I gave it to you for your birthday last year."

"Yes," she quipped. "I have to look good at all times. Besides, it'll only take a second. You can afford that, can't you?"

He stopped looking through his bag and looked at her. Then she spun around so he could see it from all angles.

"You look fantastic," said Kotlor in a monotone voice.

"Thanks," she said as she giggled.

She walked back towards the house. Once he made sure she was gone, he took in the view for a minute. He was caught in between two worlds. Below him was a field of green and brown, while an ocean of blue and white was above him. There was also a pool of yellow up there. The whole scene bombarded him with beauty. This was paradise to him.

"Wow," he said, "what a view and it's not even that high up. Well, I better get to work."

He pulled out some nails, shingles, and a hammer from his bag.

Meanwhile, Jezry was busy playing outside. She was walking along the right side of the house and reached the corner. After she turned it, she noticed something on the grass.

"Oooh," she said. "A frog."

It started to hop away from her, but she quickly snatched it up.

"You're so slimy and wet," she said.

Then she looked at it more closely.

"You're also kind of cute," she said. "You know, I think Dad would like you. Let's go visit him."

She carried it over to the front of the house. After looking around for a few moments, she spotted him on the roof.

"Dad!" she yelled. "Dad!"

Kotlor stopped hammering a nail and turned to face her.

"What is it?" he said.

"I found a frog," she said. "Do you want to come down and see it? It's so cute."

"Not right now," he said. "I'm busy."

"It won't take long," she said. "Please."

"No," he said. "I have to get this done. Now go off and play somewhere."

She sighed and walked away with it.

"I can't get anything done around here," he thought. "Losa and Jezry are always pestering me. Either they can't do something without my help, or they want to bother me with some stupid crap I don't care about. If I joined Contanis's crew, I wouldn't have to put up with stuff like this. That's all I can say."

He got back to work.

As he was fixing the roof, Jezry was walking back to the spot where she found the frog. She was looking down at it as she held it tightly in her hands.

"He never has time to do anything with me," she grumbled.

Then she stopped.

"Here we are," she said. "You can go home now, but be careful. I don't want you to get squished or something."

She bent down and placed him gently on the ground.

"Goodbye froggy," she said.

It looked at her before hopping off in the other direction. Where it was going was something neither of them knew.

A couple hours went by before Kotlor finished fixing the roof. Since he figured out how many shingles and nails he needed ahead of time, he didn't have any leftovers. He put the hammer back into his bag and climbed down the ladder. Then he grabbed it and headed back to the shed. After he put everything away, he checked the small clock on the shelf. It still wasn't that close to lunch yet, so he decided to tackle some other chores.

At noon he stopped what he was doing and went into the kitchen. Losa and Jezry were already there sitting at the table with some sandwiches. He walked to his spot and sat down.

"So, did you fix the roof yet?" asked Losa as she picked hers up.

"Yes," said Kotlor. "It was a little challenging, but I did it."

Then he took a bite of his sandwich and swallowed it.

"This is some good chicken," he said as he looked at it.

"Thank you," said Losa.

Then she bit her bottom lip.

"You know," said Losa, "I'm so glad you're here."

"What do you mean?" asked Kotlor as he looked at her.

"This is kind of embarrassing," said Losa, "but you do so much around the house I couldn't do. I'd probably die if you weren't around to help me. It'd be nice if I knew some of the things you did, so I wouldn't have to depend on you as much."

"Yeah," said Jezry. "You're good at taking care of us."

She ripped off a piece of her sandwich and ate it. Then she took a sip of water from her cup.

"Oh come now," he said. "If something happened to me, you'd find a way to get those chores done. You could learn how to do them yourself or hire someone to do them."

"I'd have to hire someone," she said. "There's no way I'd be able to learn how to do them."

"Now don't sell yourself short," he said. "You're smarter than you think."

"Well," said Losa, "I don't know about that."

After lunch they discussed what they were going to do next. Losa suggested she and Jezry could do the dishes, while he could do some other chores. He liked the idea so he left the kitchen as they got ready to do them.

"I'll wash while you dry," said Losa.

"Okay," said Jezry.

Losa got a sponge and began to scrub a dish over the dry sink.

"Are you looking forward to school tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yes," said Jezry.

"That's good," said Losa. "Now are you sure you did all your homework? I don't want find out you didn't do something."

She finished scrubbing the plate and put it on the tabletop.

"I...," said Jezry.

"Dry while you talk," said Losa.

She grabbed the towel and began to wipe the dish.

"I did everything I was supposed to," she said.

"For your sake I hope you're right," said Losa.

While they were doing this, Kotlor was in the horse stable. He was going to give Ternay a bath, so he was getting a bucket of water ready. Suddenly he felt the temperature drop a little.

"I don't know how you can live out here," he said to her. "There's no way to keep warm or stay cool. It's amazing you haven't died yet."

As if responding to him in some way, Ternay wiggled her tail.

He lugged the bucket of water next to her and set it on the ground. Then he pulled a sponge out of his right pocket.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with this Contanis thing," he said as he put his left hand on her side. "I just want more in my life than this. In fact, I might actually deserve it. Now if I decide to do this, you wouldn't have to worry. I'll take you with me. You're too useful to leave behind."

He took his hand off her and dipped the sponge into the water.

Once he finished bathing her, he chopped some firewood; checked his field for unwanted visitors; and cut up some hay for her. By that time it was dusk, so he went back into the house for dinner. Just like at lunch, Losa and Jezry were already in the kitchen waiting for him at the table. This time though Losa looked irritated.

"It's about time you got here," she said. "I called you ten minutes ago for dinner. I was about to send out a search party because I thought you went missing."

"I'm sorry," said Kotlor as he sat down. "I guess I just got so involved with my chores I didn't hear you."

"Uh oh," said Jezry, "Dad is in trouble."

Losa turned her attention towards her.

"No he isn't," she said.

Then she turned her attention back towards him.

"I can't get too mad at you," she said as she put a piece of smoked ham on Jezry's plate. "It wasn't like you were goofing around."

The she squinted and tilted her head to the left.

"You weren't, were you?" she asked.

"Of course not," said Kotlor as he took a roll. "Geez, give me some credit. Everything I've been doing since lunch has been work."

Then he told her everything he did.

"Thank you for giving Ternay a bath," said Losa. "She was starting to smell kind of bad."

"Yeah," said Jezry, "she smelled yucky."

"Well, you're welcome," he said. "It had to be done."

Then he reached for some pieces of cooked cucumber.

"Listen," he said. "It's been a long day for me. Do you mind if I go to a bar after we're done eating? I need to relax for a while."

"I don't see why not," said Losa as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Thanks," he said. "By the way, I'm going to ride Ternay there."

"Just don't drink so much you have an accident on the way back," she said. "I don't want you, or especially Ternay, to get hurt. We also don't need you stumbling and throwing up around here. We have enough problems already."

"Gee," he said, "thanks for putting the horse above me. Anyway, I'll make sure not to drink too much. Now as for coming home wasted, you really burst my bubble. I was hoping Jezry could roll me when I passed out."

"Dad," asked Jezry, "what's 'rolling'?"

"'Rolling'," said Kotlor, "is when you roll somebody around on the ground after they've passed out."

"What's 'passed out'?" asked Jezry.

"It's kind of like sleeping," said Kotlor, "but you have to drink a lot of alcohol first."

"Wouldn't rolling somebody while they're sleeping wake them up?" asked Jezery.

"Yes," said Kotlor.

"What about if they're passed out?" asked Jezry.

"Not necessarily," said Kotlor.

"That sounds like fun," said Jezry. "Can I do it to you when you get home?"

"No you can't," said Losa.

"Why not?" asked Jezry.

"You wouldn't be able to do it," said Losa. "You're not strong enough."

"Then you can help me," said Jezry.

"No," said Losa. "It's not appropriate for you. End of discussion."

She then looked at Kotlor.

"See what you've done now," she scolded. "You shouldn't tell her things like that because they'll pollute her mind."

"You know," said Kotlor, "you're right. I shouldn't be doing that because that's the school's job."

Unknown to Losa, he wasn't serious about that.

"Come on now," she said. "There's nothing wrong with her school. It does a good job."

"Whoa," said Kotlor as he raised his hands in front of himself, "calm down. I know her school is fine. I was only joking."

After dinner, Kotlor got his jacket from the closet and left the house. He put it on as he walked over to the stable.

"Hello girl," he said as he went inside. "It's time to go into the city again. This time, 'Daddy' needs a drink. I'm sure you'd like one too, but you can't have one. Alcohol isn't good for horses."

He got her gear and then put it on her. Before he climbed onto the saddle though, he made sure everything was on right.

While he was riding across the street, a slight breeze came out of nowhere as the sun continued to set.

"This could turn out to be a cold night," he thought.

When he reached the city, he saw some people lighting the lampposts scattered throughout it. He could tell the lighters were getting cold because they were scurrying about and shivering. It was a race against the dropping temperature. Then he saw some people who were watching them and they were shivering too. There was little doubt in his mind they wanted the lighters to hurry up as well. Despite this, there were looks of wonder spread across their faces. He could picture them all flying into warmer quarters after this spectacle ended. This was something he couldn't blame them for doing.

Then out of the corner of his right eye, he saw something moving towards him. He looked at it and it turned out to be one of the lighters.

"You better hurry," Kotlor said to him. "It's starting to get kind of cool out here."

"You're telling me," he said. "I hope it doesn't get cold enough for my dick to freeze and fall off."

Kotlor just laughed as the man passed him. Then he continued on his way. There wasn't a specific bar he wanted to go to. His plan was to just pick one he was drawn too. After a few more minutes, one caught his eye. The wood building was nestled nicely in between two others. It was pretty plain except for the wooden sign hanging above the door. The words "River's Delight" were carved into it.

"This one looks like it'll do," he said.

He stopped near a wooden rail in front of the entrance and got of Ternay. After tying the reins to it, he went inside.

On the right side of the room was a bar counter and some stools. To the left were some tables and chairs. He looked around and saw people scattered throughout it. They were all having inaudible conversations with others.

He made a beeline for the counter as the lit candles on it and the tables flickered. The air was also filled with smoke from the cigars and cigarettes of its patrons. Every now and then this caused him to wheeze a little.

This was the last hideout for the unwanted he figured. It was a melancholic celebration of what can befall an unlucky soul. There was a certain joy in this painting of despair.

He was now at the counter and sat on one of the stools. It was a little uncomfortable, but nothing he couldn't handle. Behind it was grimy looking fellow who reeked a little of whiskey. His face was partially covered with his long brown hair, but something told Kotlor he was watching him.

"Hey barkeep," he said as he hit the palm of his left hand on the table, "can you get me a beer?"

"Sure thing," he said as he wiped his hair out of his brown eyes.

He took a mug out from under the counter and went over to a keg. Then he filled it from the side with the elixir every person yearned for.

"Here you go," he said as he brought it over to him. "That'll be three griveers."

"There's just the right amount of head on here," said Kotlor as he pulled out the money. "You're quite the professional, aren't you?"

"I'm the best," said the barkeep as he folded his arms and nodded.

Kotlor had the money out now, so he handed it to him.

"Much obliged," he said. "By the way, my name is Jospin."

Then he left.

Kotlor just sipped his beer as he looked around the bar some more. He didn't have to hear what the other patrons were saying to be amused. Just watching them talk did the trick for him. Not long after, his mind began to drift back to his dilemma. He couldn't escape it. It kept gnawing at him like wolves gnawing on an animal they just killed. It was starting to drive him mad.

"Do I really have more potential than this?" he thought. "Is my family really keeping me from getting stronger? Do they even know I have potential? If they do, then they'd leave me alone if they really cared. If they don't, there's no good reason why they shouldn't know."

There was a loud noise behind him and he turned around. Two people were laughing loudly as they sat at a table in the back. After watching them for a couple moments, he faced forward again.

"Contanis believes in me, so maybe he's telling the truth after all," he thought. "I guess it sometimes takes a total stranger to reveal this kind of information to a person. Sometimes those closest to you don't want to discuss these things for fear of disrupting the balance. Whatever the reason may be, it's wrong."

He took another sip and then put the mug back down. His eyes were now drawn to the beer. It was almost hypnotic.

"I now know who my real enemies are," he thought. "However, should I kill them? Could I kill them? Even though they're weak, they're still my family. What should I do?"

"Do you need any help?" asked Jospin as he walked towards him from behind the counter.

Kotlor looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Help?" asked Kotlor. "What do you mean?"

"I mean is there something you'd like to talk about," said Jospin.

"No," said Kotlor. "I don't have a problem. I'm fine."

"I don't mean any disrespect," said Jospin as he leaned forward, "but you're lying. I've seen that look many times before. It means something is bothering you and you're searching for answers. Everybody who's contemplating something makes it."

Then he lowered his head and shook it from side to side for a few seconds.

"I can't tell you how many souls have passed through these doors with it," he continued as he looked at Kotlor again. "It doesn't surprise me though. Bars have always attracted people with something weighing them down. My point is even if I can't solve it or point you in the right direction, I can at least listen. Sometimes that's all you need and even if it isn't, it's usually better than nothing."

"Actually," said Kotlor, "you're right. I do have a problem, but you're too late. I've found the solution already."

"Good," he said. "I don't mean to pry into your personal business, but would you be willing to tell me what they are? I'm curious."

"I'm afraid not," said Kotlor. "It's too personal to discuss with anyone. Besides, I don't think you'd like what I'd tell you."

Some more smoke went into his mouth and nose again. He placed his right hand up to his mouth and coughed.

"I understand," said Jospin as he nodded, "but let me ask you something else. Do you understand the choice itself and its consequences?"

Kotlor just stared at him while he contemplated it. This new question completely caught him off guard.

"Yes," he said finally.

"Does it benefit all parties that matter to you?" asked Jospin.

"Yes," said Kotlor.

"Do you believe it's the right choice?" asked Jospin.

"Yes," said Kotlor.

"There you go," said Jospin. "You've made the right one."

"How can you say I picked the right one?' asked Kotlor. "You might not agree with it if you knew what it was."

"Allow me to explain," said Jospin. "I don't have to know the details. Everyone is different. That means everyone has a different perception of what's right and wrong. As long as you can answer 'yes' to those three questions, you've made the correct decision. It doesn't matter what I or anybody else thinks. The only thing that matters is what you think."

"Thank you," said Kotlor. "You've been a lot of help to me."

"That's what I'm here for," said Jospin. "Many bartenders think they only have one job, and that's to serve beverages to customers. That's a terrible mindset to have. A bartender should also listen to customers, converse with them, and help them if possible. We'd all be a lot better off if more of them had the same view of the profession as I do."

"I agree," said Kotlor.

He finished his beer and set it back on the counter.

"I think I'll be going now," he said. "I'd like to thank you again for having this conversation with me."

"You're welcome," said Jospin, "and don't forget to come back now."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," he said, "but I don't think that's going to happen. This will probably be my first and only visit here."

Jospin gave him a puzzling look, but it was too late for him to respond. Kotlor had already gotten up from his stool and was walking towards the door.

"I wonder what he meant by that?" Jospin asked himself as he watched him leave.

"Bartender," said another man as he raised his left hand into the air. "I'd like another beer."

"Coming right up sir," he said as he continued to watch him.

Once Kotlor got close to the door, he looked at the counter and grabbed a clean mug from beneath it.

As for Kotlor, he opened it and stepped outside. Then he closed it behind him, erasing his presence from the establishment. All that was left now was a memory of him.

He walked onto the road and stopped. Then he raised his head and looked at the sky. Hovering above him were various stars and a full moon. They were some of the few things that connected everybody to those who came before. He admired them. How could he not?

Then he looked at everything around him. It all was faintly illuminated by their light as well as that of the lampposts. After that, he looked over his own body and saw the same thing.

"If I don't go through with this," he said, "I'll be no better than Losa and Jezry. I'll never shine any brighter than this."

A heavy sigh then came out of him.

"They've outlived their purpose," he said, "while I haven't begun to live mine yet. Well, that gets remedied...now."

He went to get Ternay and headed for home.

## POEM THE NINTH:

## THE TURNING

With a lie in tow he arrived back home

The next few days he went about his business

While his encounter stirred in his mind

At a certain establishment he chose Contanis

## CHAPTER THE TENTH:

## THE STRIKING OF LIGHTNING

When he got there, he took her back to the stable and took off her gear. Then he started to pace back and forth as he took some deep breaths. This whole thing was making him anxious, but understandably so. This was an important step in his life that had to be met with the proper mindset. However, he didn't know how it was going to be done. He just thought he'd let it play out as it happened. Once he settled back down he went into the house via the back door. With his mind on what he was going to do, he forgot to close it.

He started to take his coat off as he went over to the closet in his and Losa's bedroom. Once he reached it, he hung his coat in it and then looked down. Lying on the closet floor was his sword, and it was quietly resting in its sheath. He picked it up and slid the blade out a little. A small amount of power began to surge through his body. It made him tingle.

"This steel shall set me free," he whispered.

He slid it back into the sheath and placed it in his belt. There are nothing more to say at this point. It was now time for action. Then he went to find Losa and Jezry. He headed to the living room first and they happened to be there. Losa was sitting in a chair sowing a shirt, while Jezry was on the ground playing with some ragdolls. She was the first to notice him.

"Yay!" said Jezry as she threw her arms into the air. "You're home."

"So," said Losa as she looked up from her work, "how was the bar?"

"Fine," he said as he scratched the back of his neck with his right hand. "I had a lot of time to think."

"I'm glad you had a good time," said Losa, "but may I ask what you were thinking about? Did it have anything to do with those people who tried to rob us?"

"Yes," he said.

"Kotlor," said Losa, "you can stop doing that. It's all over. There's no reason to keep troubling yourself with it. The best thing to do is just move on with your life."

Then she looked at the shirt again and got back to work.

Meanwhile, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. The time of reckoning was at hand. He could feel both excitement and nervousness echo throughout his body.

"You know," he said, "there are some things I didn't tell you about earlier. After I fought their leader Contanis, he wanted me to meet with him. The meeting was the same day and I went. As for going to the police station, that was a lie."

He started to grin maniacally as he got a twisted gleam in his eyes.

"Anyway, Contanis showed me I could be part of his group," he continued. "They're called the elite and their mission is to control those weaker than them. There's a catch though. He wants me to prove my worth by completing a certain task. I have to kill both of you and bring your heads to him as proof. Well, this opportunity is just too grand to ignore."

Losa stopped what she was doing and looked at him again.

"Are you drunk?" she asked with a puzzled look on her face.

"Do I seem drunk to you?" asked Kotlor sternly. "Can't you tell the difference between a person who's sober and one who's not you moronic slut?"

She was too stunned to respond. Ever since she had known him, he never once called her anything like that.

He pulled his sword out of his sheath and placed it next to his right leg. The tightness of his grip started to make his arm and sword shake.

"Oh dear God!" shrieked Losa. "You're serious!"

He moved his eyes away from her and looked at Jezry. Then he moved them back to her.

"Please don't do this," Losa said. "We're your family. If we did anything to upset you, we're sorry and we won't do anything like that again."

Kotlor heard her plea but didn't care. He removed his sheath from his belt and hurled it at her. It hit her square in the face, causing her head to fly back into the chair. Blood started to trickle out of her nose as she moaned a little.

"Mom!" shrieked Jezry as she stood up and looked at her.

Her mind was now racing with all sorts of information and feelings. There was a lot for her to process in a very small amount of time.

"Everything I knew has just burned away into the night," she thought. "Like it or not, this is my reality now. That doesn't mean I have to let it consume me though."

She shook her head from side to side and then got out of the chair. Then she quickly went over to Jezry and picked her up. The most important thing on Losa's mind right now was to protect her at all costs. After pressing her tightly against her chest, she made a mad dash to the backdoor of the house. Kotlor decided to stay where he was and began to laugh insanely. The thought of giving them a head start seemed appropriate. Once they weren't in his view anymore, he picked up his sheath and chased after them.

Meanwhile, Losa and Jezry went out the back door. Losa ran into the field like the very Hounds of Hell were after them. The cold air gently caressed their skin as the darkness engulfed them. The moon watched them from above as merely a ghostly voyeur. It was motionless, silent, and uncaring. The only sound they heard were the chirps of crickets in the distance. They too did nothing to help.

"What's going on?" asked Jezry. "What's wrong with Dad?"

"I don't know," said Losa. "Please be quiet."

As for Kotlor, he was at the back door now. He stopped and looked through it to see where they were. Very quickly he spotted them moving across the field. He was just about to start chasing them again when he noticed something near the door. It was his sickle and it was leaning against the wall. After using it earlier today, he apparently had forgotten to put it back into the shed.

"I think I'll swap my sword and sheath for this," he said.

After dropping them onto the floor, he picked up the sickle.

"I can't fail," he said as he looked at it. "I must kill them."

Then he ran out into the field.

Since the dirt made any footsteps silent, she had to look behind herself to see where he was. To her horror he was only a couple feet behind them. With each passing step he was getting closer.

"Oh shit," she said. "He's right behind us."

She turned back around and tried to run faster. However, Kotlor caught up to her and grabbed her shirt. Then she let go of Jezry as if it were a reflex. The whole time she kept thinking if Jezry survived this, she would have succeeded as a mother.

"Mom!" she yelled as she landed in the dirt. "What should I do?!"

"Don't worry about me!" screamed Losa as she struggled to break fee. "Just run!"

By this time tears were streaming down her face. She looked at Losa for another second before getting back up. Then she began to run away from her.

Losa watched her leave and then Kotlor's left hand flew over her mouth. The last thing he wanted to do was have her cries heard by others. She tried to bite his hand, but wasn't able to.

"I can deal with Jezry later," he thought.

He figured if he could only kill one person at a time, Losa should be first. She had a much better chance of getting away. Not only that, she had a much better of chance getting to the police.

"You're coming with me skank," he said.

He decided to kill her in the house. It was the closest and safest place to do it in. Her chances of escaping and others seeing this would be smaller. He dragged her back to it as she continued to resist him. However, he was too strong for her.

When he reached the back door he took her inside. Then he took her into the living room. After pulling his hand away from her mouth, he turned her around. With rage in his eyes and fear in hers, he punched her in the face. She dropped to the floor on her side and began to cry. It wasn't her injuries that made her do this though. It was the fact the man she loved was trying to harm her and Jezry.

A few moments later she sat up. Tears continued to run down her face as she looked at him. What she saw was him giving her a cold icy stare.

"Jezry and I aren't inferior to you," she said as she sobbed. "Nor are we inferior to the people who attacked you. And even if we were, we don't deserve this. Just because somebody can't fight doesn't mean he or she should be abused. A person should be judged by other things besides that."

"You're wrong," he said. "Fighting ability is the only thing a person should be judged by. It's the only quality that holds any weight. Anything else isn't worth a damn."

"No," she said. "You're the one who's wrong. Can't you see Contanis brainwashed you? He somehow tricked you into believing his deranged ideology. Kotlor, you let him do this to you."

He turned around and walked forward a couple steps.

"No he didn't," he said. "All he did was show me the truth about myself and the world. He opened my eyes to reality. What I lived in before wasn't it. I thought it was, but it was just a mere fake."

"Kotlor," she said. "I have an idea. In exchange for Jezry's life, I'll get you whatever you want. I'm sure you want something. Then you can take my life if you still want to."

She began to pray he'd agree to her bargain. At this point, giving her life to save Jezry's was worth it. There was also the possibility he wouldn't agree to it. That wasn't ideal, bit at least it could buy Jezry some more time before he went after her.

He turned back to face her.

"There's nothing else I want," he said. "The only I thing I desire is both your heads."

"I beg you," she said. "Just kill me. Jezry is only a child. She's barely had a life yet. Please don't rob her of the rest."

"I'm sorry," he said as he looked off to the right side. "I can't do that. She has to die too."

He walked over to her and knelt down. Then he shoved her onto the ground on her back. With the sickle at the top of her shirt now, he began to tear it open to the bottom. Yet again she flailed around in an attempt to break free.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she shrieked. "Stop it!"

After it was opened all the way, he did the same to her brassier. Then he chucked the two halves to the side. Now her breasts were exposed. She saw a sinister look of sexual gratification on his face as he grabbed the right one with his free hand. Just then she got an uncomfortable feeling. Normally she didn't, but this time the motivation was tainted.

"Ah yes," he said as he squeezed it, "your lovely breasts. I must have touched them and sucked on them a hundred times. It always amazed me how beautiful you were. I remember all the things we'd do to each other. You could suck and fuck like it was nobody's business. And while we're at it, let's not forgot about your special...'talent'. I loved how you'd sometimes squirt during your orgasms. Your twat was always nice and juicy during our sexual escapades. You were truly a magnificent lover. In all honesty, your attractiveness and sexual skills are the only down sides to killing you."

"Did you listen to yourself?" asked Losa. "We did all those things because we loved each other. How could you turn your love for me into hate?"

"As I told you before," he said, "Contanis showed me the truth of the world. I refuse to stay where I am. I want to become something more, something greater. I'm tired of explaining myself. Now, let's finish this shall we?"

He started to saw off her right breast with the sickle. As he did this, blood began to spew uncontrollably from it. She tried to get him off as she creamed in agony, but couldn't. The breast was severed from her body now, so he just tossed it behind himself. She tried to jab his eyes out, but he punched her in the face before she could.

"Why do you bother to fight me?" he said. "You won't win."

Then he went for the left one. Once again she hollered as she tried to knock him off, but it was also futile. As soon as he was done with it, he threw it behind himself as well. She looked at her chest and saw two gaping wounds drenched in blood. It was nauseating to say the least.

Somehow she now found enough strength and pushed him off. He fell backwards onto the ground and then she turned herself onto her stomach. The pain of her four injuries was unbearable, but the pain of Kotlor hurting her was far worse. After lifting herself onto her arms and legs, she felt a hand on her left ankle. It tugged on her and she collapsed back onto her stomach. The next thing she knew, he'd crawled up to her with the sickle and flipped her over.

"Please stop," she said. "You're hurting me."

Kotlor placed the sickle next to his side and stood up. Losa quickly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Die cunt!" he yelled.

He knelt back down and began plunging the sickle into her body wildly. However, he made sure to stay clear of her head. Blood and pieces of her body flew onto him as well as anything nearby. During the whole ordeal she screamed like a soul in Hell. Then blood began to pour out of her mouth, so her screams turned into gurgles. It was at this point her body couldn't take the punishment anymore. The damage was too severe. With her last ounce of energy, she shifted her eyes to his. This would be the last time they'd ever meet.

Then without warning, the flicker of life in her eyes faded away. Her movements ceased and she fell dead silent. Kotlor stopped stabbing her and left the sickle hanging out of her stomach. His breathing was heavy now and he looked around the room. Then he looked at her. Now she was lying in a pool of blood. Some bones, internal organs, and other internal parts were visible too. It certainly was a mess and one they created together. However, none of it made him flinch.

"Just as I thought," he said, "you were weak and got what you deserved. The fight you gave me was absolutely pathetic. You let me kill you with such ease. For some reason, I think Jezry's fate will be similar."

He stood back up as he continued to look at her. Then he turned around.

"I have to find that little bitch before she rats me out," he said. "But where did she go? Luckily for me, I have a much better arsenal at my disposable than she does."

Then he turned back around and looked at the sickle.

"I'll take my sword with me," he said. "It's much easier to carry than a sickle."

He hurried to the back door and picked it up. Then he trotted out into the field silently. The air was still cool; the moon was still shining; and the crickets were still chirping. It had all the qualities of every other night plus one more.

As this was going on, Jezry was still running across the road. She decided to head towards the city because it'd be easier for her to hide there. It'd also be easier for her to find help.

"Why did Dad do this?" she thought. "I wonder what he did to Mom. It was something bad I bet."

Then she stopped and knelt down. Tears were now beginning to run down her cheeks. The reality of the situation had finally hit her. All her memories of him began to flood her mind.

"I can't stop," she thought as she wiped the tears from her face. "I have to get to the city."

She stood back up and tried to run again. However, she started to stagger because she was so exhausted now. A few moments later a noise suddenly appeared from behind her. It was getting louder and it sounded like...horse hooves.

"Good," she said. "Somebody is coming. I'm saved."

She turned around to see who it was. Since it was dark, she had to wait for the person to get closer to do this. After a few seconds, she could make out the individual.

"No!" she yelled. "It's Dad!"

"Good," thought Kotlor. "I had a feeling she might take the road to the city."

She turned back around and tried to run as fast as she could. He was too quick for her though. As he closed in, he took his right hand off the rein and leaned down to the right. Once he got up right beside her, he grabbed her shirt and hoisted her into the air.

"No!" she screamed as she writhed.

He plopped her right on the saddle in front of himself. Then he took a tied rag out of his right pocket and slid it down her head. Once it was over her mouth, he tightened it. He didn't want to take any chances with her cries either.

"How about that?" he asked Ternay as she snorted. "I'm really coming along, aren't I?"

He turned her around and headed for home. As with Losa, it made the most sense to finish the job there. He could hardly wait.

When he got there, he went into the stable. He climbed off Ternay and put her back in her stall as he held Jezry. Then he flung her over his right shoulder and went into the house. As he carried her, she kicked and slapped him. This didn't faze him in the slightest though.

He took her into the living room and took the rag out of her mouth. Then he threw onto the floor next to Losa. She quickly noticed her mother's mutilated body. This was the most horrifying thing she had ever seen. Her body just froze and she stared at her.

"Mom!" she finally screamed as her eyes exploded into tears.

Then she got onto her right knee and touched her bloody left cheek. Her body felt cold and lifeless to her.

"She's dead," said Kotlor. "I killed her myself."

"Why do you hate us so much now?" asked Jezry as she still looked at her. "What did we do to you?"

"You held me back," said Kotlor, "Your mom was weak and so are you. Do you know how much time I spent taking care of you two? There's so much more I can do."

"What?" asked Jezry.

He started to walk forward.

Jezry stood back up but before she could do anything, he grabbed her left arm.

"No!" she yelled.

Then he grabbed the sickle with his free hand and yanked it out of Losa's stomach. Jezry's eyes grew real wide now. The nest thing she knew, the sickle was in her right shoulder. Before she could even scream, Kotlor raised her off the ground.

Now she started to cry and holler in pain as blood dripped from her wound. He then swung her from side to side. Once enough momentum was built up, she flew off it. As she sailed through the air, a stream of blood trailed behind her. Then she slammed into the wall back first. After bouncing off, she fell to the ground on her feet. The force knocked her over onto her stomach though.

A few seconds later, she put her hand on her wound. Then she brought her hand up to her face. The blood made her think of her mom again.

"I have to get out of here," she thought as she picked herself up.

He walked up to her and tried to grab her again. However, she evaded him by running past his right side. Then she made a mad dash for the front door on the left. Just as she was about to grab the doorknob with her right hand, he grabbed the back of her shirt with his left.

"You're a fast little shit, aren't you?" he asked.

"Not again!" she yelled.

She tried to pry his hand off, but couldn't. He took her to the wall he just threw her against and turned her around. Then he pressed her tightly against it with his left hand.

"I'll see you in Hell," he said.

"Ah!" she shrieked.

He plunged the sickle into her chest with his other hand. After a few moments, he pulled it down the middle of her body. As it moved, it shredded her intestines until it came out through her genitals. Then he let go of her and she slid down the wall. Soon after, she landed on the floor on her bottom where a pool of blood began to form under it. She was still alive, but barely. Not long after her cries stopped and her head drooped forward. Just like her mother, she now belonged to the ages.

"I was right again," he said. "You were weak just like Losa, so you got what you deserved. You did a put up a slightly better fight than your mother though. You at least managed to get away from me. I have to give you credit for that, but it still wasn't good enough."

He picked up Jezry by the shirt and took her over to Losa. After dumping her on the ground, he started to decapitate her with the sickle. Once he was finished, he did the same to Losa and then put their heads in a burlap sack. Afterward he carried their bodies one-by-one to the stable.

"I've finally killed them," he said to Ternay as he put Losa in the wagon. "It feels amazing."

She wiggled her tail as if she was agreeing to what Kotlor had just said.

Even though it was dark outside, he covered their bodies with a blanket as an extra precaution. It was also a dark red one so their blood wouldn't show on it. He didn't come this far to screw himself now. Then he readied Ternay for the next trip.

"Are you set?" he asked her. "This is it. After I get rid of the evidence, we can go home and get some rest. Our new lives begin tomorrow. I hope you're as excited as I am."

Then he took off for a river in the valley on the edge of the city. A wooden pier jutted out of the left side at the center of it.

On the way he had to laugh a little. Usually he hauled vegetables in the wagon, but this time he was hauling waste. They were no better than the compost for the vegetables he thought.

When he reached the valley, he made sure nobody else was around.

"I think we're good," he whispered to Ternay. "There doesn't seem to be anyone around."

Then he rode up to the pier and stopped. After climbing off Ternay, he removed the bodies and laid them on the edge of it.

"Now I need something heavy to tie to them," he thought.

He walked around and found some stones not too far away from the pier.

"These should do just fine," he thought as he looked at them.

After gathering a bunch of them, he carried them back to the bodies. Then he took some rope out of the wagon and began tying the stones to them. Sending the bodies to the bottom of a deep body of water was the best plan he could come up with. If luck was on his side, they'd be found after he was long gone or not at all. Somehow he had a feeling he wasn't going to have to worry about luck.

"If you two had only been stronger," he said, "I might have felt something different. We might have been able to live together in harmony alongside Contanis and his men. We could have ruled with absolute power. But alas, this is what was decided upon."

One-by-one he pushed their bodies over the edge. They each hit the water with a mighty splash and began to sink into the depths below. Once he couldn't see them anymore, he made sure the pier was clean and then went back to Ternay.

"I can't believe it," he said to her as he patted her on the nose. "I'm finally done with Contanis's prerequisite. I didn't know if I was going to do it or not, but I'm so glad I did. Let's go back home and get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow."

He climbed onto her again and went back home.

When he got there, he put Ternay back into her stall. Then he went to wash up before heading off to bed. As he laid in it, he couldn't help but think about Contanis some more.

"I just hope I get everything Contanis promised me," he thought. "If for whatever reason I don't, I'll kill him. I won't accept getting nothing." (mention this again somewhere)

Then he started to focus on getting some rest. After what he did today, he definitely could use it. Eventually he drifted off to sleep to dream about what he'd like his life to become.

Meanwhile, Jospin decided it was time to close the bar for the night. It was a little after midnight and he was tired. There also weren't any more customers in the bar. The last one had just left a few minutes ago. After cleaning up, he blew out the candles and headed towards the front door.

"I sold a lot tonight," he said to himself. "I sure hope this continues."

He opened it and walked outside. The air was cool and crisp, so it woke him up a little. Then he looked into the sky and saw all the stars. Every time he did this, he'd liked to pretend they were looking back at him. A few seconds later he looked back at the door.

"My boyfriend really hates it when I get home this late," he said, "but that's how this business works. He knew what he was getting into when we made our relationship official."

He pulled a key out of his pocket and placed it in the lock. A hand then went around his forehead, while another one went around his chin. The person quickly twisted his head to the left and there was a sharp snap. As he fell towards the ground, the person caught him. Then another person walked up to the door and opened it. After taking the key out, the same person grabbed Jospin's feet and the two of them picked him up. As carefully as they could, they carried him back inside. Then they went over to one of the walls and dropped him alongside it. Soon after some more people started coming into the bar.

"That thing we did a half-hour ago went better than I thought," said one of them.

"I know," said another. "It's rare to not run into any problems when you do something like that."

By this time the last person had finally entered. He closed the door slowly behind himself.

"Whoever has the key, lock the door," he said. "We don't need anybody coming in here because they think it's open."

The man holding it followed his order.

"Now let's get some light in here," said the same man. "I can't see a damn thing."

The others walked around and lit the candles. Before long the room was brought back to life.

"Don't forget to cover the windows," he said. "We need everybody to think this place is empty."

They walked over to them and pulled down their drapes. Then they took some time to look at all that was at their disposal now. When he finished, he looked back at Jospin.

"You know," he said with a grave expression on his face, "I never did care for queers."

"Contanis," said another man. "I want to thank you again for letting us come here to have our discussion. I was getting tired of sitting outside, especially tonight. It's so cold out there."

"Yes," said Balaz. "I greatly appreciate it."

"You're both welcome," he said. "Like I said before, you're all loyal followers. You should be rewarded occasionally."

Then he started to walk towards the table at the back of the room.

"Okay," he said, "let's get down to business."

Everybody followed him except for Balaz. When they reached the table, Contanis took his seat first and then the others did the same.

"All right gentlemen," he said, "let's discuss our plan for taking over Vallone. As you all know, we'll be arriving there shortly. Therefore, I think now would be a good time to get our affairs in order. Allow me go over the basic plan. When we reach the city, we'll wait a little while before we attack. This way we can acquire more recruits, learn the layout of the city, and figure out where our targets are. Once we learn those things, we can then hunt them down during the dead of night. The darkness has always made for a dependable ally."

"Excuse me," asked one of them, "but why are we doing this now? Shouldn't we wait for Kotlor's decision first?"

"No," said Contanis. "I may have planted that seed within his mind, but we're not sure if it'll grow. That's why I think we should have this discussion now. We have to be safe."

"Good idea," he said. "I didn't think of that."

Balaz walked over to Contanis and sat a mug of beer on the table in front of him.

"Thank you," he said.

He nodded and then placed another mug of beer in front of somebody else. Afterwards, he went back to the bar for some more.

"Does anybody have any more concerns?" asked Contanis.

Everyone shook their head from side to side.

"Very good then," said Contanis. "The discussion on that is now closed."

Balaz returned with two more beers and placed them on the table.

"I think your plan is good," he said. "However, I'd like to add something to it. As far as targets are concerned, some would have to be the mayor and the other politicians. Is there anybody else we can add to that list?"

"Their security," said another, "and we should kill them first. This way it'll be easier to assassinate the politicians then."

"That's true," said Contanis.

"We shouldn't stop there," said another. "We should also kill as many police officers as possible."

"I agree," said Contanis. "The politicians' defenses extend beyond their own personal security force. We'll have to hit them both...and hard. I'm beginning to wonder why we're having this discussion. You all have the same ideas as I do."

Balaz walked up to the table with the last two beers. After handing them out, he sat on one of the chairs.

"I have a question Contanis," he said. "How are we going to learn about the locations of these people?"

Contanis grabbed his mug and took a sip from it.

"Simple," he said as he put it back down. "We'll just ask around."

"Do you really think any of these people are going to tell us that information?" asked Balaz.

"I do," said Contanis. "They probably aren't going to assume we're going to do something nefarious with it."

"So we're basically just taking advantage of their ignorance and trustworthiness," said Balaz.

"Yes," said Contanis.

"I like that a lot," he Balaz. "It's easy and effective."

During their discussion, the thing bothering Rox in the alley still was. He originally didn't want to say anything, but he couldn't take its constant gnawing anymore. If saying this got him in trouble, so be it. It'd be a less severe punishment than the one he could get if he didn't say it.

"I don't mean any disrespect," he said, "but maybe we should reconsider this whole thing. I know this government isn't that old, but they could still be very powerful. This could be a suicide mission. When you fought Kotlor two days ago, you almost died. We're not invincible beings who get away with anything we want."

"Listen," said Contanis, "it's normal to be nervous before something like this. However, don't let it control you. You must control it."

Rox's idea also intrigued Balaz. He knew this plan was risky from the beginning, but he always kept it in the back of his mind. However, now with Vallone in sight, he had to bring this concern to the forefront.

"Now hold on," he said. "He might be right. We know very little about Vallone. We don't know what they're capable of. This could be a lot more dangerous than we think."

"Well," said Contanis, "when we get there, we'll learn that information."

"Okay," said Balaz, "that sounds reasonable. Now I assume if we find out they're too powerful, we're just going to call the whole thing off. It wouldn't make sense for us to fight a group of people if the chance of winning is so small."

"No," said Contanis. "It's just the opposite. No matter what we learn, we will go forward with the plan."

Everybody just froze and didn't say a word. To say they were shocked would have been an understatement. None of them had ever heard somebody talk like this before.

"That's lunacy," said Rox finally. "You should only attack somebody regardless of their strength if you don't have a choice. We do. There's no logic in that."

"You're right," said Contanis. "This is something we don't have to do. This is instead something we should do. All grand things come from huge risks people don't necessarily have to take. I want to be able to take a seat in that group. It's one of the highest honors there is."

"I'm sorry," said Rox, "but that's it. I'm out. I'm not going to be a part of something that could turn out to be some godforsaken death march. Fuck you Contanis."

"Yeah," said Balaz as he shook his head from side to side for a couple seconds. "I quit too. Go find somebody else to play your sick little game. There's nothing wrong with taking risks, but this is too much."

Everybody else agreed with them. His plan was just too radical for their tastes. By now the talking had died down. They were just sipping their beer as they waited for his response. However, he just leaned back in his chair without saying a word. Then one-by-one he looked at them. Suddenly he raised his fists above his head and slammed them on top of the table. A loud thud rang through the air as the table and mugs shook with fury. The others were now staring at him with terror in their eyes.

"I won't be deprived of this opportunity!" he shouted. "For years I've waited for this moment. If I don't seize it, it may never come again."

He got out of the chair and walked up to Rox from behind. Everyone's eyes followed him very carefully as he did this. Once he got close enough, he stopped. Then he put his hands on his shoulders and lowered his head next to his.

"Have you forgotten what happened to me so many years ago?" he asked.

Rox didn't answer because he was nervous. He just sat there and looked straight ahead.

"Why don't you answer me?" asked Contanis. "It can't be because you didn't hear what I said. I'm right here. Therefore you must be afraid. Well, don't be. Please just answer my question."

"No, I haven't forgotten," said Rox as he rolled his eyes.

"Excellent," said Contanis. "I told you it when I accepted you into my group. I don't see how you could have forgotten something like that. Afterwards, I told you something else. Do you remember what that was too?"

"Yes," said Rox. "You said you'd never let it happen again."

"That's correct," he said. "Now, there is one more thing I'd like to address. I'm not going to ask you what it is though because you won't know it. You see, I never wanted you to know it until...now."

He took his hands off his shoulders. Then he removed his sword and placed it next to his throat.

"Once you join my cause," he said, "the only way to escape it is through death; be it by somebody else or me. Now, the time has come for you to make a choice. Do you want to escape this or not? I'd also like to mention not answering the question will be counted as a yes. You better answer quickly."

Rox came up with his answer but before he could speak, somebody else did.

"You're a mad man," said another man.

Contanis looked at him.

"Why would you make a rule like this?" asked the same man. "Do you really think you could kill all of us?"

"Who's to say I can't?" asked Contanis. "You see I'm a betting man. I'm willing to take that gamble, but are you?"

"Even if you did manage to kill us all," said Balaz, "the chances of you finding any replacements are low. Not many people would qualify, let alone want to help you."

Then Contanis looked at him.

"You may be right about that," he said, "but it's another thing that can't be proven. Even if the probability is small, that doesn't mean it's nonexistent."

"Let's say you can't find anyone," said a different man as he threw his arms into the air. "What are you going to do then? Are you going to try to take over the city yourself?"

"Yes," he said. "I'm willing to attempt this takeover no matter what the circumstances may be."

Nobody said a word. They couldn't believe he just said something even more shocking than what he said before. This proved he truly lived in a universe of one.

"You've lost your mind," said the same man finally. "No sane person would ever invade a city by themselves. That would surely lead to death."

"You don't know that," said Contanis, "but maybe I am insane for wanting to do this no matter what. Who gives a fuck though? I'm so passionate about this I'm willing to sacrifice my very life for it. For me, nothing else out there can stand its ground against it."

He turned his attention back to Rox.

"Time is up," he said. "Give me your answer."

Rox hesitated again, but after a few moments he spoke.

"No," he said. "I don't want to escape."

"Exceptional choice," said Contanis.

He removed his sword from his throat and stood upright again.

"Do the rest of you also share his decision?" he asked.

They all slowly nodded.

"That's good," he said. "I'm pleased the feeling is mutual."

He put his sword away and began to walk around the table. Everybody else just kept their eyes on him as his footsteps echoed throughout the room.

"However," he continued, "I don't like your reason. Right now you're all staying because of fear. Specifically, it's the fear of me. If that's still your reason on the day of our assault on Vallone, you will die by its citizens' hands. This means you'll need a better reason to fight, and that reason is the prize. Now you know what it is, but let me remind you. If we can take the city, you'll have untold power. Wouldn't you agree that's worth the risk? Think about it. If that's the reason you have on that day, success will be closer to our reach."

He got half-way around the table when Balaz stood up and looked at him.

"Contanis," he said with a spark in his eyes, "you've convinced me. The power we could attain is worth the risk of dying. I'll stand with you."

Contanis turned around to face him.

"I welcome your change of heart," he said. "You may sit down."

He did.

"Anyone else?" asked Contanis as he continued to walk.

Then Rox stood up.

"I'll stand by your side as well," he said.

"Very good," said Contanis. "You may sit down."

He did too.

As for the others, each of them also changed their minds. Contanis had won them over just like he had done before. He could always appeal to their overwhelming sense of greed. After the last person sat down, he spoke.

"Well, that's everyone," he said. "It's fantastic to see our group back to the way it used to be. We're a family and as such, we must have the same goal and motive for it in mind."

Then he sat back down. The tension in the air had now been replaced with calmness. However, the room was still marked by silence as they continued to look at him. A few seconds later Contanis spoke again.

"Before we close the discussion for the night," he said, "do any of you have any questions about what we're going to do?"

Everyone shook their heads from side to side.

"Very well then," he said. "Now I'd like for all of you to raise your mugs with me."

They all did it in unison.

"It seems our plan for Vallone has taken shape," he said. "When we reach the city, it'll never know what hit it. We'll plunge it into the darkest reaches of Hell. To all of us."

"To all of us," they all repeated.

Then they each took a drink from their mug.

"After we're done here," said Contanis as he placed his mug back on top of the table, "we can finally return to our campsite for some sleep. We've earned it today."

Around 9:00 the next morning, Kotlor woke up. He wanted to make sure he had enough time to get where he was supposed to go. If he was late, Contanis and his men might not be there. If that happened his dream would come to an end. All his hard work would have been for nothing. After getting ready for the day, he grabbed the bag containing the heads. Then he got Ternay ready and departed for the alley. There was a combination of excitement and anxiety swirling inside him.

While he was heading to the city, Contanis and his men were in the alley waiting for him.

"This is a good tomato," said Balaz as he took a bite out of it. "I'm so happy we stopped off for some food this morning."

"Yeah," said another man as he was holding his. "What really makes them taste good was the fact they were free."

Then he turned his attention towards Contanis.

"You did a good job distracting Nydon while we stole them," he said.

"Ah, it was easy," said Contanis. "He was a fool. What's humorous though is my distraction was asking him about them. Did you know he told me they were delivered fresh on Sunday?"

"Who works on a Sunday?" asked Rox. "Did he tell you who it was?"

"No," said Contanis. "He didn't say and I forgot to ask."

"What's the time?" asked one of his men.

"It's a little after 9:00," said another one.

"It's getting close to the deadline," asked the previous man. "I wonder if he'll show."

"Well, we'll find out soon enough," said Contanis.

Meanwhile, Kotlor was riding across the road in the city. A few minutes later he decided to check his pocket watch.

"Good," he thought as he looked at it. "I have plenty of time."

After passing a couple of shops, he spotted Contanis and his men. They were eating in the alley Contanis said they'd be in. Then he began to ride towards them.

"Well," said Contanis as he noticed Kotlor coming up to them, "I'll be a son of a bitch. How are you?"

"I'm doing well," said Kotlor as he stopped and got off Ternay.

"That's good to hear," said Contanis. "Say, do you mind if I ask you why you're here? Is it because you're going to try to stop us again, or is it because you've come to your senses? Either way this is going to be very interesting."

"A head is worth a thousand words," said Kotlor as he held out the bag to Contanis.

With a puzzled look on his face, he took it from him and opened it. Then he looked inside for a few moments before looking back at Kotlor.

"Rox," he said. "Verify this."

He took the bag and looked inside it. After a few seconds, he looked at Contanis.

"This is them all right," he said. "No mistake about it. Kotlor really did it."

"By doing this," said Contanis as he put his right hand on Kotlor's left shoulder, "you've shown you possess another quality. However, it's not one of a great warrior like you demonstrated last Saturday. Instead, it's one of a great soldier. It's a thing called loyalty. I gave you a command and you followed it to the detail. Bravo."

Then everybody started to clap.

"Not yet," said Contanis, "we must first make this official."

They stopped.

"Please Kotlor, get onto your right knee," said Contanis.

He followed his instruction.

"I'm going to now ask you a series of questions," said Contanis. "Please respond to them with 'I do'."

He removed his sword from its sheath. Then he placed one of its flat sides on his left shoulder.

"Do you solemnly swear to pledge your allegiance to me until the day you die?" he asked.

"I do," said Kotlor.

Then he moved his sword to his right shoulder.

"Do you solemnly swear to pledge your allegiance to the principles I stand for until the day you die?" he asked.

"I do," said Kotlor.

He finally moved his sword to the top of his head.

"Do you solemnly swear to strive to become the best follower of mine you can be until the day you die?" he asked.

"I do," said Kotlor.

"Excellent," he said. "From this day forward, you shall belong to me. Go and serve me well."

He removed the sword from his head and placed it back it into its sheath.

"You may rise now," he said.

Kotlor stood back up and then Contanis put his hands on his shoulders.

"Welcome to the real world comrade," said Contanis with great pride and joy in his eyes.

Everybody started to clap again.

"Thank you," said Kotlor. "This really means a great deal to me."

"Okay, Okay," said Contanis. "That's enough."

They stopped again.

"There are some other things I want to say," said Contanis. "My advice for you is to sell your house now. That way we'll have more money to fund our operations. Then take only what you need. This would include a horse for transportation. Be quick about it though. We want to be out of here before somebody figures out your family is missing and informs the police. Speaking of your family, what did you exactly do with the bodies?"

"I dumped them into a river," said Kotlor. "It was the deep one in the valley on the edge of town. It should be a while before anybody finds them."

"You're a very clever person," he said. "The more you do, the more I realize how smart I was for choosing you."

"How long am I going to get to prepare?" asked Kotlor. "Selling my house will take some time."

"We'll give you two weeks to do that," he said. "Since you disposed of the bodies rather effectively, we should be safe for that amount of time. However, we're going to leave once it's up whether you sold it or not. We can't risk any more time than that."

"I understand," said Kotlor. "I'll try to get everything done as soon as possible."

"That's good to hear," said Contanis. "Now once you've taken care of everything, come and tell us immediately. Then we can decide on a time to continue on our journey. Just so you know we're still kind of far away from Vallone. On our way there we'll continue to prepare. You may leave now."

"Okay," said Kotlor. "I'll see you all later."

He walked back to Ternay and climbed on top of her.

"Remember to hurry," said Contanis. "We can't stay here much longer."

He waved to them and turned around. Then he headed for home.

The rest of the week he spent getting his house ready to sell. He also picked out items he thought he'd need to take with him.

By the time the following Monday rolled around, he was ready to start selling it. Luck was on his side though. The very next day a family came by to look at the property. He showed them around and they were really impressed with it. Not only did they like the house, they liked the big piece of land it was on too. They figured they could use it for some livestock. In fact, they came up with an offer before they left. They thought 80,000 griveers would be fair. Kotlor was shocked they made one this soon, but thought about it. After a few moments he decided it was a good price, so he took it. Then the man filled out a check and gave it to Kotlor.

They also asked him where his family was and why they were moving. He told them a friend in another town could get him a better paying job if he wanted, and he took his offer. Then he told them he sent his wife and daughter out there to find a place to live, while he stayed behind to sell their house. They thought it'd be easier to just do both of these things at the same time.

After they left, he did one final check to make sure everything was done. Once he determined it was, he went to meet with Contanis and his men in the evening. He told them he was ready to leave, so they figured out a time. They picked tomorrow morning because it was already so late today.

The next morning, Kotlor got up a little earlier than usual. He wanted the extra time to cash the check and take one more trip through Iptun. Once he was ready, he saddled up Ternay and headed into the city. The sun was still rising as he rode and the birds were chirping.

"I'm really going to miss this city," he thought. "It was my home for so long. It was also the place where I had the turning point in my life."

Then he went to the bank that housed the man's account. This would be the last thing he'd ever do in the city before leaving it. Once he was done, he rode out to the city limits. It wasn't long before he saw Contanis and his men waiting under a big shady tree. This time though they were all on horses.

"Good morning Kotlor," said Contanis as Kotlor rode up to him.

He just nodded as he came to a stop.

"Do you have the money?" asked Contanis.

Without saying a word, Kotlor just handed him the bag. He untied it and looked inside.

"Excellent work," he said. "This will be very helpful to us."

Then he tied it up again.

"Where'd you get the horses from?" he asked. "You didn't have any the other times I met with you."

"We stole them from a family last night at 11:00," said Contanis. "It's a good thing we did too because they couldn't use them anymore. You see, we killed them all."

"Why?" asked Kotlor. "Did they find out you were taking them? And if they did, did they try to stop you?"

"Oh my goodness no," said Contanis as he waved his right hand at him. "They had no idea we were taking them. We just killed them for practice."

"Describe them," said Kotlor.

"They were a young couple," said Contanis. "They also had an infant; a boy if I recall. They were worthless just like your family. We killed them without much effort."

"Good," said Kotlor. "That's three less desirables in the world now."

"I just want you to know," said Contanis, "I think you'll do just fine."

Then he turned his attention to the whole group.

"Let's not keep our future city and subjects waiting!" he shouted. "Onward!"

He gently kicked the sides of his horse and he started to gallop. The rest of them then followed suit. As they were riding, Balaz came up to Kotlor's left side.

"My name is Balaz," he said "Welcome aboard."

"Thanks," said Kotlor.

"You're lucky you got money for your house," he said. "I couldn't sell mine within the time frame, so I had to abandon it. It still pisses me off once and a while."

"What about the others?" asked Kotlor.

"Well, everybody except for Rox wasn't able to sell theirs," he said. "They said they couldn't find anyone interested in their house, even though they were in good shape. I like to think they couldn't sell them because they were crappy. That's just a theory though because I never got to see any of them. You see, I was the last person to join until you came along."

"Does that mean Rox was able to sell his then?" asked Kotlor.

"Not exactly," said Balaz. "He was actually homeless when Contanis found him."

"Okay," said Kotlor. "Now it makes sense why you guys looked so poor when I first saw you."

"Yeah," said Balaz. "That explains a lot, doesn't it? Well, congratulations on being the first one in the group to sell his house. Contanis was beginning to think it was never going to happen."

"Thank you," said Kotlor.

"Oh, before I forget," he said, "I wanted to say one more thing. I know it doesn't matter anymore, but what the hell. Your house was pretty nice, even after you and Contanis trashed it a little."

"That means a lot to me," said Kotlor. "I worked hard to keep it in shape, but you're right. It doesn't matter anymore. I've started a new chapter in my life."

Contanis slowed down so Kotlor would catch up to him.

"Kotlor," said Contanis. "Since you're one of us now, it's time for you learn everything about us. I want to start off with our greatest secret. Have you ever heard of something called the 'Tablet of Omainu'?"

"No," he said.

"That's not surprising," said Contanis. "Very few people have. Let me show it to you."

He pulled it out of a bag and held it up. Then he turned it around so he could see all of it.

"I don't get it," said Kotlor. "It's just a piece of stone. There's not even anything carved on it."

"Oh, no my friend," said Contanis. "It's more than just that. Please allow me to explain it to you."

As one formidable force, they rode off to Vallone. Above them the sunrise painted the sky with such colors as orange, yellow, pink, and red. However, only one of those colors was appropriate for the day.

POEM THE TENTH:

## INTO THE LANDSLIDE

His family learned from him his new plan

In a horrible fashion they then met their end

After an improper disposal, a showing of proof

He then rode off with his new allies sinister

## CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH:

## DARK AND LIGHT COLLISION

## Back in the present, Kotlor was wrapping up his ghastly tale to Hex Immortal. They should have been stung by fear and sadness from this right now, but couldn't afford to. The room in their souls was reserved for only one thing right now: logic. Some people would have seen this as being insensitive, but this was an extraordinary circumstance. They should have seen this as being smart instead.

"So we reached this city," said Kotlor, "and the rest they say is...destiny."

Then he pulled the blanket off the object on the floor in front of him. There were a set of wooden wheels attached to a base. On top of it were six rotating barrels with a hand crank attached to the side of them. Observing it was a humbling experience for them. There was also the fear it instilled in their hearts because they were going to have to face it.

"I give you my favorite instrument of death: the rotary cannon," he said. "It fires .58 caliber cartridges. I'm going to mow you down with this just like I did with Ternay. It was such a pity. She was a good horse until she started to get weak from old age. That was about two years ago. She wasn't terribly weak but that wasn't good enough. I had to end her pathetic existence."

He reached into a brown leather sack lying next to the cannon. After taking his hand out, there was a clip in it. With finesse he inserted it into a slot on top of the weapon. Then he grabbed the crank with his left hand. That was when an idea suddenly appeared in Rykarn's mind. He pulled the Tablet of Omainu out of his bag and showed it to him.

"Well, what do you know," said Kotlor. "We made the right assumption."

"I wouldn't shoot if I were you," said Rykarn. "If you do, there's a chance you could hit the Tablet of Omainu. Just think of all the power you could be throwing away if you crank that handle."

With a somber expression on his face, Kotlor just spit onto the ground. This was Rykarn's cue to put the tablet back into his bag.

"Take cover!" shouted Tearthis.

They each started to run towards a pillar.

"Why didn't he listen to me?" thought Rykarn as he was running.

"All six of you will fulfill your destiny!" screamed Kotlor.

He started to turn it and bullets began to spew out of the barrels like a whirlwind. A loud roar filled the air as they smashed into everything in the room. Soon chunks of stone and dust went sailing everywhere.

During this, each member of Hex Immortal got behind a pillar without getting hit. Then they looked around to check on each other. They were all relieved to find out everybody else was okay.

After spreading fire across the room for a while, Kotlor stopped. He wanted to see if his targets would reemerge. However, they weren't going to budge for the time being. They weren't sure what they should do.

"How dare you come into our town and defy us!" he yelled. "We own this city! I won't let you take all this away from us! I'll make sure you all fucking die here!"

Then he cranked the handle again and more bullets shot out. When they crashed into the pillars this time, the structures started to crack.

Soon after, the roar of the cannon fell silent. The only sound from the weapon now was the cranking of the handle. Kotlor looked at the barrels and saw nothing was coming out of them. He stopped cranking and pulled the clip out.

"Don't worry!" yelled Kotlor as he tossed it behind himself. "I have plenty of ammo! Prepare to become mutilated corpses!"

He pulled another clip out of the bag and put it in the cannon. Once again the firing commenced. By this time, the dust from everything had filled the room. It was starting to make Hex Immortal cough.

"How in the hell are we going to stop him?" thought Artain. "He's weakening the pillars with these bullets. It's only a matter of time before we lose our cover. We'll be fucked then."

An idea popped into his mind suddenly. He pulled a bomb out of his bag and looked at it. It was the last one any of them had.

"I hope I don't miss," he said.

Then he put his free hand into his bag and fumbled around for a matchstick. However, he dropped the bomb before he took his hand out of it. It hit the ground and rolled a couple feet away from him.

"Shit," said Artain.

He looked around in fear and saw Mondren standing behind the pillar to his left. Without warning he got another idea.

"Mondren," he said.

Mondren looked at him and then Artain gestured for him to come over. After making sure the coast was clear, he ran out from behind his pillar. When he got close enough he rolled behind it and Artain. Then he stood back up.

"I know how we can stop him," whispered Artain.

"Now this is something I have to hear," whispered Mondren.

"I can blow him up with our last bomb," whispered Artain. "The only problem though is I dropped it and it rolled out into the open. This is where you come in. The next time he reloads, I need you to throw a knife at him. This will give me more time to retrieve it. Once I have it, I'll go back to your pillar. Then you can distract him with some more while I throw the bomb at him."

"Okay," whispered Mondren. "You know, maybe we'll get lucky and the knives will injure or kill him."

"That would make my job a hell of a lot easier," whispered Artain. "Now, let's say this doesn't work. What happens then?"

"Well, we'll kick your ass in the great beyond," whispered Mondren as he patted him on his right shoulder with his left hand.

The cannon started to roar again and more bullets whizzed through the air. All Hex Immortal could do was watch the room deteriorate before their eyes. It was like time was being murdered bullet by bullet.

The fire died down again and Mondren looked around the corner. He saw Kotlor removing the empty clip.

"Go," he whispered.

Artain sprinted towards the bomb while Mondren continued to look at Kotlor. He was now taking another clip out of his bag, so he threw a knife at him. However, he saw it out of the corner of his left eye. He whipped his sword out and blocked it. The knife made a clank as it ricocheted off it and hit the ground in front of him.

While this was going on, Artain made a quick stop near the bomb. However, he lost his balance and fell to the ground on his stomach.

Meanwhile, Kotlor had finished putting his sword away. He looked back up and saw Artain lying on the ground in front of him. He was reaching for something with his right hand.

"What's this?" he gleefully asked.

He quickly put another clip into the gun and aimed it at him.

"He spotted you!" yelled Mondren. "Get the hell out of there!"

Kotlor now had the weapon in position.

By this time, Artain had the bomb so he pulled himself off the floor. Then he dashed towards Mondren's pillar as Kotlor unleashed some bullets at him. Once he got close enough, he rolled behind it as one of them hit the ground behind him. A small piece of the floor broke off and flew into the side of his left leg. He stood back up and looked at his wound.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Well, at least it only skinned it."

As for the rest of Hex Immortal, they were just watching this from behind their pillars. Soon there was another break in the fire. This time however, Rykarn ran over to Nios.

"What are they doing?' whispered Rykarn.

"I'm not sure," whispered Nios, "but it looks like a plan."

"Well, is it a good plan?" whispered Rykarn.

"I just hope it's passable," whispered Nios.

"Maybe we should ask Tearthis if we should do anything," whispered Rykarn.

"That's a good idea," whispered Nios.

"Tearthis," said Rykarn.

He looked at them.

"Do you want us to help them?" he silently mouthed as he pointed at Artain and Mondren with his left hand.

Tearthis shook his head from side to side as he gestured for them to stay where they were.

They nodded in unison.

Then Tearthis looked at Dragus. He was looking at Artain and Mondren.

"Dragus," he said.

He looked at him.

"What do you want?" he silently mouthed.

"Stay put," mouthed Tearthis silently as he gestured for him to do the same thing.

He nodded as well.

As for Artain and Mondren, they were still standing behind each other's pillars. However, they were looking at each other now. Then Mondren raised his right hand and made the number three with it. A second later he began to count down from it.

When he reached zero, he did an aerial cartwheel into the open. Kotlor saw him and started to shoot the cannon. The bullets jetted past him as he threw two knives at him. He saw them coming and ducked behind the gun. Not long after, they flew over him and landed in the fountain with a splash.

"That was an admirable attempt," thought Kotlor, "but trying isn't good enough here."

Meanwhile, Mondren landed behind his original pillar while Artain lit the bomb with a match. Then he jumped into the open on his side and whipped the bomb at Kotlor. As it sailed towards him, Artain hit the ground before sliding behind his original pillar. The bomb landed on the ground in front of the cannon and rolled up to the right side of it. The distance between it and Kotlor was only a couple feet.

"Was that another throwing knife?" asked Kotlor as he stood back up and looked around.

Then he heard a faint burning sound.

"That sounds like a fuse," he said as he scrunched his eyebrows.

A couple seconds later the bomb exploded with a loud roar. Amidst the fire and smoke, Kotlor flew into the air. The cannon just jerked around a little, but some of its pieces broke off. It wasn't long before Kotlor and the parts crashed into the ground.

Kotlor was lying on his back now. As he stared at the ceiling, he could tell something just wasn't quite right. Then with all his might, he slowly sat up and looked at himself. Very quickly he realized his legs were missing. All that was left were two bloody stumps. Then he noticed a bloody trail leading away from his injuries. He followed it with his eyes and it ended up at the rotary cannon. Lying next to it were his mangled legs.

"Goddamn it!" shouted Kotlor as he pounded his fists onto the ground.

A sharp pain then started to run through his body. In his entire life he had never felt anything like this before. He screamed in shear agony as he continued to bleed. It echoed throughout the whole room and pierced Hex Immortal's ears.

"I'm the one with the rotary cannon," he said angrily, "but I'm the one who gets dismembered. This wasn't supposed to fucking happen!"

Just then, Artain left his pillar and walked towards Kotlor. The others followed him a little ways before stopping. They just wanted to see what was going to happen.

Then Dragus turned his attention towards Nios.

"What's he doing?" he asked.

"I don't know," said Nios, "but be prepared."

As for Artain, he was still walking up to Kotlor. Their eyes were in a gridlock of tension as he did this.

"Bomb beats rotary cannon dirt bag," said Artain as he stopped.

Then he stomped on his left stump with his right foot. Kotlor shrieked again before taking another couple deep breaths.

"So this is how it ends," he said. "I have to say I'm surprised. I expected to rule this city for much longer. You six are fine warriors after all. Congratulations."

Artain pulled his katana out and pointed its tip at him.

"I'd like to make a deal with you," he said. "In exchange for Contanis's whereabouts, I'll kill you quickly so your suffering will end. What do you say?"

"You're very shrewd," said Kotlor as he squinted from the pain. "You want to use a man's vulnerability against himself to advance your cause. Taking advantage of a person in their darkest hour is one of the hallmarks of a great warrior."

"Listen," he said. "I can tell you're in a lot of pain. Do you want my offer or not?"

"What if I don't know where he is?" asked Kotlor.

"I find that hard to believe," said Artain. "You're his second in command. Now, what's it going to be?"

Even though Kotlor was in a lot of pain, he wasn't about to give up that information. His right arm then swung into Artain's legs suddenly. He lost his balance and fell to the ground on his back. Kotlor flipped himself over onto his stomach and then crawled on top of him. Every time he moved there was a surge of pain, but he suffered through it. As blood continued to drain from his injuries, he clamped his hands around his neck.

"Die prick!" yelled Kotlor as Artain tried to push him off.

As for the rest of Hex Immortal, they just watched this in horror. They couldn't believe Kotlor was able to do this in his condition. It was like he was some kind of supernatural being. Then Mondren snapped out of this trance and walked back to his pillar. He drove his sword into it with the dull side of the blade facing upward.

"Just hang on Artain," he muttered as he pulled out a piece of rope from his bag.

After making one end into a noose, he hurried over to Artain and Kotlor. As he got closer he could see Artain was still struggling with him. It was becoming more difficult for him though. At the right moment he slipped the noose over Kotlor's head. Almost instantly, he let go of Artain's neck and grabbed the rope around his.

"That's more like it," thought Mondren.

Then he pulled him off him onto the floor on his back. That's when Kotlor started to squirm and scream like he was possessed. Slowly Mondren began to pull him towards the pillar while his blood trailed behind them. Once they reached it, Mondren draped the other end of the rope over his sword and hoisted him into the air.

"There," said Mondren as he tied a knot in the same end, "now you can bleed out easier."

"Does killing people like me really make you happy?" asked Kotlor as he continued to flail around.

"A little," said Mondren, "but what really does is saving innocent people from fiends like you."

"Fuck you!" yelled Kotlor. "When you run into Contanis, he'll obliterate you all! You won't leave this fucking place alive!"

"Neither will you," said Mondren. "And somehow I think knowing that brings comfort to Losa, Jezry, Ternay, and all your other victims."

Kotlor was still moving but was beginning to slow down now. A few moments later he stopped, and then Monden poked him with his left hand. He didn't move.

"I think that's it," he said as he as he rubbed the palms of his hands together.

He pulled his sword out of the pillar and Kotlor fell onto the ground. Then he slowly toppled onto his right side.

That was when Tearthis walked up to Artain.

"Are you all right?" asked Tearthis.

"I've been better," said Artain as he climbed back onto his feet, "but yeah."

"I was just wondering about something," said Tearthis. "Would you've kept your promise to Kotlor if he told you where Contanis was?"

"No," said Artain. "He made so many people suffer. If he wasn't allowed to, where would the justice be then? An innocent person's punishment shouldn't be worse than the one for somebody like him."

Without saying anything, Tearthis walked up to Kotlor and gazed at him. Soon everybody else did the same. The scent of relief mixed with sorrow was now in the air.

"Just think, he used to be a normal person," said Tearthis. "Then he turned into a monster. It's freighting to see how easily a person can exchange his or her ideology for one like this. This world is a very dangerous place."

"There's still something I don't understand though," said Rykarn. "After he found out we had the tablet, why'd he still fire at us?"

"Maybe he was so desperate to kill us," said Dragus, "he didn't care about its wellbeing."

"He'd have to be pretty damn desperate to do that," said Rykarn as he placed his hands on his hips.

Tearthis then turned his attention to everybody.

"Listen up everyone," he said.

They stopped chattering amongst themselves and looked at him.

"This is what we're going to do now," he said. "I'm going to take Contanis on alone. As for the rest of you, I want you to find any remaining minions of his and annihilate them. If we can do two tasks at once, we'll save time."

"Are you sure you don't want us to help you?" asked Rykarn. "We could do each thing together one at a time. We're not on a schedule you know. It doesn't matter when we finish."

"I know," said Tearthis, "but the sooner we get this done, the better."

"You're forgetting something," said Artain. "Kotlor didn't tell us where he is."

"I didn't forget that," said Tearthis.

"So your plan was just to wander around until you found him?" asked Artain.

"Pretty much," said Tearthis. "Just because I don't know where he is, doesn't mean I won't try to find him. You five are dismissed now."

With a worried look in their eyes, they slowly turned around. Then they started to run through the room away from him. He just stood there and watched them disappear from his view.

"Let's now finish what we've started," he muttered.

He turned around and began to walk through the room.

While they were searching out their opponents, Contanis was waiting for them in his throne room. He'd changed into his proper fighting attire right after they broke into the compound. Then he took in some of the carnage they created as he made his way to it. Once he entered it he remained there. He figured they should have to find him if they wanted to come after him so bad. It was like a game and that brought him pleasure.

As he sat on his throne, he was wearing gauntlet on each wrist. Protruding horizontally out of each one were two blades. He was fond of all his weapons, but this one beat out the rest for this battle. When he laid his eyes upon them, he just knew they were the right ones for the job.

"How dare they come into my city and disrupt my ruling," he said to himself. "I've lost a lot of great warriors, but they're expendable. I can always get more even though it might be a pain in the ass. Well anyway, they'll meet their doom when they enter this chamber. I wonder if they have any concept of what they're walking into."

While he waited from them, Tearthis was walking through one of the hallways on the first floor. He spotted a door and went over to it. As he opened it he started to get an adrenaline rush. What greeted him behind it was a little storage room containing some cleaning supplies. He sighed in relief.

"At this rate," he thought, "Contanis will win just because I'll be too exhausted to fight him."

A couple minutes later he came across a staircase.

"Since Contanis is the head of the government," he thought, "I bet he has a room he presides over thing in."

Then he looked up the stairs. The flickering torches on the walls painted it with a soft yellow light. Its beauty was almost ruined by the deadliness it represented. His eyes kept moving up it until they reached the ceiling.

"And I'd have to guess it's on the highest floor," he thought. "It'd be the most fitting."

He walked up it to the fourth floor and went into another hallway. After scanning it, he found a door a couple feet to the right of him.

"Hmm," he thought. "I didn't see this one when I came through here earlier."

He went over to it and placed his hand on the doorknob. Just as he was about to turn it, he stopped.

"If he's in here," he thought as he grew tense, "I've got to use everything I have against him. I know I can defeat him. I've done this several times before. Not only that, I have one thing he doesn't: God's blessing."

He turned the knob and began to open it.

"Here we go," he thought.

Once it was open all the way, he took a deep breath and walked inside.

This time he found a big room with a throne in the back. As he walked inside, he looked around. To the left was a window with a view of the city and moon. Its blue light faintly saturated part of the room. The next thing he noticed was a woman's body lying near the throne. It didn't take long before he realized she was dead. Then something else caught his eye. It was a faint silhouette sitting on the throne. He took a couple steps towards it and stopped.

"My name is Contanis," said the figure. "I'm the Overlord of Vallone and who might you be?"

And with that statement, the atmosphere of the room altered for Tearthis. No longer was it unpleasant. It was now nightmarish. Contanis's voice and presence demonstrated almost as much power has he himself did.

"My name is Tearthis," he said calmly. "I'm the leader of Hex Immortal."

"I'm amazed you weren't killed by any of my men," said Contanis. "By the way, why isn't the rest of your outfit with you? Is it because they're dead? Or is it because they're too stricken with fear?"

"They're alive," said Tearthis, "but they're sitting this one out. Their mission is to find any men you may have left and neutralize them."

"Bad move," said Contanis as he shook his head from side to side.

"What's with the body?" asked Tearthis as he pointed at it with his right index finger. "I'm guessing it's one of your victims. Am I right you psychotic freak?"

"I wouldn't use that language, but you are correct," said Contanis. "She was hiding food from us so Kotlor and I executed her. You should have been there to witness it. It was quite a sight to see. He subdued her while I impaled her through the ass with a sword. As a matter of fact, I'm going to shove a spear up there too. Then I'm going to place her in front of the compound. She'll serve as a solemn reminder of what happens to those who dare to defy us."

Tearthis was starting to get pissed off now. He drew his sword from his sheath.

"So," said Tearthis as he pointed his sword at Contanis, "you like to hurt and kill other people, don't you? Well, guess what? My teammates and I do too. The only difference is we don't hurt and kill people just because they're physically weaker than us. They have a right to freedom. Instead, we hurt and kill people like you who inhibit it. And I can assure you we're going to do the best job we can."

"How do you know that's our ideology?" asked Contanis.

"Kotlor told us," said Tearthis, "along with how he joined your group. Then we killed him."

Contanis didn't respond right away. He just sat on his throne motionless without any expression on his face.

"When did you do that?" asked Contanis eventually.

"Not too long before I arrived here," said Tearthis.

"Did he die as a warrior?" asked Contanis.

"Yes," said Tearthis. "He used a rotary cannon against us. It was tricky, but we beat him in the end. Luckily for us, only one of us was injured and it was minor."

"How'd you kill him?" asked Contanis.

"One of my men blew his legs off with a bomb," said Tearthis. "He bled to death slowly and painfully."

"What a pity," said Contanis. "He was one of the finest followers I ever created. However, I can just replace him."

This statement both shocked and angered Tearthis. It didn't matter he already knew Contanis had no regard for anyone. As for him, he never thought of his men as objects that could just be "replaced." Contanis was truly the personification of evil.

"Let us return to your philosophy," said Contanis. "You're wrong about how everybody should have freedom. You see, people should only be judged on their physical strength. If some are stronger than others, they should control them. Look at the citizens of Vallone as well as others on this planet. They don't deserve freedom. They're lower than the shit that comes out of an animal's ass. It's the natural order of things. It's also our duty."

"I'm sorry," said Tearthis, "I just can't see things your way."

Then Contanis stood up.

"I'd also like you to know," said Tearthis, "there's a second reason why we're in your headquarters. We don't want the wrong people to get a hold of the Tablet of Omainu. You'll be distressed to know it's now in our possession."

"I'm very surprised our little trap didn't dispose of you and your friends," said Contanis. "No matter, I will succeed where it and my men have failed."

"How'd you find out about the tablet?" asked Tearthis.

"We heard about it from various people on the way to this city," said Contanis.

"What about its location?" said Tearthis.

"The same way," said Contanis.

Then he shook his head from side to side a couple times.

"Alas, we have yet to figure out how to use it," he said.

"Well," said Tearthis, "I'm extremely pleased to hear that. Anyway, back to your stranglehold on this city. I'm going to make sure you pay severely for it you bastard."

"Go fuck yourself in hell," said Contanis.

He leaped at Tearthis and did a vertical corkscrew in the air. Then he stretched his arms straight out at his sides. However, Tearthis raised his sword and blocked the blades on his gauntlets. After landing on the ground in front of him, he swiped his left gauntlet at him. Tearthis quickly did a back handspring and evaded it.

"You have exceptional reflexes," said Contanis, "but I'll still deliver death onto you."

Tearthis ran towards him as he thrust his sword at him. At the right moment, Contanis swung his left gauntlet at it and the blade got wedged in between his. Then he pushed his sword to the side and swiped at him with his other one. After leaning back and dodging it, he leaned forward again. His right leg then went flying into Contanis's left side. This made him stumble and Tearthis's sword broke free from his gauntlet.

"That was scary," thought Tearthis. "He certainly lives up to his reputation."

Then Contanis stretchered his arms straight out in front of himself and rushed at him. Tearthis just watched him as he pulled out his sheath. Once Contanis got close enough, he slammed his sword and sheath on top of his gauntlets. Then he pushed them all way down to the ground. This forced Contanis to drop to his knees. Once again Tearthis struck him in the left side with his right leg. With an explosive energy, he swung his arms upward. He was able to break free from Tearthis's grasp and stood back up. After taking another breath, he lunged at Tearthis with his gauntlets again. He dashed to the right side though and Contanis smashed into a wall instead. The blades on his gauntlets drove deeply into it as dust and pieces of stone went flying.

"Goddamn it!" yelled Contanis as he tried to pull them out.

While he was doing this, Tearthis took a break and thought about his next course of action. He never took his eyes off him though. It was just too dangerous to do so.

Meanwhile, Contanis was inching closer to getting them out. A few more moments went by and then they were free. This was when Tearthis came up behind him. Contanis glanced behind himself and then elbowed him in the throat. He stumbled backwards while he caught his breath. Contanis then spun around and grabbed him. Before Tearthis could do anything, he flung him over his shoulder. However, Tearthis grabbed his shirt as this was happening to him. When he hit the floor on his back, Contanis flew over him and landed on the ground like this too. They were both dazed for a moment, but then cleared their heads. Contanis started to stab at Tearthis's feet with his gauntlets. As fast as he could, he pulled his them back. Luckily he was able to avoid every strike. The two of them now hastily climbed back onto their feet.

"Hex Immortal scum," said Contanis

"Power hungry filth," said Tearthis.

Contanis tried to uppercut him but he blocked it. However, he was lifted off the ground and onto it on his back. As he climbed onto his knees, Contanis extracted a throwing knife from his bandoleer. Then he threw it at him but he deflected it with his sword. They watched it as it flew up and then fell to the ground with a light thud. Once it stopped moving, they looked at each other again.

"I've had enough of your bullshit," said Tearthis as he was still resting on his knees. "I'll rip you apart piece by piece."

"No," said Contanis. "I'm the one who's going to destroy you. Then I'm going to destroy your friends. That's not the end for you all though. I'm also going to make examples of you for this city. You can keep that dead bitch company when I stick you in front of the building with her."

## During this fight, Rykarn and Artain were still looking around for more of Contanis's men. They were running down one of the hallways on the first floor.

"I sure hope Tearthis is okay," said Rykarn.

"Ditto," said Artain.

They made their way into the room where the building's main entrance was. After they went into it, two guards suddenly ran into the room from the left side. They were in front of them. At first, they all looked at each other in shock. This was a creepy coincidence but soon it passed.

"Well, it looks like we've been blessed with two of the intruders," said one of the guards.

"We definitely have," said the other one. "Let's take them out."

## They each pulled their sword from their sheath and charged at them. Rykarn drew his as well, but also took a throwing knife out of his bandoleer.

"This is the end for you," he said as he placed the knife at his right side with the blade facing behind him.

Artain then ran to the right while he stood where he was. Now one of the guards started to chase after him. The other one continued to head for Rykarn.

When he got close enough to him, he slashed his sword vertically at him. Rykarn rolled to the left and avoided the attack though. Then he swung his sword at the man's head, but he blocked it with his. With their swords still touching, Rykarn sprung at him and pushed him back a couple steps.

"I can see it in your eyes," said the man. "You really want to get me, don't you?"

"Yep," said Rykarn in a monotone voice.

"Well, do something about it then," said the man.

"Oh, I will," said Rykarn passionately.

He started to swing his sword at him from all directions. However, he parried every one of his swings. Eventually Rykarn stopped and just pinned his sword against his.

"I'll crush you," snarled the man.

Rykarn tightly gripped his knife and swiftly jabbed it into the guard's left eye. It also went into his brain, but not far enough to kill him. He screamed in pain as blood flowed out of his eye socket. Then Rykarn pulled the knife out. His eye was still attached to the end of it. The guard then placed his left hand over his wound. While he was distracted, Rykarn did a left side kick to his chest. His hand left his injury as he flew onto the ground on his back. As blood continued to run down his face, he covered it back up and started to squirm. Despite this he managed to pull himself up onto his left knee. Then he gazed at Rykarn with his remaining eye.

"You don't look too happy," said Rykarn as he turned the one on his knife towards him. "I can see it."

"You goddamn prick!" he yelled. "I'll kill you!"

He stood back up and grasped his sword with both of his hands. Then he dashed at him as he swung it at him. Rykarn jumped back, but just wasn't quite fast enough. The blade made a shallow cut across his chest. As some blood spurted out, he landed back onto the floor on his feet.

The man then charged at him again. This time he made a swipe at his head. Thinking quickly though, Rykarn dropped onto his right knee. As the sword went over his head, he pointed the tip of his at him with the blade's sharp side facing up. Once it was out of his way, he lunged at him and drove the tip of his into his neck. He kept pushing on it until it came out the other side. Now there was a trail of blood heading down his sword onto his hands. He could also hear the guard's subtle death rattle.

"Now that's music to my ears," he said.

Then he lifted his sword. It cut threw his head as well as everything in it. Once it was out, he fell onto the floor on his back. Rykarn looked at the mess in front of him before taking a look at his injury.

"Damn it," he said as he placed his left hand over it. "I can't believe the fucker got me."

Suddenly he remembered about Artain. He looked around the room until he found him with his back against a wall. His opponent was a few feet away from him, but then charged at him with his sword. His goal was to impale him. As he ran, Artain just stood there because he had a trick up his sleeve.

"I hope this works," he thought.

When he got close enough, he stepped to the left side. The man's sword grazed his left arm and penetrated the wall. He tried to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge.

"Yes," thought Artain.

Then the man looked at him. He was just in time to see him impale him in the stomach with his sword. After going about half way though him, Artain pushed him off it. The man fell against the wall and then fell onto the floor on his right side. Artain just looked into his cloudy eyes for a moment.

"It ends now," he said.

He raised his katana and then sliced his neck open with it. Blood started to gush out of it as the man began to gargle. Then he put his right hand over his wound to try to stop the bleeding. Soon he realized it wasn't going to help, so he decided to do one last attack on him. He sat up and tried to punch him in the groin with his right fist. However, Artain pushed his right foot on his chest and he fell back down. Then he left it there so he couldn't get up again. Another couple seconds went by before he stopped breathing. Once he made sure he was gone, Artain walked up to Rykarn.

"Hey," said Rykarn, "that was good thinking to incapacitate his weapon."

"It's just basic strategy," said Artain. "You should always try to disable your enemy's weapon and do it as soon as possible."

Then he noticed Rykarn's knife.

"What's up with your knife?" he asked.

"I ripped the guy's left eye out," said Rykarn.

"Ah," he said solemnly. "I guess the 'I's' have it then, huh?"

"I guess so," said Rykarn as he slightly smiled.

Artain then took a quick look at the body of the man Rykarn fought.

"It looks like you did a vertical cut right through his neck and head," said Artain. "Was it up or down?"

"Up," said Rykarn. "Man, is he going have a sore throat and a splitting headache in the morning."

"Ha, ha, ha," said Artain sarcastically. "Let's get going."

"Okay," said Rykarn as he plucked the eye off it and dropped it onto the floor.

They ran across the room and into the hallway their former opponents emerged from.

POEM THE ELEVENTH:

## THE THREE TIERS

Two minions with swords, bodies rested on the floor

One higher up with a gun, a life that was undone

One at the top with gauntlets, on were the bets

And watching from beyond this tale, a dead female

## CHAPTER THE TWELFTH:

## OMEGA ENDEAVOR

Meanwhile, the confrontation between Tearthis and Contanis in the throne room continued to rage on like a wildfire. Their fuel was a mixture of energy and the will to fight for what they thought was right. These wills were also what brought passion to this altercation.

Tearthis was on his arms and legs while his eyes looked at the ground. Then he began to cough.

"We haven't been fighting that long," said Contanis, "and you already look like you can't go on. You've completely wasted my time and energy. Could you please tell me why you thought you had a chance against me? I'd really like to know that."

Tearthis looked at him but didn't say a word. He just stood back up and swung his sword at him. Contanis crossed his arms and blocked it though. Then with all his force, he pushed Tearthis onto the floor on his back. His sword flew out of his hands and landed in front of Contanis. As he continued to look at him, he picked it up and launched it tip first at the left wall. After smashing into it, the blade dug deep into the stone. The sword was now hanging there like an ornament of death.

Then Contanis jumped into the air and pulled his right arm back. However, Tearthis rolled to the left before he landed on him. Contanis landed on the ground as he sent his arm forward. The two blades on his gauntlet drove into the floor pretty deep.

"Come on," he thought as he tried to pull them out. "I don't have time for this."

They wouldn't move though.

Tearthis watched this for a few moments before getting onto his left knee. Contanis then swiped at his neck with his free gauntlet. He ducked in the nick of time though and he missed. After straightening the top half of his body again, Tearthis wrapped his right arm around Contanis's free one. Now he was immobilized. Then he moved in closer and began to punch him in the face with his other fist. He wanted the son of a bitch to bleed, and to bleed hard.

"Fuck you!" screamed Contanis from the top of his lungs. "You'll never win!"

Before long his nose started to bleed. It got all over his face as well as Tearthis's fist. This was comforting to Tearthis because this showed he was just a man. If he got attacked, he could be injured. It was possible to defeat him. Tearthis also wondered what Contanis thought about this.

Eventually Contanis got out of his grip. Immediately after, he plunged the blades into his left arm. Luckily for Tearthis though, they didn't hit any bones.

"Ah!" yelled Tearthis as blood seeped from his wounds.

Contanis then removed the blades from his arm. Since Tearthis was still distracted by his injuries, Contanis slammed his body into his. As he fell to the ground, he grabbed Contanis and propelled him over himself. They each hit the ground with a loud thud at roughly the same. By now they were both breathing heavily. After a moment, Tearthis got back onto his feet and jumped back a little from him. Then he looked at him again. He was still lying on the floor. This was when a revelation struck him.

"That's right," he thought. "I have some throwing knives with me. If I would have remembered that, I could have killed him with them instead of punching him. Damn it."

He quickly pulled two out of his bandoleer.

While he was doing this, Contanis sat up suddenly and climbed back onto his feet. Blood was still streaming down the lower half of his face to his chin. Once there it dripped off onto the floor. Nonetheless, he looked like he still was confident and mentally there.

"You're obviously strong," he said. "If your teammates are anything like you, you're all definitely part of the elite. I don't understand why you refuse to have absolute power over those weaker than you. Tell me, why do you want them to have freedom?"

"Because," said Tearthis, "we believe in individual liberty. People should be able to do as they wish as long as they don't hurt others. It's every person's right to have freedom and it's no person's right to infringe upon it. Being physically stronger than somebody else doesn't mean you're better than he or she is. And it certainly doesn't mean you can control him or her."

"Your ideology is so skewed it's not even amusing," snarled Contanis. "It's just pathetic."

He then charged at him. When he got close enough, he tried to impale Tearthis in the head with his left gauntlet. However, Tearthis stepped to his right and the two blades just grazed his left cheek. Blood started to trickle out of the cuts.

Contanis turned around and thrust his right gauntlet at his chest. He blocked it with the throwing knife in his right hand though. Then he tried to stab Contanis with the other one, but he blocked it with the blades on his left gauntlet. Tearthis quickly pulled the knives away from him and stepped back a couple feet. After pointing their tips at Contanis's feet, he dropped onto the floor on his stomach like a stone. Upon impact the knives went through them and into the floor. At first Contanis didn't say anything. He was just in shock. It wasn't long though before the silence was shattered.

"Ah, bloody hell!" he shrieked.

Tearthis then got onto his left knee and punched him in the groin. Contanis made a high-pitched squeal as he placed his hands over the area. This gave Tearthis the opportunity to spring up and slam his right elbow into his jaw. Contanis became dislodged from the floor and went flying into the air. A few moments later he crashed onto the ground on his back. As he lay there, Tearthis ran over to his sword. He grabbed the handle and began to pull on it as hard as he could. However, it wouldn't move.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed.

While he was doing this, Contanis slowly sat up despite the pain. Even though he didn't want to pull the knives out, he knew he had to. He looked at them and then he started to hyperventilate.

As for Tearthis, he finally realized he needed more force to remove it. He put his left foot on the wall next to it and began to pull on the handle again.

"Come on," he thought. "I can't afford to not get this out."

As he did this, Contanis grabbed the knife in his left foot. He held his breath and then yanked it out as fast as he could. There was a sharp pain and he yelled in agony.

Meanwhile, Tearthis was still pulling on his sword when he heard this. Quickly he stopped and turned his head towards him.

"He has one out," he thought. "I'm running out of time."

He turned his head back around and began to pull on it again. Now he was starting to feel it slowly moving towards him.

As for Contanis, he grabbed the knife in his other foot. After holding his breath again, he pulled it out with his free hand. Once again he hollered in pain.

While this was going on, Tearthis was still freeing his sword. This time however he didn't look at Contanis. The pressure was on him like a tidal wave now. He had to solely focus on extracting his weapon.

"He's done," he thought as he kept pulling on it. "If I can't get it out soon, I'll have to fight him without it."

As he continued to do this, Contanis was still sitting on the floor. A few seconds later he shifted his attention towards Tearthis.

"You're mine now, you little bastard," he thought. "And it looks like I still have my advantage in weaponry."

While still holding the throwing knives, he slowly climbed back onto his feet. To say he felt uncomfortable right now was an understatement. However, he didn't mind it that much. This was just part of the process to achieve his goal.

As this engagement continued to play out, Dragus and Mondren were on the lookout for more guards as well. They were walking down one of the hallways on the third floor. Since Tearthis gave them their directions, they hadn't run into any yet. That didn't mean there weren't any left though. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but it was a possibility.

"Judging by what's happened here so far," said Dragus, "the leftover guards might be desperate. If they are, they'll be more difficult to take down. We'll have to be more vigilant."

"Why do you say that?" asked Mondren.

"Well, let's pretend you're one of them for a moment," said Dragus. "Six guys have broken into your heavily fortified building and taken out most of your fellow guards. Add to that they've taken your most valuable possession, and have gotten out of your nearly inescapable trap. It sure seems like you'd be at the point now where you'd do anything to stop them. Do you understand my theory now?"

"Yes," said Mondren. "However, I hope you're wrong. We don't need these fools to be any more dangerous than they already are. Instead, I'd like to see them give up or not try as hard at stopping us. I doubt their morale will plummet that much though."

"I'm with you on that," said Drgaus, "but you're right. We never have such luck with those kinds of things. It's nothing more than wishful thinking."

A few minutes later, they entered a small square room at the end of the hallway. The only things in it were four paintings that each hung on a wall. This gave them the impression this was done so each one could be admired by itself.

"This must be some sort of little art gallery," said Mondren as he looked around.

"Yeah," said Dragus as he also looked around, "and a boring one at that. All these paintings are of realistic looking landscapes. If you were going to create a painting, why wouldn't you do one of a naked woman?"

Mondren just sighed as he shook his head from side to side for a while.

Then the sound of footsteps came from out of nowhere. Neither of them was moving, so somebody else had to be making them. Both of them turned in the direction of it.

"Draw your sword," whispered Mondren. "It could be another guard."

They each took theirs out and got into a ready stance. Soon after, the person making this noise appeared. He was standing at the end of the hallway they just came from. There was also a surprised look on his face, but it soon disappeared. Then he pulled two swords from his belt.

"It looks like you're mine," he said as he walked towards them.

He started to shake from nervousness all of a sudden.

"I don't know if I can beat both of you," he said as he stopped about halfway up to them, "but maybe I can get one of you before I die."

"Now that's a goal," said Dragus as he pointed his left index finger into the air.

The man stretched his swords out in front of himself. Then he faced the sharp sides of the blades toward the walls. After composing himself, he raced towards them as he screamed with pride.

Dragus and Mondren put their swords up vertically to block his. All four of the blades connected as he ran past them. He slowed down as he got to the end of the room and stopped. Then he turned around. After taking a moment to catch his breath, he charged at them a second time. Once again, Mondren and Dragus used their swords to block his.

"I can't keep this up forever," said Mondren. "All this force is making me tired."

"You're preaching to the choir," said Dragus, "so let's try to do something about it. When he comes at us again, we'll block his swords with ours like the last two times. However, we're only going to use one hand to hold them this time. We'll each extend our other arm out in front of ourselves and grab the other's hand. I'll tell you when to do that. With any luck, he'll run into them and stop."

Mondren just nodded.

Then they looked at the guard. He was at the end of the hallway again and began to run towards them for a third time. Once again they got their swords ready. He ran past them and their weapons clashed yet another time.

"Now!" yelled Dragus.

Like a bullet, they each shot their arm out and grabbed each other's hand. Their adversary collided with them and stumbled backwards onto the ground face up. Then they looked at him. He was still conscious, but his eyes were closed as he groaned in pain. After pointing the tips of their swords at the floor, they walked up to him.

"I guess this is it," said the guard as he opened his eyes and looked at them. "I give up."

"Don't be too upset," said Mondren. "Just think how much longer you lasted in this battle than some of your friends."

The man swung his legs at them suddenly, but he was too slow. They shoved their swords into his chest and through his breastbone. One of them went into his heart while the other went into one of his lungs. He died instantly as blood trickled out of the wounds. After a few seconds, they pulled them out. Some blood spurted into the air as they did this.

"I know it's not a naked woman," said Mondren, "but what do you think about this piece of 'art?'"

Dragus put his left hand up to his chin and thought for a moment.

"It's a step above the paintings in here," he said. "Not only is it more exciting, but it's manlier too. Of course I could be biased since I helped 'create' it."

"Well, that's enough of that," said Mondren. "We have to finish our job."

They walked out of the room and into another hallway. After a while it turned to the left and they followed it. A little later it turned to the right, so they followed it again. This time though they ended up in a midsized room. They started to turn around in a circle to see what was in it. Scattered throughout it were some wooden chairs and a table. There was also an entrance to a hallway on each side. When they completed it, a man was now standing about ten feet away from them. On his left side was a sack with a strap going around his chest and back. They were shocked by him because he was able to get the drop on them.

"This is the end of the line," he said as he looked at them.

"How'd you sneak up on us like that?" asked Dragus.

"Simple," said the guard. "When you two weren't looking in this direction, I quietly came in here from the entrance to my left."

Then as he kept his eyes on them, he calmly took a small round bomb out of each of his pockets. After lighting them, he placed them on the ground and rolled them in their direction. Mondren and Dragus just stood where they were for a moment before leaping out of the way. A second later, they exploded and smoke started to pour into the room. That was all. Then Mondren began to search for Dragus. He didn't want to yell to him in fear of their opponent being able to find him. Hopefully Dragus realized this as well.

"Damn smoke bomb," thought Mondren as he frantically looked around. "I can hardly see a thing. This is bad. We shouldn't be separated in a situation like this."

A hatchet flew through the cloud of smoke suddenly. It sailed past him and hit the wall on the other side. A couple seconds later, another one came through the smoke. This one went past Dragus and hit the wall also. This didn't deter them from trying to find each other though. Eventually they did.

"You should stay close by," whispered Dragus. "We don't want to get separated again. Now let's find that table to take cover under."

They began to search for it and found it resting against one of the walls. Then they quickly crawled under it. Right after they did this, a couple more hatchets went flying randomly through the smoke. All they could do was watch this in terror and pray none of them hit them. A few moments later, the smoke started to clear. The guard stopped throwing them and walked into the middle of the room. He wanted to survey the damage.

"Crap," he muttered. "Not even one hit."

Then he turned around so his back was facing Mondren and Dragus.

"Now, where could they be hiding?" he asked.

"Good," thought Mondren. "He hasn't seen us yet."

He promptly got out from under the table and grabbed a chair next to it. Then he lugged it over to the man from behind. Once he got close enough, he smashed it into his back. The man fell to his knees as he dropped it and ran away. The man climbed back onto his feet and pulled another hatchet out of his sack.

"You little bitch," he said as he turned the other way.

Then he heard a grinding noise behind him suddenly.

"Hey, what's that sound?" he asked as he scrunched his eyebrows.

Just as he was about to turn around, a table struck the back of his thighs. The hatchet fell out of his hand as he fell backwards onto it. Then he rolled off the left side onto the floor. He looked at the other end of the table and saw somebody standing there. It was none other than Dragus.

"Your little plan didn't work out," said Dragus as he took a few steps towards him. "That's sad."

Then he picked him up and sat him on top of the table. This was when the guard started to thrash around. As he did this, Dragus pushed him onto his back and tried to hold him down.

"Mondren," said Dragus. "Grab the hatchet he just dropped. It's time to make some headway."

He rushed over to it and picked it up off the floor. Then he raised it above their foe's head with his right hand.

"There's nothing I can say that will change your minds about killing me, is there?" asked the man as he stopped struggling.

Even though he was still now, Dragus continued to hold onto him. He didn't want to take any chances.

"Only if you say something along the lines of 'I surrender,'" he said. "Nothing else you can say will help."

"Then I say kill me," he said as he gave them a big smile. "I don't regret anything I did."

He began to squirm again.

"Nor do we," said Dragus. "Mondren, go."

He swung the hatchet down on his neck. The blade went through all the way, so his head became separated from the rest of his body. Instantly his movements came to a halt. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling as blood began to cover the table. The two of them just took a moment to look at his body.

"I'll tell you what," said Mondren finally. "This was one clean kill. That blade must have been pretty sharp. It cut through him with very little resistance."

Dragus picked the head off the table by its long blonde hair. Then he looked into its cold dead eyes. While he did this, blood dripped from the bottom of it onto the floor.

"It's amazing how this used to be a vile human being," he said, "and now it's just an idle piece of meat."

Then he turned around and lobbed it at one of the walls. They watched it as it hit it and made a dull thud. Soon after, it fell onto the ground with another one. On the wall where it made contact was now a mark of blood, There was also some more spread across the floor.

"So, where do we go from here?" asked Dragus.

"I don't know," said Mondren, "but let's start moving. We can figure that out on the way."

Meanwhile, Tearthis was still facing off against Contanis in the throne room. The last couple of minutes Contanis had been laughing at him and taunting him. The appeal of that had waned now, so he raised the knife in his right hand. Then he aimed it at him.

As for Tearthis, he finally pulled his sword out of the wall. Immediately after, he looked at Contanis. He was just in time to see him throw the knife at him. When it got close enough, he deflected it with his sword. Contanis then threw the other one at him and he blocked this one too.

"I swear on the worthless souls of my subjects," said Contanis, "I'll eradicate you."

Tearthis charged at him with his sword, but Contanis grabbed him. Then as he pulled him down and towards himself, he hit him in the stomach with his left knee. Tearthis dropped to his knees and then swung his sword at him. However, he blocked it and got it jammed in between the blades again. A certain joy appeared in his eyes now. Then he slashed him from the right side of his chest down to the left side of his stomach. Blood from the cuts splattered onto his clothes. Tearthis closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. With him distracted now, Contanis grabbed his head with his right hand. Then he pushed him towards the ground on his left side. His sword came out of his hand and landed on the ground next to him.

"Hmm," said Contanis as he walked up to it.

When he got there, he kicked it out of his reach. Then he put his right foot on his left wrist and his other one on his right cheek. There was still pain in his feet, but he wasn't going to let it stop him. The pain of losing to somebody such as him would be far worse.

"Listen you insignificant worm...," he said as he pressed his cheek.

"Ah," said Tearthis as he winced in pain.

"...I control the people of Vallone from the cradle to the grave," he said. "And once I get the Tablet of Omainu to work, I'll be able to control all the other weaklings on this planet. My government will grow to unimaginable proportions."

Then he looked away from Tearthis and laughed a little. This gave him an idea. He made his free hand into a fist and slammed it into the foot on his cheek. Contanis screamed in pain as he took it away. A few moments later, Tearthis did the same thing to his other one. He yelled again and removed it as well. The next thing he did was swing his legs into his. Contanis became airborne and then landed on the ground on his back. Tearthis looked at him for a second before getting back up on his feet. After retrieving his sword, he looked at Contanis again. He was also back on his feet and this surprised him.

"This is where you die," said Tearthis as he pointed his sword at him.

"You must be mistaken," said Contanis. "I'm not going to die at the hands of you or anyone else. That honor is reserved for nature."

"How do you know that?" asked Tearthis.

"Because I'm better than you as well as everyone else," said Contanis.

He then leaped towards Tearthis with his left arm pulled back. Quickly Tearthis hit him in the chest with his sheath. Contanis dropped to the ground on his feet and stumbled back a few steps. Then Tearthis went up to him and started swinging his sword at him. However, he was able to block every one with ease. As they fought, they started to move towards the wall with the windows in it.

During one of his swings, Tearthis thought he saw something to the right. He turned his head in that direction and Contanis saw this. This was the opening he had been waiting for since the beginning. With great speed, he brought his gauntlets down on his shoulders. Streaks of blood shot into the air.

"Ah!" screamed Tearthis as his right eye flinched from the pain.

While this was happening, Nios was following Tearthis's instructions just like the others. He was walking through a hallway on the fourth floor when he found a door. After opening it, he went through it and wound up in a decent sized room. He immediately stopped and took a look around.

In the center was a small wooden table. There was also a brass chandelier hanging from the ceiling above it. The lit candles on it brightened up the area below. However, everything beyond that was still dark.

He started to walk towards the table when he heard some footsteps. They weren't his though because they were too fast. He sprinted over to the closest corner and laid in wait. Not long after, a man ran into the room and stopped. Then he began to pant as he grabbed his kneecaps and hunched over. Eventually he caught his breath.

"I need to find some other soldiers," he said. "I can't be the only one left. I just can't be."

Then he turned around and hurried out of the room. Nios decided to follow him, but didn't go after him right away. First he took his boots off and stuffed them into his bag. This way he'd make less noise. Since he was alone, he figured he should take extra precautions. That wasn't the only reason though. He wanted to observe him for a while too. Maybe he'd learn something important. Quietly he walked out of the room in pursuit of him.

As he followed him, he tried to stay in the darkest areas possible. He also stayed close to the walls so the floor wouldn't creak as loudly. After a little while he reached a corner. As he went around it, his sheath tapped the wall. A light sound then echoed through the hallway. Since the hallway was quiet, it was more noticeable. The guard stopped running and Nios knew he hadn't a moment to spare. Quickly he went back around the corner. A second later the guard turned around.

"Huh," he said, "there's nothing there. Maybe I bumped my sheath against the wall."

Then he turned back around and started to run again.

As he was doing this, Nios peeked around the corner. Once he saw it was safe he started to trail him again.

A couple more minutes passed and then the man went into another hallway. About half way through it was a door on the right side. He went up to it and opened it. There was a luxurious balcony overlooking the city behind it. Then he went onto it and headed over to the railing. Shortly after, Nios reached the door but he didn't go through it. Instead he went up to the wall on the left side of it. Then he poked his head around the door and looked at his target.

"Ah!" yelled the guard as he began to flail around.

"What's he doing?" thought Nios.

"What in the hell is going on?" yelled the man. "Isn't there anybody left? How could this have happened?"

Then he slammed his fists onto the top of the railing and started to cry a little.

"Is this really the end?" he whimpered. "Most of my comrades are dead, including Lord Kotlor. Shit, I don't even know if Overlord Contanis is still alive. Is it time for our government to fall?"

"This guy is having a nervous breakdown," thought Nios. "It's actually hard to watch. I almost feel sorry for him. I have to do what's right though."

Quietly he pulled his sword out and started to creep onto the balcony. Once he got right up behind him, he raised it above the guard's head.

"Your pain will soon be over," he thought as he looked at the back of his head.

A warm liquid splattered onto his hands all of a sudden.

"That feels like blood," thought Nios. "I must be hit."

Immediately he looked over himself for the injury. Soon he realized he wasn't the one who was injured. It was the man. His sword was sticking out of his own back. The next thing he noticed was how the sword missed him by only a few inches.

"Wow," he thought as his eyes widened. "I was lucky."

He then took a couple steps back and lowered his sword. This confused him a great deal. A few seconds later the guard turned around and saw him standing there.

"Ah," he said as blood rushed from his wounds down to the floor, "one of the intruders. You were going to kill me, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was," said Nios.

"Well, you did even though it likes I got to myself first," said the soldier. "You killed my spirit, which is one and the same. I congratulate you on a job well done."

He then coughed and blood started to leak out of his mouth. Soon he began to stagger and before long, he collapsed backwards onto the railing. The moonlight glistened off his sword as well as the blood.

"These guys certainly weren't posers," said Nios. "They really believed in what they were doing. I'll give them that."

Then he walked over to the railing.

"Even though your last few minutes were somewhat heartbreaking," he said, "I'm happy you're not of this world anymore."

After taking a look around, he quietly spit on body. It was a subtle gesture, but he figured it summed up what he about him pretty well.

"Every now and then," he said, "there's a special occasion that calls for that."

Then he began to reflect on the incident. The man's words and actions touched him. They showed he was a person with feelings just like him. However, there was a difference between them and it was choice. The guard chose the path of wickedness, while he chose the path of righteousness. And a choice such as the soldier's warranted his destruction. Occasionally he had to remind himself of that.

Once he was finished, he stared over the balcony for a minute. Now he was able to be captivated by the beauty of the city before him. This downtime was a nice break from the all chaos he'd endured so far. It also reminded him of what they were fighting for. Then he turned his attention to the wall. Not only did it divide the city into two areas, it was also right now dividing it into two opposite atmospheres.

"I think I've taken a long enough break," he thought.

After putting his sword away, he pulled his boots out and put them back on. Then he began to walk back towards the door.

"Maybe I should tweak my adventure when I tell the rest of the group," he thought. "This was such a cheap win."

Then he thought about it for a moment.

"Nah," he thought as he shook his head, "it's what really happened. There's no shame in that. Besides, I shouldn't lie about something like that."

Back at the throne room, Tearthis and Contanis were still in the same position as before. For the last several minute they'd just been staring into each other's eyes. They were trying to psych each other out. Also, they were trying to figure out how much longer this duel might last. Finally this eerie silence was broken by Contanis.

"Do you have any last words before you die?" he asked in a monotone voice.

"Yes," said Tearthis. "Checkmate."

He gripped his sword tightly and thrust it into Contanis's stomach. Some blood sprayed out of the wound. After a brief pause, he started to slowly push it through his body. More blood started to run from it as the blade tore through his insides. Eventually it exited his back and there was even more blood now. Tearthis stopped his sword again.

"Ugh," said Contanis.

A moment later Tearthis began to spin him in a circle. At first they were moving slowly, but they kept getting faster and faster. Eventually the centrifugal force from this pulled Contanis off his sword. As this happened, the blades on his gauntlets ripped out of Tearthis's flesh.

"Good," thought Tearthis as he clenched his teeth in pain again, "I'm finally free."

Contanis stumbled backwards uncontrollably a couple feet. Then he smashed into the window with his back. It shattered ferociously as he fell out of it. In the background the moon lingered while illuminating the whole thing. There was nothing else it could do.

"No!" he shouted as he was falling.

Tearthis then hurried over to the broken window. He wanted to see what happened to Contanis. When he looked down though, he didn't see him. It was still too dark. From where he was standing, it might as well just have been a bottomless abyss. This prompted him to go find his teammates. Since he didn't know what happened to him, it'd be better if they all looked for him together.

Then he started to stagger towards the door. When he reached it, he stopped and turned towards the window again. Now he was starting to feel tired, so he rested the tip of his sword on the ground. He also slowly knelt down. No matter how many times he faced situations like this, it always amazed him.

"Two men didn't fight here today," he said. "It was two opposing ideologies. But it wasn't a question of which one was right and which one was wrong. That question had already been answered long before this battle took place. Instead, it was a question of which one would stand victorious."

Then he carefully stood back up and put his sword into its sheath. After coughing a little, he turned back around and went through the door. Behind him the throne room now laid damaged in silence without a master.

"I really hope the fucker died when he hit the ground," he said as he walked through the hallway. "I don't want to fight him anymore. In fact, I don't know if I even could."

He walked down the hallway a little further when somebody else appeared in it. This person was kind of far away from him, but he could tell it was Nios. However, Nios didn't notice him yet.

"Nios," said Tearthis loudly.

He quickly turned in the direction of the sound. A moment later he started to jog over to him. Once he got a few feet in front of him, he stopped.

"Thank heavens you're still alive," he said. "What happened to Contanis? Is he dead?"

"Let's find the rest of the group first," said Tearthis, "and then I'll tell the tale. I don't want to keep repeating myself."

"Fair enough," said Nios.

They started to walk through the hallway. A little while later they came upon a staircase. They heard some people walking up it, so they stopped in their tracks.

"If they're remaining guards," whispered Tearthis, "we can't fight them here. It'll be too difficult, especially for me. We'll have to lead them to the throne room and do it there."

"Okay," whispered Nios.

The footsteps were louder now.

"Get ready to run," whispered Tearthis.

Both of them stared at the door with immense anticipation. Sweat began to form on their foreheads. Soon a figure walked through the door and headed towards them.

"Hey," said the figure as it stopped.

It was Artain.

Nios and Tearthis breathed a sigh of relief. Then they wiped the sweat off their foreheads. A little while later the rest of Hex Immortal came up the stairs. Then they huddled around Tearthis.

"Since we're all here now," said Nios, "tell us what happened to Contanis."

"Okay," said Tearthis, "but I'm only going to tell you the ending for right now."

They all focused their attention on him. This was something they were determined not to miss.

"I knocked him out of a window," said Tearthis. "However, I don't know if he died because it was too dark to see. This means we're going to find him now. I'll tell you the rest on the way. We shouldn't prolong this anymore than we have to."

They walked down the staircase to the first floor. As they did this, Tearthis told them the rest of story just like he promised.

"Wow," said Rykarn after he finished. "Contanis sounded like a great warrior."

"He was," said Tearthis. "I expected that along with him being completely insane. He wanted to get the tablet to work so he could enslave the world."

"Thankfully that won't happen now," said Rykarn.

"It's a shame," said Tearthis. "If he didn't have that ideology, he could have done a lot of good."

"Yeah," said Rykarn. "It happens far too often than it should."

"So," said Tearthis, "while I was fighting Contanis, did any of you run into any more of his men?"

"Yes," they all said in unison.

Then one by one, they told him what happened to them. He felt bad they had to fight people, but at the same time he felt relieved. Their encounters showed he wasn't the only team member to have one, much less a tough one. That is until Nios told him about his. He wasn't upset at him though. What made him feel worse was he didn't have to fight when the rest of them did. This was a little selfish of him, but it was human nature.

"Sometimes war can take its toll on a person," he said. "That concept is nothing new. At least you were there to make sure he died."

"I just hope we got everybody," said Dragus. "Leaving anybody alive would be a bad thing to do."

"I agree," he said. "We can't afford to do that."

They finally reached the first floor. Then they grabbed some lit torches of the walls before heading to the main entrance. When they got close to it, Tearthis stopped them.

"Before we go outside," he said, "I want you all to exercise extreme caution. Contanis might still be alive and in good enough shape to fight. We mustn't take any unnecessary chances."

Everyone drew their sword and focused on the task at hand. Anything could have been waiting for them on the other side of the doors. Tearthis then opened it and they walked outside.

"Let's fan out a little and search for him," he said.

There was a cool darkness as they worked clockwise around the building. They were tense the whole time. The possibility of Contanis trying to strike them was very real. After a while, Dragus stumbled upon something.

"I found him," he exclaimed suddenly.

Everyone heard him and hurried in the direction of the sound. When they reached him, they stopped and peered at Contanis. He was lying on his back a couple feet from the wall. His chest wasn't moving and his eyes were closed.

"He looks dead," said Mondren.

"I'll make sure," said Dragus as he put his sword away. "Sometimes appearances can be deceiving."

He bent down and checked his pulse at his neck. After a couple seconds, he came to a conclusion.

"He's dead all right," he said. "It looks like we succeeded."

"Good," said Tearthis as he and the rest of them put theirs away too. "He won't be able to hurt anybody anymore."

Artain then took a whiff of the air.

"What's that smell?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Mondren as he also sniffed the air. "It smells like feces."

Rykarn bent down and looked at Contanis's body. His pants were damp around the crotch. With his free hand, he turned him over and looked at his bottom. His pants around that area appeared to be lumpy.

"Well," he said, "I'll be damned. After he died, he went to the bathroom in his pants."

"That makes my day," said Tearthis as he folded his arms. "It looks like his dignity died with him."

"What do we do now?" asked Nios.

"Let's go back to the inn," said Tearthis, "and treat our injuries. Then we can get some sleep."

"What about the townspeople?" asked Nios. "When're we going to tell them what we did?"

"We can do that tomorrow," said Tearthis. "There's no need to tell them right now. Besides, do any of you even feel up to it? I don't."

Everybody else just shook their head from side to side for a few moments.

"You know," said Dragus, "they'll probably want to start cleaning all this up after we tell them."

"I'm sure they will," said Tearthis, "and we're going to help them. After all, we're the ones who created this pigsty."

"Okay," whined Rykarn. "Can we please go back to the inn now?"

"Fine," said Tearthis.

They put the torches back and then went over the main gate. Tearthis opened it and they walked back to the inn for some well deserved rest. Their exit was done in the same vein as their entrance. It was executed quickly, quietly, and with focus. Today was not only a brand new day for Vallone, but it was also a brand new era.

## POEM THE TWELFTH:

## THE TWO TIERS

The minion killings raged on powered by freedom

With a twist of suicide thrown in for good measure

On the blood of bad the curtain did exquisitely fall

Off into that good night they did go, seeking rest

CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH:

# SHIFT SONG

The next morning around sunrise, a gentle wind began to blow. The Shadow Sifters patrolling the city the night before gathered in its center. Ever since their inception, they always leaved and returned together. It was part of their protocol. Not only that, it instilled a deep sense of tradition and camaraderie in them. They saw themselves as Shadow Sifters first and part of Contanis's régime second. Once they were all there, they walked back to headquarters.

"Did any of you see anything tonight?" asked one of them.

"No," they all said.

"It sure is different than it used to be," said the same person. "In the beginning there'd be a lot of people out at night. Either they'd be plotting against us or looking for trouble. Now the city lies dead once night falls. I guess we're just too effective. We got everyone to fall in line."

"I can't wait to get some sleep," said another one. "After that I'm going to head to the rape chamber. I really like that girl named Gosunie. She's always fun."

"Speaking of the rape chamber," said another one, "it's going to have to be cleaned out and restocked. Gosunie is the only one left. The rest are all dead."

When they got close to the main gate, they realized it was open. In utter shock they sprinted right up to it and came to a dead halt. One of them then took off its helmet.

"Why is the gate unlocked and open?" he asked. "It's not supposed to be."

The others in the groups removed their helmets too. They all were in a state of absolute confusion.

"Everybody," he said as he put his helmet back on, "prepare yourselves for battle. We don't know what we're walking into."

They put their helmets back on as well. Then they drew their swords from their sheaths. Soon after the one who just spoke cautiously took a couple steps forward.

"Is anybody in there?" he asked.

A minute went by without an answer. Then they saw a man stagger from out of nowhere towards the gate. His shirt was stained with blood and he had a look of fear on his face. Once he got a few feet in front of it, he stopped. The Shadow Sifters looked at him for a moment before heading inside. As they did this, they looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except for some broken windows.

"Do you know what happened here?" asked the same one.

"Yes," said the guard. "A group of men broke into the compound last night and attacked us."

"What'd they do?" asked the same one.

"They killed everybody as far as I know," said the guard. "As for me, one of them impaled me in the chest with his sword. He missed my heart though. Then I pretended to die so they'd leave me alone. It worked but I passed out for a while."

They heard a creak suddenly and began to look around frantically.

"That was me," said another one of the Shadows Sifters. "I just bumped the gate. I'm sorry about that."

They turned their attention towards the guard again.

"Anyway," he said. "I decided to look for them after I woke up. I was really looking forward to seeing if they'd remember me being 'killed.' Unfortunately I never got that chance."

"Did they take anything?" asked the first one.

"Yes," said the guard. "They took the Tablet of Omainu."

"Shit," muttered the same one as he looked to the right.

The rest of them cursed under their breath as well. The other one took a deep breath and looked at the guard again.

"When you said 'everybody'," asked the same one, "did you mean Overlord Contanis and Lord Kotlor too?"

The soldier just slowly looked at the ground. Then the Shadow Sifter turned his head to the right again. After taking another deep breath, he faced the guard again. It was very difficult to keep his composure now.

"Did they have a group name?" he asked bitterly.

"I don't know," said the soldier. "None of them said anything when I was attacked."

"Do you know where they came from or where they went to?" asked the same one.

"No," said the guard. "The only thing I know about them is they're exceptional fighters."

The Shadow Sifter sighed in disappointment.

"Okay," he said. "Do you know where Contanis fell?"

The soldier pointed in the direction of his body.

"Somewhere over there," he said.

The Shadow Sifters started to walk in that direction. It wasn't long before they found another body lying on the ground. Once they got close to it, they stopped and looked at it for a moment.

"That's him all right," said the same one.

Then they turned pale and became worried. They had no idea what to do because they never planned for it. This scenario seemed so unlikely to them, they didn't think they needed one. It was hard for them to believe their leader and most of their comrades were dead. Everything they worked so hard for had been destroyed.

After a brief chat amongst themselves, they headed back to the gate. The guard was still standing there and they went back up to him.

"You're right," said the same one as they stopped. "Contanis has passed into the netherworld."

Then he turned his attention to his fellow Shadow Sifters. They were talking amongst themselves.

"Quiet down," he said.

They stopped and focused their attention on him.

"This is the plan," he said sternly. "Since our government has fallen, we're going to go into exile. We'll need resources though. Look for any supplies we might need and take them. Also keep an eye out for any survivors. Since Contanis is dead though, I don't see much hope in finding any. After an hour we'll all meet back here. I assure you we will make those bastards pay with their lives. Now isn't the time though. We have to be prepared."

"What happens if we run into any of them while we're scavenging?" asked another one.

"You should just avoid them," said the first one. "Only engage them if you have to."

Then he turned his attention to the guard.

"You're welcome to come too," he said. "I'm sure you want to exact your vengeance just as much as we do."

"Remember," said the soldier, "I can't. I said they killed everybody as far as I know."

He turned around and started to walk back towards the building. Then he coughed up some blood and it fell onto the ground. Not long after he stumbled to the ground on his stomach.

"That's too bad," said the same one, "he could have been of use to us. Well, at least we can still search him. Now let's get to work."

They all spread out and started to search the compound. The whole time they kept thinking about how they had been reduced to this. It was a shameful experience for them. They realized they weren't untouchable like they thought. However, they still believed they could rise to that level. The hour passed quickly and they returned to the main gate with their supplies.

"Did any of you find any survivors?" asked the one who came up with the plan.

They all shook their heads from side to side a few times. Then one of them raised his hand.

"What is it?" asked the same one.

"I went into the rape chamber to see if Gosunie was still alive," he said. "If she was, I was planning on killing her so she couldn't be rescued. Well, it turned out she wasn't. It looks like we're the only ones left."

"So," said the previous one, "it's true. Everything we've ever known has been cast into the abyss; never to return."

Then they took one last look at the building.

"We'll never forget you Overlord Contanis and Lord Kotlor," said the same one. "Even though you two are now deceased, you'll live forever within our minds and hearts. Your ideals will as well."

While still gazing at it, they saluted it with their right hands one final time. The wind began to blow through their hair as they did this. A few seconds later, they all lowered their hands except for one. Instead he quickly wiped his across his left eye. There was a tear in it and he wasn't about to show it to the others. Weakness had no place here right now. Then he faced them again.

"At least our comrades' bodies have shown us what we're up against," he said as he ran his left hand through his short black hair. "It seems we're going to have a very tough fight ahead. I hope you're all ready."

He turned towards the gate.

"The time has come for us to leave not only this place," he said, "but our old lives as well. Mark our words whoever you are. We will forge our vengeance and reclaim the Tablet of Omainu. Then we can start to rebuild what you stole from us. We will not fail."

Then with their gear and supplies, they left the compound. Next they left the city. This was when the feeling of loneliness began to haunt them. They were the last remaining survivors of Contanis's régime as far as they knew. As the sun rose, they were bathed in its rich light. Just like how the new day was starting, so were their new lives as pariahs. They were eager to see what this kind of life would bring them.

Meanwhile, Hex Immortal was still sleeping. They decided they'd sleep in when they returned to the hotel last night. Their mission really exhausted them. When they did get up, they got ready as usual. Then they went down stairs to find Talez and Yi tidying up the place.

"Good morning," said Yi. "Did you have a pleasant sleep?"

"Yes," said Tearthis. "By the way, could you and Talez please come to the town square? We want to make an announcement to the city."

"Right now?" asked Yi.

"Yes," said Tearthis. "We want to make it as soon as possible."

"Uh, okay," said Yi with a puzzled look on her face. "Just let us finish up here first."

"All right," said Tearthis. "We look forward to seeing you two there."

Then he and the rest of his team left through the front door.

"What was that all about?" asked Talez as she walked up to her.

"I have no idea," said Yi, "but let's hurry up. I don't want to miss this."

They decided to hold the announcement at Contanis's statue since it was in the center of the city. This in turn led them to assume there'd be a lot of people there. When they arrived, they found their theory was correct. A lot of people were bustling around. Some were going to work; some were going shopping; and some were just walking around for leisure. The weather was quite nice today, so it made sense for people to just want to be outside.

Hex Immortal spread out and started yelling to get their attention. However, nobody responded to them. They were too busy with whatever they were doing. This idea proved to be nothing more than a lesson in futility. They stopped and huddled together in a circle.

"This isn't working," said Artain. "We have to try something else."

"Yeah," said Dragus. "They're free again but they don't know it. This isn't fair to them."

"We're just going to have to be more attention getting," said Tearthis. "Let me think."

"I have an idea," said Artain. "Pull out your swords."

"Why?" asked Rykarn.

"Because they still think weapons are illegal," said Artain. "If we brandish them, that'll have to get their attention. Look what happened when we first came here."

"That's true," said Tearthis, "but it'll probably scare them as well. However, I can't think of any other way. Okay, let's do it."

They pulled their katanas from their sheaths and waved them over their heads.

"Everybody, listen up!" yelled Tearthis.

It wasn't long before all the people noticed their weapons. They immediately stopped what they were doing and just looked at them. Inside them now was both intrigue and fear. Then they started to talk amongst themselves.

"What's going on?" asked a man. "Are they some of Contanis's men?"

"This looks bad," said a woman. "Are they here to abduct more women?"

A man then began to walk towards Tearthis. Fear was creeping through his whole body, but it didn't stop him.

"What do you want?" he asked as he stopped. "What orders did Contanis give you?"

"We aren't Contanis's men," said Tearthis. "We're here today because we have a message for you. Contanis is dead. I know this because I'm the one who killed him."

The people in the crowd stepped in a little closer because his statement caught their interest.

"That's bullshit," said the man. "You're lying. Contanis is too powerful. There's no way you killed him."

During this, Potav was walking across the street. He heard this and then hurried towards the crowd. After reaching it he began to push his way through to the front.

As for Tearthis, he was still arguing with the same resident.

"I'm telling the truth," said Tearthis. "He is dead. My teammates and I stormed his compound last night. We're confident we killed most of them, if not all of them."

"This is probably one of his tricks," said the man. "He probably told you to do this so we'd let our guard down. And when we do, he'll then send his men to attack us. A plan like that fits in perfectly with that piece of shit's thinking."

"It's true," said Tearthis. "From this day forth, you shall no longer have to live in fear. You're oppressive government is gone. You're all free now."

Meanwhile, Potav was still working his way through the crowd.

"Well," he thought, "I'll be a son of bitch. They actually did it."

As for Tearthis, he was still arguing with the same person.

"We won't fall for your trick," said the man, "so stop it. Go back to Contanis and tell him you failed."

Everybody else yelled in agreement.

By now, Potav was almost there.

"Nobody believes them," he thought. "They need some help."

He finally reached it. Then he rushed in between Tearthis and the other man.

"What are you doing here?" asked the man to Potav as he stopped. "Get out of here. These people are dangerous."

"What he says is the truth," said Potav. "These men visited my store yesterday and said they were going to do this very thing. When they told me about it, it didn't sound like a ruse. It sounded like they truly believed in that statement."

"So your evidence is just taking their word for it?" said the man. "Ha, you're a fool old man."

"It's more than just that," said Potav. "I know in my heart they're telling the truth."

"Boo!" yelled the crowd.

"You're lying!" yelled a woman.

"It's a trap!" yelled a man.

"If you aren't lying," said the man from before, "then prove it to us. Show us their corpses. That's the only way we'll believe you."

"Quiet down!" yelled Tearthis as he moved his hands up and down in front of himself.

Everyone stopped and gave him their full attention.

"This man," he yelled as he pointed at him, "wants us to provide evidence of what we say. That's a reasonable request so evidence is what you'll get. Everyone, follow us to Contanis's headquarters. This is where you'll see the remains of your government."

He and the rest of Hex Immortal walked through the crowd. Then they led them to the building. When they got up to the main gate, the crowd noticed it was unlocked and open. This shocked them because it never was like that before. Contanis always kept the compound very secure.

"Maybe these men are telling the truth after all," said a man.

Hex Immortal then took them through the gate. Soon a man spotted the body of the guard who had died earlier today.

"Look!" he exclaimed. "One of them is dead!"

Some others ran up to the body to get a closer look. So far everything Tearthis told them was correct.

Then they all turned around one of the corners of the building. The next thing on Hex Immortal's list was to show the people Contanis's body. As they walked, some of the people looked at the building and spotted the broken windows. It was just one more thing that added weight to their story.

"See that body over there?" said Tearthis loudly as he pointed at it. "That's Contanis's. Go see for yourself. Go see how far your wretched leader has fallen."

A small group of people walked up to it and gaze at it. Then they started to talk amongst themselves.

"That really is Contanis," said a woman. "I can't believe it. He's actually dead."

"In all my years," said a man, "I thought I'd never see this day. The lousy fucker is finally gone."

"It's over," said a woman as she hugged her husband. "It's finally over. Vallone is safe once more."

They then started to cheer. After a minute they quieted back down.

"They're right!" screamed a man. "Come on! Let's all show our gratitude for them! Let's give them a round of applause!"

Everyone clapped their hands. The sound roared through the whole area.

"You're quite welcome," said Tearthis loudly, "but please hold your applause. I want to make a speech."

Everybody became silent again. They all held their breath in anticipation for what he was going to say.

"I'd like to give you all a review in liberty," said Tearthis loudly, "since many of you haven't experienced it for a long time. There are even some of you who have never experienced it. Now, many people have different definitions of liberty. Some don't even believe in it, like your former ruler Contanis. The point is all of these ideas are wrong except for one. This is because the wrong ones are not based on logic, reason, and experience."

Some people hollered suddenly. Tearthis waited for them to stop before continuing.

"We, Hex Immortal," he said, "have the correct definition though. This one of course is derived from logic, reason, and experience. The definition of liberty isn't people making choices for others because they think they are better than them. It's having the right to make choices for yourself, and then accepting the consequences from them. Obviously there are some legitimate exceptions, but this is the norm.

Liberty is also the precious exception to the rule in our world. Most people never get to have it. Don't ever forget that."

Then he took a pause to catch his breath. While he was doing this, the crowd clapped and yelled some more. Soon it died down again and he spoke some more.

"Now," he said, "we'd greatly appreciate it if all of you could help us clean up this mess. Some of you can bring carts and horses here to haul the dead. Others can bring some tools here to repair the building. Everybody who wants to these things can get started on them now."

Some people in the crowd began to leave.

"As for the rest of you," he continued, "you may begin bringing the bodies here. Since you don't know where most of them are, we'll show you."

A woman then sniffed the air.

"What's that putrid smell?" she asked.

Then a man knelt next to Contanis's body and examined it for a couple moments.

"He urinated and defecated in his pants," he said. "I'm guessing he did this after he died."

"Yes, he did," said Dragus. "When a person dies, he or she loses control of their bodily functions. That means anything left in the body will be expelled."

"It's gross," said Nios, "but he's right."

Tearthis walked past them and stopped at the front of the crowd. Then he proceeded to tell them how he died. After he finished, Nios spoke.

"So Contanis fell out the window on accident," said Nios. "Hey, did you have a way to kill him in mind if that didn't happen?"

"Sort of," said Tearthis. "I was going to kill him the easiest way I could during the most opportune time. I usually don't premeditate things like that."

Then he went to help some people in the cleanup process.

"I hope he rots in Hell for what he did to us," said the woman who smelled the air earlier. "However, we shouldn't live in the past anymore. We should live in the present."

"Okay," said Tearthis. "Let's get to work now. We should get this place up and running as soon as possible."

Each member of Hex Immortal led a group of people to a different part of the compound. Some stayed behind though to haul Contanis to the main gate.

As for Rykarn, he was taking some people to the storage building.

"Nios and I," said Rykarn, "found this storage building when we came here last night. There are some barrels of food in it as well as two dead guards. The first thing we're going to do is remove them so they don't spoil the food."

Once they reached it, they stopped and then Rykarn remembered something. He didn't have the key to the door. Nios did though. After spending some time looking around for him, he spotted him. He was talking to some people a good distance away from the storage building.

"Give me the key to the storage building!" yelled Rykarn.

Nios stopped talking and pulled the key out of his bag. Then he tossed it to him and went back to his conversation.

Meanwhile, Rykarn unlocked the door and opened it. The group of people looked inside for a moment before going in. Once they were, they split off into two groups. One went to pick up the bodies and haul them back to the main gate. The other went to open the barrels.

All sorts of things like sugar, flour, wheat, salt, and rice were in them. As they were doing this, Rykarn noticed a barrel in the far back corner. He walked over to it and took the lid off. Then he looked inside to find a white pearly powder.

"I wonder what this is," he said.

He poked it with his left index finger and then took it out. After making sure there was some powder on it, he put it in his mouth.

"Uh," he blurted out, "it's bitter and it numbed my tongue. What is this?"

Then he walked over to the entrance of the storage building. This time he looked around for Dragus. Eventually he found him walking past two people off in the distance.

"Hey Dragus!" he shouted. "Get over here! I need your help!"

He started to run towards the storage building.

"What is it?" he asked as he came inside and stopped.

"I found a barrel in here filled with some white stuff," said Rykarn. "I tasted it, but I don't think it's food."

Then he took him over to it.

"Here it is," he said.

Dragus dipped his right index finger into it. Then he looked at it to make sure there was some powder on it as well. Once he saw there was, he began to examine it. A short time later he placed it in his mouth.

"Yep," he said. "You're right, it's not food. It's pure cocaine."

"Is that you're medical opinion?" asked Rykarn sarcastically as he folded his arms.

"No," said Dragus. "It's a medical fact."

"That's interesting," asked Rykarn. "Where would Contanis get that from?"

"I don't know," said a man standing behind them. "This city never had a drug problem as far as I know."

Dragus turned his attentions towards him.

"Well," he said, "my guess is they just didn't take stuff from you guys. They probably got it from someplace outside the city. Contanis could have been acquiring things from all over."

"We'll have to figure out what to do with this later," said Rykarn as he put the lid back on top of the barrel. "Tearthis isn't going to like this."

Meanwhile, Artain and Nios took some other people into the room where Kotlor's body was. They all stopped once they got close enough to him. Some of the people had to look away and some even through up a little.

"What did you to do him?" asked a man.

Artain proceeded to tell the group of people the tale. This brought about excitement and fear in them. None of them could recall hearing about an incident this dangerous and heroic as this one.

"So," said the man, "that's what warfare is like. How do you do it?"

"It's a hell nobody should experience," he said, "but it's something that's necessary sometimes. When Kotlor attacked us, the dead were either going to be us or him."

"You'd be surprised at what you can do when you're in a situation like that," said Nios.

Just then, Rykarn walked into the room and came up to them.

"Tearthis wants the six of us to meet him in the throne room," he said as he stopped. "It's on the fourth floor."

"Okay," said Artain. "Come on Nios, let's go."

They all left the room. Then they headed up to the fourth floor. As they walked through the hallway, they came across a door with Kotlor's name on it.

"I wonder what this is," said Nios.

Rykarn opened the door and they went inside. There weren't any drapes over the windows, so it was light enough for them to see.

"This is his bedroom," said Artain. "Let's see if there's anything interesting in here."

Each of them spread out and searched the room. Rykarn rummaged through the closet while Artain looked under the bed. As for Nios, he checked the drawers. The only things they found were clothes, books, and other typical bedroom items. This kind of disappointed them, but they were relieved as well. Then they decided to leave.

As they continued through the hallway, they found Contanis's room. They also went inside to check it out. Nios quickly spotted the chess set on top of the table and walked towards it. When he got close enough, he stopped and leaned in for a closer look.

"This is nice," he said. "It's rare to find a chess set of this quality. Contanis had good taste."

Then he tipped the black king onto the board on its side with his left hand.

"That makes more sense," he thought.

A moment later he walked over to his bed and started looking under it.

Meanwhile, Rykarn was going through his closet. He soon noticed something on the floor in it.

"Guys, come over here," he said.

Artain and Nios stopped what they were doing and came over to him.

"If you look closely at the floor here," he said as he pointed at it, "you can see some crevices. These are usually the signs of a trapdoor."

"Finally," said Artain, "we may have found something of value. Open it."

Rykarn took out a throwing knife and lodged it in one of the crevices. Then he pried the wood panel out.

As for Tearthis, he was still waiting in the throne room. Now Mondren and Dragus were there waiting with him.

"I wonder where Rykarn, Nios, and Artain could be," said Tearthis. "I hope they didn't run into any trouble."

"Yeah," said Mondren. "I hope there aren't any guards left. If that's the case, we just endangered a whole bunch of people."

"I'm with you two on that," said Dragus. "I didn't risk my life to save them just to have them get killed later."

A few more minutes went by and then the three of them walked into the room.

"Are you okay?" asked Tearthis. "It shouldn't have taken you this long to get here."

"Yes," said Nios. "We were just exploring, that's all."

"Thank heavens," said Tearthis. "You had us worried. We thought there were still some of Contanis's men around."

"No," said Rykarn. "As far as we know, everything's fine. What'd you want us here for?"

Without saying anything, Tearthis pointed at the body behind him. Then they all walked up to it and stopped.

"Do you know what happened to her?" asked Nios.

"Yes," said Tearthis. "Contanis killed her. Why, I don't know. She was already dead by the time I arrived here last night, so there was nothing I could have done."

"What are we going to do with her?" asked Dragus.

"I was thinking we could take her to the front with the rest of the dead," said Tearthis. "Of course we'd cover her though. We'd then try to find somebody who knew her and let him or her do the rest."

"I know where we can get a blanket," said Artain. "I'll get it now."

He was about to leave when a man and woman appeared in the room. They walked up to him and stopped.

"We know who she is," said the man.

"You do?" asked Artain.

"Yes," said the man as he wiped his pale blue eyes with his left hand. "Her name is Kiscia."

"Did she have any family?" asked Rykarn.

"Yes," said the man. "She had a husband named Uloke, but he died a couple years ago. He was a doctor and caught small pox from one of his patients. They're also survived by their two children. The boy's name is Ostu and the girl's is Aninine."

Hex Immortal's main concern now was the kids. With their mother dead, they had no parents now. They also could be in danger. Time was now their enemy again.

Now the woman started to cry.

"You're probably wondering who I am and how I know this information," he said. "My name is Nalitz and this is my wife, Viserly. We were friends of theirs. In fact, we lived on the same street as them."

"This is the plan," said Tearthis. "The first thing we should do is locate Ostu and Aninine. Their safety is the most important thing at this moment. Do you know where they are?"

"No," said Viserly, "but they might be at home."

"Do they have any other living relatives?" asked Tearthis.

"No," said Nalitz. "All they had were their parents."

Then Viserly stopped crying and pulled herself together.

"Nalitz," she said. "Do you want to take them? I think we should. We were Uloke's and Kiscia's friends, so they know us. Also, we always wanted to have kids but were never able to. This would be the perfect opportunity. They're pretty much family to us."

Nalitz thought about this for a moment.

"I agree," he said.

"Good," said Tearthis. "Go to their house now and look for them. If they're not there, get some people to help you find them. We'll take care of Kiscia in the meantime. Once you have them, come back for her and start making the funeral arrangements."

"Okay," said Viserly.

She and Nalitz hurried out of the room.

Then Tearthis looked at Kiscia's body again.

"Artain," he said, "get that blanket."

He briskly walked out of the room. A few minutes later he came back with a blanket.

"Where'd you find that?" asked Dragus as he came up to them.

"I found this in Contanis's room," said Artain. "It was the blanket for his bed. He can't use it anymore. Besides, I figured it'd be nice if one of his things was used for something good instead of evil for a change."

He walked up to her and draped it over her.

"Now let's find some people to take her out of here," said Tearthis. "I want us to stay in the building."

Just then two men from the crowd wandered into the room.

"Hey," said one of them, "we were walking past the room when we heard you needed some help. We can do it."

"Okay," said Tearthis. "Just remember she wasn't part of the government, so don't stick her with Contanis and his men. Put her off to the side instead. Some people are going to come back for her later."

"Don't worry," said the other one. "We'll make sure nothing happens to her."

They picked her up and began to slowly walk towards the door.

"Tearthis, Dragus, and Mondren," said Rykarn.

The three of them focused their attention on him.

"While we were exploring earlier," he said "we found something interesting. You'll definitely want to see this. I think it'll justify us being late."

"This better be good," said Tearthis as they huddled around him.

"On our way to this room," he said, "we stumbled upon Kotlor's and Contanis's bedrooms. We didn't find anything valuable in Kotlor's, but we did in Contanis's."

He pulled a leather bound book out of his bag and handed it to Tearthis. Then he Mondren, and Dragus looked at it. On the right side of it was a small lock. There was also something on the cover. It said "Contanis's Diary."

"It was hidden under a trapdoor in the floor of his closet," said Rykarn.

"Did you look inside it?" asked Mondren.

"No," said Rykarn. "I just grabbed it and we came straight here."

"You may have found something very important," said Tearthis. "Good work. However, let's look at it later. First we should finish our work here. Just hold onto it for the time being."

He handed it back to him and he put it into his bag again.

"Let's leave this room," said Tearthis. "We don't need to be here anymore."

Then they began to walk out of it as quietly as they could. The only sounds they made were footsteps. This was done out of respect for Kiscia. They reached the door and went into the hallway. Their silent march continued here as well.

A little while later, Dragus started to tap the left wall with the palm of his left hand. The dull thuds from this faintly echoed through the hallway.

"What is that?" thought Tearthis.

Then he turned around. It wasn't long before he spotted Dragus tapping the wall.

"Dragus," he said.

Everybody stopped moving and then Dragus looked at him.

"Be on your best behavior," said Tearthis. "No, I mean be on a normal person's best behavior. We're trying to have a moment of silence for Kiscia, and you're being disrespectful. You should know better because of your background. Now stop it."

"I'm sorry," said Dragus. "I get bored easily."

Then he felt something strange as he was about to remove his hand from the wall.

"Hold on a second," he said. "I felt a slit in the wall."

The rest of them looked at each other and then the wall. A moment later Rykarn walked up to it and examined it.

"He's right," he said. "In fact, there are three more in it and they form a square around an unlit torch. It looks like this a removable block. Let's see what's behind it."

"Let me take it out," said Dragus. "After all, I'm the one who found it."

Rykarn stepped to the right. Then Dragus started to pull it towards himself with both hands.

"Hold it right there," said Tearthis as he raised his left hand at him.

Dragus stopped pulling on it and let go.

"We don't know what's going to happen if you remove that," said Tearthis. "Let's have some throwing knives ready just in case. It's too cramped in here to use swords effectively."

"Wait," said Artain. "Why do we have to pull this block out? The battle is over. There's no need for us to take unnecessary risks anymore."

"Because something tells me we should," said Tearthis. "It may be beneficial to us. Besides, somebody else will probably pull it out if we don't. Now get out your knives."

Everyone took two out of their bandoleers except for Dragus. Then they spread out into the hallway.

"Okay Dragus," said Tearthis. "Remove it."

He grabbed the torch and started to pull on it again. The block slowly came out of the crevice as it made a slight grinding sound. Before long it was out.

"Holy shit," he said as he lowered it onto the ground, "this thing is heavy."

As soon as he did this, he drew two from his as well. Then they decided to wait for a little while to see if anything would happen. Several minutes passed and everything was still the same.

"Okay," said Dragus with a cautiously optimistic tone in his voice, "I think I should look in the hole now."

He then peered inside it.

"What do you know?" he said. "There's a smaller rectangular crevice at the far end of it. And on the back wall of that one is a button."

He reached inside and pressed it. Then a squeaking noise shot through the air. They each frantically looked around for the source of it. Rykarn happened to look at the wall, and saw a section of it swinging slowly inward.

"The sound is coming from the wall!" exclaimed Rykarn as he pointed at it with his left index finger. "There's a door in it!"

Everybody turned towards it.

Soon after, it stopped moving. Then Rykarn carefully walked up to it and looked inside. All that greeted him though was darkness.

"Dragus," said Tearthis, "go inside. You found the way to open it."

"That's not why you want me to go," said Dragus as he walked up to him. "If something bad happens, you just want it to happen to me first. I'm nothing but fodder to you."

Just then, Artain snuck up behind him. He grabbed his shoulders and then shoved him towards the door.

"In you go maggot," he said.

Dragus stumbled through the door and into the space. However, he regained his balance so he didn't fall. Next he lit a match and surveyed the area.

"This is a room and there are some unlit torches on the walls," he said as he put his sword back into his sheath. "I'm going to light them."

He proceeded to do just that. When he finished, the rest of them walked inside. They were dumbfounded by the arsenal that lay before them. One side had shelves with all kinds of bladed weapons on them. Another had shelves with all sorts of guns and ammunition on them. There were also some shelves with bombs on them. If anything bad ever happened, this was the place to relocate to. A person would undoubtedly come out of it in better shape than when he or she went into it.

"I've never seen this many weapons in one place before," said Artain.

"Just imagine how the battle would have turned out if Contanis and his men used all this against us," said Nios. "They'd be here instead of us. The only difference would be they'd be putting the weapons back before their victory celebration."

"Tearthis," said Mondren. "We should take as many of these as we can. They'd help us immensely against any enemies later on."

"No," said Tearthis, "we're not going to take them."

"What reason could you possibly have for saying that?" asked Mondren.

"The people of Vallone need them more than we do," said Tearthis. "There are many reasons why, but this one is the most important: these weapons will enable them to more effectively fight their next government if they have to."

"I take back what I said," said Mondren.

"Come on," said Tearthis. "Let's go. We should tell the others about what we found."

All of a sudden, Dragus spotted something.

"Guys," he said. "I spotted another black button. It's on the wall to the right of the door."

Then he walked over to it and pushed it. The squeaking noise appeared again as the door closed.

"That was disappointing," said Dragus.

"I'm sorry it didn't activate an instrument of death," said Mondren sarcastically. "Not everything turns out that way you want it to."

Dragus pushed the button again and the door opened back up. Then they put out all the torches before exiting the room. Tearthis was the last one out, so he closed the door via the first button. Afterwards he reinserted the block into the cavity.

They walked through the rest of the hallway and left the building. Near the entrance they found some people putting bodies into some carts. They also saw some people walking around with tools. A woman near the gate noticed them and came up to them.

"We just started working," she said as she stopped. "The tools and carts didn't arrive here until just a couple minutes ago."

"Okay," said Tearthis. "Now stay here."

He turned his attention towards everybody.

"I want to hold another quick meeting," he said loudly.

The people stopped what they were doing and formed a semicircle around Hex Immortal.

"While we were inside, we found something important," said Tearthis loudly. "There's a secret room filled with all kinds of weapons."

"Wow," said the woman. "What should we do with them?"

"We think it'd be best if you all took them" said Tearthis. "This way you'll be able to protect yourselves more effectively. There's a trick to getting into the room though. If some of you want to accompany me back there, I'll explain it on the way. You might as well start collecting them now."

Some people followed Tearthis and the others continued what they were doing.

A couple hours later Tearthis decided to have yet another meeting. Once again they all reconvened at the main entrance to the compound. As Hex Immortal faced the crowd this time, they noticed they were weary now. Some of them were even panting. Their eagerness to move forward was still very much alive though.

"Okay," said Tearthis loudly, "we're done for today. For the bodies, we loaded them all into the carts. Now for the people who brought them, you can take them back to your homes for the time being. We'll let you know what to do with them when we figure that out."

A man in the crowd started to cough suddenly. Tearthis stopped talking and waited until he was done. As soon as he was, he started to speak again.

"As for the building," he continued, "it's not done being repaired yet. You can work on it some more tomorrow and so on until it's finished. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping us clean up this mess. May..."

"Well," yelled a man in the front, "we thank you for ridding us of the tyrants who ruled us for the last seven years!"

Then everyone started to cheer and applaud again. Tearthis bit his tongue and waited for them to stop. The noise quickly faded away.

"You're welcome again," he said loudly. "May you all have a wonderful evening. You're now dismissed."

Everybody began to leave the premises and head back home for the evening. As Hex Immortal was about to leave, a voice called out to them.

"Stop!" yelled a woman. "I want to talk to you!"

They all turned around and took note of her short blonde hair and brown eyes. However, there was something different in her eyes than the rest of the people there. The feeling of uneasiness shot up their spines.

"What do you want?" asked Artain.

"I want to talk about what you did," she said as she walked up to them. "Why did you kill our leader, you monsters?"

"Oh shit," thought Tearthis as he placed his left hand over his forehead. "I really hoped this wouldn't happen."

"What are you talking about?" asked Dragus.

As this was happening, a few people in the background were watching it. Then one-by- one they slowly joined her.

"Don't play dumb," said the same woman. "You know what I'm talking about. I want to know why you killed Overlord Contanis."

"Yeah," blurted out the others in unison.

"He was leading this city down a terrible path," said Dragus. "First he killed everyone in your previous government. Then he stole from people; raped women for fun; and killed those who disagreed with him."

"He had to kill the people in the previous government," said the woman. "This way he could gain control of the government and improve the city. As for stealing, he never did that. He was really collecting food from the more fortunate so he could give it to the less fortunate. Your two other accusations are lies as well."

"You're all delusional," said Dragus. "Contanis did all those things."

"You six are nothing but liars!" yelled the woman. "Contanis and his men were good people who were just trying to make this city better."

The small group of people began to walk towards them. Dragus along with the rest of Hex Immortal became worried. Each of them drew their sword from their sheath, except for Tearthis.

"Stop right where you are," said Nios. "We don't want to fight you, but we will if we have to."

"Put your swords away," said Tearthis. "They won't attack us. They know they wouldn't stand a chance in Hell against us."

The five of them sheathed their swords again.

"You brainwashed little fools," said Tearthis as he walked towards them. "How can you possibly believe Contanis was trying to help you? How can you be so blind?"

He stopped when he got within a couple feet of them. His towering stature didn't seem to intimidate them that much.

"No," said the woman, "you're the ones who are blind. Shame on you all for killing the best leaders Vallone ever had. You should all be tried for murder for what you did last night."

The people around them began to boo. What she was saying was just too appalling for them to stay silent anymore.

After the booing subsided, Tearthis spoke again.

"Your government did do those things," he said. "When we attacked them last night, we saw those things first hand."

"You're lying again," she said.

"Fine," said Tearthis. "You tell Ostu and Annine their mother wasn't brutally murdered by Contanis. You disgust me. That goes for the rest of you as well. We're not going to make you leave, but I can't promise the others won't be so tolerant. Therefore I think it's in your best interest to leave this place now."

The crowd began to cheer and applaud.

"Yeah!" yelled a man. "Get the hell out of here!"

"We don't want your kind around here!" yelled a woman.

The woman looked at the crowd surrounding them.

"You people make me sick!" she yelled. "These six men you worship now are not heroes. They're liars and murderers. You may believe what they did was right, but it wasn't. All they did was doom this city to a life of a dystopia. Because of them, Vallone will now certainly fall. They've tricked you into thinking all the things I said about Contanis and his men aren't true. I beg you to open your eyes to the truth and stand in solidarity with us."

She then made her right hand into a fist and thrust it into the air. The others with her quickly did the same.

The crowd began to boo again. The woman and the others then left through the front gate.

"I just don't get it," said Rykarn as he walked up to Tearthis. "How can people follow someone without question like that? It doesn't make any sense."

"They don't want to believe what they think is false," said Tearthis. "Sadly for most of them, nothing will ever change their worldview. What's worse though is their blindness will eventually end up hurting those who can see."

He then gave his attention to the rest of his team.

"Let's get back to the inn," he said. "We all need to rest for awhile."

They walked through the gate and headed back to the inn.

"Man, the folks on our side were sure excitable," said Rykarn as they walked. "All their clapping and cheering was really starting to get on my nerves."

"Well, can you blame them?" said Dragus. "They've just been liberated from a dictator. Besides, they'll become more laid-back as time goes on."

When they reached it, they headed inside and went to their room. The first thing they did when they entered it was take off their gear. Tearthis and Artain placed their stuff on one of the beds, while the rest of them just dumped theirs onto the floor. This annoyed them, but they weren't in the mood right now to make a big deal out of it.

"Since things have calmed down," said Dragus, "I've finally realized I'm famished."

"The kid has something there," said Mondren. "I am too."

"And I make three," said Tearthis. "The last time we ate was a couple hours before we launched our attack. What about the rest of you?"

Nios, Rykarn, and Artain all nodded.

"Well, that's settled," said Tearthis.

Then he turned his attention towards Artain.

"Go to a store and get us some food," he said.

He pulled some money out of his bag and gave it to him. Artain then counted it.

"There's only ten griveers here," he blurted out.

"It's all we can afford right now," said Tearthis. "We're going to have to eat like peasants. Now get going before all the food stores close. It's getting late."

Artain briskly left the hotel and randomly picked a direction to head in. As he was walking on the street, he looked around for any grocery stores. He couldn't find any though. That's when he spotted an older man walking on the street with a wooden cane. Without hesitation he went up to him.

"Hey," he said as he stopped, "do you know where I can find a grocery store?"

"Yeah," said the man as he stopped. "There's one along this street to the left. It's about half a block away from here."

"Thanks," said Artain.

He started to jog towards it.

"Oh by the way," said the man, "thanks for saving Vallone."

While still jogging, Artain turned his head around.

"You're welcome," he said.

Then he turned his head back.

Finally he reached the cypress building. As he approached the entrance, he began to slow down. The dull yellow color of it contrasted with the sunset rather well. He stopped near the entrance and started to pant. While he did this, he looked in the window on each side of the door. There was light inside.

"Oh good," he thought. "It's still open."

Then he looked up and saw an oak sign hanging above the door. The words "General's Store" were engraved on it. After he caught his breath, he walked inside.

The first thing he did was scan the square layout of the store. Each wall had a shelving unit against it. There were also two more in the middle of the floor. They were intermingled with some wooden tables with straw baskets on top of them. He saw all sorts of food, beverages, and household items. The amount of goods surprised him since the store was on the smaller side.

"Good evening," said a man's voice suddenly.

Artain turned his head to the right. There was an older stout man standing behind a checkout counter. Sitting on top of it to his left was an extravagant cash register.

"Hey," said Artain.

"I'll be more than happy to help you," said the man, "but it'll have to be quick. I'm going to be closing the store for the night soon."

"That's not good business," said Artain. "A lot of people are first getting off work at this time."

"I'd like to have the store open later," said the man, "but I need to find some help first. There's no way I'm going to be here twenty-hours a day. I'd die if I had to work that much."

"Well, I hope you find some," said Artain. "And speaking of help, I could use some. I want to buy some food."

"What kind?" asked the man.

"How about the kind you'd eat after you've just killed a bunch of people?" asked Artain.

The man gave him an intriguing look.

"Say," he said as he adjusted his white apron, "you're one of the people who took out our government, aren't you?"

"You got me," said Artain as he raised his hands into the air.

"Thank you for doing that," said the man earnestly.

"You're welcome," said Artain.

"Now," said the man, "as for your question, I'd recommend some smoked meat. I have beef, venison, and pork."

He then pointed his right index finger to the shelf they were on. Artain walked over to it and looked at the price tags. The floorboards made a light creak as he did this.

"No," he said. "This is too expensive. I need something cheaper."

"How much cheaper?" asked the man.

"A lot cheaper," said Artain.

"I have some noodles," said the man, "and some vegetables."

Just like before, he pointed to where they were. Artain went over to the noodles first. There was an assortment of them in pouches on the top shelf of the unit.

"This is more like it," he said as he looked at the price tags.

He took two packs of udon and then walked over to the vegetables. Once again he looked over the price tags.

"And this also works," he said.

He grabbed an onion, a green pepper, and a pack of mushrooms. Then he walked over to the counter.

"It looks like my pals and I are eating vegetarian tonight," he said.

"That'll be seven griveers," said the man as he chuckled.

Artain pulled out the money and handed it to him.

"Thank you," said the man as he started to count it.

"Before I go," said Artain. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," said the man as he finished.

"Why is your store called 'General's Store'?" asked Artain. "Usually these types of stores are called the 'General Store'."

The lightheartedness of the man's brown eyes quickly switched to sobriety.

"You see," he said, "a long time ago I was in this nation's army. I even made it to the rank of four-star general. Not long after, the war with Fumkexea broke out. Oh my God was it horrible. The battle of Grebru was especially brutal. Some prick from the opposing army stabbed me in the left thigh with his bayonet there. However, I broke it off his rifle and ripped it out of my body. That's when I got the last laugh by scalping him with it. Anyway, I turned the tide of the war by winning that battle."

Artain just stared at him. He could barely blink much less breath. Even after what he had just endured, this story still captivated him.

"Well, I retired a couple years later," continued the man. "I wanted a quiet and peaceful life for a change, so I moved here. I spent the first six months relaxing and doing odd jobs. Then I was presented with an opportunity. The previous shopkeeper of this store died, so I took it over. The name of it was originally 'General Store,' but I changed it. I thought it'd be a nice play on words. Let's see. That happened about two years before Contanis took power. Needless to say, my retirement was put on hold."

Artain then saluted him.

"You don't have to do that," said the man as he waved his right hand at him.

"I think I do," said Artain.

"Thanks," said the man, "but if anything, I should be the one thanking you for saving the city."

Then he gave him a hearty handshake.

"So," asked Artain, "you know about our little escapade that took place the other night?"

"Yes," said the man. "I was amongst the crowd in the city earlier today. You know, you and your partners remind me of when I was younger. Back then I didn't need as much help to fight the things that needed to be fought. Now I have to rely on more help for that, and it's supposed to come from the younger generations. We need as many of those people as possible to understand what's going on before it's too late. I only wish I knew when that time is supposed to come."

"I agree," said Artain. "Well, I don't want to keep you here any longer than you have to be. I'm going to be on my way."

He left the store and made his way back to the hotel.

When he entered his room, he found everyone except for Tearthis lounging around. They were playing dice while he was standing near the window. He was gazing out it as if he was trying to understand the world around him. Then Nios looked up and saw him standing in the doorway with the groceries.

"He's back," he said.

The rest of them looked at him.

"So," asked Nios, "what'd you get?"

"I got some udon, an onion, a green pepper, and some mushrooms," said Artain. "We're going to have vegetarian soup tonight."

"Boo!" yelled Dragus as he picked up one of the dice and lobbed it at him.

It hit him in the chest and fell onto the floor.

"How about this Dragus?" barked Artain as he pointed his left index finger at him. "You can eat the dice and I'll be more than glad to feed them to you."

"Break it up you two," said Tearthis. "Money is tight right now. You should know that already. In fact, you should actually be used to it. Be thankful we have anything to eat at all."

"Fine," said Artain. "I guess I'll find a place to cook now and get started on the food. Maybe this joint has a kitchen somewhere."

He left the room with the food and went down to the first floor. As he came up the counter, he noticed Talez sitting behind it. She was busily reading a romance novel. This made him cringe a little, but it didn't surprise him. He just found it typical.

"You're still here?" he asked.

"Yep," said Talez, "but my shift is almost over."

"Shouldn't you be working?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm supposed to be taking care of customers. Obviously there aren't any, so I'm taking care of my boredom instead."

"Actually there is one," he said. "Me."

She laid the book on top of the counter.

"What can I help you with then?" she asked.

"I was wondering if you have a kitchen here?" he asked.

"Yes we do," she said. "It's the last door in the hallway on the left. May I ask why you need it?"

"I want to make some dinner for me and my friends," he said.

"Yeah, sure," she said. "Customers are welcome to use it. Just make sure you clean up afterwards. If you don't, Yi will make me do it. She's a real stickler when it comes to cleanliness."

"Thanks," he said. "And by the way, don't worry about the cleaning part. I'll do it."

He walked through the hallway and all the way to the back. Then he turned to the left and sure enough, it was there.

"I hope it's unlocked," he thought. "I don't want to have to bother Talez again."

He grabbed the doorknob and started to turn it.

"Good, it is," he thought. "Now let's see what we have here."

He opened it and went inside.

The décor in the room was quite plain, but he expected that. It was meant for cooking and not admiration. Something did surprise him though. The room was actually quite big. As he walked through it, he noticed the wooden counters lining the walls. Each one had a drawer in it. There were also wooden cupboards on the walls above them. When he reached the middle of the room, he placed his stuff on the rectangular wooden table there.

"This will do just fine," he said as he nodded a couple times.

Then he realized there was a door at the other end of the room.

"Huh," he said. "I wonder where that goes."

He walked over to it and tried to turn the knob. Luckily it was unlocked as well, so he opened it. It turned out this one led to the backyard of the inn. He could see the outhouse, a street behind it, and a building on the other side of that.

"That's nice," he said as he nodded a few more times.

He closed it and then got to work.

About fifteen minutes later he finished preparing the meal. Then he went back to the room to tell the others it was done. The next thing they did was figure out where to eat. It didn't take long before they decided to do it in the kitchen. They didn't want to take the chance of making a mess somewhere else in the hotel. With that taken care of, they hastily made their way to the kitchen to partake of their feast.

Afterwards they decided to retire for the night. It was getting pretty late. They were just about to leave when Artain decided to show them something first. He took them over to the other kitchen door and opened it. As they took in the view, they noticed a light traveling contently through the darkness. The moon and stars weren't responsible for it though. It came from the hearts of the people in the city. Soon after, Artain shut it and they went back to their room.

## POEM THE THIRTEENTH:

## COMING OFF OF FIRE

An unexpected announcement came forth

Proof and preparations followed in close pursuit

A helpful discovery too late revealed itself

Lastly, a feast for six was enjoyed...somewhat

## CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH:

## A SHADE OF SOLEMNITY

## The following morning was warm and sunny without a cloud in the sky. It was ironic though. This should have been the weather for a day of happiness, but it wasn't. Hex Immortal was still asleep when there was some rapping on their door. Tearthis woke up first because he was the lightest sleeper out of all of them. Then he grabbed his sword and sheath from the floor next to him. It was second nature to him. After what they did two nights ago, they had to be ready for anything. He stood up and took the sheath off his sword. Then he placed it on the bed before heading over to the door. As he opened it he gulped.

"Oh, it's you Nalitz," said Tearthis as he finished. "What brings you here this morning?"

"I just wanted to say my wife and I took care of the funeral arrangements for Kiscia," said Nalitz. "Since we were good friends of hers, I thought we should do it."

"That was nice of you," said Tearthis. "When did you go back to the compound to get her?"

"It was sometime after you guys left," said Nalitz. "When we came back, we asked somebody there if you six were still around and he said no."

"Oh, okay," said Tearthis as he nodded a few times. "Anyway, how did you know where to find us? We didn't tell anybody we were staying here."

"Yi and Talez were though," said Nalitz. "They started doing that after your speech yesterday."

"Do you know why?" asked Tearthis.

"Yes," said Nalitz. "They did it so people could thank you if they wished. I think there was another reason too. You see, they seemed very prideful when they were telling people this. I think they wanted to brag about it."

"Oh," said Tearthis. "I wish they would have asked us first, but they didn't do us any harm. People can thank us if they want to. We don't mind. By the way, how are Kiscia's kids doing? Are they okay?"

"Well," said Nalitz, "the door to their house was busted when we reached it. We went inside and luckily we found them there. They were each tied to a chair and crying, but Kotlor didn't hurt them. We united them and calmed them down. After that, they told us what happened."

His voice began to quiver so he stopped talking. This was uncomfortable for him, but he thought it was important to tell him this. Tearthis just waited patiently as he got his emotions under control. Soon he did.

"They were in the kitchen when Kotlor dropped by," said Nalitz. "He broke the door stormed inside. When he found them, he started to accuse Kiscia of hiding food from the government. He said she didn't give him all the food she owed him on the last round. Then she told him that was all they had at the time, and offered him some more. He reluctantly took it before leaving to finish his round."

Tearthis just looked at the floor for a moment and sighed. He couldn't come up with anything else to say about this government.

"Sometime later he came back to investigate the situation," he continued. "She still insisted her story was true, but he didn't buy it. This time he noticed a piece of carpeting on the floor and kicked it out of the way. Under it was a piece of wood with handle on it, so he removed it. Beneath that was a burlap sack and he pulled it out. He looked inside and found the food she should have given him. This was when he tied Ostu and Aninine each to a chair so they couldn't go for help. Then he left with Kiscia."

He took a moment to rub his chin with his left hand.

"After they told us this," he continued, "we told them what happened to her. We also told them we were going to look after them from now on. Needleless to say they didn't take the news very well. Then we had a neighbor watch them while we went to get Kiscia. We thought it'd be best if they didn't go along for that."

"I can imagine how they must feel," said Tearthis, "but I'm so relieved they weren't hurt. As for the arrangements, I can't believe they were easy to make."

"They weren't," said Nalitz, "but at least she'll get something nice out of all this."

Tearthis then put his left hand on his right shoulder.

"You'll get through this," he said. "It just takes time."

He took his arm off.

"Thank you," said Nalitz. "The funeral is going to take place this afternoon at 1:00. Even though you six didn't know her personally, you're still invited. It's going to be held at Saint Lasarious's Cathedral. Then it's off to Fallen Debris where she'll be buried. That's a cemetery a little ways outside of town.

It was when Nalitz uttered "Fallen Debris" that Rykarn opened his eyes. He had been dozing off and on during the whole conversation. Soon after, his face turned pale. His reaction went unnoticed by everybody though.

Meanwhile, Nalitz was still conversing with Tearthis.

"Here are the directions to the cathedral," said Nalitz as he handed him a piece of paper.

He looked at it.

"Oh, there's one more thing I'd like to ask you," said Nalitz.

Tearthis looked at him again.

"Could you guys please be the pallbearers?" asked Nalitz. "I know this is a weird thing to ask, but you're the strongest people here after all."

"We'd be honored," said Tearthis.

"Thank you," said Nalitz. "You'll get your instructions for that at the cathedral."

"Thanks for stopping by," said Tearthis.

Nalitz started to walk away from the door. Tearthis then closed it and turned around. The first thing he saw was Rykarn sitting on the floor.

"Good," said Tearthis, "you're up. Now help me wake up everybody else."

Rykarn yawned and got off the ground. Then they proceeded to do just that. Once everybody else was awake, they got ready and headed to the cathedral.

Several minutes passed before they reached the stone cruciform structure. They saw some enchanting mosaics, statues, and stained glass windows on the outside. A giant rose window above the entrance also kept a watchful eye over the town. After gazing at it for a little while, they headed to the stairs of the entrance.

As soon as they reached them, one of the doors at the top opened. Shortly after that a portly man with an undercut hairstyle emerged from it. He was a wearing a black cassock and clerical collar. Quickly Rykarn looked off to the right.

"I presume you're Hex Immortal," he said with a gleam in his light brown eyes. "Nalitz stopped by this morning. He told me he was going to ask you if you wanted to be pallbearers for the funeral this afternoon. As for me coming outside when you arrived, that was no coincidence. I heard you approaching and had a suspicion about who it was. So, did I guess correctly?"

"Your deduction was spot on," said Tearthis. "We are indeed Hex Immortal."

"That's good," said the man. "All right, let's move onto another matter. Have you made your decision about being pallbearers?"

"Yes," said Tearthis. "We'll do it."

"That's wonderful," he said as he clapped. "By the way, my name is Father Garsine. Now please come inside. I want to give you your instructions."

He went back into the cathedral and Hex Immortal followed suit.

The interior was home to similar wonders as the exterior. Aside from these things, the cathedral wasn't very big and fancy as some others were. The residents didn't mind though. They still held it in a high regard because it was theirs.

There was also something special about the cathedral. When in the presence of it, one would somehow feel safer. Some said it was because of its simple beauty. Others said it was because of the magic of God. One thing was for certain though. It was a mystery one almost didn't want to solve.

Not too long after the guests started to arrive for visitation. Kiscia was lying peacefully in a modest casket on a cart against a wall in the back. Flowers in all colors of the rainbow rested on tables around her.

After a half an hour, the attendees took their places at the pews in the nave. It was time for the service. Everybody was dressed up for the occasion. Some men and boys were wearing darker colored suits. The rest were wearing dressier shirts and pants in darker colors. The women and girls on the other hand were wearing darker colored dresses. From the front of the church, they all looked like a sea of depressed formality. Only some of them were sniffling and crying though. Nalitz, Viserly, Ostu, and Aninine were all sitting together in the right pew closest to the apse.

At 1:00 PM sharp, Father Garsine started to walk towards the front of the apse. He was wearing a black cope now. Hex Immortal came up behind him with the cart. When Father Garsine reached it, he walked up the staircase to the altar. When Hex Immortal reached it, they stopped the cart and then took their seats. By now Father Garsine had made it to the top. He turned to face the crowd.

"A pleasant afternoon to everybody," he said loudly.

"Same to you Father," said the attendees in unison.

"We are gathered here today," said Father Garsine loudly, "to celebrate the earthly life of one of our city's residents, Kiscia..."

He went on to say a few more words. Then it was time for some biblical passages and hymns. After that it was time for the eulogies.

"We'll now hear from four people who knew Kiscia very well," said Father Garsine loudly. "The first one to speak will be Viserly. She was a close friend of hers."

Then he turned his attention towards her.

"You may come up now," said Father Garsine loudly.

She got out of her pew and went up the stairs. Father Garsine quietly stepped off to the right side when she reached the top. Slowly she turned towards the crowd.

"I...I," stuttered Viserly loudly.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I was Kiscia's best friend just like Father Garsine mentioned," she said loudly. "We met each other in the first grade because we were both in the same class.

As for Kiscia, she didn't stand out in a crowd. She was a lot like the other people here today. A lot of you probably know this already, but she had a husband named Uloke who died from small pox three years ago. Together they had two kids named Ostu and Aninine. She loved them very much and vice versa. The only profession she ever had was being a stay-at-home mother. She worked very hard at it to keep the household running smoothly.

Despite her busy schedule, she'd always take the time to cheer somebody up with a joke. I don't know where she got her energy from, but I wish she had given me some. From tutoring her kids to being a master seamstress, she could do it all. She would even try to do it all."

Then she put her left hand on her chin and looked off to the right. The echoes of her voice faded into the background forever while she did this. A few moments later she faced the crowd again.

"I'm going to now present you all," she continued loudly, "with a piece of information about her most of you probably aren't aware of. This was kept heavily under wraps when Contanis's régime was still in power. But since it's gone now, I can bring this out into the open.

She was the orchestrator behind the revolt against them six years ago. Fortunately Contanis and his followers never found that out. Even though it failed and many people died, she reminded the government people aren't just going to take things lying down. She instilled hope in all the people who had to endure this nightmare every day.

She was an ordinary person who did extraordinary things. That's one of the reasons why we'll always remember her. Now I'm not sure what the good afterlife is supposed to be like, but I'm sure she made it there. Thank you."

She went down the staircase and took her seat again.

"Wow!" thought Tearthis. "So she was the one who masterminded the rebellion Potav told us about. That means in the end, Contanis did kill the leader of the uprising against him. Well what do you know? He got his justice after all, even though he didn't know it."

"Thank you," said Father Garsine loudly. "That was very good. Next we'll hear from Nalitz, Viserly's husband. He too was a close friend of hers."

Nalitz left his spot and walked up to the altar.

"I first met Kiscia when I began dating Viserly," he said loudly. "As you already know, she was murdered by Kotlor and Contanis because she hid food from them. She did this so she had enough food for her family. This, along with her orchestration of the revolt, showed her true character. She loved her children and this city greatly. If they needed something, she was there for them. There was more to her than just that though.

One of her favorite hobbies was antique collecting. Old things people forgot about always interested her. Every time Viserly and I went to her house, I'd swear she'd have something new. Now when she did, she'd have to show it to us and tell us all about it. Out of all the antique stores in Vallone, her favorite was Odurnsep's."

A small amount of joy started to emerge out of the shroud of sadness in the room. The stories about her were beginning to resurrect her from the dead in a way.

"As for her husband Uloke," he continued loudly, "she met him at a café called 'The Meadow Grounds.' I believe she was eighteen at the time and he was nineteen. A year later he proposed to her at that same café. He thought it would be romantic to propose to her at the place where they first met. A year after that they got married. Then they had Ostu one year later and Aninine three years after him. That's when they decided their family was complete.

However, Uloke died and she was absolutely devastated. Nevertheless she went on living her life. But now they're together once more so that's comforting. She'll truly be missed. Thank you."

He walked down the stairs and went back to his seat as well.

"Thank you," said Father Garsine loudly. "That also was very nice. The third person we're going to hear from will be Ostu."

He got out of the pew and walked up the staircase. As he turned towards the crowd at the altar, he wiped his dark blue eyes with his hands.

"Make sure you speak loud enough so everyone can hear," said Father Garsine. "Also, don't be afraid my child. Just speak from your heart."

"Our mom was one of the kindest people we knew," he said loudly as he scratched his short blonde hair with his left hand. "She'd always tell us stories before we went to sleep. Some of them were ones her parents told her when she was little. Others were ones she just made up herself. You could tell which ones she made up because they weren't as good, but we still liked them.

She also made sure we always had enough food to eat. If there was a food we didn't like, she'd always find a way to get us to eat it. She'd either put spices and seasonings we liked on it, or mix it in something we did like."

The crowd looked at him intently. Everything in the world except for the funeral had fallen away from their attention.

"Not only that, she'd take care of us if we got hurt," he continued loudly. "There was this one time I was playing outside. Well, I tripped and sprained my ankle. She wrapped it in a wet cloth to make it feel better. Then she sang me some songs to calm me down.

After our dad died, she took care of us by herself. Even though it was tough at times, she never complained. She told us our dad was still looking after us though. He was just doing it from another place. I wish she was still alive. Thank you."

He left the altar and went back to his seat.

"Thank you," said Father Garsine loudly. "You did very well."

Then he turned his attention back to the crowd.

"Lastly, Aninine will give us a few words about Kiscia," he said.

She got out of the pew and went up the stairs. As she climbed them, her brown eyes started to tear up.

"Like I told your brother," said Father Garsine, "please speak loud enough so everyone can hear you and do it from the heart. There's no need to be frightened."

"Our mom would do anything to make up happy," she said loudly as some tears rolled down her cheeks. "Even though we never had a lot of money, she'd always save some to buy Christmas presents for us. I remember the year after our dad died, she really wanted this fluffy white scarf. Every time we passed the store it was in, she'd look at it through the window.

Well, my brother and I decided to use some of her money to buy it for her for Christmas. We looked really hard for it, but couldn't find any in time. Later she told us she knew what we were up to, so she hid it all from us. This way she could buy us some toys for Christmas."

Finally she stopped crying and rubbed her eyes. Then she coughed a little bit before continuing.

"She also taught us about the good and bad in life," she said loudly. "I remember one time I asked her why we were always poor. She said it was because the people who ran the city took most of our money. Then I asked her why they did that. She said it was because they thought our money belonged to them. But she also said there were people in the city who wanted to help us, like our neighbors.

She always did her best to take care of us. It's not fair she died, just like daddy. She didn't do anything wrong. Thank you."

Then she started to cry again and went back to her pew. When she sat down, Viserly gave her a hug.

Father Garsine watched this and then resumed conducting the service. After it was done, Hex Immortal moved the casket outside. A horse drawn cart was waiting next to the cathedral and they placed the casket on top of it. Then they started the funeral procession. First they went past Odurnsep's, then The Meadow Grounds, and then her home before going to the cemetery.

Once there, Hex Immortal carried the coffin to the grave dug just a few hours prior. To the left of it was a mound of dirt. This was when a man in a suit started to play a set of bagpipes. None of the attendees recognized him, so they figured he wasn't at the service. Rykarn started to shake suddenly.

As they got closer, they could make out the granite tombstone. Her name was carved at the top of it, while her birth and death date were carved under it.

When they reached it, Hex Immortal lowered the coffin onto the ground to the right of the hole. Then Father Garsine opened it so everybody could pay their last respects. Nalitz, Viserly, Ostu, and Aninine were the first ones who walked up to it. They each placed a red rose inside.

"Goodbye Kiscia," said Viserly.

"Goodbye mommy," said Aninine.

"Goodbye Kiscia," said Nalitz.

"Goodbye mom," said Ostu.

Then they started to cry and walked away. After everybody else paid theirs, Father Garsine closed it. Next Hex Immortal pulled some ropes out of their bags. Very carefully they used them to lower the coffin into the hole. That's when another man appeared behind them with a shovel. The attendees didn't recognize him from the service either. He began to fill the hole with dirt from the pile.

It was at this moment when a lot of the attendees started to breakdown emotionally. The harsh force of reality had finally made its debut. Even Rykarn got some tears in his eyes. However, he quickly wiped them away with his hands. The rest of Hex Immortal failed to show this level of emotion though. As soon as it was filled, Father Garsine took the stage again.

"Now it's time to go back to the cathedral," he said, "for a feast in honor of our friend."

Once there Father Garsine led them into the basement. A row of tables next to a wall greeted them. Resting on top of them was an assortment of food and beverages. There was roast pheasant, beets, corn on the cob, wine, milk, and juice. Another delicacy was there as well, but it had a more profound presence. It was some warm flatbread sprinkled with sugar. The reason why it was special was because it was Kiscia's favorite dessert.

"Before we eat," said Father Garsine, "I'd like to say some things first. Please take your seats."

Everybody except for him began to head towards the middle of the room. There were rectangular wooden tables and chairs there. While they were doing this, he just waited patiently until they all were sitting. As usual Hex Immortal sat together at one. Once they were, Father Garsine walked into the center of the room. The only sound now was his footsteps.

"All right," he said as he stopped. "What I want to talk about is Hex Immortal and the thing they did two nights ago. Now I'm sure you all heard what happened, so I'm just going to discuss the lesson in it.

The Bible advocates against violence, except in certain circumstances. These circumstances would be the defense of yourself and others. This includes the unborn, although there is a gray area for when life begins.

The point is though good isn't alone in the world. There's also evil and sometimes being good means using violence to stop it."

While he spoke, the aromas of the food drifted silently in the background. Eventually they began to entice the hungry mourners. The face of death wasn't even enough to kill their appetites.

"The sixth commandment is traditionally known as 'Thou shalt not kill,'" he continued, "but it most likely means 'Thou shalt not murder.' There's a difference between killing and murdering. Killing is taking a guilty person's life. This would be someone who's trying to kill somebody else. On the other hand, murder is taking an innocent person's life. This would be someone who's not trying to kill somebody else.

The important question though is what God thinks about all this. Well, I believe He'd agree with me on everything I just said. Now let's give Hex Immortal a round of applause for saving our city."

Everybody clapped for a few moments.

"Okay, okay," said Father Garsine as he moved his arms up and down.

The crowd became silent again.

"Let's eat now and celebrate Kiscia's transition from this world to the next," said Father Garsine.

Everybody left their seats and began heading towards the food. Before long, everybody was back at their seats and enjoying it. The atmosphere had now become much more joyous.

While Hex Immortal was eating, Father Carsine came up to them. He was holding a plate of food.

"I want to thank you again for all you've done," he said. "May God continue to watch over you six."

"You're welcome," said Artain. "We were just doing what we love, and that's slaying evil."

"I can see that from the tattoos on your knuckles my boy," said Father Garsine as he chuckled.

"Some people have the right to life," said Dragus, "and others have the right to death."

"That's a depressing statement but a true one," said Father Garsine. "You know, Contanis and his men banned all religion when he took over. They would kill anybody caught practicing one."

"Yeah, we heard about that," said Nios. "By the way, what happened to the city's religious institutions? We didn't hear about that part."

"They were all closed down," said Father Garsine. "Fortunately Contanis and his men didn't destroy any of them. They figured they could use them for other things."

"Did they ever use this cathedral for anything else?" asked Mondren.

"No," said Father Garsine, "and that's a blessing. If they did, they might have remodeled it. Then we would have had to change it back."

"That's really disturbing when a person does something like that to somebody else," said Tearthis.

"How right you are," said Father Garsine. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to check on Nalitz, Viserly, and the children."

He then began to head over to the table they were sitting at. When he reached it, he sat down on the right side of Nalitz.

"So," he said, "how's everybody doing?"

"Obviously we've seen better days," said Nalitz, "but we're okay right now."

"That's good to hear," said Father Garsine. "I know it's not easy to lose someone you care about. I went through the same thing when my parents passed away from cancer. That happened only nine years ago, yet it feels like a lifetime."

"Your mass was absolutely beautiful," said Viserly. "I don't think it could have been any better."

"Thank you," he said, "but what I said wasn't what made it exceptional. Your eulogies did that. The four of you should be very proud of yourselves. In an hour of darkness, you shined a little bit of light through it. Without question that took some courage. I can honestly say Kiscia and Uloke would have felt the same way."

"Thank you," said Nalitz. "That means a lot to us."

Everyone ate, drank, and visited for the next couple hours. Then people started to leave. As soon as Tearthis noticed this, he got out of his seat.

"May I have your attention please?" he asked loudly. "Before any of you go, I'd like to make an announcement. My teammates and I have decided to remove the Contanis statue in the center of town. We'd like to do it two hours from now and we could use some help. Would anybody care to bring some tools to do this? Also, would anybody mind bringing a cart and horse to transport it?"

A few seconds later a man stood up from his seat.

"I'll bring the tools," he exclaimed.

Then a woman sprang up from hers.

"I'll bring a cart and horse," she blurted out.

Tearthis turned his attention to them.

"Good," he said. "Thank you for doing this."

He then turned his attention back to the crowd.

"There's one more thing I'd like for all of you to do," he said loudly. "Please tell as many people about this as possible. This is going to be a real significant event. Thank you."

He sat back down.

People started to leave the basement again. This time however, they were talking amongst themselves about what Tearthis had just told them.

As for Hex Immortal, they didn't leave right away like the rest of them. They waited at their table until the room was almost empty. Once it was, everybody except for Rykarn left the table and headed for the stairs.

He instead just sat in his seat and looked straight ahead. It was like he was preoccupied with something. A few moments later he slowly stood up from his seat. That was when Father Garsine came up to him from out of nowhere.

"Hello Rykarn," said Father Garsine as he stopped.

"Unfortunately the same to you too," said Rykarn.

"It's been a long time since I've last seen you," asked Father Garsine. "How have you been all these years?"

"I've been fine," said Rykarn. "As you can see, I met some people and we came to this city. And now I'm talking to you at a funeral."

"You didn't come all this way to just free us, did you?" asked Father Garsine.

"No," said Rykarn. "We came here for this."

He pulled out the Tablet of Omainu and showed it to him.

"What is it?" asked Father Garsine.

"It's called the Tablet of Omainu," said Rykarn. "None of us know what it is or what it does. Before we reached the city, all we knew was it was dangerous and located somewhere in it. Therefore we came to get the tablet before it fell into the wrong hands. When we arrived, we found out Contanis had it. This was the second reason why we did what we did."

He put it back into his bag.

"What you do now sure is a lot different than what you used to do," said Father Garsine. "However, your attitude remains the same. You still want to help those in need. I'm pleased you found what you and your friends were looking for. Maybe we can continue our conversation later? I bet there's a lot more you'd like to tell me."

"Yeah," said Rykarn. "That sounds good."

"Okay then," said Father Garsine. "Feel free to stop by anytime. Now please excuse me. I have another funeral to prepare for. The deceased was another girl killed by Contanis. Her name was Gosunie and she was apparently found in their rape chamber. Say, did you and your friends happen to come across her while you were at the compound?"

"Yes," said Rykarn. "When we found her, she was still alive. She died a short time later though. We stayed with her until the end."

Father Garsine smiled slightly.

"Ah, more proof for my statement about your character," he said. "So, are the six of you going to be attending her funeral as well?"

"I don't think so," said Rykarn. "We're tired from what we did. Besides, we have the Tablet of Omainu now. That's something that's going to need our full attention. Luckily we found somebody who knows about it though, and he's going to help us. His name is Potav. After our meeting with him, I don't know what we're going to do. It all depends on what he tells us."

"I understand," said Father Garsine. "Well, it was nice seeing you again. I hope all goes well with that Potav fellow."

"It was nice seeing you again too," said Rykarn.

Father Garsine walked towards the stairs. Rykarn just watched him until he was out of view. Then he went up to the first floor as well. He looked around for his teammates for a while, but couldn't find them.

"They might be outside," he thought.

He left the cathedral through the door he came in. As he walked down the stairs, he looked around for them again.

"Rykarn," said Mondren as he hastily made his way up to him. "Where were you?"

"I just lost track of you, that's all," he said. "It was a big crowd."

"Well next time, try harder to not fall behind," said Mondren. "We have to go back to the inn and get ready for our rendezvous with the statue."

The two of them walked down the stairs together.

Two hours later, they were by the statue just like Tearthis had said. They were standing a couple feet away from it while facing a nice sized crowd. The six of them were amazed at how well the people got the word out about the event.

"Greetings to you all," said Tearthis loudly. "Since..."

Everybody started cheering and some even started whistling.

"This is getting absurd now," he thought. "It'll take just as long as Contanis's reign of power to accomplish all this."

He waited until the noise stopped. After what seemed like forever, it did. Then he continued on with his speech.

"Since Contanis and the rest of his régime no longer exist," he said loudly, "this statue has no place here. That means we're going to remove it."

The crowd cheered and whistled some more. Once it died down again, he continued.

"After we take it down," he said loudly, "the rest of Hex Immortal and I strongly recommend you don't destroy it. Even though it represents a dark period in your city's history, it's a significant one. We think all historical artifacts should be preserved. However, we want to get your opinion on it too. So, what do you think about that?"

The crowd began to converse with one other. Eventually the chatter stopped.

"I support this motion!" yelled a man.

"I second that!" hollered another man.

"I agree with that idea!" shouted a woman.

Then the crowd cheered yet again. As soon as they fell silent, Tearthis spoke some more.

"Fantastic," he said loudly. "We'll also save everything else related to Contanis's government. Now, let's tear it down."

"Yeah!" screamed everybody at the top of their lungs.

"First," said Tearthis loudly, "we'll need the supplies I told you about earlier."

The man and woman who volunteered to bring the items began to walk through the crowd with them. When they reached Hex Immortal, they stopped.

"Now we don't want it to fall and break," said Tearthis loudly, "so we'd like six people to hold while it's being taken off its base. Once it is it can be placed into the cart."

Almost immediately six people in the front walked up to them.

"This is how it's going to work," said Tearthis. "I want three of you to grab each side of it."

"Okay," they said in unison.

They then did what they were told.

"Now you," said Tearthis as he pointed to the woman with the cart, "bring your cart up to the front of the statue. This way they can just lower the statue into it."

"All right," she said.

She climbed onto the front seat of her cart and moved it under the statue.

"It's your turn now," said Tearthis to the man with the tools. "Remove the statue."

"Okay," said the man.

He walked over to the base of it and knelt down.

Tearthis then shifted his attention to all his assistants.

"Before we begin," he said, "make sure you're careful. We don't want to damage it and hurt anyone. You can begin on the count of three. One...two...three!"

The man began removing the statue from the fountain. After several minutes of work, it became loose. The six people holding it then slowly tipped it over into the cart. Just like the real Contanis, it too was now defeated. There was another round of applause and cheering from the crowd. The passion in them was unmistakably genuine.

"So Tearthis, did you wish the real Contanis was this easy to take down?" asked Dragus.

"Yes," he said, "and I also wish it'd be this easy for you to stop making stupid jokes."

"How about this then?" said Dragus. "You did get some more combat experience under your belt."

"That's true," he said, "but it still would have been nice if he wasn't so skilled in combat."

He then gave his attention to the crowd.

"I'd like to make one more announcement before we depart," he said loudly. "Two hours from now, we'd like to hold a mass burning of all your oppressors. It'll be near the main entrance of the city. This means the people who stored the bodies yesterday need to bring them there at that time. What do you think about that?"

Once again the crowd conversed amongst themselves. A short time later the chatter ceased.

"Yeah!" yelled a woman.

"Excellent idea!" yelled another woman.

"Let's burn those repulsive fiends!" yelled a man.

"Burn them, burn them!" chanted a group of people.

"Magnificent!" said Tearthis loudly. "Also, be sure to spread the word to others so they can attend. We look forward to seeing you all there."

The crowd cheered and clapped mightily one more time before dispersing.

Then he gave his attention to the woman who brought the cart and the horse.

"You can take that to your storage facility now," he said.

"All right," she said.

She then drove off.

Hex Immortal watched her leave and then when back to the inn. This day exhausted them so they wanted to get some rest. The finale was something they wanted to fully enjoy.

Two hours later they were at the main entrance just like they had promised. Just like last time, a decent sized crowd showed up for the occasion.

"Let's get started," said Tearthis loudly. "We're going to need a bunch of wood, so we'd appreciate it if some of you could gather some. After that, some of you can start a fire with them. Then some of you can undress the bodies and toss them into the fire."

Immediately some people left to retrieve the firewood. Everybody else just waited until they came back with it. Once they did, they put them all into a pile and some others started on the fire. It took a while but they finally got it going. The rest of the crowd now proceeded to remove the clothing and other valuables from the bodies. After that, they placed all the items into a pile. By this time the fire had turned into a blazing inferno.

Tearthis then turned his attention to the rest of Hex Immortal.

"It looks like the time is right for the bodies to go in," said Tearthis. "I want to say something first though. Please go around and let the others know."

He walked over to the fire while they went to tell the others of his speech. When Tearthis reached it, he stopped and waited for his audience to show up. The red and yellow glow behind him gave him an almost ethereal presence. Slowly but surely people started to gather around him. When it looked like everyone was here, he started.

"Before we begin," said Tearthis, "I'd like to say a few more words. I know the last six years have been tough, but you all survived it through pure determination. The fight for Vallone's freedom started years before we arrived. In fact, it began the moment Contanis took power. You all were the first line of defense. Give yourselves some applause."

They started to cheer and clap. As soon as they finished, Tearthis continued.

"When the bodies are cast into the fire," said Tearthis, "please keep this in mind: As they burn into ash, so do your last few years of oppression. And as the ash is blown away into the sky, so are your last six years of oppression. The past now fades away into the pages of history as a bright new future is about to be written. This writing will commence with the burning of these bodies. Thank you."

The crowd applauded and cheered as Tearthis walked away from the fire.

Then one at a time the bodies were chucked in by a few volunteers. The remainder of the crowd watched them roast like animals being cooked for a meal. In fact, they didn't think it was much of a stretch to call them that.

Soon everybody realized one night wasn't going to be enough to burn them all. The volunteers decided to just come back every day and continue until they all were. Time was no object for them. They just wanted to finish the job. Some people also speculated animals might wander into the area and eat the leftovers. This filled them with delight because it'd make their job a hell of a lot easier.

As the flames crackled and danced in the air, the evil burned into bitter memories. All the people could feel the warmth of the fire by now. It soothed their spirits. The crowd exploded into cheers suddenly. No one could remember the last time they were this happy.

"I think I'm going to take a walk," said Mondren. "I'll be back in a little while."

"Is everything all right?" asked Rykarn.

"Yes," said Mondren. "I just want to see what's going on."

He left.

Meanwhile, some people had brought instruments with them. They were waiting for the right time to play and they decided this was it. Soon folksy music began to fill the air. Almost immediately the attendees started looking around for the source of it. One-by-one they spotted the musicians. A man was playing a set of bagpipes; a woman was playing a violin; and another man was playing an acoustic guitar. Then some people started to dance as others began to clap.

"Dancing is so stupid," said Nios as he rolled his eyes.

"Indeed it is," said Tearthis, "but they have the right to do it. You can't have liberty without being able to do idiotic things."

As he walked, Mondren looked around at all the people. He didn't need to look at their faces or actions to see their joy and relief. These were things he could just sense. However, there wasn't a person among them he recognized. They were all strangers.

Finally he reached the fire and came to a halt. His eyes moved up the lengthy flames and ever reaching smoke. It was starting to get cold, so the heat from the fire was a godsend. He never thought he'd ever be involved with something like this.

A few moments later he headed back to his teammates. The will to stay warm was strong, but the will to return to them was stronger. Still he didn't see anybody he knew. This disappointed him but it was understandable. With a group this size, the chances of running into a familiar face was small.

"Did you have fun?" asked Rykarn as Mondren walked up to them.

"It was okay," said Mondren. "If you guys are getting cold, we can move closer to the fire. That's where I just came from."

"We'll probably make our way over there," said Nios. "Dragus is already complaining about that."

"Yeah," he said, "like you find it warm? Don't try to act tough. You're getting just as cold as I am."

Potav then walked up to them from out of nowhere.

"I want to personally thank you for saving Vallone," he said. "In case you don't know, today is the fifth anniversary of The Day of the Great Contention. It's nice to see you were able to do what those couldn't do five years ago. You also did it on the same day as them. That makes it even better."

A tear started to run down his left cheek, but he wiped it away.

"You know, this day used to just be one of sadness," he continued. "It was about remembering and mourning those who died in their attempt to free Vallone. Thanks to you though, it's one of joy as well. It's about remembering and celebrating how Hex Immortal freed Vallone."

"You're welcome," said Artain. "It was no problem at all."

"I hope they burn in Hell for what they did," said Potav bitterly.

"I agree," said Tearthis.

"Now onto another matter," said Potav. "Did you get the Tablet of Omainu?"

"Yes, we did," said Rykarn with a big smirk on his face. "We're not the kind of people who don't complete a mission."

"May I see it?" asked Potav.

Rykarn pulled it out of his bag with his right hand. Then he handed it to him.

"Wow," said Potav as he gazed at it. "It's been a while since I last saw this. It still amazes me like when I first saw it. The power it possesses is still the same, but the reason for having it has changed. Who would have thought a piece of marble could be capable of so much devastation?"

"I have a question for you," said Tearthis, "and it's a rather important one."

Potav looked at him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"When we were told about the tablet," said Tearthis, "I don't know if we were told everything about it. Is it the only piece of the puzzle, or is there more?"

"So," said Potav, "you don't know about all its power then. I was under the impression you did. In that case I'll have to tell you, but not right now. This should be discussed in private. We don't want the wrong people learning about this. Besides, I want to relax for a while. Please stop by my store later. This is information you'll definitely want to know before you leave the city."

"Okay," said Mondren. "We'll do that. When do you want us to come?"

"Whenever you get a chance," said Potav. "For something of this magnitude, I can be very flexible."

"All right then," said Mondren. "We'll stop by sometime in the next few days."

"That sounds good," said Potav.

He handed the tablet back to Rykarn. Then he stuffed it into his bag again.

"If you'll now excuse me," said Potav, "there are some other people I'd like to speak with. I wish you all a pleasant night's sleep. You six have certainly earned it."

"Thanks," said Artain. "We wish you the same too."

"Oh, I will," he said. "The shock of the government's end has worn off. This means I'll have the best night of sleep since it first took control."

He then turned around and walked away.

About a half-an-hour later, some people walked over to the fire. They wanted to watch the bodies slowly disintegrate. As they gazed at them, their eyes barely blinked. It was that fascinating to them. Just then, one of them saw a man pull a blanket off a body. He presumed the man was getting it ready for its disposal.

"You won't need this where you're going," said the man as he looked at the body's face.

"Hey," asked the man who was watching him.

The other man looked at him.

"That looks like a lot of work," said the first man. "Is it?"

"Not really," said the other man. "It's just tedious and time consuming."

"I understand," said the first man, "but it has to be done. You can't have the bodies just lying around."

"Yes," said the other man. "However, that's not the only reason why I chose to do this. I also see it as an honor and a way for me to help return this city to what it once was. Even though it's a small role, it's still an important one. All I care about is being a part of the transition."

"I hear you," said the first man as he nodded a few times. "Say, are you coming back tomorrow?"

"Yes," said the other man.

"I wonder how long this is going to take," said the first man.

"I couldn't tell you," said the other man. "All I know is I'm going to see it through until the end. Then and only then will the government truly be a memory."

"I thought I'd never see this day," said the first man. "Those six men really did the impossible. They can't be just men, can they? I mean, how could six ordinary men bring down those bastards? They have to be more than that. The chances of six regular guys destroying a government that powerful all by themselves are slim to none."

"Did you get a look at them?" asked the other man. "They seem like ordinary men to me?"

"I did see them," said the first man, "and they looked that way to me too. It just doesn't make any damn sense, that's all."

Two more hours passed before the festivities started to die down. Everybody was exhausted now, so they began to return to their homes for some rest. They could hardly wait.

As Hex Immortal marched back to the Tranquility Inn, the cool air blew across their skin. Eventually they reached the street it was on. Then they headed across the street and continued on their way.

Meanwhile, something was taking place on the side of the street they just came from. They weren't aware of it though. A woman with a black hood covering her head was standing in the entrance to an alleyway. On the left side of her was a lit lamppost. It faintly illuminated her face and the right side of the black cloak she was wearing. As they walked, her sensuous hazel eyes followed them.

When they reached it they walked inside. Then they headed for their room as quietly as possible. The last thing they wanted to do right now was disturb the other guests. Before long they reached it and went inside. As they got ready for bed, the tablet began to infiltrate their minds. They wondered what Potav would tell them about it. Their curiosity was no match for their tiredness though. Sleep claimed them once they crawled into their beds.

## POEM THE FOURTEENTH:

## ROAD TO SOMEWHERE

They honored a life, which was more than some knew

Closure came with rebuilding the town anew

More pieces to the puzzle have fallen into place

But some pieces still remained hidden in the dark

## WARRIORS' INQUESTS

Fellow warrior, please take the time to discuss these questions about Hex Immortal's journey thus far with other fellow warriors if you wish:

1. Freedom is something people have talked about and there are two common definitions of it:

the first is equal opportunity for all, while the second is equal outcome for all. Which is the

definition you believe in and why? If you believe in neither, then what is your definition of it

and why?

2. Contanis took various things away from the citizens of Vallone such as money and food

because he said they belonged to the government. Do you think money and other things

belong to the people who earned them or do they belong to the government? Don't forget to

explain why.

3. Father Garsine said the life of a human being begins when he or she is in the womb, but the

exact time is debatable. Where do you think it begins and why?

4. Hex Immortal often uses violence against people to stop them from doing things they think are

wrong. Do you think there are ever motives that would justify doing this and why or why not?

5. Kotlor was a normal person with a family. Contanis then entered the picture and introduced

Kotlor to a philosophy that was the opposite of his own. It worked and Kotlor became a

follower of Contanis's. Do you believe you could be convinced to change the way you think?

If yes, what would it take for you in order to change? If no, why is that so?

6. Contanis and Kotlor killed many people and ruled over the citizens of Vallone because they

thought since they were physically stronger than them, they had the right to do so. Do you

think people who believe they're better than others have the right to do anything they want

with others who aren't like them? Please explain why. Also, do these types of people exist? If

so, where?

7. The things people say and do are reminiscent of others in history. Who do you think Hex

Immortal and the various people they come across on their journey represent and why?

8. The members of Hex Immortal have a wide range of attributes (physical appearances,

personalities, etc.) that may not reflect the ones of the people you encounter in your daily life.

What do you think of them and why?

9. The team name "Hex Immortal" hasn't been defined yet. What do you think it means and

why?

10. A musical soundtrack is always a good complement to an adventure. Even though one isn't

really possible for the form of this adventure, what do you think would be an appropriate one

and why?

11. Every adventure has a price of admission, whether it's money, time, etc. Do you think the

price of admission for this arc of the story was worth it and why?

## DARKQUISITION

### ADVENTURE ARC THE FIRST:

### ENTITY OF ASCENDANCY

What's the most invaluable thing in the world? Freedom. This is the principal that they all believe in. Now the external elements have decided to stand against them and said principal. These are what began their journey, but hopefully it's them who will end it. Not to mention internal elements along the way have decided to do this as well. In synchronicity with them, they'll do the same and isn't that what it means to be a hero? Now let the adventure arc come to light and darkness...

Whether they shall stand or fall, they will surely heed the call.

Whether you shall stand or fall, will you also heed the call?

Disclaimer

\- Rating: 18+

Reasons

\- Graphic violence

\- Graphic nudity and sex

\- Harsh language

\- Other adult issues

Source

\- Forgature

Members

\- Zürthüryx Hemtolig Qosdarlu (e-mail address: zurthuryx@wi.rr.com)

\- Thejyreq Vazgothicus Ldeikone

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