chaosofgreed - Tumblr blog

[chaosofgreed]

[chaosofgreed]

Source

Video of Tama

Follow Ultrafacts for more facts

[chaosofgreed]

Today’s Battleborn of the Day is..

Phoebe!

[chaosofgreed]

In the dog world, humans are elves that routinely live to be 500+ years old.

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 31

Chapter 31: The Ice Queen Cometh

Kyna and Fang sat in silence on the shore. They had been coming here every night for the past week, waiting for Rita and the others to return. Fang had been reluctant to give up her nights doing whatever it was she had been doing the past month, but they needed Gaia there to sense when the others were getting close. They couldn't very well come ashore at the docks. Kyna quietly sharpened her dagger as Fang stared at the sand. They didn't talk much, neither was one for conversation. Every night they came out here and every night there was nothing. Kyna was beginning to worry that they had failed. What would become of this city if the Queen had fallen to the perils of the sea?

Fang looked up and out towards the water. She finally spoke the words Kyna had been waiting so long to hear. “They're here.”

Kyna smiled and sheathed her dagger. “Have your... friend tell them where we are.”

Kyna could feel the Queen's power before she even saw her. Her magical energy was immense, commanding. She could feel her body threatening to kneel before the monarch before she had even consented. “My Queen, I'm glad you've made it back safely,” she said, giving in and kneeling.

Rita smiled and nodded to her, the others just behind her leaving the ship. “I appreciate your help, Kyna.” Fang approached Rita, staring at her like a friend she had thought dead. Rita placed her hand on Fang's head and brushed her hair out of her face. “I'm happy to see you doing so well.” She hugged her. Fang blushed.

“So,” Atlas sighed, “should we get back to Demi? Because I am ready to be anywhere but the water right now. Even a sewer will suffice.”

“I agree,” Rita laughed, “I need a bath, too.”

Flynn groaned, seemingly just happy to be on land again.

“Much like the sea itself our trip had its ups and downs,” Gale said, “but I thought it went swimmingly. Though Flynn did seem to crash in its wake.”

Kyna stared at him. “Are you proud of yourself?”

“I like her,” Atlas smiled weakly.

“Rita, you're back!” Demi exclaimed, hugging her as soon as she walked into his tent. She could see a bit of the old Demi she used to know in his smile.

“He's a lot less impressive in reality than he was in your head,” Lunatic observed. “I wonder if his blood is the shade I've imagined.” Rita ignored him. She was glad to see her cousin again.

“I'm happy to see you too, Demi,” Rita smiled.

“Atlas, you look in high spirits,” Demi joked, putting his arm around his shoulder.

“You'd look like this too if you had to spend a month stuck on a boat with Gale's bad puns,” Atlas chuckled.

“My puns are quality comedy,” Gale smirked.

“So Gale's awful sense of humor aside,” Rita said, “what's our plan of attack now that we're back?”

“Well,” Demi said, moving to his map of the city, “my workshop had a secret tunnel to the sewers, but like I told you before it collapsed when I escaped. With Fang here, however, she should be able to clear the rubble and we can get into the castle undetected and catch them by surprise. As far as my sources tell me my workshop is an unused room right now, so we shouldn't have to worry about running into any guards in there.”

Rita nodded. “Sounds like a plan. While you all sneak in I can attack from the front gates. I'll distract them and you can focus on freeing hostages.”

Demi looked quizzically at her. “You should sneak in with us. There's no reason to put yourself in danger like that. At the very least bring a team with you. Going in by yourself is suicidal.”

Rita shook her head. “No. Enough of my people have died already. This time I will do everything in my power to keep everyone safe. Fortunately... I now have a great deal more power than I used to.”

Demi wanted to argue, but he saw the look in her eye. He wasn't going to convince her. She was stubborn, but she was also brilliant and strong. If she said she could do it he believed her. He didn't like it but he had to go with her plan regardless. “Alright. Fine, we'll do it your way,” Demi sighed.

“Good,” Rita smiled. “Then, if that's settled, I'm going to take a bath, and after that I'd like to talk to the tailor, Hahna, hopefully she's had time to finish my dress.”

“You're insane,” Lunatic mocked.

“You know very well that I'm not.”

“It's gorgeous,” Rita said, running her hand across the silky green-blue fabric of the dress. The color of sea foam trimmed with snow and ice, it reminded her of the dresses her mother used to wear. “Where did you even get this fabric?”

“I had some left that we'd scrounged up from the old shop,” Hahna said, “I was saving it for a special occasion. And, well, not much is more special than making a dress for a Queen, right?”

“I'm honored,” Rita smiled. “I really appreciate this, thank you.”

“Don't thank me!” Hahna sputtered. “You're the Queen! I'm honored that you'd even look at me, let alone be asked to make your dress!”

“I hear you've been talking to Fang,” Rita said. “I appreciate someone talking to her besides me. She can be... difficult to communicate with.”

Hahna blushed. “Thank you, your majesty!”

“Rita is fine.”

“R-Rita. Um, I just... Back when... when they all came to Sapphus a year ago, Fang used to look at the dresses in the shop, but she never came in. Everyone in town talked about how nice she was, so I just tried talking to her. And then I saw her again and... well, sometimes you don't always have someone to talk to when the world's gone upside-down like this. I'm sorry, I'm rambling, I really doubt you care.”

Rita smiled. “Of course I care. There's not a single thing that a person of Sapphus could tell me that I wouldn't care about. And you'd be surprised at how important you are to Fang. It's not often she talks to people.”

Hahna smiled meekly. “I'm... glad.”

Rita took a deep breath. “Well, enough putting it off. I need some sleep. I'll be back tomorrow for the dress, and then...” she trailed off. “Good night, Hahna.”

“Good night.”

Harren rubbed his hands together. Even in his gloves he felt like his fingers would freeze off. “Why are we stuck out here, anyway? Does Rasputin hate us that much?” he asked Jeri.

“Everyone has to guard the gates at some point,” Jeri replied.

“But on a night like tonight?” Harren complained. “It's freezing out! And what if that tiger everyone's been talking about gets us! It's been killing guards, you know, I think we messed up keeping them chained, they put a target on our backs.”

“There is no tiger,” Jeri said, rolling his eyes, “it's just a story.” He looked up at the snow coming down on them. “It is cold though. And the snow is really starting to come down.”

“Looks like a blizzard,” Harren agreed. “You think the boss would let us in for that? It'd be cruel and unusual punishment to keep us out here in a blizzard.”

“Like Rasputin is against cruel and unusual...” Jeri muttered.

“What was that?” Harren asked.

“Nothing,” Jeri said quickly. He looked up again. “Something has been bugging me, though.”

“What?”

“Doesn't the Sapphire keep the snow out? It doesn't usually snow this close to the castle.”

Harren stared at him for a moment. “I'm sure it's nothing. Maybe the Saapphire's just taking a day off or something.”

“The Sapphire doesn't take days off, Harren,” Jeri insisted.

“Look, man, I don't know,” Harren sighed. “Queen's tits, the snow is really getting ridiculous. We need to get inside. We'll die in this.”

Jeri squinted into the storm. “You see that?”

“See what? What are you looking at? It's not a tiger is it? Fuck, I bet it's a tiger! Come on, let's get inside already!”

Jeri shook his head. “That's no tiger.”

Finally Harren looked. His breath caught in his throat. Was he frozen in fear or had the cold finally gotten to him? He wished he was seeing a tiger. Instead he saw the visage of a woman wearing a long, flowing dress walking towards them. “No...” He whispered. No, it was just an old story. The vengeful spirits didn't really exist!

As she got closer he could make out her face. Skin pale as snow, hair blue as ice, deep purple eyes. A Riverwinter. The Queen? No, too young. The Princess? But they were dead! Of course they were! Or course she was! You had to die to be a spirit! She was angry! Rasputin had killed her and she was finally coming for his head! She was so close to them now they could smell her, but they couldn't seem to move. She looked at them with cold, dead eyes.

Jeri spoke. Sapphire, save him, Harren wished he didn't speak, but he did. “Who are you?”

“You know who I am,” she said coldly. “I am the battle cry of a dying city. The blade of a people who cannot lift a sword themselves. I am the spirit of every Queen who has ever fallen, and I have come to free my city.” There were no emotions behind her words, only facts.

She lifted her hands and touched their necks. She was so cold that suddenly the storm seemed warm. Harren could feel his neck tightening, his breath freezing in his throat. The cold began to move, his body felt like ice. “You two, at least, will be allowed a quick death.” Harren had heard that you feel almost warm before freezing to death, whether or not that was true for a natural death he didn't know, but a spirit's cold... there was no warmth to be had, only fear, pain and an unimaginable cold that never ceased.

Asha tried to calm the other kids as they cowered in their room. Rasputin and his men had kept most of the children that had been in the castle alive and used them as servants. They were all forced to live in a single room, far too small to fit them all comfortably. The room seemed empty today, though, many of the kids had been out working when this started, she was worried for them. Dianne was with her, at the very least. As well as the younger kids who were too small to work yet. Asha had shown some promise with magic, so Rasputin had made her a medic. She hated healing guards who she knew were committing atrocities out there, but she was learning useful skills, and she was good at it.

“It's okay, it's okay. Everything is going to be fine,” She whispered, running her hand through Harry's hair. He was still very young and he was crying. She had no idea if she was telling the truth or not, but she had to tell the kids that. This reminded her of the day Rasputin came into power, guards running around, yelling orders with little idea what was really happening. Screams heard in the distance. First they had said there was a ghost outside, then there were rebels inside. Guards yelled about kids shooting fire and lightning, and Asha could only hope that meant these rebels were who she thought they were. Had Flynn come back? It had to be him, who else could it be? He was a hero, she knew he would save them. He had to. He'd saved them before from the witch, he was their only hope now.

“Asha, are we gonna... die?” Dianne whispered to her.

“Of course not, sweetie,” Asha smiled, “We'll all be fine. The heroes are on their way.

Sarah smiled at her, revealing the gap in her teeth where her baby tooth had fallen out. “You mean like Flynn?”

Asha nodded. “Just like Flynn.”

A guard entered the room. Asha recognized him. She didn't like him very much, the way he looked at her was... unnerving. He was always making comments about how she was growing up every day. He looked at them. He seemed worried. “Not all of them,” he muttered to himself. “It's fine, we'll find the others.”

“What do you want?” Asha asked.

He looked at her. “Nothing. Be quiet.”

“Don't tell us what to do!” Tina yelled, “Flynn's gonna save us! He's gonna beat you up!”

He glared at the child. He stepped forward. “Oh, yeah? You think so, you little brat? He better be quick, then, because in a minute or so you'll all be dead!”

“What?” Asha exclaimed.

He grinned. “Oh, yeah, sweetheart. Real shame, too, you're growing up real pretty. Another year or two...” he laughed to himself. “Anyway, with all this going on the big man wants you all put down. Says you're liabilities. Not my place to argue, so here I am.” He drew his sword. “Now then, let's get this over with.”

“Stop!” Asha demanded, standing in front of the other kids. “Don't you dare hurt them!” She tried to sound commanding but her voice was trembling.

“What exactly do you expect to do about it?” He chuckled.

“Flynn will save us,” she heard one of the cowering kids behind her say.

She took a shallow, shaking breath in. She couldn't rely on Flynn for all of her problems. “Kill me, but please, let them live.”

“I got my orders, darling.”

“Do anything you want to me, but leave the kids alone!” She insisted.

“Anything? Well aren't you a brave girl.” He got closer to her. She could smell his breath, it made her want to vomit, but she held her ground.

He reached out towards her, she closed her eyes. She felt his hand on her shoulder. Flynn will save us. His grip tightened, tugging on her clothes. Flynn will save us. She felt herself thrown to the ground. Then nothing. No, no, no! She opened her eyes, she saw him bring his sword down towards Dianne. Asha reached out and grabbed his arm. She screamed something, but she couldn't recall what. In an instant it was over. She tasted it first, warm, the flavor of metal on her tongue. Then the smell, like copper in her nostrils. She closed her mouth, her tongue brushing something hard and sharp. Her hands were coated in warm, sticky blood. She spit out the shard and saw it was a piece of bone. She looked at where the guard had been, only a red splatter remained, dying the room crimson. The children stared. Asha's hands were shaking. She was crying, her tears mingling with the blood covering her face. She hadn't even thought about it. It just happened. They had taught her to repair a human body, but that meant she also knew how to destroy it. His sword was embedded in the wall from the force of the explosion. Asha folded in on herself and sobbed uncontrollably.

She felt a hand on her back. “It's okay. Everything will be okay,” she heard Dianne say.

“Asha, don't cry,” Will said, hugging her.

“He was bad!” Felicia added, “you saved us!”

“I'm sorry,” she cried, “I'm so, so sorry...”

Flynn looked in at the crying girl surrounded by children, all covered in blood. “Asha... is that you?”

She looked up at him with wide, distant eyes. “I killed him, Flynn. I... killed him.”

He didn't know what had happened, but she looked unhurt, and the kids seemed safe. He knelt down in front of her. He pulled the red handkerchief she had given him from his belt and wiped her tears, trying to get rid of as much of the blood as possible in the process. “It's okay, Asha. You did the right thing. You were strong.” It hurt him to say that. He had chosen this life for himself, he was a warrior, killing was necessary. But she was just a girl. An innocent person who never wanted to take a life. He hated seeing her like this. She had been through so much. He looked at the other children. This wasn't all of them. There were a few he didn't recognize, but he knew this wasn't all of the kids that had been captured by Baba. “Where are the others?” he asked her softly.

“I don't know,” she replied, her tears beginning to stop, “somewhere in the castle, working. They weren't here when all this started.”

Flynn nodded and stood. “I need to go find them.”

Asha grabbed his arm. “Flynn, please, don't go! I'm... I'm scared. I can't protect them all!”

Flynn gritted his teeth. “Asha, I need to make sure they're all safe.” He looked to Demi and his other allies, all standing by the doorway. “Some of us need to stay and keep them safe. And I need to find the rest of the kids.”

“Fang, Demi and myself should find Rita,” Atlas said, “I'm worried what she might do without a voice of reason.”

“Kyna, can you watch them?” Demi asked his soldier.

She frowned. “Demitri, I want to fight. Don't just pawn me off protecting a bunch of kids, I want revenge as much as anyone else!”

“I'm not pawning you off,” Demi assured her, “But there are few of us, leaving one person as capable as you is better than leaving five. Besides, I have a feeling you'll see your share of battle here. This girl killed a guard, I doubt the others will be happy about that.”

Kyna clenched her jaw. “Very well. I'll see that they stay alive.”

“Thank you, Kyna,” Flynn smiled. “Gale, can you come with me?”

“Sure thing, buddy,” Gale agreed, “two sets of eyes are better than one, we can find all those kids and be back before they know we're gone.”

Once the others were gone Kyna leaned in the doorway and stared out into the hall. The kids were quiet, save the occasional sob. The girl with the purple braids- what was her name? Asha? The one who had killed a guard- was trembling, she seemed to be in shock. Normally Kyna would have just ignored her, but if she was as powerful as this scene seemed to let on, if she was unstable it could be a liability. “Asha, right?” Kyna said, looking at her.

Asha stared back. She nodded.

“Why are you shaking like that?”

Asha stared blankly at her. “I killed a man.”

Kyna stifled a chuckle. “And you- all of you- are alive because of it. Be thankful for that.”

“I killed him,” she said again. “He was alive one second, and dead the next, I ended a life!” she was becoming unhinged. Her hands were shaking furiously. “I never... I never wanted to hurt anyone! I just wanted to help people!” the other kids looked scared.  Kyna took a last look into the hallway, then approached Asha, kneeling next to her. “Why do these things keep happening!? What did I do!? Please, I just want to go home with my sister and-”

Kyna slapped her. “Get a hold of yourself,” she said calmly. “You're the oldest one here, you have a duty to these kids. You need to stay calm. You're strong, I can see that in your eyes. We've all been through a lot. More than anyone deserves to go through, but we can't let it break us. You can't sit around and cry all day. You need to stand up and keep moving forward, and if you can hold a sword you have an obligation to save those that can't.”

“I can't,” Asha said softly, “I'm not a hero like Flynn. I can't protect them.”

Kyna let herself laugh now. “Sorry to rain on your parade, but there's no such thing as heroes. The only difference between you and him is that he picked up the sword and decided to fight. So you have a choice, sit here and cry, let the kids all die if it comes to it. Or you can pick your ass up and fight for your right to be alive, because right now that's what all of us have to do.”

Asha clenched her fist, her hands steadied. She stood. She took the hilt of the sword embedded in the wall, the blood on the grip making it slippery. She tore it from the stone in one quick motion. “I can fight... for them. For everyone.”

Kyna smiled. “Good.” There was a pause. “But maybe don't use an actual sword, you have no experience, that was just a metaphor. I suggest maybe magic?”

“Ah, right!” Asha said, flustered, dropping the sword.

Kyna liked this girl. She had a fire in her eyes, you don't see that often in a city of ice.

Rita left a bloody path in her wake, like violent waves dashing bodies against the rocks in a storm. She had heard from the mouth of a man whose neck had been under her foot that Rasputin had taken refuge in the Grand Ballroom once the commotion had started. A wide, open room, no doubt filled with personal guards, he hoped to keep himself safe rather than help his people. The guards at the ballroom door were quickly slammed against the wall without even a word, waves more powerful than a tsunami turning them to a bloody wallpaper on the pale stone of the castle. She pushed open the ballroom doors and was greeted with spearheads. She was ushered into the room, surrounded by guards. They parted to allow the man she could only assume was Rasputin through. His hair and beard were greasy and black, and his bright eyes were a shade she couldn't quite place. He looked tired, worn, but confident.

“I had a feeling you would come back one day, Princess,” he said to her. “Can you imagine my disappointment when you were nowhere to be found in the castle? Sure, part of me hoped you would die in the wild, but another part of me needed you to come back. Once you're dealt with the Riverwinter line is done for good.” She stared at him. She was memorizing his features. His hooked nose, the lines beneath his eyes, the mole on his right cheek. “But I'm getting ahead of myself. I haven't even introduced myself, have I? I am Rasputin Blackwater, Sapphus's King. Quite headstrong of you to invade my castle like this. As if inviting your own death.” He got closer to her now. She could smell his breath, the oils on his skin, she committed every detail to memory. “Not very talkative, are you? I appreciate that in a woman. And so beautiful. You really are your mother's daughter. The things I would have done to her corpse had it not disappeared into her Sapphire. But you... I'll have fun with you. Younger, still alive. Yes, I'll let you live for awhile. Maybe I won't snuff out the Riverwinter line after all, I'll just make myself a little heir.” The yellow of his teeth, the slimy look of his tongue through his fat, greasy lips. She would never forget his face, not a single detail. Her mother was a good woman, and a great Queen, but even she had been forced to condemn some criminals to death. She had told Rita one day, when she was younger, that when she sentenced someone to death she would look them in the eyes. She never wanted to forget the face of someone whose death she had caused, even if they were a criminal. No matter what they had done she owed them that at least. She would never forget his face.

“You would like that, wouldn't you Princess?” Rasputin said, placing his hand on her cheek. Her skin was cold as ice, he would have been shocked, but he felt it for only a moment. Had she warmed? No... no, he didn't feel anything. Not in his hand, at least. His wrist, however, was in excruciating pain. He looked down and saw that his hand was gone. Something was wrong- he was bleeding. His hand wasn't reforming. Why was he bleeding!?He took a step back, staring wide-eyed at the stump. Something was wrong, something was very, very wrong! He looked at his guards, none of whom were moving, all just as confused as he was. “Kill her, you idiots!” He screamed. Still, they didn't move. Their heads fell from their bodies. His knees buckled beneath him. He was kneeling before the Queen, staring up at her. Her eyes were cold, terrifying. The air was icy and tendrils of water floated around her, ready to slice off another piece of flesh should he make a wrong move.

She looked at his bloody stump. She spoke the first words she had said to him. “You still bleed. Good.”

It didn't prove difficult for Atlas, Demi and Fang to find Rita, they just had to follow the trail of blood. Once they entered the room Atlas saw Rita standing over the man he assumed to be Rasputin, surrounded by headless corpses. Her back was to him, but he could feel her fury in the frigid air, and the look of terror on Rasputin's face was telling. “Rita!” Atlas called out. “We finally found you!” She glanced back at them, her eyes like icy daggers piercing the air. Without a motion on her part the water surrounding her created an ice wall between them, they could still see and hear her but they were cut off. “What are you doing?”

“This is my fight. You three stay out of it.”

“You don't have to do this alone,” Demi insisted, “It was my family too, my city. Please, let us in.”

She ignored him and turned to Rasputin. “I have some questions for you.”

“Yes! Yes, I'll tell you anything you want to know!” He pleaded.

“You certainly changed your tune quickly,” Rita observed.

“Pride is not a weakness of mine,” he laughed weakly, “and I know better than to bet everything on a losing team.”

She glared at him with disgust. “Your powers, how did you get them?”

“The masked men. The man in the faceless mask,” he replied.

“Elaborate.”

“After Charles was killed the rebels all but lost hope, but after most of them had left me the man appeared. He told me that he could give me the power to take the city. In return he wanted me to send my men into the Northern Sea with pieces of Sapphire to find something for him. Of course I accepted his offer.

“He blinded me with a touch and took me somewhere, I don't know where, but when he allowed me to see again I was in a large, dark, stone room. There were dozens of masked men, they kept talking about some 'God of Darkness'. I've never heard that word 'God' before, but it seemed to be a title for someone named Sharam the Gluttonous, and the way they revered him... more than a King or Queen. They made a pact with him, spilled human blood so that he would grant me a piece of his power. He altered my body, my hair turned black, my eyes changed, and I became immortal, a man made of darkness. At least I thought I was immortal before you cut off my damn hand!”

“Interesting,” Rita muttered. “Where is the man in the faceless mask now?”

“I don't know,” Rasputin said, shaking his head, “he left shortly after we took the city, a couple of his masked men stayed behind to keep an eye on me, but I haven't heard from him since.”

“Well then,” Rita said, ice forming into a scythe in her hand, “I appreciate how open you've been, but your usefulness has come to an end. It's time you paid for your crimes.”

“Wh-what!?' Rasputin sputtered, “but I told you everything! I betrayed the masked man for you! Let me live, I beg you!”

“I never promised you anything,” Rita said coldly, “your death was always a certainty. The least you could do is die with some dignity.”

“Rita!” Atlas yelled, slamming his fists on the glass. “What are you doing!?”

“Taking back my city,” she hissed.

“I know you're angry,” Atlas said, “but calm down. Think about this. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to die- believe me, I know he does- but you can't kill him like this. Let him go to trial. The city is yours again, you can sentence him to death, but you need to prove to your people that you are a fair and just ruler, killing him like this is just another hostile takeover.”

She glared at Atlas, fury in her gaze. “Why are you trying to convince me to spare the man who killed my family!?”

“I'm not telling you to spare him,” Atlas begged, “but I'm worried. You need to know where your thoughts end and the demon's begin. I know you. You aren't the kind of woman who would kill a man on his knees.”

Her resolve flickered, Atlas saw a glimmer of fear on her face. Her eyes darted to Demi. He was clenching his fist tightly. He wanted to see Rasputin dead just as much as she did. “Atlas is right,” Demi said through clenched teeth, “let him stand trial.”

Rita took a deep breath. “Very well, perhaps you're right. He will stand trial.” She turned and looked at Rasputin again, the scythe melting out of her hand. “Rasputin Blackwater, you will see justice for your crimes, so let your trial begin. As Queen of Sapphus I will serve as judge, jury and executioner.”

Atlas slammed the wall again. “This isn't what I meant!”

She ignored him. “You are accused of regicide, the slaughter of the King, the Guardian Captain, and countless other nobles. You usurped the throne and under your rule the citizens suffered and died. You will be held responsible for the crimes of every guard who claimed you as their King, and every single death outside of the city walls will be considered a murder by neglect. And I will be counting corpses. How do you plead?”

“Please, my queen!” he cried, “spare me! I can help you! I'll rebuild the city with you! I'll do anything you ask, just please-”

“Your time is up,” she interrupted, “you are found guilty on all accounts. Unfortunately, your crimes are unprecedented, so I will need to devise a punishment suitable for them.”

“I will not die here!” Rasputin screamed, his body diffusing into darkness and expanding. Rita raised her hand and a shower of icy spears rained from the ceiling, tearing through him and pinning him to the ground. He returned to his human form in order to escape the ice, his body was bloody and torn now. “How can you strike me, even in that form!?”

Rita stepped towards him and placed her hand on his head. The blood began to clot and stopped flowing out. “Can't have you dying before your sentence.” She looked him in the eye. “Are you aware that the human body is composed of about sixty percent water?” He began to twitch. “In your blood, your eyes, your mouth... just about every part of you has water in it somewhere.” he started to writhe, trying to escape, but he was held in place by watery shackles. “How does it feel to have all of the water in your body slowly heat to its boiling point? Maybe you didn't notice at first, but I'm sure you can feel it now. Maybe not inside your body, but your mouth must feel awfully hot. Like soup you should have waited to cool longer. Don't worry, it'll get hotter.”

His skin was turning red, he was writhing in pain and his face was contorted in agony. He let out a guttural scream, Atlas could see the steam escaping his mouth from the heat of his saliva. “Stop, please, stop!” He begged.

“Water turns to steam as it boils, you can open your mouth to release some of it, but the blood in your veins will expand more and more until your body tears itself apart to create an escape route for the steam.” The crotch of his trousers darkened and he howled in a fit of agony, his leg moving wildly to try and escape the pain. “Even your urine was boiling, while it was still in your bladder you probably didn't notice, but now that you've left it running down your leg you're looking at third degree burns. “

“Please... stop,” he pleaded, barely able to speak, his tongue burning away.

She looked at him without the slightest sympathy. “Did the people you killed to get here ever beg you to stop?” He looked at her with wide, steaming eyes, unable to say another word. “That's what I thought.”

“Enough!” Atlas growled. “That is enough, Rita!”

“Shut up!” Rita snapped.

“Rita...” It was Fang. Rita looked at her. For the first time since they had met Fang looked scared. Rita's eyes sank, her resolve shattering. She turned away, gritting her teeth, a halberd of ice appearing in her hand, she sliced off Rasputin's head in one clean blow, boiling blood erupting out of his body.

The ice wall crumbled and Rita fell to her knees. Fang ran to her and embraced her. “I tortured him,” she wept, “He begged me to stop. He deserved it, I know he did, but... but I tortured him.”

Atlas put his hand on her shoulder, “It's okay, Rita. It wasn't you, it was the demon.”

She looked at him, fear in her eyes. “That's what scares me,” she said, “It wasn't the demon.”

“So how did it go?” Gale asked. He and Flynn had found the rest of the children and were waiting with Kyna, Asha and the kids.

“Rasputin is dead,” Rita replied. Gale could tell something was wrong, but now wasn't the time to talk about it.

“So what now?” Flynn asked.

“We should spend the rest of the night clearing the castle,” Rita said, “capture any remaining guards and clean things up. Demi, if you could, send some of your soldiers to tell the townspeople to gather at the castle tomorrow, I want to address them. All of them, even those outside the wall. We've lost many under Rasputin's rule, perhaps we could find homes for them.”

Demitri bowed. “As you command, my Queen.”

Rita smiled. “You're my cousin, Demi, please just call me Rita.”

Demi smiled back. “Alright, Rita.”

After Rita had been caught up on what had happened while she was gone they dispersed to clear the castle. It was a busy night but their spirits were high. Come the morning Rita stood on the castle balcony to address her people, gussied up in the guise of a Queen. She still felt out of place in the dress and the make-up, but it was what her people expected to see. Perhaps she would do away with that particular bit of tradition eventually, but for now her people deserved to see the Queen as they imagined her. She looked at them all, so many were ragged, tired, hungry and cold. It hurt her to see them like this, but every single one of them looked at her with hope in their eyes, a glimmer that gave her hope herself. She spoke out to them, loud and clear.

“Rasputin is dead.” A cheer filled the air. “You have all endured so much under his rule. Lost so much. But still you endured. Through the cold, the hunger, the abuse, you all endured. And we will honor those who fell by living on. The people of Sapphus are strong like the ice we build our lives on, but we do not crack under pressure, we persevere like the water that lines our shores, and we will rebuild our city! Never again will our own freeze and starve beyond our walls!” Another cheer. She took a breath. “The men that gave Rasputin his unnatural power seek to destroy the Sapphire, as well as the stones of every other city. They wish to destroy our way of life, our very world. But I promise you all I will not let that happen. Rasputin is far from the only evil in this world. My allies and I are currently journeying to find a way to stop these men, and that is a quest I cannot abandon. I'm sorry I cannot be here to help you through the tough times that are to come, but I promise you I will return as soon as I can. In my absence I will leave you all a very capable leader. While I'm gone Demitri Riverwinter will serve as King, a man who I'm sure you all know is more than capable of rebuilding this city with all of you.” There was a silence over the crowd. She knew they would be unhappy she was leaving again, but she couldn't stay here when the masked men were still out there. If she didn't stop them who was to say they wouldn't return? “Thank you all for your time.”

“What in the world are you talking about!?” Demitri exclaimed once she was back in the castle. “You think maybe you should tell me before you put me in charge of a city!?”

“Who else could do it?” Rita smiled.

“Rita, they won't follow me, they need a Queen!” Demi insisted, “I'm just a nerd, I'm not a leader!”

Rita looked at him and laughed. “You're underestimating yourself, you realize you've been leading these people for a year, right? You led a rebellion while I was gone, the people trust you, they believe in you, probably more than they believe in me. You've been with them this whole time. And I know you're plenty capable.”

He frowned. She knew that face, he knew she was right. “Sapphus has never been ruled by a man before, save for Rasputin, and we all know how that went.”

“Well a Princess had never left the city before either,” Rita replied, “I'm not really one for tradition.” He looked at her desperately. “I'm sorry to do this to you, I really am, but you know I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can. Until then... Demi, you grew up in the slums, if there is anyone who I know is going to look after the people of this city and their best interest, it's you.”

Demi sighed. “I just wish you didn't have to go,” he smiled.

“Me too,” Rita said, hugging him. “You should start naming new Guardians soon, we'll need people we trust with Sapphires.”

“Agreed,” Demi nodded.

“I suggest Kyna for your father's old position,” Rita said, “she's strong and responsible. Almost reminds me of Uncle Vlad but without a beard.”

Demi laughed. “I was about to say the same thing.”

“And if she'd accept it,” Rita continued, more somber now, “I'd gladly have that young orphan, Asha, as a Guardian as well. I'm not sure it's what she'd want, but she's a gifted mage and she's determined. She's proved herself more than worthy. Don't force it on her, but offer her a Sapphire, even if we only keep her on as a healer she would be an asset.”

Demi nodded. “I'll talk to her about it.”

Rita sighed. “It's strange to be back in the castle. As a child this place felt like a prison to me, but now that I've been gone so long it feels like home.”

“I know what you mean,” Demi agreed, “I used to dread hearing my father coming down the stairs to my workshop, but now I miss the sound of him yelling at me. It was the only way he knew to show he cared.”

“Remember the time we took Vlad's belt and cut it up to use the leather for one of our silly little science projects?” Rita asked.

“And your dad knew we took it, but he said he wouldn't tell,” Demi smiled.

“And Vlad requested an audience with the Queen to find the thief in the castle,” Rita began to laugh.

“And his pants fell down in front of your mom and all the nobles!” Demi chuckled.

The two laughed for a time, then calmed and looked at each other. “I've missed you, Demi.”

“Same to you, Rita.”

“I'll be back before you know it,” Rita grinned, “Don't break my city while I'm gone.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Demi joked, bowing.

For just a moment Rita forgot all the terrors that she had been through. She was just glad to see her cousin's smile. She saw her mother in his purple eyes and pale blue hair. She wouldn't be able to stay long this time... but she was home.

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 30

Chapter 30: Ghosts Beneath the Sea

The ship proved easy to pilot. It was designed to be manned by several Guardians with knowledge of the winds, but between Rita and Gale they made it a simple task. Rita remained primarily silent throughout the journey, though there was some light in her eyes again, being surrounded by water. Gale enjoyed the sea air, and Flynn was just happy to be on the boat and not in the water. He'd never seen one before, but if it meant he didn't need to try and swim then he liked it, they didn't have many large bodies of water in Ruban, he'd never learned how to swim. Atlas spent much of his time doing his best to navigate, but the vast sea proved difficult for him to map.

After three days of peaceful sailing Gale finally voiced what everyone had been thinking. “I'm not getting what's so scary about this Northern Sea, we haven't run into any trouble at all.”

“Why did you have to say that, Gale?” Atlas groaned. “You're going to jinx us. Things were going so well.”

Gale laughed. “Come on, somebody had to say it, we were all so tense. Now everyone knows, when we get eaten alive it was all my fault, right?”

Almost on cue the boat began to rock. The sea rose and a giant sea serpent showed its head directly behind Gale. “Gale, I hate you,” Atlas grumbled.

It wasn't much bigger than the ones they had fought in the rivers and lakes around Sapphus, but they had always had Fang with them when fighting those, this could prove more difficult. The sea monster brought its mouth down on Gale, Atlas zapped it, sending it recoiling back. Gale jumped to the side and fired an arrow at it, barely piercing its scales. It roared and brought its tail up on the other end of the ship and slapped Gale to the side, slamming him into the wall of the ship. Flynn sliced at the tail, nearly slicing it off, spraying blood across the deck.

Gale stood, rubbing his head. “Why is it going after me? What did I do to it?”

“Can you just shut up and fight?” Atlas hissed.

Gale grinned. He raised his bow, took aim, and fired an arrow, this time he guided it with the winds, speeding it up, and tore through its scales, right through its head. “I can talk and fight at the same time.”

They all took a breath. Flynn cleaned his blade. Rita was busy steering the ship, keeping them from capsizing after that disturbance. “Only the first of many, I'm sure,” Ifrit said. “If I know my brother, he will have many perils in store for anyone who wishes to find him. He is...”

“An asshole?” Jill suggested.

“Yes. An Asshole,” Ifrit agreed.

“Sounds like we're in for it, gang,” Gale said, relaying to the others what Jill and Ifrit had said.

“Let's just get it over with,” Flynn said, uncharacteristically grumpy. “I really do not like being in the sea. I feel sick.”

“If any more sea monsters show up I'm sure Atlas can just call in a big bolt of lighting to fry them all, right? Water and electricity and all that?” Gale suggested.

Atlas frowned. “In case you haven't noticed, my magic isn't all that strong. I might be precise and skilled, but I can't exactly 'call in a big bolt of lightning' I can zap, that's about the extent of it.”

Before Gale could reply the boat shook again. This time three heads rose. “Oh great. More,” Gale sighed. “You may want to try the lighting thing, just to be sure. You might be shocked at what you can accomplish.”

Atlas simply rolled his eyes. One of the serpents rose directly in front of the ship, threatening to crash into them. Rita glared at it. The water around all three serpents began to rise. They were lifted into the air, held in bubbles of seawater. Once they were high above them the bubbles burst, and the water turned to countless spears of ice. The ice drove itself into them, showering the sea in blood. The corpses fell behind them, Rita hadn't even bothered slowing the ship or looking back as she had slain them.

“Griffin's tail feathers!” Gale exclaimed. “Rita, that was awesome! How did you do that!?”

Rita didn't take her eyes off the sea. “It was in the way.”

Fang stalked silently through the city. The moon was high and bright in the sky, and the light shimmered beautifully off the street. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop, looking down at the city. Many buildings were falling apart, some completely destroyed. Hahna had told her of the earthquake a few months ago, and how Rasputin had done nothing to repair the damage, leaving the city to rot.

She heard the voices of men and moved towards them to get a view. They were Guards. Rasputin's men, making their rounds of the city. “Have you heard about the tiger that's on the loose?” she heard one of them say to the other two.

“What are you talking about?” one of the others asked.

“Yeah, I hear it's been tearing people up in the streets,” the third confirmed.

“But none of the tigers are missing from their cages,” the second man said.

“Well how else do you explain guards turning up dead, torn to pieces and half eaten?” The first insisted.

“Maybe it wandered in from the forest?” the third suggested.

“Through the wall?” The second frowned. “I seriously doubt that.”

She was done listening to them talk. She jumped and landed on the first man, knocking him over and slamming his head into the ground. The other two looked at her, but before they could draw a weapon she tackled the second man into the third, slamming them both into the wall behind them. She dug her teeth into the guard's throat, tearing out much of his neck. Her claws buried themselves in his gut and she tore it open, spraying blood and his insides across the ground. He was still clinging to life as he watched her tear out his intestines and shove his body aside. The third man had drawn his sword by now, but when he tried to swing it she grabbed his arm and slammed him into the ground. She lifted him by his now shattered arm and wrapped the intestines she was still holding around his neck, pulling them tight. He tried to claw them away with his good arm, but she used her free hand to pull it away. She pulled farther and farther behind his back until it snapped, the last of his breath escaped in an attempt to scream. He fell limp, she grabbed his skull, and in one swift motion tore his head off. The first man she had landed on was staring at her, wide-eyed.

He stood and tried to run, but she pounced on him. She turned him onto his back so she could see the fear in his eyes. “Who are you!?” He screamed in terror. She didn't reply. She slammed the severed head into his skull over and over again. First he was begging her to stop, eventually the words became gurgles, then just noises, then he was silent. Still she slammed the heads together, bits of brain and bone splattering everywhere. Finally she stopped. She was breathing heavily. There was nothing in her hand, both heads were little more than a smear on the ground now. She took a deep breath in, the smell of blood filled her nose. She licked the blood off her hands. She smiled. She couldn't take the city without Rita, but she wasn't going to sit idly and do nothing.

It was cold. Without magic they would have all likely frozen to death days ago. They spent as much time as they could below deck to try and stay out of the cold. There were huge chunks of ice in the water, they had begun to see the remains of ships, loose planks and splinters, the ships that Rasputin had sent, no doubt, it was like an icy graveyard. The sea monsters had gotten bigger and more vicious. Rita wasted no time killing them, but she was getting tired. She knew they were close, she could feel the Sapphire pulling her. It was so cold on her neck, it made the air seem warm in comparison.

“There's not really much to look at out here,” Gale said, rubbing his hands together, “but at least we all have time to chill, right?”

He joked but Rita could tell even he was beginning to waver, between his magic and breathing techniques he was comfortable in almost any weather, but even he was feeling the effects of the cold. Poor Flynn was the worst off, he wasn't one for cold or water and he was surrounded by both. Rita was cold, sure, but she had a job to do. She needed to keep them safe. She had used a lot of magic on this venture, but she ignored the exhaustion and pushed herself further.

She felt the water churning. Another sea serpent? No. Several sea serpents? Something felt wrong about them. They were all... connected. It rose out of the water. This was no serpent. It was large enough to be one, maybe even larger, but there was no head. It was a tentacle. More of them rose from the water, all around the ship.

“What am I looking at right now?” Atlas asked, staring at the massive tentacles surrounding them.

“I've read books about this,” Rita said, “The Kraken.”

“Do the books say it's actually just a really nice guy who wants eight high fives?” Gale asked hopefully.

One of the appendages curled around the ship, the wood began to crack, threatening to shatter. Flynn ran his sword through it, calling flames to scorch the wound. It recoiled. “I guess that's a no,” Flynn sighed.

“The monsters never want to be out friends,” Gale joked, drawing his bow.

“We can't let it get a grasp on the ship,” Rita cautioned, “If even one tentacle grabs us we're done for.” It might be bigger than what they fought before, but it was still in the water, she could destroy it just like all the others. First things first she needed to pull it away from the ship. She called on the water to move. Nothing happened. She tried again. A wave, but little more. There was nothing left. She had exhausted herself too far. As another tentacle fell she managed a spear of ice to fend it off, but the attack simply grazed it. Suddenly it all hit her at once. She was so tired. So weak. Now was not the time. She needed to fight, why now? Why couldn't she make it just one more battle?

Gale caught her as she started to waver, threatening to fall over. Atlas zapped another tentacle behind them. “You alright, Rita? You look even paler than usual.”

“My... magic...” Rita mumbled. “Running... out.”

Gale smiled at her. “Maybe rest for a minute, we've got this.” He laid her down and fired an arrow at the arm of the beast.

She hated to admit it, but he was right. She wouldn't be any help in her current state. If they could just hold it  off for a few minutes maybe she could build up enough strength.

“I need more power!” Flynn pleaded to Ifrit as his sword failed to slice through a tentacle, merely cutting the skin.

“You are weak from the journey, boy,” Ifrit replied, “I cannot give power to a body that could not handle it. As amusing as it would be to watch you die trying to use a power beyond your ability, I do not wish to be stranded at sea. Especially not... his sea.”

Flynn tried to augment himself with magic like the old guardian had taught him, but Ifrit was right, he was too weak from the journey, the cold had gotten to him, his fire was weak.

“Any brilliant plans, Atlas?” Gale asked as he fired a few more arrows. “Rita's out of commission, Flynn's on his last legs, might be up to you and me to take this thing down.”

“You're probably going to die,” Jill teased.

Atlas looked around desperately. What could he use? He didn't have enough bombs to destroy the tentacles, and Flynn didn't have the energy to make an explosion. He looked at the dark clouds above them. They had been fortunate enough to avoid storms so far while at sea, but the clouds had rolled in today, though there had yet to be rain. “Rita, are you feeling up to doing anything yet?” He asked.

“I can... manage,” Rita choked out, trying to stand.

“I don't need much,” Atlas smiled, “I just need you and Gale to make me a storm.”

Gale stared at him. “Atlas, we are on a boat. I know it's cold and we've been at sea awhile, so your planning brain might be a little tired, but boats sink in a storm.”

“Boats sink to a Kraken, too!” Atlas snapped. “Like I said before, I can't just call down lighting from the sky, but if we give the right circumstances...”

Gale grinned. “You crazy bastard.”

“Meanwhile, Flynn, it'll be up to you to make sure this thing doesn't sink us,” Atlas said.

Flynn nodded weakly. “No problem.”

The winds began to pick up. The air began to warm, Rita, Flynn and Gale were doing everything in their power to heat the area, they needed rain, not snow. The rain began to fall from the clouds. Flynn slashed at the tentacles as they crashed down on their boat. Atlas reached out to the clouds. He could feel the static in the air. He could feel the energy. All he had to do was guide it. He waited for the right moment, he could feel the pressure building, wanting to break free. Not yet. Not yet. The air was humid now, muggy, warm. The Kraken raised a tentacle high- Now! In a flash a massive bolt of lightning fell from the sky, striking the tentacle. It was only a fraction of a second, but Atlas was ready, he could see the massive body of the beast outlined in electricity in his mind's eye. The energy wanted to escape into the water, but Atlas wouldn't let that happen, he kept it all in the Kraken, overloading its nerves with a constant flow of electricity. The tentacles spasmed wildly, flailing in the water. After a few moments it finally stopped. The tentacles floated harmlessly in the water. They released their magic and the air quickly chilled again, the rain stopped and the winds calmed.

Rita stood and approached the edge of the ship, looking into the water. “We're here,” she said, “The demon is below us. I can feel it.”

“Rita...” Atlas trailed off, falling on the deck. He had used too much energy, he was weak, tired.

Gale sat him up, Flynn was heaving, barely able to stand. “Rita, I think you need to rest. We all do.”

“I need... My people need me, Gale,” She said weakly.

“If you approach the demon in your current state you'll just get yourself killed,” Gale insisted. “Go sleep for awhile, you can save the city after you've taken a nap.”

Rita wanted to argue, but she realized that she was too tired. If she couldn't even argue how could she brave the sea and subdue a demon? Gale was right. She needed rest.  “Fine,” she muttered.

Rita slept for what seemed like days. She was surprised at how easily and deeply she slept. With everything going on in her life she had expected to be unable to sleep, but she supposed that despite the stress, she had barely slept in the last two weeks, and used enough magic to drive her to exhaustion, her body was demanding rest at this point.  When she woke she was alone in the cabin beneath the ship. It wasn't a terribly large ship, so they had shared the rooms. She felt better now. She was rested, her head was clear. Some of the fog of rage and despair had lifted. She needed to be calm approaching this demon. She didn't know what emotion it would prey on. Ifrit was hate, Jill was envy, Gaia was regret... what could this one be? Anger? Sadness? She couldn't take any chances, she needed a completely empty mind. She splashed her face with water from a basin. It was frigid, but she didn't mind, she liked the cold. She looked at her reflection in the pool of water. She didn't look like much of a queen. Her eyes were worn and tired, her hair was unwashed and loose. She pulled some of the water from the basin- her magic was working again, that was good- she ran the water through her hair, trying to pull away as much grease and dirt as she could. It wasn't perfect, but before she could get back to a place with soap it was the best she could do.

“Well look who finally came out of hibernation,” Gale greeted her once she joined the others on the deck. Atlas and Flynn were looking better than they had last time she had seen them, they were both standing, though Flynn seemed just as seasick as he had the whole journey.

“How long was I out?” Rita asked.

“Just over a day, it seems,” Atlas replied.

Good, not as long as she had thought. She looked at all of them. “Thank you. All of you, for coming with me. For helping me do this. I really appreciate it. I know I've been... difficult lately.”

Atlas smiled at her. “Well we all expect the Snow Queen to be cold to us, right?”

“Atlas, you totally stole my pun!” Gale snapped.

“Please,” Atlas laughed, “I've been giving Rita a hard time since before we even met you.”

Rita couldn't help but let out a chuckle. “She laughed!” Gale exclaimed, “oh how I've missed that smile!”

“How are you feeling, Flynn?” She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Cold, sick,” Flynn grumbled. He took a deep breath. “But I'm fine. Don't worry about me.”

Rita smiled and nodded. He knew there were things that needed to be done. They knew when they set out that they wouldn't be comfortable out here. She looked at the sea again. It was calm. Almost inviting. “I guess it's time,” she said.

“You sure?” Gale frowned.

“How exactly do you even plan on going... down?” Atlas questioned.

“I'll figure something out,” Rita shrugged. She held out her arms and water rose, encasing air in several large bubbles. She looked back at them. “Thanks again.” She jumped.

She landed in the largest bubble and dove into the sea. She suspended herself, heating the water touching her enough that it wouldn't freeze her to death. The bubble allowed her to breathe, and she lowered the other bubbles with her for air reserves, but her air was still limited, so she measured her breathing, taking care not to waste more air than she needed to. As she descended it quickly became too dark to see, she had to feel the water around her to get an idea of where to go. Her Sapphire was pulling her down, and she trusted it would bring her to the demon. The water pressure was increasing. She had expected that. The further she went the more energy it would take for her to keep the water from crushing her. She could feel the sea life swimming around her. Fish, squid, sharks, some creatures she couldn't recognize, others too big for her to fully grasp. No matter how far she dove the sea never seemed to end. This was largely unexplored territory, no one came out this far, save the men Rasputin had sent to their deaths, and who knew if anyone had ever dived so deep? What lay at the bottom of the sea? It seemed like an eternity she was falling in the dark, being unable to see, hear or really smell anything was threatening to drive her mad, her magic the only way she could prove she was even alive. Eventually she began to run out of air. She was on her last bubble, her breathing was labored, and her breaths were few and far between. Would she die down here? Drown in the dark among sea monsters she couldn't even see? The sea life was scarce this deep, but each creature was bigger than the last, some swam within feet of her, threatening to crush her with a swing of their massive tail fins.

Her mind began to wander, racing through thoughts, fears, would she really die here? Would she go mad? Had she already gone mad? Was this all in her head? Was she already dead? Had she died that night Rasputin attacked the castle? Had the last year of her life been fake? Then she felt it. It felt like a huge bubble deeper below her. She snapped back into reality. She calmed herself. A clear head, she needed a clear head. She knew who she was and she knew what she needed to do. As she approached the bubble she began to see a dim blue light. Her Sapphire was nearly screaming on her neck, colder than ice and buzzing with power. The light grew brighter and brighter, once she was close enough she could see what it was. There was what appeared to be a building down here. A square, flat building adorned with pillars, large torches of blue flame burned in the courtyard, and the entire complex was encased in a bubble of air. She positioned herself before the courtyard and stepped in. The air was cold and wet. There was a pathway built of cracked marble leading to the building, the blue torches lit the pathway.

To Rita's surprise there seemed to be people here. Human forms walked absently through the courtyard. At first they seemed to take no notice of her. She walked down the pathways slowly, carefully. She approached one of the wandering men. “Excuse me... sir?”

The man turned around, revealing a face that seemed to be falling apart. His skin was grey and his lips were blue, his flesh threatening to fall from his bones. He wore a Sapphire necklace, and his eyes were white. He stared at her Sapphire, then let out a horrifying screech. He grabbed at her necklace, but she pulled away, instead he grabbed a piece of her sleeve and tore her coat. He clutched the scrap of fabric in his fist and screeched again. Now every one of the supposed humans turned to her. No, they weren't humans. Had the demon's trials already begun? Was this his first trick? Very well then, she had to approach this calmly. They were rushing at her with bloodlust in their eyes, they wanted to kill her. These were monsters, like anything else she had killed. Luckily they were surrounded by water. She surrounded herself with a spiked shield of ice, keeping them at bay while she got her bearings. Many simply impaled themselves on the spikes, but a few began to break through the ice. She reformed the ice into a lance for herself and several floating blades to defend her blind spots. As she cut through them she noticed that every one wore a Sapphire somewhere on their body. As she stabbed a woman in the neck her eyes widened as she saw her mother's crown on her head. As the head fell from the corpse for a moment Rita saw her mother in this monster, she felt like retching, but she refused to let herself lose her composure. Her mother was dead and gone. This was a phantom, an illusion, nothing she fought here was real. She began to recognize more Sapphires, the necklaces her father and uncle had worn, as well as those belonging to assorted nobles. Had the demon pulled these from her memories? She hadn't even realized she remembered some of them.

Once she had dispatched the last of them she made her way to the building. There was no door, simply an archway. It lead to a large room, dimly lit by blue flames. Her parents stood before her. Her mother spoke. “You left us to die, Rita.” She didn't reply. This was an illusion. “How could you leave us? If you had been there you could have saved us.” That wasn't true. If she had been there she just would have died too. The shadows around them began to encroach, reaching up in tendrils. The tentacles wrapped around their necks, lifting them into the air. “Please, Rita, save us!” No, that's what the demon wanted, she wasn't going to play his game. More tendrils appeared, they began to stab them repeatedly. Her parents pleaded for her to save them, crying as their blood erupted form their bodies, their guts falling from their bodies as they were torn to pieces by the darkness. She watched in silence. None of this was real. She wouldn't let it affect her. Finally their bodies fell to the ground, a dark mist covering them. Demitri rose from the darkness, young, like he was before she had left. His arm was a bloody stump.

“You did this to me!” He screamed, blood trickling from his lips. “You took everything from me!” The darkness began to form around his arm, creating a disgusting lump of flesh and shadows, covered in gnashing mouths. He ran at her, leading with his monstrous arm, but it stopped just before her face. He couldn't touch her if she didn't let him. If she didn't buy into the illusion it couldn't effect her.

“You're a phantom,” she said calmly, “you don't deserve to wear that face.”

Demi grinned, lowering his arm. “Well at least I got you to talk.” He backed up a few steps, his arm fell back to darkness and he took the form of the older Demi of the present. Chains appeared behind him, hanging from the ceiling, each one holding one of her friends by their wrists. “Now what will it take to break you, ice queen?” A sickle appeared in his hands, his eyes grew wild and a wicked smirk grew on his lips. He began to hack at Flynn, laughing as he did. He sliced open his gut, then began to cut his arms and legs. Eventually he cut a leg off. She could hear the phantom of Flynn screaming, but she knew it wasn't really him. This was nothing more than a show. She wasn't going to budge.

“Still nothing?” The false Demi sighed, Flynn's blood on his face and clothes. “On to the next, I suppose. The sickle was replaced with a hammer. He slammed the warhammer into Atlas's knee, shattering his kneecap. He howled in pain. Then he broke his ribs. His arm. Once he ran out of appendages he started to beat on his face, knocking out teeth, eventually his jaw was knocked loose and fell off entirely.

“You're a tough one,” Demi observed, breathing heavily and dropping the hammer. “But I've still got two more.” He looked at Gale. A sword appeared in his hand now. “Honestly, I'm getting a little annoyed.” In a sudden fit of rage he began hacking Gale apart, resulting in his skull being sliced in half and one of his arms being cut clean off at the shoulder.

The Demi clone looked at his work. “Kinda wasted that one.” He looked at Fang now. “So I really need to make this one count.” He tore the last chain down. Fang fell to her knees, a defeated look in her eyes. He wrapped the chain around her neck and pulled her violently towards Rita. “This one was special to you, right? Your favorite little friend? Your favorite little slave.” He placed his boot on her back and pushed her head into the ground. “Down in the dirt where it belongs.” He held his foot above her head. “Lick my boot, slave.” She looked at him with dead eyes and began to lick the bottom of his boot. For a moment Rita felt a flash of rage, but she held herself together. She couldn't let him get to her. She was winning, he was getting frustrated. He kicked Fang in the side, knocking her onto her back. He kicked her over and over in the side, then began to stomp on her face, lifting her head up with the chain only to stomp it back into the ground, over and over again. Once he stopped he looked at her bloody, beaten face. She was till breathing. He stood over her. He pulled down his trousers and began to urinate on her. “Not only is a slave below my boot, but below my piss!” he laughed. He turned her over again. A whip appeared in his hand. He tore off her shirt, revealing the scars across her back. “But what kind of master would I be if I didn't whip my little slave a few hundred times, right?”

He lifted his arm and Rita finally spoke up. “Stop this now!” She commanded.

His smile widened. He dropped Fang and let go of the whip. “The Queen issues her commands, who am I to refuse!” The room had changed. Fang and the others were gone, they were back in the throne room of Sapphus. She sat on the throne, dressed in a Queen's garb. Besides the two of them the room was empty. “And yet you are a Queen who has lost her city! And what is a Queen without a place to rule, I ask you? Nothing! Nothing but a silly girl in a shiny hat!”

She stood and suddenly the room changed again, they were now in the slums of Sapphus, surrounded by snow and the people, freezing and starving. She was naked, save for the crown on her head. The people looked at her. “All hail the queen of nothing!” One of them screamed.

“The Queen of a dead city!” Another howled.

“A Queen of ice and snow and corpses!”

Rita took a deep breath. When would he give up. “I'm tired of your games,” she said calmly. “Your illusions aren't going to break me.”

They were back in the original room, her clothes were back to normal. “My illusions?” He asked. “But my dear Queen, not everything you've seen has been an illusion. The people outside? Well, you were far from the first to make it here. In fact, Rasputin has sent me so many new playthings recently. The ones out there? Those are the ones that broke. Those were no illusions, my dear, those were people. Your people, and you slaughtered them!” He laughed a sickening laugh that made Rita want to punch him in the face.

She wasn't terribly surprised. She had considered the possibility, but whatever he had done to those people, they weren't people anymore. He had killed them long before she had. “Show yourself, demon,” she said, “I think I've played enough of your game.”

“As my queen commands,” he said, bowing. When he rose he had taken a new form. This, Rita believed, was his true form. Or at least the one he wished to show her. He was tall and thin, with skin as pale as a frozen corpse, and blue lips to match. His short hair was the color of ice and was wild as the sea in a storm. His left eye was fierce and blue, with a sinister look in it, while his right eye was absent, replaced instead by a horn of ice that extended through his head and out the back. His mouth was wide and his teeth were sharp like a shark's. “Well here I am, the demon of the Sapphire. A demon of insanity. You may call me Lunatic. So to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from such an esteemed monarch?”

“I need your power,” Rita said, not mincing words.

“And why in the world should I give you my power?” He asked, falling back and landing in a throne of ice. “What do you wish to do with it? Save the world? Rescue your people? Some other boring hero thing? Because I don't really like heroes very much.” He swung his legs upward, resting them on the back of the throne, allowing his head to fall over the seat's edge so he was looking at her upside-down.

“I want to kill Rasputin and everyone he's worked with,” Rita replied without a second thought.

He looked at her a moment, then he smiled. “I like that, I like that a lot.” He righted himself with one swift motion and leaned towards her. “You are fascinating, princess. When most people say they want to commit mass murder they've gone completely bonkers, but you... somehow you're still in your right mind. How can a person be so calm and calculated...” He laughed his disgusting laugh again. “And how can I drive someone like you to insanity!? Oh this will be fun!”

“So you'll join me then?” Rita asked.

“Of course,” He said, holding out his hand, “and one day I'll kill all of your friends while I'm grinning with those pretty little lips of yours.”

“You'll have to kill me first,” she took his hand.

He licked his lips. “Maybe I will.”

His body began to glow and he surged into her Sapphire, the pain she felt was immeasurable, as if her entire body were composed of shattering ice, cold and sharp, it felt as though he was making it as painful as possible on purpose. Once it subsided he spoke. “Roomy in here, but will I still get the Sunday paper? Because I cannot make it through a weekend without the funnies.”

She didn't like him being in her head. She left the building. She looked at the corpses outside. They had all been people once. She approached the woman who had worn her mother's crown. She picked it up.

“Sentimental, are we?” Lunatic joked, “Why don't we take it with us?”

The Sapphires in the crown began to glow, then all of the Sapphires around her. Suddenly the countless Sapphires in the courtyard began to surge into her necklace, she could feel the power of hundreds of years of experience flowing into her. She had never felt so powerful, even without the demon's power she felt like she was bursting with energy.

“So now that we're done here,” The bubble surrounding them broke, the water began to surge in, tearing apart the complex, “Might as well get rid of the whole damn place, right!?”

He was insane. She stopped the water with barely a thought. An entire sea stopped with her mind. She took a deep breath and let it wash gently over her. Once she was submerged she shot herself upward. Faster. Faster. Faster. How fast could she go? It was effortless, she couldn't even feel the cold of the freezing sea. While the journey down had seemed to take a lifetime, the return took mere moments. She erupted from the sea in a geyser and looked down at her friends on the boat. They were looking up at her with wide eyes and open mouths. She descended on the water and landed on the deck of the boat.

“Do you have any idea how cool that looked!?” Gale exclaimed excitedly.

“I... hadn't thought about it?” Rita said, confused.

“Really cool,” Flynn agreed.

“Did you...” Atlas trailed off.

Rita nodded. “I got him. He's...”

“Ifrit, Jill, long time no see, ladies,” Lunatic said.

“Oh joy, how I have missed you, brother,” Ifrit sighed.

“Did we really have to bring him along?” Jill groaned.

Atlas looked at the other three. He recognized the vacant look on their faces. “I'm starting to feel pretty left out here, guys.”

Rita shook her head. “Sorry, Atlas.” She looked out at the sea. Suddenly it wasn't so imposing. It was a threat no longer, now it was an ally. “Let's take back my city.”

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 29

Chapter 29: Shattered Sapphire

As they saw the Sapphire City rise on the horizon Rita couldn't help but grin. As much as she enjoyed traveling, she had missed her home. She had missed the cold air and the snow. The smell of the sea and the icy walls. Curiously they didn't run into any Guardian patrols on their way to the walls. There was always at least one scouting the perimeter. She supposed they must have just missed them, though it troubled her, if they could get through who's to say a monster or the masked men couldn't do the same unnoticed?

Once they had reached the outskirts of the slums Rita knew something was wrong. She couldn't believe her eyes. It was worse than the first time she had seen them. There were no guardians to be seen, the people were shivering, buried in snow, many were dead, the rest were following close behind. Their fires were weak, and they all seemed resigned to their fate. “Flynn, Gale!” She ordered without a thought as to how this was happening. She only had one concern- save these people. With a wide sweep of her arms she pushed all of the snow she could see out of her way, uncovering bodies and even a few people who were still clinging to life. She created a wall with the snow, packing it tight to seal in any heat they could. Meanwhile Gale kept the snow from falling on the people, allowing it instead to build on the walls Rita had created. Flynn began lighting fires where he could.

Rita dismounted Shiva and began to tend to the people, Atlas and Fang joining her, giving out any food or blankets they could spare. “What happened here?” Rita asked a woman who seemed at least somewhat cognizant. “Before I left I ensured that the slums would have Guardian protection. I don't see a single one out here, not even guards at the gates.”

The woman looked at her with glassy eyes. She reached out and touched the Sapphire on Rita's neck. “It's been a long time since I've seen one of these. Who are you?  Are you... here to help us?”

Rita felt tears falling down her cheeks. It hurt to see her people suffering like this. “Yes. I'm here to help you. Here, get close to the fire. Warm up.

“My son... he needs the fire. He must be cold. So cold.” The woman moved to a frozen lump on the ground- a lump that was once a child. It wasn't moving. She tried to wake him. “John. John, wake up.” She called out over and over again. Rita bit her lip. She clenched her fist. She needed answers. Someone would answer for this. Who would allow this to happen? But first things first they needed to help the rest of the people in the slums, they had only cleared the snow in one small area, they needed to circle the entire city.

She stood and looked around. Flynn was warming the children that had survived, Fang was raising shelters of stone, Atlas was trying to wake those who were close to drifting off in an endless slumber- the gates. The gates were opening. She mounted Shiva and rode towards them. Had they finally sent Guardians? No, these were no Guardians. Their tigers were chained, bound like the slaves in Emerala, no Guardian would chain a tiger, they were proud beasts. And the men riding them wore black cloaks and white masks. “No,” she said under her breath. Her eyes widened and she let out a guttural hiss of fury. The three masked men were suddenly bombarded by a shower of ice from the sky, tearing their flesh to pieces, splattering the ground with their blood. One of the masked men rose. His mask was that of a tiger. How dare he wear the visage of the beast of her city. She impaled him with a spike of ice, but his body turned to darkness and he avoided the attack. She didn't care that her attacks were ineffective, she wanted to hurt him. Over and over she stabbed him with ice, each strike as useless as the last. Suddenly there was an explosion, fire covered the masked man and he howled in pain as his body writhed like shadows in torchlight. Flynn seemed to appear out of nowhere, his sword aflame, and he sliced the man in two, for good this time.

The explosion had come from a bomb, she had seen it for a brief moment. She looked at Atlas. “I didn't throw it,” he said.

“That was mine,” a figure said. A person in hooded leather armor stood to the side, out of sight of the battle. “Welcome back, princess, sorry it isn't a nicer homecoming.”

“What has happened here!?” Rita demanded.

The person looked down. “Come with me. We can't talk out here, more masked men will come soon.”

“We can't just leave these people!”

“There are much larger problems here than the cold, princess. I know how you feel, but we can't save everyone. We need to retake the city.”

Retake the city? Deep down Rita knew what that meant, but she kept telling herself she was mistaken. She reluctantly followed their savior.

The hooded person revealed herself to be a young woman, attractive save the scars across her face. She had short, pale blue hair and white eyes. She introduced herself as Kyna. “Where exactly are we going?” Rita asked. They seemed to be circumventing the city, heading toward the Northern Sea in a very roundabout way.

“Headquarters,” Kyna said, “a lot has happened while you've been gone, Princess. But now that you're here. Now that all of you are here, maybe we have a chance.”

“Can you please just tell me what's happened!” Rita demanded.

Kyna frowned. “I think there's someone else it would be better for you to hear it from.”

Rita didn't like how evasive she was being, but she kept quiet. The others were silent as well. Even Gale. Seemed they weren't sure what to say. After what seemed like an eternity of travel they arrived at the edge of the sea.  “Here,” Kyna said, gesturing to a sewer drain.

“A sewer,” the memory rushed into Rita's mind. This was where she had fought with the rebels. Where Vlad had killed their leader. Did this have something to do with them?

Kyna led them through the sewers now, and they traveled for what Rita thought was an hour or more. Finally they arrived to the central chamber where the rebels had set up their base. It seemed eerily similar. Homeless and downtrodden people huddling for warmth and hiding in hide tents. But throughout it all there seemed to be more of an almost military presence. People in leather and hide armor moving with a purpose, stocks of weapons scattered about. What was she looking at? They were lead to what appeared to be the command center, a large tent, this one completely built, no holes, with flaps for doors. They left their mounts outside of it and were ushered in. Inside was what seemed to be a war room. A table with a map of the city on it, a few people talking over it, weapons and armor within arm's reach, and what appeared to be a small workshop near the back.

Kyna took them to the workshop area. The person working there turned to greet them. He gave them a weak smile. “Rita, Atlas, good to see you again.”

Rita hugged him, crying. “Demi, I'm so glad to see you. I'm so happy you're okay.”

“I'm happy to see you guys, too,” He replied. “Though I've seen better days.” He was right. He looked older. He looked tired. He'd let his hair grow out, it was tied in a short ponytail to keep it out of the way. He wore a tattered cloak, draped over his right arm.

Rita reached out and moved the cloak. There was nothing underneath. An empty sleeve. “Demi, your arm!” Atlas exclaimed.

“Oh, wow,” Demi said, looking at it. “I hadn't noticed, thanks for pointing it out.” Demi smiled. “I've missed you, Atlas.” He touched his necklace, and in turn Atlas touched his own.

“Demi, what's happened here?” Rita asked once she had calmed herself.

“Where to even start,” Demi sighed. “I guess it started with the death of Charles Verndadt, the leader of the rebellion that previously holed up in here. You were there for that so I don't think I need to tell you how that went down. Most of the rebellion was taken out, but the Guardians didn't know about Rasputin, Charles's second in command, he had been away with a group of rebels, and when they came back to all those dead comrades, well, needless to say, they were pissed. Of course, they couldn't do anything, they were a handful of men against a city. One that was supporting them less now that you had shown your face and seemed to be making changes. Now, all of this we've learned though spies and putting two and two together, so I'm not sure exactly how it went down, but somehow these masked men approached Rasputin. He got powers like them, some of his men did, too, and he... changed. His hair, his eyes, he just looked different. Not to mention he's completely mad. He used to talk of equality... now look at the city. Whatever they did to him was more than just a power boost. I swear, we've killed the man a dozen times and he always comes back.

“Anyway, Rasputin asked for an audience with the Queen, and unfortunately, he got it. And who showed up but the man in the faceless mask. The one you guys told me about.”

Flynn's eyes flickered. “Is he still here?” he asked.

Demi shook his head. “No, but he left me something to remember him by.” He gestured to his missing arm. “I would have died if it weren't for that fire bomb prototype you left behind, Atlas. Blew up as he was busy eating my arm, and let me tell you, he does not like fire. That's why I've been making more of those bombs to use against the ones with the weird smoke bodies. Doesn't kill them, but it certainly stuns them. I managed to sneak through the tunnel in my workshop that lead to the sewers, luckily he didn't see where I went, and my workshop burned to the ground and the tunnel caved in afterward. Ever since I've been gathering up every able-bodied person I can to fight back against these bastards and take back our city.”

“You've been leading a revolution?” Atlas asked.

Demi nodded. “Not exactly my cup of tea, but I didn't have much choice.”

“What about my parents?” Rita asked, “or your father? Where are they? Shouldn't they be helping fight this?”

Demi frowned. He looked away. He couldn't look her in the eyes. “Rita...”

“Demi, spit it out!” Rita cried, “if they've been captured we need to save them!”

“Rita, they weren't captured,” Demi said somberly. “They were killed. Right in front of me. I'm sorry. They're gone.”

Rita felt a knot in her stomach- a lump in her throat- her head felt like it was splitting apart, her mind couldn't process the information. How could her mother be dead? The Queen? The most powerful mage in Sapphus. Her father, a meek man who had never harmed a fly, slain in cold blood. Her uncle Vlad, a powerful warrior, the head of the Guardians... It didn't make any sense. Finally she spoke. “I need. I need... to be... alone.”

Demi nodded. “As soon as my scouts sent word that your group had been spotted on the way to Sapphus I had tents prepared for you. I'll have someone take you to yours. It isn't far.”

One of the other men in the tent stood and lead Rita out. No one moved to follow. They knew she needed the time to herself. Once she was gone there was a simultaneous exhale in the room. The tension loosened, but far from lifted. After a moment Fang left the tent. No one stopped her, she was clearly upset. Flynn looked to Demi. “What happened to Asha and the other children?”

Demi shook his head. “They didn't escape the castle, but my spies claim they're still alive. I believe they are being used as servants in the castle now. It can't be a good life, knowing Rasputin.”

“We need to save them,” Flynn said.

“Of course you think we do,” Ifrit sighed. “Why must you be so attached to other humans?”

“You should try living in this idiot's head,” Jill groaned, “Always going on about what a hero should do. He's so annoying.”

Atlas took a look at Demi's workshop, no one replied to Flynn, but they all knew he was right. But they still had their mission. He felt they should help save this city, but how was this any different than freeing the slaves in Emerala? Why should they help one city and not another. “How are you still building all of this?” Atlas asked, allowing himself to fall back into the comfort of science. “You know, with your... condition.”

Demi laughed. “Kyna has been helping me with things I can't do with just one arm. Speaking of my work, I have something to show you.” He grabbed an item off of his desk. It looked much like Atlas's pistol, but longer, like the muskets the guards in Topal used, but somehow more refined. “I made this, based on what you taught me about gunpowder and firearms. Instead of those balls it fires these.” He held up a small piece of metal, almost shaped like a fingertip, but pointed at the end. “It has a compartment inside to hold the gunpowder, that way you don't need to load it in separately. And I've worked the barrel in such a way that it should have much greater range and accuracy than any of the guns from Topal. I call it a rifle”

Atlas looked at it, the craftsmanship was amazing. The fact that he could do this with such limited resources was mid-blowing. “Demi, this is fantastic.”

“It's yours,” Demi smiled.

“Are you sure?” Atlas asked.

Demi nodded. “I can't very well fire it with one arm, and if it weren't for you I would be dead. It's the least I can do. There is a very limited number of those bullets, though. It's been hard scrounging up the gunpowder that's still left from your trip here. I'll teach you how to make them, though.”

Atlas smiled. Then it faded as he was brought back to the reality of their situation. “Demi, we have a lot to catch up on.”

Fang walked through the hideout, looking around. There were so many people hiding out down here. Not all seemed to be fighters. Some smelled of blood, others just smelled scared. People had set up lives down here, there were rudimentary shops and homes. It wasn't a pretty sight, but it was much better than freezing outside the walls. Fang was angry. She wanted to kill them. Kill Rasputin and anyone who had ever worked with him. He had hurt Rita. Made her sad. She would tear his throat out with her teeth. She felt a tug in her chest as she thought of the slaves in Emerala that they had left behind. Would they leave this behind too? No. No, not this time. They could fix this. Rita could fix this. This was her city. She would take it back. Fang stopped at one of the makeshift shops. There were dresses hanging on the outside of the tent. It smelled familiar, like cloth and needles. There was a girl outside, sweeping. She recognized her, she smelled like the dresses, her hair was white as snow, and her eyes were pools of blue. She was pretty. Not the way Rita was pretty, created through generations of beautiful queens to make a perfect woman, but rather the kind of pretty that happened on accident in the slums. Like seeing a slave with a gorgeous face. The girl looked up and saw Fang. Her eyes lit up. She smiled. Fang froze.

She approached Fang and looked at her. Fang looked down. “Well you're a sight for sore eyes.” The voice was the same. She was the same. The girl from the dress shop. Fang was glad she was alive.

“Why are you... down here?” Fang asked. She had worked in a shop, had she been kicked out?

The girl frowned. “After Rasputin came into power everything went south. The people that called themselves guards did whatever they wanted. They took anything they saw, anyone they wanted. They tried to take me... My boss tried to defend me, but she was killed by those bastards. I managed to run, and Demitri's resistance took me in. I've been helping any way I can ever since. I even opened up shop here, and I've been making dresses, clothes, even leather armor for those that are fighting.”

Fang clenched her fists and bared her fangs. She would find those guards and make them pay. Make them bleed.

The girl calmed herself. “You've been gone for awhile. What have you been doing? You look great. You're really filling out, you were so skinny last time I saw you. I think you'd look great in one of my dresses. You're always welcome to have one, if you'd like.”

Fang didn't know what to say. She wasn't one for telling stories. She wasn't sure how to take the compliment either. “She's being nice to you, little one,” Gaia said, “say thank you, if nothing else.”

Fang nodded ever so slightly. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

“We never even exchanged names, back then,” The girl smiled. “I'm Hahna.”

“Fang,” she muttered, “my name is Fang.”

Hahna laughed. “I knew that already, everyone in town knew your name. You made a lot of people smile.”

“She is a sweet girl,” Gaia observed. “You want to spend more time with her, do you not? Perhaps you should try and get to know her better?”

She didn't have time for that. She needed to kill guards. Kill Rasputin, take back the city, make Rita smile again.

“You cannot take this city on your own, my little warrior,” Gaia said, “This city needs the return of its princess. You must wait for your allies to form a plan before you can act. There is no harm in spending time with a girl you are interested in, is there?”

Interested in? What did he mean by that? Fang thought she was pretty, and liked her smell, and thought her dresses were beautiful, but why did that mean she had to get to know her? What was Gaia getting at? And why did Fang find herself wanting to agree with him?

“Do you want to maybe come in and talk, Fang?” Hahna asked. “I've got tea and some snacks, if you're hungry at all. I'd be interested if you wanted to tell me about some of your adventures.”

Fang stared at her. She could feel Gaia silently hoping she would accept. Why was he so concerned with her social life? It seemed like a waste of time, but... He was right. There wasn't much she could do before the others made a plan. She might be able to kill every guard in the city, even kill Rasputin, but it wouldn't mean anything without the others behind her. She nodded.

Atlas, Flynn and Gale told Demitri everything. For the first time they told someone outside of their group about the demons. Atlas knew he would understand. That he would want to know the truth, and all of it. Once they were done Demi spoke. “You all have been through a lot,” he said. “But everything makes a bit more sense now. Why we can't kill Rasputin, he's like the masked men you've fought, his body is made of smoke, or darkness or whatever. But you can kill him. A demon can kill another demon, right?”

Atlas nodded. “As far as I understand it, yes. The Sapphire's demon should be somewhere in the Northern Sea, if it follows the same trend as the last three. But maybe we should deal with Rasputin, first.”

“The Northern Sea?” Demi asked. “Of course. That's why Rasputin has been sending out so many ships. Every few weeks he sends out a ship full of his men, all with Sapphires, and they never return. They must be after the demon.”

Atlas sighed and rubbed his head. “That is not good. We need to make sure they don't get their hands on it.”

“Maybe you should prioritize that first, after all, then?” Demi suggested. “We've been living under Rasputin's thumb for over a year now, we could last another few weeks while you all retrieve the demon for yourself. And that way there's one more of you that can actually fight those monsters.”

Atlas frowned. “I don't know, I'm not comfortable deciding on anything without Rita here. This is her city. It was her family... It's not my place to decide.”

“She'll be the one making the pact, too,” Gale added, “I'm not sure it's the best idea for her to be going up against a demon in her current state of mind.”

“Like you're one to talk,” Atlas said, rolling his eyes. “Or have you forgotten the circumstances around acquiring your demon?”

Gale frowned. “That was different. The Sage was passing away peacefully. He was old, it was his time. Rita's family was murdered. Her entire city was turned upside-down. My problems couldn't even compare.”

“Well then,” Demi said, “I guess all we can do now is wait for Rita to be ready to discuss this with us.”

How long had it been? Hours? No, more like a day. The sounds had died down, the night had come and passed and Rita had not slept. She sat alone, in the dark in her tent. Crying. She didn't think she should have anything left to cry out, and yet the tears didn't stop. The more she thought of her family, her mother, her father, her uncle, the more she hurt. Her heart felt like it was being torn to pieces, her throat was raw, her face was sore from being contorted in anguish. She thought of the people of the city, the ones she should have been here to protect. She had left the city, had she been here she could have helped. She could have stopped Rasputin... couldn't she? She left her family to die, left her people to die. But she wasn't just sad, she was angry. Furious. Her fists clenched and her jaw tightened. She thought of the frozen child in the snow. She would find the man responsible for this. The man who took her city from her. She heard her tent flap move. Someone had come in, but they didn't speak. She could tell it was Fang from the slap of bare feet on the ground. She moved closer, came up behind her. Fang knelt behind her and wrapped her arms around Rita. She put her hands on hers and they sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Fang was warm. Rita hadn't realized how cold it had been. The room was frosted over, her skin was like ice, but Fang didn't even flinch when she touched her skin. Her hands were rough and calloused, but as they held on to Rita's they comforted her, warmed her. Her heart seemed to slow down, the room warmed, her tears began to wane. Fang hugged her tighter and for a moment there was nothing else in the world, only the smell of dirt and stone, leaves and blood that she knew so well as Fang's scent.

Finally Fang spoke. She whispered in Rita's ear. “I'm going to kill them. All of them. Every person that hurt you.”

“No,” Rita took Fang's hands in her own and finally lifted her head from her arms, “I will. They took my city... I'll take their heads.”

“Can you please stop staring at my scar?” Kyna frowned, turning to Gale.

“Wh-what?” Gale stuttered, startled. “I wasn't-”

“You keep looking over here!” she snapped, “I'm not an idiot, when people stare at me it's usually because they're staring at my scar!”

Gale smiled. “Sorry if I was making you uncomfortable, there's just not much to do while we wait for Rita to com back. I wasn't staring at your scar, just at... well, you.”

She frowned. “And why is that?”

“I like looking at pretty girls,” Gale grinned, “it's a bad habit of mine.”

Kyna blushed, more out of surprise than anything, it seemed. “Blech,” Jill mused.

“I'm not some pretty girl!” Kyna growled. “I am a soldier and a scientist.”

“Soldiers and scientists can be pretty, too,” Gale said, standing up from his seat to sit closer to Kyna. “Being pretty isn't something to be ashamed of.”

“I wouldn't say I'm ashamed,” she said, “It's just not something I care about. There are other aspects of me that you could have noticed, but you're the kind of man who will always jump to appearances, aren't you?”

“She's got you,” Jill observed.

Gale smiled. “You got me. Where I come from... well, everyone gets along. Everyone is friends. Complimenting someone's appearance is an easy way to let them know you care. It's something most people put some effort into, so they're appreciative when you tell them they look nice. I guess it's just a habit.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Well, I must say, I didn't expect such a well thought-out rebuttal from you. I guess there is a brain somewhere in that big head of yours.”

Gale laughed. “Don't tell my friends, I'm supposed to be the charismatic idiot, it would ruin the group dynamic.”

“My lips are sealed,” she chuckled.

“So do you mind if I ask,” Gale said, almost reaching out to touch her, then remembering his time in Emerala and thinking better of it, “how did you get these scars, anyway?”

She glared at him. Much of the left side of her face seemed burned, pieces of her nose and much of her eyebrow were missing on that side. “It's a bit of a sore subject.” She paused. “But I may consider telling you. If you tell me about your city in the sky. I'm fascinated by the idea.”

“It's a deal,” Gale agreed.

She took a breath. “Well, back before Rasputin came into power I was a noblewoman's daughter. When he and his monstrous allies took over the castle they killed my parents. Most of the adults were killed, they thought the kids could be convinced to join them. There were even guards who swore their allegiance to Rasputin, showed they didn't care about anything other than who sat on that throne, even if they were a usurping bastard. Some of these turncoats were rewarded for their aid with... 'personal servants'. I was given to a man as his servant. The first night he had me he told me to take off my clothes. So I spit in his face. He replied by holding my head against the heating pipes. You aren't from around here, so you might not realize, but heating pipes are very, very hot. That's where the scars came from. But I got him back. While he was distracted yelling at me I grabbed his dagger and stabbed him in the gut. Then I made my escape and found Demi. And that's how I ended up here.”

“Stabbed him? Not just pretty and tough, but sharp, in mind and tongue,” Gale laughed, “you're everything anyone could want in a gal.”

She stared at him. “Did you really just try to make a joke?”

He stared at her. No one laughed. “Okay, well, let's just back up to five seconds ago, before I made a joke right after you told me you were horribly abused. I'm sorry, I have a problem.”

“Just one?” She smiled.

He laughed. “And here I thought you weren't capable of cracking a smile.”

“I kept up my half of the bargain,” Kyna said, “now it's your turn, I want to know everything there is to know about this city in the sky.”

Gale grinned. “Well, prepare yourself, because there's a lot that I know. And I'm gonna talk a lot about how adorable my sister is an the outfits our ladies wear. Especially-” Rita and Fang walked into the tent and suddenly everyone was silent. They all stared at her. She had clearly been crying. Her eyes were red and puffy, but she seemed calm now. Cold.

“Rita, are you doing okay?” Flynn asked.

“Well, yesterday I learned that my entire family was murdered and my city was taken over by a lunatic, so I wouldn't say okay is the right word, but I'm doing better, thank you, Flynn.” she replied.

“I'm... really sorry about what happened,” Flynn frowned.

She put her hand on his shoulder. “Don't apologize, it wasn't your fault. Now come on, we have to get to work.”

Demi quickly got Rita up to speed on what he and Atlas had discussed so far, then stepped forward and gestured to the war map on the table in the center of the room. Atlas, Fang, Flynn, Gale, Kyna, even Hahna were all in the room, along with a few other soldiers. All were young, but they had seen experience already, they were ready for the fight. Eager to take their city back. To reclaim their homes. “Well, my liege, your army had been waiting. What are your orders?”

Rita took a deep breath in and looked around at her friends and her people. They all looked to her. It was up to her to make the decisions that would lead to their victory. “First... we need to acquire the demon of the Sapphire.”

Gale frowned. “Rita, don't you think that helping your people can come first? The demon can wait. It's been locked away for centuries, a few more days won't kill it.”

Rita shook her head. “I've thought a lot about this. From what Demi said Rasputin regularly sends men into the Northern Sea, the longer we wait the greater chance they could get it themselves, and then we could be doomed. And more importantly, Rasputin has a body like some of the masked men we've seen, the ones that only demons can kill. We need all the power we can to take him on, we don't know just how powerful he and his men are. And if that man is going to die... It's going to be by my hand.”

There was silence as everyone stared at her. They saw the resolve in her eyes. Demi nodded. He knelt, bowing his head. “Very well, my Queen.” The other soldiers and residents of Sapphus followed suit.

Queen. She was Queen now. In all the time she had spent thinking, that had not crossed her mind. She looked at them all, kneeling before her, and she was humbled. She would do everything in her power to help them. To save her people. “Rise.” She said. “Thank you. All of you. I promise you all, we will reclaim our home.”

“For Queen Riverwinter!” one of the soldiers yelled. It was echoed by the others in the tent.

Rita approached Demi. “We'll need a boat,” Rita said.

“You're in luck, Rasputin is due to send another group out tonight, if we play our cards right we can steal it for ourselves, stocked full with provisions for the trip.”

“Perfect,” Rita nodded. “I'll go alone with my friends, you should stay here and manage things. I trust our mounts will be safe with you.”

Demi nodded. “Of course.”

Rita heard Fang fidgeting next to her. She looked to the smaller girl. “What's wrong, Fang?”

“The Sea...” Fang grumbled, “Is the moving blue plains North of the city... right?”

“Yeah,” Rita smiled, “It's all water.”

Fang frowned. “No ground?”

Rita placed an assuring hand on Fang's head. “Maybe Fang should stay with you, Demi, she could be a great asset to your team.”

Fang looked like she wanted to dispute this, but decided not to, as the burden lifted off her shoulders. “I'd be happy to welcome her,” Demi smiled.

“So what else do we have on our side?” Rita asked. “Once we get back. Anything more I should know about?”

“Well,” Demi grinned,” I've been waiting for the right moment to spring it on you, but... well, you're dead, Rita.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“The whole city thinks you're dead. When you left the Queen kept quiet about it. Even I wasn't told, but I knew that you hadn't just been holed up in your room for a week after Atlas and the others left. Believe it or not, I managed to piece together where you had gone. When Rasputin attacked, no doubt he expected to find you in the castle. When he didn't, he told everyone, even his men, that he had killed you. He didn't want anyone holding onto the hope that you could come back. Us and Rasputin are the only ones that know you didn't die in the castle that day.”

Rita couldn't help but laugh. “Maybe I can use that to my advantage, then.” She approached Hahna. “You're the tailor girl, right? Hahna? Fang has told me about you.”

“Uh- Ye-Yes!” Hahna stuttered, bowing. She seemed unsure what to do with her hands. “My Queen, Um, what can I do for you?”

Rita smiled. “Relax. I was just wondering if, while I'm gone, you could make me a dress. Something befitting royalty.”

“I'll do my best!” Hahna exclaimed, saluting. Once Rita returned to Demi she let out a sigh. “What was that?” she said to herself, “what am I doing?”

Rita, Demi and Atlas talked of strategy for a time, but eventually Demi couldn't take the look on Rita's face anymore, and addressed the room. “Excuse me, everyone, might I have a moment alone with my cousin?” Without a word everyone left, leaving Demi and Rita alone. He took her hand and held it tightly in his own. “Rita. It's just us now. You don't need to be strong around me.”

Rita looked him in the eyes and she began to cry again. “How are you so calm? How are you okay with everything that's happening?”

He smiled sadly. “I'm far from okay. But... for me that all happened a year ago. When you fight every day just to stay alive you tend to let the past remain there. Of course I still think about it. I still mourn the family and friends we lost... but after a certain point, grieving doesn't help. You need to move on. Take action. But for you this is all new. I get it. If you need more time we'd all understand. It's not an easy thing to deal with- I know, I was there. And in my case... well, there were a lot of times I would go to adjust my glasses and realize there wasn't a hand on that arm to do that with anymore. It's weird how such a little thing like not being able to adjust your glasses can shake you to the core like that. Really drive home just how much you've lost.”

Rita looked at him. Looked at the sleeve hanging limp where his arm used to be. She reached out and touched the shoulder above the missing arm. “Let me see it.”

He frowned. “What?”

“Your arm. Please. Let me see it.”

“It's not a pretty sight.” He looked into her eyes. He knew that look. The same look she gave him when she would come by his workshop late at night to talk and he would tell her to go to bed. She wasn't going to budge on this. “Fine.”

Demi rolled up his sleeve to reveal a bandaged stump. He carefully removed the bandages, still wincing slightly as he tugged them off. The skin wasn't smooth and soft like one might imagine an amputated limb to be, it was uneven, rough. Dark browns and reds mingled with the pale color of his skin. Rita touched it lightly. She ran her fingers across the jagged scarring. Like his arm had been violently torn off by a tiger. She could almost feel bone poking through the skin at the end. She took her hand away. “Demi.”

He looked at her. “What does this accomplish, Rita?”

“I can't see my mother's body. Or anyone's who fell that night. But I can see this. Like you said. I need to be reminded of how much I've lost. How much pain and suffering my city has seen while I was gone. Because I was gone. If I had been here-”

“Then you would have died too!” Demi snapped. “Don't go blaming yourself for this, Rita! You leaving was the best possible scenario. If you had been here that night then you would have died, and then there would be no one left to take this city back! Don't feel responsible for what happened to this city- because this was fate. Fate that you would return and reclaim your city!”

Rita nodded, trying to hold back her tears. “You're right Demi.” She looked into his eyes and broke out in tears again. He hugged her. “Demi, I'm so sorry! You've been through so much, all alone! I'm sorry!”

He held her tightly. “I wasn't alone, Rita. I had everyone here. And I never once considered stopping. Never once thought I should give up. Because I knew you would return. You, Atlas, all of you. Because that's who you are. You're heroes. I always knew you would save us.” He was crying now. “Thank you. Thank you for coming back.”

That night, just as Demi predicted, a ship was being prepared to sail at the port north of the city. Demi had stayed behind, he was no fighter, he was a strategist, but he had sent Kyna and some of his best men to get them aboard. The guards were sparse,  Demi's resistance didn't often target ships, there were better places to post their forces. Kyna gave a silent signal and her men and Fang rushed the guards. Before they could scream they had been taken out, Fang and the others were brutally efficient. They approached the ship. “We'll need to search for the crew,” she said quietly. “Wouldn't want a cabin boy to suddenly show up halfway through your journey.”

Fang nodded and bounded onto the ship. She sniffed around. “No one on board. Old smells, no one here.”

Kyna looked puzzled. “Did she-”

“Yeah she does that,” Gale smiled. “We can trust her. It's clear.”

Kyna nodded. “Okay then. Well, this is it then. I wish you all the best of luck. Return triumphant and shove a spear down Rasputin's throat, okay?”

Rita put her hand on her shoulder. “He'll get worse than that, I promise you.”

Kyna and the men knelt. “See you soon, my Queen.”

“Thank you. All of you,” Rita said as they boarded the ship. She looked down as Fang looked up at her. She hoped Fang would be okay without them. The people seemed to like her, she was just worried she would get antsy cooped up in the sewers. Kyna cut the rope attaching the ship to the dock and they shoved off. Only now did Rita realize that none of them had sailed a boat before. Gale and Flynn hadn't even heard of a boat before now. Well, at least she and Atlas had read about it extensively. Somehow they would manage. They always did. She took a deep breath in of the cold sea air and she felt at home. A fire burned inside her. She would claim this demon and she would bring justice to Rasputin. She would reclaim her city.

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 28

Chapter 28: Scary Stories to Tell in a Storm

The journey out of the jungle was much easier than the one in. The beasts and monsters seemed to avoid them, as if Gaia was repelling them. They headed directly north from the jungle to avoid returning to Emerala, all of them were looking forward to their return to Sapphus, almost all of them had something waiting for them there. Rita had her family, Flynn had the kids, at the very least learning they had gotten back to their families, Atlas wanted to see Demi again, and Fang had made an impact on many of the citizens, whether she had tried to or not. Gale had never been, but he was excited to see the city, nonetheless, anything to get out of the forest and have the sky above his head again.

“Are we sure this is a good idea?” Atlas asked as they headed north, the trees thinning as they traveled, giving way to marshes and frequent rivers. “Last time we went north during the winter we nearly died.”

“Well, you guys didn't have me back then,” Rita grinned, Shiva bounding ahead, leading them forward. “Between Gale and myself we should be able to keep us safe from just about any storm.”

Sure enough, the air began to cool as winter fell. It wasn't long before the storms started, only getting worse as they headed further and further into Sapphus territory. It made Rita smile. This was what she grew up seeing. True to her word Rita protected them. The travel was much easier than it had been before. They were cold, and the mounts had trouble bounding through the ever deepening snow, but it was no longer Flynn alone keeping them warm and alive. Rita and Gale could take turns keeping the storm at bay.

Rita watched her breath form wisps of warm air in the cold and smiled. Snow swirled around them as they sat around the campfire but didn't touch them. “Nights like these,” she said, “heavy storms, Demi and I used to tell each other scary stories, I'd tell him one I'd read about and he'd tell me something he'd heard from the kids outside the wall.”

“What kind of scary stories do you have in Sapphus?” Flynn asked.

“Well there's The Witch of the Woods,” Rita replied.

Atlas frowned. “You mean like Baba? There were stories about her? How long was she... doing what she did?”

“Right, you guys wouldn't know,” Rita said, “The Witch of the Woods was a story long before Baba. If anything she was just emulating the story. Allegedly there's been someone like her every generation. Some say it's a madness that catches women who wander too far into the woods, others say it's an inhuman monster, I'm not sure whether or not any Witch actually existed before her, but there were definitely stories. From what you told me Baba would... well, eat kids. The original story tells of an old woman who would approach children who were alone in the forest outside of the city. She would lure them out of earshot of anyone and she would slit their throat, then drag them underneath a tree and sit them up, leaving them there to be found. Their friends would follow the trail of blood and find the child sitting beneath a tree with a bloody neck. They would claim it looked like they were wearing a red scarf that trailed into the snow. There have even been songs written about it to warn kids to stay out of the woods, and it's considered bad luck to wear a red scarf in Sapphus.”

“Horrifying,” Atlas muttered, shaking his head.

“Chilling,” Gale added.

Atlas punched him in the arm. “Not the time.”

“I've got a scary story from Diaem to tell,” Gale grinned.

“Oh, come on, are we really doing this?” Atlas sighed.

“I'm curious,” Flynn smiled.

“How can you not want to learn more about the culture of the other cities?” Rita teased, “isn't that kind of your thing?”

Atlas rolled his eyes. “Fine. Go ahead. But no puns.”

“I cannot make you impossible promises,” Gale said. He leaned closer to the fire and lowered his voice, trying to set an ambiance. “There's a story in Diaem, of a beautiful woman who loved a man. She lived just to see him every day, she would talk to him, smile at him, flirt with him, and he would talk and smile and flirt right back. The two began seeing each other, they became... intimate. Then, one day, the woman discovered that she was not the only woman in his life. He had been seeing four other women. She was furious. So much so that she took a pitchfork from his home, found the homes of the other women and stabbed them to death while they slept. Once she had killed them she went after the man. However, he knew what she had done and he ran from her. He ran all the way to the outskirts of the city, to the falling islands. She caught up to him, but before she could kill him herself he fell. She dove after him, but he hit the ground below before she could reach him, and her soon after. And legend says that if you go out to the falling islands late at night you can still hear her wailing in the wind. Her ghost calling out for the head of the man that betrayed her. It calls out from below, but if you look down there is nothing. And when you turn around to head home you see a woman, covered in blood holding a pitchfork, and she screams out LIAR! As she raises her bloody weapon to your throat.”

Atlas looked pale. There was a short silence. “What a... stupid story,” Atlas mumbled. “Ghosts don't... ghosts don't exist. What's scary about that?”

“Oh, my Queen,” Rita grinned, “Atlas, you're afraid of ghosts, aren't you!”

Atlas jumped. “No! I'm not! Why would I be afraid of something impossible!”

“I wouldn't say ghosts are impossible,” Gale shrugged.

“When someone dies they return to the stone,” Atlas said firmly, “ghosts can't exist.”

“Who's to say that some souls don't make it back for one reason or another?” Rita suggested. “Those wandering souls would become ghosts, right?”

Atlas gritted his teeth, he almost looked sick. “I am done with this conversation.”

Gale snickered. “You are so scared of ghosts, dude.”

“You're afraid of spiders!” Atlas snapped.

“At least spiders exist,” Gale smirked.

“You just- agh!” Atlas groaned.

Flynn laughed. “Okay, Atlas, come on, your turn, tell us a scary story from Topal.”

“I was never really interested in learning things like that,” he mumbled.

“Oh, come on,” Flynn insisted, “I'm sure you've heard at least one or two.”

Atlas sighed. “I guess there's... uh, the Headless Man story. Some people claim they hear a clanking in the streets at night, and when they look out their window they see a man limping through the streets, but he has no head. People say it's a ghost or whatever, but I think it's probably just a mechanical puppet someone's using to play a prank.”

“Wow, you really suck at telling scary stories,” Gale said.

“Shut up!” Atlas growled. “I told you I wasn't interested in this from the start!”

“Well, how about you, Flynn, do you have one?” Rita asked.

“Oh yeah!” Flynn smiled. “The kids in the slums used to be terrified of this one! Okay, so there's a story in the slums. They say that if you wander into the abandoned streets at night you'll get... a strange feeling. A warm moistness in the air. An odd smell. Then, if that hasn't scared you off yet, you'll start hearing a sound. Like a... wet slap. Over and over, like footsteps. If you look behind you, then, you'll see a dark figure, always just out of the light. If you walk away calmly he won't follow, but if you try to run he'll only get closer to you. And no matter where you run you'll find yourself alone, at a dead end. Then you feel wet tendrils on your neck, and when you turn around you see him- a man- but instead of his face all you see is noodles! With eyes nestled inside!”

They all looked at him, then Gale started laughing, then Rita, even Atlas laughed. “How is that scary?” Gale choked out.

“Are you kidding!?” Flynn exclaimed, “Every kid in Ruban is terrified of Noodleface!”

“Noodleface!?” Atlas cried out, laughing himself to tears.

“What does he even do to you?” Gale asked, “dude's made of noodles, you could defeat him with a pasta strainer!”

“I mean, he like, strangles you or something. Or maybe burns you with the hot noodles. I'm not really sure, but a guy with noodles for a face is pretty scary in my opinion.”

Atlas managed to stop himself from laughing, wiping the tears from his eyes. “The people of Ruban are not known for their intellect, that's for sure.”

Flynn frowned. “Noodleface is totally scary, guys. You're all just weird.”

“Okay, okay, I'm sure Noodleface is super scary,” Rita nodded. “I just thought of another legend from Sapphus, actually, and it's pretty appropriate for tonight.”

“Go for it, we've fallen a bit off the scary train,” Gale smiled.

“So there's a story about the origin of blizzards,” Rita said, “history tells that the first great storm happened after the death of the first Queen of Sapphus. She was the sister of the first Guardian, and she died shortly after her first daughter was born- the Child Queen, for those interested. The night of her death there was a great storm, one devastating enough to bury the entire city at the time in snow, but the Guardian single-handedly protected the city. That's why we had that festival you went to, to commemorate his saving the city. Some people claim that the storm was the Sapphire crying over the death of a Queen... but others claim that the storm was the Queen's spirit trying to take vengeance on her killer. It was thought that she died of sickness, but it was later found that she was poisoned. Her killer was eventually caught and sentenced to death, but that night there was another storm, and the man froze to death in his cell. In an underground cell, which was meant to be protected from storms. Since then, any time a Queen or Princess dies there is a great storm, and many claim that they can see the silhouette of a woman in a dress walking through the storm.” Rita stopped speaking and stared into the storm. “No, it couldn't be...”

They all turned to where she was looking, and before them was the shape of a woman wearing a dress, gliding towards them through the storm. Atlas screamed and jumped off his seat. The figure fell to pieces, revealing itself as nothing more than a pile of snow, and Rita laughed. “Oh, man, you totally thought that was a ghost, dude!”

“I hate you!” Atlas hissed, throwing a handful of snow at her face.

Gale chuckled. “That was pretty good, I have to admit.”

“Very scary,” Flynn agreed, shivering.

“I'm sorry, Atlas,” Rita sighed, “we're just messing around.”

Atlas rolled his eyes. “Well, while we're at it, what about you, Fang? Got any scary stories from Emerala?”

Fang stared at them. “Where I come from... they tell stories of men that keep other humans as property, force them to do things they don't want to, and torture them if they disobey.”

“Right, okay,” Gale said uncomfortably. “Guess story time is over, then.”

“Humans are weird,” Jill said to the other demons.

“It is a bit odd that they find enjoyment in being afraid,” Gaia agreed.

“How did the others not think Noodleface was scary?” Ifrit asked.

“You're kidding, right?” Jill frowned.

“His face is made of noodles!” Ifrit insisted, “That is terrifying.”

“Thank you!” Flynn said aloud.

Gale shook his head. “You guys from Ruban are weird, man.”

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 27

Chapter 27: The Monster in the Jungle

Flynn jumped to the side as the snake's head whizzed past. He sliced, but his hit was weak, the blade slid off its scales harmlessly. Flynn took a moment to look around. There were a lot of snakes. Every one was massive, bigger around than he was, and so long that they had never seen one head to tail. Oh, and they were poisonous, Fang said their colors gave it away. It had not been an easy trek through the jungle, it seemed like if they touched anything they would die, nearly every animal and most of the plants, one sniff and Fang would tell them to stay away in case it was poisonous. Another snake lunged at Atlas, he stepped to the side and shot it in the eye. Flynn ducked under the next attack and held his sword in place as the snake skewered itself, slicing its head in half. Fang snapped the jaw of a serpent trying ot bite her, simultanoiusly moving to avoid an attack from behind, then grabbed the head of the second snake as it rushed past her shoulder and tore it clean off. Rita was making quick work of the reptiles, freezing them in place, while Gale pinned them to trees with his arrows. Shiva, Ash and Talon were dedicated to protecting the horses.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity the snakes stopped attacking. Flynn was tired. The humidity exhausted him itself, but after any fight he felt like he was about to collapse. He missed the dry heat of Ruban. He would take the desert over the jungle any day.

Gale kiicked himself free from a snake that had been constricting around his leg, now deceased after Atlas had given it a lead ball to the brain. “We were in a bit of a bind there, huh guys?”

They all groaned. “I do not have the energy for this,” Atlas sighed. “Go home Gale.”

“Come on guys, let's keep moving,” Rita said, stretching after the battle. Fang and Rita were still full of energy.

They hadn't made it far before they were stopped again. Rita reached out and grabbed a sliky thread from between the trees in front of her. “What is this stuff?”

“Oh, no,” Gale said under his breath. Then Flynn saw the eight glowing eyes in the darkness of the trees. A spider so massive that it was a wonder how it stayed concealed- even in the jungle- moved towards them. Its mandibles dripping with venom. It crawled through the huge trees, eyeing them, waiting to strike. “Nope!” Gale exclaimed. “I'm out! Bye guys, going home! Come see me in Diaem once you finish up here!”

They all looked at him. Rita grinned. “Gale, are you scared of spiders?”

“Look at its legs!” He said excitedly, “why does it need that many legs!? Why are they so hairy and spindly!? Why is it staring at me with all those creepy dead eyes!? They are unnatural creatures, if you aren't scared of them you are a lunatic!”

“Well, someone has to take care of this,” Rita laughed, “Fang, care to lend me a hand?”

Fang nodded. As much as Flynn wanted to help, he was too tired to fight, he had a feeling that Rita and Fang could take it themselves. Fang jumped onto a tree, the wood extended to create a ledge and she used it to leap to the next tree. They had discussed wood magic at length a few days before. It was commonplace for mages in Emerala to manipulate wood, though according to Fang it wasn't as easy as dirt or stone. Emerala was surrounded by trees, the people were acclimated to them and could ask them for aid, the way Fang spoke of magic as asking the ground for help. However, Rita found herself able to use her magic on the wood as well, though unlike sand or metal, when Fang and Rita manipulated wood it wasn't half and half, it was clear that Fang had more control than the princess. Atlas and Rita both found this fascinating, taking this to mean that magic seemed to have nearly limitless possibilities, in addition to somehting like mud, which was half water half earth, now they discover wood is mostly earth with a touch of water, what other intricacies and combinations were there? It all went a little over Flynn's head, but he appreciated that Rita and Atlas found it so exciting.

Fang reached the spider, aiming a powerful kick towards it. The spider jumped out of the way and the kick sent splinters of wood flying as the tree shattered beneath her foot. Ice appeared beneath the legs of the spider as it tried to land on another tree, it slipped and fell. A web shot from it and caught a tree, as it tried to swing itself to safety Fang jumped into the air after it. A platform of ice formed abover her, she kicked off of it and slammed into the spider, taking them both to the ground. It tried to get up but the vines and roots along the ground rose and held it in place. Fang jumped from its back, landed in front of it and punched it in its face so hard that it exploded into small, bloody pieces.

Flynn heard Gale scream. He looked at him, an eyeball had landed in front of him. He jumped nearly out of his skin, landing in a tree. “Get it away! Get it away from me!” He screamed.

Atlas stared at him. “Get out of the tree, Gale.”

“There are bits of spider down there!” He yelled, “That's almost as bad as a live spider!”

Atlas grumbled. He picked up the eye, acted like he was about to throw it into the jungle, then turned and threw it at Gale. “Catch.”

Gale sceeched and hopped to another tree. “Why!? Why do you hate me!?”

Atlas shrugged. “It makes me laugh.”

“The two of us should take the watch tonight,” Atlas said to Flynn as they all sat around a fire. “Rita and Fang more than pulled their weight today and Gale will probably just wet himself if another spider shows up.”

“Aww, aren't you boys sweet!” Rita grinned.

“Play you for the first watch?” Atlas said, extending his arm.

Flynn groaned. “I always lose.”

“Come on,” Atlas smiled, “maybe today is your lucky day.”

Flynn rolled his eyes. “Fine.” Rita watched as they threw out their fists, Flynn's hand opened, all of his fingers out, while Atlas only extended his index and middle fingers, holding his thumb up. “Dangit!” Flynn sighed. “Every time.”

“What's that game?” Rita asked. “I've watched you guys play it over and over again, but it doesn't seem to make sense, you guys always just make the same hand signs and Flynn loses.”

“A game from Topal,” Flynn explained, “Atlas showed it to me way back. You choose either pistol,” he extedned his fingers like Atlas had, to represent the barrel of a gun, “arrow,” he extended only his index finger now, like the shaft of an arrow, “or sword,” His hand was flat the way he always did it when playing, like the blade of a sword, “Sword beats arrow since arrows can't pierce a knight's armor, but arrow beats pistol, since arrows are more accurate, and pistol beats sword because it can punch right through armor.”

“Okay,” Rita nodded, “so why do you always pick sword? Obviously Atlas will win if you're so predictable.”

Flynn frowned. “That's the tricky part, Atlas told me that you can only pick sword until you win a game, and since he always picks pistol I have no idea how to win!”

Atlas looked away when Rita glared at him. “Uh huh.” She considered trying ot explain to Flynn that Atlas was just messing with him, but decided to go with the subtler approach. “How about we play a match, Flynn?”

“Uh, sure,” he said. They played, he threw out sword, of course, and she played arrow. Flynn's eyes widened in amazement. “I won! I actually won! I can play anything I want now!”

“Good job, buddy,” Rita smiled, shaking her head.

Atlas sighed. “And I had such a good thing going all this time. So many chores avoided.”

“I rather enjoyed watching you fail, as well,” Ifrit sighed, “A pity.”

“What are you talking about?” Flynn asked.

“Don't worry about it,” Ifrit said. “You are such a lovable idiot, after all.”

“At least your host isn't a scared little crybaby who's afraid of some dumb bugs,” Jill chimed in.

“There is nothing wrong with being afraid of spiders!” Gale snapped, “They are terrifying little abominations of nature! Why does string come out? Where does it come from!?”

“So do we have any idea how close to the demon we are?” Rita asked.

“Don't ask me,” Ifrit said, “I've told you all before that we won't be able to sense him so lang as he's sealed away.”

“Close,” Fang said, touching her Emerald. “I can feel him. Calling to me.”

It was hard to explain, but Fang somehow felt grounded. Since they entered the jungle she felt it more and more. Her leg was stiff- but not in a bad way, it felt strong. It was pulling her, bringing her to the demon. She was here. They had arrived. She could feel it. But nothing was here. She stopped. “We're here.”

They all looked around. “I uh, don't see anything,” Gale said. “There's a big hill, a bunch of trees, but no demon.”

“Is it below us?” Atlas asked. “It is the demon of earth after all, so maybe he's hiding underground.”

Fang knelt and placed her hand on the ground. She could feel everything, her senses were sharper than usual, she could almost see the entire jungle in her mind's eye. The monkeys in the trees, the snakes, the spiders, the giant lumbering beasts that scarcely moved. There it was. She could see him. Feel him staring at her. Waiting for her to come to him. “Not quite.”

Fang slammed her foot into the ground, the earth shook below them and the hill before them rose. It seemed at first like Fang was lifting it, but it quickly became apparent that it was now moving on its own. It rose and rose, and when it seemed it couldn't rise any more it kept going. The creature was massive. Its legs shook the ground with each movement, its back towered high over the massive trees. It lowered its head and looked at them. A turtle, trees and rocks sitting on its back like an island. Its pupil was as wide as Fang was tall. It stared at her. It couldn't speak, but she knew what it was saying. “Face me. Prove yourself.”

“Please tell me we aren't fighting this,” Atlas said, his voice wavering. It was the largest beast they had ever seen, the sand worms from the desert seemed tiny in comparison.

Before Fang could answer it raised its unthinkably large foot and moved it towards them. They scattered, all but Fang, who stood solidly in place. “Fang!” Rita called out, turning to try and grab her. Gale took Rita's arm and pulled her out of the shadow of the foot as it fell.

Fang raised her arms and caught the foot. It was pressing down, her muscles screamed, but the dirt and the rocks, even the plants were on her side, pushing back with her. The foot didn't fall, it held in place in her hands.

“I have officially seen everything,” Atlas muttered, looking at the tiny girl holding up the weight of a turtle the size of a city.

“Hey, guys, how about some support for her!” Rita yelled. She called forth an eruption of ice around Fang, pressing the foot upward. Gale sent a massive gust of wind towards its chest, trying to knock it off balance, while Flynn shot flaming slashes through the air at its leg. Atlas shot at its eye, but the lead ball seemed to disappear, nothing more than a fleck of dust to the massive beast. Atlas released the charge he had hidden in the projectile, electrocuting it from the inside. It reared back and as it landed the earth trembled, nearly knocking them over.

“Rita!” Fang growled. Rita nodded and the vines from the ground and in the trees shot out and latched on to it, wrapping around any part of its body they could. It opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar.

“Gale, Flynn!” Atlas yelled as he threw a bomb. Gale launched it towards the gaping maw with a blast of wind, while Flynn lit the fuse. Once it had entered its mouth Fang jumped forward and kicked its jaw, slamming it shut. They could hear the muffled explosion, it opened its mouth again, blood and smoke pouring out. It didn't seem to do much but piss it off, but it did more than anything else they had done. The heat and the force couldn't have felt good, but he didn't have enough bombs to keep throwing them at it. He had an idea. What was an explosion but heat and force, right? The bomb added the shrapnel, but if they could recreate it... “Flynn, Gale, I have an idea!” He yelled to them.

“Is it that we stop fighting the giant turtle that could eat us and not even realize it?” Gale asked.

“Fire an arrow somewhere you think it will stick!” Atlas ordered.

“You got it, chief!” Gale said, firing an arrow into its leg.

“Now make it explode!”

“That is not a thing we can do, Atlas!” Flynn said, avoiding a branch falling from a tree being torn by the struggle.

“An explosion is just heat and force,” Atlas explained, “fire and wind! I'm sure you guys can figure it out!”

Gale and Flynn looked at eachother and shrugged. Worth a shot. A few moments later the arrow exploded in a fiery blast. “Holy crap that was cool!” Gale grinned. “Flynn, on my arrows!” “Jill, can you time them for me so they're not hitting all at once?”

“Are you asking a demon to lend you her power?” Jill scoffed.

“I'm asking my friend for a favor.” Gale smiled. “And if you can connect me to Ifrit and Flynn so we can coordinat the attack, please?”

“Ugh, why are you so needy? Fine.”

Gale fired a volley of arrows into the air. He focused his magic into the point of each one while Jill adjusted their trajectory so they would hit in tandem. As each hit Flynn ignited the explosion, causing balls of fire all over its body as the arrows hit.

Fang launched herself off the ground and landed on its shell, kicking hard. The shell was covered in dirt and stone and trees, and it was nearly unbreakable. She began to tear up the earth embedded in its back and slam it back down into the shell. To her surprise it didn't try to knock her off. It continued to try and attack the others. And then suddenly there was a snake. Just as big as the turtle itself. Where did it come from? Why was it attacking her? She followed its body and saw that it wasn't a snake, it was the tail of the beast. It had a snake for a tail. Why did it have a snake for a tail? Not that it mattered much, she just needed to defeat it. It struck at her and she dodged. She slammed her foot into the shell and every piece of earth launched upward, she brought it together and created a golem of dirt, stone, trees and vines.

“What is that thing!?” Atlas exclaimed, pointing to the golem fighting a giant snake on the back of the turtle.

“Is this real life?” Gale asked. “I'm feeling a little shell-shocked.”

Flynn watched in amazement as Fang's construct of earth grabbed the enourmous snake by the neck and tore it out of the turtle's shell and flung it into the jungle, writhing and spraying blood as it flew. The turtle howled in pain, the golem turned, its entire mass forming into a single pillar, and slammed down on the beast's head, knocking it to the ground.

Fang jumped off the turtle's back. It had stopped moving. “That was amazing!” Flynn yelled, running up to her. “How did you do that!?”

Fang shrugged. “Magic.” She turned. The turtle's head retracted into its shell. “Oh no,” Gale sighed, “are we not done?”

“It's calling for me,” Fang said, walking towards the cave that was the giant shell.

“Oh good,” Gale laughed, “glad that really did have something to do with the demon, and we weren't just fighting a giant snake-turtle for no reason, because running with us you never know.”

Rita placed her hand on Fang's shoulder. “Be safe, okay?”

Fang looked at her amd smiled. “Nobody get killed while I'm not here to protect you.”

They all smiled back. “We'll try,” Atlas said, “no promises.”

No one said another word. Fang was never one for words. She knew how they felt, and they knew she would be safe. She took a deep breath, picked out the scents of her friends, remembered them, and stepped into the cave.

She could feel the magic thick in the air, but that was her only sense that seemed to work. It was dark, silent, scentless, her feet could feel the cool, hard ground, but nothing more. She heard footsteps behind her. She turned, and suddenly she could see perfectly. The cave was covered in grass and moss, lights seemed to be streaming in from holes in the ceiling that she knew didn't exist. Rita was standing before her. They stared at each other for a moment. “I... was worried about you,” she said. “I followed you in. I'm sorry.”

“You... shouldn't be here.”

Rita walked towards her. “I know, but I couldn't let you go alone.” She looked around. “Nothing seems to be here, huh?”

“I can feel him, but...” Fang gave the cave another glance. “Nothing.”

“Maybe we should rest,” Rita suggested, “I'm sure you're tired after the fight.”

She was. She had used a lot of strength and magic, she didn't want to admit it, but she was running low on energy after all of that. Rita led her to a long shelf of stone that they could sit on. She sat close. Closer than Fang was comfortable with. She yawned. It was cute. She laid her head on Fang's shoudler. Fang blushed. “What are you doing?” she grumbled.

“I just need a little nap,” Rita mumbled back.

“We shouldn't sleep here,” Fang insisted, “It's dangerous.”

“I know,” Rita sighed. She wrapped her arm around Fang. “Do you ever want to stop fighting, Fang?”

Fang found it hard to talk. Rita was too close. She found it hard to breathe, her words caught in her throat, her face was hot. “I... need to fight. Keep you safe. All of you. My friends.”

Rita lifted her head and looked Fang in the eyes. “But what if we stopped fighting? Settled down? We could build a house somewhere. Live... together. Maybe...” She was drifting closer and closer to Fang. Just when it seemed like their noses would bump, Rita tilted her head, closed her eyes, Fang could feel her breath on her lips, cool and inviting. Fang found herself inching closer, her lips seeking out Rita's. She could smell her so clearly. Her scent... it was wrong. Fang pulled away, jumped back. How had she not noticed? She smelled wrong, she wasn't Rita. Rita would never have followed her, the others wouldn't have let her. She would never want to stop fighting, she needed to get back to her people, to save her people. This was the demon. She growled.

The false Rita smiled. “I am impressed, little one.”

She disappeared into dust and in her place stood the demon. He reminded her of a gorilla. His arms were large and heavy, resting on the ground, but his legs were smaller, curled beneath him. The only skin he seemed to have was around his eyes, most of his body was covered in hard white wood, while he wore a mask of stone, covering his nose and mouth, and a stone plate covered his forehead, two small horns poking out of it. His hair was thick and green, like vines crawling down his back. His eyes seemed to look into her soul, pure, calm green pools staring at her.

“For what have you come, child?” the demon asked.

“For you,” Fang replied.

He nodded. “I knew as much. I have seen your memories. But I was cuious to hear how you would word your request. You should know, making a pact with one such as myself is no simple task.”

“I'll beat any test you have,” Fang insisted.

“No more tests,” the demon said, “only questions.” He stared at her. “You look disappointed.”

“The others got to fight things.”

He laughed. Demons could laugh, she learned. “I considered a combat challenge, but after you defeated the beast to get in here, I was sure there was nothing I could throw at you that you would not easily defeat. Instead I preyed on your emotional weaknesses, but even that you overcame.”

“So, what, then?” Fang asked. “What do you need? Just come with me.”

“Patience, my little warrior,” the demon said. “I am a demon of regret. I must assure myself that you will be a proper partner for me.”

“I don't want your power,” Fang hissed, “I only need you so the masked men won't have you.”

“You have only come for me because your friends had asked you to, correct? What would you care if I were used to destroy the Emerald? You claim to be free, and yet... you follow the orders of your friends without question. Are you not still a slave, then?”

She glared at him. “I follow their orders because I want to, not because I'm scared of them. I choose to follow them, I don't have to. They are my friends, so I fight to protect them.”

The demon nodded. “What do you regret, little one? You have killed so many, more faces than I imagine you could even recall. Does it ever eat at you? Do you regret the lives you have taken?”

Suddenly she was surrounded by bodies, every one was someone she had killed. She recognized the wounds, if not the faces. The smell of their blood, the taste of their flesh... “No,” Fang said calmly. She wasn't lying, he could see inside her mind, he would know. “I kill to survive. To protect. I kill so that the others don't have to. It's my place to be the monster so that they can be heroes.”

He seemed to think on this. “Then what about the one life you did not take?” Rys stood before her now. “After all he did to you, you let him live. Could you not have improved the lives of his slaves by taking his life? Rid the world of one more master?”

Fang shook her head. “Had he died his slaves would have been auctioned off to men just as cruel. Those that weren't bought would be killed. Killing him would accomplish nothing. Besides, it's not the place of a monster to kill another monster.”

“Monster,” the demon said, “you call yourself monster, and yet you do not regret what you've done. Why do you consider yourself a monster, child?”

She got quiet. “Monsters are a necessary evil. I accept who I am. I'm not a hero. I kill people. I'm not ashamed of that, but I understand what it makes me.”

“Despite what you may seem to others, you are quite an intelligent child.” He looked at her. “Such a complex child. Even the princess, your closest friend, does not truly understand you. All of her talk of being proud to be a woman, it was not what you wanted to hear, was it?” Fang was brought back to the early days with Rita, when she was telling her to be whatever she wanted to be. “You didn't want to be a woman, nor a man. You simply didn't care. You still don't. At one time, perhaps, it bothered you, but now... you simply wish it wasn't somehting everyone cared about. That it didn't matter. And yet for her you have accepted your womanhood. Why change for her?”

Fang found this difficult to reply to. She never felt like she had been lying, or faking it, but he was right, she had accepted Rita's ideas because she wanted her to be happy, not because she truly felt any differently. In the end she thought it was stuipid to care whether someone was a man or a woman, she could still kill a man just as quickly no matter if she was being called “he” or “she” at the time. “Because...” She trailed off. “It doesn't matter what I want, if I can make my friends happy. I would endure anything for them.”

“Your selfless nature will come back to bite you one day if you aren't careful,” the demon said. “Do you ever think all your friends may want is for you to be honest with them and with yourself?”

“Are we done talking yet?” Fang grumbled. “I don't like talking.”

He laughed again. “Apologies, I have gotten carried away. Very well, if you would have me, we may make your pact.”

“Finally,” Fang said. “Get in.” She gestured to her emerald.

He reached out, his vine-like fingers touching the stone. His body quickly disappeared and rushed into the emerald, Fang felt his power inside her. She understood what Flynn and Gale had warned her about, she felt like she would explode from the energy surging through her. She gritted her teeth and waited for it to pass. Once it was done she heard him speak.

“It is done. Now, if I'm not mistaken, we have places to go, do we not, my little warrior?”

Fang grunted. She didn't like having someone else in her head. She headed out of the cave. Once she had exited she looked back and saw that the turtle had turned to stone now that the demon was gone. Her friends rushed to greet her. “Are you okay?” Rita asked.

“Did you get the demon?” Atlas questioned.

“What was it like?” Flynn wondered.

“He's here,” Fang replied.

“Greetings,” the demon said to those who could hear.

“Hello,” Flynn said, “What should we call you?”

“You may call me Gaia.”

“Hmph, sentimental fool,” Ifrit muttered.

“What do you mena by that?” Gale asked.

“Gaia was the name of the first guardian of the Emerald,” Jill explained, “The same person who locked him away.”

“He was a kind boy,” Gaia said, “The poor child wept when he sealed me away, despite my protests that I understood his reasons.”

“Man, Fang got such a nice one,” Gale said aloud, “Jill always just calls me names and berates me.”

“Who knew there were nice demons,” Atlas joked.

“Well,” Rita smiled, “three down, two to go. More than halfway there.”

Atlas grinned. “Time to head north, huh?”

Rita nodded. “Time to head home.”

[chaosofgreed]

I was returning something at Target and the person ahead of me was returning 5000 dollars worth of umbrellas???

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 26

Chapter 26: Free

It wouldn't be long before they reached Emerala, they could see the buildings in the distance. They could have been in the outskirts already- as little as Flynn and the others wanted to go back there they did need supplies before heading into the jungle- but Atlas had taken them on a little detour, keeping his eyes glued to his maps, trying to find something.

“What are we looking for?” Gale asked for the fourth or fifth time. “Not that I don't love the scenic forest tour, but weren't we in a hurry?”

“We are,” Atlas said, “but we're almost there, it'll only take a few minutes.” Gale sighed and they continued on. Gale wasn't usually one to complain, but Flynn thought he might have felt guilty about leaving Paige so quickly because of the rush they were in, that and with all the trees it was hard to see the sky and Talon couldn't fly, so he was probably stressed like Fang in Diaem. “We're here!” Atlas grinned, pointing to a certain tree.

Immediately it all came back to Flynn. It was overgrown now, but he was pointing to Fang's tree house. This was where they had met Fang. Atlas dismounted and the others followed suit. “This is where Atlas and I met Fang for the first time,” Flynn explained to Gale and Rita.

Rita looked at the nearly unrecognizable house in the branches. “You lived here?”

“For a bit,” Fang grumbled.

It was clear this wasn't home for Fang anymore. “You pounced on Flynn right here,” Atlas said, pointing to a spot in the grass. “I remember you said I smelled like the flash in a storm, and Flynn was, uh, cinders, right?”

Fang nodded. “I have more words now. Lightning. You smell like lightning and metal and gunpowder. And Flynn doesn't smell like cinders anymore. He smells like a roaring fire. Like a strong blade and the hot ground in the sun.”

“Ooh, ooh! Do me next!” Gale grinned.

Fang looked at her feet. “You smell... like a spring breeze. Like the clouds and the sky and feathers. And laughter.”

“Laughter?” Gale asked, raising an eyebrow, “are you saying I have bad breath?” he joked.

Fang shook her head. “It's a good smell. Hard to explain.” She looked to Rita. “Rita... smells like the sea. Like the cutting cold and the snowfalls, but also like the pages of a book and a warm embrace and...” Fang blushed. “Like... home.”

Rita smiled. “What about you? What do you smell in yourself?”

Fang frowned. “Nothing. I can't smell myself.”

Gale grinned. “Come on, you've got to smell something, right?”

Fang was quiet. Finally she spoke. “Blood. And death.”

There was a long silence. Rita looked like she was about to open her mouth, but they were interrupted. People seemed to appear out of the trees, men, women, boys and girls, all holding stone spears or swords, more than Flynn could count. “Who are you!” one of the assailants demanded, “where did you come from!?”

“The sky,” Gale smiled. One of the girls shoved her spear towards his throat, stopping just a finger's width away. “Tough crowd,” Gale said.

Ash and Shiva were growling, the situation was tense. “We're just travelers, passing through,” Atlas said. Probably best not to say too much, who knew who they were allied with. Were they looking for a bounty? They weren't guardians or guards, at least they didn't look it. They were dirty and dressed in rags, and their weapons were crude.

“No one goes in or out,” The girl with her spear to Gale's neck said, “best turn around.”

“We need supplies,” Rita said, “we'll be on our way as soon as we can, but we need to get into the city.”

“Find a town somewhere,” one of them hissed.

Fang twitched. Ash bared his fangs. Flynn knew what that meant. They had moments left before Fang started to attack. She didn't take well to someone threatening her friends, even if they were her own people. “Stand down!” A voice called out. The attackers separated, lowering their weapons. The person that stepped out was no more than a boy. He was younger than any of them, with a mop of shaggy brown hair and piercing green eyes. On his left wrist was an Emerald, just like Fang's. There was a long silence as he looked them all over. “Don't you recognize him?” He asked his followers, gesturing to Fang. “This is Fang Vineheart, the one who started this revolution.”

Another silence. “Did, uh, did you guys leave something out of all the stories you told us about what you all did in Emerala?” Rita asked.

“This is news to me,” Atlas said.

“Maybe I worded that badly,” the boy said, “before Fang no one thought a slave could rebel, the master's word was law, going against him was to assure your death. But Fang escaped. He killed guardians, took their emeralds, gave the rest of us hope.”

“You're all slaves?” Rita asked, looking at all of them.

“Former slaves,” the boy said, some of the others seemed angry at the notion, “we are all free men and women now.”

“So if you guys rebelled why are you hiding in the woods?” Gale asked.

“It's not quite that easy,” The girl who threatened him snapped.

The boy gestured for her to calm down. “We are few in number, and my Emerald is the only one we have. No slave is happy, but not all are courageous enough to join us. But now that you've come back, Fang, maybe we could convince more of our people to join us! Now could be the time to stage our rebellion!”

Fang gritted her teeth. Flynn could tell she was conflicted. She wanted to help, Flynn wanted to help, but the masked men were still a threat, they couldn't just stop to try and start a revolution. “I... can't... now...” Fang said slowly.

The boy frowned. “If there's any way I could convince you... Here, for now, come with us, we have a modest base, at the very least you can have a hot meal.”

“There's no harm in that,” Atlas nodded.

The rebels' home base was astounding, a city in the trees. Flynn couldn't believe his eyes. By now most of the leaves had fallen from the trees, but he could imagine the greenery all around, it must have been beautiful in summer. Gale certainly seemed to feel more at home here, a little closer to the sky. The boy took them to his home with a couple of the others and they prepared them a meal.

“You all manage to stay hidden up here, even with winter coming?” Atlas asked. “The leaves aren't covering you anymore.”

“We don't need leaves,” the boy explained, “the guardians and guards of Emerala are too busy staring at the ground to look up. They're all fools.”

Flynn couldn't shake the thought that the boy looked familiar somehow. Like he'd seen him before. The boy looked at Flynn. He seemed a little uncomfortable. “You... recognize me.”

He did know him! Then it hit him, he was the boy they met in Emerala. The one who tried to steal from them and was attacked by guardians! Flynn smiled, even if just at himself for remembering who it was. “I'm glad you're doing okay,” Flynn said. He wasn't sure what else to say, their meeting had been short, and not terribly enjoyable. The boy had yelled at him and ran away.

“I owe you an apology,” the boy said, “you tried to show me kindness and I threw it in your face.”

Flynn shook his head. “Don't worry about it, I know that the guardians in Emerala can leave a bad taste in your mouth.”

The boy touched his emerald. “I tried to find you. Back then. I heard the outsiders had been sent to find the runaway slave, I thought I could catch you and apologize. By the time I made it there, though, you were all gone. I found this. It was buried, there were others, but they had already returned to the soil. This one alone hadn't broken, as if it was waiting for me. It was then I realized that I could make a difference. It's thanks to all three of you that this rebellion could happen.”

Atlas shrugged. “All I did was point a gun to your head.”

“But you didn't kill me,” he said, “any guardian here would have. I haven't even given you all my name, my apologies, I am Aron Stoneblade.”

“You're well-spoken for a former slave,” Atlas observed.

Aron looked proud suddenly, Flynn saw a hint of the boy he really was under the weight of rebellion and leadership. “Some of the older former house slaves have been teaching me to read, I'm doing my best to learn many new words, a leader must be able to speak out for his people. They all say I'm a quick learner.”

“Isn't our leader cute?” The girl sitting next to him said, smiling, it was the same girl who had attacked Gale. Her hair was cropped short and matched her moss-green eyes.

Aron blushed. “Liz, please, I'm trying to have a meeting here.”

Liz rolled her eyes. “Sorry, boss.”

“Anyway,” Aron said, regaining his composure, “do you mind if I ask why you can't help us yet, Fang? I'm sure you're all doing something important, but what exactly is it?”

Fang frowned. She didn't want to speak, she didn't want to have to reject the people she wanted to help again. Atlas saw and spoke up. “It's a good thing you asked, because you all should probably know. We've been fighting a group of... people. Men in dark robes and white masks. They have powers like we've never seen, and they want to destroy the stones.”

“Destroy the stones?” Liz asked, “is that even possible?”

“Not ordinarily,” Rita said, “that's why we're in a hurry. There is... one specific way to destroy them, but the masked men need something and we're trying to get those things before they do.” They were always careful not to mention the demons. Most people probably wouldn't want to help them if they said they were running around the world making pacts with demons.

“Without the stones there would be no magic,” Aron said, touching his emerald, “would that really be such a bad thing? Magic is the reason we can't fight back with only one emerald. Magic has kept us oppressed.”

“Honestly, you might be right,” Atlas said, “but those masked men don't care what would be the best for the people, I don't know why they want to destroy the stones, but they will kill anyone who gets in their way, even innocent people who are just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“And while it could be good for your city,” Rita explained, “Sapphus would freeze, hundreds would die, and Diaem would fall from the sky, when it landed it could cause an earthquake or a dust cloud that could be detrimental for people everywhere.”

Aron frowned. “I suppose you're right, but it's still hard to accept that there could be a way to take magic away from the bastards who are keeping us enslaved and we would fight against that.”

“Those masked men have magic without using any stones,” Gale mused, “it's possible they want to take away our magic so that we can't fight back against them.”

Flynn hadn't thought about that, but it wasn't a far-fetched idea. Aron rubbed his eyes. He was clearly upset. “I'm done talking about all of this. I'm going to sleep. You will all be taken to a place to rest when you're ready. Come morning you should all head out, you're in a hurry, after all.”

Flynn wanted to say something, but Aron was already gone. He felt bad, he wanted to help, they all wanted to help. Would a world without magic really be so bad? He was the victim of segregation and suffering because of magic himself. “You have me,” Ifrit said, “we could destroy the Ruby if you wanted. Put everyone on equal ground.”

“I'm not suggesting that!” Flynn insisted. “We need magic, the guardians help defend us, without it we would be killed by monsters.”

“Or perhaps you would become stronger to compensate,” Ifrit suggested, “humans adapt to survive. You are fascinating creatures.”

“I don't want to talk about this.”

“Always so quick to dismiss the tough decisions. One day Atlas won't be able to decide for you. You will have to make a decision on your own, and live with the consequences.”

Flynn didn't reply. She was right, he knew it. And he hated it.

“So what do you guys do for fun out here?” Gale asked Liz.

“Why are you following me?” she growled as she stabbed a tree stump with her spear. The former slaves were training. They were all rough around the edges but they fought hard.

“I'm drawn to pretty girls?” Gale grinned.

Her stare almost seemed to cause him physical pain it was so fierce. “Pretty girls?” Jill scoffed, “Look at her, short hair, flat chest, she's practically a boy. What do you see in her?”

“I guess I like the ones that are mean to me,” Gale joked.

“Pervert.”

“Staring at me like an idiot isn't going to do you much good,” Liz growled, “if you want to do something pick up a spear and spar with me.”

Gale grabbed one of the crudely made stone spears. It wasn't the best weapon, the balancing was bad, but he had trained in spear combat back in the guardian academy. “Well, don't feel too bad if I win, alright?” he joked.

Liz lunged at him. He easily dodged. He didn't want to hit her. She was untrained, they all were. It was simple enough for him to take her down, a quick sweep of the leg and she was on the ground. She had potential, but she was raw and violent. He offered his hand to help her up, but she batted it aside and stood up herself. Now she was really annoyed with him. “Again!” She insisted, raising her spear again.

“It'll be the same every time,” Gale sighed. “You need more training. Here, look, your grip is all wrong, put your hands farther apart.”

He took her hand to move it on the shaft of the spear, but she pulled away and hit him. She then grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against a tree. “Don't ever touch me!” She hissed.

He looked into her eyes. She wasn't just mad, she was scared. He hadn't realized just what someone touching her had meant to her. Back home it wasn't a big deal. He wanted to hug her or put a hand on her shoulder to console her, but that would only make it worse. To her it was a threat. If someone grabbed her they were dragging her somewhere or trying to hurt her. “I'm sorry,” he said, “I didn't mean any harm.”

She let him go. “Don't do it again.”

He looked at her. The scars on her wrists from being shackled her whole life, her tattered clothes and unwashed hair. “I... can't even begin to understand what it is you've been through. Where I come from no one owns anyone else. We all get along, for the most part.”

“You're lucky,” She grumbled.

“You want to talk about it? I might not be able to relate, but I can listen.”

She stared at him like he was crazy. “It's not the kind of thing you talk about. People owned me. Hurt me. Made me do things I didn't want to. I'd rather forget.” There was a pause. “Tell me more about where you come from. Are there really no slaves? How do the rich get any work done?”

He smiled. “They do it themselves, or they pay someone to do it for them.”

Her eyes widened. “Pay them? Amazing! What else?”

He couldn't help but laugh a little. It was a sad laugh, but... He liked seeing her smile. He wished he could take them all to Diaem. He spent the rest of the night telling Liz all about Diaem and his childhood.

Flynn found Aron looking out across the forest alone. “Hey, you okay?” Flynn asked. He was worried about the boy. He seemed troubled, it wasn't surprising with an entire revolution on his shoulders.

“I thought I dismissed all of you,” Aron grumbled.

“We aren't your soldiers,” Flynn frowned, “you can't dismiss me.”

Aron sighed. “It's hard, living like this.”

“Better than living a slave, though,” Flynn may not have been a slave, but he knew hardship.

“Of course!” Aron snapped. “but I'm not used to so much responsibility. So many people look to me to be a leader. Just because I found this emerald. I'm not a leader, I'm just...”

“A kid.”

Aron was quiet. Then he looked at Flynn. He picked up the sword and shield that had been propped up against the nearby wall. A stone sword and a wooden shield, they seemed painfully ineffective to Flynn. “Fight me.”

“I didn't mean to offend you,” Flynn insisted.

“You were right,” Aron said, “I am just a kid. I need to know if I'm strong enough to make a difference. To fight.”

Flynn didn't want to fight him, but he could hear the resolve in Aron's voice and he drew his sword. Aron attacked and Flynn dodged easily. He couldn't bring himself to swing his sword at a child, so he just dodged over and over again. “Stop playing with me!” Aron growled, “fight back!” Flynn gritted his teeth and swung his sword. Aron blocked it with his shield. The steel bit into the wood and stuck for a moment, Flynn pulled but the wood jumped out and grabbed the blade. Now Flynn understood why his weapons were wood and stone, he could manipulate them with magic. Aron kicked Flynn in the gut, Flynn pulled back and tore his sword free. The splinters of wood shot at him and he called out a small puff of flame to burn them away.

“The boy means to hurt you,” Ifrit observed, “I suggest you strike with intent as well. Perhaps kill him. At the very least maim.”

“I'm not going to hurt him!” Flynn snapped.

“When you are skewered by a tree it will not be on my conscience.”

Flynn and Aron clashed blades and the stone sword shattered, Flynn suddenly found himself dodging stone shards flying at him. Aron was young but he was clever. He was no pushover. “How do I fight a city!?” Aron yelled as he attacked. “How do I help people who are scared to fight back!? What do I do! I'm just a kid! I just wanted to be free! I just wanted to help people! Why do I- why does it have to be like this!” He was crying. He wanted to be strong, he wanted to be a warrior, but he was crying like the child he was.

Flynn rushed him, batted his shield aside and hugged him. Startled, Aron dropped his weapons. “Life isn't always fair,” Flynn said. “I was around your age when I met Atlas, and now I'm fighting people who are trying to destroy our world. I know how you feel.” He pulled away. Aron sank to his knees. Flynn sat down. “It's hard. It's so hard, and there aren't any right answers. But you need to do what you believe in. If you think you need to fight then fight. If people look up to you show them strength. Give them something to believe in. I would love nothing more than for you to be just a normal kid, but... I think you're past that. What you need now is to believe in yourself. You're strong and you're smart and you're talented. I think you'll succeed. Of course, that's just my opinion.”

Aron looked at the ground. He had stopped crying. “Thank you.”

Early the next morning they gathered their things and got ready to head out. Aron provided them with cloaks to cover themselves and hopefully stay out of sight of the guardians. “I suppose this is goodbye,” Aron said as he and a few others saw them off, he still seemed annoyed.

Fang stepped towards him and looked him in the eyes. “I will be back. Maybe not soon, but I will come back. And I will free everyone.”

Aron smiled. He believed her. They all did. “I'll be waiting.”

“Stay alive, guys,” Liz said.

“Next time we spar you'd better be able to beat me,” Gale grinned.

“You're on,” she smiled back.

The city smelled different somehow. Anger. Fear... hope, somewhere deep down. There were more guards mulling around, the slaves were all accompanied by someone. When Fang had lived here slaves were trusted enough to go off on their own for certain tasks. They were brainwashed, they knew that running would only get them killed. Now slaves were rebelling, the masters were scared. Good, let them live in fear. They got in and got their supplies without incident, they got a few looks but no one approached them. All they needed now was to get out.

She smelled him before she saw him. Roses and lilacs. Expensive perfumes and fine cloth. Her blood started to feel hot. Then she saw him. His long green hair, his calm brown eyes. That pretty face and the fancy robes. He was walking towards them, surrounded by guardians, an emerald of his own on his neck. His name was Rys Vineheart, her old master. She could hide her head, he wouldn't see her, they could pass without incident. But she wanted him to see her. To see who she had become. She glared at him, and he saw. And he smiled. She'd seen the smile a thousand times. The smile he gave her when they were alone. The one that when she was young she thought meant she had done well, but as she got older she realized meant that he was getting what he wanted. It was condescending and cruel. He stopped his guards. “And so the wayward slave returns,” he said with the sickly sweet voice she knew too well.

Rita's hand twitched, uncorking her canteen, if this guy made a move towards Fang he would lose his head. She saw the broach on his robes and recognized it immediately. It was the same symbol that was branded on Fang. She could see now that it was no snake, it was a vine. A thorn covered vine wrapped around a heart. Vineheart. This was the man who had owned Fang. Rita opened her mouth to speak, but Atlas was faster- always so quick to talk. “I don't know who you think you are,” he said, “but she's no slave, she's a free woman.”

The man looked at him. “She is neither free nor a woman, she is a misplaced piece of property, and she should be returned to her master before I lose my temper.” He looked them all over. “But I haven't even introduced myself. I am Rys Vineheart, Fang here is my property.” He turned his gaze again to Atlas. “I suppose you're the one holding her leash now, hm?”

Rita flicked her wrist, water slid from her canteen, Atlas tried to speak up again, but Fang stepped forward and they froze. She spoke. “No one holds my leash.”

Rys glared at her. “That is no way for a slave to speak. Bite your tongue. You will be sorely reprimanded.” He raised his hand and tried to strike her. She grabbed his arm. She looked him in the eye. He was a tall man, and she was barely taller than a child, but somehow she seemed to be towering over him. She crushed his wrist in her hand. Rita could hear the bones crunching. He howled out in pain.

Fang pushed him to the ground. Rita could see the guards' emeralds glowing, they were trying to use magic, but nothing was happening. “I,”  Fang said, stepping forward as Rys tried to crawl away, rocks lifting from the ground around them, “am,” buildings around them began to crumble and tear apart, “FREE!” She slammed her foot into the ground creating a crater beneath her and her former master, sending shards of stone flying in every direction. The earth trembled, a massive earthquake, it was nearly impossible for Rita to keep her footing, the guards and citizens fell to the ground, buildings all throughout the city were falling apart. The tremor lasted for what seemed like an eternity, once it calmed Rita looked around and saw the tall buildings in the distance broken, the stones making them up floating in the air. It seemed like time was stopped, rocks floating throughout the city, Fang holding up the entire city by herself. People ran to get out from under the rubble before she decided to let it go. Fang looked at Rys for a moment longer, the man was terrified. Then she turned and walked away. All at once the debris fell with a massive crash. “Let's go,” Fang said as she returned to her friends.

“Why didn't you kill him?” Rita asked. “After everything he's done to you... he deserves to die.”

Fang looked at the ground. She was smiling. “A runaway slave would kill her master to break her chains. A free woman will let him live, because she has the choice. She has no chains to break, and he has no power over her. And for a man like him, knowing that is worse than death.” She was grinning now. “If one slave can break their chains, why not all of us?”

Rita looked back at the bastard, his guards helping him to his feet. She could see it in his eyes, Fang was right. He was scared. Even so, she wanted to stab him repeatedly. She scowled and looked away. They had a job to do.

It wasn't long before they reached the jungle, a tangle of trees and vines, the air was heavy with moisture and the ground was soft and damp. Rita felt strong here, there was water everywhere. Flynn, on the other hand, seemed like a wet torch. “Ready to go guys?” Atlas asked as they looked out towards the sprawling jungle. “From all the stories we've heard the monsters here will be more dangerous than anything we've fought before.”

Fang stepped forward into the jungle. She looked back at the others with a smile. “I'll keep you safe.”

Rita smiled back. She would. Fang would do anything to protect them, and they would do anything for her. Rys's words echoed in her ears, 'are you the one holding her leash?' He was wrong. She was no slave, no servant, she was their friend. They were a team, and they looked out for each other.

Rys had never felt such pain in his life. He felt like his arm was on fire and it wouldn't stop. He took a sip of wine from his cup. He had asked to be alone in his quarters, it wasn't often he didn't have a guard or a slave with him. Most nights he took the company of one of his house slaves, added another tally to their back. But he didn't trust them anymore. Fang had betrayed him. She was free. He would kill them all, buy new slaves, start from scratch. He looked to his window. There was a man there. How? Where had he come from? How had he gotten in. It was a tall man in a black robe wearing a featureless mask. “Who are you?” Rys asked. “Where did you come from? How did you get past my guard?”

“Who I am doesn't matter,” the man said, “but you... you are Rys Vineheart, are you not?”

Rys stood. “I am, what does that meant to you?”

The man walked forward, Rys found himself unable to move, paralyzed in fear. “Your arm,” the masked man said, touching his broken limb. Suddenly his pain was going away, he felt the shattered bones moving, mending, becoming whole again. What kind of magic was this? “Every person in this city is a slave, even those that consider themselves free, for you are all slaves of the Emerald,” he said. “I detest slaves, people that would be so easily manipulated, people that allow themselves to be controlled. Weaklings who should fight rather than be held captive. Better to die free than live a slave, don't you think?”

Rys couldn't agree with him entirely, but he did hate slaves. Fang instilled a resentment in him. “Slaves are tools, tools should not fight their masters.”

The man in the mask inspected his arm. It was completely healed now. “The one thing I hate more than slaves...” his grip tightened, “Is the ones that dare to call themselves masters.” Rys felt it all over again, his arm shattering, his bones crunching. Who was this man? Why was he doing this? Rys tore himself away and ran out of the room. He stopped once he was in the hall. The walls and floor were splattered with blood. His guards were all dead on the floor, sliced to pieces. How had one man killed so many guards? How had he done it without him hearing? He felt a hand on his shoulder. “I'm not quite done with you yet, master” The last word was malicious, cutting, cruel. Rys found his breath catching in his throat as darkness surrounded him. And then the world was gone.

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 25

Chapter 25: Old Scars

“So, where are we actually going?” Atlas asked as they all sat around the campfire, a notebook in his hand. “We know we're in a hurry, and we assume the Demon of the Emerald will be near Emerala, but after Gale's tip about the storm we really have no idea where to look next.”

“Well we have two demons on our team now,” Rita said, “do either of them have any idea where the other three could be?”

“Any idea, Ifrit?” Flynn asked.

“I told you all before that I haven't the faintest idea,” Ifrit sighed.

“As long as our siblings are sealed as we were we can't sense their presence,” This was a voice unfamiliar to Flynn, and he saw the faint image of a young girl with pale green hair, in the same way he saw Ifrit in his mind when she spoke.

“Uh, what was that?” Flynn asked.

“The demon of wind,” Ifrit said. “Jill and I can communicate telepathically due to our connection, and because I am connected to you she can speak to you as well.”

“Don't call me Jill!” The other demon snapped.

“So does that mean that you could connect me directly to Gale and we could talk like this too?” Flynn asked.

“I suppose we could try. In theory it would work,” Ifrit said. There was a small pause. “Try.”

“Uh, Gale?” Flynn said.

“Flynn!” Gale said excitedly inside Flynn's mind. “Jill was just telling me we might be able to do this, but you beat me to it! Ah, man, this is so cool!”

“It's pretty cool,” Flynn agreed. “And it could be really useful too.”

“Yeah, we can make fun of Atlas without him hearing!”

“You guys know we can still hear you, right?” Jill groaned. “Not that you said anything embarrassing or something, I just really don't care.”

“Jill says hi,” Gale joked.

“Have you guys been listening to anything we've been saying?” Atlas asked, snapping his fingers in front of Flynn's face. No, no he had not. “You two were just staring off into space, you guys alright?”

“We were... uh, talking I guess?” Flynn said, unsure of how to explain it.

“Talking?” Rita asked.

Gale waved them off. “It's a demon thing, you'll get it when you have your own. Flynn and I are currently part of a very exclusive club.”

“Uh huh,” Atlas said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, we think we deduced where the last three demons are.”

“Oh, that's good,” Flynn nodded, “can you... repeat all that for those of us who... may have missed something?”

Atlas sighed. “Basically we realized Ruban has the southern desert no one had ever returned from-”

“The Deathsert.”

“Shut up Gale- and Diaem had a storm far above it, and when we thought about it every city has its own deadly urban legend if you head too far in one direction. Emerala has a jungle to the west filled with monsters that have killed anyone who entered, Sapphus has the Northern Sea that no boat has ever returned from, and Topal has the Lightning Mountains, a peak that no one has ever successfully ascended.”

“Sounds promising,” Gale agreed. “I guess we're headed to the jungle next then, huh?”

“And past Emerala, too,” Flynn frowned, looking to Fang.

“Yeah that could be a problem,” Atlas sighed, “we're all probably wanted fugitives there.”

“We'll be fine,” Fang grumbled.

Atlas grinned. “Well, if Fang says we'll be fine I guess we've got nothing to worry about. Besides, they've never seen Rita or Gale, so if we need to go into the city we could just send you two.”

“From what you guys have said about Emerala I feel like I'd rather leave that city out of my tour,” Gale joked.

“I'm sure it could be fun, Gale,” Rita smiled, “grab some exotic food, resupply, break some chains, kill some slave owners, we could make a day out of it.”

“Okay, okay, you've convinced me,” Gale said, “but only so I can tell the people we fight in Emerala that I'm about to rock their world. Every. Single. One.”

Atlas chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Alright, to the jungle it is, then,” he said, writing in his notebook.

“Are you sure you'll be okay going back there?” Rita asked as she and Fang bathed. Fang didn't seem to mind keeping herself clean now, and Atlas and Flynn certainly appreciated the improved smell of the group after Rita had started making sure Fang washed, but the smaller girl still hadn't quite grasped the concept of properly doing it herself, so Rita usually joined her, making sure she washed behind her ears and brushed her hair and such. “I know they did... you weren't treated well there.”

“I was a slave,” Fang said. “You can say it. I was there, I know what I was. I'll be fine. I'm not a slave anymore. Those people can't hurt me anymore. If they try I'll hurt them.”

Rita gave a weak smile as she brushed Fang's hair. It was so thick and beautiful, but Fang always let it get tangled and filthy. “I guess that's one way to look at it.” Rita noticed a patch of dirt Fang had missed just below her neck. She pushed the hair aside. Rita had to hold herself back from shuddering. She knew Fang had scars on her back, but her hair was always covering them, seeing them up close like this always made her uneasy. She usually tried not to stare, but just this once... they were heading to Emerala. To the place where she'd gotten these scars. She couldn't look away, she needed to see what those monsters had done. She looked at the long, straight scars criss-crossing, some looked to be from whips, others from blades. She had more scar tissue on her back than real skin. Without thinking Rita reached out and touched a scar. Fang almost pulled away but stopped herself. “I'm sorry,” Rita said, starting to pull her hand away.

“No,” Fang said, reaching back and taking Rita's hand, placing it back where it had been. “You can know.” Rita ran her finger along it, it was the longest, deepest one, extending from her right shoulder to her left hip. “When my master found out I had been sneaking off to play with the Direwolves he slashed me across the back with a broadsword. It didn't stop me sneaking out though, I just had to be more careful.”

Rita moved her hand to another one. This one crossed the first, a whip mark, a few more ran parallel with it. “I dropped a plate,” Fang said, “it broke, it was made of stone, it could be fixed with magic... my master whipped me anyway. He tried to hit the same spot over and over to make it hurt more.”

“You remember every single scar?” Rita asked, her voice almost catching in her throat.

Fang nodded. “You would too. They leave an impression.”

“I don't want to make you relive all of that pain, Fang...” Rita said quietly.

“I've never told anyone about this before,” Fang said, “I... feel happy talking with you. I want you to know... more about me. It doesn't hurt. It hurt then... now it heals. Please.”

Rita nodded. Fang had held all this pain to herself for so long, it was the least Rita could do as her friend to let her share it. She moved her hand up, she found a group of scars unlike the others. These weren't made with a whip or a sword, these were small, deliberate. Tallies starting from her left shoulder, more than Rita cared to count, all along the top of her back in rows. They weren't too deep, they were easy to miss beneath the bigger, deeper scars. She touched the first set of tallies. Fang shuddered. “Fang?” Rita asked, concerned.

“Those,” Fang sounded angry. “I wanted to be a boy. Do the work of the boys. Women and girls were house slaves, I wanted to work outside doing physical labor with the men. My master agreed... I thought it was out of the goodness of his heart... but monsters like him have no goodness. When I was a little older... nine or ten... He made me... do things for him. Things he could have gotten his house slaves to do, but he had... particular tastes. He liked the... I can't remember the word he used. That he wasn't supposed to. You don't use labor slaves for house work, that's a rule. If I resisted he would out me as a girl and I would be a house slave anyway... every time he... added another tally. I wasn't the first. It was a game he played. He starts at your left shoulder and he tells you that once the tallies reach his brand he'll set you free.” She touched her right hip, there was a brand of a snake on the area just below her back and left of her hip. There were scars obstructing it as though she had tried to claw it off. “No one ever lives long enough.”

Rita was trembling in rage. How could anyone to that to another human? Let alone a little girl? She tried to count the tallies- how many times had Fang had to go through that? How many times had she been... She found herself unable to see the scars anymore, her tears were clouding her vision. She promised herself she would count them later. She would find that monster that did this and she would hurt him. Every tally would mean another day of torture for him. Death was too good for him, he would suffer. For now Rita wrapped her arms around Fang and held her tightly. “I'm so sorry,” Rita said through her tears.

Fang rested her hands on Rita's. They were so rough and calloused... but warm. Comforting. “I'm free now. All of you... freed me. The scars... don't hurt anymore.”

After a few weeks of travel they came upon a town. “Okay, looks like we get to sleep in beds tonight,” Atlas said as they hitched their mounts. “We need to buy some supplies too. Flynn and I can get us a room at the inn if you three think you'll be able to handle buying supplies all by yourselves.”

“I think we can handle it,” Rita laughed. “Don't blame me if your portions are a little low for the next few weeks though.”

Fang's stomach growled. “Okay, maybe Fang should come with us,” Atlas grinned, “she can get some food at the inn.”

“Sweet, I get to go on a date with Rita!” Gale smiled. Fang glared at him. “A friend date. Like friends do.”

“Come on, big guy.” Rita said, patting him on the back.

“Yes, ma'am,” Gale replied, following her.

“They sell actual bags of rocks here,” Gale said, looking at a small pouch filled with round stones.

“We are in Emerala territory, the people here are more... into rocks, I guess,” Rita said, trying to find some sensibility in the bag of rocks. “I honestly don't know too much about Emerala culture, Fang doesn't talk about it much and I haven't come across many books.”

“I see you two are interested in the rolling rocks, hm?” The shopkeeper said.

“More like wondering what they are,” Rita laughed, “we're not exactly from the area.”

“It's a children's game,” the shopkeeper said, pouring the balls out on the counter. Gale could see now that each one was painted, they were actually quite pretty to look at. There were dozens of smaller ones but only a few large ones. “The goal is to flick the bigger stones into the smaller ones and knock them out of the playing field. Whoever knocks out more wins.”

Gale laughed. He had played similar games back home when he was a kid. Maybe he would buy it and try and get the others to play with him. “I'd ask how much they cost, but since we're in the Emerala region I'm sure everything is dirt cheap, right?”

Before Rita could finish groaning at Gale's joke the door to the shop was forcefully kicked open. “Not again!” The shopkeeper squealed, jumping behind his counter in fear.

Gale looked to the door to see a group of men flood in. All held swords and had bandages somewhere on their body, the face of one was even almost entirely covered. The one who appeared to be the leader had horrible burns across the right side of his face, Gale could see his teeth through his cheek and most of his eye, and half his nose was gone. He lumbered in, dragging his sword. He seemed a little drunk. “Time to pay up, shopkeep, little early this month, but we boys gotta keep you on your toes, eh?” He moved towards the counter and shoved a shelf over on the way, causing it to nearly land on a customer.

Rita gave Gale a look. It was the “we should probably kick their asses” look. Gale agreed, but he didn't want to wreck the shop, and he and Rita were at a disadvantage in such close quarters. “You want me to tear them to pieces?” Jill asked.

“Not just yet,” Gale replied. The leader of the bandits walked past them and slammed the hilt of his sword on the counter.

“Pay up, old man!” He yelled. “Stop crying and give us our damn money, we got places to be!”

“Hey, buddy,” Gale said, “mind telling me how you got those scars? Looks like you've been... defaced.”

The bandit glared at him. “Was that supposed to be a joke, boy? You want to know the story behind my face? Behind all of our scars!?” He gestured to his fellow bandits, all standing menacingly behind him. “You don't look like you're from around here, so I'll set you straight, kid. We're the Burned Bandits. And nobody fucks with us, you got that? As for the scars, we got these from a couple'a runts. Fucking children! Guardians, I think. One had a ruby and the other had some fancy yellow stone. A kid with red hair spewing fire and some smarmy brat with curly yellow hair and a stupid fucking hat. Broke into our camp, stole our gold, lured us into a tent and burned the place down. Our whole camp up in flames. We lost almost our entire gang... We were lucky to survive. Those of us that did...” He touched his burned face with a scarred hand. “We didn't come out the same. But we rose, we rose like a fucking phoenix, you hear me! And if I ever find those damned brats I will skin them alive! I'll kill the blonde one and make the redhead eat his friend! I'll torture them for days, weeks, years if they live long enough! I'll make them feel the pain my friends and I went through! I'll-” The one with the bandaged face put his hand on the leader's shoulder. He shook his head. The leader took a breath. “You're right, sorry, I got carried away. It's just... when I think about what those kids did to us... To all of you...”

Gale and Rita looked at each other. Somehow it seemed like they knew the kids they were talking about. “Hey, Jill, could you get me in touch with Flynn?” Gale asked.

“Stop calling me that!” she growled. She patched him though anyway.

“Hey, Flynn, buddy?”

“Gale?” Flynn replied. “What's up?”

“You guys finish your errand?” Gale asked.

“Uh, yeah, Fang just finished eating and we got the room. Did you need something?”

“Just out of curiosity did you and Atlas ever have a run-in with some bandits way back?”

“We have had run-ins with a lot of bandits, you'll have to me more specific,” Flynn laughed..

“You burned their camp down while they were still inside? Ring a bell? Stole all their gold?”

“Oh yeah! I remember that! That was the first bandit camp we ever raided! Good times. Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Gale replied, “If you guys have time you should head over to the shop, we met some old friends of yours.”

“What exactly does that mean?” Flynn asked.

“You'll see.”

“If you say so...”

The bandit leader had calmed down and was moving to get behind the counter and at the old shopkeeper. As he passed her Rita put her arm out to stop him. He glared at her. “What do you think you're doing, little girl?”

“I just wanted to get a better look at those sexy scars,” she smiled.

“Are you making fun of me!?” He growled, lashing out with his empty hand. Rita easily dodged the clumsy blow, grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back. She then kicked him in the back and sent him reeling to the floor.

“Boss!” One of his bandits yelled. They all rushed to his side.

Gale grinned. Perfect, they were all bunched up. “Let's take this outside, shall we?” He conjured a powerful, concentrated wind and the group of bandits were sent flying out the door. “Ladies first,” he said, gesturing for Rita to follow the bandits.

“How sweet of you,” she joked, “getting the door for me.”

“What in the world are you kids!?” The bandit leader howled as he and his men got back on their feet. “Not again, I'm not losing to a couple of kids again!”

The bandits ran at them, swords drawn. Gale fired an arrow into one of their arms before they could even reach them. He dropped his sword and howled in pain. The arrow got him right in the elbow, he wouldn't be using a sword again anytime soon. He didn't want to kill them, that would leave too much of a mess for the townspeople, but they were still bandits, they couldn't just leave them be to pillage another day. Rita conjured a lance of ice, she parried a blow and stabbed her assailant in the knee.

It didn't take long for them to take out the bandits, compared to the giant monsters or masked men they fought on a regular basis they were amateurs. “Now I hope you all learned a lesson about playing nice with others,” Gale announced to the group of bloody and beaten bandits, many with arm injuries that would never fully recover. “You can't just go around taking money from people. It's rude.”

Just then Flynn, Atlas and Fang walked towards the group. “Hey, guys, what's going on here?” Flynn asked.

The bandits all looked at them, wide-eyed. “You!” The leader yelled. “You were the monsters who did this to us!”

“Huh?” Atlas frowned.

“Are you telling me you don't remember us!?” He howled.

Atlas shrugged. “You'd think I'd remember someone with such prominent facial scars.”

“You're the reason we have these scars!” The leader hissed.

“Well how am I supposed to recognize you then?” Atlas sighed, “a person looks different when they're missing half their face.”

The bandit leader looked like he was about to explode. “Who are you people!?” He screamed.

Gale grinned. “We're heroes.”

“We are not heroes,” Atlas groaned.

“we're kinda heroes,” Gale insisted.

The bandit leader made a sound that no human should make, a howl of fury. He ran at Atlas, his sword raised in the arm he could still use after Rita had slashed though the tendons in the other one. Atlas didn't even flinch. Before the bandit could reach him Fang had grabbed his arm and slammed her palm into his elbow, shattering it. His arm was bent back the wrong direction, they could see the bone sticking out. The bandit was screaming in pain. He fell to the ground.

“Aw, Fang, gross!” Gale exclaimed.

“That was pretty nasty,” Flynn agreed.

Fang shrugged. “I could have ripped his arm off.”

Atlas knelt down to be face to face with the bandit leader. “You're a monster,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Maybe,” Atlas smiled. “but we're monsters who protect people who can't protect themselves. You'd think you guys would have learned after the last time. But let me make this perfectly clear, if you ever hurt another innocent person, I won't tell Fang to pull her punches next time.” Atlas stood. “Now you get your friends out of here, and don't come back unless you're looking for honest work.”

The bandits scurried away, those that could walk helping those that couldn't. “Remember when we were scared of those guys?” Flynn asked.

Atlas smiled. “Ah, the good old days, before we picked up...” he thought about all the joking insults he could call them, but maybe just this once, “the rest of our friends.”

Rita sighed as she stared into the campfire. It was her turn to watch the camp while the others were out hunting or bathing. Nights like this were boring, she didn't have any books to read, they were hard to find when most people in the towns they visited were illiterate. They must be close to Emerala at this point, right? She moved to Atlas's bag, she knew he had his maps in a notebook somewhere. She wasn't about to go rummaging through his things, but he often left his maps sitting out so anyone could look at them. She picked up the notebook and opened it to one of the first pages. This wasn't the right book, she realized too late. She saw Fang's name and before she knew it she had read the entire page, and she was furious.

She was waiting when he got back. He had been bathing and it was Flynn's turn after him. Gale and Fang were hunting. It was just the two of them. “You look pissed,” He frowned, “something wrong?”

“What is this?” She asked angrily, throwing the notebook at him.

He stared at it for a moment and upon realizing what it was got angry himself. “Were you looking through my stuff!?”

“It was sitting out!” She snapped, “I thought it was your maps! Don't change the subject, you know why I'm upset!”

He glared at her. “I don't regret what I wrote in here. This is necessary. You know that.”

She rushed him. Before he could move she grabbed his collar and pinned him to a tree. The air was frigid. “You're taking notes on how to kill Fang!” She yelled. “And here I thought you weren't an asshole anymore.”

“Do you think I want to be making plans to kill my friends!?” Atlas hissed, “we need a contingency plan, just in case...”

“In case what!” Rita demanded, shaking him. “In case you decide you're done with her!? Is she just a slave to you? Someone you can throw away when she's not useful to you anymore!?”

“Don't you dare say that!” Atlas yelled, pulling himself loose from her grip. “Fang is my friend. But...” He sat down. He looked worried, scared even. “When Ifrit took over Flynn we were lucky to survive. These demons are powerful. Terrifyingly powerful. And yet, Fang was still able to fight toe to toe with that... monster. Fang is strong. Too strong. If a demon were to take her over... we would be dead. The whole world could be in danger. What could stop that?”

Rita frowned. “So that book...”

Atlas sighed. “The demons still use our bodies, and our consciousness will still be in there, I wouldn't have been able to reach Flynn, otherwise. So I figure if I can find a way to exploit our weaknesses then I can find a way to beat the demons if we lose ourselves to them. I don't want to do it, but it's necessary. I started with Fang because she's the most dangerous, but I'm doing myself next.”

Rita sat next to him. “Atlas... I understand. But you're going about this the wrong way. Scribbling in a book in the dark won't help you. For this to work we need to work together. We need to understand the risks and know what we're all thinking. We're a team, we need to have trust.”

“Easy enough to say,” Atlas said, “but I'm not sure everyone will be okay with me plotting to kill them.”

“Then clearly you don't know us too well,” Rita smiled. “I think they'll know you have good intentions.”

“You just tried to kill me.”

“Yeah, well, I'm protective. Plus, you should have been honest about this from the start. I think we'll make much better plans if we work together to figure out our weaknesses.”

Atlas gave her a weak smile. “I guess you have a point. I'll tell everyone once they get back.”

“How to beat Fang, huh?” Gale wondered, “maybe a math problem? Or a particularly big word.” Fang nodded in agreement.

Atlas was surprised at how well the others took it, he hadn't been the only one worried about what the demons could do. “Maybe we can capitalize on her inability to take a compliment,” Rita suggested.

“Yeah,” Flynn agreed, “we certainly couldn't beat her in a fight, but we might be able to kill her with kindness.”

Fang was blushing just at the thought of them complimenting her. “It's not just compliments, though,” Gale grinned, “she's just awkward with any show of affection. Especially from pretty girls. Which is why I suggest that if she ever gets taken over we just have Rita flash her boobs! Fang would probably just faint!”

Atlas rolled his eyes. “You would enjoy that, I'm sure.”

Fang was staring at the ground, hiding her face behind her hair. “Maybe it's not such a bad idea after all,” Flynn laughed.

Rita couldn't help but laugh at the thought of it, too. Soon they were all laughing. Atlas felt like a fool for trying to hide this, he had forgotten what it meant to have friends. Though thick and thin they would be there for him. He should have realized. He was glad to have friends like these.

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 24

Chapter 24: Paige the Sage

“There it is!” Gale said with a big smile on his face when they came in view of the giant crater that marked the location of Diaem. “I've gotta say, I didn't expect to be back home so soon but I'm still pretty excited. Boy will they be surprised! Paige will be all like 'Gale, why aren't you off saving the world like you were supposed to?' and I'll be all like-”

“We get it, Gale,” Atlas chuckled, rolling his eyes. “Just get up there already.”

“I thought you'd never ask,” Gale grinned. “I'll make sure they send a carriage for you guys, so just sit tight, okay?”

Sure enough, it was only about thirty minutes after Gale flew off that the carriage arrived for them. “Hey guys, welcome back!” One of the griffin riders said with a smile. He was young, Atlas recognized him as one of the kids Gale had led in the battle. Looked like he was a true Guardian now.

“Nice to see you again,” Rita replied as they entered the carriage.

When they reached Diaem there was no one waiting for them. They had expected Gale at the very least, though perhaps he had wanted to see his family. “Where's Gale?” Flynn asked the young Guardian once the carriage was parked.

“Oh,” the boy looked uncomfortable. “He's with Paige and... the Sage.”

“What's wrong?” Rita frowned.

“After you all left...” the boy took a deep breath. “The men that attacked left an... illness. Many of us got sick, most of us got over it just fine, it was nothing major. The Sage, though... He fought it off for a long time, in fact he seemed to be getting better, but then the other day... He collapsed. The doctors say he won't make it much longer. No one... no one expected this. He kept insisting he was fine... It was so sudden.”

“Oh my...” Rita said under her breath.

“Where are they?” Flynn asked, “can we see them?”

The boy nodded. “Yeah, I'll take you all there. I'm sure Paige and Gale will appreciate it.”

The Sage was being kept in a room in his home. He was laid on a futon while Paige and Gale sat next to him. The windows were letting in a gentle breeze and the sun was lighting everything so calmly, it was hard to grasp that a man lay dying here. Paige's eyes were red and puffy, she had been crying. Gale was staring absently at the Sage, who was sleeping quietly.

Paige looked up at all of them and did her best to smile. “You guys are all here. Glad you could make it. Sorry if the place is a mess, the owner's just been... lying around...” She tried to laugh at her joke but she just ended up shedding a few more tears. None of them could find the words to speak. She put her hand on Gale's. “Gale, I'm glad you came back. If he wakes up I know he'll want to see you.”

“I...” Gale tried to find something to say, anything at all, but he was at a loss. Gale at a loss for words? Flynn never thought he would see the day. Gale stood suddenly. “I need to go.” He left the room quickly, before anyone could stop him.

Paige looked confused at first, then she just looked angry. “Gale, what the heck!” She stormed after him. The others followed.

They caught up to Gale preparing Talon for a long flight. “Where do you think you're going, Gale!?” Paige demanded, grabbing his arm.

Gale pulled himself free from her grip. “Look, Paige, I'm... I have something I need to do. I'm sorry, but this is bigger than any one of us, even the Sage, if I don't do this as soon as possible our whole world could be destroyed.”

“Your father is dying in there, Gale!” Paige yelled. She was frantic. Rita felt tears brimming in her own eyes watching the desperate girl. “Our father. Maybe you're okay running off, but... I need you, Gale. When he's gone... I'll be the Sage. Gale, things haven't been going well since you've been gone. When the Sage got sick people started talking... They don't want me to be the Sage, they say I'm too young. They're talking about making one of the Elders the next Sage. With the Sage in his... state, and you gone... I don't have anyone to talk to. Please, Gale, I need you, I don't know what to do! I'm losing my mind here!”

Gale put his hand on her shoulder. “You'll figure something out. You're stronger than you let yourself believe you are. But I need to go, there's no choice in the matter. It'll be a few hours, a day at most, I'll be back soon, I promise.”

He mounted Talon and Paige was left staring at him like he was crazy. “Whoa, Gale, are you heading to the... uh, thing all by yourself?” Atlas asked, approaching him.

“I have to,” Gale sighed, “even if I could get griffins for all of you, you'd never make it through the storm. I'll be fine.” With that he smiled and took off.

“Asshole!” Paige yelled at him.

“Love you too!” he called back.

Rita put her arm around Paige. “Stupid, smelly, handsome butt-face jerk,” Paige mumbled.

“I'm sorry, Paige,” Rita said.

“He wet his bed until he was twelve, you know,” Paige said suddenly. “Also I used to sniff his clothes when it was my turn to do laundry. Ew, not the pee clothes, that sounded worse than it was, just, one thought led to another. Why did I say that, I shouldn't have said that, I was a weird kid. I'm just rambling like an idiot, aren't I? I am falling apart.”

Rita laughed. “You stopped crying, at least.”

Paige smiled sadly. “Yeah, and now all my feelings are falling out of my mouth instead of my eyes. Solid trade, no regrets.”

“So you used to smell his clothes?” Atlas grinned, raising an eyebrow.

Paige blushed. “He always smelled like stupid boy. And wind and sky and grass and feathers. I was always stuck at home, they were nice smells, okay.”

“To each their own I guess,” Atlas laughed. “I'm only judging you a little bit.”

Flying always helped Gale clear his head, forget about everything and just enjoy the wind rushing all around him. The wide open sky in every direction put a smile back on his face. If you force yourself to smile for long enough you'll find you aren't pretending anymore. He felt a warm tug in his chest upon remembering the Sage's words. He would always tell Gale and Paige to smile when they were kids. Paige would frown and say he was just telling them to lie about how they feel, but Gale always took it to mean that the way you're feeling is largely based on your outlook. Smiling will make you feel better, even when you're feeling down. And it worked, most of the time. There were few things Gale couldn't smile away.

He and Talon had been flying for awhile, he wasn't sure how long, he had forgotten to check where the sun was when he had set out. Hours maybe? He saw the great storm in front of them now, he'd seen it before, he was always going to places he wasn't allowed to, but this time it seemed even scarier. This time he had to go into it. He didn't know what was past those great, swirling black clouds, but he certainly hoped it was a demon. Heh, he never thought he would be hoping for a demon. The storm wasn't too big, he could see the end on either side if he looked far enough, but it was powerful, and it never left or moved. For as long as Guardians had been exploring, the great storm had been here, raging without a care in the world. And never once had a Guardian, or even a team of Guardians been able to make their way through it. Well, there had to be a first time for everything, right?

“You ready for this, partner?” Gale asked Talon. Talon looked at him like he was insane. “That's what I thought,” Gale laughed, “but will you help me out anyway.” Talon rolled his eyes. Of course he would, why even bother asking? They were in it together. Always.

Paige, Rita and the others sat around the Sage in silence. Paige had stopped crying, but she seemed worried, scared even. She was going through a lot right now. Someone walked into the room and they all looked up. This section of the Sage's home had been opened to the public so that the townspeople could visit him and pay their respects  before he passed. A few had come by in their time there, mostly to say kind words or shed a few tears. This time the visitor was one of the elders. Rita recognized him as the one who had done most of the talking the last time they had visited and spoken to them.

“I was told Gale and his friends had returned,” he said, nodding to them. Now he set his gaze upon Paige. “I do hope you're prepared. Once he has breathed his last you will be expected to take up the duties of the Sage. You will need to be inducted. Make sure all your affairs are in order,” he paused and took a breath, “though whether or not you will remain Sage is still under consideration. You are still far too young, and not entirely... reliable. We elders shall be discussing this in length soon. I do hope you will understand if we decide to remove you from your position.” Paige sat in silence. Rita wanted to say something, but it wasn't her city, it wasn't her place. When it was clear he would get no response the elder turned and left without a word.

Once he was far enough that he wouldn't be able to hear them Paige spoke up. “Just because I'm young doesn't mean I'm not capable! I've been training for this my whole life! Never in the history of this city has a Sage been removed from their duty! You old bastards can shove it! I'm kind of busy mourning my dad here, you asshole! Gah! Why can't you just leave me alone!?”

“And why did you not say all of that to his face?” Atlas asked.

“I'm not exactly good with people,” Paige sighed. “I can't actually tell him how I feel. Besides, he's not exactly wrong. There's never been a Sage as young as me. People say the Diamond took too long to choose its successor. Some people even say that there was probably one before me and everyone just somehow missed it. Which is ridiculous, by the way.”

Fang stared at the door where the elder had been standing. “Should I kill him?”

“Maybe...” Paige shook her head violently. “I mean, no, no no no, definitely not, that would be very bad, don't do that. He's not a bad guy, he just cares about his people and he wants the best for them. I honestly can't say with certainty that I'm the best choice.” She looked at the Sage. “Sages are always home schooled, but the Sage wanted me to make friends my age, he said it was important for a Sage to know his people. So he arranged it that I could go to school with the other kids. I was terrified, I've never been good with people, especially ones I don't know. It was my first day and the teacher called on me to answer a question, and I opened my mouth to answer, but instead of words coming out, it was my breakfast. And possibly the previous night's dinner. And like, every meal I've every eaten. It was a record-breaking amount of vomit is what I'm saying, and it just got all over the kid on front of me. Like, he was just coated. He's probably still cleaning it out of his ears to this day.”

“And, uh, what exactly was the point of that story?” Atlas asked. Flynn looked a little like he was about to throw up himself after hearing that.

“How can someone that does something like that be the Sage?” Paige asked. “That guy still lives here, whenever he sees me he's gonna be like, oh hey, that's the girl that threw up on me when we were six, I'm glad she's the one making important decisions and taking care of the Diamond, she's probably super qualified- oh, is that an old piece of corn between my toes?”

“I think you're overthinking all of this,” Rita laughed. “That was a long time ago.”

“If you sent me to a school full of people I didn't know today I would totally do the exact same thing,” Paige assured her. “I feel like such a jerk right now, my dad is dying and all I can think about is myself and how much trouble this is causing me, all I want to do is cry and mourn like a normal person, but instead I have to prepare to become the freaking Sage, I feel like my head is legit going to explode.”

“It's really not a fair situation,” Flynn said, shaking his head.

Paige rubbed the sides of her head with her palms and took a deep breath. “I need to find my earrings.”

“What?” Atlas asked.

“At the ceremony where I become the Sage, I need to exchange my first pair of earrings for the Sage's earrings. I know they're in my room somewhere but I have no idea where, I need to find them.”

“I'll help you,” Rita said, standing with her.

“Thanks,” Paige sighed. “Could you guys keep the Sage company while I'm gone? He likes bad jokes, so channel your inner Gale.”

“I'll do my best,” Atlas chuckled, shaking his head.

This was no ordinary storm. Gale suddenly understood just why no one had ever made it through. The wind was... wrong. It resisted his magic. It reminded him of Guardian training, they would play games where two trainees would try and knock each other over using the same patch of air. It was the feeling of someone else already controlling the wind. The Demon. So his control was limited, no big deal, he could work with that. He set Talon to follow the current, it tried to push them right out of the storm but Gale used what little control he had to dig them in deeper. It was slow going and dizzying, spinning around and around, but they were making progress. It was getting hard to breathe, he had to measure his breathing and search out for breathable air he could pull in.

The storm got thicker now, it was harder and harder to move in, almost like there was a wall in the way- he needed a new strategy. He felt something in the air- he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it until now, but this whole storm was weird, it was hard to keep track of anything in here, he couldn't even hear himself think over the rush of wind. Talon barely moved in time to avoid the threat- good thing the griffin had been more observant than Gale. Before them was the biggest bird Gale had ever seen. Was it even a bird? It looked like a giant serpent with a beak and six massive wings, covered head to tail in green feathers. The beast could eat the both of them whole, and it had tried, but Talon's quick thinking saved them. It twisted around from its lunge to face them- of course this guy wasn't affected by the storm, probably a minion of the demon like that lava monster had been. Unfortunately Gale was on his own with this one. Gale drew his bow and fired three arrows in succession- one, two... three.  They shot forward and then turned around and flew right back past Gale and Talon. He had shot against the wind. Arrows were a tricky weapon in a storm. Unfortunately, all he had. The big snake-bird-thing was still flying right at them. They dodged another bite and started flying away from it- unfortunately, it was faster. It was closing in on them, and fast. It opened its mouth, then the arrows caught it. One, two, right in two of its wings- the joints, those two wings were out of commission. More importantly it was in a lot of pain. Gale couldn't help but grin, it was a crap-shoot hoping those arrows would make it all the way around the storm without being torn to pieces. The beast screeched and jerked its head, trying to see what was causing it all this discomfort, then... three. The last arrow hit in the neck, right under the beak, sliding through the tongue and into its mouth. Gale and Talon took the chance to close in, Talon looped around and dug his claws into its back, twisting it around, Gale used all the magic he could muster to push them further into the center of the storm, and... perfect. Just like he'd thought, the wind of the storm avoided the beast, using it as a shield they pushed right through, further and further until- calm. The eye of the storm.

“Thanks for helping look,” Paige said as she and Rita rummaged around her room. It was certainly messier than Rita had expected. Robes strewn about the floor, boxes full of miscellaneous things everywhere, her walls were covered in artwork and she had a low table covered in papers and writing tools. “Sorry about the mess, I- uh, not many people come in here, so I just kinda... well, I throw everything on the ground, to be honest. Not like I could hide that. You can see all my stuff on the ground. Or in boxes. Sometimes it makes it to a box, those are the days I feel like I could conquer the world.”

Rita laughed. Honestly? It was a nice change from the castle she grew up in, everything had a place and it was always there no matter what. “Did you paint these?” Rita asked, gesturing to the walls.

“No,” Paige replied, “I mean, not any of the good ones, obviously the paint on the actual wall was me, but all the pretty stuff I bought from painters in the city.”

“I think the wall art is pretty,” Rita said as she pulled a box from under the desk. There were a few under there. It was filled with papers. She picked up a stack, they were bound. The cover said “The Little Girl and the Silly Old Man”. “What's this?” Rita asked.

Paige blushed and tried to lunge at Rita, but only succeeded on falling flat on her face. She shot up and grabbed at it, but Rita moved it out of the way. Paige sighed. “I drew that when I was like, six, okay?”

“But what is it?” Rita asked again.

“I'm weird,” Paige said. “Okay, so, when I was little I read these books, this guy wrote them, and he made a bunch, and they were like regular books but they had pictures. Each page was a picture and it told part of a famous story. I thought it was amazing, so I had this idea to make my own. That was the first one I made, it was for the Sage. It's not very good, it's only on the top of the pile because I read it recently. You know... nostalgia. Crippling sadness, it'll do that.”

“Did you make more?”

“I- yeah, I did, all those boxes under the desk,” Paige sighed. “After that one I started changing the style, I tried making each page multiple pictures, so I could tell a more... involved? Dynamic? What's the word? I more awesome story. With like fight scenes and stuff. Some of it's retelling of real stories, some I just made up.”

Rita looked at the cover of the book she was holding. It was clearly drawn by a child. It was supposed to be Paige, the Sage and Gale, she believed. She opened it to the first page.

“And you're reading it,” Paige grumbled, “If I die of embarrassment I'm haunting you.”

“I'm just interested,” Rita laughed. “It's a cool idea. Besides, you can't put literature in front of me and expect me not to read it.”

“Literature is a strong word,” Paige sighed.

The first page pictured Paige, as a small child, crying. It read

Once upon a time there was a sad little girl, who always seemed to be crying. She didn't know who her parents were and the other kids would laugh at her and play pranks on her because she was shy.

Rita turned the page. This depicted the Sage giving Paige a hug.

But the sad little girl lived with a silly old man. Whenever she would cry he would always do his best to make her smile. He would hug her and he would say “A smile suits your pretty little face so much better than tears, you know.” And that would always make her laugh, though she wasn't sure why.

The next page showed Paige, Gale and the Sage holding hands.

The silly old man and her brother kept her company, and they were always telling terrible jokes, but she loved them anyway.

The last page was Paige smiling.

Maybe she didn't know her parents, but that didn't matter to her, because the silly old man was the best parent she could ask for. Thanks to him the sad little girl was a happy little girl.

“That was cute,” Rita smiled. Paige was busying herself searching for the earrings.

“Yeah, I hear I was a cute kid,” Paige replied, “I also used to try and stuff entire sandwiches in my mouth, which unfortunately I did not write a book about, so you'll just have to use your imagination.”

“You're still pretty darn cute, you know,” Rita joked.

Paige laughed awkwardly. “If you're trying to flirt with me, you should know that I am a very serious cuddler. Like, all day every day. I am a cuddling force of nature that cannot be stopped.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” Rita laughed as she looked through the other books in Paige's boxes. It was clear which ones were newer, her art had become gorgeous, and her use of color was brilliant. She picked up one with a hero on the cover holding a bow. He looked familiar. “Is this Gale?”

Paige snatched it out of her hand before she had a chance to react. “Nope, nope nope, super not him. Just a guy. Random, not at all attractive guy who I just happened to make the hero of one of the stories. He's actually really lame, so I'm just gonna take this and put it somewhere else so you don't waste your time reading it. And if you find any others with him on it definitely don't read them, they're really bad. And while we're at it, don't bother looking in the far left box, that's just... trash. Not... not anything worth looking at.”

“Well now I have to look,” Rita grinned, grabbing for the far left box. Paige put herself between Rita and the box and the two ended up wresting each other until Rita finally managed to pin Paige. Sitting on the young Sage's back Rita pulled out the box as Paige whined her protests. Rita took one look at the top book, blushed uncontrollably and put it all back as quickly as she could. “Well...” She said, getting off of Paige. “You are... that age... Nothing... nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Let's just keep this between us,” Paige said, avoiding eye contact.

Rita nodded furiously. She went back to the first box. “Like it never happened.”

“Nope,” Paige agreed, “Like that time Gale brought that girl home that turned out to be a dude, never happened.”

Rita looked at Paige. “Did that really happen?”

“Did what happen?” There was a silence. They both laughed. The tension was suddenly gone.

“These really are amazing,” Rita said after flipping through a few of the books. “Your art is amazing and I love this writing style.”

Paige was blushing. “I'm... well, I'm passionate about it. It's fun. Stop complimenting me, I'm gonna melt into a puddle or something.”

Rita picked up the last book in the box. It didn't look quite like the others. The art obviously wasn't Paige's. “Paige, what is this? It doesn't look like one of yours.”

Paige looked over Rita's shoulder at it. The title read “The Silly Old Man and the Little Girl”. She frowned. “I've never seen that before.” She took it from Rita. Suddenly her eyes changed as a realization dawned on her. “This handwriting... The Sage wrote this. When did he... How did it get here? I searched through all my boxes after Gale left so he must have snuck this in some time between then and when he got sick.”

“If you want me to leave while you read it...” Rita said. It was obvious he made it for Paige, it was none of her business if Paige didn't want her to see it.

Paige shook her head. “Stay... please.” She took a deep breath. The cover showed the Sage and a very young Paige, both smiling. She opened it to the first page.

Once upon a time there was a silly old man. He had no family, no children to call his own. He smiled to the people of his city, but at home he found himself lonely.

It pictured the Sage, alone, looking sad. She turned the page.

But one day the Diamond gave him the greatest gift of all, a beautiful little girl and a brave little boy. He wasn't lonely anymore, he found himself smiling and laughing without even trying.

This page showed a smiling Sage, a small Paige and Gale with him. She went on.

The little boy was always getting into trouble, showing off and laughing all the while. The little girl, the old man found, was often crying. It hurt him to see her cry. She didn't know her family, and he knew he could never truly replace them.

Paige bit her lip as she looked at the image of a young Gale grinning and Paige crying. She turned the page.

But the silly old man would try to make things better for her. When she would cry he would hold her, let her cry on his shoulder- funny how well shoulders absorb tears, and sadness with them. When she was all cried out he would tell her to smile, a frown didn't suit such a pretty face. And she would. For some reason he found he could make her smile, and that made him smile. Nothing made him happier.

Paige smiled. Rita smiled too, Paige looked just like the little girl he'd drawn in those pages, smiling with tears in her eyes. She turned the page. There was a clear difference, the paper wasn't as old, the art was a little worse, he had written this years later, he had gotten older, perhaps he was shaking a bit when he drew it.

The little girl and the little boy would grow up, they would broth grow up strong and brave, sensitive and kind. The boy would go out, flirt with girls and dazzle the city with his talents, the girl preferred to stay home and draw. The silly old man didn't mind that, he wasn't sure what he would do if she started looking at boys. She smiled more now, she was witty and awkward, and he couldn't help but smile when she showed him her artwork and grinned like a fool. She cried less now, but when she did the silly old man would always be there to hold her and let her cry on his shoulder. And when she was all cried out he would tell her to smile, a frown didn't suit her pretty face. And she would. He could still make her smile, and that still made him smile.

The picture showed Gale riding Talon and Paige at her desk writing, the Sage smiling as he watched them. She turned the page. She was shaking now. The art got worse, this was recent, he had definitely been struggling. It was hard to look at.

The little boy was all grown up now and left to save the world, as brave little boys will often do. The silly old man and the little girl were alone now. The little girl cried often now. The silly old man would let her cry on his shoulder, even if he knew she thought she'd grown out of it. And when she was all cried out he would tell her to smile, a frown didn't suit her pretty face. And she tried. She really tried, but sometimes it was just too hard to smile.

Paige was crying now. Her hands shook violently, afraid to turn the page. But she did. The art had deteriorated into almost nothing, the writing was close to illegible.

The silly old man got sick. He knew he didn't have long. Soon he would be gone and the little girl would be alone. She would cry and he wouldn't be there to lend her his shoulder. To tell her to smile. But he wasn't so full of himself as to think that without him she would cry forever. She had grown up strong. She would cry until she was all cried out and then she would smile. Because she was not a little girl anymore. She was a woman. A woman that the silly old man was so proud of. She didn't need anyone to hold her or to tell her to smile, she could stand on her own, and she would thrive. And she would never stop moving forward.

The picture showed Paige, standing alone. She turned it to the last page, tears streaming down her face.

But still... the silly old man knew what it was to be alone. And he didn't ever want to leave her that way. And then he smiled. Because he realized what she must have known all along. He would always be there to  hold her while she cried. To tell her to smile. No matter what, he would always be there for her.

The last page showed Paige holding the Sage as he cried.

Paige closed the book and took a shaky breath in. Rita had no words. Paige looked at her. Rita hugged her. She held her as tears streamed from her eyes, as she wailed and cried, sobbed into her shoulder. Rita would let her cry until she was all cried out. Then... then she would probably need to cry some more. Sometimes you couldn't stop crying. And sometimes that was okay.

Gale was surprised at how bright it was inside the storm. It seemed like a cloudy day. So calm, so peaceful. He and Talon stood alone next to the body of the beast they had slain to get in. The island was small, like one of the islands on the outskirts of the Diamond's influence that barely stayed afloat. The ground was a mottled mix of grass and dirt, everything seemed so tranquil. Did he have the wrong place after all? No, he could feel the pressure. His diamond was reverberating with the energy of the demon, wherever it was. The air before him began to swirl, gently at first, then more and more violently, until there was a small cyclone before them. The winds cleared and revealed a massive knight, clad head to toe in thick metal plate. Gale looked him up and down as he drew a huge sword, there were no openings in his armor large enough for an arrowhead to fit through- he didn't even have eye holes on his helmet.

“Demon's minion, I presume?” Gale said as the knight closed in. “Gale Stormwind, pleasure to meet you.” The knight swung his sword, Gale ducked under it. “Ooh! I could feel the power behind that, you're a cut above the rest, huh?” he brought the sword down and Gale back-flipped out of the way. “Yeesh, tough crowd, I'll get a laugh out of you yet!”

Gale drew his bow and fired an arrow at the knight's elbow. It clinked harmlessly off the armor. Wishful thinking, that a demon's servant would need to play by the rules and actually have weaknesses in his armor. Talon flew at the knight, maybe his claws could tear through that armor, they'd yet to find something they couldn't shear. As Talon closed in a massive gust of wind knocked him back. Gale sighed. “Looks like this fight is just for me, maybe sit this one out, buddy,” Gale instructed. Talon reluctantly withdrew.

Gale battered the knight with a barrage of wind- nothing. His armor was too heavy, maybe Paige could have lifted him, but Gale didn't stand a chance. He was forced to dodge and weave, looking for any opening he could use. This was a little unfair. What would his friends do? Fang could probably just punch right through his armor, and Atlas would actually be at an advantage here, since he could shock the metal and fry whatever was inside. Flynn could melt it, and Rita's water could sneak into any opening, no matter how small, even those little openings inn the joints of the armor, thin as a wire, or... Gale grinned. He vaulted over the knight and slid his bow over its head. The string slipped perfectly into the crack around the knight's neck. Gale used his weight and pulled, he was strangling the knight, who was unable to reach behind him. He dropped his sword and clawed at his throat- no use, his own armor was his enemy now, he would never get through it. “Looks like I'm winning now, huh?” Gale said. “That's a breath of fresh air, huh? Oh sorry, sore subject, right?” The knight fell to his knees, Gale re-positioned himself, placing his foot on the knight's back, it was almost over. “Sorry, I didn't want to string you along like this, but you really didn't leave me much choice.” Finally, the knight stopped moving. Gale removed his bow and grinned. “It was hard fought, but it looks like this time you bowed under the pressure.”

The body turned to dust and blew away, now in its place stood Rita. It wasn't really her, Gale knew that. The demon was about to start playing mind games, Flynn had warned him about that, he was ready for anything. Rita walked towards him, she placed her hand on his cheek. It was cold, like ice on his skin. She moved her face towards his, their lips almost touching, her breath like mist washing over him. For a moment it felt real, but he remembered not to fall into the illusion.

“I know how much you want me, Gale,” the shade of Rita whispered.

“I want a lot of things,” Gale replied.

Rita pulled away from him. A shadow of a man appeared behind her, holding her like a lover. “I'll find another, but you... It will never be you.”

Gale grinned. “Is this supposed to make me jealous? I made peace with that a long time ago. Rita's my friend, if she wants to be with someone else, who am I to stop her? Though I'd hope she'd at least choose a guy with real features.”

The shadow disappeared, now Flynn, Fang and Atlas were there too. They were at a campfire. Atlas and Flynn were laughing and chatting, Rita was brushing Fang's hair. Gale sat alone. “I get it. They're all closer with each other than they are with me. Maybe. I guess I'm not best friends with any of them like they are, but I'm happy with my friendships with them. For the first time in my life I have a group of people who I feel like I can really be myself around. You can't make me feel jealous about their relationships by showing me this. If anything it makes me happy to see them happy. And before you do the thing you did a minute ago, and have them tell me I'm trash or something, I know this is all an illusion, I'm not taking anyone's words to heart.”

Suddenly he was back in Diaem. He was back in school, only six or seven years old. This was no illusion, this was a memory. Parents' day at school. All the other kids' parents had come in to talk about what they did for a living. But he... he didn't have parents. He hadn't told the Sage about it, he knew he was busy. All of the other kids had a family with them and he was sitting alone. Gale took a deep breath. It wasn't the happiest memory, no. But he smiled anyway. Seeing all those kids so happy made him happy. “You almost got me there, but this is my memory. I know what happens next.” There was resistance, the demon was trying to stop it, but it was his memory, and it would do as he wished. The Sage walked though the classroom door and Gale grinned ear to ear, just like he did back then. The Sage had showed up anyway. And he told the class about what it was like to be Sage. Gale might not have known his blood parents, but that didn't mean he didn't have a family. He had the greatest father a kid could ever ask for. Gale let himself just listen to the Sage speak. It had been too long since he'd heard his voice. He may never hear it again. He sighed. He was back on the island.

“Alright, demon,” Gale called out. “Show yourself. All your visions have done is make me realize I have a family I should be spending time with right now instead of wasting it up here. Let's finish up so I can get back to the Sage while I still can!”

The demon appeared before him. It took the form of a young girl. She had mint green hair and deep green eyes and a scowl on her lips. Her twin ponytails were comprised not of hair but of several rods of what appeared to be pure energy, glowing the same green color as her hair, floating behind her head. She glared at him.

Gale smiled. “Sorry if I ruined your fun, but I am kind of in a hurry. I'm Gale, you already know that, I'm sure, but I was raised to always introduce myself when I meet someone new. What can I call you?”

“I am a demon of Envy, I have no name,” She hissed.

“Ah!” Gale exclaimed. “Envy. I guessed jealousy, pretty much the same thing though. Tomato, potato.”

“That's not the saying!” She snapped.

“Envy's such a nasty sounding word though,” Gale said, “Jealousy is a bit of a mouthful... How about Jill? Can I call you Jill?”

“No! You certainly may not!” She growled.

“You're cute when you're angry, Jill,” Gale smiled.

She blushed. Realizing that he had stunned her to silence she shook herself off and regained her composure. “I may be a demon of Envy, but I know your weaknesses, I can always attack your... baser interests.” She floated to him and slid her hands along the sides of his face. She looked him in the eyes. “I know you have... desires. I can-”

“Uh, I think I know where you're going,” Gale interrupted, “sorry, but I'm not really into little girls.”

She recoiled, her face turning red with embarrassment. “You- why- how dare you! I am hundreds of years older than you!”

“Yeah, but you look like you're like, twelve. Maybe.”

She looked away. “This was what the one who sealed me here liked.”

“I never needed to know that about the first Guardian,” Gale frowned.

“No matter,” the demon said, surrounding herself in a blistering wind. “I can look like anything I choose.” Once the winds had calmed she stood as a beautiful, mature and buxom woman. She approached Gale again. She pressed her body against him. “Am I more to your liking now?” She whispered into his ear.

“Sorry again,” Gale grinned, “I don't really go for demons in general.”

Furious, the demon leapt back, returning to her child form. “Let me seduce you, you bastard!” She flailed wildly in the air. “I am an ancient demon of envy, how have you been immune to everything I've done!?”

Gale smiled. “You just got unlucky, I guess. I don't think I've ever been jealous a day in my life. The Sage always taught me to be content with the things I have, and to be happy for people who had what I didn't, not covet what I never would.”

“You are an idiot,” the demon groaned.

“Would you say I'm an air-head?” Gale grinned.

“Why must you turn everything into a joke!” the demon snapped.

“The Sage always told me that every joke you don't tell robs thee world of a chance to laugh,” Gale said, “and I've always taken that to heart.”

The demon was surprised to find herself a little... taken by the honesty of his answer. Was she blushing again?

“But I'm just wasting time,” Gale sighed. “I know that the chances of you stealing my body aren't that great, but I need you. You saw my memories, I know you know what I'm asking. And your other option is staying up here alone forever. So what do you say, come with me?” He extended her a hand.

Perhaps this boy would be a viable host after all. He was charming. And clever. He would do nicely. Finally, she could leave this place. She took his hand. Her physical form surged into his diamond.

It did not feel good. Gale felt like his mind was being torn apart and reconstructed, his entire body was tensing and shaking, but he felt a power like he'd never felt before. When it stopped he felt a calm. Then he realized why. The winds around the island had stopped. The island was falling. Talon ran to him and he mounted up. They flew up and away, watching the island fall. “It's falling! Why is it falling!?”

“Without my power the island will no longer stay afloat. Surely you realized that,” She said in his head.

Gale didn't have time to fully appreciate just how weird it was to hear her voice in his head. “This was directly above the city!” Gale said, “It'll crush Diaem! We have to do something!”

“Calm down,” Jill said, (he was calling her Jill now) he could feel the confidence in her voice. “Now allow me to show you my true power. Draw an arrow.”

Gale did as she asked. His arrow glowed, he felt the energy radiating off of it. He fired. It hit the island and exploded into a massive storm, tearing the rocks and dirt apart until there was nothing left but dust floating away harmlessly in the wind. “Damn, girl.”

Apparently Gale got back just in time. As soon as he landed back in Diaem a guardian told him to hurry to the Sage- he didn't have long, the doctors had given him an hour longer at most, his condition was the worst it had ever been. He flew Talon straight to his childhood home and ran inside, the griffin squirming his way through the door behind him. Talon was too big to fit inside, but the Sage was just as much a father to him as to Gale and Paige, he would be there if he could. Paige and the others were sitting around the Sage, the doctor by his side monitoring him. The doctor looked to him. “He's only got a few moments left. If you have anything else to say to him, now would be the time.”

Gale tried to think of something to say, anything at all, but he drew a blank. Then he realized, the Sage knew. There was nothing left to say to him. He knew everything Gale could tell him. He thought about apologizing for leaving, telling him about how he'd made such amazing friends, about how he'd just made a pact with a demon, or how Flynn had become a guardian, or how they'd crossed a desert that no one had ever crossed before, or how pretty the girls in Ruban were, but... none of that mattered. Somehow he could tell that the Sage knew. He looked so peaceful, sleeping, like nothing was wrong. Gale felt that though his eyes were closed he could see everything. He was one with the Diamond, he knew what Gale had been through.

“I saw him in your memories,” Jill said, “But seeing him in person is something else. He's so attuned to the Diamond... he feels like... home. His presence is calming. The girl, too. You have a good family.”

Were those words of comfort from a demon? He'd gotten a good one. Gale sat and put his hand on Paige's shoulder. They needed to be there for each other, they were all the family they had left. Gale saw Talon poking his head through the doorway. He was their family too. The air in the room began to move, it swirled, but it wasn't roaring like a storm, it was singing, the Diamond's final song for the Sage. It was beautiful. Gale watched in silence as the Sage's body disappeared, becoming one with the diamonds dangling from his ears. The winds calmed and there was silence. Then Gale spoke.

“Why'd you have to storm out like that,” Gale choked out through his tears, “I never took you for a deadbeat dad.”

Atlas looked at him like he had just punched a baby. “Gale! Your dad just-”

Paige laughed. She laughed and laughed, and she cried and cried. She looked at Gale and smiled. “Nothing would have made the Sage happier than to have heard you say that.”

“Every joke you don't tell is robbing the world of a chance to laugh, wasn't it?”

“Yeah,” Gale nodded and put his arm around Paige and they cried into each others' shoulders. Funny how good shoulders were at absorbing tears.

The time for Paige's coronation was here. She had had less than a day to prepare after the Sage had passed, they couldn't have a city without a Sage. Her eyes were still red and puffy from crying. She took a deep breath, the stage was before her, set up in a plaza in front of the Diamond so that it could be seen as the ceremony took place. She was wearing the Sage's robes that she was so used to seeing on her father, now fitted to her. She held in her hand the small diamonds that had been her first earrings. She stepped out onto the stage, the sun nearly blinded her. The whole city was watching her. She could feel her stomach churning and something acidic creeping up the back of her throat. She saw Gale grinning, front and center, and that made her smile. She walked to the Elder. He began to speak his piece, she couldn't hear him over her heart pounding, but she had been rehearsing this since she was five, she knew what to do. When the time came she placed the small earrings in her hand into his, then removed the earrings she was wearing and gave them to him as well. Finally, she took the earrings of the Sage off of the small pillow on the pedestal in front of them. She was so used to seeing them on the Sage that it seemed wrong to see them on the pillow, or even to hold them in her hands.

“With this,” the elder spoke out, “Paige will henceforth be known as the Sage of the Diamond. At least until a suitable replacement can be found.”

That wasn't how that line went. She knew every word of the ceremony by heart, and that wasn't one of them. She'd read the history books too, and this was usually when the people cheered for the new Sage, but she was met with silence. She looked to the crowd and saw a thousand faces, each one seemed to be judging her, telling her she wasn't good enough. Her hands were trembling as she tried to put the new earrings in, she was worried she would drop them. She closed her eyes, she wanted to cry again. Then she felt a warm hand on hers. It felt like the Sage's, so comforting and kind. She opened her eyes and saw Gale. He had jumped onto the stage.

He looked out to the crowd. “You're not going to be getting a more suitable replacement, you know!” He yelled. “I'm sick and tired of hearing you people talk shit about Paige! You're all better than that! Because guess what, she is the best option to become the Sage! Who cares if she's younger than a Sage has ever been? How many of you have been training to become Sage for over ten years? Guardians are instated after less than that! She knows what she's doing! I've seen her working her ass off day after day her whole life so she would be ready when her time came, and she is more than ready! Do I need to remind you how she has helped every single one of you? The Sage needs to commune with the Diamond, and I know she can do that. The Sage needs to be able to make compromises when we have tough decisions to make, and Paige has always been kind and level-headed when she needs to make a choice. But most of all the Sage needs to be able to protect the people of the city should the Guardians fail! Remember that great battle we had a few months ago? When the masked men riding dragons attacked us? Paige stood alone protecting our children hiding in the Guardian Academy. And do you know how many casualties there were of children under thirteen? Zero. Not even a scraped knee. Paige took care of them, protected them against impossible odds and won. And never even asked for thanks. So if you're holding the hand of your son or daughter right now you have her to thank. She is the reason we're all still alive today to scowl and murmur. So look up here, look her in the eyes and tell me she isn't the best choice to become the Sage. And if you still aren't convinced I will personally talk to each and every one of you to explain how Paige has helped you. So, any more arguments?”

The Elder looked livid, but also embarrassed, seemed Gale had convinced even him. The whole crowd was suddenly uncomfortable. Then she heard the cheer. Rita's voice all alone. “Yeah! Paige the Sage!”

Then Atlas and Flynn. “Paige the Sage!”

And it spread. Soon the whole crowd was shouting and smiling. “Paige the Sage!” These were the good people of Diaem. The people she had grown up with and loved and wanted to protect. People who didn't hold grudges or worry about things like age or gender. They were all good people and Paige was happy to see that again after feeling alienated for so long. Her hands had stopped shaking. She put her earrings in- yes, they were hers now. She smiled and opened her arms wide, a gesture to finish the ceremony, representing the Sage taking the entire city under his or her protection. She couldn't see it behind her, but she felt the Diamond glowing brightly, a musical breeze blowing through the air.

“You guys are leaving already?” Paige frowned as Gale readied Talon for travel and the others ushered their mounts onto a carriage.

“I'm sorry we can't stay longer, but we're in a hurry,” Gale sighed. “We need to get to all the... uh, things we need to get to before those masked men can. We're headed to Emerala next, and I'm sure Fang will be happy to get back on solid ground.”

“I'm not sure I can do this without you...” Paige muttered. “If you hadn't said all those things at the ceremony-”

“Paige,” Gale said, putting his hands on her shoulders, “it's not your job as Sage to tell people how great you are. Your job is to help people, and be kind and accepting, and to protect your people, and I know you're more than capable of doing all those things. Just speak your mind and everything will be fine. You're smart and you're kind and you're strong. You'll do fine.”

“Thank you, Gale,” Paige smiled, giving him a hug.

Gale mounted Talon, it was about time to go. “Good luck. A new Paige in your story is about to begin.” He grinned, Paige rolled her eyes, and Talon took off.

“What a whiny girl,” Jill said.

“Glad you like her,” Gale replied.

“I hate her.”

“Like you hate me?”

“You're an ass,” Jill growled.

Gale laughed. “Sorry we haven't had much time to talk, but we've got a lot of travel ahead of us, so I look forward to getting to knowing you better.”

Gale could almost feel her blush. “I... don't. You aren't worth my time. Boor.”

“You're cute when you're mad.”

“... Jerk.”

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 23

Chapter 23: Day Off

The green all around her, the wind whipping past her face and sending her mane whirling through the air, the exhilaration of running unbound and unbidden, how could Storm not want to run and run and run and never stop? She loved these plains and she was glad they had returned to them. The desert was hot and dry and it was hard to move there, she didn't like it much. They were somewhere between the flying human-herd and her own home. There were still horses and zebras running around but occasionally they saw the large, feathery monsters with teeth and horns as well. Shadow was always giving her looks and following her when she ran off. He was worried about her making herself a target for predators if she ran off too far. He always acted like he couldn't keep up with her, as if because he was getting old he would fall behind, but she knew too well, she might be younger but he was bigger and stronger. She was certainly bigger than when they had set out but she would never be his size.

Days like this were nice, when Flynn and the others rested for a day to let the mounts relax, of course she just spent her time running anyway. At least Shadow got to rest. Especially after all of the scary things they had been through recently it was good to stop for awhile and take in the world. Between the people that almost looked like humans  but had odd white faces that didn't move, and when Flynn had turned all fiery and attacked his friends, things had been rough. Ever since then Flynn seemed different to her. The way he rode was different. He seemed worried about something. And his hand when he petted her seemed warmer, but not in a comforting way, more like it could burst into flames at any moment. She didn't like when Flynn was worried, it made her worried. Maybe he needed to run more, she was always tense when she was locked up in a human-herd and wasn't allowed to run whenever she wanted to.

Talon looked down across the fields. Such unsuspecting prey. It was like they weren't expecting a griffin to swoop down and pick them up. Back home the birds he hunted were on guard, they put up a fight. That made the hunt fun. Here the prey was bigger, tastier, but it never fought back. He enjoyed seeing the world with Gale, but it was odd for there to be so much ground. The sky above looked endless and so far away from down here. And he missed Paige and the Sage. The humans he traveled with were nice, but he had known Paige since he was a newborn, they had grown up together, he, Gale and Paige. Talon saw a plump looking horse grazing, easy prey- not that there was much else. He veered right and dived towards the oblivious beast. As he neared he thought of Storm and Shadow, he pulled back and flew towards the clouds again. It was a silly thought, it's not like they knew that horse, but he had a soft spot for those two, it seemed wrong to eat their kind. If there were any direwolves out here he wouldn't mind sinking his claws into one of those. He didn't always get along with Ash. He was such an Alpha, wanted to make the others his pack, but sorry wolf, griffins don't have packs, and they sure as heck don't have an Alpha. He was a solitary hunter and he wanted to keep it that way.

As he flew further out he saw some feathery beasts, some with sharp teeth and gnarly claws, others with horns or armored hides, and others that were simply too massive to exist. He was sure he could take the tri-horned beast with the colorful frills, but it was a little too big for him to carry, and he didn't want to make himself a target by taking his meal out in the open. Then he saw one of the smaller predatory ones had strayed from the pack. This one had claws and sharp teeth, it might be fun. He dove in, it didn't know what hit it, his talons dug into its back, he was holding its spine in his grip. He twisted hard and snapped it before the beast could scream. Too easy. Maybe he should have come from the front so it would have had a chance. He felt a disturbance in the air and flew forward as quickly as he could while dragging the carcass. He looked back and saw one of the huge beasts with the giant head and tiny arms, it snapped at his meal, taking off the tail in its mouth. Talon was a little annoyed, that was his food! He felt another tug on the corpse, he looked down, it was more of the tiny angry ones, like the one he had killed, they were trying to pull him down. Just great, there goes his easy prey. He had wanted a challenge but this was a bit much. The big one bit at him again, he let go of his would-be food and dodged, and just for good measure dug his talons into the eye of the giant beast. Serves him right for ruining his lunch. The little ones were jumping at him now and the big one was not happy about the assault on his face. Best to retreat while he still could.

He flew up and away, they were following, but he was much faster, he would lose them in no time. He saw another horse below, it was running straight towards them without a care, it probably didn't even realize they were there, well that would probably distract them for awhile. Then it dawned on him. That was Storm. Crap. He swooped down and landed in front of her, she reared back, startled. He screeched at her, hoping she would get the hint and run. Now she saw the dinos closing in. She whinnied in dismay and turned to run. Talon flew at them, he had to stop them now. He looped around to their  flank and tackled the lead raptor to the ground, tearing into him with his beak. The others jumped on him, but he was too quick, sliding out and clawing at the other two that had fallen at him. Only two? Just great, he killed one and distracted two, meanwhile the other ten and the giant Tyranno were still running after Storm. Guess a tasty horse took precedent over the annoying griffin that clawed your eye out. He was going to need help with this. He didn't like it but he was going to need to find Ash.

Ash laid in the grass beside Shiva, he liked Shiva, she was strong. Not as strong as him, but she was strong. Not as strong as Fang. Fang was the strongest, stronger than him, stronger than any other human, she was the Alpha. It never made sense to him why she listened to the other, weaker humans when they told her to do things, she was Alpha, they should listen to her. It wasn't his place to question her methods, though. He was her pack, it was his job to keep her safe so she didn't have to fight when it was unnecessary. Lying around without her made him feel oddly naked. He was so used to nights when she would curl up her tiny frame on his back, or when it was cold how she would find warmth under his fur. They had been together as long as he could remember, he had been but a pup and she was little more than a child when she first came to his pack.

Shiva was moving now, she nudged him. He got up, she wanted to play. She jumped on him and they rolled around, she playfully nipped at his neck, he bit back, just a little harder, he needed to at least assert dominance. They began to fight, no malice behind it, but it wasn't exactly a game either. It was healthy to fight like this, if he became weak then it was only right that she take his place as Alpha of the animals. The horses weren't fighters, they needed to protect them. Shadow was big and powerful but he had no claws or fangs, his battle capabilities were limited. And then there was Talon. He rarely gave Ash the time of day. The griffin was a problem. He was... strong. Very strong. He could fly, which seemed like cheating, but it was undeniable that he was strong regardless. He may even be stronger than Ash, but he wouldn't know, because the stupid bird refused to fight him. If he was indeed stronger than Ash then they should all know, if he deserved the spot he should have it, being led by the strongest kept them all safe. Talon was endangering them all by running off by himself and refusing to be a part of the  pack.

Speaking of the fool. He was approaching. Ash pinned Shiva and nuzzled her neck, ending the fight. He smelled blood on the griffin as he landed. Something was wrong. They glared at each other. Ash growled. Talon pointed his head behind himself and screeched. Danger. He was asking for help from Ash and Shiva. This was a first. Ash could smell the dinos on the horizon... and Storm. He could hear the massive footsteps of a Tyranno. Fang had defeated them before, but it may be too much for them. No, he would defeat it, it was too weak to bother Fang with. Ash nodded his head and bounded off towards the dinos.

Shiva fell in behind Ash. He was such a male, so quick to fight, to assert dominance. He took their play fights far too seriously. She just wanted to have fun, he needed to remind himself how powerful he was. She didn't mind much, he likely was the strongest of them, though she never fought him seriously. Let him have his dominance, she didn't need it. What would it give her? The humans led them, fed them, groomed them, Alpha of the animals was an empty title. She just wanted to help Storm. Getting to kill a few dinos would bee fun too. It had been too long since she'd really gotten to sink her claws into anything seriously. Shadow saw them running along the way and joined them, he had been peacefully grazing, now he was being dragged into a battle. She felt bad, there was no reason for him to join, they could handle it, he was old, he should rest. Though Ash underestimated Shadow's strength. Claws and fangs weren't necessary to make a deadly beast.

The dinos were in sight now, Storm was faster but they weren't letting themselves fall too far behind. Ash and Shiva put themselves between the horses and the dinos while Shadow took a defensive position next to Storm, who seemed about ready to collapse, either from exhaustion or fear. Shiva leaped at the first raptor, it clawed and bit, but she quickly tore its throat out with her teeth. Ash took down another just as it was about to bite her. Talon swooped down and carried one high into the air before dropping it with a crunch. They were making quick work of the tiny ones, but thee Tyranno ran past, straight for the horses. It opened its huge mouth and neared the prey. Without so much as a sound Shadow turned and kicked it hard in the jaw, snapping its mouth closed, nearly biting off its own tongue. Despite its size the Tyranno still recoiled, Shadow was a powerful horse, a kick from him would have killed anything smaller. The Tyranno backed up and circled the horses. He was cautious now. The raptors were all dead at this point, and Shiva rushed the giant dino. Ash sunk his teeth into its leg, it tried to bite at him but Talon scraped his talons across its snout, causing it to recoil in pain. Shiva jumped and dug her claws into its feathery hide, climbing her way up its side. It shook and writhed, trying to knock her off, but her claws were deep, she wasn't going anywhere, all it accomplished was widening the holes in its side, and the more it concerned itself with her the more Ash and Talon could lay into it. She made it onto its back and crawled to its neck. It was shaking its head fiercely. Good, doing half her job for her. She opened her mouth wide and wrapped her fangs around its spine, biting as hard as she could. It was big, it wasn't going to snap like a zebra's would. She shook her head opposite the beast's, using its own movements against it, tearing its spine apart, she could feel the muscles giving way and the bones cracking as she bit harder and harder. Finally it fell face-first into the ground. It was dead. She dismounted the corpse and Ash nuzzled her. Talon landed. He and Ash glared at each other. Men. Ash approached and licked a splatter of blood off Talon's feathers. Talon nuzzled him in response. Good, the two could at least be civil with each other. Talon moved to the horses and put a wing around Storm, who was still clearly terrified. The sun was beginning to set, it was about time they headed back.

Shadow let out a sigh as Atlas was grooming him. It had been a troublesome day. He always warned Storm about straying too far. He couldn't blame her, though, he wasn't much different when he was young. He remembered all of his adventures with Damun, all the places they had seen. When Damun finally settled back in at Ruban he had assumed his adventuring days were over. He was getting older, but he still had a few good years left in him. The boy, Atlas, had been adverse to him at first, but he was glad he'd come around. He was a good kid. In many ways he reminded him of Damun, so full of a desire to find adventure, so quick to smile and laugh, even if he was a bit more worrisome than Damun had been. He was glad this boy had been the one to take up his reigns after Damun... didn't come back. He had a feeling that Atlas might even take him on greater adventures than Damun had. This last journey of his would be a good one.

“Is that blood on your hooves, Shadow?” Atlas asked as he reached his feet. “What have you been doing, buddy?”

Shadow shook his head. Nothing. Nothing at all.

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 22

Chapter 22: The Old Guardian

“Is everything alright?” Damun asked.

Flynn looked up and paused. He nodded. He had just been staring at his food, not eating. Something seemed wrong... like he didn't belong here, like Damun didn't belong here. How long had they been on the road? Their adventure seemed hazy. He felt like he had done something wrong somehow. Hurt people he cared about.

“You can tell me if something's bothering you, you know,” Damun smiled.

Flynn looked away. “I don't know... I feel like... I hurt someone. Like I did something wrong, but I'm not sure what. I just have this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach...”

Damun put his hand on Flynn's shoulder. “It wasn't your fault, Flynn, you know that. Don't blame yourself, kid.”

Flynn gave him a look. “What wasn't my fault?”

“Just remember that, okay,” Damun said. He seemed sad, like something was wrong that only he knew about. “No matter what you want to blame yourself for, don't. I know you, and you would never hurt anyone on purpose. You're a good kid. You try your best to save people, and in the end that's all you really can do as a guardian. Remember that.”

Why did he keep telling him to remember things? Was he going somewhere? Flynn didn't know why but suddenly he felt like he was. Where was Damun going? Why did Flynn feel like crying all of the sudden? Why did his chest hurt? There was a lump in his throat and he didn't know why.

Damun sighed. “I wish I could tell you everything you need to know... But I really don't have time. You have a lot ahead of you, but I'm confident you'll get through it. You'll figure everything out, you have smart friends. Strong friends. Loyal friends. Hold on to them with everything you have, kid.”

“Don't go!” Flynn blurted out. Why? Why did he say that? Damun was sitting right there, he didn't seem like he was about to leave, but Flynn felt like he had to do everything in his power to keep him here. He grabbed his arm and held tightly. “Please! Please stay!”

Damun gave him a sad smile. “You know I can't, Flynn.” He tousled his hair and rested his forehead on the top of Flynn's head. “I miss you, kid. But I'm always going to be watching over you, though I don't think you need me anymore.”

“I do!” Flynn yelled, tears finally falling down his face. “I need you! I'm scared! I'm so scared and I never know what to do!”

“Trust your gut,” Damun grinned. “And keep your chin up. Always remember to smile.”

He always said that. Why couldn't he just let Flynn be sad? Flynn wanted to say something, but then he realized he was gone. All that was left was the smell of cinders in the air.

Flynn opened his eyes. He smelled the campfire and saw the stars overhead. He and Atlas had spent so many nights staring at those stars together and dreaming. When Fang looked at them she saw the images that the slaves of Emerala assigned to the clusters of stars. Rita could talk endlessly about books she had read regarding what each star meant, and Gale had a thousand stories from Diaem about how the greatest Guardians became stars when they died and returned to the Diamond. He tried to sit up and his whole body screamed in pain. That wasn't happening, at least not yet. He turned his head, he could manage that much at the least. He saw his friends sitting around the fire. They seemed sad. Worried. Gale and Atlas were shirtless, Rita was wrapping Atlas's back and shoulder in bandages, and Gale had bandages around his abdomen. Fang was scraped up but was sitting quietly, waiting her turn. Flynn felt a pain in his chest and his breath caught in his throat. Everything was coming back to him- he'd done that to them. It was his fault. Ifrit had- where was Ifrit? He could feel her presence but she was being quiet. He didn't mind, he didn't much feel like talking to her right now.

“Hey... guys...” Flynn croaked out. His throat was raw and aching as if he had been screaming. They all stopped what they were doing and looked at him. He wanted to apologize to them, tell them he was sorry for all the things he did.

Atlas bolted to him before Rita could even finish bandaging him, stopping just short of grabbing Flynn, realizing that would only result in immense physical pain for both of them. Atlas smiled. “You finally woke up.”

Gale and Fang approached, as Rita stood she winced, though she tired to hide it, Flynn could see the burn on her leg beneath the hole in her pants. She should have taken care of herself... of course she wouldn't before the others were fixed up. “Welcome back to the land of the living, buddy,” Gale grinned.

“You've been out for a couple of hours,” Rita said, sitting next to him.

“I'm sorry,” he said groggily. “I... hurt all of you...”

Gale snorted. “We're all tough, we can take it, don't worry about us.”

“Besides,” Atlas frowned, “It wasn't you, it was Ifrit.”

Flynn did his best to shake his head. “I was the one who let her in. She only did what she had warned me she would do.” He could feel Ifrit grimace.

“Stop blaming yourself!” Atlas snapped. He was mad.

“We all knew the risk we were taking inviting a demon to join our group, we were prepared for the worst, at least now we know what we're up against,” Rita said.

“Did I hurt anyone else?” Flynn asked.

“No, Gale made sure everyone cleared the area,” Atlas assured him. “You did take out the masked men though.”

“Where are we?” Flynn frowned. It only now dawned on him that they weren't in Ruban.

“In the fields north of the city,” Gale replied, “the Magisters wanted to keep you there, but that didn't really work out for them.”

“What happened?” Flynn asked.

“Atlas brought the At-sass is what happened,” Gale laughed. Atlas rolled his eyes.

Gale helped Flynn sit up, his whole body ached but he couldn't just lay around forever. “Maybe you should have let them take me,” Flynn sighed. “I have Ifrit, I did my part, you guys could go on and-”

“Oh, shut up,” Rita said, smacking him in the back of the head. “Don't act like we don't need you, dummy.”

“But-”

“No buts,” Rita smiled. “You're just as important to the team as any one of us.”

“I'm not as strong as Fang,” Flynn insisted, “I'm not as smart as Atlas, I can't use magic as well as you, and I don't have the skills Gale does, so what is it exactly that I bring to the table!?” That wasn't really what Flynn was upset about, but he needed to blame himself somehow, put himself down, since they wouldn't let him blame himself for hurting them. He was pathetic.

Gale shrugged. “You've got a sword.” Flynn couldn't help but laugh.

Rita put her hand on his shoulder. “Joking aside, sure, maybe you aren't as good at all those things as some of us, but you're still pretty good. You' re a better fighter than Atlas, better with magic than Gale, more skilled in combat than me, and better at communicating than Fang is, you're fairly good at just about everything, and that's nothing to scoff at.”

“You make sure I don't make too many stupid decisions,” Atlas added.

“And you spar with Fang, and you're always willing to help with chores whether it's your turn or not,” Rita said.

“And you always listen when I start telling silly stories, and sometimes you even laugh at my awesome jokes,” Gale grinned. “Basically, what we're all trying to say is that we're super in love with you and you can never leave us because the whole team would fall apart. In fact I'm petitioning to start a Flynn fan club. So far Fang and I are the only ones to sign up but Storm also ate the newsletter, so that might explain the pitiful turnout.”

Flynn laughed. “Dammit, guys, can't you just let me feel shitty about myself for a minute or two?”

“Nope!” Gale smirked, spreading his arms out and pulling everyone into a group hug.

Flynn had trouble sleeping that night again. Ifrit's silence bothered him, and he had been out for a few hours, he wasn't exactly tired. Gale sat next to him. Everyone else was sleeping. “You doing okay?” He asked.

Flynn nodded. “I'm just not really tired.”

Gale looked at the stars. “I'm next, huh?”

Flynn looked at him. He looked worried under his permanent smile. “I'm sure you'll be fine.”

Gale looked at him. He could see a hint of fear in his eyes, but it flickered away as quickly as it had appeared. “What's it like?”

Flynn took a deep breath. It was hard to explain. “Imagine... another person living in your head. But in my case that person wants nothing more than for me to hate myself. She can't read my thoughts but she can see my memories and she sees and hears and feels and tastes everything I do.”

“Everything?” Gale frowned. “Bye-bye private time, huh?”

Flynn chuckled. “But despite all that... It's not all bad. It's not... lonely anymore, if that makes sense. There's a certain camaraderie, at least that I feel. We might not like each other, but we're sharing a body, so we share something to protect. She gives me power and I let her see the world. I guess... In the end, it's scary, sure, but I don't hate it.”

Gale smiled. “You'd be surprised at how comforting that is. If you ever need to talk, I'm always open to listen.”

“Thanks,” Flynn smiled back. He felt calmer. His heart had stopped racing. He could feel Ifrit clawing around. She wasn't happy about something. “I think I'll try to get some sleep now, I appreciate the talk.”

“Anytime,” Gale grinned.

“You are a fool,” Ifrit said once Flynn had started to fall asleep.

“What now?” Flynn sighed.

“Camaraderie? Between us? I feel no such thing, you are but a vessel to me, boy.”

“If you say so,” Flynn shrugged.

“Are you ignoring me, boy?”

“A little bit,” Flynn affirmed.

“How dare you!”

“I'm tired, Ifrit, let me sleep.”

“I will take over your body in your sleep and kill your friends!”

“No, you won't.”

“What makes you think that?”

“For one, you can't,” Flynn said. “Second, you'd feel bad.”

“I would not.”

“You like me.”

“I loathe you.”

“That's too bad.”

“Why do you not hate me!?” Ifrit insisted. “I took you over, hurt your friends, and yet I feel no hate from you, why?”

There it was. What she was really upset about. “You were only doing what you told me you would. If I let hate consume me you would take over. I agreed to it in our pact. If anything I'm disappointed in myself for letting my emotions get the better of me. I may not trust you, but I certainly don't hate you.”

There was a long silence. Finally Ifrit spoke again. “You are a fool.”

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

The next day they arrived at the same town that Flynn and Damun had come to the second day of their adventure. Their last day. It brought back more memories than Flynn would have liked. The town was so familiar, so unchanged despite everything being so different for Flynn in his life.

The first thing they did was head to the tavern- after the time in the desert and quickly getting kicked out of Ruban it had been too long since they'd had a real meal or a soft bed. After they had eaten they were approached by the innkeeper, who seemed cautious. “A-are you the Guardian Ruban sent to help us?” she asked, looking to Flynn.

He wasn't sure what to say, he wasn't, but it didn't mean he couldn't help. Of course, these people wanted a true Guardian, and after what happened in Ruban he wasn't sure he qualified anymore. He opened his mouth to speak, but someone else answered for him. “Yes, he is,” it wasn't the voice of one of his friends, it was gruff, gravelly, cold, “he's my partner.” It was an older man, his red and grey hair tied back in a ponytail, his beard a messy mix of the two colors, his eyes worn and weary. He had removed his hood but Flynn realized he had been sitting at a corner table since they walked in, a technique he and Damun had used back when they first came here.

“Then you'll take care of the Hisshounds for us?” she smiled.

The old Guardian nodded. “Of course, ma'am. Now head back to tending bar, seems you have a bit of a line backing up. I have matters to discuss with my partner.”

She nodded and left happily. The old Guardian sat down in an empty chair to join them. “Okay, I'll be the first to say it, I guess,” Atlas said, “who the heck are you, dude?”

“A Guardian of Ruban,” he said, “name's Garth. I was sent here to take care of those Hisshounds.” Flynn had heard of Hisshounds from Damun, they hunted in packs, usually kept to themselves, but when they neared civilization it was dangerous. They were smarter than most monsters and their weakest was still twice as deadly as an average wolf. To send one Guardian to take out a pack of them? He had to be capable, that much was clear.

“Alright, Garth,” Gale said, “and what, may I ask, has brought you to our little group? Besides our overwhelming combined attractiveness being just too much to stay away from.”

Not so much as a smile from the old Guardian. “I recognized the boy. You were the street rat that defeated the Beast and became a Guardian, right? The one that left with Damun.”

“How did you-” Flynn started.

“I was in the city when you returned. I only left on this mission two days ago.” So he wasn't there to see Flynn's rampage, that was a good thing, he supposed, but suddenly he felt like a liar. Garth sat back in his chair. “Hard to believe Damun's really dead. Whatever killed him must have been quite the powerhouse.”

“You knew him?” Flynn asked. Garth nodded. “Still... after all that time you must have assumed the worst...”

Garth laughed. “Kid, that wasn't the least out of place for that crazy bastard.”

“Being gone for over a year didn't seem odd?” Flynn frowned.

“I suppose once he met you he calmed down a bit,” Garth sighed, “but when he was younger he used to disappear all the time. Hell, he was barely a Guardian a few months before he ran off and disappeared for- what was it- five years or so? Everyone assumed he was dead, then one day he just shows back up again like nothing happened, then over the next few years he would just run off for months at a time without a word. It wasn't till he found a street rat to take care of that he finally settled down and stayed in the city for any length of time.”

Flynn was amazed, despite how close they were there was still so much he didn't know about Damun. “Not to interrupt story time,” Atlas said, “but you have still yet to tell us why you've recruited Flynn to help you fight off some monsters.”

“Sorry, let myself get carried away with the past, that'll happen when you get old,” Garth chuckled. “I wanted to see what Damun's student was capable of. How much he'd taught you.”

Flynn frowned. “Not much. He died not far from here. We'd only been out a day or two.”

“Unfortunate,” Garth sighed. “But knowing Damun I'm sure he taught you something. Nothing is useless.”

“Back in Ruban he taught me swordplay,” Flynn said, “and here... his mind returned to that day. He taught me to listen. That every piece of information is useful. We listened to thee townspeople.”

“And what did you hear?”

It was over a year ago but Flynn did his best to remember. “We learned that Tymun has the best cabbages for miles, and... Kara was cheating on her husband with the nighttime bartender. That the month prior a troupe of masked performers passed through, and the month before that there was a group of mercenaries who stayed for... three- no, two nights. And that cattle and seeds the next town over were overpriced, but they still got more business since their town was bigger.” Flynn was amazed at how easily the information came back to him.

Garth nodded. “Good, nice to see you remember all that so well.”

Rita frowned. “How could you possibly know that all of that was really what he heard way back then?”

Garth grinned. “Because I listen, too. I heard Kara and her husband broke up, and she's been staying at the Inn most nights. They still talk of the troupe of masked men, not often they get entertainment around here, not to mention the boy with the electric circus.” He gave Atlas a look. “The mercenaries returned a few months ago, quite a number less after a run-in with some nasty monsters and bandits, and believe it or not, Tymun, the cattle and seeds are all booming now that the next town over has been overtaken by the Hisshounds. They might want them gone but the townspeople can't say that those monsters never did anything for them.”

“Amazing,” Rita smiled.

“It's good to know he gave you the basics,” Garth said, “but you've still got a lot to learn. Help me out with the mission and I can show you a thing or two.”

“I'd be happy to,” Flynn nodded. “But... why are you so willing to help me?”

Garth shrugged. “Damun was a friend of mine. Besides, I'm old, I want to start teaching kids what I know, makes us old coots feel important.” He wasn't so old compared to the Elders of Diaem, or even Ruban's Magisters, but for a Guardian he must have been ancient- it wasn't typically a long-lived profession. ��It's getting late,” Garth said, “we'll start first thing tomorrow. Meet me here at daybreak.”

“I don't trust him as far as I can throw him,” Atlas said once they were in their room. Flynn, Atlas and Gale were staying in one room while Rita and Fang stayed in the one across the hall.

“You don't trust anyone,” Gale sighed. “You probably accuse your reflection of stealing your pants.”

“I'm cautious, okay?” Atlas grumbled. “It's weird for an old Guardian to just approach some kid and ask him to join him on a mission. After what happened in Ruban I just think we should be careful. For all we know he could have been sent to bring Flynn back to the city.”

“If I can learn things form him I'd like to,” Flynn said. “Damun never got to teach me much about being a Guardian.”

“Alright, alright,” Atlas sighed, “I won't complain, but I will keep an eye on him. Oh, and just in case you hadn't thought about it, try not to mention the Demon. Might be a turn-off.”

“Don't worry, Atlas, I wasn't planning on it,” Flynn said, rolling his eyes.

“He is quite powerful,” Ifrit interjected.

“Garth?”

“Yes. If he had ever happened upon my lair I certainly would have accepted him as my vessel.”

“Maybe I'll ask him to trade Rubies, I'm sure you guys would get along great.”

“No, I would prefer to stay with you. He may be more powerful but he has fewer years left, you are young, this promises me a long journey, and ample opportunity to claim your body for my own for good. Were I to swipe his body from him he would likely die from the simple shock of it and I would be left a Ruby in the middle of nowhere.”

“Glad you appreciate me,” Flynn sighed.

The next morning the group met up with Garth. They mounted up and headed out. Garth rode a large, powerful brown horse, it seemed even older than Shadow and wasn't the least bit spooked by the Direwolf, Tiger and Griffin riding beside it.

“The Hisshounds have been hitting the town in small groups so far, mostly stealing crops and shiny objects, there have been a couple wounded but so far no deaths,” Garth explained. “My guess is they're still feeding on the corpses from the last town they took out, they don't want to kill anyone here yet because they'll rot before they can eat them. It's only a matter of time before the death toll starts to pile up, though.”

“I was hungry a minute ago,” Gale said, “now, not so much.”

“We can assume the Hisshounds are somewhere between the two towns,” the old Guardian continued, ignoring Gale, “that's still a lot of area. We'll need to track them. Normally for a mission like this I'd bring a dog, but when tracking Hisshounds you'll just end up with a dead dog. Luckily, you can train yourself to find these things too.” He dismounted and the others followed suit. They walked to a small brownish-red patch in the grass. He picked up a shred of fabric. “Cloth. Same kind that one of the victims' pants were made of. The blood likely belongs to her. It's dried, a few days old from the smell, the day of the last attack, I would guess. Hisshounds aren't known for their cleanliness, we should be able to follow the scent of the blood.”

Fang sniffed the cloth and nodded. Fang probed forward on all fours, sniffing and looking around.

“Looks like you have a bloodhound anyway,” Garth said. “I was expecting the Direwolf, not its rider.”

“Fang surprises people,” Gale said, “It's kind of her thing.”

“Wait until we run into a giant monster,” Rita smirked.

“Let's follow the kid,” Garth said, mounting his horse once again.

The rest of the day was spent tracking the Hisshounds, Garth taught them to find tracks and recognize a trail and the many aspects of it. Flynn did his best to understand it all, but this was really more Fang and Gale's department. Fang could smell and hear the slightest thing, and Gale was always quick to notice something out of place.

“Judging from the trail we'll probably catch up with them tomorrow,” Garth said once they were all seated around the campfire. “So I've got a couple of techniques I'd like to show you before then, Flynn.”

“Of course,” Flynn nodded.

“First,” Garth said, “Atlas, take off your shirt.”

“Woah!” Atlas exclaimed. “Um, I am super not okay with the sudden turn this conversation took!”

“You're injured,” Garth said.

Atlas looked at him skeptically. “How could you possibly know that?”

“I can smell the blood, for one,” he explained, “and the bandages and herbs used to heal it. And you've been avoiding moving your torso as much as you can. When you do move it there's a slight wince.”

“Okay, you're good,” Atlas sighed, “why does this lead to me stripping?”

“We're going to heal you,” Garth said. Atlas frowned, but he complied and removed his shirt. Garth removed the bandages to reveal the wounds on Atlas's back. The claw marks didn't go too deep, and it was healing, but it was still an ugly wound, and Flynn's heart sank seeing what he did. “There are two types of magic granted by the Ruby,” Garth explained. “Black magic and White magic. Black magic is simple, the manipulation of fire, basic magic that is primarily used for damage or utility. White magic is more complicated. It's the manipulation of the body. The Ruby allows us to mend wounds to muscle and skin.” Flynn had seen Azar use the ability when they fought him, and when Ifrit had had control he had done it himself, but he could never quite figure out how it was done. “It's a dangerous technique if you aren't careful, but when used properly it can save lives.”

“Dangerous?” Atlas asked. “Suddenly I feel like I don't want to be the guinea pig for Flynn to learn new magic.”

“Watch,” Garth said, ignoring Atlas's protest. He placed a finger on the end of one of the three long wounds. His finger glowed and as he moved it along the cut the flesh began to seal itself. When he was done it was like there had never been a wound at all. “You need to be very careful. If you don't know what you're doing you could just end up hurting someone more. Imagine that flesh and flames are one in the same. Skin, muscle, they are all just fire in a different form, something you bend to your will. Do not conjure flames, you do not need them, the flesh is your fire.” That was why it never worked. He had been thinking of it as sealing the wounds with fire, not manipulating the skin itself.

“Should I try?” Flynn asked.

“If you think you're ready,” Garth nodded.

Flynn took a deep breath and placed his fingers on Atlas's wound. Flesh and fire are one.

“Do not try and do too much,” Garth cautioned. “That is the easiest way to fail. Focus only on closing the wound, without a full grasp of anatomy you won't want to do more than that. The human body is a wondrous thing, it will heal itself, you are only giving it a boost.”

Flynn concentrated. Only a little. Just seal the wound. The skin began to close, steam was pouring from Flynn's fingers and the sealed skin. “It's like, really hot,” Atlas said through gritted teeth, “Is it supposed to burn?”

“It's normal for someone who's new to it,” Garth assured, “It takes years of practice to fully differentiate fire and flesh. The job will still get done and you'll be no worse off.” Flynn finished closing the wound, he felt exhausted. “Good,” Garth smiled. “You did an excellent job for your first time. Practice as often as you get the chance and you'll improve in no time.”

Flynn was tired but he wanted to learn as much as he could. He stood up. “What's next?”

Garth smiled. “Ever eager, eh? I like it. Very well, the next trick I teach you will be the last. For this one we'll need some space, come with me.”

They walked out a ways, the campfire and the others were still in sight but well out of earshot. “This is a technique I'm not sure I want to teach you at all,” Garth said, “but once someone learns White magic it's only a matter of time before they try this themselves, and I'd prefer you learn how to do it properly and the dangers of it.”

“I'm ready,” Flynn nodded.

Garth smiled. “Good.” He took a breath. “Healing is not the only property of White magic, it can also be used for physical augmentation. The most basic technique is what we call 'warm-up'. This simply heats your muscles, allowing you to reach a better physical state for combat quicker. There's nothing dangerous about this so long as you do it properly, your body warms naturally when you're active anyway, so all you're doing is speeding that process. Going past this, however, gets dangerous. Once you begin truly augmenting your muscles you run the risk of overexerting yourself. We divide this technique into four ranks, each one more powerful but also far more dangerous than the last. Rank one is Peak, allowing you to reach peak physical condition under normal circumstances. This is the moment when you are enveloped in a battle, pumping with energy and you feel stronger, faster, smarter, even for just a few minutes. Peak allows you to channel that strength at any point in time at your own will. This has a minimal risk compared to the others, but the longer you use the technique the more dangerous it becomes, you may be able to augment your musculature but the rest of your body may not be able to keep up. Peak is considered safe to use in short bursts, and not too often.

“The next rank is Adrenaline. This channels the strength in a moment of crisis, most commonly linked to a mother finding a burst of strength to do impossible things when her child is in danger. Using Adrenaline allows you to use this superhuman strength at will and for length, rather than one quick burst. Now things get dangerous, however. Using Adrenaline has a much higher chance to have negative effects on your body, and if used for too long or too often could result in serious damage to you. It should only be used in the most critical of situations, and even then not for long.

“The next two levels should really be avoided at all costs, but I think it's better to explain the dangers to you rather than let you try to push yourself and discover the hard way. Rank three we call One-hundred Percent. As it sounds this lets you call upon the full potential of your body, pushing past the realm even of an adrenaline rush to a point that your own self-preservation instinct would never allow you to go. Pushing yourself this far can have immediate repercussions, and could just as well cripple you instantly as it could give you power. Since you are using magic and not just your physical abilities it's possible you could go for a short length of time before your body gives out, but I wouldn't recommend using this under any circumstances.

“Finally, Rank four is known as Overheat. This should never, under any circumstances, be used. This goes past pushing your body to its limits, and begins truly altering yourself with magic, adding muscle mass to go past your body's one-hundred percent. Using this technique could instantly kill you, crushing your bones with your own muscles and tearing your skin apart. If it is used successfully each second you spend in it could kill you. If you use Overheat and you come back with only broken bones you're lucky.”

“I understand,” Flynn said. Suddenly he wasn't so excited anymore.

“I'll teach you Warm-up, the rest should teach themselves after that,” Garth smiled. “Just remember to be careful.”

The next day they finally found the Hisshound pack. There were dozens of them, they had made their home near a large rock formation. It was like a whole community living together. Flynn could see the treasures they stole, rings and necklaces, simply lying on the ground or being played with. They didn't look so sinister right now. They looked like wolves, but rather than fur they had scales, their teeth were longer and sharper, and carried a deadly poison. Their tails whipped around like snakes, and apparently could shatter bone if you were hit hard enough with one.

“So what's the plan?” Atlas asked.

“There's no sneaking up on Hisshounds,” Garth said, “they likely already know we're here, but we're not posing a threat so they haven't attacked. The only way to take out a Hisshound is to fight it head on. They won't have it any other way.”

“Do we need to kill all of them?” Flynn asked. “I'm sure not all of them go out to hunt people, surely some stay home and don't bother anyone, and there are babies here, too.”

“Hisshounds are smart,” Garth said, “we leave them and they'll seek revenge. And those babies will grow up to be just as dangerous as their parents.” Garth sighed. “It's not a Guardian's job to have strong moral character, unfortunately, it's to protect the people. Sometimes that means making tough decisions, and doing something so that no one else has to.”

Flynn nodded gravely.

Three Hisshounds fell to Gale's arrows before they even knew they were being attacked. Flynn, Fang and Garth entered the fray as the Hisshounds ran forward. It was far from fighting wolves, they could predict his moves, and one bite and he was done for. Luckily they still didn't expect fire, which allowed him to startle a few and take them out. Fang and Garth were taking them out easily and Gale, Rita and Atlas struck while they were distracted. Flynn felt the weight of uselessness hanging on his shoulders. He had used Warm-up, Garth had said it was common for Guardians to use it whenever they entered a battle, and it did help, he could feel the difference, but compared to the others he didn't feel like he was doing much to help. They could have taken care of it without him.

“I'll lend you my strength,” Ifrit said out of nowhere.

“What?”

“In return for the time I spent in your body I will allow you a small bit of strength to finish these beasts off.”

“No thanks.”

“You would refuse me, boy? You would rather be useless than to take my charity?”

“I don't need your help.”

“You do not hate me...”

“But I do fear you.” Flynn's hand was trembling on his sword. He might not blame her, he might not hate her, but he was scared of her power, what she could do, what he had done to his friends when she was in control.

“Very well, boy. Do as you wish.”

Ifrit kept quiet after that. It wasn't long before the Hisshounds were finished off. Not that they had kept count, but if they had Flynn knew he had taken out the least. He didn't want to let it bother him but it did.

“The job is done,” Garth said, approaching Flynn and the others. “I'll need to head back to the town and let them know the Hisshounds have been taken care of. Then back to Ruban for the reward. I suppose you'll all be continuing on your mission, then?”

“Yes, we still have a lot to do,” Flynn said.

“Good. Well, I'll keep quiet about working with you all, don't worry,” Garth smiled.

Flynn frowned. “How did you know-”

“Don't take me for a fool,” Garth said. “You don't get as old as I am in this profession without being damn good at it. I can tell there's something off about your Ruby. I'm not sure what, but I doubt it's something you want the Magisters getting wind of.”

Flynn smiled. “Thank you.”

“And I'll keep an eye out for those masked men while I'm at it,” he grinned, mounting his horse. “Magisters may not be telling us about it, but guards talk. The people know there's a danger out there, we'll be prepared when it comes.”

Flynn nodded sternly to him and he rode off.

Gale made a sudden noise of exclamation.

“What?” Rita asked.

“I totally missed an awesome opportunity!” he whined. “Back when he was saying he was friends with Damun, back in the Inn, I totally should have asked if he was Damun's Old Flame! Get it? Because he's old. And a fire-”

“You are an idiot,” Atlas groaned.

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 21

Chapter 21: Power of a Demon

“Disgusting,” Ifrit grumbled, “hundreds of years since I've eaten anything and you feed me this garbage?”

Flynn rolled his eyes and ignored her, it wasn't like they had much choice of what to eat in the desert. “So, does that Demon of yours know where to find the others?” Atlas asked. They were seated around the campfire, it was the first night since Ifrit had joined them.

“How could I possibly know where they are?” Ifrit said, “I cannot see quite that far. Tell the boy he is a fool and must find the others on his own.”

“She doesn't know,” Flynn replied.

“Well, I guess we've hit a wall,” Atlas sighed.

“I have a pretty good idea where the Diamond's Demon might be,” Gale said. “If you fly above the city, like, way way above, where you aren't supposed to go, you run into this huge storm that no one has ever been able to fly through, and it never stops. If that doesn't sound like a place a Demon would live then I don't know what does.”

Atlas nodded. “I agree, I guess we're headed back to Diaem next, then.”

That night Flynn didn't sleep a wink. He couldn't with Ifrit whispering in his ear. She was trying to rouse him, remind him of the lives he had taken, of the people he hated, not in words but in images. He saw Damun over and over, the children they left back at Sapphus. He knew they were safe but she insisted they had died without him, that he had left them in the cold. He did his best to ignore her, he knew she was lying, trying to fool him into hating anything, even himself, he wouldn't fall for it. Still, it was hard to ignore someone who was in your head, there was no real way to get away. He took every watch that night, no point in the others missing sleep if he had no other choice.

When Atlas woke for his watch he seemed concerned. “Flynn, you really should sleep, I can keep watch.”

“Easier said than done,” Flynn grumbled.

“The Demon?” Atlas frowned.

Flynn nodded. “She won't shut up, I can't sleep.”

Atlas sat next to him. “Well... We'll all have that problem soon enough, I guess.”

“If you survive,” Flynn frowned. Atlas gave him a look. “Are you sure you want to do this? What Ifrit showed me... What she tries to do to me... I don't want you all to have to go through that too. If anything happened to any of you...”

“Have some faith,” Atlas grinned, “I know how badly you want to keep the tragic hero thing for yourself, but we can't just sit back and wait for the masked men to get the demons first. We'll do our part, we're all strong, no Demon is getting to any of us.”

Flynn smiled. That actually gave him some comfort. Not enough for him to sleep,  but it was nice. Regardless, Atlas stayed up with him until day broke. They had come a long way together, and Flynn was thankful for that.

The following day they encountered two giant scorpions, Fang had been restless so they let her take them both on herself, she wanted to stretch her legs. They snapped and stung at her but she dodged them with ease, she was playing with them, this was fun for her. She jumped on the back of the first, it stung at her and she dodged to the side. She grabbed its tail and slammed the point into its back, then jumped and kicked it, tearing through the armor-like shell and impaling the bug with its own tail. The other snapped at her with its claw, she hopped back and grabbed the claw. She hefted the beast over her head and slammed it hard into the sand. It tried to scramble to its feet but she rushed in and kicked it into the air, sand erupting around it. She and Gale had learned that they could both manipulate sand on their own, though with limited results and  a great deal of energy. She jumped in the air, flipped and slammed her foot into its head, smashing easily  through the carapace and splattering its head across the sands. Fang returned to them seeming content and hopped back on Ash's back.

“Have you been lying to me, boy?” Ifrit asked, annoyed.

“What?” Flynn frowned as they began moving again.

“You claimed to have no experience with demons, but that small, messy child clearly holds one, does it not?”

Flynn couldn't help but laugh. “No, she doesn't, Fang is just always that amazing.”

Gale looked at Flynn and grinned. “Don't worry, Ifrit, you get used to it.”

“Why is the tall airheaded one speaking to me? I do not wish to converse with such a flighty boor.”

“Ifrit likes you,” Flynn told Gale, “She even made two puns.”

“I most certainly did not!” She insisted.

“A girl after my own heart,” Gale sighed. “Is she pretty?”

Flynn shrugged. “If you like girls with horns, maybe. And wings and a tail.”

Gale looked off thoughtfully, then nodded. “I could get into that.”

Flynn could almost feel Ifrit shudder. “Disgusting. Make the fool shut up.”

“Tell me more, Gale, she loves it,” Flynn grinned.

“You are a wicked child!” Ifrit hissed.

“Stop torturing Ifrit, Flynn,” Rita chimed in. “No girl wants to hear Gale talk about her.”

“Rude,” Gale frowned.

“Why does she come to my aid? I would sooner kill her than befriend her.”

Flynn chuckled. “Rita's a good person is all.”

Rita smiled. “Us girls gotta stick together, right?”

“I am no girl, I am a Demon, I have no gender, I simply chose this form to remind Tirfi of how she aged while I did not.”

“Oh, just let her be nice,” Flynn sighed.

“Stop speaking!” Ifrit snapped. “When you speak they deduce what I've said and try to speak to me!”

“How else am I supposed to reply when you talk to me, then?” Flynn asked.

Ifrit sighed. “I cannot read your thoughts, but if you think to me you should be able to speak to me the way I speak to you. I had wanted to enjoy you looking a fool a little longer speaking aloud half of a conversation like a madman, but I have quickly grown tired of your allies attempting conversation with me.”

Flynn rolled his eyes. Telling him this sooner would have saved so much trouble. She hadn't explained it very well but Flynn thought he had an idea of what she meant. He closed his eyes and concentrated on her. She was the piece of his mind blocked off to him, festering with hate. Think at her. “Hello?” He thought.

“Yes, I hear you, boy,” she affirmed.

“Well this is certainly easier,” he smiled, opening his eyes. It wasn't very hard at all, actually.

“Why do these friends of yours insist on speaking to me, anyway?”

“Because, you're part of the team now, they just want to make you feel welcome.”

“Fools.”

That night Flynn was allowed to sleep, but it didn't come easily. He saw the nightmare again, the one Ifrit had shown him in her lair. It repeated over and over, though each time slightly different. There was a nightmare every night, sometimes he killed his friends, sometimes they killed him, one night he had to watch the man in the faceless mask torture and kill Damun in front of him. Another he watched the masked men slaughter his friends and the residents of the cities they had been to without being able to do anything to stop it. These continued until they got to Ruban.

“So what exactly are we telling the magisters?” Atlas asked once Ruban was in sight. “I doubt we want to straight up tell them you have a demon inside you now, something tells me they won't take well to that.”

Flynn agreed on that, but still, he felt an obligation to the truth. “I want to tell the truth, no matter what that may bring, the cities deserve to know what they're up against.”

“And have them take you into custody?” Ifrit scoffed, “I think not. It may have been a few hundred years since I've been to the city, but you humans do not change, they will not take well to my kind.”

“I think we can discuss this once we're on the zeppelin,” Gale sighed, “I want to stop by and get a change of clothes before we go back into the city.

“Agreed,” Rita nodded. Flynn couldn't argue, their desert garb was sweaty and covered in sand, they all needed a change of clothes.

“Really? No guards?” Atlas grumbled as they boarded the zeppelin, “This is an expansive piece of machinery, if anything were to happen to it I'd have a few words for those magisters.” The zeppelin had been kept where they had landed it, not far outside the city walls, not like the guards had a way of moving it. Nothing looked too wrong at first glance, so he supposed he wouldn't need to mention it. They all left and changed then met up in the cockpit. “I just want to make sure it's still running after that trouble with the heat before,” he said to the others.

Atlas placed his hand on the console and began to charge it with magic. The zeppelin made a sound it definitely should not have, something was wrong, it wasn't charging. Stopping the charging process would mean cutting wires, and seeing as how there was no exterior or interior damage it certainly didn't seem to be the work of monsters. Sabotage? But by who? Why would Ruban want to break the zeppelin? Then there was a noise behind him and everything was explained. He turned to see Rita deflecting a tentacle of shadows away from him.

“You owe me one,” Rita smiled as everyone readied for battle. There were five masked men standing in the doorway to the cockpit. Four wore wolf masks while the fifth was a lion.

“They were waiting for us?” Atlas said, “I'm flattered.”

“Only five, though?” Gale chuckled, “you'd think they wouldn't underestimate us so much.”

“Curious...” Flynn heard Ifrit say, but he couldn't ask her to clarify as the battle had already started.

Gale fired his arrow as Fang rushed forward. The arrow hit the lion in the chest and Fang kicked one of the wolves in the side, sending him flying into the wall hard enough to break every bone in his body. The Lion was unfazed, pulling the arrow from his chest, a trail of wispy black smoke- no, not smoke, it was... darkness- trailing behind it. The wolf stood as though nothing had happened to him.

Ifrit laughed. “Just as I thought, they, too, have made contracts with demons!”

“What!?” Flynn exclaimed. “You mean all of them are like me? They already have the other demons!?”

Not quite,” Ifrit explained. The masked men had moved in now and it was all they could do to hold them off. Even Fang couldn't seem to hurt them, no matter how many times she knocked them down they always got back up. “None of my siblings reside in them, they hold the power of other demons. We are far from the only ones, you should know. These men only have borrowed power, however, not a true Demon residing in them like you do.”

“So how do we beat them?” Flynn asked, cutting the arm off a wolf only to see shadows erupt from the stump to create a new one.

“Only the power of a Demon can kill a Demon.”

“Then we're lucky we have you, right?”

Ifrit chuckled. “I think I would prefer to watch, for now.”

Why did she have to be like this now? Of course it was all just part of her plot to fill him with hate or whatever, but it was more annoying than anything. Could they find a way to beat them without her power? Rita tried locking one in a prison of ice but he walked right through it like it wasn't even there. Surely Atlas had to think of something.

“Flynn, we need fire!” Atlas said. “If they really are using darkness and shadows then light should mess it up, right?”

There we go. Flynn sent a jet of flames at the wolf closest to him, it was so easy. Ever since he'd joined Tirfi's ruby to his own magic came so much easier to him, he wondered how far he could go with it now. The wolf jumped away from the flames but they caught him. His robes caught fire and burned quickly, he spasmed and screamed, writhing in ways that no body should be able to move in. It was working! But when the flames were out he stood again, his robes gone, his mask burnt, they could see his body now- it was no more than a featureless shadow in the form of a human body. How could they kill something that wasn't made of anything?

“We need to-” Atlas was cut off when a shadow sent by the lion caught him in the throat. He was sent back through the windshield of the zeppelin.

For a moment Flynn forgot they weren't in the sky. He saw the clouds, saw Atlas falling, blood spilling from the glass cutting through him, and in that moment he hated that lion. It was a second, no more, a lapse, a mistake, a slip of the mind, but that second of hatred was enough. One moment he was watching Atlas fall, the next he was within his own mind. He looked around, there was nothing. Darkness everywhere. Where was he? He was sure he had known a second ago. Who was he?

“Hello, boy” Ifrit smiled. She was standing before him. He knew her.

“Where... am I? I think I was doing something important...”

“No, nothing,” Ifrit said, “Don't worry. Just rest, this is where you belong. You deserve a rest, boy.”

No, he was sure he needed to get out! He knew it! “No! I need to... need to help... someone. I can't remember who...”

Ifrit walked behind him and draped her arms over his shoulders. She was warm, she smelled like a campfire. She brought her lips close to his ear and ran her hands across his chest. “No one is in danger, just rest, forget your troubles, no one can hurt you here, I promise. I will protect you.”

She would? She would. She was such a nice woman. “No one... will be hurt?”

“Of course,” she smiled. “Now rest, my boy.” She kissed him on the cheek, like a warm coal pressing itself against him, but it was nice, comforting. He knew he could trust her. He closed his eyes and let himself slip into her embrace.

Rita watched in horror as Flynn screamed. It was haunting, the blood curdling scream coming out of his mouth didn't even seem like his own. His skin was smoking, fire erupting from his body, something was very, very wrong, but what could she do? She didn't know the first thing about demonic possession- that had to be what was going on, right? He was changing, his eyes were glowing like fire, his pupils were slit like a cat's. Ebony horns were growing from the sides of his head and curving forward reminiscent of the Demon's guardian they had fought. His skin was cracking like molten rock, glowing like lava between the cracks. His fingers were growing into claws, his arms turning to what looked like gauntlets of molten rock and flame. His legs seemed almost horse-like and he grew a tail of flame.

Finally he stopped screaming. He picked up the sword he had dropped and it began to change as well, no longer steel but fire and magma. He looked at the lion, but the eyes weren't his. Everyone was frozen in place, no one could fathom what was happening. Flynn moved forward so quickly Rita could barely follow, his sword entered the lion's chest. He tore it to the side, the lion screamed, then there were what seemed to be a thousand cuts in a half a second, each one leaving a trail of flame behind it. The cockpit was burning now, the metal was melting from the heat Flynn was letting off.  He grabbed the mask of the lion with his free hand- if you could call it a hand anymore- and crushed the mask. The man turned to wisps in the air, then the darkness itself seemed to burn and there was nothing left. He turned to the wolves and they fled. The zeppelin was burning, they all needed to escape. Flynn ran after them. Rita and the others after him.

Atlas joined them once they came out, luckily he hadn't been too badly injured, he was just a bit cut up. “What the heck is going on!?” He asked, “I just saw some weird shit come running out of the zeppelin, also, why is it on fire!?”

“Flynn got possessed by the Demon,” Gale said, “at least I think, that or Flynn got some other crazy new powers he didn't tell us about.”

“He killed the lion and chased the wolves out, did you see where they went?” Rita asked.

“Towards the city, I think,” Atlas said. That wasn't good.

They got there just in time to see one of the wolves jump clear over the wall, Flynn was close behind. He jumped in the air, higher than the wolf. He kicked the wolf in the head, shattering the mask and sending it straight down into the wall. The wall exploded from the force of it, making a huge opening. Flynn landed on the wolf, grabbed it and fire erupted everywhere, engulfing the wolf until it was no more.

“Gale, we need to get the people away from this fight!” Atlas ordered.

“On it,” Gale said, mounting Talon and taking off. He flew over and past Flynn and began to call to the citizens to evacuate.

Another Wolf tried to attack Flynn from behind, but he was too quick. He spun around and sliced the wolf in two, then grabbed the head and tore it off. The body burned away like the others. Guards from the city began to approach the fight. That was a bad idea for them.

“Fang!” Atlas said. Fang nodded and slammed her foot into the ground and the earth beneath the guards leapt up and knocked them back.

The last two wolves tried to run but Flynn raised his arms and a massive cone of flame engulfed the area in front of him. The heat was incredible, like nothing Atlas had ever felt, even in the volcano. When the flames stopped there was nothing left, no bodies, no grass, just scorched earth. Atlas hoped beyond hope that Flynn would stop now that he'd killed the masked men. He was not so lucky. Flynn turned and looked into the city. He began to walk forward.

“We can't let him get into the city!” Atlas said. They ran forward but Flynn was still far away.

Gale suddenly flew in on Talon, the griffin's front legs slamming into Flynn, knocking him back. “Over here, big boy!” Gale called, loosing an arrow that caught Flynn in the shoulder. Flynn pulled it out and the skin steamed and closed almost instantly.

“Good job, Gale,” Atlas said once they were all together.

“So how do we stop our fiery friend here?” Gale asked.

“Flynn's still in there, I know it,” Atlas said. “we just have to find him and pull him out of the Demon's grip.”

“It's as easy as that,” Gale laughed.

Flynn was walking towards them now. “Flynn, wake up!” Atlas yelled to him. “It's me, Atlas, Ifrit has control over you, you need to snap out of it!”

Flynn ran forward, straight for Atlas, sword drawn. Fang intercepted and punched Flynn in the face. He fell to the ground. Guess they had to fight. Flynn rose with a kick that hit Fang in the side. She flew across the burned ground where the grass used to be. Gale loosed three arrows but Flynn gave them a look and they burned to ash before they could reach him. Rita fired spears of ice but they were steam long before he was in any danger. Atlas raised his gun. He didn't want to shoot Flynn, it was still his body, they didn't want to kill him, just stop him. He fired at his knee. The ball of lead melted and molten metal splattered his leg as if it was no more than a splash from a puddle.

Fang was back in the action, she kneed him in the stomach, he stumbled back and roared, retaliating with a jet of flames. Fang caught them to the chest and reeled  back. Gale and Rita continued their assault as Flynn and Fang exchanged blows, though they did little but distract him. Gale managed to knock him off balance with a gust of wind and Fang tripped him, slamming her foot into his neck. Flynn screamed, lashing out with the sword. Fang raised and arm and earth shot up and made a gauntlet around it to catch the sword. Fang pressed harder. Everyone moved in.

“Flynn, please, listen to me,” Atlas said as he approached.

Flynn screeched louder now. No one was in control. If Ifrit were in complete control surely she could speak to them, rather this was a fight for control. Flynn could hear them. He had to. Fang's gauntlet was glowing orange with the heat from the sword, fire exploded from Flynn and Fang was sent flying. He scurried to his feet and ran at Rita. She raised a wall of ice but the sword had melted through before it had even touched it. The steam clouded his view- had that been Rita's plan all along? The sword missed Rita but struck close enough to her leg to catch her pants on fire. She doused it with water but there was a nasty burn. Fang didn't take this well. She rushed forward and pounced on him, causing him to drop his sword. The two clawed and bit at each other on the ground like wild animals. Gale got two arrows into Flynn's back. He howled and the arrows burned away. Flynn lashed out and flamed caught Gale in the gut, sending him to the ground. Atlas shot lightning at him, he couldn't melt that. It struck him and he spasmed. Good, it still affected him, even in this Demon form. He rushed Atlas and punched, Atlas moved but it still caught him in the shoulder- that would hurt tomorrow.

Fang was relentless, tackling Flynn again. Without her they would all be dead, she was the only one who could fight a monster like this. Finally Atlas had a plan. He would burn away arrows and melt bullets and ice in an instant, but Gale had hit him a few times, meaning that he had to be focused to do it, and electricity still worked on him.

“Rita, catch him!” Atlas said, hoping Flynn hadn't heard. He was busy fighting Fang- distracted. This was perfect. Rita nodded. She seemed to have an idea of what he was thinking. Water whipped forward, grabbing Flynn's arms and legs and anchoring itself in the ground. Atlas sent his electricity through it, Flynn spasmed. He tried to fight it, fire sporadically shooting out of him, but luckily Atlas had been right, shocking him kept him form focusing on anything, especially with his mind already in turmoil. He fell to his knees. “Fang!” Atlas called. Fang leapt back and rocks rose and latched themselves around Flynn's neck and legs, holding him in place. “Gale!” Gale called forth spinning winds around him, creating an orb of razor wind to keep him from leaving even if he broke free of all their other magic.

“What now?” Gale yelled over the wind.

“Now I talk to him!”  Atlas called back.

“You sure that's a good idea?” Rita asked.

“No,” Atlas replied, “but when is anything we do ever a good idea?” He looked to Gale, “Let me through.”

Gale nodded and a pathway was made through the wind for Atlas to walk through. It closed again once he was inside. It was quieter than he expected in here. Calm. Flynn was glaring at him with eyes that weren't his. Atlas knelt in front of him. Flynn tried to bite him but the rock restraints kept him from moving too far.

“Flynn,” Atlas said. “I knows you're in there. Come back to us. We need you.”

Flynn screamed and screeched, his teeth bared and clenched like a cornered dog, spit spilling down his chin.

“Wake up, Flynn!”

Fire shot from Flynn's mouth right into Atlas's face. He fell back to avoid being burned, it startled him- he lost control of his magic. Flynn took that second to melt through the rocks and burn away the water. Atlas stood as Flynn did, they were face to face, but now Flynn was free. Flynn lashed out and Atlas moved in. He took a claw to the back, but it didn't seem too deep. He grabbed Flynn's head, just under the horns. “Flynn, stop being a jackass!” He slammed his forehead into Flynn's- a risky move with the horns  framing his head. They connected, it hurt, but Atlas didn't care. Flynn's eyes were wide, his pupils were round, his mouth was agape. The horns turned to ash, his arms and legs returned to normal, the cracks in his skin sealing up. Atlas was looking at Flynn again, tears streaming from his eyes.

“Atlas... I am so... sorry...” Flynn managed that much before he lost consciousness and fell into Atlas's arms.

Atlas hugged him. “It's okay. So am I.”

The winds fell. “Oh thank the Diamond it worked!” Gale exclaimed.

Everyone rushed to the them. Flynn was out cold but he was alive. Atlas could barely see anything around him, but he heard Fang and Ash start to growl and looked up. They were surrounded by guards and guardians. Just great.

The guards lead them through Ruban. They had talked their way into bringing their mounts, if not riding them. Flynn was draped over Storm as Atlas lead both horses. They weren't about to let Ruban stable their animals when they were hostile like this.

They were allowed into the Magister chambers, mounts and all. “I see you all have returned,” one of the magisters said, clearly unhappy.

“Yeah, we accomplished our mission,” Atlas said, “turns out the thing was a demon. Oh, and there's more of them so we kind of have to be on our way.”

“A Demon?” The magister asked. “You think I would allow you to leave after telling me this? You have destroyed a piece of the outer wall, we would have you executed were you not another city's guardians. The street rat, however, will stay with us. We will study this... Demon ourselves.

“Not gonna happen,” Atlas sighed. He didn't have time for debate with these assholes, he was tired and sore.

“Excuse me!?” the magister blustered. “You do not have a choice in the matter!”

Atlas scratched his head. “Look, I just had to fight my demon-possessed best friend, my zeppelin was destroyed, and my nice new clothes I just put on are covered in blood, so I am in no mood to tiptoe around you high-and-mighty bastards right now. So either you let us go with Flynn so we can get the rest of these demons and pretty much save the world while you sit on your rich ass, or Fang starts eating people. Which is a thing that she actually does.”

“I will not be spoken to this way!” The magister exclaimed. “Guards!”

Atlas looked around at the guards, swords raised. He didn't move. “I recognize at least six of these guards from out front. They've seen what we can do, something tells me they won't want to fight us.” Sure enough, several of the guards sheathed their swords, though not without a great deal of embarrassment on their faces.

“I order you!” The magister yelled.

“I am done playing games!” Atlas growled. He gave Fang a look. Fang nodded. The ground started to rumble, then the building, heck, the whole damn city for all he knew. It was like an earthquake, but Atlas and the others were unmoved as the guards struggled to stand.

“You think you can intimidate us with this!” The magister said, clearly terrified.

Atlas raised an eyebrow. The air was cooling It was getting colder and colder, rapidly so. Frost began to form on the armor of the guards. Then the wind began to howl through the building, it tore away the veils in front of the magisters, revealing their humanity to their followers below. They were nothing but a bunch of angry old men, each one more terrified than the next. Fang raised an arm, then dropped it. The room stilled and the magisters' balconies slid down the wall to the floor. Atlas approached, Fang and Ash close behind. He looked at the head magister, the one who had always been talking. He was nearly crying, snot was dangling from his big ugly nose. “We'll be going now.”

“L-leave! Leave now! Take the bastard street rat with you!” The magister howled, somehow trying to still make it seem like he was in charge.

Good enough. Atlas turned and left. Fang stayed for a moment. She sniffed the magister, Ash glaring at him from behind her. “Guardian street rat,” she said. She smiled, showing her fangs. “You smell good.” Ash snapped at the magister. His jaw closing millimeters from his nose. The magister jumped back. Fang could smell he had released his bowels. Good. She mounted Ash and left with the others.

[chaosofgreed]

Children of the Stones Ch. 20

Chapter 20: Ifrit

"The first Guardian..." Flynn said quietly. "That's impossible, the first Guardians lived hundreds of years ago." She laughed. "Oh dear, has it been that long? It's hard to measure time in a place like this." She looked Flynn over. "I supposed you aren't the same boy... You look so much like him, though he would be older now. That sword... You knew him, though, I'm sure." "Damun?" Flynn asked. She smiled. "Come, sit, you all look exhausted, have a drink, It's a long story I have to tell you all." They were too tired to be suspicious. They all sat around the table and she served them cups of water, as well as bowls for their mounts. It was a cozy room but surprizingly enough it was still large enough to hold them all comfortably. "How did you know Damun?" Flynn asked once they were all seated.

"He came here a long time ago," she explained, "when he was only a little older than you are now, I think. Unlike you, he was alone. He traveled the desert and passed the Gatekeeper with nothing but his wit and guile and," she looked over to Shadow, "a very brave horse." She took a sip from her cup. "He had seen much by the time he came to me. He was seeking the same thing you are... But when he learned what it was he decided he would return when he was stronger. Seeing as you now hold his sword and his steed I suppose... He will not return?" Flynn shook his head. "I'm afraid he was killed by a masked man. That is why we came here, to find what it is they seek, they are a group that seeks to destroy the stones. What is it? What made Damun decide to leave?" It was amazing, he hadn't known any of this- how much had Damun not told him? He had traversed the desert and never told anyone? She took a deep breath in. "That is an even longer story. I suppose the short version is... We, the first Guardians, discovered an evil within the stones. They fed off of the negative aspects of humanity, gnawing at your mind. In my case the more hate I felt the more powerful my flames became, but at the cost of my humanity. They poisoned our minds. We knew the stones wanted to give their power to more people, and we wanted magic to spread, but we also knew that humanity would be consumed by the urges the stones brought to them. So the five of us schemed to remove the impurity from the stones. We parted, then, from our meeting. I cannot speak for my comerades, but I successfully seperated the evil from the stone and took it far to the south where I sealed it here, but she was clever and vengeful, and when I sealed her here she sealed me as well. If I were ever to leave she would be released as well, and as long as we both remain here I shall never die. I do not even require food or water, I am in a sort of stasis, I suppose." "You said she? Ms.- uh, I never got your name," Gale said. "Tirfi," she smiled. "Yes, she, though I suppose it truly has no gender. The evil of the stone took form in that of a Demon, this is what Damun and the masked men were looking for. What you seek. Only the Demons have the power to destroy the stones, as they each hold just as much power as any one of the stones does." "Why was Damun looking for the demon?" Flynn asked. "He spoke of people who wanted to destroy the stones," she explained, "perhaps he knew these masked men long before you ever met them?" "And he left empty-handed?" Atlas frowned. "Not entirely," she smiled, "I rewarded him for his ability to get this far. The sword you hold is nothing ordinary. I forged it myself in the fires of the Demon. It holds her strength. I'm sure you noticed it cut easily through the Gatekeeper, yes? The Gatekeeper is a minion of the Demon to keep the unworthy out, and your sword mirrors her power, it must kneel to its master." Flynn drew his sword and looked at it. It had never seemed quite normal, it didn't seem to dull or break when other swords would have, and it could cut through just about anything. Damun's feats seemed even more amazing now, he defeated the Gatekeeper alone and without the sword that could cut through it. Rita finally voiced the question they had all been thinking, "So how do we make sure the Demon won't fall into the hands of the masked men?" "That... Is difficult to say," Tirfi sighed. "She wants to escape this place, yes, but she also does not want to attach herself to someone unworthy. She could, theoretically enter any fragment of the Ruby to make her escape, but if she were to pick an unworthy vessel she runs the risk of her host dying and her being stuck in a ruby in the middle of a desert where she's even less likely to be found. She would likely reject any of these masked men of which you speak, but were there to be one of exceptional strength and a deep hatred... it is possible they could claim her." Flynn thought of the man in the faceless mask. That was why Damun left, then? He wanted to become stronger to become worthy of... of the Demon? He wanted to take her for himself to protect her? He looked at his own ruby. Could he do it? Leaving her here would be too risky, if the masked men found her... But was he sttrong enough to be considered worthy? It didn't matter, in the end, he had to try. "I want to meet her." Tirfi looked at him. "Just like him. You want to take her test? You may only speak to her if you have passed her trials, and if you fail you will die... or worse. She will consume your mind and turn you into little more than a monster filled with nothing but hate. She is a creature of pure evil, a conduit of hate, you must have an iron will to face her, are you up to the task?" "Flynn, you really need to stop volunteering yourself for suicide missions," Atlas said. "Atlas, it needs to be done," Flynn insisted, "we can't risk leaving it where the masked men can get to it." Atlas clenched his jaw. "If you're sure..." Gale smiled, "Atlas, you were worried Flynn would fail the Guardian test too, and he kicked ass. Have faith, alright?" Fang nodded. "Flynn always wins. The strong survive." "I think Flynn has grown more than you realize since you met him, Atlas," Rita said. Atlas let out a long sigh. "Alright, yeah, I guess I'm worrying over nothing. But Flynn, if you get killed by that Demon I'll kill you." There was a pause. "I guess killing the Demon is out of the question?" Tirfi shook her head. "Even if you had the power to do so, a Demon cannot die, as it is more spirit than living creature." Flynn smiled. "I'll be fine, guys." "You must go alone," Tirfi said, "anyone without a ruby would be burnt to ash upon entering the Demon's lair." "I expected as much," Flynn nodded, standing. "Lead me there, I'm ready." Everyone stood. Tirfi walked to a drapery on the wall and pushed it aside, revealing another tunnel. "Just past here is where she lies. Say your farewells before we step thorugh, as they cannot go any farther." Flynn looked at his friends. Gale punched him in the shoulder. "You just became a Guardian, don't go dying, I'm already making the patch, I don't want it to go to waste." Rita hugged him. "I know you'll survive, but I still feel like I should remind you to stay alive, okay?" Fang glared at him. "Assert your dominance. Pee on her." Flynn laughed. Atlas sighed. "Kick ass, kid." Atlas hadn't called him kid in ages. It made Flynn smile. He raised his fist. Atlas touched his to it. Gale raised his own fist and touched theirs. Rita smiled and added hers. Flynn punched her own arm in, jostling the others. They all looked at each other and grinned. Flynn could almost feel their stones resonating. He may have been going in on his own, but he wasn't alone. "I'll be back soon," He said. They lowered their arms and Flynn entered the tunnel.

The heat returned as soon as he left the room. Tirfi walked him down a short hallway to an archway blocked by ropes and hanging papers, each had somehting scrawled on it. "Are you positive you're ready?" she asked. "Once you pass this barrier there is no turning back." Flynn nodded. "I'm ready." Tirfi nodded and lifted the ropes, allowing Flynn to duck under them. It had been dark past the barrier but as soon as he was through the room brightened, not just that, but the heat intensified. He felt like he was standing in a fire, he thought the water in his body would evaporate. He looked at his arms, he wasn't even sweating. Was it all in his head? How could such an intense heat have no effect on his body? It was so hot that his skin should have been blistering just from being in the room. Then he realized, it was the ruby. This was why no one else could enter, the ruby protected him from the adverse effects of the Demon's heat. Flynn looked around the room, it was no more than a large cavern, it had an orange glow though there was no light source. There was nothing here. He looked all around but there was nothing. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he saw something. He turned and there was a knight, clad head to toe in heavy armor, he could see no face, but its eyes glowed like fire behind its helm. It drew its sword and approached Flynn. He drew his own blade. It slashed at him, he parried. The force behind it was tremendous, like getting hit by Beast or Azar. He couldn't let this fight take too long, many more hits like that and his arms would give out. He dodged the next attack and brought his sword down on its shoulder- it slid off the metal without so much as a scratch or dent. It was too much to hope the sword would work like it did with the Gatekeeper, this was a direct attack from the Demon, not just a minion. He dodged the next attack, and the next, but the third got too close for comfort. Even dodging it seemed to be futile, it was learning his style, if he kept on the defensive it would cut him in half soon enough. He finally saw an opening in the attack and took it, jabbing his sword into the gap between the upper and lower arm armor in its left arm. His sword slid through cleanly and he felt resistance, there was something there more than just flames. His left arm hung limp after that, it was obeying the rules, not just recovering. This was a test, not an impossible hurdle. However, as the fight continued it also became more difficult. It was still learning, improving, the loss of an arm hadn't hindered it at all. It had stopped leaving openings, Flynn couldn't see anywhere to strike, and he was getting tired. Soon he would lose. He had to end this now. Then it stabbed at him. He couldn't dodge, it would hit him. The sword got him in his upper chest, tore through his ribcage, just missed his heart- he hoped. He drove forward and slid his own sword through the eye slit in the armor. The knight stopped. Suddenly the helmet was gone and Damun was staring at him, Flynn's sword driven through his eye. He tried to step back but he was frozen in place, he wanted ot pull his sword out but he couldn't, it just stayed there, going through his eye, all the way through and coming out the back of his skull. "You killed me," Damun said. "If not for you I would still be alive." He was right. If Flynn had been stronger Damun never would have died. He could have beaten the masked man if not for Flynn, he knew it. "I never should have taken you under my wing, you worthless street rat." He tore the sword out of his eye and stepped forward, a gaping, bloody hole where his eye had been. "I hate you, Flynn. You should have died, not me." He was right, he was always right. Damun pulled his sword out of Flynn's chest and stabbed him again, this time in the shoulder. "You deserve to hurt like I did. Like all the people you've killed." He stabbed again, this time in his left thigh, Flynn fell to his knees. He screamed out in pain. "You think you're a hero? You're nothing more than a monster," again, in the gut this time, "a murderer. You try to justify your actions, but you're no better than the bandits and the beasts you slay without hesitation." He began to stab him again and again, quickly now, relentlessly, Flynn saw his blood splatter across the ground, his guts spilling out before him, and Damun smiling as he stabbed him over and over. Flynn's throat was in pain from screaming but he could barely feel it over the sword repeatedly impaling him. "I should have killed you, if I had killed you think of how many lives I would have saved! But instead you killed me!" He was right. Flynn had killed him. The wolf had bitten his left arm... His sword arm... He looked at it hanging limply... His left arm... Flynn suddenly jolted ot life- Damun was left-handed. It shouldn't have mattered, he knew this wasn't Damun, Damun was dead, but he clung to that, reminded himself it was all a lie, this wasn't Damun this was a monster created by a Demon to try and destroy his mind. He rose, grabbed his sword off the ground and sliced the false Damun's head off. He looked at himself, he was untouched. It had been an illusion. He looked up, Atlas was staring wide-eyed. "You killed him," Atlas said. "How could you?" "Atlas, you shouldn't be here, the Demon-" suddenly a claw grabbed Atlas by the head. "Atlas!" Flynn screamed, running forward. He slashed at the claw but it disappeared. His sword bit into Atlas's skull and slid though easily, cutting half of his head off. "Flynn... Why? Why did you kill me?" Atlas asked, tears welling in his remaining eye. "Atlas, no!" Flynn howled, "I wasn't trying to! I wanted to save you!" "Flynn, what did you do to him!?" Rita exclaimed. He turned around, she, Gale and Fang were behind him. "You killed Atlas!" "No, I-" he caught a spear of ice in the gut, then an arrow in his eye. fang jumped on him, knocked him to the ground and started tearing him to pieces. She tore off his arm, bit his face off, and he didn't even struggle, he deserved it... He had killed Atlas. He'd killed Damun. He felt his ruby heat up. No, no, don't fight back, he deserved this. But he couldn't stop it, flames erupted from his body, Fang caught fire, screaming she fell apart, then Rita, then Gale, all of them turned to ash. He stood, horrified, he was in one piece again, but all of their blood was on his hands. In his face, dripping from his hair, he was stanidng in a pool of blood, his friends lay dead before him, corpses. Everyone he ever met was there, all dead by his hand. One rose, it was Asha, one of the girls who they had saved from Baba. Her face was pale, drained of blood, and her throat was cut. He had tried to save her, he knew he had, but she'd died anyway. "Why didn't you save me, Flynn?" She asked, blood pouring from her eyes like tears. "You should have saved me. You were my hero... You failed me, Flynn." She walked forward. "You failed us all." She put her hands around his neck and began to strangle him. His sword fell. His arms dangled at his sides as his life was choked out of him. He felt something brush his hand. It was falling out of his pocket. He touched it, it was soft. He held it. It was the square of fabric she had given him. It was red, like his hair. She had believed in him. He held it tightly. It felt warm. She had thought he was a hero. He hugged her. "I'm sorry, Asha," He said to her. He knew it wasn't real, none of this was real. But he needed to apologize. He had killed so many people, maybe not his friends, but he had taken lives, and he had ot apologize for all of them. It wasn't a choice anymore, he had to be a hero, for his friends and for the people who needed him to protect them. Never again would he hurt them. "I will protect you, all of you, I promise." He pulled back and she smiled. Then she was gone. They were all gone. He was back in the big, empty, hot room. Alone. "Quite the force of will you have," the Demon was before him now. He couldn't have said when she appeared, but she was here. She was a young woman, she almost reminded Flynn of Rita, but her hair was long and fiery, and her eyes were cruel and full of hate, burning like fire. From either side of her head came horns, thick and strong, curving forward like the Gatekeeper's had, like a bull. They were black and smooth like polished jet. Her arms began as skin but faded into a burning molten rock, red with heat, magma spilling through the cracks. Rather than hands she had something more like clawed gauntlets. Her legs faded in the same way, into horse-like legs that seared the ground as she walked. An arrow-tipped tail flicked back and forth behind her, and fiery red batlike wings sprouted from her back. "Most people lose their mind by now." She was so calm, so beautiful, and yet so clearly malicious. "Most people? Am I not the first?" He asked. She shook her head. "Many Guardians have made it this far, if I call out to them. None have passed my test yet. Not until you." "Tirfi didn't mention..." "She didn't mention much, I'm sure," the Demon said. "She's not quite a liar but she does tend to tell only half-truths." Flynn looked at her. "What's your name?" "I do not have one, I am simply a Demon of Hatred." "I need to call you something. Demon sounds so... rude." "What a queer boy you are. I show you your worst nightmares and you wish to extend me pleasantries?" "I know you're just doing your job," Flynn smiled. "You're a Demon, I'm not going to hold a grudge, I came prepared for anything." "Curious," she muttered. "Very well, you may call me... Ifrit. I copied this form from Tirfi, why not take her name as well?" "That's what Tirfi looked like when she was young?" Flynn asked. "Sans the horns and other assorted Demon accesories, yes." "You mentioned she only told me half-truths, what did you mean by that?" "I see much beyond these wall," Ifrit said, "one learns other ways to see when they cannot move from their prison for hundreds of years. I know of your conversation with her. Indeed, the Guardians removed us from the stones to protect future Guardians from our influence. What she did not tell you is that we Demons are not simply an evil that found its home within the stones, we are a part of them. I am one half of the Ruby. With every light must come a darkness. The Ruby and every other stone is incomplete now. Their powers are weakened without us. They can still feed off of emotions like hatred, but without us they have no desire to spread. They are little more than braindead. I will not deny that this was perhaps a more fitting way for humanity to harness the stones. Much more useful to use something that can't fight back, isn't it? But I digress. She told you they seperated us and sealed us away. This is a quarter-truth at best. What she truly did was lie to me, trick me into trusting her, believing in her, and then betrayed me, sealed me away in here." "You trusted her?" Flynn asked. The Demon scowled. "She was the first Guardian. I chose her. We were partners. And she betrayed me." "So you sealed her here with you?" Flynn asked. Ifrit smiled. "I am a creature of hatred, one would do well to remain in my good graces." She sighed. "But these are old wounds long since healed. We have had much time here alone to discuss such things. I still hate the bitch and she hates me, but this issue is long since passed and nothing I wish to dwell on. Let us discuss why you have sought an audience with me, boy." "I want you to join our team." She raised an eyebrow. "Join your team? Most humans whose minds I look into seek my power to rule or to destroy or protect. Never have I been invited to be a teammate, and yet I can tell you are sincere. Such an odd child. One does not 'team up' with a Demon, one makes a pact with a Demon." "Then will you make a pact with me?" Flynn asked. "A pact risks your soul, boy. Are you prepared for that?" "Of course." "What is it you wish to protect so badly that you would risk your soul? I can sense it in you. The blonde boy? The little kids in the Sapphire city?" "All of them. Every one I can. All of my friends, all the innocents those masked men could hurt, even you." She laughed out loud. "You wish to protect me? I hold power your mind could barely comprehend and you claim you will protect me?" "Masked men are coming for you," Flynn explained, "and they aren't nice people. They want to use you for their own selfish goals, and I'm not sure they'll play nice. They have power like I've never seen, so even if you were to reject them... Maybe there's a chance that they could control you anyway. It's a small chance, but I want to protect you from that, and everyone else in the process. If they got your power..." "You fascinate me, boy," Ifrit smiled. "Perhaps I will make a pact with you after all. Never have I met such an intersting fool such as yourself. Very well. I will make a pact with you. I will house myself in your ruby. You will gain access to my power at my discretion. In return, if you should ever falter and let your hate overwhelm you I will take the chance to take control of your body. What I do with it at that point is my business." "Very well, Ifrit, I accept your terms." "Just like that?" Ifrit smirked. "You should think on this, I sense much hate in you, boy." The man in the blank mask appeared before him. He held his hatred at bay, he knew she was testing him. "If I run into him... Maybe I'll want you to take control." She licked her lips. "I'll hold you to that, boy." Without another moment's hesitation she turned to smoke and surged into the ruby. Flynn felt like he would explode, he'd never felt so much power before, he seized, fire erupted form every part of his body, he screamed, the heat was unbearable. He felt so much hate, an eternity's worth of hate and anger flowing through him. It seemed like a lifetime before it quelled. He was on his knees panting and sweating, the ruby was so hot in his wrist he wanted to remove it to check for burns. The he heard her voice. "Quite cozy in here, hm?" He jolted up. "What?" "I'm in your head, boy. This is part of the arrangement. Access to your ruby also gives me access to your mind," Ifrit said from inside his head. "You mean you can read my thoughts?" He asked. "Not quite," she said, "I have access to your memories and emotions but not the intricacies of your thoughts, I also share your senses, see what you see, feel what you feel, hear and taste what you do. I can turn that off at my will, however, such as if you were in a great deal of pain or eating something that displeased me, so torturing me into submission is out of the question." Torturing her? Who would do that? It was all unexpected, but he didn't have a choice now, at least she couldn't read his thoughts. "Well, I guess I had enough empty space up there for another mind anyway," he joked. She laughed. "You truly take all of this exceptionally well, boy. Now then, which of my siblings will we be retrieving next?" "Siblings?" "Of course," Ifrit said, "I am not the only threat to the stones, there are five of us, if you truly want to protect everyone you will need to take all of their powers for yourself." She was right. He hadn't thought about it, but there were five Demons, theoretically any one could be used to destroy at least one of the stones. They weren't nearly as close to their goal as he had previously thought. "I'll have to discuss that with my friends." "Ah, yes, the friends," She said, "I so look forward to meeting them after all  this time of observing them through your memories." Somehow that sounded like a threat.

When Flynn returned to Tirfi's room he saw all of his friends gathered around her. She was on the ground, unmoving. "What happened!?" He exclaimed. "She just... collapsed a few minutes ago," Gale said gravely. "She'd not breathing and she has no pulse," Rita added, "she died instantly." Flynn realized then, without Ifrit sealed here there was nothing keeping Tirfi alive. How could he have been so stupid! "Don't fret over it," Ifrit sighed, "She had lived a life far longer than any human has any right to." She wasn't wrong, but it was a twisted way to look at things. "Without Ifrit sealed she must have..." Flynn didn't want to say it- another death he was responsible for. "Ifrit?" Atlas asked. "Is that the name of the Demon? You got her?" Flynn nodded. "She's in... in the ruby. We made a pact." "So what, is she like, just trapped in there?" Gale asked. "She's in my head, I guess you would say," Flynn explained, "she sees and hears what I do, but I'm in control of my body, so long as I don't give her an opportunity to take over." "And what does that mean?" Atlas frowned. "We're playing a dangerous game here, making pacts with Demons." "Actually, funny you mention that," Flynn said uncomfortably, "she told me there are five Demons, and if we want to protect the stones we'll need to get them all." "I figured as much," Atlas sighed, "Tirfi had mentioned each stone had a Demon, we were discussing the possibity while you were gone. First things first we should just try to get out of this desert." Flynn looked at the body on the ground. "What about Tirfi?" "You needn't worry about her, she will be returned to the Ruby." Sure enough, as Flynn looked on Tirfi was fading away, bones and all. "Why is it taking so long? When Damun... It was instant before," Flynn said. "Why are you talking to yourself, dude?" Gale asked. "It's Ifrit," Flynn explained quickly, "she's in my head but she can't hear my thoughts, so I need to talk to her." "Are we sure he got a Demon down there and didn't just lose his marbles?" Gale joked. "My hold on her needed time to fully disperse, it was preventing her return to the stone," Ifrit expained. "What do we do with her ruby?" Flynn wondered. "Burn it like we did with Azar's?" Rita suggested. "That is the first ruby ever given to a Guardian, it deserves a better fate," Ifrit insisted, "Once she is gone take it in your hand, I will take care of it." Flynn wasn't sure he should be taking orders from a Demon, but he agreed that Tirfi and the ruby deserved better. He did as she said. His ruby and hers began to glow brightly and heat up. They started vibrating, he could feel them resonating within him, suddenly Tirfi's ruby began to move on its own and touched his. They glowed even brighter, a blinding light blocked the view, and when it was gone only Flynn's ruby remained. He could feel the power of the first Guardian in his own ruby, even more power was flowing through him now. "Well that was new," Atlas said. "I am a part of the ruby, I have the power to unite its pieces, and we will both gain power in the process," Ifrit explained. Flynn relayed Ifrit's words to the others. "That seems handy," Gale smirked. "Too bad we burned Azar's, it could be useful now," Rita said. "No use thinking of what we could have done or mourning a woman that's gone now," Atlas sighed, "let's get out of here, I am more than ready to be out of this desert." "I couldn't agree more," Rita laughed.

On the way out Flynn realized that the air had cooled and the lava in the walls was gone. It seemed these were all effects of Ifrit's energy. They had barely made it onto the sand before a sand worm attacked them. They had fought enough that it wasn't much of a real threat anymore, but it was always tiring. "Hold, boy," Ifrit said as Flynn drew his sword. "Just this once I will allow you a taste of my power, free of charge, I would enjoy the chance to stretch my legs." Flynn turned to the others. "Ifrit wants to take this one, guys." "You sure that's a good idea?" Atlas asked, "we still aren't sure exactly how much control she has over you." "Better to test her powers here than in a crowded city, right?" Flynn shrugged. Atlas sighed. "Okay, go for it, everyone else on standby in case something bad happens." "Excellent," Flynn could almost feel her excitement. His arm started to throb, he looked down and saw that the skin around his ruby was glowing and cracking, it lookeed almost like molten rock. The worm wasn't waiting any longer, it struck at him, he sidestepped the massive mouth like it was nothing- he was amazed at his own ability, he'd never moved so fast before. He dug his sword into it, flames erupted out, it left a deep cut where he could only make scratches before. He was still in control of his body but he could feel Ifrit guiding him, suggesting his movements, it was a team effort. The worm dug into the sand and after a moment exploded before them. Flynn jumped, he rose higher and higher, how could he jump that high? He reached the top of the worm that had seemed to touch the sky from the ground. He flipped forward and drove his sword into the worm's head. He felt Ifrit's power flare, fire erupteed from his sword, more and more and more, it felt like it would never stop, it spewed from the worm's mouth, then the cut he had made, then its skin began to tear allowing more and more fire to escape, finally it all caught in a massive pillar of flames and within moments in was a pile of ash. Flynn landed in the sand, amazed at his own ability. "That was my power, boy, not yours." She was right, he knew that. "Holy shit, man!" Gale exclaimed, "remind me to stay on her good side! That was ridiculous!" "And that was only a whisper of my power," she said, almost a seductively in his ear, "I can give you so much more... for a price." He looked at his arm, it was back to normal. His friends were all around him, talking about how impressed they were with him, and yet... he was scared. Could he keep something that powerful in check? If that was truly only a fraction of her power... what could she do if she got control of his body?