I had to explain everything in excruciating detail for Kamar. He wanted to know everything I knew about Cereus, like his height, the clothes I have seen him wearing. What kind of abilities he has shown, even the way he speaks.

What this was all adding up to, I have no idea. All these little details, from the ones I could remember, all seemed useless.

When Kamar was done questioning me, he fell silent. We walked along the poorly kept road in silence for a long time, not speaking.

I idly scan the forest, listening to the patter of rain. I am soaked to the bone, but I frankly don’t care much. My bag is waxed, preventing any water from gett inside it and ruining my supplies.

When we get to Coskana, I’m getting a new set of clothes.

I look at the giant gorilla man, I can see under his fur and thick hide corded muscle. His face is craggy, and if I had to say, he’s old. Maybe 20 or 30, I am not good at judging the age of a giant ape.

What is he exactly?

I have never heard of giant, talking gorillas before. And if I had to guess, he might be somewhere in the Steel stages. Maybe even Silver, but I have yet to see him use his Silver Sight.

I ask him, “Now that I have told you everything I know, what are you going to do now?”

Kamar looks at me thoughtfully. “I can only conclude that Cereus will, at some point, contact you again. It’s the most likely bet. So till then, I will be following you.”

I don’t like the sound of that.

Smiling politely, I say, “I don’t think-”

Kamar shakes his head, “You won’t convince me not to. I will follow you till he appears. Then I will kill him if he doesn’t tell me what he has done with the villagers.”

I want to object, but I know that if I couldn’t beat him before, I wouldn’t be able to now. Technically he didn’t defeat me either though…

Dismissing the thought, I look back at the four armed gorilla. I can see a determination in his face, much like my own to get revenge on the Tulnar that destroyed Amia.

I could sympathize with his anger.

We walk on, through the rain. I have to pull my boots out of the mud several times, but I’m past the point of caring. All I want is an inn or something.

Looking back at Kamar, I try to think of a way to formulate my question. I give up when I can’t find a better way to say it, “If you don't mind me asking, I have never seen an gorilla like you. What are you?”

Kamar laughed, he looked at me, “I am an Asper, but what humans commonly call my kind is Girallon.”

I furrow my brow, looking at the Asper. He had said the last bit with disdain. I get the feeling I shouldn’t call him a Girallon.

“I’ve never heard of your kind, where do they usually live?” I ask as we continue down the muddy road. If he is going to follow me, then I best get to know him. His weaknesses in particular.

Kamar thinks it over for a second, “My people generally live up in the mountains, but there are cases where some of them travel down to explore the world… Or for other reasons.”

I didn’t ask further on the subject questions. I could sense something personal there.

My boot gets sucked into the mud, and I nearly fall over from it. Getting back my balance, I lean down and wrench my boot from the mud. I’m going to have to clean these.

Kamar asks without looking back at me, “What are you planning to do?”

Thinking on my answer, I wait a minute before responding, “I want to get out of the Empire. I’m hoping to find a caravan that will take me part way there>”

“Why do you want to leave Traezar?” Kamar sounds somewhat curious, but there is also a hint of concern.

I hesitate, should I tell him?

“I’d rather not say.”

Kamar nods and doesn’t say anything else. We walk in silence again, and I listen to the patter of rain and the swishing of wind.

I need to find a way to ditch Kamar, I don’t trust him. For all I know, he could be working with the people who tried to kill me.

A second later, it strikes me how paranoid I have become. What am I thinking? There would be no way for them to know I’m alive. Even if they did, they wanted me out of the Talri clan, and I am. Why not just have Kamar kill me and be over with it.

Even still, I don’t want him following me. I don’t like the idea of someone I hardly know at my back.

We walk on through the storm, following the muddy and gently bending road. As we walk, I come up with possible plans to ditch Kamar.

***

Cereus looks over the people. Most of them are either in their night clothes or half dressed. They looks confused, terrified and some are even crying.

They look at him in fear, and many of them are pressed up against the invisible walls. They are in a large room, everything around is pure black and mist clings to the floor.

He can’t blame them, being abducted by a skeleton and transported to a strange place.

Cereus scans over them, most of the woman and children are hiding behind the men, who are trying to put up a facade of bravery.

Standing up straighter, Cereus holds out a bony hand, keeping the other behind his back. “I know you are terrified. You must think me some monster, a demon and devil. I cannot fault you for this.”

None of them speak, all just looking at his extended hand.

Cereus continues, “I do not wish to harm you, so there is no need to be scared.”

A woman clutching a baby to her chest says, “Then let us go!”

The skeleton man shakes his head, “I can’t do that. Due to constraints, I can’t let you go back to your village. But I can give you two choices.”

There is whispers among them, many of them angry and upset. A man that looks to be in his 40s steps forward and asks, “What are the choices?”

Cereus looks the man in the eyes, “I can relocate you to another world, one drastically different from what you know. I will leave you in a large city and from there it would be your choice on what to do.”

The man nodded, he looked confused and angry. “And the other?”

Cereus hold out his other hand, a dark, twisting ball of shadow rests in it. “For those who desire to stay on your world, pledge yourselves to me. I shall grant you power, and you shall serve me when I call upon you. You will act as my agents, my spies. I require more eyes than I currently have.”

There are shouts, many of them outrage and anger. One voice is louder than others, “That's slavery!”

Cereus nods, his bony grin seemingly widening. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

Someone chucks a boot at him, but it bounces off a invisible wall, falling to the ground with a poof of mist. He chuckles and waits for them to calm down.

Cereus would have rathered left the villagers back on their world, but he couldn’t. Due to various reasons, namely among them rules of the IDA.

IDA policy would have him either kill them, or put them in stasis for a indeterminable amount of time. But he could circumvent this rule by sending them to a prison planet.

Another loophole was that if he made them his “agents” they would be able to stay. Of course, he benefited the most from this.

The man in front of Cereus opens his mouth to speak, but the skeleton hold up his hand to stop him. “I have not finished speaking. If you wish to serve me, then you will also have to aid me in an upcoming battle. One that I fear I will be at a disadvantage.”

The people quiet down, looking at him. He stares back at them. Then he speaks again, “Those who wish to serve me, step forward.”

There were hushed whispers, and many of them looked at him with distrust. He chuckled quietly, I suppose this is like a deal with the devil.

“You may talk it over, if you wish. Take your time, I know this isn’t an easy decision.” Cereus says, folding his hands behind his back.

It takes a few minutes, but one boy who was standing in the back of the crowd steps forward. He has a determined and grim set to his dirt smudged face.

A woman in the back screeches, and follows her son. The father is a few steps behind. The woman grabs the boy by his ear and starts pulling him back saying, “Venel! You get back right now.”

The boy stumbles back, whining, “But ma!”

Cereus waves his hand and a black tendril whips up from the ground. It curls around the woman’s arm, stopping her cold in her tracks. “This is not a choice you get to decide, with all respect Ma’am. The choice is for everyone to decide, and Venel has decided. He is now in my employment, therefore, I cannot allow you to take him.”

The woman looks outraged, but she lets go of her son. “You can’t do this! He-he’s only a boy! He doesn’t understand.”

Cereus shakes his head. He stomps down on his rising emotions, and says in a measured tone, “If you do not like his decision, then you can join him.”

The tendril of darkness unravels from the woman’s arm, disappearing back into the mist covered floor.

The woman is crying, she bends down to look her son in the eyes. “Venel, you can’t make a deal with-with this demon! Tell him you don’t want to serve him! Now!”

The father looks down at them. His hands are curled into fists, the knuckles white. His face is grim. He looks up at Cereus.

The skeleton man grins back at him, his amber flame filled sockets looking the man in the eyes.

The thickly bearded man grimaces, and looks away. He puts a hand on his wife’s shoulder, squeezing lightly.

The boy, Venel, is crying, but he shakes his head, “No Ma, I want to be strong. And I don’t want to leave home.”

Crouching down, the man whispers in his wife’s ear. She weeps, but nods. Grabbing her son’s hand, she stands up and looks at Cereus. Her husband grabs her hand in a tight grip.

Cereus nods, looking at the rest of the crowd, “Anyone else?”

The man in his 40s steps forward and stands next to the family of 3. He is sweating, and there is a fire to his eyes.

A woman and man walk separately out of the crowd, they both line up.

Cereus scans the crowd of scared villagers, “That’s all?”

There is no response.

The skeleton man nods, looking at the 6 individuals lined up before him. Cereus waves his hand and the crowd is swallowed by a wave of mist.

His new agents looked shocked, the mother sputters, “What did you do to them?”

Cereus looks at her, “I only put them in stasis till I can send them to the world. They are fine.” Looking at all of them, he claps his boney hands. “Right! It’s time I make you into Corvus.”

“Corvus?” The woman at the end of the line asks, confused.

Cereus nods, “Yes. You could say you will become my… hooded pupils. Corvus.”

The villagers stay silent, looking at him.

Cereus snaps his fingers and tendrils of the black ground slither up their backs. The villagers try to move, but they are completely paralyzed.

Cereus gives a skeletal grin, “Now, shall we start?”

Tendrils slither up the villager’s limbs, encasing them. There are muffled screams and flashes of amber light from between the cracks.

Cereus hums the entire time.