The inside of the, let's say rustic, building was just as shoddy as the outside. It was dark and dank and I could feel the rotten wood settling on my tongue. A look of disgust overcame my face and I grunted.

  "Ugh!" Waving my hand in front of my face to clear whatever the fuck was in here, my eyes started to adjust to the dim light and more features came into focus. I saw a large metal structure take shape, with an anvil and hammer in front of it. Bellows stood beside the forge, dark and dormant. The whole place gave off a weird vibe.

  "Hello?" I called into the darkness. "Mr. Zerok?" A light ignited somewhere in the smithy, a glow coming from down the hall.

  "Who wants to know?" an oily voice whispered from behind me. I whirled in surprise and Lia leapt away. Rosie growled, the hair on the back of her neck rising. A man who looked exactly like Zerik stood behind us, with muscles equally as large as the butcher's. The voice did not at all match his looks when he spoke. "How did you get in here?" he asked, narrowing his yellow eyes. I felt like I was being watched by a snake getting ready to strike. Settling my nerves, I stood strong.

  "I am Marshall, sir. The door was open when I tried it. Mr. Zerik at the Butchery told me to come see you, said you might be interested in these." I showed the two Steban spikes to the large man, whose eyes gleamed with glee when he saw them. In a flash, his hand snaked out and snapped them from mine, holding the spikes up towards the open door, gazing at them lovingly.

  "So perfect..." he muttered, stroking one of the spikes like one would a child. This guy's creepy. I moved a little closer to Lia and Rosie, getting strange vibes from the man. He turned his gaze on me, slinking up in a very non large man way. He flowed like water, not the hulking brute of a blacksmith he looked like. "Where did you get these?" he hissed.

  "I collected them." I said, still fighting to keep my nerve. It got a little harder as the man's serpentine eyes looked me up and down.

  "You collected them?" His eyes widened in recognition. "Ah, yessss. I know you. The 'Hunter'." He put extra emphasis on the word, spitting it like an insult and turned away from me. "You killed the Steban?"

  "The three of us, yes, sir." I replied, following him with my eyes. I stayed where I was, poised to react should the strange man do anything.

  "Hmmm. Not you? Killing an adult Steban without being a trained Hunter is no small feat."

  "It took all three of us. I couldn't have done it without them." He harrumph'ed.

  "I see. You will form a team with them?" I nodded.

  "They are my friends. I will adventure with them and if that means we're a Team, then yeah." The smith smirked, igniting the forge with a flick of his wrist. Flames leapt from his hand into the mouth of the forge, catching instantly. The flames flickered in his yellow, intense eyes, licking at the pupils.

  "Good." He turned back to the forge, waving a meaty hand over his shoulder. "You may leave now. I will bring them when they are done."

  "But we didn't tell you what we want." I said bluntly. The man was throwing off my whole demeanor.

  "Doesn't matter. The bone will tell me. You may leave." The last phrase was clearly a warning not to push him any further. I nodded and ushered Lia and Rosie out of the smithy as the man worked the bellows, yelling for something or someone, I couldn't tell.

  "Come on." I whispered. "Let's get out of here." Lia nodded and we slipped out the rotting door. I stretched as the bright morning sunlight burned off the funk that place left on me. We had walked a little further down the road when I told Lia: "That dude was creepy as shit."

  "He was certainly strange. No stranger than you, though." I gave the girl an offended look and she turned her nose up. "Don't tell me it isn't true, Mr. I-can-summon-notebooks." I chuckled.

  "You have a point, I suppose. A different kind of strange, but strange nonetheless."

  I met with Kiltont about an hour later. The Macawian was sober, a sorrowful, beaten look about him. Again, he showed his age, dark lines around his avian eyes. He looked up as I approached, a sad smile forming on his face and he pet Rosie on the head.

  "Marshall." he said. "Did you see Zerok?"

  "Yeah. He's a strange one." The Chief chuckled.

  "That he is. Come, let us waste no time." He turned and lead me out of the village, towards the burnt farms on the horizon. The skeletons of the houses stood alone, black against the lush green of the jungle behind them. We were silent as we walked out to the farms, neither of us wanting to speak. When we got the first house, I had to take a deep, cleansing breath. The skeletons hadn't changed much over the week, other than loosing what little meat that had been on their bones. I stared into the darkened, empty eye sockets of a small skull, rage flickering at my heart. Just below it, though, hung a sadness I couldn't name. I touched it, curious more than anything, and it sucked me in, dragging me down into its darkness. My world went dark and the eyes consumed me, filling my thoughts with a half-forgotten pain, vaguely aware of my body growing hotter. I was aware of us moving, digging their graves, but the movements didn't hold any consciousness behind them. I was elsewhere, a world of fire and pain.

  It was hard work and my back hurt two hours in, but I kept pushing. Remembering Lia's advice, I imbued my Spark into the muscles in my arms and abdomen, but only slightly. Not enough to ease the work, but enough so that I could keep going. I wanted this to hurt; I wanted to feel it. My shovel dug through the dirt with no resistance and we finished the first pair of graves within the fourth hour. I tossed my shovel onto the ground and heaved myself out of the grave, grunting as I rose to my feet. Kiltont had finished his and was working on a third, so I followed suit with a fourth. We worked on the fifth together.

  After the graves had been dug came the hard part. The skeletons had been picked clean of most of their flesh, with only little strips remaining in the hard to reach places, the joints and the like. The skeletons fell apart when we tried to move them. They'd been hanging together somehow, but the moment we touched the bones or the wooden spikes they were impaled on, the bones detached from each other, falling into a heap on the ground with a sound that will haunt me forever. It was hollow, clear, and devastating. A part of me died when the children fell. Their bones were so small that I could hold the majority of them in my hand. I felt my lips curl into a snarl so deep it hurt as I stared at the small skull in my hand. It was blackened and charred, and as I laid it in its grave, I could have sworn it smiled at me, and not a pleasant smile, either. One of hate and sorrow, pain and loss.

  You failed her. it laughed. It was your fault she went to him.

  I screamed as I covered the bones. A feeling of numbness settled over me halfway through burying the first family and didn't leave. It gripped my soul and stayed there, forcing me to see my hand, the children, smiling Jen, laughing Lia, hurt Rosie. Tears fell from my eyes, but that was okay. I wanted them to come, to cry. I wanted to hurt.

  Thank God Rosie was with me. When we finished burying the bones, the wolf whined and stood on her hind legs with paws on my shoulders, licking my face. I pet her softly, grateful to have such a loyal companion.

  "Love you, Rosie." I whispered as I hugged the canine. She barked and licked me more.

  The second family was just as rough as the first. This time, we knew what to expect, so digging the graves only took half as long. We didn't need to dig a full grave when the bones couldn't hold their shape. Taking the bones down off the spikes was just as difficult, though. It didn't get any easier, watching as a child's legs and hips fall away from the rest of their body.

  The last tear fell on the child's grave as I patted the dirt flat. The houses still stood, but the people had been laid to rest. I stared at one of the houses, I didn't know which, completely numb to the world. Kiltont stood next to me, equally mute. It felt wrong to speak as we payed our last respects to the families, marking the graves with the white rocks someone brought out to us. We turned back to the village and began to walk; Rosie bounding ahead of us, sniffing at some things and growling or snapping at others. I watched her detachedly, barely keeping my feet moving.

  "I failed them." Kiltont said when we were about half way back to the village. He kept looking straight ahead. "I should have kept them safe."

  "It's not your fault." I answered, trying to comfort the man and knowing my words were useless.

  "I should have called them in sooner, taken the warnings seriously."

  "The past is the past." I said, mainly to myself. Jen's hand accepting the ring appeared in my mind. "It cannot be changed. All we can do is learn and be better." Kiltont scoffed.

  "Just you wait, boy. Sunshine and Regret are the only guarantees in life." I chuckled.

  "I was always taught 'Death and Taxes'." Kiltont nodded, chuckling as well.

  "I suppose those as well."

  Lia and Marin were waiting for us when we got back. The two women kept casting glares at each other when they thought the other wasn't looking and when they did make eye contact, their faces formed into scowls and they looked away, arms crossed.

  "Oh, no." Kiltont sighed, taking a deep breath.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Those two are at it again. Marin has always hated Miss Ameilia for reasons unknown to me. The girl was good to us, better than we deserved seeing how we treated her. Thank you for freeing her."

  "I didn't like that she was 'Owned' in the first place. Slavery doesn't fly where I come from. Want me to just keep walking and head home?" I asked as the gate raised. Kiltont considered for half a second.

  "Honestly, yes. It would be best if the two saw each other as little as possible until you leave."

  "Yes, sir." I stopped underneath the gate, before we got to the girls. They stared at us as I clasped the Chief in a hug. "Thank you, Kiltont. For everything. You've been a great host and an even better friend." I smiled at the bird man, pulling away from him. He nodded, avian eyes tearing up a little.

  "As you have for me, Marshall. It has been a long while since someone talked to me as equals." I smiled and pat the man on the shoulder.

  "I'll see you tomorrow, then. For the caravan." The chief nodded.

  "Tomorrow. Good day, Marshall." We separated and walked to our respective waiters, greeting them. I didn't stop, whereas Kiltont wrapped his wife in a hug. I simply picked Lia up and continued on my way. She didn't complain; much, at least. She kept griping that my shoulder was digging into her waist, so I sighed and transferred her into a princess carry, making my way back to the house as memories pricked at my mind. A scowl formed when I heard Harper call me 'Brother' in the huddle.

  We ate in silence that evening. I couldn't taste the food and wasn't all that hungry, but I knew I needed the calories, and, as much as I didn't want to, as soon as I took a bite of Lia's cooking, I felt a spark of life reenter me. I was still numb, but the emeralds looking back at me were a little brighter than they had been at the gate. Rosie shared none of my emotional drainage and she scarfed her food down with averous glee. I gave her the rest of mine, which she also devoured with joy, drawing a small smile from me. Such a good girl.

  That night wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. It still sucked, though. I kept expecting to see the bones when I closed my eyes, but I didn't. Not all the time, at least. The flashes of their charred skeletons being covered by dirt were interrupted by memories of Jen laughing, or singing while making breakfast, or smiling at me over the dinner table. Happy memories that put a smile on my face and were subsequently destroyed by the children laughing at me, mocking me. Over and over, the cycle repeated.

  Failure. the skulls would taunt, their smiles dancing against the dark ceiling. They were chased away by bright blue eyes that smiled at me from across the room. He's going pro they'd laugh in her voice, only to be knocked aside by the feeling of her head on my shoulder as we watched a movie. The thoughts continued to whirl in circles, torturing me, until they were, all of them, banished as a golden warmth settled onto my chest, right at the shoulder. The skulls faded into the shadowed corners of the room and the memories of Jen burned away, her warmth being replaced by a new one that smelled of tropical flowers and chocolate, warm against my soul. I smiled as a soothing feeling spread from my core, moving up my body, following the hand that lead it to my heart. It pulsed comfortingly, driving away the loathsome thoughts, and my eyes came into focus.

  Wine red hair rested against my right shoulder, a golden arm crossing over it, the hand covering my heart. The sweet, tantalizing scent of flowers tickled my mind, exotic and enticing, and my arm tightened around her. The soft, warm skin gave just slightly as I drew her closer. I stroked her gently, enjoying her feeling. My mind was tired and my body exhausted. I yawned, eyelids heavy as whales, and slipped into sleep.

  The next morning was bright and cheerful, the world uncaring about my emotional state. Birds chirped from somewhere nearby, their lively and joyous sounds coming through the wooden walls. I sighed, watching the room grow lighter by the moment and wishing it wouldn't. That the sun would just stop and leave me here, in bed with my wolf. Alone. Forever.

  But I wasn't alone. Someone shifted next to me, the warm body snuggling closer to mine. A soft sigh rose from the girl and a feeling of disgust filled my brain. Why in God's name am I in bed with her? She doesn't love me, she's just touched starved and emotionally stunted. I'm the first person to show her any affection; she deserves better than me. So why the fuck does she feel so good in my arms? I sighed, Lia's flowery scent deepening my disgust. God, she smells amazing. Infinitely better than Jen did. Agh!

  I closed my eyes and tried to settle the war within. Of course, it didn't work. All it did was make me feel fucking awful. And when the pair of soft, sweet lips met my own, that awful, terrible feeling swelled, even as the Spark within me ignited, reaching a new tentacle towards the faint warmth I could feel coming from Lia. My Spark swirled and spun, flinging light into the darkest parts of my soul and dispelling the depression. It was strange, feeling my Spark get warmer and my soul get happier as I kissed her. The two forces battled inside me, neither overcoming the other. Every time I would start to feel Lia against me, her lips on mine and my hand against her back, Despair countered, telling me that Jen was a better cook, had a cuter smile, her hand fit better in mine, her hair was softer.

  I pulled away from Lia, resting my forehead against hers and breathing deeply. Her wonderful scent coated my mind and massaged my soul, and Rosie made her own love known when she fell on top of me, panting heavily. She shoved her head between us and licked at my face, forcing me to lay back, laughing. Lia sighed and heaved Rosie's weight onto my other side, then resumed snuggling into me. We laid like that for another twenty minutes until some kind of animal began to crow. The what I'm going to assume was a rooster crowed again, announcing the start of the day.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Breakfast went quickly and I tried to put yesterday out of my head. The sun is out and it is going to be an awesome day. I get a weapon! Lia kept trying to ask me about what happened out in the fields yesterday, but I brushed her off. I told her that I was fine, just unprepared for what I would find. She clearly didn't believe me, but dropped the issue for now. My thoughts swam in circles, mirroring the untouched food on my plate. Jen isn't here. This isn't Earth. That Marshall Prescott is dead, so I need to move on. I will never see her again, and that's okay. Jen's mocking laughter sounded from the empty seat to my left and I ignored it. That's not the real Jen. My Jen isn't charred like a piece of wood left in the fireplace overnight and she has pearly white skin on her face, not that disgusting, maggot-rotted lie the thing in the seat is. Long, rotten brown hair swam in an unseen current about her head and those same dark, lifeless eyes from yesterday smiled at me. I shut my eyes tightly, hoping and praying the demon would leave. I opened them to an occupied seat, but not by the Demon.

  Rosie stood where the chair had been, whining softly. Her tail wagged slowly, leaning to the left. I wonder what that means? Her azure eyes looked into mine with concern and she moved closer, laying her head on my thigh. She sighed as I pet her head, the fur soft and comforting. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, settling my soul. I worked, if only slightly. I could still feel the sadness pulling at my mind, trying to bring me down to its level. Not today, bitch; today is Weapon Day.

  Kiltont met us outside the house. He stood in the middle of the street with his hands clasped behind his back and broke into a smile when he saw us.

  "Were you waiting for us?" I asked, just the slightest bit creeped out. Kiltont nodded enthusiastically. Okay, a little more creeped out.

  "Yes! Zerok finished your weapons late last night and brought them for me to give to you." I cocked my head.

  "Why you? He not want to do it himself?" Kiltont shrugged.

  "Most likely. He is not the biggest fan of sunlight, much prefers the light of the forge, or so he said." The Chief turned and gestured for us to follow him. "Come, they are inside." Unable to keep the grin from my face, I cast a glance at Lia, who was staring at the house with an unreadable expression. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, smiling at the girl. She smiled back unconvincingly, grabbing hold of my hand as it dropped from her shoulder and following me into the house. Her hand gripped mine in a vice as we passed the threshold. Thank God Rosie is with us. Seems like we both need an emotional support animal.

  Kiltont led us to the dining room, where the table held a pair of blades. Both weapons appeared to be six inches in length and made of the Steban spike we had given over, but filed to an even finer point and polished. One side had also been notched, forming serrations into the bone that stopped halfway up. The rest of that side appeared to be for slicing, but it would take testing to really know. The handle was a rich, deep brown wood wrapped in leather. I whistled, the craftsman ship visible even to me who knew nothing about weapons.

  "And these are for us?" I asked, looking at Kiltont. He nodded.

  "Yes. Consider it a gift between friends." He picked up one of the blades and handed it to me, hilt first, and I wrapped my hand around the leather grip. When I lifted it, Robot Lady spoke for the first time in a few days.

  "Error." she said, causing me to jump. I glared at the sky and Lia laughed.

  "Robot Lady?" she asked knowingly. The English words sounded strange coming from the girl. Her voice sounded like a combination of Irish and Spanish, lilting and high, and it pierced my heart.

  "Yeah, fuckin' bitch. Won't give me anything useful!" I directed that last bit at the sky, looking up at the ceiling. A speck of dust fell from the ceiling and landed in my eye. "Agh, dammit!" I cried, wiping at my eye as Lia laughed harder. "Fine, I get it." I grumbled when my eye finally stopped itching. "I won't bad mouth you anymore, O Kind and Gracious Robot Lady."

  "You two are going to make a strange team." Kiltont said, though his eyes held a smile.

  "I sure hope so." I said, grinning at Lia. "Where's the fun in being normal?" She shrugged.

  "People looked at me strangely anyway. At least now they'll have a good reason." She smirked at me and walked forward, taking one of the surprisingly plain scabbards from the table. She sheathed her blade and turned to Kiltont, holding it against her chest and bowing slightly.

  "Thank you, Chief Kiltont. Your gift is graciously received. Please pass my compliments to the craftsman."

  "Of course, Miss Ameilia. You are most welcome." Kiltont replied, bowing as well. They both stood straight and looked at each other awkwardly. I held out my hand towards Kiltont, looking him in the eyes. He took a moment to put his in mine and I smiled, shaking it.

  "Thank you, Kiltont. You really hooked us up, bro." His confused face just made my smile larger.

  Later that day, Kiltont, Marin, Lia, Rosie, and I stood at the Northern gate, waiting for the caravan to arrive. They were supposed to get here mid-morning but hadn't yet arrived, and it was getting on to mid-afternoon. Kiltont had been pacing for the last hour back and forth in front of the gate. I was chillin' like a villain in the shade of a palm tree with my wolf, vibing my ass off. The air was warm, the sun was bright, and I had nothing to do. No schoolwork, no exams, no practice, no lab. Nothing. A slow smile spread across my face as I watched the clouds pass, hands behind my head. Lia sat next to me, fidgeting with something in her hands and my wolf was napping next to me. Life is good.

  Then it wasn't. As per fucking usual. Rosie's head lifted right as one of the guards on the balustrades shouted:

  "I see them!" I sat up, my attention ripped from the sky to the ground and rose to my feet. Sure enough, I could see a plume of dust rising in the distance. It steadily got closer and closer until my Zoom vision kicked in and I could see two carts, I think? There could have been a third but it was covered by the dust cloud. Regardless of how many carts there were, they were being hounded by roughly dressed men riding some kind of four legged beast. The size was comparable to horses from home, but they were very clearly not horses. The creatures had hair, yes, but it was a bright red color. They also had manes of fire which was sick as fuck. As they got closer, I could see that the creatures were indeed very similar to horses. Their base physiology was the same, four legs, hooves, a mane, a square, elongated head. The caravan was also being pulled by the creatures, though one of the ones attached to the lead cart neighed--I couldn't hear it but I could see the creature's reaction with help from Zoom--and fell, crashing to the dirt and being trampled by the cart. The cart went head over ass as it hit the Fire Horse's body and launched. Kiltont swore and raced out the gate, charging towards the caravan, Lia hot on his heels. I also swore and chased after them, imbuing my Spark into my legs and catching the speeding pair with ease. Rosie bounded along next to me, tongue lolling. The closer we got, the more I could hear.

  The first thing I heard was the screaming, both Fire Horse and human. Well, I guess I can't say 'human' anymore. People were screaming, both in fear and pain. My heart leapt into my throat when my vision latched onto the man riding shotgun in the second cart that had swerved to avoid the first. He was a pincushion with nearly a dozen arrows sticking out of his body. One was even in his eye and he slumped lifelessly on the bench. The men on the Fire Horses held bows and arrows and the occasional spear, hooting and hollering at the caravan. Kiltont growled and put on a burst of speed, drawing a sword form his hip. The metallic, silvery blade gleamed in the sunlight and I pulled my own blade from my Inventory. It fit perfectly in my hand and I swore I could feel a sort of excitement from it, as if it sensed the coming bloodshed. I saw Lia do the same, an unreadable look on her face. We were about five hundred yards out when the Fire Horse Riders noticed us.

  One of the riders closest to us saw us first. He didn't get the chance to react as a blade sprouted from his chest and sent him toppling from the saddle. The horse, now riderless, raced off, dragging the corpse behind it by a foot still attached to a stirrup. I ignored the sight and focused on the Rider coming my direction. The Fire Horse was large, but no larger than a normal horse. It bared down on me, the rider holding a club high over his head and ready to brain me. I reacted, shooting to the right and avoiding the charging beast. The club swung harmlessly by my head, if only by a few inches. I gasped, adrenaline pumping, and turned at a horrible sound. There was a high, piercing scream that cut over the din of the battle. Far as I could tell, everyone stopped to watch as a Rider was knocked from his saddle by a four and a half foot tall, severely pissed off Cave Wolf. The man's terrified scream was cut short as Rosie's jaws clamped around his neck and chomped, spraying blood everywhere. She landed on his body, a sickening crunch following her paws slamming into his chest. A low, menacing growl rose from behind me and I whirled, expecting more danger. Instead, I found nothing. I turned back, but Rosie was gone. Another scream from behind me, and Rosie was standing in another corpse, lifting her bloody paws from his chest cavity. The Riders faltered, the Fire Horses balking at the sight of the wolf. Rosie's azure eyes flashed a haunting, desolate blue and she vanished, appearing on another Fire Horse and toppling the Rider. A third scream was cut short and the Fire Horses danced, their nerves clear. The Riders struggled to hold them steady, but a loud, ferocious bark from Rosie sent them running. The Riders, the two that remained, were unable to control their mounts and were thrown, crashing to the earth. They struggled, but did rise.

  A sound came from behind me, like the ringing of a bell combined with a Klaxon Alarm. It surprised the hell out of me and I jumped, just barely avoiding Club Boy's second swing as his Fire Horse thundered by. I felt a wave of heat come from the beast as it passed, but was immediately distracted by the weight landing on me. The man formerly known as Club Boy and from here on shall be referred to as FuckFace had jumped off of his horse and landed on me. Why, I don't know. It did send me to the ground, his weight on top of me and a surprising number of blows landing in a short time. It didn't really hurt, kind of like I was beating my chest before a heavy lift. It stung, but nothing I couldn't handle. What really sucked was when he stabbed me with a blade. That hurt. I roared in pain and punched the man in the face. His head snapped back with a nasty crunch! and his eyes went hazy. His head wobbled and he reeled back, giving me enough room to get my hands up and my own dagger free. Without hesitation, I placed the sharp edge of the knife against the man's throat and sliced deep and hard. My knife went further than I expected and I felt it SHUNK! into his spinal cord. I growled and fought through the resistance, severing the man's head from his body. I screamed in surprise and disgust as the head fell onto my chest and the body collapsed onto the rest of me. A quick jab sent the head a good fifty yards away and I shoved the body off me, scrambling away yet unable to take my eyes from it.

  The corpse was wholly dissimilar from the bodies in the fields. Those were burnt, charred husks with no flesh or blood. This one was fresh, fleshed, and bloody. I was absolutely covered in FuckFace's blood and it was all I could smell, the iron-y scent atrocious to my nose. I stared down the hole in his neck, blood pumping out and spreading over the dusty road, mixing with the dust and dirt, becoming a terrible, sickly mud. My mouth kept opening and closing as I stared at FuckFace's corpse, unseeing. All I knew was the moment his head fell onto me, the sickening SNAP! of his spine being severed.

  Some time later--I don't know how long--I became aware that the battle was over. I was still before FuckFace's body, staring unseeingly. Silence had fallen over the carnage and the birds began to tweet again, the insects starting up their calls. The sounds of nature returned, bringing me a sort of comfort. Violence will end and life will continue on. The warm tide flowed in from my right; Rosie, padding up to me. Her muzzle and paws were blood-soaked and dirty, yet her azure eyes held nothing but love and concern, the feelings pouring off her in waves. I reached out and pet the top of her head softly, enjoying the feel of her fur under my hands. She laid down next to me, licking my free hand gently.

  Lia came up to me a little while later. I was still on the ground, numb to the world. I'd never killed a man before. Animals, yes, but decapitating a man is something else entirely. Especially when the man lands on top of you, the stump spurting blood all over your face. Lia sat down next to me, settling into the grass. We sat there quietly and I started to come back to reality. It started with recognizing that my butt was numb. I'd been sitting for almost two hours, and not in a comfortable position, just how I'd fallen. I slowly became aware of the ants in my legs, crawling up and down in a fairly painful way. It wasn't agonizing, but it certainly wasn't great.

  What was great was the arm that was wrapped around Lia. When did I start holding her? It didn't really matter. All I cared about was her body heat seeping into me. It felt... different, though. Not like normal body heat that can sometimes get uncomfortable, Lia's warmth was strong, soothing, and never warmer than I needed it to be. It stroked my raw emotions lovingly, telling me that it would all be okay. I leaned into the warmth, following it back to the girl. There was a barrier in the way, one that I smashed into headfirst. I pushed against it, but unlike the barrier with the journal, this one didn't budge. It felt like I was trying to move a mountain, but I tried anyway. I threw everything I had into breaking through, but nothing.

  "Sir." a warm breeze whispered in my ear. "You need to stop. You're not ready yet." The voice whispered again and I shivered. It felt like she was speaking directly into my head.

  "Ready for what?" I asked. My voice was horse and dry, not at all like hers.

  "Some Blessed are able to control their Spark outside of their body." Lia said. "It takes practice and skill, not brute strength. Push too hard and you'll blow a hole in your body." The memory of the power exploding out of my hand flashed in my mind. Yeah, I can see how that would be bad.

  "Well, how do I get ready? I want to use my Spark outside my body."

  "With a whole lot training." a new, deeper voice said. I looked up to find Kiltont looking down at me. "First time taking a life?" I nodded.

  "Yeah. A man, at least. Killing animals to survive is one thing, but this..." I trailed off, staring into space. Kiltont crouched and put his hand on my shoulder, shaking me slightly.

  "Listen to me, Marshall. I'll tell you what my father told me. 'If you are not strong enough to protect what you love, someone will take it from you.' As you are now, can you keep Rosie safe? Can you protect Miss Ameilia? She is the last of her name and if you fail as her Guardian, the Freyolin's die with you." Wow, thanks for the pressure, asshole. He did have a point, though. My life in America had made me soft, unaccustomed to Man's violence. No one had ever tried to kill me, nor had I ever tried to kill anyone. Sure, I got robbed every now and then, but they were just as scared as I was. Those men initiated this attack. FuckFace would have killed me without a second thought. Why am I agonizing over him? I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the fresh, tropical air, and let it out slowly.

  "You're right." I said, rising to my feet. Or trying to, at least. My legs didn't really work and I fell back down when they took my weight. Ah, classic me, fucking it up, once again. "I need to be able to keep what I love safe." I did fully stand this time, hiding the pain as blood returned to my legs. Kiltont nodded, smiling at me.

  "Good. Taking a life is no easy feat. It affects me still, and I would fear you'd lost yourself if it didn't."

  "It's Us or Them."

  "Yes. We must fight to survive, against both man and nature." Kiltont stopped talking as a short, fat man waddled up to us. He wore a purple silk shirt with white frills on the neck and arms that barely covered his massive gut. The front of his pants was suspiciously dark compared to the lavender purple of the rest of the fabric and he dabbed at his forehead with a sweat-stained handkerchief. He shoved it into his pocket, huffing in the way fat people do after walking kind of fast but not fast enough to be considered jogging. His thinning brown hair was sweaty and matted to his pale skull. He looked like the stereotypical merchant from an anime. He glared at Kiltont, shoving a sausage-y finger in the bird-man's face.

  "Damn you, Bird Brain! How dare you let my men get killed?!" My mouth dropped open at the man's brazen tone and I glanced between him and Kiltont. Who the fuck is this asshole? "I should deduct my losses from your delivery."

  "Hey, fuck you, dickhead." I said, stepping forward. "He just saved your life. Show a little gratitude."

  "And who are you?" the merchant asked, looking up at me. The little shit barely came up to my pecs but that didn't seem to matter to him. He glared up at me without noticing that I stood a foot taller and could lift him with one hand.

  "Ma..." I stopped. Did I really want this guy knowing my actual name? It might be better to play it safe. "My friends call me Tank."

  "I don't care." he said, talking over me. "The names of you criminal scum don't matter to someone like me." I grinned maliciously, stepping a little closer.

  "Then it's a damn good thing I'm the guard you're taking back." I towered over the merchant, glaring down at him. He shrank back a little, but quickly rose to the challenge.

  "You should 'show some gratitude', boy. I didn't have to come all the way out here to pick you up." I scowled, leaning closer and growling. The growl was echo'ed by Rosie who slunk up behind me, jaws open and waiting. The merchant paled. "Call off your dog, Jailer, before I have you whipped." I snarled, the man's ungrateful attitude grating my nerves. Rosie echo'ed me again, jaws snapping with a pop. The merchant held his ground, looking down his nose at me while somehow still craning his neck back to make eye contact. My hand twitched, the desire to wring the life from his neck stronger than I'd ever felt before. I wanted to kill this man.

  "Of course, my Lord." Kiltont said, bowing to the Merchant. "Call off the canine, Guard." I turned my snarl on the Chief but the look in his eyes gave me pause. It was a pleading one, one that begged me to drop it. He looked scared.

  "Fine." I snarled, turning on my heel and marching back towards the town. "Come on, Rosie, Lia. We're going to the beach."

  I was still in a mood when I kicked off my boots and walked into the ankle-deep water. It was warm and refreshing, a smile forming on my face as the water lapped at my feet. I took a deep, calming breath of the salty sea air, the sound of the gulls grounding me. I looked up and frowned. That's not a sea gull. The winged creature was the right size for a sea gull, but did not look the part. Its skin was a leathery brown with bunches of extra skin near the neck and wing joints, and the tail had some sort of spiked knob on the end. The head was small but the beak was large, with teeth poking out of the gums and interconnecting vertically. I watched in fascination as one of the creatures extended its wings, the extra flaps of skin expanding to cover the additional wingspan. It flapped and rose quickly, then dove into the ocean just as fast. This place is weird. Lia sat in the sand a little behind me, looking out over the water while Rosie chased the weird gull things.

  I watched the creatures detachedly, FuckFace's bloody stump still in my mind. I couldn't see anything else, and yet I watched as the one that dove surfaced, a fish in its jaws. The fish flopped and struggled but was held tightly in the flyer's scissored teeth. Another flyer, one that was a little larger than the original, dove towards the first, attacking the head. The first flyer squawked and released the fish, but the second still continued, pecking at the first's eyes until blood began to stain the water around and the pair. The first flyer screamed and fought back to no avail, eventually succumbing to its wounds. It floated on the surface of the water, bleeding from various cuts. The larger flyer crowed in triumph and began to eat the fish, devouring it in just a few bites. It finished the piscine meal and sniffed at the water, following the blood stain back to the corpse of the first flyer. Another crow, and it began to cannibalize the first. I scoffed. Fuck you, Carminal.