“This looks good.” Anton ran his hand over the thick woollen clothes, proudly displayed in the bustling Alcanares market. Winter affected Bebbezzar just as harshly as Qaiviel, a light smattering of snow but nowhere near as severe as Atros. “More than enough for what we need. Cetina? What do you think?”

Cetina leant over his shoulder and gently nodded. “Should be more than enough. Thessos is cold but we spent most of the winter inside…It should be enough.”

Verona pulled on his right arm, resting her head on his shoulder as she frowned at the clothes. “It does. But…But it looks kind of boring. Doesn’t it?”

“It’s supposed to keep you warm.” Kal murmured, her voice muffled by her white mask. “Fashion doesn’t matter.”

Anton caught the derisive look from the Bebbezzarian merchant hovering nearby. He did not say anything but Anton knew that he was biting his tongue, desperate to direct them to something more expensive but wary that he could drive them away.

“I suppose.” Verona huffed as she glanced at Cetina.

Despite the weather slowly turning colder by the day she still wore the metal armour, Anton knew that it was extremely cold to the touch and soon her modest underlay wouldn’t be enough. Not to mention Cetina didn’t have much fat on her body, she had little in the way of natural insulation.

“We can just wear it underneath. I’m not worried.” Verona tapped her chest. “They won’t be able to see it underneath this anyway.”

“What do you think?” Anton directed his question behind Cetina. Calo and Sheso stood close behind, watching the busy markets with matching expressions of awe and excitement. They had not said much since they had arrived in Alcanares, less upon entering the market. “Hello? Twins, are you there?”

“Huh?” Calo snapped her head towards Anton. “Sorry…We’ve just never seen so many people before.”

“Or a market so large,” Sheso added. They both moved closer to Cetina. “The…Our homeland doesn’t have anything as large as this.”

Cetina smirked. “Alcanares isn’t even the biggest port. The capital is even larger than this…” The Dark Elf Twins continued to look in awe.

“Even though it’s probably nothing like it was,” Cetina mumbled under her breath. Neither of the twins appeared to notice.

None of those walking past knew that Calo or Sheso were Dark Elves. They had taken lessons from Kal to hide their distinctive features, not that Dark Elves were hated by the Bebbezzarians but they would attract unwanted attention, and wore headgear that hid their long ears. To anyone that bothered to look they were Seocurians, albeit of a lighter skin shade.

“If we’re going to make the journey to Thessos,” Anton continued, raising his voice slightly as a travelling food merchant walked by, loudly hawking his wares. “What we have currently isn’t going to be enough. Especially yours.”

Anton rubbed the thin, loose black material. “It’s really cold…Aren’t you two cold?”

The twins shared a look.

“A little,” Calo said softly. “But we’ve been through worse.”

“I don’t think it snows in The Shadow Isles,” Cetina said. “But it does in Atr…Home.” Cetina looked around in case someone was listening. Even if they did overhear the chances of making the link was impossibly low.

Is it more suspicious to stop like that? Probably. Better to just keep going…I doubt most people here have a map, let alone one of the Kar Kingdom and a desire to find out where we’re from. We’re hardly important.

“We don’t have enough clothes for winter.” Anton looked up at the pale sky. He was all but certain he could see snowflakes floating down, only disappearing as it neared the city. “And some of us are suffering worse than others.”

“I know Rasha won’t need it.” Verona laughed. “She’s so huge...”

Verona smiled at the Dark Elf twins. “Sorry.”

“Why?” Sheso frowned.

“Don’t encourage her.” Anton chuckled. “You probably won’t like the answer. But we need to get something for people like Eider.”

“Right,” Kal said sternly.

“She’ll need more than just a thick coat.” Anton mused. “Since she’s cold-blooded, she’ll need something that generates heat to keep her moving, outside of just plonking them inside of the forge and have them work there. How-How warm do you think it gets underground? I don’t think the temperature would change much down there.”

“Then there’s that pit as well.” Verona murmured. “I-”

“Hey!” A loud voice called out over the general murmur. “Look who it is!”

Anton felt Verona, Kal and Cetina pull closer. Calo and Sheso stepped closer as well but not to the same degree. Through the crowds, Anton spied several familiar faces, a group of mercenaries they had met during their first visit to Alcanares. Eirco and Sara pushed their way through the crowds, more Sara frantically apologising to those disturbed by his passing, with the other four women close behind. Anton did not know their names, but the Ninja woman, with only her judging eyes exposed, did unsettle him slightly. And he wasn’t the only one.

Verona tapped his side. “Next time you meet these people you need to have more than him.”

Anton ignored Verona’s jab and focused on the friendly group of mercenaries.

"I didn't think we'd see you again." Eirco held a beaming smile, Sara smiled too but in a silent apology. "You got the Wyrm Heart so I thought you'd be on your way."

"It was very useful," Anton said. Calo and Sheso threw Anton a curious glance. "But we have business deeper in Bebbezzar. What about you? Did your job go well?"

"Extremely." Eirco beamed with pride. "Had a few near scrapes but nothing we couldn't-"

"If it wasn't for Gioia you'd be dead," Sara said dryly. "She found that hidden archer while you were busy flirting with me." Sara sighed, holding her staff close. "There is a time and place for that. And it's not when half the enemy is still alive!"

Doesn't sound like it's the first time either.

"I'm sorry." Eirco appeared genuinely remorseful. "It's easy to get distracted when I see you fighting. The strength, anger, confidence. It makes..."

Sara sighed. "You were a little rougher..." A wry smile formed on her lips. "I would have preferred it if you waited until you were done."

"So is it just you two?" Verona asked. "Or are there more involved?"

Both flushed. Neither could formulate a response as Verona laughed. Some of the nearby shoppers already looked a little embarrassed, or were trying to listen to what they thought was unrestrained debauchery every night.

I am sleeping with three women each night so I'm in no place to judge. Cetina's not having her days off either...

"At once?" Verona whistled. "I bet that's pretty tiring."

Eirco coughed loudly, fighting down the flush while Sara continued to pull strange faces.

"Everything is consensual," Erico said softly. "I have never forced myself upon another, nor have I allowed it to happen to me."

Erico was quite a handsome man. But that didn't mean he would automatically sleep with any woman that threw herself at him. Judging by those he travelled with he had a high standard.

"Verona just likes to tease." Anton lightly slapped Verona's helmet. "But where are your other companions?"

Sara, now fully recovered, pointed a stall far behind them. Anton spied the crossbow girl, the willowy twins and even the ninja perusing through a selection of exotic weapons. Judging by the number of gems embedded in the metal they were magical or ceremonial, he could not tell which.

"A fair amount of money then." Anton mused. "So onto the next job?"

"Yep." Erico nodded towards the south. "Another group of bandits have appeared to the south and they're not like the normal lot either. Not some deserters or rogue group. No, they are very organized. And very violent."

Anton turned to Cetina. "Sounds like those rebels you were talking about."

"So long as they were on even numbers they wouldn't attack." Cetina murmured. "Unless they really had to."

"Good tactics," Erico replied. "But they're the people we need to remove."

"Is it on the way to Thessos?" Anton asked, Cetina immediately understood and eagerly approved the idea, even though it had yet to be said.

"Why are you heading there?" Sara asked. "Not that I'm intruding."

"It's my home," Cetina spoke softly. "I want to...I want to see it, even if it is for the last time. See what's left of my family. If they survived the Clansmen attack."

"Last I heard they were rebuilding." Sara stepped closer. "So they haven't abandoned it."

"That's good to know." Cetina smiled. "I never knew my aunt's side of the family well but they didn't have anything to do with Eluria and Sancha."

Eirco and Sara shared a worried glance. Neither had any idea just how deep Cetina’s hatred for those two, and Strega Witches, truly ran.

“Hey!” A short woman, a large crossbow slung over her back, pushed her way through the light crowds. “We’ve got everything we need.”

“Fantastic!” Eirco gave her head a decent ruffle. She tried to hide her delight but it was a pointless endeavour. “Looks like our group is expanding-”

The crossbow woman huffed. “It’s already-”

Sara slapped her rear hard with the bottom of her staff. “Not like that.”

“Oh...” She quickly regained her composure. “So who are they?”

Kal leant to Anton’s ear. “Are all the short humans like that? Or are we just running into the exceptions?”

“Definitely the stranger ones,” Anton whispered back. Kal slowly nodded, he was certain she was smiling, as Sara tapped the crossbow woman’s rear again.

“Stop that.” She swatted away Sara’s next strike. “You were the people that wanted the Wyrm heart. Right? Did you do whatever you wanted with it?”

“We did.”

“I suppose a few extra hands wouldn’t hurt.” She reached back and tapped her crossbow. “But we shouldn’t need help to deal with some bandits.”

Eirco sighed and held her shoulder. “This is Melanie. She’s from the west of Bebbezzar, and an extremely good shot with a crossbow. And knives, if they get close enough.”

“You don’t use one of those latch things?” Verona mimicked the action. “I’ve tried and it...It took me a while. Cetina doesn’t have any issues but that’s just not comparable.”

Melanie smirked and rolled up her sleeves. She was very well built, less than Cetina but still impressive. Given her lack of height, it stood out even more.

Like a Dwarf…

“I could probably beat most of you in strength-”

“You don’t need to show off.” Eirco squeezed her shoulder. “They just wanted to know if you can actually fight or if it’s for show.”

Melanie slowly nodded. Another three women emerged through the crowd to join her. The willowy twins held fur coats in the arms while the ninja stared intently at Anton’s side.

“New cloaks for the journey.” A sister said.

“Ours are old and tattered.” The other spoke without any discernible difference in tone. “We thought it would be a good time to get new ones.”

Anton leant down to Calo and Sheso. “See how frustrating it can be sometimes.”

The Dark Elf twins merely stuck out their tongues.

The ninja said nothing. She kept her eyes focused on them, but her hand gently brushed against something hard strapped to her thigh, a weapon no doubt. Unlike the others, Anton didn’t know how she fought, not that he was planning to tangle with any of them.

“Ah. These are Adélie and Odette.” Eirco moved between the willowy twins and held their shoulders. They didn’t flinch at his touch but weren’t helplessly in love with him, like Melanie. “Fantastic archers and trappers.”

“And her?” Verona asked. “She’s the odd one out of you all.”

Eirco smiled. “Gioia. A friend from a neighbouring city. She heard that we were becoming mercenaries so she decided to join.”

Verona folded her arms. “Looks like an assassin to me.”

“Why fight someone at their strongest when you can kill them in their sleep,” Gioia spoke very softly, her eyes remained as attentive as ever.

It’s not a fantasy thing, is it?

“But I can fight in a battle if I need to.” Gioia continued.

"We were planning to depart the moment we had all of our supplies," Erico said. "How soon will you be ready?"

"As soon as we have these clothes stored safely in our warehouse." Anton nodded to the eagerly awaiting merchant.

Melanie frowned. "Why are you buying so many? You're not taking them with you...So..."

"We should not pry into people's private lives and activities," Erico spoke like he was giving a lecture. "It is up to them what they do with their wealth. If they could afford a Wyrm Heart they can certainly afford some thick winter clothes."

The clothes merchant's eyes practically bulged at the knowledge of just how much money Anton had spent.

"Don't even think of raising the priced or I'll take my business elsewhere," Anton said loudly. "You can make a good profit, or you can try and take more and get nothing."

The merchant understood and curtailed his enthusiasm.

"We'll meet you outside of the southern gate." Erico began ushering the woman away. "See you soon."

Sara and the twins smiled and waved, Gioia continued to stare until she was forced to look away while Melanie smirked and waved with the back of her hand. A few seconds passed and they were gone, consumed by the crowd.

"I think your harem is a lot more stable," Verona whispered. "You just need some twins now..."

Calo and Sheso's faces turned beet red in an instant. Anton gently sapped Verona's rear, unclear if it was a punishment or a reward.

"You two might need to ride with us," Anton said. "No, you're not walking beside. That's simply unacceptable."

"I'll take one," Verona said. "I can fight without my hands."

"My horse is pretty strong." Cetina folding her arms. "I could really carry both."

"Let's get these back home first." Anton turned to the merchant. "How much for everything?"

---[]---

Anton's concerns about Calo and Sheso walking we're unfounded. Eirco's band only had one horse, an older stubborn thing that carried their packs and food. Melanie tried to make it move faster but the beast did not care and even slowed down until she relented.

"He's a stubborn thing." Eirco laughed. "But he was cheap and he does what he's told."

"So long as it’s what he wants to do," Sara said softly. The two began to chat intimately, Sara lightly brushing a hand against his rear without saying a word.

I bet Cetina felt this weird when she first travelled with us.

Beyond Alcanares’s, the land of Bebbezzar was almost exactly as Cetina, and Duran, had described: lush fields extended in every direction, dotted by clusters of trees and maintained shrubbery, bristling with wildlife. In the distance were more forest with plentiful game running about; deers with four antlers, Razor Pigs and sheep the size of horses.

"Sure you could ride some of those sheep." Anton mused.

Sara tilted her head up. "Oh, you can. But not if they're adults in the wild. They're more likely to ram you to death than let you touch them."

Anton noticed the small horn in the centre of each of the sheep. While it wouldn't puncture skin its sheer size, and the bulk of the beast behind it, meant it would have tremendous force. A few broken bones would be the least of concern.

"Where did these Demons emerge?" Anton asked.

Gioia silently pointed to a field that had been left overgrown and charred. While the smaller grasses and weeds had smothered any of the charred ground the small crater was still present.

"No one's guarding the place?" Verona asked.

"The Alcanares council had already checked it thoroughly with mages for any lingering..." Erico searched for the right words. "Presence. Nothing. And since the owner is dead, and no one really wants to take something they think might be cursed, it's become like this."

Anton had mixed emotions. While the landowner had Beastkin slaves they too were killed by the Demons.

We need to find one of those leader Demons, the ones with the six swords, and force an explanation. Its confusion with the Beastkin gives me some hope they might be able to be reasoned with. If they don't just kill us on sight.

Small peddlers and traders passed them by on the stone road. Some attempted to hawk their wares, an impromptu sale outside of the reach of city taxes and tariffs, but Eirco politely declined.

"It's not that we'll get into any trouble. Just that every other peddler will also try their luck with us."

"That's happened to us before." Anton mused. "Buy one thing and you're downed in an avalanche of desperate sellers."

"They have to make a living too," Sara added softly.

As they neared the forest the number of travellers thinned and those that did pass help long and worried faces. It did not take much cajoling to reveal they all had been robbed, in one form or another.

"Describe them to us," Erico said.

"Are you going to hunt them?" One of the traders asked. "There are quite a few...Is that a Mage's Charm?"

Sara held her staff high. "I am."

"Well..." The trader rubbed his arms. "Maybe you can deal with them."

“How many are there and where are they hiding?” Eirco asked. Anton had the feeling these traders might just ramble on if left to their own devices, or try and sell something to them.

“The forest just beyond this one.” The trader pointed along the road. More traders emerged, they too moved with a despondent gait. “About a hundred of them.” The trader leant close. “They’re wearing the red headbands.”

“Shit.” Cetina clicked her tongue. “They’re this close?”

The trader glumly nodded. He held his elbow tight as he looked at the ground, a deep frown on his face.

“I don’t know why they want to hurt us-”

“It doesn’t matter.” Eirco declared. “They’re just bandits and they are preying on innocent travellers and merchants. Right?”

“Right.” The trader didn’t answer resolutely, likely that he was confused from Eirco’s outburst.

“So we’ll crush them and free the road.”

“And get well paid too,” Melanie whispered softly to Sara. Sara smiled and weakly nodded.

“Well…” The trader looked along the road again. “I don’t know exactly where they are. But I’m sure you’ll find them if you travel along the road. They might not attack you, since it doesn’t look like you’re carrying valuables.”

Sara’s charm certainly looks valuable.

“We’ll deal with them.” Eirco waved them forward. “Don’t you worry about them ever again.”

The traders slowly nodded and continued on their way. There was little they could do for them. Anton could have given them money but it would have only raised more questions than answers.

“A red headband?” Anton asked as they began to enter the forest. “That’s these bandits uniform?”

“It’s cheap.” Adélie, one of the willowy twins, said while running a hand through her long hair. “And easy to make.”

Her sister nodded. “Sometimes they just drench it in blood.” Odette, the other sister, flashed them a murderous smile. “Blood can be much cheaper than a dye.”

“Especially in these times,” Adélie said softly.

“So where did these people even start?” Anton asked. He received an odd look from Melanie. “An organised force like this, an insurgency or revolution, doesn’t just spontaneously emerge. Did the Seocurians help them?”

“I certainly hope not.” Melanie spat onto the ground. “They’ve killed a lot of people in their stupid…Whatever they call it.”

“Revolution,” Gioia said softly. “They call it a revolution.”

“I take it that you heard that while you were skulking around their camps?” Anton asked the ninja.

Gioia shrugged. “They were selling children to the Seocurians.”

“They are certainly for the people,” Anton grumbled.

Eirco and Sara slowed so they walked alongside Anton’s horse.

“From what we know they started right next to the Seocurian border,” Eirco said. “A port city. Rumours…Rumours spread easily…”

A thought flashed through Anton’s mind. “What do they think about the Beast-kin?”

Eirco frowned. “They despise them. Well, more than most people in Bebbezzar.”

“I think I know what happened.” Anton received an odd look from Eirco and Sara. “It’s not that hard to work out. The Beast-kin were brought in since they’re much, much cheaper than human labourers. And those that used them could make ludicrous amounts of money. Others saw this and bought more slaves.”

“Then no one is working.” Sara mused. “And potentially thousands of people without work, seeing the Beastkin taking their jobs.”

“Drowning themselves in alcohol.” Anton continued. “Then they get it into their heads to get rid of the Beast-kin, who took their jobs, and the employers who forced them out.”

“Then who’s running the places now?” Verona asked. “If they got rid of the bosses…”

“The people that started it.” Anton shrugged. “Someone needs to be in charge. And they need to spread their ideas. I don’t know. Maybe I’m wrong. But I do know that alcohol was certainly involved.”

“It’s good money for us.” Eirco received an odd look from Sara. “But I’d prefer to be hunting actual bandits or monsters that are stalking the land. Something helps people without murdering-”

“You just said bandits.” Verona shook her head. “Unless you don’t think bandits are humans. Or they’re Beast-kin bandits…Right?”

“Of course not.” Erico smiled. “But some try and escape from time to time.”

“They don’t get far,” Kal said softly.

“No. Normally they are returned.” Eirco shrugged. “But I don’t think they’re ever seen again.”

They continued along the forest pathway in silence. Though the traders said the revolutionaries were beyond this forest everyone kept their eye peeled for any sign of movement. Every so often Calo and Sheso pointed to a particularly dense thicket only for a small rabbit to dart through the undergrowth. No one admonished them, Eirco’s gang was quite impressed at the Dark Elves abilities, especially Gioia. The ninja said nothing but she looked at the Dark Elves in a mixture of jealousy and envy. None knew Calo and Sheso were Dark Elves but that wasn’t something they needed to know.

Once out of the forest Anton was surprised any of the traders were taking the road. The signs of a recent battle littered the sides of the road; the bodies of humans and several horses lay in a pile, pushed away by a passing trader but only enough so a cart could pass and not for the dignity of the dead. Most of the bodies were peasants, thick cloth clothes but little armour, but a few were modestly armoured and sporting the bright traditional colours of Bebbezzar, albeit now stained with blood.

“See the red bands?” Eirco pointed to the dead peasants. “That’s them.”

“There’s a lot more than I thought there would be.” Anton silently counted the bodies. “There’s at least twenty of them and only eight of the others.”

“That’s a terrible loss for what they managed to accomplish,” Cetina said.

“They’ve always got more.” Melanie checked her crossbow was loaded. “No matter how many are killed.”

“Always someone willing to fight for the promise of money.” Anton mused. “Always.”

Kal pulled on her reins and stopped her horse. She pointed to a pile of dead horses, flies buzzing furiously around the rotting corpse, and something wooden hidden by their bodies.

“A carriage.” Anton dismounted. “I wonder if they took hostages.”

“An effective way to gain funds,” Gioia mumbled. She drew two small blades and crouched towards the battered carriage, her eyes always searching the bodies for anyone still alive.

“Is she going to be alright?” Verona asked. Everyone else in Anton’s group remained on their horses but were more than willing to jump at a moment’s notice.

“She knows what she’s doing.” Erico smiled. “If things get really nasty I’m sure she’d just slip away, even in the middle of battle.”

“You know that’s not true,” Sara replied. “She’s always come back.”

I wonder if she’s scarred like Kal is supposedly? I could fix that…

“Is Gioia scarred?” Anton asked. “I might be able to fix that.”

Melanie scoffed. “She’s not scarred or wounded in any way.” Melanie sighed dramatically. “It was the way she was trained by someone. I think from Xiam. Wasn’t it?”

“I don’t know,” Sara said. “She doesn’t talk about it much.”

If she wants to play pretended who am I to judge? So long as she doesn’t get herself killed.

Gioia shifted around the horse corpses and approached the carriage. It didn’t look particularly well furnished but it wasn’t ramshackle, probably a middling lord and his escort. Gioia disappeared and the carriage door clacked open. Gioia emerged a moment later, though only her eyes were exposed they spoke of a great sadness.

“Dead.” She hurried towards them. Despite her loose clothes, she moved almost silently. “All dead. A family, two young girls and their parents.”

She threw a small medal at Erico. “I don’t recognise the insignia. But I think it’s from near the southern border with Seocuria.”

Erico held the medal aloft. It was quite simple, an iron disk with an intricate golden emblem etched into the metal, a type of flower.

“I don’t recognise it.” Erico showed the others in his group, none had any idea. “How about you?”

He tossed it to Anton, who immediately passed it Cetina. Cetina held the medal close to her eyepatch covered eye. Eirco, Sara and Melanie shared a worried glance at Cetina’s peculiarity.

“I think it belongs to the Sheruka family.” Cetina lowered the medal. “They’re a small mining town near the border. I think we traded with them from time to time…But I was very young and I think it was only once.”

“There were also empty chests in the carriage,” Gioia said. “With large metal bands and locks. Only something you would use to store valuables.

Erico shook his head. “They were probably fleeing these revolutionaries. And now their wealth is fuelling their murderers.”

Gioia coughed. “Many of the bodies show signs of interference.”

“Do you mean-”

Gioia stopped Verona with a raised hand. “Not in a sexual manner. But all valuables have been removed. Even iron. Everything that cannot be easily removed or easy to resell.”

“Should have checked their carts for bloodied armour.” Anton mused. “But that’s their choice.”

Anton formed a Fire Bomb. “I don’t think it’s right for them to remain out here, rotting and bloating in the sun while being picked over by predators, both beast and man.”

“No…” Eirco looked to Sara. “I don’t think Sara should use her gravity magic before we fight.”

Anton threw the Fire Bomb onto the mass of people, constantly feeding mana into the fire so the bodies began to burn. It was not a pleasant endeavour, thick black smoke began to leak from the bodies as they slowly burned, but they didn’t have the time to bury each of the bodies. Anton also didn’t want to see decaying children. Everyone waited and watched in silence as the bodies were reduced to ash, irrespective of what they were in life.

---[]---

With the piles of bodies now far behind them they approached the second forest. Despite the proximity to Alcanares the roads were barren behind them. The traders had reached the city and warned them of the danger, the revolutionaries were probably harassing those still coming to the city. Suddenly Kal raised her hand.

"They're just ahead." Kal readied her bow. "I can bear them fighting."

Anton stopped his horse. Over their breathing he could hear the faint clanging of metal interspersed with faint cries far in the distance. Gioia removed a section of her veil over her ears. They were perfectly normal, she even had a few blue gemstone studs in her earlobe.

"At least forty people involved," Gioia added. She fastened her veil and drew two small blades. "No idea how many are enemies."

They silently reached the crest of a small rise in the road as the noises grew louder, again Anton was reminded of Duran and their first encounter. A merchant's convoy was assailed by bandits, but not the usual destitute and desperate kind. These wore passable armour, designed for stealth over outright strength and wielded decent weapons. Small red headbands rippled in the wind, some had them attached to the edge of their helmet but all had the signifying mark of the Revolutionaries. The caravan civilians wore vibrantly coloured clothes, little of it designed for combat. Baring a few well-armoured guards they were essentially defenceless.

"Please do not resist!" A voice boomed over the sounds of battle. "Your goods and wares will be distributed amongst the people. For a better life and future for everyone. Even you, you who steal the people's wealth for your own selfish desires. We do not wish to harm you so, please, lay down your arms and surrender your valuables. The other traders have been allowed to leave-"

“Fuck off!” A caravan guard sunk his mace into a bandit’s head, the face crumpled and sprayed blood and brain fragments everywhere. “Preach your crap to someone that cares!”

“Do not relent!” The voice boomed again.

The caravan guards continued to defend themselves, the civilians stood behind them and used long spears and some even slings. A pair of revolutionaries fell and they were no closer to capturing their prize. Anton did not have much faith in their combat ability, clearly they relied on their numbers and intimidation, if this battle was any indicator.

“Enough!” The voice was far more shrill this time. “Slaughter these fools and take their belongings!”

Eirco smiled. “Time for a quick battle. Will you help us? I can’t promise you a reward but you will be more than welcome to pick through their belongings.”

Sara gripped her staff tight. “And I’m sure they’ll be willing to give us some food.”

“Of course.” Anton summoned a Small Lightning Crow and a Large Fire Imp. Eirco’s band gasped in surprise. They knew he was a mage but not that he could use multiple types. “Let’s make sure that we don’t hit any friendlies.”

Sara glanced sideways at Eirco, who took painstaking effort not to notice.

"Stop right there, bandits!" Erico yelled over the battle. "Surrender now!"

Whoever owned the booming voice ordered their forces to attack the newcomers, despite not knowing how many or how capable they were. Nearly half the Revolutionariespeeled away from the caravan, much to the defender's relief, and charged at their group.

I suppose I could beat them in just a few seconds.

"You want any of them alive?" Anton asked.

Erico shook his head. "Their leader's head will suffice. Spare anyone that surrenders. Kill the rest."

"That might be a bit hard." Verona summoned her blood. "But not for me at least."

Erico glanced at Verona before focusing his attention where it should lie, towards the swarm of angry Revolutionaries charging at them.

"Shield your eyes," Anton yelled.

Instead of his usual barrage of lightning bolts and bombs he decided to try something a little different, one of the magic he had learned but never really had a chance to use. He released a wave of lightning, the bright light emerged just in front of their lines and raced towards the Revolutionaries. Clearly, they were not expecting mages and broke their charge. Some managed to escape the Lightning Wave but not those at the front. Their bodies spasmed violently, little arcs of lightning fraying out from their body. After hitting the first line of Revolutionaries the Lightning wave quickly lost strength, becoming more of an irritant than anything.

"Impressive." Sara softly mumbled. The purple crystals on her Charm glowed bright as she continued to chant. "Strange magic you're using."

"Girls!" Erico looked to the other girls in his company with their ranged weapons. "Target any that are still willing to fight.”

Adélie and Odette loosed their loaded ordnance. Bows could shoot faster than Melanie’s crossbow, so the willowy twins provided most of the damage. Kal joined as well, much to their relief, with effectively four archers to fire into the enemy mass.

"Where is Gioia?" Anton asked. "Did she just run away?"

Erico smiled. "She'll be taking out their leader. He won't be giving orders for much longer."

For what little good it does. Are they not capable of anything more than charging?

"Fire a volley!" The enemy leader boomed. "Crush these intruders."

"Trying to make us seem like the bad guys." Anton mused.

The Revolutionaries at the rear drew small bows. While they did not have the raw power of their large weapons they were still deadly. The bows twanged and released their missiles.

"Too slow." Sara tapped her staff on the ground. A purple hue covered the air a few meters before them. The arrows dropped to the ground the moment they touched the purple light, like they had been thrown by a child, like gravity had increased upon them a hundred times. They did not roll but started to embed themselves into the dirt and stone. Only then did Anton realise all of the grass now lay perfectly flat and still.

"W-What?" A lone Revolutionary muttered. The others were stunned into silence, even as the battle continued behind them.

"Does one of you know Earth Magic?" Sara asked. The purple field had only been active for a few seconds and yet her fingers were trembling. Mezot had unleashed over a hundred giant icicles before her breathing had even started to waver. Manipulating gravity, part of the very fabric of reality, was probably far more mana intensive than creating ice out of the air.

"Unfortunately not," Verona yelled. "But I have some pots if you want them."

She threw one of her oldest pots towards Sara. Sara raised her hand, the faint purple hue surrounded her fingers and followed the pot. The moment the clay pot touched the field it shot forward like a bullet, smashing into a dumbstruck Revolutionaries face so hard it exploded, the resulting fragments of bone and clay tore into those behind, killing many.

"Fuck!" Verona was beside herself with joy. "Now that's powerful."

Kal jabbed Anton's side with the end of her bow. "Something like that?"

"One of them." Anton smiled as the Revolutionary’s slowly recovered from the shock. "But it won't need magic."

A grenade doesn't need to manipulate gravity to function. And anyone can use it, not that Sara's magic isn't insanely powerful.

The Revolutionaries could not decide what to do. The caravan was holding on and arrows and bolts continued to fly. Erico tossed small rocks towards Sara's hand with the same devastating results as Verona's pot.

"Advance!" The booming voice yelled. "Do not surrender yourself to fear!"

Anton did not understand the logic. They were clearly outmatched. It would be smarter to retreat, accept the losses rather than fight on and lose everyone.

I must never fall into the same trap. Confidence is a slow and insidious killer.

The Revolutionaries grit their teeth and charged, screaming with the anger of men who knew their death was imminent.

Erico scoffed at their act of bravado and prepared to charge. As his rear boot left the ground he planted it back down hard, hard enough that he staggered slightly. Anton saw Sara and $ flash him a smile.

Seems like the sort of man that rushes headlong into danger. Even into a field that would crush him under extreme gravity. Must constantly worry those that care deeply for him. Speaking of, where is that ninja girl?

Anton loosed a volley of Fire Bombs. Seeing their comrades die, screaming as they roasted alive, was more than sufficient to completely break them. They dropped their weapons and shields, scattering to the woods.

"Don't let them escape!" Melanie yelled as she frantically loaded her crossbow.

Adélie and Odette strained their bodies to the limit to fire off every arrow they had left. Not every strike was lethal but the sheer number was enough to break what little spirit remained.

"Wasn't really needed," Verona grumbled. "Again. Is there an Old God of gravity? Or whatever Sara uses? Everything she can touch becomes a weapon."

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

Sara smiled at Verona. It had not been a minute and yet Sara looked to be on the verge of fainting.

There must be a more efficient way. Well, maybe not when she’s the only mage and Eirco has a tendency to charge into battle. I imagine her ‘acceleration’ attack is how she normally fights. She’d never run out of ammunition.

Anton loosed a final volley of Lightning Bolts into the backs of the Revolutionaries attacking the caravan. Realising they had been defeated many surrendered, a few attempted to run but were slain by arrows or by a Lightning strike from the Lightning Crow silently hovering above the trees.

"We surrender!" An Revolutionary yelled. A small piece of red cloth hung from the corner of his helmet with a line of yellow sewn along its length, likely the denotation of a higher rank.

"Not after all that shit!" The caravan guard, the same that had initially rebuked the Revolutionaries, gripped his sword tight with a trembling hand. "You just throw your hands up and that's it?"

"As an honourable man-"

"Fuck off."

The guard rammed his sword through the Revolutionary's unprotected back. The man screamed, his fingers trembled as they touched the bloodied blade, before he was kicked forward and into the ground.

He pointed his bloodied sword at the next Revolutionary's throat. "You lot don't deserve-"

"Stop!" Erico yelled. Sara released the purple field and breathed deeply.

Erico almost dropped his weapons to run just a fraction faster. The guard hesitated but a fellow guard did not, striking an Revolutionary in the face with a mace. Teeth and blood sprayed over the ground as the Revolutionaries cowered in fear.

"You helped us but this is our fight." The first guard's welled with tears. "These animals killed my daughter-"

"No we didn't!" A small Revolutionary whimpered. He was little more than a boy but the caravan guards directed nothing but fury at him. "We didn't kill any children! We only wanted your goods-"

"Not here! But your kind raided my town to the east. Sold my wife to the Seocurians and killed my daughter when she fought back." Anger radiated from the Caravan Guard. "I'm only here to make enough money to get her back." He gripped his sword with both hands. "And some little snot-"

The appearance of a crow, rippling with lightning and hovering in front of his face, stopped him. So too did the Fire Imp, brandishing its small blade at the guards. They were so consumed with anger and the thirst for revenge that they had not noticed them approach.

"Our companion merely wished for us to interrogate them before you try to dispense some kind of justice," Anton said loudly. "Especially since it appears their leaders have escaped."

To their side, the bushes and trees rustled. Three men emerged, wearing Revolutionary garb and armour, heavily wounded with their hands raised high.

"Your distraction was effective." Gioia silently emerged from behind the last man, pointing her small, thin sword at his kidneys. "I wouldn't have been able to capture them by myself."

"Three adult men against one woman without magic?" Cetina frowned lightly. "That seems very unlikely."

"Capturing is difficult. Not killing."

Anton saw how her eyes glistened with delight. Gioia clearly had her own quirks to work through.

"And these are your commanders?" Anton asked.

Several Revolutionaries nodded.

"Well." Anton dismounted. "We don't need you anymore."

The Caravan Guards only hesitated for a second before descending upon the hapless Revolutionaries. Blood and screams filled the air. Eirco’s entire party, minus Gioia, looked on in mild horror, Eirco especially. He tried to speak, tried to search for something that would stop the slaughter but couldn’t. Gioia caught his eye as she pointed to the dead around the ruined caravan. Many were women and a few were children.

The first Caravan Guard broke through the mass with the young Revolutionary throat in his hands. The young man, really a boy, screamed bloody murder as the guard's hands crushed down onto his eyes. The guard, bloody spittle flying from his mouth, threw him into the ground and slammed his head into the ground over and over. The boy whimpered a final plea before the guard punched him in the mouth and pulled hard on his tongue.

Anton found Calo and Sheso standing nearby, dumbstruck by the violence on display. “Cover your ears. You probably don’t want to watch this.”

“And you do?” Calo reached for his hand. “It’s horrible.”

Both averted their eyes but didn’t cover their ears. Already the cries were gone, replaced by the grunts of exertion of the Caravan Guard as he continued to mutilate the Revolutionary.

“You clan are pirates,” Anton said softly. “Surely they’ve done some horrible things.”

“Not like this.” Calo winced. “Not that we’ve seen.”

Doubt they’d show their bosses granddaughters the really nasty stuff. Of course they could be decent pirates, if such a thing exists, and only rob people for their money. Surely there were some on Earth that were like that.

As the screams turned more vile and desperate the twins covered their ears, scrunched their eyes tight and hung their heads low. Verona and Cetina didn’t look particularly thrilled, Kal’s body language matched theirs, but Anton wasn’t about to interfere with the small modicum of vengeance they could inflict.

“Gioia.” Anton waved at the ninja, holding the terrified Revolutionaries at knifepoint. “Bring them to me.”

“Are you going to burn them?” She pushed them forward, directing them around the dead and dying “After what they’ve done they probably don’t deserve much better.”

Cetina grumbled under her breath, Verona and Kal were not happy with the thought either.

“No.” Anton waited until the three were presented to him. “I just want to make them answer a few questions.”

“Better for them to be kneeling.” Cetina sheathed her sword and motioned for the Revolutionaries to kneel. One did not obey, for a reason that Anton could not fathom, until Cetina kicked him in the back of the leg. He groaned as his leg buckled and collapsed to the ground. “Hands on your heads.”

Gioia chuckled, her eyes bristled with delight and a perverse satisfaction.

Guess she likes watching bad people in pain…I guess I can kind of relate.

“Erico?” Anton saw the young man scrunching his eyes tight, jumping every time a scream came from the Revolutionaries. Despite being a mercenary, a man that fought and killed for money, he was quite sensitive to such brutality.

Probably normally deals with monsters and kills people quickly. Never had the need, the desire, to inflict pain. If someone killed one of his harem I’m sure he’d snap.

“Erico?!”

“Yes?” Erico winced as the young Revolutionary screamed in pain.

“You said you wanted their heads-”

“Fucking die already!”

Anton barely glanced at the slaughter happening just beyond them.

“-But did you want to know anything else?”

“What?”

“I can extract anything you want to know from them.” Anton raised his hand. “Without needing to resort to violence.”

Erico sighed as the slaughter of the Revolutionaries was almost complete.

“I suppose…” Erico shook his head. He looked at Calo and Sheso, still covering their ears but no longer scrunching their eyes tight. They watched Cetina for the sign that the violence was over. “I suppose the guild will pay for information.”

Anton held the Revolutionaries’ head. The man’s eyes widened in fear as Anton chanted the truth prayer.

“So, what do you want to know?”

---[]---

Anton silently held each of the Revolutionaries’ heads as Erico’s band thoroughly interrogated them. Mostly it was mundane questions; where they came from, the situation in the areas they controlled and possible troop movements. None of the captives knew anything about the carriage or its occupants, which was a little shame as there was no chance of any survivors.

“That’s enough.” Erico waved Anton back. “That’s enough.”

“If you say so.”

Anton withdrew his hand. The Revolutionaries eyes were wild with unimaginable fear and terror, he had never experienced his body compelled to speak the truth before. Anton knew it wasn’t an entirely pleasant experience.

“What do you want to do with them?” Cetina asked. “You said you only needed-”

“We’ll take them back.” Melanie cut Cetina off. She produced a small spool of rope. “We’ll let the guild sort it out. It’s up to them what they want. Well, what the person that posted the job wants.”

Erico said nothing as Melanie and Cetina bound their hands tight. Sara was by his side, gently rubbing his shoulder while Gioia looked on worried. The willowy twins kept their attention focused on the surrounding forests.

The caravan guards approached, drenched in blood. The fury that had driven them to such acts of brutality had burned out. So too had their will, they looked like zombies.

“These are ours,” Anton said calmly. “Understood?”

“Thank you.” The first caravan guard offered his hand. Wet blood dripped from his fingers. He quickly realised why Anton didn’t wish to touch him. “Sorry. But it…”

“There’s nothing to apologise for.” Anton forced a smile. “But we need to be on our way.”

“Are you still heading south?” Sara asked. She had calmed but still held her staff tight.

Anton nodded. “We are. And if you’re heading back north then I fear this is where we must part ways.”

“I…” Erico searched for something but couldn’t find the words. He was a good-hearted person, probably not the person to deal with the disgusting realities of combat.

“Regardless of how it happened, these Revolutionaries will never again hurt another person.” Anton pointed back towards the city. “If they weren’t here that family wouldn’t have been slaughtered and their bodies left to rot in the sun.”

Erico’s face hardened. He glumly nodded as Sara and Melanie did their best to comfort him.

“Have you all lost someone?” Anton asked the caravan guards. “Before…Today?”

Many nodded.

“Then I don’t know what to do.” Anton took a shallow breath. “Maybe teaming up against these Revolutionaries is the right thing, maybe it’s best to head west and avoid the fighting. I don’t know. I can’t make a decision for you, but I can help.”

“How?” A different caravan guard stepped forward. “I’ve lost everything. They chased me from my farm. Now it’s a burnt wreck and they use children to try and plough the fields.”

Anton didn’t reply. Instead he produced a gold coin for each of the caravan guards.

“What is this?” The first Caravan Guard was utterly dumfounded. “Is this…Real?”

“Perfectly real.” Anton took a step back as the guards marvelled in the wealth placed before them. “Do what you want with it, it is now yours to keep, but remember…Someone has to fight these scum. Otherwise they’re going to rule over everything.”

The guards shared a look. Their will, the fire was returning. Not as bright as before but consistent, a slow burning desire for revenge. They gave another heartfelt thanks and returned to their caravan and tried to assess their losses, except for the first Caravan Guard.

“I don’t think that boy deserved that.” He mumbled. “It just felt right-”

Anton raised his hand. “Help your people. They need you to be strong, now more than ever. There will be time for mourning and recrimination once you safely behind the city walls.”

The man slowly nodded. “Yeah…Yeah. That’s right. Thanks…We wouldn’t be alive without you. All of you.”

The man bowed and ran towards his caravan. Anton winced slightly as he stood on the corpses of the Revolutionaries without a care, squeezing out blood from their numerous wounds.

“This…” Erico removed his simple metal helmet. “This has been a…A day.”

“Your normal fights aren’t so bloody?” Verona asked. “Ours aren’t.”

“We tend to avoid problems like this,” Kal added.

“Nowhere near as bad.” Erico sighed. “Normally it’s against beasts and monsters…Though they scream just as loudly when they’re killed.”

“Even the worst creature on this world doesn’t want to die,” Anton said. He wasn’t sure what he was adding but it simply slipped from his lips.

“Yeah…” Erico signalled to Adélie and Odette. The twins kicked the backs of the Revolutionaries until they stood. “Tell us how your adventure to the south went if you’re ever in Alcanares again.”

Do you want to meet us again?

“We will.” Anton offered his hand. Erico hesitated but still shook it.

Sara and the willowy twins gave them a weak smile, Melanie almost scoffed at their presence, Gioia eyed her companions in silence until they were out of earshot.

“Erico needed that.” She whispered. “He’s too soft. Normally lets them go if they promise to repent. But…But we all know that’s not how reality works.”

“So long as he doesn’t turn the other way,” Anton said. “And become a murderous soldier.”

Gioia nodded. “We will do our best to keep him from falling. Erico will be a great leader. One day.”

“Do you plan to fight against the Revolutionaries on behalf of the crown?” Cetina asked.

Gioia chuckled. “No…Well, perhaps. Things change quickly in Bebbezzar. But in these times…” She looked to the caravan. “Anyone could become King, no?”

Before anyone could speak Gioia ran towards Erico, with a speed Anton had only seen from a Feline Beast-kin at full speed.

Verona scoffed, folding her arms. “Should have used the truth prayer on her. See what craziness is going on in her head.”

“They’d certainly think we’re crazy,” Anton said. “If they knew what we had planned. Kal?”

Kal’s mask snapped towards him.

“Do you think we should help everyone we can?” Anton nodded to the blood-covered caravan civilians. “I don’t think some are going to make the hour, let alone the trip to Alcanares.”

“Sure.” Kal flexed her fingers. “Even though the civil war is killing hundreds every day we can still help some. We should try and save everyone we can, even if we’ll never see them again.”

“True.” Verona and Cetina said simultaneously. They shared a quick smile as they moved to help the wounded.

---------------------

**If you want to have a look at my other story that's brewing in the back of my mind, just click here and tell me what you think**

Spoiler :

Chapter 001 - Blood Stained Beginning

Rex's body burned, every muscle and fibre of his being screamed in pain, begging him to stop but he knew that meant death. Thunderous hooves followed his every movement, pursuing him for a reason Rex did not understand.

He dared a glance back. A short spear grazed his face, ripping flesh and light blue scales from his face.

"Flee!" The voice behind him roared like thunder. "Flee you little snake! At least do a better job than the rest of your pissant tribe!"

Another spear struck the grass before him, scattering grass and dirt over his bleeding body. The sharp burst of pain brought him a moment of clarity and he fled once more. Now the hooves were much closer. No longer did they close in before dropping away. They had tired of the chase.

"G-Go away!" Rex's tight throat screamed. "I haven't done anything!"

Mocking laughter rang throughout the air. Tears filled Rex's eyes, through the haze he saw something this right. A hoof shot out and nearly collided with his head, however it still managed to rip his head fins, sending him tumbling to one side. Ground and sky mixed together in a dizzying spin until it stopped abruptly. Pain shot through Rex's back. He whimpered and felt a large stone behind him.

"Why..." Rex pulled his torso up, he could feel little else. "Why are you doing this to us?"

He wiped away the blood and tears as the mocking laughter returned. A towering figure was the source, the source of Rex's fear and anger.

"Is that it?" The voice asked as Rex's vision slowly improved. "Is this the best your kind can do?"

A hoof kicked at the grass, sending it scattering over Rex's head.

"After all the trouble you've given us in the past."

Rex blinked hard and his sight returned to normal. The voice belonged to a Centaur, a giant horse lower body with a human torso attached above the horse's shoulders, smooth skin with no scales or fur. At least that's what Rex's father had told him humans looked like during a hunting trip.

The brief thought of his father brought Rex to the verge of tears once more. Again the mocking laughter filled the air.

"Aw. What's the matter?" The Centaur mocked him like he was speaking with a baby. "Do you want your mommy? Here. Let's see what she thinks."

What little blood Rex had left drained from his body as the Centaur pulled something from a pack on his flank. Dark blood dripped from his hands as the Centaur tossed it to Rex. Rex backed away, curling his body underneath itself, but froze when he finally understood what it was.

"M..."

Rex could not utter another word as the bloody head of his mother rolled in the dirt. He barely recognized her. He only knew who it was from the red beads she wore around the base of her tendrils that once dangled from her chin.

Rex barely heard the Centaurs as he reached out and took the head into his hands. His clawed fingers tried to brush the blood away but it was already too old and thick. He caught a glimpse of the light blue scales endemic to their tribe and whimpered.

"I'm sorry." Rex whimpered. "You told me to escape..."

He held the head tight to his chest, uncaring he was covering himself in blood, and wept more tears.

"Are you done yet?" The Centaur asked softly. Two more Centaurs began to speak but the leader silenced them with a raise of his hand. "Or do I need to keep going? Xertank wants proof that all of the Myradons are gone. And all that's left..." He levied his spear towards Rex, still clutching the severed head of his mother. "Is you."

Rex slowly placed the head down. Like the Centaur said he was not one of them. Nor was he a human. Rex, nor his tribe, had ever had the need to label themselves as something but his father had said the others called them Myradons. Their homes were the swamps and creeks, where their long tail bodies could propel them at great speeds through the water. Like the Centaur their bodies changed once they reached their waist but not as dramatic as theirs. The tail morphed into a humanoid torso with two powerful arms and a broad chest, all covered in light blue scales. Rex's scales and fins were particularly pale, thought to be a good omen, but Rex knew now it was anything but.

Slowly he brought his tail into a coil beneath his upper body as his fins pulled tight to his body. Though he was young he was still strong. Stronger than the Centaurs but nowhere near as fast, nor did he have any weapons.

"Time to end this, boy." The lead Centaur raised his spear above his head. “I think you’ve had enough. If you want to blame and curse someone, blame Xertank. They’re the ones who wanted you gone. Curse them with everything you have left.”

Rex said nothing and gripped his hands tight, casting his eyes slightly down. The lead Centaur clicked his tongue and readied his long spear. He stepped forward, Rex remained perfectly stationary, reared up and readied to stab him with his muscles and weight. Rex bared his teeth and lunged at the Centaur, using his coiled tail like a spring. For the briefest moment he saw the look of surprise on his face, that something he thought dead was fighting back. As Rex swung his clawed fingers something struck his side. His breath left him, he collided with the lower body of the lead Centaur and spun away.

“W…”

Rex landed on the grass. From his side a small knife stuck out. The blade had not pierced deep into this skin, his slaves had stopped that, but the shock still caused him to stumble.

“That was stupid of me.” The lead Centaur nodded to the other. “Thanks. It would have been…”

His head twitched, he frowned and began to reach to the back of his head. Blood stained his fingers.

“What-”

The third Centaur dropped to the ground in a heap. His head was missing, just a profusely bleeding stump.

A terrible crack followed. Rex curled his body tight and looked fearfully to the sky. Lightning terrified him, even at his age, but the clear blue skies held no sign of any cloud.

“Where did-”

The second Centaur’s head exploded. The shower of gore and bone scattered across the grass and stone. He too staggered and fell, a mere breath passed and another crack followed.

“Show yourself!” The lead Centaur brandished his spear. “Do you want to save a Myradon? Their tribe-”

His chest exploded outward. Not even a strangled cry emanated before he crashed onto Rex. The Centaurs' weight pushed down onto his lungs, strangling his breath and pinning him.

“I-” Rex’s claws dug into the ground and tried to pull him out. Even his tail thrashed but there was nothing it could grasp onto. “They told me to live.”

Rex could barely breathe as his wounds and the Centaur’s weight continued to push down on him.

“They gave me…They gave...”

As a darkness began to overcome his thoughts and sight he heard a faint whining noise. He gave everything to struggle free but he could not break free. As his breaths failed him the last thing he heard was muffled speaking and the sounds of heavy boots walking towards him.

]---[]---[

Rex awoke to a faint croak of a tiny frog, similar to the annoying little creatures that lived underneath logs, but something was different. It was a much higher pitch and ended abruptly. Every part of his body hurt and his arms and tails refused to move.

Where...What happened? Mon? Dad? Where...No!

Rex’s eyes shot open. He was not in his home, now a torched ruin, but in a place he had never seen before. He lay in a bed, not long enough to accommodate his outstretched tail so it had been curled near the end. One of his hands lay on top of the bed sheets, made from a light blue fabric of such fine weaving that Rex would have only believed it to be made by the gods. As he delicately ran a claw over it he realised not even a single fibre or weave was out of place. Metal poles formed a railing, like the light blue fabric he laid they too were immaculately and perfectly smooth.

The small frog croaked again, except it did not come from any animal. To the side of his strange bed, rested a large metal box, covered in dozens of small fireflies and bright embers all contained within small circles behind the metal surface.

“No…” Rex’s throat hurt. He shakily brought his free hand to his throat only to find a bandage wrapped tight against his scales. It was no simple piece of hessian, similar to the bed sheet but incredibly soft. Rex dared not remove it when he already understood so little.

His eyes turned back to the bright box. Some of the embers went out only to return the next moment. To the side a small green line bounced up and down across a black obsidian material. Some strange symbols lay in the top right hand corner, changing slowly and sometimes returning to its original state.

Think Rex. Your father…

Rex felt a tear roll down his face.

Dad’s gone. But what he taught me isn’t. Learn from your surroundings before you act.

He slowly pulled himself up onto an extremely soft pillow, in between bouts of pain shooting down his tail and simply observed the room. Apart from the bed and the strange metal contraption there was surprisingly little. White glossy tiles covered the floor, immaculately laid and clean. So too was the ceiling. Four large rectangular protrusions emitted a cold white light that hurt Rex’s eyes to look at them. Doing so for more than a few moments involuntarily brought his second eyelid out. Though it blurred his vision it was enough to lessen the pain. Rex quickly turned his attention elsewhere.

To his right sat a series of white cabinets, made from wood rather than metal or ceramic. One door lay partially open. Rex blinked, his second eyelid retreated, and he could make out dozens of small glass vials. Markings covered them, similar to those on the metal box but Rex did not understand them. Beside the cabinets lay a sink and three stools, the stands were made from metal but the top was a white smooth material. At the far end of the room lay a door, perfectly rectangular with a piece of glass running along one side. Rex could not see through as it was quite opaque, though he could just make out a corner of a hallway beyond.

“What is this place?” Rex whispered. He shuffled up but found his left hand was attached to something.

He pulled it free from the sheet. A thin tube ran from the back of his hand to a bag hanging from a metal stand containing a faintly purple liquid. Again Rex could not read the writing covering the bag but he didn’t like it.

“What is it doing?” Rex mumbled as he picked the piece of fastly stuck white cloth. Eventually he pried it free and stared at the thin metal needle. “Who...Who did this?”

He tapped a slightly loose scale, underneath which the needle had been placed. Rex pulled himself up and grabbed the purple bag. It was soft in his hands and he could tell he could easily rip it with just a slight squeeze underneath his claws. He ripped the tube out and allowed the droplets to pool in his hands. Myradon’s had an exceptional sense of smell, otherwise they would never have been able to hunt for food in the foul and pungent smelling swamps, and Rex was no exception.

Smells...Smells awful.

Rex spluttered and wiped the liquid on the bed, placing the bag to the side of his pillow.

Smells worse than what that Witch Doctor brew up for me when I was sick...I wonder if she survived?

The metal box began making a different noise. Unlike before it now croaked frantically, the circular lights had now turned red and blinked furiously. Beyond the door he could hear faint footsteps. For a terrifying moment he thought they were Centaur’s hooves but they belonged to something with two legs.

Like the Pig-Men we used to hunt together...I’ll never be able to taste their flesh with my tribe, my family again…

Rex gnashed his teeth together, a trait he had inherited from his mother when she was anxious, and threw the bed sheets away. His tail lay along the bed, his wounds had been closed with small stitches and metal bands. They had been fastened to his intact scales and pulled his flesh together so it would heal.

“Someone helped me...But who? The same people that brought me to this place?” Rex flexed his tail. His muscles hurt but it quickly became bearable. “Is this the realm of the gods? What would they want with me?”

Rex flung his body over the edge and slowly let his tail touch the floor. The cold sent a shiver along his body and up to his neck, causing his fins to spread out.

Rex crouched down and gently rubbed the smooth, cold surface. “I won’t be able to move for long on this. There’s no heat coming from those white steady flames?” He looked at the long rectangular lights above him, just long enough for his second eyelid to start to slide over. “How is it so bright yet so cold?”

The footsteps began to draw closer. Rex flexed his arms and hands. His body, while sore, had not diminished while he had been sleeping. If the people outside were Pig-Men, Humans, or something else he was confident that he could beat them.

“I could almost beat my father.” Rex gripped his hands into a tight fist. “They won’t be a match for me.”

Rex slunk low to the ground instead of partially coiling his long tail body on itself so he could stand tall. The door was just as cool as the floor but slightly more rough. He pressed his face against the glass but couldn’t see anything outside beyond an empty corridor. The footsteps continued to grow closer.

Do I try and run? Or do I wait? I don’t know where I am and I’ll just be roaming these halls...What do I do?

A decision was made for him. The footsteps stopped right before the door. Rex quickly retreated from the door and looked to the bed. It was clear that he could not hide underneath nor pretend that he hadn’t been moving. The bag containing the purple liquid had continued to leak and had completely soaked the bed. Rex clicked his tongue and moved to the other side of the door. While so little of this made no sense he understood hinges, even if he’d never seen one made from metal.

Two voices spoke as Rex pulled his tail body flush against the wall. It was incomprehensible to him but he knew it was two females speaking, soft and gentle voices. For a moment Rex almost released his tension but quickly reminded himself that some of the most dangerous hunters were female Myradons.

The metal handle clicked and the door opened with only the tiniest squeak. Rex readied his claws as two people entered. They were not Myradons, not that Rex expected that, but they weren’t centaurs. One wore a white, long sleeved shirt and pants, thick green gloves and shoes, and a mask that obscured all facial features. The other was taller but Rex could see her face. She looked like a human, at least how Rex had imagined them in the stories he read when he was younger; no scales but a near pitch black smooth skin. She had long black hair that rolled over a bulky black shirt with a dark green vest. From above her ears rose two short blue horns, a little less than a hand-span long with a lighter line signifying a swirl travelling up the length. Her dark eyes, where there should have been white Rex saw a deep purple, scanned the room and frowned angrily. The Blue Horned Woman began shouting, angrily, and pointed to his bed. Rex pulled his scales back reflexively and watched the two begin to argue rapidly.

Why haven’t they searched-

The Blue Horned Woman stepped forward and turned to look behind the door. Mustering all the strength he could Rex pushed off the wall and lunged at her. The Blue Horned Woman was faster and pulled back, grabbing the white clothed woman with her. Rex slammed into the door and pushed it out into the corridor, smashing through the frame and breaking one of its hinges. The two women skidded along the smooth floor, the Blue Horned Woman held the other until they began to slow. She reached for something attached to her hip, a long rectangular piece of dull metal and pointed it at Rex. He didn’t wait to find out her intentions and fled down the white corridor. She yelled something at him but Rex didn’t understand her.

“Which way?” Rex said aloud, uncaring that no one was going to respond.

A humanoid stepped out of a room, the door identical to the room that held Rex, somewhat like the Blue Horned Woman but without the horns but dressed in a thin sheet of semi-transparent blue cloth covering most of their frail body. Beside them was another humanoid dressed like the other woman though this was clearly a man with a long furred tail. They saw Rex just before he crashed into them and pulled back to the door. The frail humanoid looked very shaken by the sudden movement. Rex tried to smile as he slithered past, to apologise, but it probably had the opposite effect.

Rex came to a cross junction. His eyes darted down each hallway but each looked identical.

“Damn it. Which...Which way is the right one?”

Rex’s eyes fell upon painted symbols on the walls. Different coloured arrows pointed along the hallways but he couldn’t understand what the symbols above meant.

“Is that...Going down?” Rex placed his hand on the wall, his claws scratching at the surface in annoyance. “Is that a good thing? Am I underground? No. I can’t be. It’s too bright…”

Rex gnashed his teeth. He glanced above him, towards the rectangular lights. With those he had no idea where he could be.

A set of thumping boots brought his fins up in surprise. The Blue Horned Woman ran after him. She waved towards his right. Rex readied a fighting stance but glanced to the right anyway. Running along the corridor were another two humanoids, one was very large but both carried a larger version of the dull metal object the Blue Horned Woman wielded in her hand. Rex did not like those things, how they held them like weapons, and fled down the corridor across from the Blue Horned Woman. Rex knew it would take the other two a few moments to reach the junction where they would have to slow and turn.

Those with legs can’t turn as fast as us! Those Pig-Men could never hope to catch us, even when we weren’t hiding in the swamps.

Rex slithered as fast as he could down the smooth surface, his tail body’s muscles working as hard as they could to keep him moving. His scales did not provide him much traction and worse still his tail began to feel wet. With a single glance back he saw a trail of blood following him, droplets pooling on the end of his tail. He stopped and held the end. The strain of moving so quickly had opened the stitches on the underside of his tail.

Fuck! We used to hunt creatures like this! Father would be so angry to see me like this.

Rex continued to flee down the corridor, trying his best to keep his tail off the floor, as the three people continued to chase him. The Blue Horned Woman grabbed the other two, they too were women, and dragged them along the corridor. She shouted something after him, frantically waving her hands, her face looked extremely pained and worried, but Rex still could not understand her.

The hallway branched again but only sideways, with a large glass window just down the right corridor. Rex did not understand what he was seeing; a dizzying array of lights and strange structures lay beyond, huge vertical rectangular stone buildings hanging from a ceiling made from metal and lights. Thousands of tiny lights darted about in utter chaos, swarming around the buildings and large metal spires coming from the ground. Rex leant closer to the window, the sounds of the approaching three became incredibly distant. Below lay even more vertical buildings. However he could not see the ground, some of the buildings began jut out at strange angles, some horizontal while others again downwards. Incredibly bright sides shone in the depths, Rex was certain some were showing types of food through the flickering lights.

“This isn’t the swamp.” Rex muttered. “This must be the realm of the gods. Perhaps the underworld-”

The Blue Horned Woman shouted again. As she began to slow Rex saw groups of white clothed humanoids approaching from either side of the corridors. They too held the dull metal objects but theirs were smaller and their tips coloured yellow.

Rex pulled himself against the window. He looked out and saw a ledge below, marked with small poles with a bright yellow light on top.

The Blue Horned Woman shouted loudly and stopped everyone with a raised hand. She lowered her weapon and urged the others to do so through a harsh whisper. The two with her lowered theirs but those wearing white did not. Rex’s heart began to race as the White Clothes people continued to point their weapons at him. His claws scratched along the glassy surface, with just a light drag it scratched quite deeply.

Maybe I can break through it?

One of the White Clothed people raised their weapon, it clicked and something flew past Rex’s head. Two small needles, attached to a long metal coil, flew out of the weapon. On the other side one of the other White Clothed people shouted. The metal needles had punctured their shirt and their body writhed in pain.

Poison? Like the Vora’s.

Rex’s fins perked up as he clenched his fist and smashed through the glass in one hit. A cacophony of noise flooded in; screeches, howling winds and an innumerable sounds he had no idea what could possibly make them.

The Blue Horned Woman shouted at the White Clothed people and ran at Rex, throwing her dull metal weapon aside. Rex punched the glass at the bottom and hauled himself over. Normally his underside scales were thick and strong enough to deal with nearly any natural sharp edge but he was still wounded. The glass edges nicked and jabbed into his wounds, sending pain through his tail body and sending it spasming over.

A hand grabbed the end of his tail. The Blue Horned Woman held the very end, just the tip of his fins, and tried to pull him back in. She bared her slightly jagged teeth and pulled him back. She was very strong but Rex was much stronger. The blood on his tail slipped through her hands and he landed hard on the ledge. She shouted at him, raising both outstretched hands, quickly speaking in a softer voice.

Is...Is she telling me to stay here?

A White Clothed person stepped around her, with the yellow tipped weapon in hand. Rex felt panic and quickly moved away, slithering along the ledge. The Blue Horn Woman shouted at the White Clothed person before punching them in the gut. Rex stopped and their eyes met. He didn't know what he was seeing. Pain? Anger? Disappointment? Regardless he was not about to stop and continued moving.

The ledge continued along the side of the building. Unlike the inside the exterior was a dull grey, some parts looked very weathered and even rotting, if that was possible for such a hard stone. He only looked down once and nearly stumbled. He could not see the bottom, only a vague bright blue light with seemingly thousands of giant structures chaotically thrown about in every direction, between them were millions of tiny lights moving in lines between the buildings, some going up while others down. What baffled Rex even further was there was nothing obvious that held the buildings in place. They were not attached to the ceiling. More worryingly Rex saw even more bright things above that.

I wish this was a dream. What a story I would have to tell.

Rex continued along the ledge, keeping as close to the wall and avoiding the bright lights, until the ledge opened up to a large platform. Small blinking green and red lights dotted the perimeter along with four large metal boxes at the edges. A white circle had been painted in the centre with a red cross in the centre. Rex had no idea what it could possibly mean. Where the platform attached itself to the building lay another large door, different to the one that Rex had smashed through but still white and the opaque glass.

He saw movement behind the glass. Rex darted to the large metal boxes. They were actually hollow, with a spinning metal fan within. Hot air emerged, bringing warmth and energy to his body. Rex only then realised that the air was quite cold, like a deep cave in winter. Within a few moments strength returned to his body, his blood began to move easier. He clicked his tongue when he realised he had still left a bloody trail to his location. Hiding was pointless in his current state.

The door slid open and The Blue Horned Woman emerged. She did not look angry, rather anxious. One of the White Clothed people pointed to the blood trail. The Blue Horned Woman nodded, held a finger to her ear and spoke.

A sharp pain came from Rex’s back. He grunted and reached back. Something metallic stuck out of his back. He dug around his scales and ripped it free. Despite the blood covering the end it looked like a metal needle with a small vial of green liquid.

The bloodied vial fell from his hand. Strength quickly left his body as he collapsed onto the metal box. The heat bought him a little strength, strength enough to look back. On a nearby building, only a hundred odd tail lengths away, a person crouched, hidden underneath a long grey cloak that obscured all their features, wielding an extremely long dull metal weapon pointing at him. A thin wisp of smoke emerged from the end of the weapon.

It can go very far...Different to…

Rex’s thoughts quickly became muddled as his body collapsed onto the ground and his eyes closed once more.

]---[]---[

Rex’s mind slowly returned. This time his eyes were incredibly heavy and refused to open but he could still hear. Two people were speaking by his side and, bizarrely, he could understand them.

“You’re going to be paying for all of the damages.” A gruff male voice spoke. “Everything. Even my employee-”

“Bullshit I will!” The second voice was female and somewhat familiar. “It’s not my fault that you idiots managed to hit each other with a Taser, now is it? If you lot hadn’t attacked he probably wouldn’t have tried to smash the window.”

“I-”

“Don’t fucking interrupt me!” The woman took an angry, rasping breath. “And I specifically told you to put the translator in before the sedatives wore off. I don’t know what type of reptile species he is but you know, and I know you do, that they’re all very resistant to drugs and anaesthetics. So who’s fault is it that he couldn’t understand me? Hmm?”

The male voice spluttered. “I don’t have time to deal with this. I’ll send you the bill.”

“Like another bill means anything to me right now. And don’t you worry, I’ll send it right back with a grenade attached. Or maybe even an AI virus. That would be fun for you and this little place, now wouldn’t it?”

“Are you threatening me?”

The woman groaned. “For a doctor you really are an idiot. We’ll be going the moment we can. And don’t think we’ll be back.”

“Good. You never pay your bills on time anyway.” A door creaked open. “If you aren’t gone by nine I’m calling security forces and have you thrown out.”

“You’re definitely going to be waiting a long time for that money.” The woman said snidely. “But we’ll be gone. Now go back to your holo-vids. I’m sure that man, pretending to be a little girl, is waiting for you to come back.”

The man blustered again and slammed the door shut. The woman scoffed.

“If only that creep focused more on his work more than those damned things, he might actually be successful.”

Rex forced his eyes open. Slowly the second eyelid receded and his vision returned to normal. He was back in one of the strange beds, not the same one he left, but there were a few differences. This time there was no needle attached to his hand. Instead a metal cuff lay fastened tight around both of his wrists. A metal chain attached them to the railings.

Rex moved his hand and the metal clinked. He winced, knowing the woman was less than a meter away. He resigned himself and opened his eyes fully. He was only somewhat surprised to see The Blue Horned Woman sitting by the side of the bed.

“Hey there.” She smiled, her slightly jagged teeth showing through her dark lips. “How are you feeling.”

Rex frowned. He tried to pull his hands to his chest but the cuffs stopped him.

“Those…” The Blue Horned Woman almost chuckled. “Those are for your protection, as well as ours. They’re not going to let you get out again. Not, not without being shot. And I don’t think you want that.”

“Crossbows hurt.” Rex's frown deepened. “H-How can I understand you? You...You were shouting at me before.” Rex raised a hand so the metal clinked. “But I couldn’t understand you.”

He looked for the bag of light purple liquid but found nothing.

The Blue Horned Woman lent forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “You were supposed to have an implant put into your head. A custom translation chip. So those bastards can hack into it…” She laughed, lightly slapping her legs. “This is all just gibberish to you, isn’t it? You just said crossbow rather than gun.”

“What’s a gun?”

The Blue Horned Woman’s face softened. “Let’s start properly. My name is Datreon.”

She looked at Rex. He quickly understood what she was waiting for.

“Rex. I...Have not received a last name. I was not old enough when…” Rex shot up. Datreon moved to restrain him but hesitated. Compared to him she was extremely frail, though Rex did not care for that fact. “What happened?! My family…”

Tears rolled down his face as his shoulders dropped. “My family, my tribe, were slaughtered by the Centaurs.”

Datreon slowly nodded. “We found you on patrol, attacked by a group of three Centaurs. Wish wanted to save you, I thought it was cruel-”

“Wish?”

“That’s…” Datreon pulled an awkward face. “That was the woman that shot you.” She reached behind and tapped her back. “The tranquiliser dart. She had to make a strong batch for you, since you’re a reptile-”

“Myradon.” Rex softly said. Datreon stopped and waited. “That’s what the Centaur’s called us...Where are they?”

“That…That is difficult to explain, to say the least.” Datreon tapped her boot on the hard floor. “But I can tell you that they aren’t here and there’s absolutely zero chance that they can get here. Of that I can assure you.”

“How can I believe you?” Rex asked softly.

Datreon frowned lightly. “I actually don’t know. But...You have to. We were the ones that patched you up, so that counts for something. Right?”

She pointed to the many stitches and strange bandages on his body.

“So you owe us for those at the very least.”

“Thank you.” Rex gently scratched those on the side of his chest. “Thank you. I think I would have bled out if you hadn’t.”

Datreon smiled. “Don’t worry about it. Now, we need to leave soon.” She reached into her pocket and produced a small metal key. “Now...I know that you can speak and hold a conversation with me, so I know you’re not a wild beast, but can I trust you to not try and escape again?”

“I had no idea where I was.” Rex frowned. “The last thing I remember I was being crushed by a Centaur’s dead body. What did you think I was going to do when I woke up here?”

“I hoped the doctors had done their job.” Datreon said softly. “But they hadn’t. So...You couldn’t understand me.”

“So where is here?” Rex looked to the rectangular lights. “Is this the afterlife or the underworld? I thought I wasn’t that bad when I was still alive.”

Datreon laughed. “You aren’t dead. Far from it.” She held the key up and held it above the cuff on his wrist. “You...Can I trust you?”

Rex nodded. There was also a second cuff, so he could not escape even if she did remove one.

“You are in a place called Aranck.” Datreon raised his hand. Despite her dark skin her hand was incredibly warm. “Think of it as a...For someone that doesn’t know about electricity…”

“What’s that?”

Datreon smiled as she turned the key. The cuff clicked and fell away.

“As I said, there’s a lot you don’t know.” She raised her hands and stood up. “But think of Aranck as a type of floating city. Yes. That would be the best way to describe it.” She smiled and moved to his other side, holding the small key tight in her hand. “A city, a massive city, that floats through space and allows us to connect, to travel, to different worlds. And we just happened to be on your world when we found you.”

“Doing what?” Rex watched the key enter the cuff’s lock. “What could you want with our tribe?”

“Your world is bigger than just a swamp.” Datreon unlocked his last restraint. “Much bigger. We were acting as guards for Xertank-”

“What?”

Rex tried to grab her but Datreon was faster. His claws found the edge of her bulky vest and snagged. He pulled her closer and held her just beneath her throat, lifting her from the ground. Datreon was quite surprised but not afraid, even as her legs danced back and forth. Her eyes flicked down as Rex felt something cold pressed against his chest. The dull grey metal weapon touched his scales, right where his heart lay.

“Who are they?” Rex did not relinquish his hold. “That Centaur told me to curse them.” He grip tightened, the clothes around her neck began to fray underneath his grip. “And you work for this Xertank? They killed everyone!”

“Wait!” Datreon nervously laughed. “Xertank isn’t a person. It’s a company. A lousy company, but they pay well.”

She patted his arm with her free hand. Rex slowly placed her down but did not relinquish his hold.

“Xertank is a multi-planetary-”

“I don’t understand those words!”

Rex lifted her up again. Datreon pushed the metal weapon against his chest again. Rex took a deep breath and calmed himself.

“Explain it to me in a way that I can understand.”

“They...They’re like a massive trading company.” Datreon spoke as calmly as the situation allowed her. “They own a lot. I mean a lot. But they’re not even in the top ten largest companies in Aranck.”

Rex tightened his grip.

“We were hired to protect a mining operation on your world. A large one. Wish detected movement at the perimeter, that’s where we found you. We thought…” Datreon groaned. “I thought it was sad that you were being picked on by those Centaurs. So we killed them and brought you here.”

Rex lowered her and loosened his grip. “Why? If you both work for the same person, no, the same group?”

Datreon tried to pull away but Rex still had a hold on her vest. “Because the Centaurs broke the deal with Xertank. They weren’t supposed to attack your tribe. So it didn’t matter what we did. Not that we-”

“What are you saying?” Rex pulled her closer. “They just wanted to kill us? Destroy everyone? Not to hunt but just for its own sake?!”

“I don’t know.” Datreon looked to a small light above his bed. “I don’t know why they did what they did. But we don’t have much longer before that doctor comes back. And if security forces find you in here they’re probably going to tell Xertank and then who knows what’s going to happen.”

“So…” Rex glanced to the door. “Can I go home?”

“No.” Datreon said softly. “No. Not for another...Eight or so years.”

She did not budge when Rex glared at her angrily. “It’s hard to explain but we cannot return. We were hired by Xertank when they were finish the mining operation since the gateways were beginning to collapse. But Aranck has already moved too far away.”

“How can a city move?” Rex completely released his hold. “Even one as large as this.”

Datreon smiled. “There is a lot to show you. But the only way is to wait until Aranck come close to your world again. Or...Perhaps speak to one of the other Corporations. They might be able to-”

“Take me to them!” Rex pulled himself to the edge of the bed. “I need to get back.”

Datreon removed her metal weapon from his side. “Slow down, Scaly. You can’t just ask one of the most powerful organisations in Aranck just to force open a gateway to your world. There are millions out there; they’d have to find your world and then have to spend a lot of time and money to get the gateway to function. Do you have any money?”

“What...No. I have nothing to barter with them.”

Datreon smiled. “Well then. That puts you into a bind, doesn’t it? You can’t just barter in Aranck, not that you have anything. But I might have a solution.”

“Are you going to give me money?”

Datreon laughed. “No.” She waved in front of her face, trying her best to suppress her wild smile. “Not exactly. But I can offer you employment. We…” Her face darkened. “We aren’t doing so well. No one will join us and...I know it’s bad to say but I was hoping that you could join us. We need the numbers and I saw you fight.”

Datreon almost looked like she was about to have a mental break. “We need everything we can get. Otherwise...Otherwise it’s not going to be good for any of us. What do you think?”

“What do I think?” Rex rubbed his scaled brow hard. “I don’t see how I could be of any use to you.” Rex pointed to the strange metal box, no longer beeping or flashing any lights. In fact all of the lights had gone out. “I don’t know what that is. Or what’s making those lights above us. How could...How could I do anything?”

“You’d be surprised how quickly you can learn things.” Datreon smiled. “But I’m not a slaver, nor am I going to put a Compliance chip in your head. So I’m not going to force you to do anything. But just know this before you leap out of that bed. No one is going to hire you when they know nothing about you. You can try your luck but it won’t be long before you’re begging in the Markets. And beggars don’t last long down there. Not long...So. What’s it going to be?”

“You...You promise me that there is a way that I can get back to my world?”

“Yes. I promise you.” Dareton’s voice did not waver nor did her eyes leave his. “There is a way. Expensive, but there is a way.”

“And you can pay me by working for you?”

“Yes. We work as mercenaries. And we each get paid for completing a job. It’s very simple. Do what we’re asked to do and get money. You can spend it on whatever you want.”

“I see…”

Just like the Imirt’s. They worked for food and gold. Not that we ever had such need of things.

“Alright.” Rex looked at the lights above him. “You seem very worried by that. Do we need to leave now?”

“Pretty much.” Datreon clapped her hands together. “So you’ll help us?”

“I don’t think I have much of a choice, now do I?”

“You always have a choice.” Datreon smiled. “Just not always the ones you want.”

“I...Where do we go?” Rex threw off the bedsheet. “I don’t have anything-”

“First we need to get you some clothes.” Datreon ran to the white cupboards. “You can’t just walk...Slither around naked.”

“But this is how we always are.” Rex looked down to his chest. “Wearing cloth only hampers us when we’re hunting or trying to warm ourselves in the sun. Do you want me to cover myself in mud?”

“Mud?” Datreon stopped her searching and turned back to him, utterly confused.

“Yes. It helps us to blend in with the swamp.” Rex raised his arm. “My scales are quite light, so it’s easy to see.”

“Certainly not like that.” Datreon laughed. “Something more like what I’m wearing. I told the doctor, that creep, to get you something that fits your body type. You are the first reptile species to arrive in Aranck.”

“There are other Myradons?” Rex rocked to the other side of the bed. “Others like me?”

“I don’t think so.” Datreon retrieved a set of clothes. “You’re the only one I’ve seen. There might be...But Aranck is a very, very big place.”

“I see.” Rex’s fins fell flat against his body. “I see…”

Datreon passed Rex the clothes. He placed the pile down and held the shirt aloft. He marvelled at the quality of the stitching, again far beyond anything he had seen before. He lowered it and saw Datreon smirking at him.

“What?”

“First time you’ve seen clothes?”

“No…” Rex rubbed it between his fingers, careful not to catch his sharp claws. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Well hurry up and put it on. We’ve only got a few minutes before they get rid of us.”

Rex gave a nod. It was a struggle to put the shirt as it pushed down his fins in unnatural ways. However he finally managed to get it on, though all of his fins were lying flat on one side.

“This…” Rex flexed his arms. “This feels very strange. Feels like I’m being suffocated.”

“You’ll get used to it.” Datreon smiled and pointed to the last piece of cloth. “But you need to put that on as well. It might actually be worse if you wear a shirt but not anything down there.”

Rex looked down. He maneuvered his tail body to the edge. “Is there something wrong with this? I don’t have feet, like you-”

“Not like that.” Datreon laughed nervously. “But...You have to eventually...You know…”

Rex blinked.

Datreon scrunched her face and grabbed her blue horns. “When you have to piss. Piss. You know. You’re a man, so it comes out of a thing at the front. Right?”

“Oh…” Rex looked down. “Yes. But it’s normally-”

“Just!” Datreon took a deep breath, closing her eyes and raising both hands. “Please just put that other thing on. Please.”

I don’t see what the problem is. Every male Myradon has one, so...So what’s the problem? We don’t do it in front of others. Maybe that’s it?

“I wouldn’t do that in front of someone.” Rex said softly as he pulled out what looked to be a large sheet. He quickly realised it was to wrap around his tail body just underneath the bottom of his shirt. “No Myradon would do something so disrespectful just after meeting someone...Even if-”

“Please just put it on.” Datreon shook her head and looked away. “Tell me when you’re done.”

This piece of cloth was much easier to put on than the shirt. It gave his spinal fin more room to bend, unlike the constricting shirt.

“Okay. It’s on.”

“Good.” Datreon smiled as she gave a quick nod. “Perfect. You won’t attract so much attention now...Oh. Time’s up.” She pointed to the light. “A few minutes before we have to leave. Let’s go.”

Datreon opened the door and waited for him. Rex pulled his body completely over, coiling his tail and resting his body above. When he rested normally he was slightly taller than Datreon, something she noted too.

“You’re perfect.” She smiled. “Now, come on. We have a car waiting for us.”

Datreon held the door open until Rex passed through. His body lurched back slightly when he saw four of the White Clothed people standing just beyond, all wielding the yellow tipped weapons.

“Don’t worry about the security.” Datreon patted his shoulder. “They’re just a bit anxious after you just thrashed them.”

But...I just ran away.

Rex didn’t push his luck and followed Datreon. Her boots clacked softly on the white tiles, his tail body made a slight rustling as his scales dragged across the smooth floor. Thankfully none of the stitches ruptured this time. He slowed as he approached the door. Beyond he could see the platform where he had been captured for the second time. Instead of being empty a long metal object floated above the platform, it looked identical to the thousands of tiny lights that darted between the strange buildings. A bright circular lights lay attached to each of the corners which blew out tiny plumes of dust.

“It’s called a Van.” Datreon said with fake pride. “At least that’s what Aurélie calls it. I think it’s a piece of junk. But it always works.”

Rex saw three people standing outside. Two he recognised from inside the corridors, the other wore a full dark grey cloak with a long metal weapon on her back.

“That’s the one that shot me?” Rex asked softly.

“Only because we didn’t have another way of getting you under control.” Datreon clapped her hands together. “Okay. This will be the last time that I ask but I don’t want-”

Rex raised his hand to stop her. “My father told me never to back down from my word. And I’m not going to.”

“He sounds like a good ma...A good father.”

“He was.” Rex took a slow and deep breath. “He was.”

Datreon slowly nodded. “I haven’t told you our name yet, have I?”

She pushed the door open, the cacophony of noise came back but somehow it was more bearable. Datreon beamed with pride as she pointed her outstretched hand towards the three people waiting patiently, they stood more upright when they realised they were being watched.

“Welcome, Rex, to Squad Six Eight Five. Mercenary contractors, Security and Problem solvers: No problem too big or small for us.” Datreon smirked. “And our happy little family. Come on. That asshole doctor isn’t going to wait forever." Datreon began to walk towards the others. "We'll get you something to eat too. You must be hungry by now, right?”

Rex hesitated for a moment. He had no idea if Datreon spoke the truth, about anything, but he did know she and this Squad was the best chance of surviving and getting home. He took a deep breath and followed, hoping with all his heart that he would see his home once again.