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Interlude 1: Kissimi

The sword rent the air as it fell, loose sand buffeting up from the desert floor beneath it and swirling hurriedly away. Carapace shattered and flesh tore as the straight blade of Kissimi's "Executioner" crashed into the scorpion, severing two of its side legs.

"Aim for the joints, they're a weak point," he said in a deep, gruff voice, dodging as the 3-meter-long scorpion collapsed forwards onto its side and sent its huge stinger leaping towards his face.

The tail flashed past his head, and he let go of his sword, reaching up with both hands to grab it just behind the stinger.

He widened his stance, planted his feet, and turned away from the scorpion, holding firmly to its tail. He crouched, hands overhead, and yanked downwards, pulling the scorpion's feet out from underneath it and flinging it through the air.

The scorpion flew twenty or so feet before it landed on the sand in a roll, bowling into another scorpion that had been watching from a distance and slowly approaching the fight.

"And stay situationally aware, they hunt in groups, usually between three and five."

He retrieved his sword from where it lay on the desert floor, hefting the massive weapon over his shoulder. Eight feet long and double bladed, his "Executioner" resembled two flat meat cleavers stretched out and welded together.

Without turning his gaze from the two oversized scorpions, he addressed the group assembled on a rock outcropping behind him.

"Never let your guard down. Some roam the surface of the sands, but they're just bait to distract you while the others stalk from below."

He slipped the sword from his shoulder as he deftly leapt to the side, clearing several feet in an instant. The sand erupted where he had stood a moment before, and a huge scorpion, larger by half than the other two, shot into the sky with pincers outstretched.

Swinging ferociously, the Executioner flashed, whipping violently through the air in a horizontal arc. Kissimi let the blade's weight carry him, landing from his sidestep with light, spinning footsteps. After one full rotation, he threw the sword.

It flew through the air towards the extended scorpion, rotating faster and faster, building momentum.

The sword met the scorpion's midsection, cleaving it cleanly in two, and continued soaring even as the beast's body fell in parts to the ground, black blood spurting from the opened corpse and painting the sand.

Kissimi watched his sword as it spun through the air, quickly closing the distance between him and the two toppled scorpions in the distance as they slowly rose to their feet.

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"The desert suns are unforgiving; even with your rei barriers, you must respect the effect they have on your endurance. Be efficient in your movements, don't waste any energy," he continued in a grim lecturing tone.

The group watched in stunned silence as the huge blade slammed into the first scorpion, easily shearing through the side of its head, lopping off a pincer, an arm, and a chunk of its torso.

The first scorpion, the one he'd injured and thrown, had managed to shift away from the other, dodging the blow.

Unphased by his failure to execute them both at once, he raised an arm towards the blade.

"Imprison," he barked.

In a blink, the sword melted into flowing, rippling metal that completely encased the scorpion like wax.

He squeezed his hand into a fist.

"Compress"

The metal fell in on itself, shrinking as it formed a floating sphere the size of a volleyball.

Kissimi opened his hand, and the metal melted away, revealing a ball of tightly compacted meat, crushed carapace, and bone that fell to the ground, splattering on the sand.

Streams of liquid metal shot towards his hand, covering the distance in seconds, then reformed into the shape of the massive sword, hilt forming in his grip. He lifted the sword over his shoulder, returning it to its holster on his back.

"Organize yourselves into groups of four. Jiera, once you've formed a team, loot the scorpions," he said, turning to face the band of lightly armored men and women gathered on the stone escarpment looking at him with poorly disguised awe.

"You will then separate, going in different directions. We will meet back here in five hours. Return with thirty pincers to pass this evolution," he said, his gruff voice even as he watched for their reactions.

To their credit, they didn't flinch at the request.

"Shae and I will be on the lookout. If you run into anything you can't handle, crush your bead, and we'll come to assist. Keep in mind, if you choose to call on us for support, your team will have to remediate this trial."

He noticed the crowd shifting uncomfortably. They'd known, vaguely at least, what they were getting themselves into. Their eyes weren't on him though, but on the desert at his back. He grimaced, knowing what they were looking at.

"And if you run into a dweller, I'd suggest you fight it. If you don't, you'll die before even we can get to you."

He turned to face the vast, open desert. Below the crest upon which they stood windswept sand formed towering dunes that rose tens of feet high. The desert stretched out in all directions for as far as the eye could see.

The twin suns of Myra beat upon them, their lightweight armor and robes of loose white cloth doing little to stop the overbearing heat. Despite the brutal temperature, their bodies grew cold at the sight approaching the lone man on the sand at a treacherous speed.

In the valley between two dunes, the sand sunk in a line, betraying the approach of something underneath. A fin emerged from the sand as it grew nearer, a dusty grey triangle of scaled flesh rising higher and higher into the sky. Fifty feet long and a hundred feet high, the fin cast a long double shadow as it rose, dwarfing Kissimi even from a distance.

Now only a few hundred yards away, the dweller's maw was exposed. Sand sunk, sucked downwards as if by a sinkhole that could consume houses. A gaping black hole ringed with rows upon rows of long bristling razor teeth emerged from the depths, leading the dwellers long, wormlike body out of the desert. The dweller lifted its huge, tubular body, towering above Kissimi, and let out a roar that physically shook the rock outcropping upon which the group stood, causing the sand to reverberate, jumping and dancing on the stone.

The group cowered, many drawing bows, spears, swords, and other weapons in preparation for their final battle before inevitable death.

Shae, leaning casually against a stone pillar, smirked, shaking his head at Kissimi's antics. So much for his whole "stoic tough guy that just fights for revenge on monsters and doesn't care about impressing others" look.

Kissimi closed his eyes, and the world seemed to freeze in place; sound silenced, and motion suspended. He opened them, and an overwhelming aura descended like a tidal wave. Not an aura of killing intent, danger, or warning, but of a supreme confidence that claimed absolute dominion, as if the universe and everything within existed, or ceased to exist at his will.

The group froze, unable to move in the torrential onslaught of pressure.

The dweller recoiled, skidding as its massive body twisted in the air. Its head bent backwards and to the side, leading it in a desperate escape, turning frantically back the way it'd come. Its mouth crashed into the sand, sending sheets of sand pluming high into the air as it dove downwards, retreating into the depths of the desert.

Space blinked around Shae, and he appeared at Kissimi's side, placing a hand on the taller man's plated shoulder.

"A bit much, don't you think?"

Kissimi's aura vanished, and the group staggered as they were suddenly released and able to move once more.

"Maybe. Have to tame their egos, give them something to emulate and all that. I'm not really cut out for this teaching thing."

Shae scoffed and faced the group.

"The Protectorate has no use for the faint of heart. Now that you've been accepted among Myra's elite, your training will begin in earnest. Wherever you come from, whatever your experiences, know now that they're all behind you. What awaits will be unlike anything you've ever undergone before. Succeed, and you will be granted the opportunity of ultimate service."

Shae clapped his hands.

"Now then, off you go!"