by Jarod Meyer
“How did he wrestle them from you?” Shou asked.
“Oh, the beast Karma didn’t absorb my soul, but he very nearly killed me. It left me for dead in one of its tunnels. I was in no shape to fight, and Francois my second in command…didn’t have to lift a finger. Took my castle, took my minions by right. Eat or be eaten here in Dichonia.”
“Why didn’t he simply kill you?” William asked.
“Little vermin was probably scared of me. Left me alone here to rot,” Kavin muttered.
William enjoyed hearing of Kavin’s rise and fall. It gave him a much closer perspective on the territorial disputes in this world. The struggle for power was constant, as he had already seen.
After finishing his tale the old man was eager to hear of William’s life, specifically his ascension to Archonia. He was still leery of giving away too many details about his life in Archonia, for fear that he would slip up and his secret quest here would be betrayed. Kavin may have known that he was from Archonia, but he didn’t know why he was here.
After William told a short tale of his second life he listened to his two new companions’ stories.
“I was an officer in the great army under Mussolini In the second world war. Though I never agreed with the nationalist socialist movement, I followed orders that I will regret for my entire existence,” Leopoldo said.
“We must all answer for our deeds on the mortal plane,” Kavin said, nodding. If they only knew, William thought, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
“What of you, Shou. I would know of all my companions past lives. We will soon be comrades.” Kavin said.
“I was Samurai of the Yamato clan in Japan. My people won a lasting peace, but I killed many men. When I was shamed with defeat, the creators saw fit to give me a second chance at life. I fought the reapers and lived in the world between worlds for many years, until I was finally captured and dragged across the planes here, to Dichonia,” Shou finished.
William noticed that the two men left out the part of their story that involved Achilles. Kavin seemed happy simply to have company, and by the end of his companion’s stories he spoke up.
“Well, your stories are moving, and I have decided to help you, and face Karma once again,” he said.
William didn’t know what gifts this man had hidden, but he was sure that in his current state that Kavin would only be a detriment to their task.
“Speed is of the essence in this task. I’m afraid that you won’t be able to keep up,” William responded, speaking as politely as he could.
“I will forgive your arrogance once again, young William. You are correct that I am not as swift as I once was, however, I may still prove useful. If it is speed you are worried about, you may carry me. Now if it is your intention to seek this demon out tomorrow I suggest you take you rest,” he said, nodding curtly.
William was left speechless. With the lingering fear from his two companions William knew that the small man wasn’t all that he appeared. He just hoped that it wasn’t exaggerated.
The little man hobbled over to a small bed in one of the huts nooks, and was soon silent. Leopoldo’s wore an excited expression.
“Did I hear him correctly? He is going to fight with us?” Leopoldo whispered.
“He swore to us the last time we came that he would never face the creature again,” Shou said, shaking his head in amazement.
“That begs to question what his intentions are,” William added.
“It does not matter. We need all the help we can get,” Leopoldo said.
Soon William’s comrades were in a trance. They seemed to sleep, unlike Archonians, and he wondered if their minds worked differently here, or if their meditative states simply looked different.
William thought he was the last awake, but he felt eyes upon him again, and turned, finding the old hermit watching him.
“I thought I advised you to meditate,” Kavin said, adding another log to his dying fire.
“I’m no fool. You agreed too easily and too quickly to help us,” William said.
“Perhaps I was feeling generous,” Kavin replied.
“I doubt that. You have turned away everyone seeking your aid before this. Why help me?”
Kavin looked into the fire, the flames glowing against his eyes.
“There is a fire in you, a strength that will not be quenched easily. And that sword on your back, Archon forged isn’t it?” he said, after a lengthy pause.
William didn’t reply to the question.
“You must be powerful to command such a respect from these Dichonians,” William said, indicating the meditating men beside them.
“Very well…if you must know. I have chosen to aid you because you are the first soul seeking the creature with a noble cause, and not a selfish one,” Kavin offered.
The truth rang in Kavin’s words, quelling William’s curiosity. This was a surprising reason, but at least he believed it. No more words were exchanged and he watched the flames with Kavin, soon slipping away into a dream.
* * *
William’s eyes opened to a blinding light. Gabriel stood tall and strong, his hand outstretched. William reached for him, but it was too far to grab. He began to run, but couldn’t grab onto the warm hand.
A flash consumed Gabriel and he was left standing alone in the last place he had seen of the mortal world. A dark alleyway filled with shadows. In the middle of the Alleyway he saw a body lying prone on the ground. It was broken, blood pooling around it. The dark hair and smooth skin were unmistakable. It was Angelica.
Two shadows slid off the walls, and formed into the shape of humans. William soon recognized Katrina and Tamara as they moved to stand over Angelica’s broken body. They each drew a small dagger, their faces sinister as they began to stab her over and over again. William tried to stop them, but his body was paralyzed.
A third figure emerged from the darkness. Vanity’s pale, smiling face filled William’s mind, a cackling laugh shaking him down to his core.
* * *
William was sweating when his eyes opened. He let a deep breath out to even himself out and looked around. The other men were still sleeping.
William didn’t know how long he was out, but it couldn’t have been very long. The sky was still pitch black, and nothing moved outside of the hut. He was too frightened to try to meditate anymore so he sat for the remainder of the night. When the sky began to lighten William shook his companions awake. To his surprise when he turned to Kavin. The man’s dark beady eyes were already locked onto him.
“Bad dreams, my young friend?” he asked.
“Time to head out,” William replied, not bothering to answer the question.
Leopoldo and Shou gathered what gear they had and made ready to leave. William turned to them.
“I won’t ask you to risk yourselves. I ‘ve already ruined Tamara’s life here,” he said.
Leopoldo responded, “Shou and I have chosen our side. We wish for redemption, as you have earned. We do not like our Karma here. We must act now, in the hope that our next life will be filled with good things,” he finished.
William looked to Shou.
“Tamara is our friend. We will fight for her,” the samurai added, stone-faced.
“Okay. Do we think four people can take down this demon?” William asked.
No one responded. They didn’t seem to feel as optimistic as he did. At the very least, with Kavin along he wouldn’t be walking into this thing blindly.
The morning was murky when the small band of warriors headed out. Leo jumped on Shou’s back, and William hoisted up Kavin. This would allow them to move much faster.
Kavin gave William directions, and they set out. The route was off the roads most of the way, and according to Kavin it was a much quicker route to their destination, however the trail was treacherous. William had to contend with cracks in the stone underfoot, as well as sinkholes, bramble bushes, toxic smog, and a hundred others things that could trip them up, trap them, or
worse.
With every step forward William thought of Tamara, and hoped that she was not enduring any pain on his account. He made her a promise, and he intended to keep it.
The group sped along smoothly at first, but after a while they felt a great rumble beneath their feet, and William tripped. William looked around after nearly falling on his face. It looked as if they were in a swampy bog. Where William’s feet quickly sank into the mushy ground. Another great rumble vibrated below them, and Shou, who wasn’t quite as fast as William, caught up moments later.
“Wyrms, young one. What you hear are Wyrms. They like this marshy wetland,” Kavin said.
“Great,” William breathed.
“Not to worry, William, I need a good stretch anyway. By the feel of it they are not very large. It should be child’s play,” Kavin said.
William had no idea what he meant by stretch, but the small, stopped man dropped from his shoulders.
“Draw your sword, friend,” Shou said.
Without question, William unsheathed Gungnir with a swift spin, and then flourished it about a bit. Gungnir felt like a part of him now.
The rumblings began to get closer together, and William watched as the murky water bubbled. A group of monsters violently burst from the muddy ground. They were long like snakes, covered in thick armored plates that formed into spikes, and had gaping maws full of long teeth. The beasts were around and amongst the small group, and Shou soared into the air with Leopoldo still on his back, but the old man jumped off, pulling out his bone sword. With a cry he slashed at the creature nearest him, but the blade deflected off its armor plating with an unsatisfying clunk.
Shou’s blade whipped like lightning, his sword cutting easily through the scales.
William wasn’t going to let them have all of the fun, and two Wyrms shot out of the mud towards him like a dolphin springing from water. William spun Gungnir above his head, and it molded with his mind turning into a chain with a mighty starburst ball at the end. It spun in a whirlwind, and hit both of the creatures in sequence, reducing their heads to a bloody pulp. Then he ducked as another lunged at him from behind and Gungnir turned into a glistening pike. It lunged upwards, impaling the creature, and with a slam William brought it to the ground.
The beasts he felled were not large. Not compared to another creature that appeared through the mud next to him. It was easily the size of a car.
Oh hell.
The large wyrm slithered around behind William, snapping its maw shut. Leo lunged and landed another meaningless attack against the thick armor. William side-stepped and slashed, missing the creature’s soft underbelly by a few inches. The side step maneuver had been intended to put him out of reach of the monster to his left, while dispatching the car sized Wyrm in the process, but it failed, and the large monster curled its thick body around him, contracting quickly.
The beast’s spikes screeched against his armor, puncturing it in places, but luckily not enough to reach flesh. His arms were still free and he buried his sword in between two of the armor plates, twisting and turning the blade as it sank deeper into the creature’s body. The maw tried to bite down on Williams head but he raised an arm and the teeth closed onto his vambrace instead, instantly creasing the metal.
His sword was now stuck, and with one arm he couldn’t find the leverage to pull it free. He let go of the hilt and gave the head of the creature a few punches to what he hoped was the face. The beast was contracting harder around him now and he was afraid his armor wasn’t going to hold.
Son of a bitch.
William wriggled and struck, but wasn’t getting anywhere. Both he and the creature stopped wrestling when a roar filled the air. A huge hand wrapped around one of the wyrm’s spikes and William’s feet hit the ground as the Wyrm’s death grip was released. With a squelching pop it was ripped in half, the creature’s innards slopping all over William. He stood in amazement as a giant ogre of a creature flung the two halves of the Wyrm into the bog.
The strange ally had huge arms, much longer than its legs, and a large hump on its back. Loose hair covered its head, and its face was mangled and disfigured.
Kavin.
The rest was interesting to watch as the ogre decimated the remaining Wyrms with violent jerking strikes. Finally Kavin lumbered back over towards him slowly regaining his small stature.
“That was… neat,” William said, holding his arms up away from his body, watching as the Wyrm’s guts dripped to the ground.
“Indeed, young warrior, things are not always what they seem. It felt good letting my old strength course through these veins,” Kavin said, showing his disgusting array of mangled teeth in a crooked smile.
William didn’t mind how ugly he was anymore. What he just witnessed was a beautiful thing, in his opinion. The creature Karma seemed to be within reach.
William watched Shou walk over to one of the lifeless Wyrms, and cut into its belly. To his amazement Leopoldo flowed out with the guts, gasping for air.
“Leo. What happened? Did one of these little wyrms get the better of you?” Kavin asked.
“I’m sorry, Kavin, I’m just not as strong or as fast as you all,” he replied.
“Well, luckily it seems you got out without a scratch,” William offered. Shou shook his head.
“Our friend here does not get scratched easily. He may be slow, but he is hard,” Shou said. William’s suspicions were confirmed.
“Show me,” he stated. Leo rolled his eyes, but he held his arms up, and dropped his head as if welcoming an attack. Shou drew his sword, and with a whip of the blade landed the sharp edge against Leo’s left side. The blade twanged, glancing off with a spark, as if it just hit stone. William’s eyebrows raised in surprise.
“It seems you aren’t completely useless after all,” William scoffed. Leo scowled.
“I’m only kidding. I was waiting to see your gifts. We’ll have to work on speed and strength later,” William said, walking over to Kavin. “Come on, we need to keep moving. No more stops.”
Leo climbed on Shou’s back once more, and Kavin on William’s, and they continued their journey.
William was pushing Shou to his limits. The thought of another attack on Archonia ever on his mind. Now he added the dread of Tamara being tortured or killed to the list William felt Kavin’s strong hand squeeze his shoulder.
“There it is,” Kavin said, pointing ahead.
William skidded to a halt, and followed the small man’s finger. Nearly a mile away, and unmistakable against the desolation, stood a large hole in the ground.
It appeared perfectly round, like it was put there by design, the ground around it rising in a lip, like a crater. The trees and scrub formed an equally perfect circle around it, like the ground was rotten and unable to sustain even the lowliest forms of life.
William resumed his run, taking only moments to close the gap. Shou caught up, and let Leopoldo down to the ground to stand next to Kavin.
William pulled the map from his belt, and looked it over again. He read it aloud to himself.
“Down into blackness. Right of the flame. Under the water, and into the pain,” he whispered, searching each word for deeper meaning.
William glanced over at Kavin, who wore a solemn face.
“Is there any other advice that you can share with us? Anything else we should expect, such as creatures or traps?” William inquired, slowly kneeing down next to him.
They eyed the large hole warily, as if it was going to jump out and swallow them up.
“No creatures dwell anywhere near this demon, and it has no need for traps. Its prey always comes looking for it, so it has no need to hunt. There is only one thing that you should know. Do not trust your eyes. They will deceive you in this place. Trust your other senses,” he offered, before hobbling over to the edge of the pit.
“Are you ready for this?” William asked the group, watching Kavin’s tiny form fall out of sight.
They each nodded in response.
“We’ll need to work together. For Tamara,” William added seriously.
They each nodded again, but looked as worried as he felt. With his two companions William walked over to the edge of the pit and stood. No one moved for several minutes. They just stared into the depths, contemplating.
Considering his haste to get here, William realized that he wasn’t necessarily in such a hurry to jump in. Standing there, staring death in the face was simply terrifying.
“Down into blackness. Right of the flame. Under the water, and into the pain,” William said once more, and then jumped feet first into the dark pit.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE REBELLION
It had been three weeks since Katrina’s panic attack in the bathhouse. She hadn’t told a single soul about what happened. Luckily nobody overheard her sobbing uncontrollably.
She felt William that night even though he was possibly thousands of miles away. She sensed him as if he was standing right beside her. The next few nights after this happened she entered the bathhouse in hopes of replicating this feeling, but failed. Her frustration was mounting and the martial arts sessions did little to sway these feelings.
Since them Katrina was keeping to herself as much as possible, speaking with Parsa and Samuel only when the need arose. Mostly, she engaged in her daily Kung Fu sessions with her stoic teacher. She was practicing harder, and by now she could do nearly fifty different forms in a continuous cycle, before starting over.
She now practiced with the rest of the group, silently moving with poise and strength through the same poses. She pushed herself harder and much longer than the rest of the group.
Sweat dripped from her brow as she bowed with the group, their daily session coming to a close. The rest of the people dispersed, but Katrina stayed and fell back into her fighting stance and continued.
She was about to start her routine again, when she noticed that her teacher remained behind and watched her intently. She waited for the woman to signal her in some way, and flinched when the woman spoke.
“I have not spoken in nearly six months. I have decided to break my silence, because I can see that you are in need of a clearer form of communication,” her teacher said.
