Bonds Dissolved
Your team, squad, party, or people have either died or abandoned you.
There are no members of your timeline remaining within 100 Kms of you.
Your ties have been sheered.
Fight warder and rise beyond your mortal ties.
Bonds sheered Earth, NSA, Vayu Initiative, Serai Corporation.
“Ahhh …” Sheetal screamed and looked at Ash.
He was lying next to her writing just like her.
She didn’t know when, but they had been transported back to the mansion. Now there were people crowding all around them looking at them with widening eyes.
“Give them some space.” Ghost shouted.
Aaya shot him a fierce look.
“You don’t tell us what to do kite.” Olimani shot back.
Ghost turned a level gaze at the young arbiter “Arbiter, you should follow the example of your senior and watch what you say. My predecessor would have wiped you out of existence for that.” Ghost took in a breath and with a smile politely asked “Please, if you would be so kind, give the warders some space. You are hovering.”
Olimani scowled but moved a few steps back.
Aaya glared at Ghost and took a step back too.
“Needles, I am slowing down the cycles and bringing it down to planetary norm. It will release pressure on their brains and give you more resources to stabilise them.” Ghost added.
“It won’t work.” Aaya said flatly.
“Needles?” Ghost asked.
“I need to monitor their bodies. I will be back.” Needles disappeared.
“The problem is not with their bodies, and you know it.” Aaya continued in the same tone.
Ghost gritted his teeth and nodded “It’s their souls.”
“Don’t… Say… Souls.” Ash grunted out in pained voice and added “She will… Start lecturing us all.”
“Ash! Shut… The flip… Off!” Sheetal spat out in between ever convulsion.
Everyone in the room ignored the two writing bodies and continued to shoot each other hostile looks
“Their souls aren’t anchored, and you have already put too much stress on them.” Aaya glared at the adjudicator.
“They have a party.” Ghost defended himself.
“You think that is all it takes?” Aaya raised her voice and continued in a shout “Warders represent a people. They are created to defend people. That is why they are created.”
“I can fix this.” Ghost muttered.
“How did you get them to agree to go through your experiment?” Aaya asked in a sharp voice.
Ghost grimaced.
“Well?”
Ghost sighed “They are fate linked. I threatened one to compel the other.”
Aaya growled “I should kill you for that.”
“NO!” Ash lifted himself up with his elbows and snarled “Ghost is mine.”
Sheetal pointed at Ash and nodded “What she said.”
“She, when I get better. I will pull your hair.” Ash said in a hiss of pain and fell back on his back.
“Bring it… Jack ash.”
Ghost grinned “Ash. Sheetal. Would you like to be Junior Councillor of Thrive?”
“Shove it, Ghost. I just made you mine. Not your plans.” Ash spat out.
“Yes.” Sheetal hissed out.
Ash turned his head to look at Sheetal “No.”
“Stop.” Aaya said sternly.
Ghost continued as if her had not heard Aaya “I need both of you to agree.”
“I said stop.” Aaya glared at everyone in the room and the building shook as she released some of her power.
Everyone looked at Aaya in shock except Ghost whose eyes had narrowed.
Olimani broke the silence “Warders, this man is trying to manipulate you.”
Sheetal started “We…”
“Know.” Ash finished.
Ghost folded his arms “Why don’t you give the warders a chance to discuss this in peace, soul mage.”
Aaya’s eyes turned cold, and a green light spread out of her and covered the room “Fine.”
Ghost’s eyebrows shot up when the power spread out of the room and continued growing. First, the mansion, then the stream, and then the whole valley was covered in the glow. And the writing bodies in on the large bed slowly stilled.
Ghost bowed “Thank you, arbiter.”
Sheetal released a held breath and whispered “Gods… It felt like someone was burning my skin off.”
“No. That’s feels different. This was more like someone skinning you with a knife.” Ash panted.
“Ash…” Sheetal whispered.
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Ash turned his head away.
“You can’t keep that bottled in. You need to talk to someone.” Sheetal pressed.
“Talk about what? How they always leave me behind? How they let me. ME!” Ash shouted and snarled “Get tortured. I am not going to talk about it. I am going to get even.”
“Ash.”
“No, She. They left you behind too. Stop making excuses for them.” Ash snapped.
Sheetal reached out and pulled Ash to her “It’s okay. I am here. I am with you. You are not alone this time.”
Ash buried his head in Sheetal’s chest and the room was plunged in an awkward silence. Ghost moved towards the door and the arbiters followed him.
Ten minutes later, the arbiters were sitting in the large living room of leather sofas while the warders party members stood in silence all around them. Aaya had asked everyone to join them. She needed to understand the dynamics of this strange relationship. Also, it would help her find anyone with hostile intent with her soul field.
Her eyes went from one soldier to the other and she didn’t relax when she didn’t find any ill will. There was one man, one soul that was beyond her reach.
Ghost faded in to the room and gave Aaya a knowing smile. He turned to the seven “Are the doors barred?”
“Yes, High Councillor.” T answered.
“Good. I am sealing the null room. And beginning the take over plans.” Ghost announced.
Theory sighed “Ruby F is going to flip out Ghost.”
“I… We are ready.” Ghost responded and waved his hand at the table and smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted off a carafe “That should get them out.”
“What happened?” Needles asked.
“Soul and psychological trauma broke Ash down.” Ghost chocked on his words. He cleared his throat and continued “Do not bring it up. Act normal.”
“You mean you are going to antagonise the boy?” JJ asked.
“No, I am going to be smug.”
The sofa next to Ghost creaked and Ash was there holding a cup of coffee. He looked around and asked “Who died? Actually, I don’t care as long its none of you. My condolences and whatever.”
Sheetal flew out of the back and looked around. She found Ash and gave him a stern look.
Ash pointed her and in a warning voice said “She, no more hugs.”
Sheetal wordlessly lifted Ash in the air and hugged him.
“She, my coffee.”
Sheetal scooted herself down on the sofa hugging Ash.
“I understand why cats hate women, now.” Ash grumbled.
“Shut up. I want to hug.”
“She, the angry green lady is looking at us.” Ash whispered loudly.
Staring would have been the right word to use. Sheetal took that moment to look at her.
Glance – Activated.
Aaya wasn’t tall. She was pretty much the average for a woman, but she felt tall. And there was other such incongruities Sheetal sensed while looking at her. Like she was normal looking, but she seemed beautiful. Her hair braid fell below her shoulders and yet it seemed like her untied black hair were swaying in the wind open. Deep green, almost black eyebrows rose to watch Sheetal and a hint of smile rose Aaya’s burgundy, brown lips.
Sheetal shook her heads. She couldn’t make sense of what she was looking at. Her glance should have shown Aaya’s strengths and weaknesses. Instead, she saw two images layered over each other.
“Do you know what you just did girl?” Aaya asked.
Sheetal stiffened and braced herself “I used my ability to look at you.”
“And what did you see?”
“That there are two of you.” Sheetal answered in confusion.
“No.” Aaya laughed and explained “What you saw was my battle aspect.”
“A what?” Sheetal put her chin on Ash’s head and asked.
“I apologise, we are on edge with all that we have seen.” Aaya shook her head and added “And none of that is your fault.”
Ash tried to wiggle out of Sheetal’s arms with no success “That’s all fire an all. But what do you want lady.”
Aaya gave the petulant child in Sheetal’s arms a withering look “Do you know what a warder is child?” Without waiting for an answer Aaya continued “Warders on the surface might look like combat specialists but they are not. They are the first light’s champions created to save sentience. From the edge. From each other and even from themselves. They need a following of sentients to exist. Otherwise, they die slowly and painfully. Like you were dying right now. We are arbiters. We facilitate the procurement of those bonds for you.”
“So, what you are looking for us to hire you?” Sheetal asked.
Olimani snorted “You are warders you go to war for the holy system. You carry out the Light’s will. We arbiters are the Light’s hearts. It might look like we serve warders on the surface, we don’t. We serve with them and not them. We assist them. We bring them missions and help them carry out the Light’s will in our own way. We work with you. Not for you.”
“So, you are brains, and we are the muscle?” Ash asked.
“No.” Aaya gave Olimani a look to shut him up and continued “What Olimani is trying to explain is that at times we may disagree with you. We are your friends and the only ones who understand the demands the system puts on you. We look out for you while serving the system.”
Ash nodded “Good, because She...” Ash pointed above and continued with narrowed eyes pointed at Olimani “Is the brains.”
What he didn’t say was, mine is a bit broken right now but Sheetal caught the sentiment through the link and squeezed Ash close to her.
“She…” Ash croaked “You are… Ahh…”
Ash fainted cartoonishly and a long toungue rolled out his mouth and onto Sheetal’s arm.
The arbiters jolted and leaned away.
Sheetal shouted “Ew!” In disgust and recoiled.
Ash took that moment to buzz away and stopped in front of one of the large soldiers. He kicked him on his armoured leg.
Clunk!
“Ow! Ow! Ow!” Ash hopped on his foot.
“Boss?” Theory asked.
Ash gave Theory a look and asked “Couldn’t you have saved me?”
“From Sheetal?” Theory asked.
Ash nodded.
Theory looked at Sheetal and then at Ash as if he had lost his mind “No.”
Ash looked at Theory and then reluctantly nodded “Fair.”
“How did you do that?” Olimani asked with his hands tightening on his sword.
Ash walked to the other side of the coffee table and asked Ghost “Floaty?”
A floating recliner chair appeared and Ash jumped up on it and sat with his feet dangling of the ground.
“How did you do that?” Olimani asked in a shout.
“What? Ran around the room? I have speed shards.” Ash answered
“No, morph your flesh.” Olimani took a step towards the warder.
Ash blinked “Bro, its not real. This whole place is not real. You can do whatever you want if you are awesome.”
Olimani turned to look at Aya who was looking at Ghost.
Ghost helplessly shrugged “He is Ash.”
Ash who was sitting on the floating recliner floated nest to the table to pick up a large mug of coffee and looked at Sheetal until she used her telekinetic powers to scoop out a large scoop of ice cream and dropped it into the mug.
The arbiters watched the two as if they were going to turn into monsters any moment. Ash casually took a sip and made a thin dainty pipe appear in his hand and puffed on it. It’s end magically lit up without fire and Ash blew out blue smoke.
“Ash, why are you trying to freak out the scary green people?” Sheetal asked in an slow amused voice.
The arbiters watched as the warders focussed on each other. Their body language aligned and Aaya felt their souls vibrate inside her field. Fascinated Aaya looked on as they warders conversed.
“Because I am angry, and I am lashing out.” Ash replied honestly.
“Ash.”
“You know, honestly, this is like a load of our shoulders. I was wondering when they would leave us to die. Now that we know.”
“You expected them to leave us behind?” Sheetal asked.
“Yeah. She, we are hostages and after a day, protocol says, you need to presume anyone missing as MIA or KIA.”
“M…I… What? Mission Impossible?” Sheetal asked slowly.
“Missing in action and killed in action.”
“Oh…” Sheetal slumped down onto her chair.
“Honestly with all that you do and make, when did you find the time to watch all those horrible Hollywood movies? A boomer clinging to a flying plane?”
“Ash, focus. They left us and that hurt us. Why?”
Ash smiled painfully “It’s still hurting us, She.” Ash nodded at Aaya “The scary green lady here is holding us together with her green mist.”
“I see.”
“You know this is a good thing, She. Even though it means that the old Ari guy, that gave you the warm and fuzzy feeling every time he spoke. I mean he was hot in a straight kind of way but now you don’t have to lose your virginity to someone who left you die. So, you can lose your virginity to him later.”
Sheetal glared at Ash.
Ash sighed ‘Yeah. I am being an ashhole. This is not awesome.”
Sheetal’s facial expression softened “But you still think this is a good thing?”
“Yeah. The commando unit that you were so worried about, just packed up and left. They are no longer hostages. That means we can do what we want to do now.”
“No…”
“You just have to hold him.”
“No.”
“Just one kick.”
“You are not kicking Ghost in the nuts.”
Ash groaned.
The seven snickered. The arbiters turned to look at the adjudicator.
Ghost sighed “That is also Ash.”
Sheetal knew Ash’s words were just for show. Instead, he had redirected her attention to their mission. Sheetal read and reread the notification.
Mandatory Mission
Save The Continuum
Fight of the Rakshasa Empire and help the continuum create a safe harbour in the trials.
Rewards
12 Favours of Light
System Rank - 6
Terms - You may not leave the trials until this mission is completed.
Duration to completion – 182 days.
Failure Penalty – Death
In the last two and half years she had looked at the mission everyday and maybe missed reading it once or twice. Only she had always imagined completing the mission with Colonel Ari and his team. She should have done more to assist them. She should have asked Ghost to bring them here. Refused to cooperate until they were here with them. That would have helped her keep them safe and protected by the seven.
Sheetal felt a spike of rage rise in her mind and sharply looked up at Ash.
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“Don’t you dare feel bad for not doing enough.” Ash growled “We did all we could, and they left us. Abandoned us, like the system says. She, they did what everyone does. The only one who won’t leave you behind is me and I know you won’t leave me behind.”
“Ash, you need to stop looking at the world like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like, it’s you against the world.”
“Of course, it’s not me against the world. It’s us against the world.”
“Universe, actually.” Aaya corrected Ash lightly.
Ash opened his mouth to snap at her and stopped “You are right. It’s us against the universe.”
Sheetal narrowed her eyes and pointed at everyone else in the room “What about the seven?”
“Fine they can come to.” Ash shot back.
“Is that how you want to do this?”
“Do you see any other way?”
“Children? What are you talking about?” Ghost finally prompted.
Sheetal and Ash looked at Ghost with hesitant looks.
Ghost walked back into the room with a pot and five glasses. He smiled “Affogato?”
“Yes, please.” Ash tumbled out of his recliner. He got up from the floor and quickly added “I meant to do that.”
Sheetal rolled her eyes and looked at the newcomers “Okay, now that we have got that settled, what do you want?”
The two arbiters looked from Sheetal to Ghost.
“What just happened?” Olimani asked.
“They had an argument and Ash… won?” Ghost asked.
“You didn’t tell them about arbiters?” Olimani asked.
Taran put a cup in front of Olimani and smiled “They know.”
Ash nodded “Yeah, something about where there is one there is the other. Like the cool Jedis.”
“Sith. Ash. Sith.” Sheetal corrected Ash.
Aaya took a sip of her coffee and pursed her lips “Before I answer your question. Do you understand what the word warder means?”
“It’s a conjunction of two glyphmatic words. Words that do not have a phonetic explanation. But, from all that I have read, it means one who fights the edge.” Ash stated.
“That is correct.” Aaya gave the boy who until now she had classified as a brat another look and added “And a perfect translation in Indri.”
“Indri?” Sheetal asked.
“The language of the gods. The only written way to translate the unspoken language you brother seems to be learning.” Aya replied.
“Oh right. The language. Honestly, all I hear is English.”
“Yes, but let’s get back to the topic at hand. We will discuss all other queries later. An arbiter’s function is to liaison between you and mortals, ascended, and other sentients. As your arbiter, I will be able to see your missions, your abilities, notifications and statistics. I know it is a hard decision…”
“Yeah, okay.” Sheetal cut in between.
Olimani turned to look at Sheetal “What just like that?”
“Yeah, why not? The continuum bigwigs have already seen it.” Ash shrugged.
Sheetal looked up and saw both Olimani fuming and Aaya scowling at Ghost.
“They dared!” Olimani stated.
“Yes, they did but our warders have a soft spot for them young Olimani.” Aya spoke in a neutral voice.
“Oh, I don’t have a soft spot for them. We just have a mission to save them. And if you start beheading the continuum it would be hard to save them. At least the nice ones.”
“A mission? From the continuum?” Aya asked.
“Yes.”
“They manipulated you?” Olimani shouted.
Sheetal saw Olimani getting more and more angry with each word and could feel Ash enjoying the outrage, so before things could get out of hand, she decided to change the topic.
“Okay, so this arbiter warder relationship. Is there a contract? And who pays who? I have a few crecks but you both look expensive.”
Aya and Olimani looked at each other and smiled.
“Warder. The system pays us both. You don’t think the system would allow anyone to bypass its authority, do you?” Aya explained
Sheetal felt like a five year old child being explained the basics of life.
“Also, a relationship between a warder and an arbiter is one based on trust. Do you think you will be able to trust a stranger?”
Sheetal scowled “Aya, I know you are trying to be nice but ever since I have come here to this strange pocket dimension I have been hunted, hurt, almost eaten, jailed, threatened and kidnapped twice.”
Aaya sobered “I see. You’ve had an eventful time.”
“No, that’s not the point. You are the first person with power who has not jumped to take advantage of us even when we said yes. You sat down with us and explained.”
“I told you.” Ash sang.
“Shut up Ash.” Sheetal didn’t even look at her little brother and continued “Now my brother thinks that you are religious zealots but you are on our side and we should use you.”
“She.” Ash protested.
“But that is not how I do business.” Sheetal continued “I do business by setting clear guidelines of what my position is and what I want to achieve. I expect you to lay your conditions down transparently too. I understand you have an advantage over us, you hold our lives in your hand. I keep that in consideration while perusing your offer.”
Aaya smiled gently “How long have you been here?”
“What? What’s that got to do with anything?" Sheetal asked.
“Just answer the question.”
Sheetal didn’t know and looked at Needles “Three and half days Rier time.”
Aaya nodded “Lady warder. I am a hundred thirty years old. You literally have nothing to offer me.”
“But you want us.” Ash sang again.
Aaya got a difficult look on her face and answered “We have been tasked to formally recruit you to Kel Ruudrakh cadre. That unfortunately has become a necessity.”
“It’s not a necessary.” Ghost calmly spoke “As I said, Thrive will take them on as Junior Councillors.”
T added is pitch to everyone’s surprise “The continuum army will add them to our ranks. You will be granted the ranks of Captain.”
Everyone looked at T. The man shrank back.
“General Athena.” Ghost shook his head with a complicated look on his face.
“That’s not enough.” Aaya muttered and looked at Sheetal “Lady warder, how many people do you have on your world?”
“Nine billion.” Sheetal replied curiously.
“How many people do you have in your country?" Aaya asked.
“A little more than billion.”
Olimani took in a sharp breath “Gods.”
Aaya chuckled “Yes. They are one in a billion. The Kel is not losing merit. The system is recalibrating his merit bar after he recruited these two.”
“Who recruited us?” Ash asked.
“Kel Ruudrakh.” Olimani answered distractedly.
“Why don’t I remember this?”
“Did you ask for war mode?” Aaya asked.
Ash opened his mouth and closed it with a grimace “Yeah.”
“How many people do you have in this Thrive of yours Adjudicator?” Aaya sneered.
“Six and a half thousand.” Ghost answered dejectedly.
“And you metal soldier. How many people do you have?”
“Fifteen thousand, I think.” T tried to burry himself in the wall.
Aaya glared at Ghost “What your people have done cannot be forgiven.”
“What does that mean for us right now?” Sheetal finally asked.
“That is up to you. If you choose to be in the Kel’s influence, he has enough sentients under his care to offset the balance. Basically, you will get to live. If you don’t you will die painfully.”
“Who makes these stupid rules?” Ash asked in complaining tone.
“It is a completely valid “rule”.” Olimani made finger quotes at the word rules and continued “When a warder turns to darkness this rule keeps the sentients safe from them.”
“Do you have such a rule?” Ash raised an eyebrow.
Olimani nodded “We do. A similar one.”
“What do you mean? Why would they have such a rule?” Sheetal asked and receiver a visual image.
A tree, longer than broad stood inside Olimani’s being. Its roots wound down to both of his legs covering twinkling shards inside their tendrils. Similarly, under the bark of the trunk, that led from his hips to his lungs shard glowed in a steady light. But it was the crown of the tree that left Sheetal awestruck. It was lush with leaves that glowed hiding the shards that dangled somewhere like fruit.
The Sheetal received another image. This one was of Aaya. Where Olimani’s tree was long, Aaya’s tree was large. So large that Sheetal couldn’t grasp it with her mind. And that was not all. Every inch and centimetre of the tree glowed like shards. So much so, that Sheetal couldn’t make out the difference between her shards and the tree.
Sheetal scooted back away from Aaya and looked at her with apprehension in her eyes.
“Oye, green guy. Stop eyeballing Ghost. He is mine.” Ash shot a look at Olimani and continued “You got a problem with him. Then you have a problem with me.”
“Ash?” Sheetal mumbled behind Ash.
Ash held his hand up to stop the arbiters and turned back to Sheetal “She look. As I said, our people left us in this position and yeah it hurt but it’s a good thing.”
“You keep saying that.” Sheetal hissed.
“And I mean it. She, what do you think would happen if we went back home?” Ash asked.
Sheetal gave Ash a blank look.
“They would cut us open and play with our insides and not in the fun way. We are aliens.” Ash stressed.
Sheetal blinked “More like half aliens.”
“Really, didn’t you read the notification?” Ash waved his hand and the notification popped up in front of everyone in the room “Read!”
Your body has mutated and changed.
Cause – Anathematic Mutation.
A race with 81% genetic match to your body has existed in the past.
Race Name – Danav
Accept the new race?
Yes / No?
“By the light.” Olimani muttered.
“See? We are only nineteen percent human.” Ash stated.
Sheetal stared at the pop up floating over the coffees with a contemplative look.
“Warders, do you have any clue what a Danav is?” Aya of the mythological Aranyaani forest asked as her face turned a paler shade of green.
“Manav is a human. So, I guess a danav is a variation of a human?” Sheetal answered.
“Not quite.” Ash waved hand side to side.
Aaya opened her eyes outside the dreamscape and looked at the girl floating in the anathemic water in front of her. Her blue tinted skin and sharp features stood out in the Ripple’s white light illuminating her face. If her full lips, long lashes, perfect skin and the thick long black that flowed down to her sculpted body made her a beauty that everyone would call unearthly. But underneath all that was a strength that was undisguised. As if the woman sleeping in the pod in front of her would wake and wipe out everyone she looked at.
Aaya took a breath, and her eyes drifted to the male warder med pod.
Ash was no better. He was considerably shorter than Sheetal. Although the tint of blue in his skin was darker, his redder lips and the pink on his cheeks stood out. As if someone had painted his face with cosmetics. His body hid its muscle she knew he had over flawless soft skin. Leaving only a hint of the strength the warder held in his arsenal. He didn’t look like a warrior but a dancer. That effect was accentuated by his soft wavy hair that dropped down to just over his chest barely hiding his nipples. His soft pink lips stood out in contrast of his skin and were pressed together in a cute little pout.
Aaya looked at their naked bodies with her gaze looking for any sign of uncontrolled mutation. That would give her a reason to do what she every instinct in her told her to do. Kill these creatures.
“Aaya.” Olimani opened his eyes and looked at his teacher “Danavs. Aaya, they are danavs.”
Olimani spoke in an urgent whisper.
Aaya sighed and made up her mind “Olimani Aranyaani. They are warders. You are an arbiter. We all serve the light.” Aaya chided the boy and closed her eyes.
“But…”
Aaya raised her hand to stop her student “You left them alone in there?”
“I needed to speak to you.”
“Olimani you are an Arbiter of Solace before you are an Aranyaani. There are times you can be both but right now you need to be an Arbiter. These are warders who are in good standing with the Light. By the mother, they have an adjudicator standing guard over them. Think before you open your mouth again.”
Olimani reeled back and nodded “Yes Arbiter.” He placed his hand on the pod and Aaya followed him.
“Of course we are not humans, She.” Ash was saying when Aaya opened her eyes. He continued “We will be different. Whenever we tap into our bodies, it feels different. Like… Like… My hair tickles.”
“That’s because you have strands in your head. Both of you.” Ghost stated while relaxing on a chair “Ash, you have more of them than Sheetal. Sheetal has a denser brain structure.”
“Hehehe… She you are dense.” Ash chuckled.
“What are these strands and why can’t I fell mine?” Sheetal rolled her eyes and asked.
“They are like hair, but they are thicker and have sensory nerve in them. Like hair they are covered in complex protein structure. They seem to be very sensitive for Ash. We will need to protect them with jewellery. About why you can’t feel your strands. I don’t have enough anathema to complete your transformation.” Ghost shrugged.
“Hair jewellery? Oh, that’s fire. I want some.” Ash said dreamily and then shot a glare at Ghost “Still doesn’t mean I agree to join your gang.”
Ghost chuckled “You will. I am not in a hurry.”
“I hate you. You suck and you stink.” Ash grumbled.
“I am projection. I don’t have a body.”
“Boss.” Theory stepped in the middle of Ash and Ghost “Why don’t you want to join the Thrive?”
Ash turned to look at Theory “Are you kidding me? Because he will win. And then he will send us all to skulk around and take out targets of opportunity while he schemes. I am done being a tool”
Theory sighed “But he has told you that he doesn’t want you to do that.”
“Yeah, but he will find a reason.”
“No boss. He won’t. He is not aiming small.” Theory gave Ash a meaningful look.
Ash slowly turned to look at Ghost “So, you are finally going to start that military coup?”
“I call it a revolution.”
“Yeah, you would.” Ash took in a breath and muttered “Ghost I am tired of you winning.”
Ghost smiled “Then come my side and start winning.”
Ash huffed “I don’t go to people’s side they come to mine.”
“Fine. Whatever you want kid. I am on your side.”
Ash paced back and forth in a blur “And I am not going to hide in some hole to take out one person. I am going to be brash, arrogant, in your face and then I am going to go kick people in the face.”
“As long as you don’t kill them, I don’t care.”
Ash frowned.
Ghost quickly clarified “You can kill them if they deserve it.”
“Who decides if they deserve it.”
“Sheetal does.” Ash grimaced and looked at Sheetal who was smiling smugly. His mouth fell open “Oh no. You planned this. You all planned this.”
“Do you have any objections Ash?” Sheetal asked threateningly
“Nope.” Ash squeaked.
“Good. Because our friends are back, and they don’t look happy.”
“Warders.” Aaya cut into the banter and glared at Ghost “What this man has done cannot be excused.”
“Yeah, well I am excusing it.” Ash said with a glare of his own.
Aaya couldn’t help but smile at the cute look on the young warder’s face. It reminded her of an infant throwing his toy at a wall in anger.
“As you wish warder. We will discuss all that later.” Aaya nodded “But right now, you need to understand what being a Danav would mean for you.”
“People are going to hate us?” Sheetal asked.
“Try to kill us?” Ash continued.
“Like you thought about doing right now?” Sheetal continued.
And one by one the warders continued speaking starting with Sheetal.
“Let’s cut to the chase. We are Danav. We are part Asura.”
“We were made to fight anathemic creatures.”
“We will do that.”
“And then we will move forward to the next threat.”
“But if someone threatens us again.”
“We will eradicate from reality.”
This time no one laughed at chuckled. The eerie synchronicity in which the warders spoke unnerved them all. Even Aaya who had held an amused look on her face uptil now frowned.
Aaya nodded “I would like to be your arbiter warder Sheetal.”
“Wow. That is… Ha…ha…ha.” Ash began to laugh “ That not how you do it. You at least need have a pretence to do that.”
Oilimani frowned “What do you mean?”
Ash looked at Aaya “You are snoops belonging to a surveillance organisation who keep warders in check, right? You should have gone with you have been kept captive and we need to keep you in the right state because you are one on a billion or some variation of that.” Ash chuckled “Not, I want to be your arbiter.”
Olimani scowled “We are not spies. We serve our warders but we serve the light first.”
Ash looked at Olimani “Green guy. What your name?”
“Olimani Aranyaani.”
“Nice. Oli. You seem like a nice guy. We don’t need a nice guy. Because I am a maniac who is going to hit everything outside this dreamscape like a storm. We need someone to help us control the fall out? And let’s be honest you are not it.”
“Excuse me? I have been trained all my life to stand in between the powerful and normal people.”
“Good. Then I pick you.”
“My name is…” Oli started to correct Ash and shouted “What!?”
Ash chuckled “Look, Oli. That’s how it is done.”
Olimani looked at the space in front of him and then turned his wrist making the notification visible for all.
Warder contract offered.
Warder Name – Ash.
Contract Type – General.
Do you wish to accept this contract
Yes / No?
He regained his composure and began “My name is Oliiiimaniiii” Oli stressed the I’s with half an eye on the man because in front of him a notification was blinking “And I don’t think I would be the right fit for this job.”
“Oli, see how Aaya is looking at She? That look. That a conflicted motherly look. Your whatever she is, is wondering how she can save she. That means you and I are out luck. We are stuck together.”
Aaya cleared her throat to get the warders attention. She couldn’t let that boy go on. He had a way of rolling through obstacles like a war chariot “Before we continue. I need to know your purpose.”
“Have fun?” Ash grinned.
“Ash, be serious.” Sheetal scolded Ash and answered “To protect and serve.”
“What you are going to be the police?” Ash snorted.
“Of course not, I am going to be the sith lord. You win Ash. Help me become the dark empress.” Sheetal grinned and saw Ash’s eyes light up and focus on her.
She knew she was manipulating Ash. And he knew that too. They both knew Ash was hanging on by a thread and he needed something to look forward to right now. Something that would make him feel like he was awesome.
“Ash slowly nodded. Promise me you won’t stop me when I need to go Dark Bader.”
Sheetal cringed when Ash mangled the name. It wasn’t that he wanted to. He just didn’t care.
“I promise.” Sheetal nodded.
Aaya looked at the short danav. This young warder was going to be a handful and require too much energy. Thankfully, he had chosen Olimani. And Sheetal, was the more powerful of the two. She would have to keep a close eye on her.
Aaya began formally “Warder you are the enemy of the light enemies. You are the one who keeps reality’s foes at bay. You fight the edge. I will watch your back.”
“Great, you want us to go fight the worm too?” Sheetal asked.
Aaya tuned to the girl with a compassionate smile “No, warder. I am an arbiter of solace. I just pledged my service to you.”
Back in a stiff voice Aaya ordered “Witness, arbiter Olimani”
“I witness.” Olimani responded formally.
Congratulations Warder.
An arbiter has joined your cadre.
Name - Aya
Race - Aranyani
Class – 2 (Restricted)
Growth Tree - Unavailable
“Warder Sheetal of the planet Earth.” Aya began formally “I, Aaya of the Aranyani, ask you to serve with you as your arbiter.”
“I…Um… Accept?”
Aaya nodded “Good. But you will need to be faster and more confident while taking pledges.”
“See, I told you.” Ash looked at Oli.
Olimani looked at Ash flatly and muttered “Warder, you watch the edge. I will watch you back.”
Congratulations Warder.
An arbiter has joined your cadre.
Name – Olimani Aranyani
Race - Aranyani
Class – 1
Growth Tree – Blade
“Good. But that is only point 1 of 5. So let’s keep it up and get through this nonsense because I am bored. So, point number two. What do we need to do not to die without your green mist?” Ash waved around.
“You keep saying that. My soul field shouldn’t be visible after the first few seconds.” Aaya asked.
Ash smiled “Yeah, but I am aw….”
“Sensopath.” Sheetal cut him off.
“You are a sensopath.” Aaya stated in a stunned whisper.
“Yup.”
“Congratulations Oli. You have a warder who is a sensopath.” Aaya smiled at her former student.
“I… Huh?” Oli muttered and asked “Lady Aaya?”
“Ash.” Sheetal hissed.
“She, we are running out of time.” Ash pressed.
“By that you mean that you are bored.”
“Yeah, and we are running out of time.” Ash pointed at Ghost “This dumbo started the process without letting me know.”
“What process?” Sheetal looked at Ghost and asked.
“It will take too long to explain.” Ash shook his head and looked at Aaya “Well?”
Congratulations Warder.
You have been invited to Join a Kel’s Cadre.
Name – Ruudrakh
Race – Narsimha
Faction – Frontier Faction
Class – 2
Do you wish to join the kel’s cadre
Yes/No?
Ash hit yes and when nothing happened, he looked at Sheetal.
“Slow down.” Sheetal scowled “We don’t even know what this kel guy wants. Do you even if we can trust him?”
“No.” Ash replied shrilly “She. We can’t even trust these two green people.”
“I would never harm a warder who I am serving with.” Olimani scowled.
“Bro, you just told me you work for an organisation that keeps an eye on warders.”
“That is an oversimplification of what I just said.” Aaya protested.
Sheetal tuned to look at Ghost “What do you say?”
Ghost sighed “You need the protection. Kel Ruudrakh is not a bad Kel. He can be short tempered at time, but he means well.”
“Finally.” Ash muttered.
Sheetal snarled “Perhaps you need to take your cup and stand outside while we discuss the important stuff in detail, Ash?”
“What’s there to discuss, She? Look, arbiter Aaya here is the most powerful person I have seen up till now. She has twenty shards, and they are big. Like, lemon size big. And she wants to adopt you. Let her.”
Everyone looked at Ash this time.
“What about you?” Sheetal asked.
“I have Ghost.”
“What about me?” Olimani asked.
“You’ve got shards too, but they are…” Ash pinched his fingers until they were a hairs breath apart and looked through them “Nah! Ghost is better. He is conniving lunatic who would kill you in a heartbeat.”
Sheetal sighed and hit yes.
Congratulations.
You have joined Kel Ruudrakh’s cadre of warders.
Warder ranking – 54/55
Missions Available 2/3
Mission – Eradicate Anathemic creatures under the warder spire.
Rewards – Merit, Crecks.
Expand – Yes/No?
Mission – Contain the Rakshasa Invasion.
Rewards – Merit, Crecks, Developmental Upgrades.
Expand – Yes/No?
Heat flooded Ash and Sheetal body and they briefly glowed.
“Wooowoowoo…” Ash jumped on his toes “That made me tingle in my naughty places.”
Sheetal bit her lip and frowned while looking down “My toes itched.”
Ash clapped his hands, and Sheetal wiped the notifications away and looked at Ghost “ Right. Go ahead Ghost. Involve us in your plans.”
Congratulations.
You have been offered the positions in Continuum Faction of the Thrive.
Positions – Junior Councillor
Accept – Yes/No?
This time both of them accepted without any hesitation.
Congratulations.
You have joined the Continuum Faction - Thrive.
Position – Junior Councillor
Ash turned to look at T “Point number 4. T. Tell us why you want us to join the continuum army?”
“Ahh….” T said when all eyes turned to him.
“T for crying out loud you are the most dangerous man here. I saw you wipe out twenty raks with one shot. Speak up man.” Sheetal pushed.
T stiffened and stood at attention “General Athena will need your assistance in fighting back the raks. She would like to speak to you in detail about that. She has authorised me to offer you the rank of Captains to keep you from any harm from inside the continuum.”
Congratulations.
You have been offered positions in Continuum Army.
Rank – Captain
Accept – Yes/No?
Sheetal waited for more and then asked “That’s it?”
“Ummm… Yes?” T shrugged.
Ash turned to Ghost “Was that smart of her?”
“Athena is a straight shooter, Ash. She is offering you protection after what happened with the mentor and me. Let me put it this way. If someone harms you while you hold that rank, she will have the right to respond with all her might.”
“But if someone harms us, it shows everyone that she cannot protect her people.” Ash frowned.
“She doesn’t think like us.” Ghost chuckled.
Ash and Sheetal looked at each other and they both shrugged together.
Congratulations.
You have joined the Continuum Army.
Rank – Captain.
Ash raised his hand over his head in victory and shouted “Finally! Point five. Hey Needles. You look happy. Did you get some?” Ash asked.
Needles gave Ash a blank stare.
“Oh, it was that good, huh?” Ash nodded in appreciation.
Sheetal exhaled loudly “Ash.”
“Fine. Fine. Fine. Its just, when she gets angry, she turns into a dommy mommy. I like dommy mommies.”
“You like everything Ash.” Sheetal responded in a flat voice.
Ash opened his mouth to argue and stopped “Yeah. But I like dommy mommies I know more.”
“Warder, I have a husband. Stop or he will shoot you. In your butt.” Needles stated.
Ash pocked the air behind and stopped when his hand touched cold hard armour. He squeaked “Hey JJ. Needles is my wonderful doctor and nothing else. I was just playing before I asked her a question.”
JJ leaned down and in his deep rumbling tone muttered “Ask.”
“Needles, will you and the seven come. I mean not come but come.”
“Stop.” Sheetal said softly and the world glitched. A heaviness fell around everyone and even the smallest movements suddenly felt laboured.
Everyone, but Ash, Ghost and Aaya looked at Sheetal with widening eyes.
Sheetal exhaled and the felt normal again.
Ash shook his head and muttered “Bloody scary girl boss.”
“Ni, he want you and the seven to fight alongside us.” Sheetal sighed.
Ash nodded rapidly while looking at JJ.
JJ smiled “Oh, why didn’t you ask little man. Sure, we will fight alongside you and the lady warder. And I will shoot you the first time I see you looking at my wife.”
Ash chuckled mirthlessly “Well that’s not going to be problem.”
“Are we done here?” Sheetal asked.
“Well there is one last thing.” Needles said while looking at Ghost.
“What?” Sheetal asked impatiently
“You can walk now.” Needles answered.
Sheetal’s eyes widened “What!?”
“You have whole new body Sheetal. You can walk.”
“And now you can have thirty shards too.” Ash added.
Sheetal looked at him sharply “Since when?”
“Ghost told me not to tell you.” Ash pointed and directed all the blame to Ghost.
“It would have broken your immersion and…”
“She, stop.” Ash sighed and muttered “Crap.”
Race Changed – Danav
Development Trees Unlocked – Breaker and Bonder.
Congratulations
You are the first Danavs born in 600 years.
Warning
The Danavs were exterminated by their enemies. Enemies that may still hold a grudge. Watch your backs warders.
Blessing awarded – First in an Age.
Your light structure has changed to a more complex one. You are more comfortable in disrupted regions.
Sheetal shook her head flinging wet hair oof her face. A whirring sound distracted her, and she saw anathemic water whirpooling down the floor of the pod while everyone backed away. She momentarily panicked when she realised that she was covered head to toe in water, but she didn’t need to breathe. Blinking she looked at the water overhead and noticed that it would take a long time for the water to recede. She looked at her friends for instruction, but they were leaving in a hurry.
The door closed behind them and a latch clanking rang though the pod. The water began to recede in a rush and Sheetal felt something under her feet. It was cold, hard, and felt like metal. Sheetal looked down and tears fell from her eyes. Fifteen years. It had taken fifteen year but she could finally stand on her own to feet. Sheetal rested her back on the wall of the med pod as the lights dimmed in the null room. She didn’t care. She was standing.
Sheetal gasped when cold water began to spray her down. She raised her head and let it take her tears with it. The door to the pod broke its seal with a hiss and jittered twice before sliding open. She had done it. She could walk out on her own two feet now. Sheetal took a step.
Thud.
“Ouch!”
Ash spoke up from the other pod “Hey genius. Just because you can walk now doesn’t mean you know how to walk.”
Sheetal raised herself with her arms and looked at Ash “Huh?”
Sheetal saw Ash slither down the pod and sit down inside it.
Sheetal’s looked at Ash’s unfocussed eyes and asked “What’s wrong Ash.”
Ash didn’t answer.
Sheetal eyes widened and in a whisper she said “No.”
Sheetal looked at Ash. He slowly raised his hands and felt around himself “Don’t just look at me. Tell me how to get out of this thing.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sheetal shouted.
“It’s going to be okay, She. Right now, we have other things to do.”
“What do you mean other things?”
Ash grinned “I can hear people walking to us.”
Sheetal looked at the darkened space and saw people. Correction naked people, correction beautiful naked people with bits swaying side to side heading towards them. Sheetal covered her chest by folding her arms but her eyes couldn’t leave their hypnotic forms. They separated in a choreographed twirls with two women and two men moving to Ash while the man with the largest thing smiled at her with snow blue irises.
“Uhh…. Ash?”
“Yeah?”
“I am scared.”
“Don’t be. I will take the guy with the hot rod if you don’t want him.”
“Oh heck no. I want…” Sheetal stopped and looked at Ash “I thought you were blind.”
“It’s complicated.” Ash grumbled while sharing is status.
Warder - Ash
Class - 0
Race – Danav
Status – Blinded
Potentiality - Low
Merit - Low
Warning!
Anathema - Critically Low
Warder - Sheetal
Class - 0
Race – Danav
Status – Normal
Potentiality - Low
Warning!
Anathema - Critically Low