In the middle of a giant mountain, roped off by a dark Merchant’s airy barrier, a portal of black abyss whirled in dizzying rotations before Lucius Kiar. Bolts of purple lightning struck from its epicenter, shaking the entire foundation of Five’s area.

Alan seethed at the sight, mourning Durger whose life was stripped away on a whim. He jerked in his shackles.

Betrayed by a prince… by a friend.

“Behold, Prince Kiar, a pathway home.” Five backed away slowly, struggling to remove himself from the portal’s pull. He laughed low and loud as the tincture glowed to life in Lucius’ belly. It was meant to keep him intact through a far travel home… but now, Alan wasn’t so sure.

Lucius was dragged toward the mouth of terrible blackness against his will, forcing him to brace himself.

“It begins.” Five nodded – his outside heart beating in all different directions under his tattered cloak. “A fool takes the bait, and now too does he drown.”

Alan clenched his fists harder. A trap. Of course. His clairvoyance betrayed him, instincts failed. He would lose two friends in a fleeting moment. This was all wrong.

Dark figures crept into Five’s airy barrier, bowing like some kind of séance was underway.

“Hyndole hoped to rid himself of a Herald this day, hijacking his soul for eternity… just like he did Yineera’s. But he will have to settle for a prince.”

“Bastard!” Alan shouted.

Lucius grunted, falling on his back through the struggle to stay away from the portal. He summoned Orange Saro hilts from the ground to grasp onto.

The cosmic portal winds whipped inward like a vacuum.

“Desperation is a key component in deception, Prince Kiar. Hyndole will be pleased to be rid of you. And you, Alan Right – he will accept our delivery.” Five watched on with anticipation as the other dark Merchants stepped into the light. “You will be dragged under, Lucius Kiar, like all those who threaten greatness. Say your goodbyes.”

“So there is no path home,” Lucius said through gritted teeth. “It’s all a lie?”

“Merchants have preyed upon hope since the beginning of time, young prince. Hyndole just happens to be today’s highest bidder.”

Alan fought to look beyond the airy boundary, to where his friends were shackled and shouting soundlessly. Flint, Neesha, even Gregorian, were all helpless.

This is all wrong, he kept telling himself.

Lucius scratched at his abdomen, trying to dig into his shadowy form to extract the glowing purple-white liquid illuminating his skin.

“Yes, the tincture will indeed prepare you for long-range travel… all the way to the depths of the black.”

Alan shook his head. “If Hyndole sought to bury us for no one to find, why not do it himself in Ojin?”

The portal grew more violent at the ask, but it also calmed Five into a wide, toothy smile.

“We Forbidden Merchants have a way of making problems disappear. None of Jaeger’s allies will be the wiser. Take Yineera for example. The realms believe in whispers that she made it home. No one could refute otherwise. Soon the same will be said of Lucius, and my legacy of Five Pearls will remain intact.”

Alan gritted his teeth, fighting the winds and the chains of his confining shield. “What if I were the highest bidder? A future Herald. Surely worth something in terms of potential.”

“Hah.” Five pressed his fingers together pensively, the winds pulling his cloak like a ripped flag. “You would offer up yourself in exchange for the life of a betrayer? Noble. Tempting.”

“Not just the betrayer.” Alan fought to turn his head. “Them too. They go free. Here, I can trade with any entity. This will be a first time trading myself.”

Trade with Merchant of the Five Pearls Initiated

Offer: Thyself – Alan Right

Exchange: Freedom for Lucius Kiar, Neesha Sans, Flint Degoba, Gregorian Von Malice

The Merchant’s face lost all its mocking humor once the prompt was solidified. He was considering the offer. He had to be. Alan knew being a slave under his decrepit will would be hell, but his life was worth four imprisoned ones, even if Lucius betrayed him.

C’mon. Alan scrutinized Five carefully as the winds intensified. The portal was like an angry toddler begging for its meal, and Lucius did everything he could to twist and turn in order to fight the portal’s pull.

Five lifted his finger to respond to the prompt. C’mon…

Trade with Merchant of the Five Pearls DECLINED

No!

“Why?” Alan pleaded.

Five’s eye twitched. “You, Alan, have awakened thoughts in me not riled in millennia. A path of power for myself. What a twisted, foreign thought. You are a unique being… yes, I see it now. I see why you must be buried or detained for eternity.”

“I could be yours!” Alan shouted.

Five shook his head. “Alas, I have tethered myself to gods of great potential, and have secured my continued existence regardless of outcome. It is done.”

Alan cursed under his breath. “What will become of us?”

“Lucius… he will be consumed, and as for the rest of you? In the corners of Jaeger’s red-skied keep, where you belong.”

The place where the frogs showed me to be, facing off against my father.

Alan shook his head again, tensing in the shield’s shackles. “I refuse.”

“It is too late. The process has already begun.” Five held out his arms as the other dark figures began chanting. “Behold, the union of Forbidden Merchants gather to claim another. We will be paid handsomely, and you… will be a forever prisoner since you refuse to disappear.” He turned to Lucius. “Say hello to Yineera for me, prince.”

The bubbling lava holding up Lucius’ hilts rolled into the portal, hissing as each drip crossed the threshold.

“My eleven constituents will escort you to the gate of abyss, and thereafter, you will know a depth of eternity that only gods do. Farewell.” Five flapped his tattered cloak, and out spewed dark slimy chains that wrapped around the other Merchants and Alan. His pearls glowed off-white with a hint of translucent rainbow, like bubbles.

Through the perilous winds, Five hobbled closer to Lucius. He bent low, staring hard at the prince. “Gods have kept eyes on you for many years, Lucius Kiar. Both here and in your Origins. A sight to behold… no more.” He placed a hand on top of the hilt, reducing it to dust in an instant – showing he controlled whatever Saro flowed in and out of his bubble.

Lucius jerked harshly in the other direction, gripping the last remaining hilt tighter.

“There is no sense in resisting. You will cross.”

Lucius’ living armor began to trickle down his body, taking form once more. Before it completely consumed his face, he smirked, letting go of the hilt and grasping Five by the cloak so they were face-to-face.

“I’ve been preparing for this day a long time.” Lucius released his grip and let the portal claim him, pulling the chains of twelve Merchants with him.

Alan was yanked violently through his shield to join, and in an instant, his body reduced to a spread-out consciousness.

Darkness consumed him for an eternal moment. Then, like a great inhale, he was pulled back together, soaring through sightless worlds, hearing the rattling chains of Five’s magical tether holding them all together, until abruptly, everything stopped.

When Alan’s ethereal eyes opened, the world was shadowy and fading, like the time Lucius dragged him away from the crowd on his first day. Where were they?

Black bricks and a moat of sludge surrounded them, dwarfed by large gothic doors slanted toward the floor. A whirlpool of dark matter awaited within those doors – a second, calmer portal framed like a well.

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Cracked bells the size of buildings rang ominously in the distance, signaling their arrival. But to who? The place was an apocalyptic wasteland of medieval structure. And amid all of it, Alan reformed in a darker shield of gilded shackles.

The Merchant must be powerful if his spells linger through portals. Not even the Helldraken was able to accomplish that.

Lucius stalked ahead, dragging the chains in an enormous show of strength, much to Five’s surprise. “So this is what you’ve built to drown those you do not approve.”

Alan was at a loss. Betrayal, subterfuge, and not an ounce of understanding of who was in control. Five’s chain spell was the most bizarre of all. Giant slimy links stretched as high as the eye could see, beyond grey clouds to a black hole in the sky. Were they tethered all the way back up to Ojin?

Lucius grabbed onto to edges of the giant slanted well-portal and peered into it. “It is as you said, Merchant. Since my early days as a prince, I have been threatened to be dragged – my soul forever confined to nothingness. It intrigued me greatly to know what my would-be assassins would do if they got their hands on me. Now, Alan, you tell me that my love has succumbed to that fate? By all means, I should dive down there and grab her, if I believed you.”

“You are a twisted soul.” Five snickered, but it didn’t last long. His air of arrogance began melting to unease the longer Lucius stood there confidently.

“I am, aren’t I?” Lucius turned, full skulking ninja form intact. “The sirens who sung and perished to create this armor have prepared me to survive if ever a fate was to claim me. To be dragged is universal – from our realms to the god scouts that dared it in Cerrain. I am prepared.” He drew his dark blade and grasped Five’s chain with his free hand. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going.”

Lucius stabbed his own belly, tearing himself open like a pipe of hissing steam and leaking liquid, where the vibrant tincture leaked out. He flashed his Title-swap overhead, evoking gasps.

Title:

Stalker of Undying Fire

Alan came to know that as Lucius’ way of enduring endless would-be deaths amid battle.

“No! Stop him!” Five pointed, prompting the eleven Merchants to draw their Saro-glowing weapons.

The all-connecting chain jangled in Lucius’ grasp. It was almost as if Five wanted it severed at this point, but Lucius was the one holding it together.

“You tell Jaeger, I will get back to Cerrain… to see the world with my own eyes.” Lucius yanked the chain, causing a collective angry groan to echo amongst the Merchants. On Five’s cue, two leapt high – one with scythe and the other with crossbow.

Crchk!

The Blue Saro crossbow bolts released in strange intertwining spirals. Alan guessed they were some kind of homing arrows predicting Lucius’ movements.

Lucius clenched his fist around the chain, beckoning an ornate lava-entrenched shield from the ground just by willing it.

Pang!

One of the bolts ricocheted off of the shield while Lucius swiped the other inches before it cleaved his neck. Without a moment lapsed, he leapt high, dodging the scythe and digging the blade deep into the Merchant’s belly.

Yes! Alan cheered for the lesser evil, even though a pang of guilt struck horrible cords inside him for Durger.

Three more Merchants charged while Five dislocated the pearls from his body and sent them revolving around him.

“Lucius, behind you!” Alan shouted.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“I have trained two lives for this,” Lucius growled, deflecting two crooked swords and one spear. Glowing Saro exploded after each clash. “You don’t stand a chance!” He guided the spear to the floor with his blade, kicked the Merchant flying back, and swung in a one-eighty to slit one of the other Merchant’s throats.

The bleeding Merchant fell into a shadowy puddle, marking the second dead.

More blue crossbow bolts spiraled toward him while four other Merchants charged. With a wave of his hand, Lucius created six puddles of budding weapons that combined into one. He sheathed his dark blade and drew a molten claymore the size of three people.

With one threatening swing, the Merchants stopped in their tracks. “Back!” Lucius’ gauntlets hissed with molten power.

Out of the corner of his eye, Alan noticed a Title change from Five. He was signaling his other Merchants.

Title:

Merchant of Memories Past

“Lucius!” Alan called. He had no idea what it meant, but judging by the orb lifting from Five’s rotation and glowing vibrant white, something horrible was about to happen.

A bodiless horse neighed loud from the orb as it soared blindingly fast away from the battle, taking shape as a giant cone-headed knight atop an armored steed.

It’s a damn summon!

“Lucius, break me out of these chains! Let me help!” Alan desperately shook every which way. His Saro remained locked, his bones seized like he was frozen in a sculpture.

Shit!

Through a blizzardy haze, the knight charged with an old-style jousting spear smoking from the tip. The summon was gigantic, shaking the stone floor with every gallop.

“Look out!” Alan yelled.

Lucius was still swinging his claymore to keep the Merchants back.

Th-thump! Th-thump!

The knight leaned forward to gain speed, and as he was about to connect, Lucius grabbed the chain and leapt backward, jerking the Merchants into harm’s way.

Crnch!

Bones cracked and harrowing screams resounded as two Merchants contorted under frosty hooves. As soon as Lucius touched down, he crouched and leapt forward, using whatever momentum he could muster to swing in a three-sixty and meet the jousting spear head on.

“Hrra!” Lucius bellowed.

In a flash of white, through orange slashes lingering in the air, he burst through the dispelled knight and landed with the claymore disintegrating to blackened ash.

“Incredible,” Alan whispered.

He noticed his chains and Five’s continued to spew out their magical tethers as if their links were endless. The other Merchants were forced to keep playing tug-of-war with the prince. They teetered each way Lucius decided to move. Perhaps it was a mistake to chain a Stalker with so much strength.

The reformed pearl was no longer ripe with essence. It clacked back onto Five’s strange anatomy while the others still revolved.

It was then he realized what they were – weapons. He’d been so frantic that he forgot how he could actually help – fall into a trance!

He eyed the revolving orbs closely, feeling the pull of his ability, and being careful to remain present. He’d have to blink in and out in an instant if he was to help Lucius survive whatever summon came next.

Clang! Clang! Slllt!

Alan was jarred out of his concentration when he heard Lucius groan. Two magical blades stuck through his Black Saro armor, sending heaps of steam into the air.

No…

Lucius bent forward in pain, his pooled weapons falling to ash once more, but through the pain, Alan knew what was coming. His orange eyes grew vibrantly bright. “Rrr.” His gauntlets gripped around the Merchants’ corrosive blades.

Poison, Alan realized.

Lucius yanked the blades completely through his shadowy form, causing the Merchants to lunge forward against their will. He then flipped the two steaming-edged swords into his grip and spun to cut the Merchants down.

He was like a gladiator fighting in the depths of hell.

Focus, Alan.

One of the orbs detached from Five’s orbit, so Alan dropped into a trance – envisioning a Pink Saro Wizard floating midair atop a mountain, shooting a concentrated beam into a single target – tricking the target to act as a momentary puppet.

Alan zoomed back to the present, wondering why and how Five was able to encapsulate a literal instant in time into a single orb. Was its essence recreating the ability? Now wasn’t the time to contemplate it.

“Lucius! Another one of Five’s summons! Look to the sky! Avoid the blast!” Alan shouted.

The prince’s breathing was labored as he staved off the last few standing Merchants. He was losing his edge. Purple corrosive acid stained his armor around the stab wounds. It was depleting him, fast.

Swirling pink winds surrounded the second of Five’s orbs as it ascended skyward. A robed figure formed from the haze, gyrating an ornate staff.

“Lucius! Now!”

Zeeerb!

A pink laser exploded from the staff, forcing the faux Wizard higher into the sky as the beam tore through stone.

Lucius narrowly flipped out of the way, arising to six Blue Saro bolts homing in to his location.

Tnk! Tnk! Tnk! Lucius deflected three with his gauntlets and drew his dark blade once more. Four Merchants remained outside of their master, while the rest were bubbling corpses in this strange plain of reality.

“Now, my Forbidden Merchants. Hold!” Five bellowed, and together, the remaining Merchants dropped their weapons and gripped their chains, causing Lucius to stutter in his step.

Zeeerb!

Another pink blast shot down from the sky, parting the clouds, striking Lucius right in the chest.

“No!” Alan jerked in his shackles.

The prince’s body convulsed as the Merchants held tightly onto their chains – fighting his will. Then, when the pink blast fully absorbed into him, Lucius’ body glowed a smoky pink, expression deadpan.

Five straightened and paced toward the fight for the first time as his essence-less orb clacked back into place under his cloak. “Yes.” He nodded. “Even if you ripped most of the tincture out of you, there is still enough, I suspect. Enough to be dragged for eternity. Now, Prince Kiar, into the portal you go.”

Lucius corrected his posture against his will, and began to turn, fists clenched.

“Fight it!” Alan demanded.

Lucius jerked to one knee, staunchly resisting the spell’s hold over him. Five raised his arms high, lifting his puppet again.

“To the well of fate, Prince Kiar. Where you belong.”

The other four Merchants let some slack on the chains so Lucius could march toward the slanted gates.

“Enough shadow blood has been spilt. No more resistance.” Five swayed forward.

“Ignore him, Lucius! Don’t cross the plane!” Alan’s neck veins jutted.

Lucius faltered again, holding his head, groaning in terrible pain.

“Forward!” Five demanded, and Lucius followed, inching up toward the well’s stones.

The portal riled as Lucius came close. Alan could’ve swore he heard a female voice scream from its depths – like someone begging for help in the middle of the ocean.

Lucius grabbed his head again. “If you’re down there, Luness, wait for me. We will see each other again.” The pink smoke faded around him, and a bubbling lava pool formed to his right – where a spear tip bobbed in the lava.

“Jump, Lucius Kiar,” Five demanded. “To your death and beyond.”

The pink outline around Lucius blinked in and out like a flickering bulb.

“No.” Lucius struggled for control, limbs shaking. “No.” He yanked the spear out and turned with the torque of a machine, launching the spear far.

Fshew!

Five sidestepped the attempt – cloak flapping all around. But that wasn’t his target.

Alan grinned as the spear came his way. He leaned hard to one side, doing his best to line up his chains with the incoming projectile.

Clnk!

The chain severed, and one of Alan’s hands freed. His bones unlocked enough for him to dig into his bag.

C’mon. C’mon. He reached for the Vosh coin – identifying it just by feel – then flipped it into the glowing essence that he grabbed straight away.

Bwosh!

The chains and dark shield surrounding him disintegrated in a flash as the Vosh Bubble cleared him of all foul play. A waterfall of revitalizing Saro unleashed throughout his body. Strength, instinct, foresight. He regained it all. All except his beloved dagger.

No time to waste.

Alan concentrated hard on evoking red, knowing he only had moments to turn the tide. He somersaulted forward – grasping the scythe of a fallen Merchant – and dove to slice Five in two.

Woosh!

Five dodged and whipped open his cloak to launch of bed of crooked spikes at Alan.

He Title-swapped God Merchant for Merchant Warrior just in time to spin the scythe into a windy blur of Yellow-electrical Saro. Alan thought of times of triumph in his old life while locking eyes with the wicked Merchant, sending stray bolts between the wind, deflecting every spike that was thrown at him while zapping his foe to keep him off-balance. Alan ended the whirlwind with a momentous slash right to the face.

“Argh!” Five wailed as he spun to find Lucius on his other side.

Shnnk!

Five’s cloak flew off, revealing a misshapen skeleton, and Lucius’ blade skewered through his decrepit outside heart. A terrifying gasp of dark mist exhaled from Five’s mouth. His pearls clacked against the stone floor as his heart roiled, spewing black sludge.