Ian awakens next to Duke under their makeshift shelter, the fire now a pit of hot coals. He stretches his legs, and his feet make contact with a soft weight. He sits up to see what it is, and he sees some sort of creature sleeping at his feet. He moves to grab his dagger, but realizes it must be Layla and she found them overnight. He sits on a log and examines his spear, turning it over in his hand. I must be crazy. Spears can’t talk.

You are correct. They cannot. Ian jumps in surprise. What the hell?

Greetings, Ian. I am communicating with you through thought. There is a more precise term to describe what is happening, but your mind would not be able to comprehend it. In reality, what you are hearing are your own thoughts. Ian is surprised, but something about the voice makes him lower his guard.

Who the hell are you? What do you want?

Referring to the spear as an entity is incorrect. Its creator did not intend for it to have intelligence. It is merely imbued with the immense intellectual aura of its creator from being in his presence for so long, hence giving it the seeming of sentience. The spear has no sense of self, nor does the voice you are hearing.

How do you know my name? Wait, that’s a stupid question. Don’t answer. How did you know about the ditch from earlier?

The spear’s creator is now dead. However, he is only partially dead. Parts of him… linger in the corners of reality. The spear shares an intrinsic connection with his essence and any repositories of it.

What are you saying exactly? Stop speaking gibberish. The spear, however, stays silent and does not answer any more questions. "Fuck. Fuck!" Ian shouts, momentarily forgetting about his sleeping companions. Duke rolls over to face him.

"Will you shut the hell up?" He says groggily. "I’m trying to—WAH!" Duke jumps in fright when he sees Layla at his feet, drawing the dagger Ian gave him and lunging at her. Ian tackles him before he can stab her.

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"So you’re… a divine familiar?" Duke asks. Layla, who now inhabits the body of a brownish, larger fox, nods happily.

"Basically, yeah. Every time I die I just… pop right back somewhere else as something else!"

"It’s a real mind fuck, huh?" Asks Ian. Duke nods. "Before we set out, I think we need to discuss some things. When we encountered Horus before, a shield magically appeared in his hand. And what’s more, those ‘warriors’ of his came out of nowhere! It’s like they magically appeared!"

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Duke looks unsettled. "I’ve heard stories. Takes about his terrible power. I didn’t believe them until I saw him, though. It’s clear he can somehow shapeshift, and if your story is true then he also recovers from any injuries near instantly. But there are other tales, too. The more outlandish ones claim he can create objects and other stuff from nothing. It just appears from his body." Ian ponders the possibility. He’s basically a god with that kind of power.

"Then if we want to beat him," says Ian, "we have to catch him off guard. If he sees me coming, he could just create a spear and thrust it towards me before I can reach him with my spear. If I try and hit him from range, he could create a bow or some sort of bomb and take me out before the spear reaches him."

"Now hold on," says Duke. "Who says you have to use the spear?" Duke takes the spear from Ian’s hand.

"Nothing is forcing me to, I guess," says Ian. Duke turns the spear over in his hands, but something is off about his look. What the hell…

Duke’s eyes become bloodshot, and he drops the spear and clutches his head before collapsing and screaming. Layla smacks him with her paw, but it has no effect. She bites him, which seems to cause enough pain to bring him back.

"Son of a bitch! What the hell are you doing!?" Asks Ian.

"The second I grabbed it, it’s like my mind was lit ablaze. There’s no way in hell I’m touching that again!" Duke screams. Layla gives Ian a concerned look.

"Look, either way, Ian’s right. He has too much of an advantage right now. What we need to be doing is finding out where he flew off to and what the extent of his capabilities is!" Exclaims Layla.

"She's right," says Ian. "We know he went North, but that's all we know. If we just followed his direction, we could completely overshoot where he's hiding, not to mention he controls most of the territory to the North."

"I think I know a way we can find him," says Duke. "Layla, you said Rhea is the one that tasked you with helping us, yeah?" She nods. "Good. Rhea, if I remember correctly, is known to rarely help travelers that pray to her at her shrines on their quests. I figure that if we ask her for help, she'll point us in the right direction."

"It's settled, then." Says Ian. "There's a town with a church not far West of here. We'll start for it immediately."

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Horus sits on his cold throne in his castle, speaking to his now-resurrected warriors. "Did you know that I claimed this keep almost four hundred years ago? Of course, that is before most of you were even born... look at me." The three warriors, their eyes pointed towards the ground shamefully, hesitantly rise to face him. "Should you fail me again, there will be a most ferocious judgement against you three. Now, on to the matter at hand. Something... unexpected has recently come up. I have received a vision of where our three would-be usurpers are headed next. I am unsure if some dark power has arisen without the knowledge of Rhea, or if I am developing a new ability, but nonetheless it is a vision. You are to head to the town of Destruir. They plan to go there, but I am unsure why. You will meet them there and kill them. Be off!" He stands up and shouts his command, scaring his subordinates out of his chamber. Ian, there is something peculiar about this whole situation. I should have killed you as a child...