"That is not good enough." The Spider Kin said after hearing Andrew's account of what happened inside the castle. "Go back inside and listen to their plans. Find out what they know." "Fine." Andrew said. Now that Eric was gone he wasn't too worried about going back to the castle. We shouldn't trust them, Andrew. Andrew agreed with Shimeirin. He figured that as soon as he had done all he could the Spider Kin would turn on him. We're probably safer inside the castle. "Are you sure Andrew?" Rah'asu looked as suspicious as Andrew felt. "Yeah!" Insu shouted from under the floorboards. "We shouldn't trust someone who steals a sleeping friend!" You said it Insu! Shimeirin yelled inside Andrew's head. "Promise that you will leave me and my friends alone after everything is over and I will do all I can short of murder." Andrew hoped negotiation was possible. "We promise." The voice said. Silence. Andrew turned to Rah'asu. "I better get back to the castle. I'll see you again." Rah'asu looked like she would argue but merely turned to look outside. "Be safe." "That seems like that's all I've been trying to do recently." Andrew sighed. Rah'asu looked at him and smiled a sympathetic smile. "Yeah." Insu's head popped out of a hole and for once he looked serious. "Good luck, Andrew. Rah'asu and I will be OK." Andrew looked at the two of them. "Thanks. You two be safe too." Ask them what they will do. Shimeirin feels bad they have to stay here. "Shimeirin wants to know what you two will do while I'm gone." Andrew relayed. Rah'asu began to say something but Insu spoke first. "Explore! This city is so big and there are so many things to see. It will take days!" Rah'asu shook her head. "There's got to be something we can do and sitting here isn't the best use of time. So yes, we will explore." Andrew looked at his two friends. "Why don't you go do something fun? We've got some money Isaac had hidden and we've been travelling or hiding for months." Insu grinned. "Like what?" Rah'asu sighed. "I am not going to tend after Insu while he runs around playing." What do people on Calorin do for fun? Andrew was curious now that he thought about it. Something that doesn't involve flying? Hmm... Shimeirin seemed stumped. You Winged Kin are so lucky. I wish I could fly. Andrew knew how Shimeirin missed her ability to fly. Servant better be able to change you back! Andrew felt a warmth from Shimeirin. It's OK. Maybe we can get him to give you, and Rah'asu, and Insu wings too. Andrew imagined a giant flying rabbit crashing into trees. Hehe, yeah. "Go have fun. I'll be fine. I might even get to see Cameron!" Andrew knew that as long as the other Terrans or Calorinites didn't find out about what he had been doing or who he knew he would be safe now that Eric was... sleeping. Insu looked expectantly and Rah'asu. "I could use some relaxation." Rah'asu said as a small smile appeared on her face. Insu practically ran to the door. "Finally free!" Rah'asu looked at Andrew, shrugged, and then followed Insu out the door. "I'm going to be so exhausted tonight." Insu is going to get caught. Shimeirin was being half serious and half joking. I think he's smarter than he looks. Andrew had his suspicions. Shimeirin thinks so too. Andrew looked around the house to make sure they hadn't left anything out. It looked like the dump it was and Andrew hid what he could before leaving. Here we go! *** Andrew found himself in the same room he had been earlier that day. Right now there wasn't anyone interesting, so he went exploring. He found that, to his surprise, the castle wasn't actually that big. The room beyond the front chamber was the throne room and was just as big. There were small rooms on either side but they were mostly rooms for various servant activities, such as the kitchen. There was a stairwell behind the throne area and Andrew found that it led up to the king's personal residence. He wasn't allowed to go up so Andrew went back outside and explored the yard. The yard was spacious and looked well used, with several large buildings hugging the keep's wall or built right into it. The largest building was the barracks and, looking through a window, Andrew saw it was rows and rows of cots, some with sleeping men included. Next to the barracks was a large stable and Andrew found several dozen horses inside. Next to that was a locked building that earned him several glares from guards as he approached. The rest of the buildings were smaller and were mainly for storage. The yard itself was filled with soldiers and tents. Andrew had avoided them as he could feel their stares whenever the soldiers got a good view of him and he felt like a thief sneaking around the wall and between buildings. With nothing else to do outside, Andrew went back into the front chamber. *** Andrew was shaken awake, and he jerked his head up. When had he fallen asleep? Andrew rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and saw the woman that had been with Eric standing next to him. What was her name again? "Hey, twig. You seen Eric?" the woman said. She looked extremely irritated. "Not for a couple of hours." Not after the Spider Kin stole his body too... Stupid Spider Kin... Shimeirin was exuding contempt. The woman tsked then swore. "I already checked all the whorehouses. Stupid cheating boyfriend." "Good luck?" Andrew hoped she would leave him alone. The woman didn't even look at Andrew again and stormed out the front entrance, but not before swearing at the guards. And may we never have to talk to her again. Andrew wondered how people like that could be happy. Andrew heard more yelling outside, but it quickly grew quiet before stopping altogether. "I don't blame her." A voice said behind Andrew. Andrew jumped and then turned to see who had spoken. It was another Terran, one he didn't recognize. It was an older man, maybe late thirties, with dark brown hair, a large pointed nose, unibrow, and dark skin. He was one of the less attractive people Andrew had seen in his life. Why does he only have one eyebrow? Shimeirin seemed to hold back other questions too. Hmm, there aren't people from Calorin with eyebrows like that? Andrew just realized he had seen no one other than this man with a unibrow. Not in the Winged Kin. I guess it's possible there are Calorinites with a unibrow. We've only seen a few cities. Shimeirin hopes not. Shimeirin feels bad for them if they all look like that... Shimeirin felt bad for saying that. "Still waking up?" The man said with a light laugh. "I was tempted to do something to you while you were asleep but thought best not too." Andrew shivered. Is this guy a pervert? Eww... Shimeirin felt the same, it seemed. The man laughed again. "Sorry about that. From the look on your face it seems I gave you a bad impression." The man held out his hand. "Name's Wallace, and no, I would never do something like that to another Terran. Shifters on the other hand..." Andrew reluctantly shook Wallace's hand. "Andrew." "Where you from Andrew?" Wallace asked when they finished shaking. "I'm from the States, Milwaukee to be exact." "I'm from the US too. Utah, but I moved around a lot." Andrew recalled his past life. "Ah, you a Mormon?" Wallace asked. "No, but I know a lot." Andrew had fostered with a few Mormon families and mostly they had been some better families he had stayed with, not all but most. "I see. I grew up Catholic myself but decided it wasn't for me." Wallace smiled and shook his head. Andrew didn't feel like talking about religion or to this man. "What do you think of Calorin?" He had a feeling that something was wrong, more so than all the other Terrans. "Best thing that's ever happened to me! Earth is so boring. All work work work. So many rules. Here people mind their own business and as long as I don't do something to the king... uh, right he's dead now, the... nobles don't like I can do what I want. And then there're the Shifters. We can do anything we want to them. I'm not a big fan of rapin' the Shifter women in beast form, but it can get interesting with some of them." Andrew's jaw dropped. "You what?" Wallace laughed. "What, you mean you don't do it too? You're the first one I've heard that's gone this long without doing it at least once. Even the chicks do it to the Shifter men from time to time. I mean, why not, they're gonna die, anyway. Seems like a waste." Andrew felt sick. Just the thought of doing such a thing... raping and then murdering. Andrew looked at Wallace and felt his resolve to destroy the bracelets grow stronger. Even if it meant killing the Terrans, he would destroy the bracelets if it would mean stopping unspeakable things. "Listen, Andrew. In this world the strongest make the rules. Sure there are Deity here. I don't know if God exists where we come from but they're real here and from what I can tell they don't care about 'sins' other than murder. Live, have fun! We're the top dogs in this world, we can do what we want!" Wallace's face grew more and more erratic as he went on. "Aren't you murdering the Animal Kin?" Andrew doubted Wallace would care, but he wanted to see his reaction. "We're at war, Andrew! The Shifters and Avan are at war and we are merely soldiers fighting in defense of this great country. If they didn't want to die, they should have run away like the old king wanted them too." Wallace had begun to look agitated at the talk of killing. Like he was looking for a reason to attack someone. Andrew stood up. He knew there was no point trying to reason with Wallace, sure he wanted to find out more about what was going on but not with this man. "I need to use the toilet." Wallace barely looked at him. "Sure sure." What a horrible man. Shimeirin was pissed. We need to finish this quickly. Every day we let the others do their thing... Andrew imagined all the lives that destroyed in the past week he had been sitting around in the abandoned house. Shimeirin wants to visit him tonight. He is a monster. I know how you feel Shimeirin, but maybe we should wait until the others get here. That general guy said they had summoned all the Terrans. "Andrew, is that you!?" A voice called out. Andrew looked to the entrance and saw Cameron. "Cameron?" It's Cameron! Shimeirin went from rage to excitement in an instant. Andrew barely recognized Cameron. He had lost A LOT of weight and put on a good deal of muscle. "Wow, you look great." Cameron smiled. "And you look like you could use a few meals. Where've you been, anyway?" "Popped out in the middle of the forest. Took me like two months just to get out." "Huh. How'd you get there?" "Accidentally exited to the side of the Servant guy's portal." "Why'd you do that? Idiot." "Hey! I didn't do it on purpose." It was Shimeirin taking me to "safety," right? Anywhere is better than with Servant. "Whatever. Hey, you seen Lisbeth or Isaac? I know you don't like Lisbeth much, but I thought you would be with Isaac." "Lisbeth's got her own house here, though she's not letting me visit her, even if I wanted to. Isaac... I'm not exactly sure where he is." "Huh, too bad. I was wondering what happened after their fight. Oh boy, was that a big fight! Isaac stormed out of the castle and never came back. I'm not a Lisbeth fan either, so I did my thing instead of staying with her." "What have you been up to? It's like you stole a bodybuilder's body." "Well, running is the best way to get around, especially with these nifty powers they gave us. The fat kinda went off on its own, that and the fighting Shifters. Also think I got a tapeworm..." Darn, I was hoping he hadn't been killing Kin. Andrew wondered if what Wallace said was right and all Terrans did unspeakable things to their victims. Shimeirin wonders if the Winged Kin is his bracelet makes him, and the others, do bad things. "I'm not sure I needed to hear about the tapeworm." Andrew shook his head, trying to get the thought out. Cameron looked at Andrew and studied him. "How many Shifters have you drained? It feels like you haven't drained any." Andrew smiled slightly. "I... don't want to talk about it." "Why not? All the others, including me, have killed hundreds, maybe thousands. I don't count. Honestly, it gets addicting. The feeling of their life energy entering your body!" Cameron made an embarrassing movement. "Honestly wish I wasn't wasting time here. I swear I was close to finding another village. Stupid king getting himself killed." It might be too late for him.He had hoped Cameron wouldn't make the wrong decision. Shimeirin hoped... Shimeirin is sorry, Andrew. At least Isaac tried. I'm actually not surprised. He always had a bit of a... antagonistic side to him. Andrew had only known him for a few months and he had been difficult to get along with at first. "You heard anything about that?" Andrew was curious, though he doubted Cameron knew more than he did. "Nope. I just got here so you probably know more than I do. Though... I wonder if it has anything to do with all the empty Shifter villages we've been finding recently." "Empty villages?" "Yeah, I think they all got smart and ran deeper into the forest." "Makes sense. That's what I would do." "I heard one other found a village in the middle of leaving. The men had already left and even lots of the women. Just a few old people, women, and kids. Idiot killed all the villagers before thinking about asking them where all the missing adults went." What do you think? Andrew could only guess, but with the men missing it might mean they were gathering an army. Shimeirin hopes they all get away. The forest is huge so there are lots of places to hide. "They just outright killed old people and kids? They can't fight." Andrew thought he should be angry but was more disappointed. "Hey, the kids grow up to fight too. Nip it in the bud, right?" Cameron looked like he was remembering something and had a disgusting smile on his face. Andrew sighed. It was time to change the subject. "You plan on visiting Lisbeth?" Andrew wondered if she had woken up yet. "Maybe." He paused, then smiled, "I should visit the slave traders while I'm here. Get a harem of my own with all the bounty money I got. Maybe get a house too." I don't think I want him as a friend anymore... Andrew was getting depressed. Shimeirin thinks we should break his bracelet soon. It might not be too late. Yeah, but we still don't know if they wake up after. Isaac was asleep for a whole week and he helped you and fought the whole time before we found him. ...will they ever wake up? Andrew hadn't seen what Shimeirin had seen, but from what she told him it seemed like their spirits were damaged or weakened. Shimeirin wants to try. Tonight after we visit Wallace. "Hey Cameron. Where are you staying... uh... where do Terrans stay while at the castle?" Andrew was just going to sleep in the Bat Cave, but maybe being around sleeping Terrans might be an advantage. "Oh, there's a fancy inn close to here. I was going to crash there until they let us go." Cameron seemed to be getting bored. "Is that where all the Terrans stay?" "Pretty much, unless they have their own house. The king pays for us and it is the nicest place." "I guess I'll stay there tonight too. It'll be nice having a bed for once." Andrew thought. "They have beds?" "Yep." "Hey Cameron, if you could go back to Earth would you?" "Heck no! I may miss my games and the Internet but nothing beats the rush of hunting Shifters." Andrew sympathized with Cameron. He couldn't count how many times he had considered using the bracelet's abilities. Things would have been so much easier. He wouldn't have had to be scared, or hungry, or so lost. If it hadn't been for Shimeirin, would he be out hunting the Kin too? Craving more power while being slowing taken over by the spirit inside? He wished he could tell Cameron, but he could only see that ending badly thanks to the bracelet spirit's control. "I don't want to go back either, not unless you and Isaac go back too." Andrew had never missed Earth. Sure the conveniences were nice but things were so much more simple here. No one cared about schedules or arriving at certain times. "Cool." Cameron turned to the side room that led to the kitchen. "Wanna grab some food from the kitchen? Maybe harass the servants for fun?" Andrew was starving. "That's OK?" "Sure it is! They wouldn't invite us all here and not provide stuff for us." Cameron began walking to the kitchen and Andrew followed him. *** "I thought you said the hotel was close." Andrew had been following Cameron for a while. After they had eaten Cameron had said he wanted to do something before finding a place to sleep. No matter how much Andrew asked, Cameron ignored him. Recently Andrew had got an idea of where they were going as things started to look familiar. "It should be around here somewhere." Cameron was looking angry. "Would have been there by now if you hadn't insisted on walking. We can jump over buildings! Why are you making me walk!" "You know you could just leave me. I'm fine just going to the inn by myself if you're really in that much of a hurry." Andrew sighed. Had Cameron always been this irritable? Yeah, he had, but not like this. It had only been ten minutes! "It's not worth it if I don't bring you along too." Cameron looked at Andrew for the first time in a few minutes. Cameron then frowned. "Something's been bugging me. I can feel your power now but it's different from the other Terrans." Andrew's heart jumped. "What do you mean?" Can the other Terrans tell we haven't trapped the spirits? Shimeirin was curiously worried. I can see that making sense. On the bright side, at least it feels like we've absorbed spirits now and don't look so weak. Andrew was still uncomfortable about having loose spirits staying inside him. What were they even doing while they waited? Shimeirin wonders if the spirits would let us borrow their power or if we can. Next time you see them you can ask? Andrew wondered if that would be tonight. Shimeirin will. "I don't know. It's probably nothing." Andrew looked around again. He was sure where they were going to now. "Really? We're going to see Lisbeth?" "Why not? It's been months since the group has been together. Just got to find Isaac and we'll make a Shifter killing party. Andrew the Cleric, Isaac the Bard, Lisbeth the Sorceress, and me, Cameron the Mighty Barbarian!" Cameron jumped fifty feet into the air and landed that much ahead. Andrew smiled wryly. Cameron might be a bloodthirsty killing machine now, but he was still a nerd at heart. "Why a barbarian?" Andrew said as he ran to catch up to him. "I heal so fast I don't bother trying to dodge! Give it to me! I can take it!" Cameron punched a nearby wall. The wall exploded and sent debris everywhere. Why can't I get to do cool stuff like that without killing people? Andrew wanted to jump fifty feet and explode wall with his fists too. Flying's better. Shimeirin felt smug. Though the punchy thing was kinda cool. Andrew heard a voice just before he caught up to Cameron. "All the Terrans will be here. We know you can remove their power. If you do this for us not only will we give your friend back but you will have done nearly enough to save the Kin and our kind will be saved. Tonight will be your best opportunity." All of them!? Andrew turned to look where the voice had come from but saw nothing. Shimeirin can do it! Shimeirin felt fear and self doubt, but her determination eclipsed it. Yeah, none of the other Terrans have any idea that we can destroy the bracelets. If we can do it while they're sleeping they might not even fight back. Shimeirin thinks so. When Andrew is asleep, Shimeirin is too. Still, tonight? Andrew had a thought pop into his head. Did the Spider Kin kill the king to get all the Terrans in one place? Wow! Shimeirin just thought they did it because they hated him. That's what I thought, and it probably still is true, but... "We're here!" Cameron yelled from ahead. "Stop daydreaming and get your butt up here!" Andrew shrugged. I am curious how Lisbeth is doing. Shimeirin isn't certain. Lisbeth's soul vanished after the bracelet spirit let go of her. And that was a week ago. It might already be too late for the others and, if we wait too much longer, the bracelet spirits will probably finish whatever they're doing. Why had Andrew taken so long to act? "Coming!" Andrew ignored the Spider Kin. Andrew easily caught up to Cameron, whom was now standing in front of Lisbeth's house. There were four of Lisbeth's harem blocking the path and when they saw Andrew their brows furrowed in a display of anger. "You! You were told to never come back!" The biggest of the four yelled. Andrew came to a stop. He would let Cameron handle this. It was probably a bad idea, but he would at least try to steer his friend in the right direction if he went too far. "Geez, Andrew. What'd you do to Lisbeth to get banned from her house?" Cameron chuckled. "She stole some stuff from me and I got some of it back." There was no way Andrew would bring up Insu and Rah'asu or what he had done to Lisbeth. Cameron laughed. "Bet you killed a few of her dicks and pissed her off." "I killed no one. Didn't need to." I would have been the one getting killed. Andrew was thankful it hadn't come to violence. Shimeirin would have used magic. Shimeirin tried to feel confident at the thought, but she couldn't hide the uncertainty. "Leave now or we will have to resort to force!" The big man said, looking at Andrew. "Please do!" A hunger appeared on Cameron's face. "It's been far too long since I drained anyone." The four men all backed away at Cameron's change in demeanor. It was weird seeing so many huge, muscular men cowering to his once unintimidating friend. Cameron walked past them. "Pathetic." He spit. Andrew followed close behind him. "Sorry." "Where's Lisbeth?" Cameron asked Andrew as they entered the large common room that took up most of the first floor. "Up the stairs." Andrew rolled his eyes. Shouldn't that be obvious? Shimeirin thinks so. Cameron jumped across the room to the stairs. His feet had splintered and cracked the wood floor where he had jumped from. Woah. Andrew would never stop being amazed at what a powered up Terran could do. Shimeirin wonders how far Cameron can jump. As long it's away from me I don't care. Andrew jogged across the room. By the time he made it to the stairs Cameron had already disappeared through the door. Andrew too went up and just as he was about to follow he saw all of Lisbeth's harem swarm into the house. Andrew ignored them and went through the door. When Andrew entered Lisbeth's room he was welcomed to an angry Cameron shouting at the maid. "What do you mean you can't wake her up! I didn't come all the way here to be ignored!" The maid looked terrified. "I'm sorry Lord Terran but Lady Lisbeth needs her rest and..." Cameron picked the maid up by the throat. "Useless maid." Andrew ran towards Cameron. "Stop!" Cameron turned towards Andrew and tossed the maid on the floor. "OK." He smiled. Andrew checked the maid's pulse and felt no heartbeat. I think he drained her. Shimeirin thinks we should take care of Cameron now. Shimeirin was feeling a cold anger. Andrew was more shocked than angry. He had just seen his friend casually kill someone. But... Maybe... Andrew. Shimeirin had never felt so stern. Andrew stood up. He could only think what he would do would kill his friend. Can't we take care of Cameron last? We might find out a better way. Andrew... Shimeirin gave Andrew some sympathy. Cameron slapped Lisbeth. "Wake up whore!" There was a snap that sounded like bones breaking as the force of Cameron's slap flung Lisbeth off the bed. Her body landed in a heap, the head twisted unnaturally. "What..." Andrew stood in silence. Had Cameron just slapped Lisbeth so hard he had snapped her neck and killed her. Andrew, he's too dangerous. We have to. Not just him but all the others... Andrew began to cry. Lisbeth was dead, Isaac probably would never wake up, and Cameron had lost his mind. Andrew! Shimeirin was angry but sympathetic. Andrew began to walk towards Cameron. "Lisbeth!" Cameron pounced on her body and began shaking it. "That shouldn't have killed you! Get up!" "Check her pulse." Andrew said as he approached Cameron. Cameron checked her pulse. "Huh. Why is she dead? She's a Terran. She should be able to heal something like this." Andrew stopped behind Cameron. "I'm sorry." "That's it! Terrans might have special powers that let them kill other Terrans! I must try it out! I wonder if I can drain them too?" Cameron began giggling. "I'll be the strongest!" Andrew put his hand on Cameron's shoulder. *** Who are you? A tenor voice said as soon as Shimeirin entered Cameron. Andrew's bracelet Shimeirin. Shimeirin wants to talk. Shimeirin wanted to see if she could get anything from this spirit before she destroyed the anchor. Cameron was much like the others she had entered. Cameron's spirit and the bracelet spirit were 'above' and the prison was 'below.' She could faintly 'see' the anchor a short distance from her. We can talk once we have taken over our hosts... Wait, why aren't you attached to your host's spirit? This far into the process detaching from the host's spirit ruins it. What process? Shimeirin became excited. Would she finally get to hear what was happening. What do you mean? The Servant told all of us... No, you wouldn't. You weren't part of the group. Has the Servant done the same to others? But you are of the Winged Kin. Tell me. Shimeirin began drifting towards the anchor. She had been thankful she had told the spirits in Andrew's body to wait until she called them. Before the ritual Shimeirin had hidden in the priest's chamber, in the holes that looked between the rooms, and when Shimeirin woke up... The spirit laughed. You are a lucky child! If you hadn't been there, you would have become a sacrifice with all the others. Why!? Shimeirin felt anger and grief. Why did you sacrifice them? Our home is empty now. They're all gone. I saw. Andrew and I went there. Why? Because we will become much more than we would have been. Free from the cycle of rebirth! Immortal! Once the process ends not only will our hosts' bodied be transformed into ours, but we will be nigh unkillable! You don't realized how lucky you are, Shimeirin! In a few days you will see. The first ones to get hosts are only days or weeks away from completing the process. You will see. Shimeirin doesn't know what the process is. Could she reverse it? Yes, I guess you wouldn't know. That must be why you are wandering and not attached to Andrew's spirit. The process is the way the Servant made for us to claim new bodies and transform them. By attaching ourselves to the Terran's spirit not only can we control them to a degree but also take their place. It takes time but if we do it too fast; it kills them and the body rejects us, so slow is what we must do. Why Terrans? According to the Servant it is because their soul's connection to their body is much stronger. By using a Terran as a host we gain this stronger bond and it's harder for others like us to kill. Servant said it's because Terrans do not reincarnate so they bond more strongly to their bodies. A pause. I always wondered where a Terran's soul goes after they die. Shimeirin doesn't like this. Stealing bodies is wrong! The spirit laughed. Yes, yes, it is! But we will put their bodies to better use then they ever will. As for what happens to their souls? Shimeirin neared the anchor. She wondered something. Do you know what happened to Lisbeth? Lisbeth? No. Cameron might be fine with the situation, but I find it disturbing. I knew Spring Sunset well, and she was no longer inside Lisbeth. Did she upset Servant? Did one of us... Shimeirin what are you doing. Fear began to fill Cameron's body. Is there anyway to stop the process? Shimeirin reached for the anchor. All she had to do now was think and it would be destroyed. It was you! You would rob us of the gift of immortality? Stop! I am so close! It's too late to save Cameron, to save any of the others! If you destroy the bracelet, you will rip out not only my soul but Cameron's as well! Shimeirin knows. Shimeirin felt a pain now that she knew she couldn't save the Terrans. I'm sorry, Cameron. I'm sorry Lisbeth. Eric... Shimeirin destroyed the anchor. There was a long, sorrowful, howl from the spirit but he did not move and disappeared. Cameron's remained for a few moments longer before it too disappeared. She ignored the now free spirits as they rejoiced at their freedom and thought. Shimeirin thought and thought and thought. She thought about the dreams she had shared with Andrew. The memories she had seen of him with his friends. It was as if she knew them herself. She had killed them all. Isaac, Lisbeth, and now Cameron. She didn't know what to think. Was it merciful to have killed them? Should she have tried to find another way and only done this at the last minute? Shimeirin wanted to cry but no tears would ever come.