The remaining guards sheathed their weapons and cried out in a cheer as the Sawtooth Queen lay dead before them.

“Yeah!”

However, after a few moments the cheering was muffled by sounds of worry as some of the Gimly guards attempted to shake and wake some of the fallen thralls, calling out their names as they did so.

“Macy”, “Johan”, “Willy”, “Daisy”

They remained limp, no matter how hard they were shook. Carlson put his ear to the chest of one of the villagers, “Their hearts are still beating, they are still alive!”.

Dereo’s call for a cleric fell on deaf ears, as the remains of what were the clerics lay on the ground, torn apart by the thralls.

The Tower walked over to the captain, and knelt beside him. “You still there boss man?”. The captain let out a low murmur, “Barely… How’d we do”.

“Queen’s dead, thralls are unconscious, a bit more than half the guard remain”

“Good” he coughed. “Good, I suppose I won’t die in vain then”

“Hmph, hold on boss, I’ll get you help” the Tower said before he gently withdrew the sword. He reached under his armor and tore out his shirt underneath and wrapped it tightly around the wound. He pulled over the captain’s horse and hoisted himself and the captain on top of it and rode off towards Elmvale.

Mirio’s head fell backwards, his eyes white as they rolled into the back of his head. Dereo tapped him on the cheek, desperately trying to get him to snap out of it as Ezee crowded him and sniffed relentlessly at his incapacitated friend.

Mirio’s consciousness fell through a dark hallway, lights flashing by as he soared past openings that seemed like the rooms of a castle. He squinted and was able to make out dark stone, like the volcanic glass found in the mountains.

Yuta clutched his arm as the sigil from the dragon lit up with blue flames. He folded over in pain and fell from the wagon, screaming in pain.

“Coward” the dragon’s voice whispered in his ear.

Energy streamed out from the mark as Yuta was drained of all the stamina left within his body. It trailed through the skies and flittered in the winds back towards the battlefield. Like tiny fireflies in the night sky it soared over the fields, until it whooshed past Dereo’s ear and shot into Mirio’s lungs.

Mirio’s chest rose in a gasp. His eyes remained rolled back in his head and fluttering, but a pulse returned to his body.

The dark hallway lit up as a deep voice echoed in Mirio’s mind, “Awaken”.

Mirio jolted back to his senses, and as he did the castle hallway flipped underneath his feet, and he was standing amidst its halls facing towards a large doorway that led into its main hall.

“Who are you?” he whispered.

“Are you the one who spoke to me before I was born?”

“There isn’t time,” the voice replied. “He is coming”

“Who?”

“Akur” the voice growled in a low rumble.

The sound of clapping could be heard coming from the throne room ahead of him. A lone figure stood up in the distance casting an enormous shadow. It stepped forwards with a wide grin peeled from ear to ear.

“Well well, here you are, at last”

Mirio stepped forwards into the room, “It’s you, the one in the dagger”

“Yes, the one you took from me. But never to worry I shall be taking it back soon enough”

“What the hell are you? Are you a god?”

The figure approached closer and towered above him, bowing over to get a closer look.

“No”

“A lich then, some sort of ascended being? One from before?”

“No”

“What then?”

“Something far beyond”

“A void” Mirio replied.

The figure smirked, “You are a clever one”

“How was that you took command of my catalyst? Tell me!”

“Fuck you, like I told you before, if you want to take me on I’ll give you a fight before I am done”

The figure sneered, “Humanity… Oh so defiant, yet only because you remain ignorant, to your true place in the order of the cosmic web”

“Do you not know, you are parasites, feeding upon beings stronger than yourselves, leaving them bare and exposed… And you care little for it. The arrogance”

“What the hell are you talking about, what beings? The gods?” Mirio replied.

“No. And don’t fool yourself that I will give you answers. I brought you here to take back what you have taken from me. Now return it, return the dagger!”

The figure clasped its shadow covered hand and in a snap dark tendrils streamed out from his spiritual form. Winding out of him like so many threads, Mirio solidified his resolve and drew them back towards himself.

“What the hell do you want it for, I thought it was a curse”

“Give it” the being shouted as it snapped its hand once more. Black tendrils pulled out of his spirit until a shadow covered dagger pulled out from his body. The figure quickly snatched for it, but its fingers wrapped tightly around Mirio’s grip.

He pushed forwards in his spiritual form and slashed the dagger at the figure.

FWOOSH

The figure darted back and glowered at Mirio with violet eyes.

“Wild animal! How dare you!”

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear when I said, you’d have a fight on your hands, what I really meant, was if you come after me I’m going to kick your ass”

Mirio spun the dagger in his grip, and walked towards the figure. An echoing and deep voice chuckled in the distance. “Yes, do it” the dragon whispered.

Mirio sneered and stopped, holstering the dagger at his side.

A huge dragon’s shadow entered the room and wrapped around Mirio’s form, tattooing itself into his skin. Mirio grunted as it settled there. “Get off of me”

“You will need my power to slay him, take it!”

“No, don’t interfere”

Mirio cast up his hand and drew the glyph sigil for the oasis spell. Rainbow colored light poured from his body and peeled the tattoo from his body, leaving behind scars of brilliant white light.

Mirio then looked down at the dagger on his hip.

“In the real world, I’m unconscious aren’t I? And if you brought me here to take this, I no longer have to be here, do I”

The figure sneered and shot towards Mirio. The dragon’s shadow shot up around him and smashed into the figure, as Mirio swatted his hands together and began to chant his creed.

“I am strongest when weakest,

I will not be defeated by veils of truth,

I will remember who I am,

I will not let this be cheapened,

I believe in more”

His figure shone with blinding white light in the darkness, blasting away the shadows around him and sending him hurtling upwards towards an even brighter light.

“Mirio, wake up, Mirio!”

Mirio’s body shone with bright white light, and his eyes shot forwards towards Dereo. He gasped for air and clutched at Dereo’s shoulder.

“Holy shit! He’s alive!” he shouted out. “He’s alive”

Mirio looked back at him blankly, “Who are you?”

Dereo chuckled nervously, “what do you mean bud, it’s me… You know, training but, fellow guard…”

Mirio stood up blankly and pushed him off. He stared at the lifeless body of the Sawtooth Queen and walked up to the top of the hill.

*Why can’t I remember anything? What is this place?*

The rumble of hooves sounded from all around them, as breaching from the trees was a mighty herd, hundreds strong. Dressed in leather armor and with charcoal stained faces, they rode towards what remained of the guards weapons raised.

“Yah!”

FWET FWET FWET

Arrows shot past Mirio’s face just before the horsemen charged past and charged into the mass of guards crowded by the tavern.

“Bandits!” Dereo shouted.

The men quickly huddled together but were blasted apart by charges, speared, and slashed. Dereo scrambled into the tavern, as the rumble of hooves sounded all around. The screams of his fellow guards sounding out as they were slaughtered just outside.

Mirio walked aimlessly through the swarm of horses in a daze. “That bloody idiot, he’s not in his right mind”

Dereo charged out of the tavern and grabbed Mirio, dragging him inside, and attempting to hide him under the bar.

Mirio swatted at him, “Who are you, why are you pushing me?”.

“Do you have a death wish you idiot, get down!” Dereo replied.

The sound of hooves and dying men outside became quiet as a pair of footsteps walked into the bar.

A smirk cut across her face as she stood in the doorway. Greatsword slung on her back, muscled physique and markings all over her battleworn armor.

“No point in hiding there”

Dereo pushed Mirio down and stood back up, “A guy has to try, right?”

He glanced outside at the few remaining sounds of battle “How are the knights doing out there”

Talon shrugged, “Mmph, they are trying I guess, I’ll finish em in a bit. Come on out, bring the other one too that you shoved behind the bar”

Dereo’s smile dropped, “What other one?”

Talon turned back to her men and clicked her fingers “Bring em out”

She then dashed out from the doorway and could be heard chuckling, “Is this all the great knights can do” before her greatsword slashed and scraped against armor. As Dereo was dragged from the Tavern he searched for signs of Carlson, and spotted him up on the roof being dragged down by bandits. Across the way a knight’s severed head lay on the ground. Ezee circled around the group of men barking and darting from side to side. As soon as Ezee saw Mirio he darted between the men and shot towards him.

SNAP

His jaws latched around the back of a bandit’s thigh holding him. Mirio whipped his head back and cracked the man in the face with the top of his skull and drew the bandit’s sword from his belt. The remaining bandits hurried away with Dereo and held a blade to his throat and slowly surrounded Mirio on all sides as Ezee circled around his legs.

Talon walked into the center of the circle.

“Ah, Mirio, nice to see you”

She turned to her men and signalled to them to step back further.

“Grab the wolf” she snapped at some of the gang, “But don’t hurt it” she corrected.

Ezee thrashed and kicked as the bandits pinned him down and wrapped rope around his snout and legs.

Talon looked over at the Sawtooth Queen’s corpse, its blood still oozing into the grass and down the hillside.

“I am guessing somehow that was you?”

“You know, I didn’t expect you guys to actually beat that thing, we were just going to clean up the town after. But I guess now plans have changed and we’ll have to route the remaining people ourselves.

She signalled to most of her men, “Listen up, head to Elmvale, take what you want. It’s ours now. Three of you stay with me. Those with the prisoner’s slit their throats already, we don’t have time for this shit”

Dereo clutched his throat as a torrent of crimson soaked his hands. He fell beside Carlson, as the men wiped their blades on the sleeves of their armor.

The men nodded and mounted back up onto their horses and galloped off towards Elmvale, shouting and hollering as they went.

Mirio stared at her blankly.

*Who the hell is this woman? And why is my body so responsive?*

Talon lifted her sword and drew it above her head, “I’ve been looking forward to fighting you again”

The swoosh of her sword passed by Mirio’s ear as his body darted to the side.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH

His body moved like it was made of silk, smoothly slipping and sliding between the air currents of each of her blows.

As the wind struck Mirio’s face fragments of his memory began to return. The warmth of Kabi’s smile, the joy in feeding Ezee scraps of meat and tussling his fur, the pat of Dereo’s hand on his shoulder as he trained with the guards. A tear welled in his eye as emotion rushed to the surface.

His body was moving on its own, avoiding each blow with an efficiency and quickness he had never felt before. And when a blow shaved too close a flick of his sword swatted at the steel to guide her greatsword past.

His eyes became red with anguish as he glanced over at Dereo and Carlson bleeding out twenty paces away. He felt like he was being choked within, and in that instant a flash of the shadowed man flittered behind his eyes.

“You dare escape me, I won’t make it that easy” the being growled.

Mirio sensed a great absence within himself like most of his identity and being had been severed from him, and all that remained was brilliant white light. He didn’t know what had happened, he just had a sense that no matter what he had to win.

Mirio stood his front foot firm, and stopped Talon’s blade cold. He then grabbed her blade with his hand, as a blue fire shot down the length of his arm, and he slashed at her arms, forcing her to leap back without her blade.

“Enough of this shit!” he shouted as he tossed the blade to the side, “If you continue to try to fight me I will kill you”

Talon shouted and reached out with her hand, “Don’t”.

STAB

A burning pain shot through Mirio’s left knee, he collapsed to the ground as the bandit removed the spear. Talon rushed over and kicked up her sword and cleaved his head from his shoulders. “You don’t touch him!”

She turned her head to the other two, “Get the fuck out of here and meet up with the others”

She walked over to Ezee and cut loose his binds, allowing him back to his feet where he growled for an instant before rushing over to Mirio.

She carefully flipped Mirio onto his back, while tears streamed down his face and ripped off a sleeve from his shirt and tied it around the wound in his knee.

“I told you once, you have my sword, and I’m honoring it”

“Know this Mirio, you are a true master of the blade, I’ve never seen anything like it. But not even that can change the way of things in this world”

She walked over to her horse and pulled Ember from the saddlebag and tossed it down beside him.

“Don’t mourn this shit hole of a town, go live a real life, somewhere where it’ll mean something”

Mirio turned his head towards Ezee and scruffed his neck, before passing out in the grass.