The Life Giver

Sleeping eyes fluttered open as dawn warmed the cold horizon.

The creatures of night had yet to silence for the coming day, there was yet time to mate, to seek and to fight. Their sounds when blended together became melodic, the beauty of it not apparent at first but unmistakeable the longer he listened. Yet amidst those trilling melodies were the shrill cries that denied the order of music, cold and harsh. This was the song of morning in this world, gradually becoming familiar to his alien ears.

Matt could feel a headache building in the back of his mind, unrelated to the sounds of the night’s music, nor the chill that had settled into his body for the night. Numbly he crawled from the furs he’d buried himself under the night before, awakened by the air cool enough to mist his breath.

His mind was still lost within the dream that he’d lived within his sleep, a world and place that felt far too real to be nothing but a tired mind’s imagining. Vague thoughts and feelings had raced through his sleeping heart and mind, leaving them discontent from the fragments that they’d left behind. Sights, sounds and memories all forming together in the kind of nonsensical order that left him unable to recognise where one ended and the next began.

He could understand enough to recognise them as memories forged in another mind, with little question as to who they might belong to. The memories had largely been shattered as they were imprinted onto his own mind, a process that they couldn’t withstand, it seemed. Even so, he was still able to see clearly the occasional fragment that was quickly fading from his mind like a dream.

The strange memories had persisted to chase him all night, leaving him clutching at sleep that his body denied existed at all. With a sigh and groan he forced his body to stand, knowing that sleep would not return this night. Aches covered his body lesser than the day before, whether through healing or a growing resistance to the pain he wasn’t sure.

Lilith was still sitting quietly in the same corner of the tent as she had settled into the night before, focused on silent dreams of her own. Her posture was just as perfect as always, as smooth and unmoving as a stone at first sight, it was only with careful eyes that he could make out the gentlest of motions as she breathed. The stama darkening her pale skin shifting with only the barest of motions.

Careful not to rouse her from her sleep, Matt carefully slipped his shoes on before walking towards the tent flap. Gently pulling the weighted cloth aside, he stepped out of the small tent into the chill morning air.

A vague aura of light on the horizon hinted at the coming dawn, but was easily overwhelmed by the blue light of Seri still shining on the opposite horizon. Even with the combined light, this strip of land between forest and city was dark as night, unmoving and silent as the dead .

A light drizzle of rain still fell from the alien sky, pattering against his skin as a thousand separate pinpricks. Overhead, behind the veil of the occasional cloud, lay a shining canvas of thousands of stars, each one unique in colour and intensity, forging no pattern between them.

His eyes naturally sought the bright blue light that overwhelmed any other. The swirling light of Seri, still carving her way down towards the horizons edge.

“The resting place of souls, huh?” His voice lost in the silence of morning, as he stared up into the giant blue orb imagining it watching down at him from above.

Such a romantic idea was something of historical fairy tales to him. Their society had long since considered the idea of a soul absurd. Countless computer programs and AI had already determined the likelihood of a soul existing to be at almost nothing.

Mud sinking beneath his boots, he walked towards a nearby stone, standing above the puddles. Perching on that stone, his eyes sought the stars above. Not Seri, the apparent resting place of the dead, but rather the stars that were dulled by her brightness.

“Across the sea, she’s known as the life giver.” The gentle words flowed from the darkness behind him. Matt felt a calm presence approaching, but he wasn’t shocked, her footsteps having been audible for some time.

“The life giver?” He asked turning to Myra as she carefully walked up to him. His voice no longer forcing stress on his bond to Lilith.

Myra nodded, her eyes staring up into the sky. “Seri was given life by the great star above. A privilege she alone was gifted, a seat amongst the gods and a life by which to live. Yet this gift was a cruelty of a kind, for she never felt so alone when merely a stone.

“The gods dismissed her as lower life, a creature created, without value or worth to the immortals that had been, and would be, for eternity. Even her own creator showed her little comfort for her existence, let alone companionship in the darkness of the heavens.

“She sought for some way to make friends, to understand companionship. After many attempts, she found a way to give away her own life, temporarily to the stone below her. Thus, the world we know was born, our souls a gift from Seri, to return to her once we pass.

“In a way, we are all a part of Seri. Which is why we should never bring harm to others, as it only brings pain to ourselves. At least, that’s how the legends are told… I’m not sure I believe anymore.”

Her eyes hadn’t left the giant blue moon in the sky as it’s colours swirled. “If you talk to others, they have their own stories about her, some that she is dignified and charitable. Others say she is vain and selfish, hiding away the other stars by her light.”

Matt followed the path of her gaze staring into the unsteady blue light. Although it was spherical in shape, the colours within constantly transformed making it appear as if Seri were constantly shifting in a restless sleep. Making it appear as if she were alive. The gentle colours and motions set his mind at ease. “She’s beautiful.” He whispered.

“… She certainly is.” Myra replied, her words faint.

Myra was right that the stars seemed dulled by the presence of Seri in the sky. As if her presence was enough to dull their light. A simple case of light pollution that he’d become familiar with through his childhood learnings.

“What does the sky look like without her?”

Myra shifted in her stance, blue light reflecting as red from her tainted armour, “Every so often the skies darken without a hint of her light. Most people consider it a cursed day, a time for the demon’s to come out as the light dulls.” She turned, facing away from Seri, “Personally, I find it the most beautiful night sky I’ve ever seen. There are thousands and more stars out there that you can’t see on any other day.

“The difference is as much as when the sun falls past the horizon.” A few tears rolled down her cheeks, yet there wasn’t a hint of sadness to her expression.

Without words left to speak they maintained a gentle silence between them. Gradually the sun began to peek past the horizon, showing this wet world a hint of golden light and gentle warmth.

“Are you going out searching for my people again?” He asked, eyes scanning the forest for hint of their corruption.

“Yeah, they aren’t demons or mages, but for once they might be something even more dangerous.” She sighed, the sky that she was so enchanted by now dulled by the coming of dawn. “You be careful, if you come across a mage make sure that you strike first. Without your toys, I don’t think you’ll stand a chance otherwise.”

“Sure,” The word slipped from his mouth as he tried to suppress the concerns running through him.

Glancing at the forest, dark and alive, Matt spoke to Myra, who hadn’t yet left, “There is so much life here,” She turned to him, confusion filling her expression. “Not just the people, but the animals, the sounds. I don’t remember ever waking up to a world so alive. So very colourful.”

“It’ll dull after a time.” She said, giving up on the sky in favour of looking toward him, a spark shining in her eyes. “If anything, I find your own curiosity to be more interesting. No one else your age, looks to the sky with wonder anymore. No one hears the whistling of krickers and bugs and talks about how beautiful they sound. It’s like, through you I can see the world as I used to, before...”

She teared up again, “It’s like I can see what the world looked like when hope was still alive. All the while I’m impatient for the day when you become like the rest of us. Tired and broken.”

Matt didn’t know how to reply, the words she’d spoken filled with too much emotion for him to be able to reply with some vapid comment. “I… I’ve been tired and broken.” The words pried out his mouth as he subconsciously tried to keep them down. “I…”

When? When was it that he started to open his eyes to the colours of this world, rather than hiding in his own past. Myra saw him as he sometimes saw her, a presence filled with the innocence of youth, someone who hadn’t yet seen the darkness of the world.

Someone who was still alive.

“I think we’re more alike than you realize.” He murmured, unsure as to whether she’d heard.

Rising from his rocky perch, he said his farewells to Myra and headed towards town, growing uncomfortable. She offered him only cursory farewells in return, her focus returning to the distant sky above.

The sun had yet to break from the horizons grasp, but the light of Seri was enough to see by. Her reflections shining in countless puddles only adding to the light of this dawning day.

Dozens of extra tents had risen outside the city walls, forming a small town outside the gates. Between them were wagons and various animals tied up to posts. It was all incredibly unreal to Matt, as he felt that much more like an alien in this quiet world of puddles and tents, of alien creatures and strange blue lights in the sky.

As he wandered through the darkness one particular animal caught his eye. It wasn’t bound to a post as the others. It walked closer to him on its four legs, clearly interested in him.

The creature stood around the height of his shoulder, it’s wide head looking up to him without any expression he could make sense of. It suddenly let out a high-pitched cry, the sound of which made his joints resonate in resistance.

Before he had time to reach for the knife hidden away in his clothes, the creature threw itself at him. Forcefully enough to make him stumble backwards.

It rubbed its bristled frill on his chest, reminding him of the cat he’d cared for as a kid. For a moment of confusion, he stood in place letting the creature embrace him, frills flicking back and forth across him in a strangely comforting embrace as it sniffed strongly at the air.

As it let out a deep rumbling sound, he carefully reached out and stroked the feathers around its head, causing it to stomp in the mud with strong hind legs. Crooning mouth agape revealing the dozens of sharpened teeth in something that could compare to a smile.

Matt couldn’t help but offer a smile in return.

“Riffle!” A voice called out behind him, shocking the creature as its rumbling voice shifted into a lighter squeal of excitement.

The voice was strangely familiar but he couldn’t immediately place where he’d heard it from. Not until a woman jogged into sight, embracing the strange creature that had been harassing him for attention.

“Sashella,” He said the name with some hesitation, knowing that Arcide was likely to react quite badly to this news.

“Hmm? Who...?” She squinted in the darkness, eyes reflecting the rising sun, “ah, you’re Lilith’s pet!” She cried out in excitement, smiling madly.

“Not… really, but you got the right person at least.” He mumbled, hesitant about how to deal with her. As an afterthought, he considered it may have been better to pretend ignorance of her language again.

“Riffle seems to like you. Probably smells Lilith on you, she did always like Lilith.” Sashella continued where he left off, petting the creature in such a way that it was letting out a gentle humming noise, almost like a small generator.

“Didn’t think I’d see you again though.” She paused staring up at Seri, “I suppose fate still has a few tricks left for me.”

Awkward silence grew thick around them, with only Riffle unaware of it, happily prancing around uncaringly.

Matt feeling a growing unease decided to start the conversation, “So, how exactly do you know Lilith?” he asked her, while making sure that the person of topic wasn’t listening in.

“Oh, she and I go way back. After her mother invaded my… what was, my Kingdom, we had to go to a lot of peace meetings with the adults. She used to sneak off with me back then. The meetings were always boring, looking at maps, drawing new lines, then disagreeing, then drawing new lines, over and over.

“So, we went and did our own thing.” She spoke wistfully of the past walking Riffle around the tents, “That was back when I was a princess, of course. Though technically, I’m not sure that I’ve been disinherited yet. Mama and Papa are still sending people after me to try and bring me back.” She giggled lightly. Matt felt sorry for those sent after the woman.

“Why did you leave?” he asked, knowing that it had to do with Arcide but little else.

“I fell in love.” She sang in reply.

“And…?”

“I left to chase after him.” Her words spoken so lightly he thought he misheard.

“That was all? For that you gave up on your duties? You were able to just run away from it all?” His voice was quiet.

“I didn’t give up on my duties.” She replied firmly, smile still painting her face, “In fact, this is in a way a part of my duties.”

Matt looked to her with confusion.

“Well not officially or anything, but my Papa did the same thing before me. Spent a whole six years wondering the world as a disinherited prince before coming back home. His father barely lasted a month.” She laughed again quite playfully.

“We have to learn to live off our own strength, that’s what Mama told me. If we can’t survive as a normal man, then how can we hope to stand as Kings and Queens?” Riffle was still rubbing up to her, seemingly quite endeared to the girl.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be away for, but when I come back I’ll have to be ready to bear the weight of an entire kingdom. I won’t be able to spend my time happily like this anymore…” She murmured, her smile revealing a hint of sadness.

“Once I met Arcide, I knew that I wanted to see the rest of the world with him. Never imagined that I might be seeing and learning so much just by chasing after him.” She tied Riffle up to a post like the many others in this camp, as the creature let out a disappointed cry.

“What about you?” She asked turning towards him, “Are you running away, or are you running forwards?” Her question was met with silence for a time as Matt considered what she was asking.

“I don’t know.” He replied, looking up at the woman as she strode with confidence towards to the city gates.

“Well find out soon, else you’ll be wasting most of your life waiting, or running away.” She quickly disappeared, leaping through the gates with a determined smile.

Matt looked to the horizon, surprised at the amount of sunlight peaking over the forestry. Hastefully he followed the strange woman to the streets of the city, trying to understand the meaning of her words as his feet worked.

He paused.

There was no reason to, no sound or trigger for it that he could notice yet for some reason his eyes traced back towards the forest, instincts on fire. Squinting his eyes, he couldn’t see anything different from earlier, nothing that might have made him turn to look.

That, in itself, was strange.

Hesitantly he walked towards where his instincts guided, knowing that there was something just beyond conscious reach that he’d seen out there. Careful of threat, his hand reached for the knife secreted away in his clothes. Depending on what he came across hopefully he would buy enough time for a knight to aid him, should the trouble be too much for him.

Although he didn’t call for Lilith’s aid just this moment. If this was as he thought, then she would likely only get herself killed alongside him. Though if he hadn’t been sniped yet there must be reason for it. Believing as such he moved onwards, no longer hiding his footsteps.

The trees swayed and shadows moved, but somewhere in those motions was something that didn’t fit.

A shadow moving out of chorus.

A change in the tune of this forests sounds.

Confident now that he knew what it was, Matt strode up to the forests edge, turning his back towards where the camped Knights where currently resting with few in sight. His new allies at his back, he turned to face against those he’d once been coerced to consider allies.

With confidence, he stepped into the shadow of the forest, waiting to meet with the ghost that had infiltrated nature. Knowing the sort that were here, he didn’t foolishly seek them out, eyes wide open, he scanned the forest waiting for them to make contact.

“You didn’t follow protocol.” The words were neither an accusation nor a question as they formed from the nearest shadow which peeled itself up into form.

It was all too obvious from his posture that it was Lieutenant Johnson standing there, rifle levelled. The wolf himself.

He didn’t answer. Already he was preparing himself to face death.

“Lilith!” He screamed with his minds voice, “Lilith!”

With the threat now revealed, he hoped that her intervention might prove helpful. He had no doubt that if he’d approached with Lilith by his side, they’d both be dead by now, but if she came afterwards she might just scare him off for now. If he were an able distraction fighting may even be possible now that the enemy revealed himself.

“Rather than re-joining the mission you integrated with the locals. You turned your back on the mission and went AWOL. You turned your back on our people, on humanities future prospects and instead focused on your… animalistic… emotions.”

A drone silently lowered from overhead, playing a video in the air before them. He watched from the viewpoint of a drone, observing himself fighting against a drone swarm in the clay city.

Memories of the time flowed through his mind, his betrayal. It had all happened so quickly at the time, yet he had chosen then. Even if he’d yet to choose a side to stand for, he knew what he had to stand against. Gripping his knife he wondered if this was to be the outcome of his betrayal as he sought for some conclusion that ended differently.

“Not only did you destroy military assets, you also armed the enemy. Making it capable of destroying even more of our assets.” The video swapped across to Lilith attacking the drones, moving with far more precision than himself. “In fact, making the enemy far more formidable than they had been prior to your intervention.” The video changed across to the Knights being slaughtered by the drone swarm, managing to strike down countless drones at high price.

“Lilith”, Matt cried with his mind, growing desperate for another option out of this situation.

“Person Matt, what has you so panicked,” an unmistakeable voice asked him. Grikith, the demon that gave Lilith her strength.

The lieutenant continued to chide him with cold mechanical voice as Matt thought as quickly as he could for an escape from this situation. The man was mechanical, precise. He would not pause to speak with a dead man, or interrogate a man before taking him away.

For whatever reason, this man held doubts in his conclusions as he spoke them.

“My people are here.” Matt told the demon, “Get Lilith moving, I don’t know what they’re planning…”

Silently he felt the demon moving, without time to waste he focused on his interactions with his own people. “I knew what I was doing.” He interrupted, voice firm as he spoke.

The lieutenant was not used to being spoken to so briskly, so confidently.

He paused. The crack in his confidence growing wider with every word.

“I’m working on something important.” Matt turned to face the man, ignoring the rifle in his hands. “Currently I have only little time to spare, so if you would be quick.”

After a while there was reply from the shadow standing above him, “What were you doing?” Firm, hiding what hesitance the man had in his voice. Matt smiled.

“I was investigating the enemy.” A reasonable action to take. “It was clear from our first engagement that there is too much we didn’t know about the enemy capabilities.” The man’s own exact thoughts. “The System has constantly been met with foreign variables, that make accurate predictions impossible.” The only explanation for the damages they’d received thus far in this war.

“The margin of error has been consistently too high for a high stakes engagement. Something needed to be done to rectify this, and increase the odds of success with all future interactions.”

The lieutenant shifted in his armour, out here there was no direct connection to the System for order verification. He had to make this decision for himself. He had to choose what to do with new information, just as Matt had when separated from his team.

“The System requires more information?” He finally asked, “Why didn’t I get told this?”

Matt felt relief wash over him for a moment, “It wasn’t a critical aspect to your mission. Were you ordered here to make contact with me?”

“No,” He verified, “We separated from the main group in order to require military assets that might prove dangerous in the hands of the locals.” The lieutenant spoke hesitantly for once. “We have no orders in relation to yourself.”

“Good, because right now you need to leave. Your position here is not safe from enemy eyes and could easily interfere with my mission parameters. I am gathering valuable intelligence and need more time to finish my objectives.”

“The drone swarm?” The shadow asked, the last of his doubts raised.

“I needed to ingratiate myself to the locals. No better way than to help protect them from a common enemy. I’ve been able to become close with one particular specimen, in fact, largely by arming her with my pistol.

“The likely hood of her reproducing the weapon is at near zero percent, while the data I collect off of her is invaluable. Eventually she will need to be eliminated but for the time being the mission is functioning as a success, as the System will deliberate after accessing this report from your drone.”

Matt quietly waited for the man who’d once stood as his superior. The black armour made him fade into the background of the forest, another shadow. Yet there was something different about him now than there had been before.

Or perhaps the difference was in Matt.

The pause ended quickly, as shadows returned to nothingness and Matt stood alone in the forest at the edge of the city. As he stared into nothingness he wondered how long he would survive. He held valuable information that the System desired, it was possible that he would be snatched away in the night as soon as his betrayal became apparent.

The System wouldn’t fall for such a simple lie.

As soon as he faced the city again, Lilith filled his vision. Her short figure demanding attention as her cold eyes scanned his own. She held sword in one hand, pistol in the other, each glimmering with a hellish crimson.

“There were others, machines?” She finally asked. The words spoken in her own tongue, a breeze lifting her long silver hair.

“People, my… Okiniu.” The word felt right as he spoke it, “I convinced him that I was gathering information, that I was on his side.”

“Are you?” She asked, voice serious, pistol firmly in her grip.

“If I was, would I tell you?” He turned away from her, walking instead towards the city where his work was waiting for him. “Thanks,” he said without facing her, “You came.”

“Not to save you.”

“Regardless.”

“I won’t be eliminated.” She said before he left earshot, her voice firm, accusatory.

Pausing for moment, a breeze washed over him and Matt wondered for a moment how he felt about this woman who stood at his back.

“You’re going to have to get stronger then.” He replied, voice distant as he stared at the fading stars in the sky. “Everything fades away when a stronger force appears.”

“If you believe that, why are you here? Why did you tell us so much about how we might win this? Why didn’t you just go home like all the others?!” The last a yell as she swung her sword across the horizon for show.

Her breathe was heavy and her eyes tense, she looked at the forest hands quivering on her weapons. The flashing of red in her eyes was impossible to miss.

“I knew someone once.” Matt cleared his throat, but no matter how hard he tried there was something there that he could not swallow back. “Someone much better than me.”

“The girl.”

“The girl,” Matt replied, “Ren. When I was younger I would have done just as you say. I would have followed along, been a good soldier, killed and died without the slightest hesitation. All because I knew fighting against the System was impossible.

“She was different. She knew everything I did and more, yet she still tried to find a way. Even when everyone else lost hope, she’d find a way.”

Lilith was gradually letting down her guard, weapons lowering as she listened, “She didn’t win.”

“Maybe not, but she taught me a new way of thinking. That winning and losing didn’t work the way they taught us. That so long as we were able to smile, to live without regretting our actions, that that alone is a victory.

“We aren’t going to survive this, but maybe I can smile for a while longer because she saved me. Maybe I can save others for a while longer, and show them what she showed me. Maybe I can take her place, just for a while longer.”

Lilith sheathed her weapons, striding back towards their tent, “I’m going back to sleep.” Her words leaving him in his own silence.

They spared no more words as he left behind the forest and camps. There were still many things that he had left to say, but now, he had trouble finding voice to them. The memories of grief sending tremors through his limbs as he tried to pretend as though everything was okay. To pretend as though this life were still worth living.

The guards at the gate glared at him, but no more than usual. Their eyes filled with a general sense of spite, but not hatred, not fear. Regardless he kept his knife ready to draw, these men wouldn’t get the better of him.

Beneath the shuffling of their mismatched sets of armour he could make out the weaknesses in their frames. One had a weak left arm, the other a slight limp in one leg. Their dull eyes were not as sharp as a watchmen’s should be.

“Worthless shit.” The guard mumbled, spitting at the ground where Matt walked. He ignored them, walking past without showing them too much of his own face.

Listening closely, he overheard them saying the same thing to the next labourer to walk through the gates. Their distain of the foreign workers showing through quite heavily, for what reasons he could only surmise. These labourers were rebuilding the city in which they lived.

For what reason would they despise such men? For what reason could you hate the man rebuilding your own home?

The flow of labourers was heavy this morning, countless men having strode through the same gates as Matt, already formed up into their groups and began chatting as they tended to do. Their large frames making them impossible to mistake for the locals that lived nearby who seemed to cower at the sight of the men.

Matt noticed for not the first time the young children and frail people who seemed to find life in the streets. There was something different about them when compared to others who’d only recently had their homes fallen.

They didn’t seem to mind the mud staining their faces or the holes in their clothes. They walked around, not with pride or confidence, but as if they were used to it all already. These people were quick to make room for the much bulkier labourers that passed through. Others, though, were not so quick.

Those which were slower wore clothes still retaining colour and hint of the grandeur they’d once had. They were lucky when they were ignored Matt learnt, watching as they were harassed by labourer and guards alike. Mostly they were met with violence, trampled over when they didn’t move or struck when they stood in the way of traffic.

That was not all though, many of the women were harassed with words by the men who stood at his side. “Show a little gratitude to the real men. Your husbands couldn’t keep the walls standing, show us how much you want them back up.”

The women were quick to disappear after words were slung their direction. Though Matt couldn’t understand the meaning the man had tried to express, there was a certain unsavoury flavour to the words that grated at him.

“I’ll find you after I’m finished working for the day.” The man continued to the woman’s back, words filled with confidence as he laughed with the men beside him. Matt tried to ignore them as they continued on ahead of him.

Ahead Matt noticed Arcide sitting on the side of the road, a small bag resting on his lap. No one took particular notice of him, and the mud faced locals didn’t dare sit near to him, for his more distinct appearance.

He seemed to be talking to the bag, which was shifting around in a lively way. As he approached he could make out some of the words aimed at the bag.

“Keht! Stop moving so much, someone will notice.”

Matt paused at the sight, almost exclaiming in surprise when a small head peeked out from the opening of the bag. The head resembling that of a lizard, had become twisted in the face of a demon.

“Matt, you’re here. I was starting to wonder if you were coming back. After yesterday, the wall, the… woman.” He laughed nervously as he hid away the demon in his carefully prepared bag.

Matt nodded to the man, unsure about how he should respond.

“Keht?” he asked finally.

“Ah, yeah. Well after you left him with me I kind of needed to give him a name. So, Keht.” He stood up shouldering the bag as he led them towards the meeting location, “We need to get moving.”

Keht, the small demonic Kricker poked his nose out from the bag peering towards Matt with glowing eyes.

“This person is an agreeable partner, but you still owe me.” The gentle flow of thoughts were delicately strung together, still as frightened as a young child.

“Why’s that?” Matt asked the creature quietly.

“You barely did anything to assist me in finding him. It is hardly fair compensation for the both of your lives.” The creature made a good argument before crawling back into the bag, hiding from sight.

“You can begin paying me back by keeping those monstrous creatures away from me.” The thought accompanied by a vision of Lilith in her armour, sword drawn and a lethal look in her eyes.

Almost the complete image of her when she’d first cornered him not so long ago. Matt found himself without words to disagree as they walked towards the meeting point, uncertain of how he was supposed to do anything if Lilith ever actually found out.

“What do you think?” Arcide asked, his voice full of concern.

“I… sorry, I wasn’t listening.”

“About the way they talk to the people here. I mean, I never liked how badly these people treated me and others of the like when I was here last, but this doesn’t seem right either.” He said, staring at the men harassing an elderly couple who wore the proof of having lived on the streets.

Matt hesitated to reply, not knowing what the man beside him was expecting. After a pause, he let his thoughts flow free, “It doesn’t feel right.”

Arcide nodded, “I’m glad we’re of a mind then.” A smirk appeared on his face as he snatched Matt by the shoulder and dragged him towards where the men were standing, their group numbering around the dozen.

“Why should we have to pay for it?” A tall labourer asked, his brutish size only enhanced by the unruly hair that flowed down his face.

“Please sir, we are already giving it to you at a discount.” The elderly man’s voice barely even seemed to register to the man standing over him. “We have a granddaughter to take care of, we can’t just give it to you.”

The larger man was clutching tightly onto a shirt which seemed to stand out amongst all the mud of this fallen city. He was making a show of it, holding the cloth high into the air as he admired it.

“Well consider it your thanks for my efforts rebuilding your home. Or don’t you want your granddaughter growing up under a roof?” The group laughed at the old man as they walked away.

“Hey!” Arcide called out to the man, “I know that the wall was broken but I thought they were still keeping bandits outside of the city gates.”

The group paused turning back to the man who dared to challenge them.

“That old man was spitting at men like us in the street just a month ago, and you want to protect him?” The man cracked his knuckles, “Who do you think you are, anyway. Not like you could even protect yourself, and you think that you can act all high and mighty!”

“Let me tell you, no king that lets the walls of his kingdom fall, is gonna protect a little puke like you.” As he swung, Matt waited. Instincts kicking into place, as he grabbed onto Arcide’s shoulder and pulled just at the right moment for the punch to miss.

Without wasting a single motion he used his forward momentum to plunge his fist into the larger mans side. He could feel bones breaking beneath his knuckles.

Matt quickly stepped back giving himself some room to deal with the rest of the gathered men. There was a slap from the mud at their feet as the first man fell clutching at his side as he struggled to maintain composure.

Arcide, who seemed stunned at the sudden fistfight stared at the fallen man in confusion.

The rustling of armour preceded the guards arrival, signalling the end of the fight that was just about to break out. The elderly couple who’d been targeted by the thugs were quick to intercept the guards telling them all that had happened in a quick rush of words.

In less than a moment the men disappeared in separate directions, all heading for dark alleys where they could best avoid pursuit.

Matt stood by Arcide’s side, waiting for the man to regaining his composure, as the guards and elderly couple spoke at length.

“Thanks, I didn’t think they’d turn to violence so quickly.” Arcide murmered as he took a step back, his eyes returning from the distant horizon where they’d been focused. “I’m used to talking men like that down, but he was just…”

“It’s fine.” Matt replied, looking over to the guards hopeful that they wouldn’t make an issue out of this.

Upon noticing his look, the guards spoke to them, “You two, hurry along. Your supposed to be rebuilding this city, leave the law and order to us. If you work hard enough we might see you in uniform before too long.” The man smiled to them as he pushed them along.

They nodded quietly and made for the meeting that they were already running late for.

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” Arcide asked as they both ran through the shattered city.

“Training.” Matt replied unable to say anything more.

Ahead, Matt noticed a familiar man stumbling down the thoroughfare clutching at the side where he’d been punched not moments ago. A suspicious hooded young woman was waving him forwards towards a darkened alley. The man apparently didn’t notice the flash of steel before it was too late.

His, now limp body, was quickly dragged down the alley and out of sight.

Sashella.

Matt thought a moment too late, thinking back to earlier this morning. He’d just gotten a small glimpse at the true danger that she posed, not least to Arcide, or anyone who dared to threaten him.

Clearing his mind Matt pretended not to have seen that incredibly dangerous scene, focusing on the road ahead which was still littered with labourers like themselves. Most of whom didn’t seem to mind how late they were.

Their faces were all too often filled with some level of amusement as they talked to one another. Much more friendly than they had been only the previous day, but even so, few even gave Matt and Arcide a second glance as they walked past.

Matt did what he could to ignore them, and keep out of their path, afraid to get too close to any of them lest they discover something they shouldn’t. Strangely he felt a comradery with Arcide for having many of his secrets already shared, the companionship of partners in crime.

Shortly thereafter, they’d managed to reach the meeting location, where the same short man from the day before stood above them all with a long parchment fluttering in his hands, they walked in on his speech already half finished.

“As such a few minor changes have been made. Yesterday’s work was acceptable, but you are now to be split into groups more permanently. These people are to go with this guard to their work assignment. The rest will be split up into teams as they were yesterday.

“From here on in, these groupings are permanent and you will follow all orders regarding when, and where to meet from your groups officer.”

The man read out a list of unfamiliar names, the sounds of them strange to his ears. Unexpectedly a pair of familiar names were called out, “Matt, Arcide,” the man continued on without pause as his voice cut through the crowd.

Arcide strode forwards without hesitation, leading the confused Matt towards the guard waiting for them. The man’s face was tense as he looked over the group of them gathered together, bringing bile to Matt’s throat.

He wondered, all the while, whether the previous days exploits had been noticed by someone better left ignorant.