He darted past the trees at a speed he never knew he had. The twigs and leaves seemed to lean towards him and try to catch him as he fled, cutting his face, hands and arms as he slid past their grasp and panted heavily, catching a mouthful of leaves every time. Behind him, the sound of thundering footsteps pounding the forest floor and the grunts of countless Berrok pierced the night silence like the roar of a bomb, sending fear through him with every stumble he made. He thought certainly they would catch up with him before he could make it to safety. He stumbled once more into what he thought was a clearing, but realized quickly he was out of their forest. The young man took several shaky steps forward before the Berrok burst through the trees and continued their chase after him, paying no heed to the fact they were in the open but only to their rage and thirst for vengeance.

"Oh come on..." the young man panted and took off straight again. Not long after running did he find a house strangely situated in the middle of nowhere. His thoughts ran to safety and his legs picked up speed until he leaped up the six steps to the door and banged on it doggedly. "Let me in, please!"

The door opened a crack and a single woman appeared before him with a chain hooked to the door and its frame. She stared at him hard with her shocking blue eyes and brushed back her long, straight blonde hair from her wild eyes. The woman scrutinized the young man head-to-toe before saying curtly. "No." and began shutting the door. He banged on it again and cried helplessly. "The Berrok will kill me!" A second passed--which seemed like an eternity to the poor fellow outside--before the door swung open and her pale hand reached out, grabbed him by the cuff of the shirt, and dragged him inside to safety. Just in time, as the Berrok charging after him pounced and caught the corner of the steps with his snout, causing a howl of pain and growls to emanate from the sleuth of Berrok gathered outside the house. They began pacing about, back and forth all around the house, staring at it and growling, waiting... just waiting...

The young man stumbled in and caught himself at the banister, but fell to his knees and panted heavily and began shaking and trembling out of sheer fatigue and left-over adrenaline. His every breath felt like a fire entering and leaving his lungs that serrated his throat and dried his tongue quickly. He managed to whisper. "Water," before the woman left to fetch him a cup of clear, cool water with several ice cubes in the water and condensation on the sides of the cup. It was apparent she had that for a while, but he didn't pay any mind and began to gulp it down hungrily, as if he had never tasted water before in his life. Once he finished, he said earnestly. "Thank you, so much." Though the woman stared at him hard.

She wore a long, plain white night gown that had mid-length sleeves with a bit of lace on the hems of the sleeves and the skirt of the dress. The neck was a square V which covered her up quite modestly. If not for her pale, slender face and forearms, it would be difficult to tell what kind of body she may or may not have under that dress. Though it hung so loosely that, for all he knew, she could be just arms and a head wearing a dress.

The young man, however, was in terrible shape. His wild, stringy hair was difficult to make out the colour - was it dark brown or just unbelievably filthy like the rest of him? Patches of dirt and bits of leaves and twigs clung to his clothes like stowaways. His shirt surely used to be white and not that cream-brown colour and the vest still had the semblance of black on the straps near his collar, though a few ivory-hued buttons were missing. His pants were torn mercilessly and filthy to the point of offensive and his shoes needed such a fierce cleaning that it would be better to just throw them out and buy a new pair.

The woman's right nostril curled upwards and she said plainly. "You need a bath. Go upstairs and clean yourself off. I have some clothes you can wear when you're done. I'll prepare them for you." She turned around, but the young man spoke up, causing her to halt.

"But what about the Berrok? They could decide to just attack!" He exclaimed, jumping up and using the beams on the stairway as support, since he was still too weak to stand on his own. To which the woman simply replied. "Go. I can handle it." Then walked away from the young man, leaving him to clamber up the stairs on his own. He took one moment to examine the house.

A two-storey house with a soothing, white paint in the entry way and down the hallway to the left of the entrance. The floors were made of a polished wood that halted at the kitchen, which was straight forward from the entryway and the living room, which laid directly to the right upon entering the humble abode. The kitchen had tiled linoleum with a blue diamond-shape pattern fixed upon a white pallet. The floors were scrupulously cleaned and maintained their new-day appearance. The whites were untainted and the blue was shining happily. Or maybe this house was new and she had only been living in it for a week?

As the young man climbed the stairs, he saw the walls were then painted a rich brown hue all down the hallway there and the doors and their frames were white. As he walked down to the open door with a light on, he felt the sudden urge to eat chocolate. There was a half-circle table beside him with a picture of a woman, a young man with hair that looked like it had been in a twister, and two Omni. One was clearly black and the other albino. The young man stared at the picture, then looked down to the table where a vase filled with assorted flowers was and a black Omni ribbon sealed away in a crystal case. His brows furrowed a bit. He turned to the open door and entered, leading him to the bathroom where he proceeded to have his bath.

The woman yanked open a drawer and withdrew a Regression Ray and made her way to the door once she heard the water turn on. She stared at the cluster of Berrok staring back at her and she barked. “Where is your leader?” She held the Regression Ray in plain sight for the others to see, feeling it was under-handed to have it hidden. The leader approached willfully and growled at her menacingly. She scowled in return and said. “Oh knock it off; I know you speak my language. Now what are you doing here and why are you chasing that young man? We have a pact where you will not chase humans out of your forest without good cause, now I want to hear it!”

The Berrok stood on his hind legs, showing his immense strength and powerful body and he spoke in a voice so low and raspy that her chest vibrated with his vocal cords. “He stole one of our eggs. He who already has a Creatu snuck into our camp and stole an egg from us. We want it back!” The other Berrok nodded and hummed in unison.

“Are you blind? He couldn’t possibly have the egg now unless he shoved it someplace unpleasant, which I highly doubt. Tell me the truth!” The woman ordered, crossing her arms and leaning to the side. The frown on her face was so perfectly made that it would cause even an infant to stop crying for it knew it was in trouble; however, the Berrok had fewer brain cells than an infant and didn’t knew what sort of trap he was falling in to.

The Berrok shook his massive, furry head and roared. “NO! He must have hid it somewhere then. He is a thief!” After that, the woman aimed the Regression Ray at the Berrok, changed it to ‘Baby’, and zapped the mammoth Creatu down to a child. The other Berroks groaned and bellowed in fear and awe, having forgotten what the item was and what it did. The woman then shouted to them, silencing them all once more.

“Who will tell me the truth?”

The Berrok glanced to one another before one spoke. “Our clan leader grew weary of the pact our ancestors made with you and sought to break it. We chased the human for being in our forest, nothing more, and nothing less.”

When the Berrok spoke, the woman turned to him and listened. When he had finished, the woman said. “You shall be this clan’s new leader for your honesty and bravery. Should anyone have a problem with that, speak now,” And she raised the Regression Ray to her cheek, aiming it to the sky and tapping her skin with it. When none replied or challenged her decree, she said. “Very well. Leave my property immediately! If I catch you attempting to break the pact again then I will send Matsuzi after you all!” and with that, they dashed off and away from the house, the former leader straggling behind and running as fast as his short legs would carry him.

The woman returned to the house, closing and locking the door, and replaced the Regression Ray and made her way up the staircase to the guest room on the opposite side of the hallway of the bathroom, entering and withdrawing a white dress shirt, a black vest, and black pants and shoes that matched the young man’s outfit before it was destroyed by sweat, dirt, and the forest. She laid them out on the bed and grabbed a note pad and pencil and wrote on it. “Join me downstairs for a late snack.” In delicate handwriting and retreated down the stairs and into the kitchen where she fetched a plate of cookies, a cup of milk, and a bowl of fruit and entered the living room.

The room was humbly decorated with few paintings, fewer pictures, and a fireplace on the north side of the room. A three-seater couch sat on one side of the long coffee table while a loveseat sat on the adjacent side. The couches matched and were made of a soft, flowery fabric and soft stuffing. It was like sitting on clouds. The floor was a plush, red carpeting and the walls a regal purple colour. Two windows with a see-through, red fabric drapes were situated on the east side of the room facing the length of the forest. The sun had long since gone down so all that was to be seen was darkness, the moon, and the stars and planets Scria and Reiflem.

She sat on the loveseat and stared through the windows as though she were looking at something thousands of miles away. Only when the young man entered her vision did she snap back to reality and look at him with the same hard, wild stare she had given him through the crack of the door. He looked at her awkwardly, then averted his gaze. A small smile played her lips and she said gently. “Take some food. Just something to fill you for now until breakfast tomorrow.” The young man obliged, taking a cookie and eating it quickly and gulping down milk. She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, watching him as he ate a few more cookies and downed several pieces of fruit before exhaling contentedly.

“Thank you very much for saving me back there,” he said while looking at her, though avoiding her eyes. “I would’ve been killed if-“

“Why were you in the forest?”

The question caught the young man so off-guard that he stared at her a moment, wide-eyed and bewildered, before he stammered. “Ah-I… uhhh…” finding the words, he finally spoke clearly. “I was trying to find the place the Queen hid the Creatu.”

The eyebrows of the young woman knit together and a confused look appeared across her features. “Queen? The King was married?”

The young man resumed the bewildered, wide-eyed stare at her and spoke slowly. “No… The Queen overthrew the King several years ago. How long have you been out here that you don’t know about THAT?!” The woman’s face flushed and she sat forward in her seat, staring at the floor in disbelief. How much exactly had happened while she was in solitude? No one ever went into the forest because of the haunting tales of ghostly Creatu and the savage Berrok so she never received news or visitors.

“You’ve been my first guest in almost a decade,” the woman said, staring at the carpet floor still. “Last I heard, Relking was still on the throne…”

Shaking his head, the young man responded. “No, he was dethroned because he grew corrupt and began abusing his power. He angered everyone and spurred a revolution at the hands of Beatrix, who is now the Relqueen.”

The woman absorbed this for a bit. She had truly been cut off from the world if even a revolution as grand as a coup d'état of the Relking would not reach her ears. She brought up her next question. “You mentioned finding Creatu the Queen was hiding… why is she hiding Creatu?” She brought her hands up to her lips and stared at him hard again as if interrogating him. The young man laughed in a scoffing tone and shook his head, unable to find the words to fit his disbelief that she had heard nothing of this at all.

“The Queen believed that any Creatu that was purchased posed a threat to her throne and so she had them Regression Rayed, confiscated, and locked up somewhere. Many people have lost their Creatu because of her.” He explained with a subdued hatred. As he spoke, the pain and anger in his eyes were so obvious, the woman knew instantly that he had lost his Creatu to the Queen. The woman pieced things together quite easily after that.

“So,” she said, standing up and crossing her arms and pacing back and forth. The young man watched her as she did so. “Relking was over thrown and the leader of the revolution, Beatrix, took the throne in his stead. From there she instantly confiscated the baby purchased Creatu in hopes to keep her position?”

The young man shook his head again and replied. “No, it wasn’t an instant thing. She was great for the first few months before she suddenly went crazy and ordered all the purchased Creatu to her island castle and then zapped them all and locked ‘em up. After that, everyone knew what she truly was…”

“A snake.” The woman hissed, her lips curling into a snarl and her eyebrows crunching together again in fury. Her nails dug into her arms as she thought about the whole thing, making her furious.

Snapping her from the moment of rage, the young man said. “Coincidentally, her Creatu is a Noctis. Black. Years and years old and powerful. I had never seen a Creatu fight that… viciously and with such skill.”

She glanced back to him with concern and sighed, saying. “You should go to sleep now. When you wake, I’ll have breakfast ready. I’m going to Relcore Market tomorrow. It’s about time I leave this house anyways. I’ll take you back there, since I can assure you there are no creatu hidden in the forest. Good night.” With that, the woman turned to go up the stairs. Before she left, though, the young man said.

“By the way, my name is Rai!” The woman turned to him and nodded her head, then turned back around. He called out again. “What’s your name?” The tone of obvious annoyance was in his voice, causing her to smile a bit with pride and she responded.

“My name is Linka. Now good night.” And she walked up the stairs to her room where she shut the door and locked it.

When all the lights in the house went out and Rai was asleep, a gentle tap came on her window and she got out of her bed eagerly and opened the window wide, leading out onto a balcony facing the south, where the forest was. An albino Omni stood on the balcony with her and Linka wrapped her arms around his neck gleefully and rubbed her face against his soft fur saying. “It’s good to see you back, Matsuzi. I’ve missed you all these years!”

The Omni touched Linka’s head gently and responded through telepathic means. ‘As I have missed you, little one. I see we have a guest and I presume he told you everything?’

She smiled sadly and nodded. “Yes. It would appear as though we have a war to wage.” Then patted the Omni’s velvety snout, causing the runes etched across the ribbons and his back to glow with a happy warmth. She smiled more and hugged her Omni, unable to get enough of the sight of him nor the feel of his warmth and soft fur.

‘Then we need to rest, little one. Tomorrow we will have much to do.’ He responded, moving towards the bedroom and dragging Linka with him, who refused to let go of her Creatu.

“You’ll have to change your appearance, Matsuzi,” she said thoughtfully and lifted her face from his fluffy neck. “I was thinking a Paor…”

The Omni turned to Linka and said with a surprise in his voice, as well as indignant pride. ‘A Paor? They’re so small and awkward. I quite like having four feet and being large!’

Linka giggled a bit and laid her head across the front leg of her Omni, who was now laying across the pillows on her bed and curled around her slightly so he could fit himself on it. Linka whined. “But it will be cuuuute. I’ll get to carry you around in my big ol’ purse and you can just sit there looking adorable…”

‘Absolutely not in your purse! I’ve seen what goes in there and never comes out. I would fear for my life in there!’ He responded indignantly, causing another giggle from the woman.

She finally settled down and laid against Matsuzi’s belly and closed her eyes. “Fine, not in my purse but you’re still going to be a Paor tomorrow.” And with that, she drifted to sleep.

This is incredible. The imagery is very clear and I loved the roundabout way that you told the reader about the Relqueen and such.

When morning came, Matsuzi had already made a point to change his appearance to an albino Paor. He was fully grown and almost the size of a horse. Linka frowned a bit and pointed out. “Paor are smaller than that.”

‘I’m very old, Linka. I think I can be a big Paor. Have you seen a thousand-year-old Paor? They’re enormous.’ Came his quick response. Linka laughed a bit and shook her head. It was impossible to argue against an Omni and win. She glanced outside the window and stared at the morning. Dew had condensed onto the window and, after she opened it, wafted in a fresh scent to the room. She breathed it in lightly and closed her eyes. It would be an interesting day.

A knock on her door brought her back to the moment and she opened it to find Rai standing there awkwardly. He smiled when she answered and said. “Good morning,” and saw the Paor behind the door and gaped. “Whoa! He’s huge! What’s his name?” Linka turned back to her disguised Omni and then looked back to Rai and replied. “Paor.”

Rai arched a brow at Linka and said. “Yeah he’s a Paor, but what’s his name?” To which Linka repeated her answer.  Finally figuring out that was the name, Rai laughed a bit at her unoriginality, though his scoffing laughter was met with a blank stare and it quickly died out and another awkward moment followed.

“I want to go to Relcore Market today,” She stated plainly and turned back around, opening the door to her room. The young man lingered in the hallway a moment before accepting the silent invitation into her room. “I’ve been here in isolation for too long and I have no idea about what’s going on out there and I want to catch up and see what all had been done during that battle. I plan on going to Relcore Market and you’re coming with me as a tour guide.”

Rai shook his head and waved his hands. “Whoa there. You can’t just assume I’ll do this for you. What makes you think I don’t have anything else more important going on?”

“Oh, like what? Getting killed by Berroks. Yeah. Lemme know how that works out for ya. I’ve always wondered what it would be like being torn limb from limb.” Linka replied sarcastically. Up till then, Rai had pictured her as a plain-speaking, straight-forward kind of woman. Now he could see she’s capable of being a smart arse just like the rest of the world, and despite being a smart arse, she was disappointingly accurate in her assumption.

He sighed and rubbed his face as she vanished into her walk-in closet. Matsuzi walked behind her and covered the entrance as if ensuring Rai wouldn’t try to sneak a peek at her changing. Defeated, Rai finally said. “Fine, I’ll do it. It’s so far away, though. How are we supposed to get there?”

Linka turned around and patted Matsuzii on the back and stated. “We ride him to the market. Got a problem?” To which he shook his head. Content, Linka resumed changing into her clothes.

When she left the closet, she was wearing a black vest which closed under her bosom and flowed into a frilled skirt lined with a bit of gold thread at the hem. It was short at the front, going as low as four inches from her hips and went to about mid-calf behind her. She wore a white, short-sleeved shirt beneath the vest that was vertically ribbed across the bosom and lined with a faint frill as well. She wore tights under the skirt that matched the white of her shirt. On her feet were knee-high, black, heeled boots with a matching gold lining around the top of her boot and around the bottom and tip. She pulled on some fingerless gloves and quickly examined herself in the mirror.

“You look well, Linka.” Matsuzi said to her, using the mouth the Paor had. Linka smiled and stroked from the base of his nose up to the crest of his forehead, causing his neck to arch. She laughed a bit and dropped her hand, as well as the laugh, and walked past Rai, who waited for the Paor to pass, then followed after hurriedly.

Once outside, Linka locked the door and climbed onto Matsuzi’s back and helped Rai mount as well. There was plenty of space for the two of them. Linka instructed. “Hold on tight because Paor likes to jump.” Rai obeyed and held on around her waist as she took one of the dangling beard strands. When Matsuzi felt it was alright to do so, he kicked off hard, launching into the air at a fast speed causing Rai to cling on tighter and Linka to laugh mischievously.

Travelling on Matsuzi made quick work of the distance between her home and Relcore Market. There were a few clearings in the forest that made it easy for him to land on and kick off again. Running would take too much time within the forest so once they reached the end of the trees, Matsuzi broke out into a fast dash across the flatlands. The wind whipped past them, taking the breath from the two passenger’s lungs,, so they ducked down behind the Paor’s head and waited till he slowed down to poke their heads up again.

Relcore Market lay before them, blackened by the fires that once plagued its buildings. The structures hung barren and empty, gutted of their vitals to maintain a perfect frame. Linka’s mouth opened slightly as she stared at the destruction of the once great city. She dropped off of Matsuzi, taking Rai with him as he slumped down to the ground, relishing in the feeling of stable ground and the world not rushing past him at impossible speed.

The place looked like a slum. There appeared to have been efforts to fix it up, but for the most part, the market place was a dump. She hated to see what the Trash Isthmus looked like. Linka stared across the scenery, a look of absolute fury on her face. Rai saw the ex
pression and avoided speaking until he was spoken to. Matsuzi, too, wore a look of pure rage.

After a few moments of staring, Linka spun around and pointed to an island off in the distance of the large ocean. “What in the Guardians’ names is THAT?!”

“Relking Island… That’s the fortress where the RelQueen lives.” Rai explained. It was plainly visible from where they were that there was a pure white spire and several other layers throughout the descending of the castle and a massive wall surrounding the island. It looked magnificent.

Linka snorted and said. “It looks too far out. What happened?”

Rai sighed. He was so used to this being common knowledge that recounting it seemed tedious to him. “Well, when the RelQueen invaded the RelKing and his castle, she used air forces from Scria and water-based invaders from Atquati. They swam beneath the surface while the Scrian forces distracted the soldiers and they got in successfully, completely wiping out the guards and barriers preventing her from entering with her army. In order for that to be prevented from happening to her, RelQueen had the Atquati team pull out the island out to the ocean more so she could set up an underwater system that would protect her entire island. She also kept a whole fleet of Scrian archers to protect the sky. Basically, her fortress is impenetrable.” At that, Rai flopped down onto the dirt and rubbed his head a bit.

“Why does it look so clean?” Linka asked, squinting at the island.

“Oh. She fixed it up real nice. She has a select few—namely her generals and best warriors—living there so she made the place all pretty. In her defence, she tried fixing up Relcore Market after she and her army utterly destroyed it,” Rai answered in a matter-of-fact tone. Linka turned to him and arched a brow as he continued. “She was actually pretty good at the beginning. People genuinely believed she would make the worlds better places to live, though she ended up enslaving people and ruining their lives even worse than the RelKing did.”

“I want to go through the Market and see its people.” Linka said suddenly and climbed on Matsuzi’s back and began to walk towards it with Rai chasing behind her.

The Market place was even more horrible close up. The people looked just as ruined as the buildings and the situations they appeared in were horrifying to Linka. People were openly scamming, cheating, lying, stealing, and begging as if it were a law to do so. She kept her TU, except in the case where a woman with her baby Creatu would approach her, in which she paid her generously. Linka dismounted and walked to the building that was once the Job Tower. Its golden history would never be believed with the image it held then. It was severed at the root and the remaining metal was so black and charred it was impossible to tell what colour it was before. The streets were broken and covered with debris from the crumbling buildings surrounding them. It was very rare that a spot of street wasn’t entirely covered in rubble.

A motley group of Creatu suddenly came at Matsuzi, who turned to them suddenly and stared at them fiercely, causing them to back off in fear. Rai and Linka watched the scene, then Linka spoke up. “Why do these people break the law? Don’t they know it’s illegal?” She walked over to Matsuzi, petting him a bit and staring around at the alien world.

“Yes, but it’s our only source of income. Besides, who’s really going to stop us? All the authority is on that island over there.” Rai answered, jerking his thumb over his shoulder towards Relking Island.

“But that place is meant to be a symbol of peace, justice, and freedom…” Linka said while staring off at the distance.

Rai shrugged indifferently and spoke once more. “But it’s only proven to be a sign of alienation and separation of classes. The rich from the filthy scum.”

At this, Linka could take no more. She stomped over to Matsuzi and swung her leg over his back and held her hand out to Rai. He took it without asking where they were going. Matsuzi darted off towards the shoreline, causing a fear to raise in Rai. “Where are you going?!”

“To see the RelQueen!” Linka responded wildly. Matsuzi ran into the waves a bit before kicking off the ground and leaping high into the sky. On the walls, archers spotted them flying in and took aim, though they didn’t unleash their arrows. The winds picked up against them and Linka spotted a few pale blue-robed men and women. She instantly recognized them as weather workers from Scria. The wind proved useless against the power Matsuzi held in descending and they landed on the docks with a heavy thud! and Linka dismounted with ease while Rai toppled over, sick and gasping for air.

Linka stormed up the dock and onto the island, stopping short of the draw bridge’s reach. One soldier spoke up. “What is your business here?”

“To speak to Beatrix.”

It was apparent the baffled ex
pression on the man’s face at the woman’s refusal to address her Queen with the appropriate ti
tle. “First off, that’s RelQueen to y-“

“She’s no queen of mine, you mindless puppet. If you had half a brain in your metal skull you’d know she wasn’t fit to be one yourself!” Linka snapped back with such brazen and ferocity that the guard couldn’t speak to her anymore, so another one piped up.

“If you had half a brain in your thick skull, you’d know to respect the people who can kill you!”

Linka laughed and turned her head to the side and retorted. “I’d love to see you try and kill me. You couldn’t do me in with a sword and both my hands tied behind my back!”

The guard became furious as well and was about to respond with more snark, but was ordered to lower the bridge by a feminine voice. Rai stayed behind while Matsuzi approached and stood beside Linka and watched as the bridge lowered to reveal a woman dressed lavishly and a beauty that could silence a crowd.

Her hair was long and jet black with an opal net hanging over the crown of her head and slightly over her right eye. On top her head was a single, small, crooked top hat with a pink silk ribbon tied around it in a small, perfect bow. She wore an elegant red, gold, purple, and white dress that pressed tightly to her abdomen and flowed out in a princess-style shirt that dragged behind her. The many layers revealed along with a black lace on each hem. All around the dress straight up to her waist was a strange, evil-looking belt that curled around the outline of her dress and slender figure. Her sleeves were puffed at the top and clung tightly to her arms all the way down to her fingers where it gradually flowed away from her arms and hung limply from them like a pair of wings. She wore rings with various gems and metals and around her neck was a brilliant combination of diamonds and rubies netted together with a black thread. On the back of her neck was a frilled collar that rose up and the tips were alighted with glowing, red bulbs.

Linka stared at her with disgust and said. “Oh sorry. Didn’t mean to ruin your circus, Ringmaster.”

The Queen laughed richly, her ruby red lips stretched and her rosy cheeks turning redder as though she were genuinely embarrassed by the statement, though her response was quite opposite. “You aren’t going to upset me with your little words and clever antics. You can outwit my soldiers, but you won’t outwit me. To argue back with a troll is to lose.”

Her eyes rolled and Linka crossed her arms and leaned to one side. Rai finally decided to join them, standing off to the side a bit as if ashamed to be there. Linka spoke up then. “So let’s cut the chit chat then and get right down to the point,” she unfolded her arms and stood straight and stared at the Queen with a cold, hard stare and said. “Give up the throne.”

An even richer laugh emanated from the Queen and she was joined by her soldiers, weather workers, and several others who were behind the wall. Linka stood still and maintained her face, causing the Queen to stop laughing and return the stare. “Do you plan on making me give up my throne? I’ve worked hard for this and I sacrificed much-“

“The lives of those who died in your war were not YOUR sacrifice! You gave up NOTHING for your position but your own morals and self-worth!” Linka spoke with such a rage that everyone fell silent and stared at her. Some with fear, some with shock, but the Queen glared at her with hatred.

She stepped closer to Linka and Matsuzi. A black flare appeared to flicker in her dark eyes. “Don’t you speak to me about morals. They’re just ideals made up by the cowardly who are afraid of doing things that I did to do what needed to be done!”

Linka snorted and replied calmly. “Only the weak and self-conscious make up excuses like that for their actions. You’re no better than the RelKing you overthrew and you know it. Give up the throne to some one more deserving.”

“And just who might that be,” the Queen asked haughtily. “You? Ha! What makes you worthy of ruling Relcore and all the planets?” She was close now and it was suddenly apparent that the belt that wrapped around the dress and up her waist was, in fact, the black Noctis Rai had spoken of before. The glowing bulbs that Linka once thought were part of the back of the RelQueen’s dress were now clear and the head of the Noctis could be identified.

Undaunted, Linka replied. “No, but we will choose who deserves the crown, and it sure as hell won’t be you!”

At this, the RelQueen raged and pointed at Linka and Matsuzi. “Kill them!” She ordered. Just as she finished, dozens of generals appeared from behind the wall and charged at them. Archers loaded their arrows in their bows and took aim, and the weather workers prepared to send lightning at her. Rai stumbled back, frightened and wide-eyed. Linka, however, stared at the Queen with wide, wild eyes and a smile that caused unease in everyone who saw it.

Matsuzi jumped in front of Linka and changed back into an Omni and the runes covering his ribbons and back glowed with a bright golden hue. The archers shielded their eyes and the generals stopped charging out of fear. Just then, the runes leaped from Matsuzi’s back and stuck themselves to every general, every archer, and every weather worker. Their bodies became stiff and greyed, then they dissolved like dust in the wind.

The Queen stared at the Omni with a terrified ex
pression. She staggered back a bit as the runes returned to Matsuzi. She ordered. “Attack them, Ichor!” The black Noctis obeyed instantly and lunged at Matsuzi.

The Noctis got inches of Matsuzi before a white aura appeared and pushed him back. The angry serpent Creatu hissed and a black aura appeared around him as well. The two Creatu stood before each other, waiting for the other to attack.

“KILL HIM! KILL HIM NOW!” Screamed the Queen in an obvious panic. Matsuzi turned his head to face the Queen, silencing her effectively. He then said. ‘Not today.’ And with that, the three of them vanished from the Queen’s presence.

The Queen fell to her knees, vanishing in the vast sea of her skirt and shook violently, staring into the darkness. A soldier dressed in dragon-like armor appeared beside her and asked in a dark voice. “What will you have me do?”

Moments passed before the RelQueen found her voice and she seethed. “Gather the soldiers. Fortify the island. We prepare for a revolution.” With that, she quickly stood up and silently summoned her Noctis to join her. Ichor slid around her body smoothly and resumed his position on her as before and held it as the RelQueen vanished behind the closing gate.

More soon?

Good Stuff! Armon is makin' me swoon:)

“Look, Linka. You need to stop ordering around my soldiers like they’re your pawns,” Armon said to her with a mouth full of breakfast. He pointed his sinister-pronged black fork at her and added. “They’re getting a bit resentful that you call them cute little nicknames too. Not to mention you’re a girl.” The rebellion leader stabbed his fork into the eggs and ham that was still steaming from being cooked and forced it into his mouth. Linka watched him with mild fascination, wondering how much could fit in there before he couldn’t chew and/or choke and die.

Zeta walked in at that moment and watched, quirking a brow slightly, though decided not to address it. “My intelligence should be coming at any moment. I just received word that she has information regarding Beatrix’s next convoy.” Zeta then took a seat beside Linka and placed his hands on the table, sitting awkwardly stiff and regal.

Linka’s head had tilted to the side at that point and she asked. “How do you fit all that in your mouth? Is there some sort of… containment unit in there?” She reached out to touch his bulging cheeks, but was cut off when a small creature scurried up her leg and clambered over onto Zeta’s shoulder. Jumping a bit, Linka turned to see a calico Kayoki cleaning herself while perched beside Zeta’s ear. The ex-general laughed and stroked the Kayoki’s ears, to which she hummed happily and leaned into his strokes.

“Ahh, my little Keya. How have you been?” Zeta said affectionately while stroking the small creatu under her chin. She purred audibly and smiled. Linka gawked at the Kayoki endearingly. The urge to touch her soft fur was so evident it practically stifled the room.

Keya snapped back to reality after Zeta stopped petting her and she glanced to Linka with an ex
pression that said ‘touch me and I will kill you’, then she turned to the table and jumped off the ex-general’s shoulder and snatched some ham from Armon’s plate and took a bite from it. After she finished that small bite, she said. “Beatrix’s supply train has landed on Relcore and will be transporting the shipment tomorrow at morning after the soldiers have arrived to defend it. I say we attack before the soldiers get there.” The small Kayoki began to devour the slice of ham she took and listened as they discussed options.

“Attacking before the soldiers get there is foolish,” Armon said while pushing away his empty plate. “They could turn and run and get more forces and we’d be defending the stuff for ages. If they’re protecting the supplies then that will be their priority, not making sure they have more numbers than us.”

“Still, though,” Zeta said, glancing to Linka as she reached out to touch Keya’s tail, but was swatted away by her clawed hand. “It would be a nasty surprise to see the shipment stolen by a band of renegades and they have no way of getting it back without a bigger army. It might give us enough time to run away with it.”

Armon shook his head and argued. “We wouldn’t get to the teleport in time and have it up and running before we were met with the retaliation from Beatrix.”

‘We’ll attack them after they’ve obtained the supplies,’ Matsuzi said while walking into the room with a rose Tesuri on his back. ‘As Armon says, we’d get overwhelmed before we got of Relcore and I’m not willing to risk Linka in that.’

The Tesuri leapt from Matsuzi’s back and sat faithfully beside Armon and looked up to him with a smile. “Thank you, Matsuzi. It’s good to know there’s someone else who is sensible on my side,” Armon said while reaching over and patting his Tesuri on his head. “Mawron, what have you two been doing this whole time?”

The door suddenly flung open and Rai stood there, panting, soaked, and with an ex
pression of surprise and rage. Matsuzi chuckled lightly and Mawron ducked under the table out of fear. “Your Creatu are both menaces!” Rai exclaimed while pointing to Armon and Linka, who turned around and giggled a little and ducked to hide her sneer.

Rai trudged over to the fire and flopped down, shivering and gasping. Armon turned to his Tesuri, who innocently shrugged, and Linka patted Matsuzi’s ribbon-decorated head and sighed a bit. They remained in that state a moment with everyone thinking on their own before Rai stood up suddenly and turned to them and looked to Linka with a meaningful stare, then walked out of the room. She faltered a moment before she quietly excused herself and followed after Rai. His trail wasn’t hard to follow since he was still leaving puddles wherever he went.

She found him on a balcony over-looking the pit that housed countless rebels and their equipment and stored their supplies for survival. He leaned on the red-rock banister and turned to Linka when she approached. He cleared his throat and shifted a bit when she stood next to him and gazed over the scene as well. The silence hung about them a moment until Rai spoke. “Why did you bring me along?” Arching a brow, Linka turned to Rai and watched him. He turned to her as well, a pained ex
pression on his wet face as a trail of water dripped from his hair down his eye and along his cheek. He quickly brushed it away and turned from her. When Linka didn’t respond, he asked again. “Why did you bring me? I’m not a fighter, I’m not a brilliant person, I don’t know the first thing of war… I’m utterly useless.” Rai flopped over onto the banister and sighed heavily, his hands dangling over the edge.

Linka watched him with sad eyes before speaking up finally. “You’re a good guy, Rai. You might not be the best in combat and you may not know how to plan out attacks, but there’s a passion in you that I saw when you banged on my door that night,” Linka put on a happy smile when Rai lifted his head to look at her. “You’ve got something those other guys don’t have, but I don’t know what it is yet.”

Rai was watching her speak. The fact that she had so much faith in him lifted his spirits considerably. She was a good person; slightly insane at times and reckless, but still a good person. He swallowed hard and said in a shaky voice. “I think I know what it is,” Rai turned away from Linka and stared down into the fathomless pit and watched people move from room to room going about their business like the day was fine. “I have a conviction, a drive to end all this madness and find someone I love.”

Linka’s face lost the smile and she watched him quizzically, tilting her head to the side and slightly arching a brow. It seemed to her that he was going to get mushy on her and start spilling his feelings on her. She quickly ran through the possibilities so she wouldn’t be caught off guard. It was then that it hit her… he never mentioned his Creatu, nor did he ever have one around. Linka whispered quietly. “You lost your Creatu when Beatrix took over, didn’t you?” Her voice was low and hushed like she was whispering a great secret. Linka watched as Rai’s head lowered and his shoulders quivered and a quiet sob escaped his throat. Sympathy washed over Linka and she reached over to him, though hesitated. It was only when Rai reached out to her and wrapped Linka in a tight, vulnerable hug that she put her arms around him as well and stroked the back of his head. He was slightly taller than her so he had to hunch over slightly to rest his head on her shoulders where he sobbed openly.

When his sobs settled down and he found his voice, Rai explained further. “She’s a gold and silver Kioka. She was hatched to me on my sixth birthday and I was able to dye her that same day. Since then we were inseparable. We grew up together, I called her Shei. We were so happy together and she was the only one who understood me. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend,” Rai let go of Linka and leaned back over the banister, wiping the tears from his eyes and sniffing. Linka followed him and put her arm around his shoulders and listened to his story. “She wasn’t a fighter, either. We avoided the war as best we could because she hated strife. When the war was over, we thought everything would change for the better; we thought we’d be happy. She went out for her nightly walk and I didn’t go with her that time. That one time! They ambushed her and took her from me. I didn’t know what happened until I asked a few of my friends and found out she had been taken.

“At first… I was depressed. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t eat. I couldn’t stay awake. Only when I slept did I see Shei. She was always there with me and I felt so happy. When I woke up, I was miserable and wanted to either sleep or die. It was then that the few friends I had left came to me and told me to go look for her. I brushed them off at first, but then I thought ‘Shei would do the same if I went missing’. So I set out. I started looking for her. It was the third month in when I came across your place.” Rai lifted his head and looked to Linka who was watching him, her hand still around his shoulders. When their eyes met, she put on an encouraging smile.

“Rai,” she said softly as he stood up straight and she removed her arm from him. Linka’s piercing gaze locked Rai’s as she spoke with utmost confidence. “You’ll find Shei again. When this is all over, you’ll get her back.” Another smile formed across Linka’s face. The confidence and good mood spread to Rai as he too smiled. He reached over to Linka and cupped her face and leaned in, locking his lips with her’s. Linka’s eyes widened with shock and her back went ridged, taking away her ability to move for a few seconds.

When she finally got control of her limbs, Linka pushed Rai back and stared at him with her lips parted and her teeth clenched together. Her eyes spoke of surprise, rage, and sadness. Rai caught the meaning behind her glare and his face flushed immediately and he turned to hide from looking at her face. She quickly darted off, the sound of her footfalls the only noise that broke the horrible, heavy, awkward silence that enveloped Rai. “Oh Guardians… why am I so stupid?” He asked himself woefully.

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It was several hours before dawn would come and a platoon of 50 soldiers were ready to take the gateway from Reiflem to Relcore to intercept the caravan. Linka had equipped herself with her own armor, although it was a light suit mainly constructed to protect her head and torso. The helmet she wore closely resembled a silver Gondra trying to take a bite from her head while her body armor resembled a Gondra’s chest and small wings protruded from the back. She wore unimpressive leather arm bands and leggings and equipped to her side was the same black menacing blade she brought with her to Reiflem. All in all, she looked quite formidable.

Armon strode up beside her and stood to her right and said calmly. “Nice armor and sword. I heard a legend once-“

“Legends are stories told by the wishful,” Linka said blankly while staring straight ahead. “Perhaps we should leave such tales for the story-tellers?” Matsuzi stepped between them, causing Armon to back off and his Tesuri to flatten his ears against the back of his skull.

“Where’s your friend Rai?” Armon asked, though this time Zeta appeared and put a hand on his shoulder and said. “It’s time.” Armon’s question was immediately forgotten and he walked up to the front of the ranks to address his soldiers and brace them for the upcoming battle.

Zeta remained behind and spoke to Linka while watching Armon’s charismatic speech. “I’m not sure what happened between you two, but I think you two should work it out before it gets much worse. I tried to bring him along today and he looked miserable; a ghost of his former self. He was just as void of emotion as you are,” Zeta turned his scarred face to Linka, and she turned to face him. There was a silent moment that passed between them before he said. “We’ll lose without him.” And then he departed, walking to the back ranks to ensure everything was prepared for battle. She remained still, watching the space that Zeta had filled once as if she could see someone there still. Matsuzi leaned over and brushed his head against her arm and she placed it on his head where it stayed until they began to march through the portal.

The destination point was three-quarters away from the drop-off point where the soldiers would meet with the caravan and escort it. As Linka walked among the soldiers, she thought over yesterday and what Zeta said and how Armon threw a bit of gasoline on her fire. She felt a rage building. Matsuzi seemed to have sensed it, as he seemed a bit on edge and a baneful aura began to glow from the sword at her side and along the runes on Matsuzi’s back and ribbons. The soldiers wisely kept their distance. They reached their mark and settled down, relaxing and getting their nerves out before the battle. Linka and Matsuzi, however, stood under the cover of a giant stone jutting from the landscape and watched the road with eagerness. They wanted the battle to be over and to go back to Reiflem where Linka could sulk and Matsuzi could frighten away the people who bothered her.

Several hours later, the first bit of the escort trickled southward. The group consisted of human soldiers and a few fierce Creatu such as a team of Veram, a cluster of Vogar, and a colony of Zaphao. “Matsuzi,” Linka murmured. “We can’t hurt those Creatu. Do you think you’d be able to seal them while we fight the humans?” Her answer was a short nod from the Omni and Linka turned to Armon and explained the plan quickly.

Nodding in agreement, Armon whispered the plan change and the plan set out in waves throughout the rest of the camp. Once the last person heard, Matsuzi stepped out from the cover and his runes glowed brightly. The convoy stopped and stared at him, covering their eyes from the immense light. Suddenly, the symbols on the Omni’s back leapt from their position and latched on to the large number of Creatu in the caravan. Immediately they were immobilized and their owners started a panic and ran towards the bright light. Linka drew out her sword and let out a wild battle cry and charged at the large group of soldiers coming at them. The rest of the army was caught off guard by her sudden charge and faltered a moment until they saw their leader and the ex-general charge after her, and they too followed suit.

Linka’s blade met the first soldier, catching him on it and she flung him into a group advancing on her face. Once they struck each other, they all vanished in a purple smoke. Every person her blade touched turned into a sinister smog, meanwhile, Armon and Zeta were felling soldiers as fast as she was. Blood dripped from their blades and spattered against the ground or the bodies that laid there. The rest of the soldiers met up with them and pushed the forces back with much ease. The soldiers hadn’t expected to be attacked, so they were pitifully unprepared.

Linka had plowed through a pillar of soldiers to the first caravan, drawn by two Meragon. She spun around to face the fray, but was met with a blunt force that sent her sprawling a few feet away. The blow struck directly to her helmet, sending out a resounding BONG! That echoed through the air, but was drowned away by the screams and shouts of the battle. She could feel a fluid in her ears and knew that either her ear drum ruptured or she was cut pretty badly on the ear. Regardless, she couldn’t hear very well and her head felt like it split open with pain.

A well-armored man rode a mutated indigo Meragon. His helmet rose in three pointed prongs and masked his face entirely, though Linka could tell by the tone of his voice that he was sneering. “If it isn’t the great Linka? Here to steal the supplies? I figured you’d try something underhanded and snake-like so I followed the troops out here.”

“You better watch what you say,” Linka said bitterly while standing up with the aid of her sword. “Because your little queen seems to worship snakes a whole lot!” She lifted the sword from the ground and charged at him. The detailing on the blade became more elaborate as she ran. The solid blade turned into a maze of thin strips of black metal and the hilt began to glow a purple aura.  The man on the Meragon laughed and parried her sword when she swung it at him and kicked her in the chest, knocking her flat. The Meragon rose up on his four hind legs and brought the front four down, aiming for Linka’s chest. Luckily, though, she rolled out of the way and got to her feet quickly. She scowled angrily at the man. So long as he was on that Meragon, it would be hard to get to him.

The Meragon was urged forward to charge at Linka, who jumped out of the way, but was struck on the left arm by the metal staff the man wielded, throwing her off balance and sending pain shooting up her arm. She clutched it bitterly and grimaced, fighting back the urge to cry out in agony. The man turned his Meragon around and laughed once more. “Give it up! You’re no match for one of RelQueen Beatrix’s great warriors! We’ve fought armies single-handedly! You’re just a little girl.” He spat the last words out, causing the rage within Linka to rise again. She glanced around doggedly to see if anyone would come help her, but each soldier had their own battle to attend to. Matsuzi was still busy sealing the Creatu, so he would be of no use to her without causing a wave of angry Creatu to start attacking her comrades.

Linka’s attention was pulled back to the warrior charging at her. She brought her blade up and prepared to impale the Meragon, but before she could do that, the man threw the staff at her, striking her in the chest and knocking the wind out of her. Immediately the staff flew back to his hand and the Meragon trampled over Linka, kicking off her helmet and crushing her. She faintly heard someone call her name, but she was dazed and disoriented. Her body moved without her mind’s consent, getting her up to her feet and to look to the right. She stared with unseeing eyes at the young man tumbling down the hill with something in his hand. He waved and called her name and threw whatever it was he was holding. The ob
ject flew through the sky and landed in the dirt beside her. Linka gazed down at it and it immediately registered in her brain what it was and what she needed to do.

Regaining full consciousness, Linka grabbed the Regression Ray on the ground and aimed it at the Meragon, who was coming in for a second charge. She shot the gun and the glowing beam struck the Meragon head on, forcing him to shrink to a baby and the rider to tumble off him and roll in the dirt. Linka pulled the sword from the ground and jabbed it forward just as the man did a somersault just before her and impaled him through the torso.

The warrior stood up and staggered backwards, staring with disbelief at the weapon piercing his armor. He reached behind him to feel the other end of the blade to check if he was truly impaled and saw the blood on his fingers when he brought his hand back around. Linka walked over to him and kicked his knee, knocking him down, and she grabbed the hilt of her sword and put her foot on his shoulder and kicked him away from her, pulling her sword from the man. As the blade left the man’s body, it returned to normal, or at least as normal as the blade got.

The man fell over, and with him, so did the rest of the soldiers. Everyone stared around in confusion, except one young man. Rai darted over to Linka who teetered on her feet and fell backwards, landing on her behind, then to her back, though Rai caught her head in time before it struck the lumpy earth. “Thanks.” She said simply as she stared straight ahead with near lifeless eyes. Rai forced a laugh and shook his head and told her something, but she didn’t hear it.

Matsuzi released the seal he placed on the Creatu and they instantly scampered off, seemingly uninterested in what happened to the humans and only concerned with returning to their homes. Just as the other Creatu running off, Matsuzi made his way to Linka with an incredible speed. He reached her before even the rebels did. ‘Linka, that was reckless you should have asked for help! Can you move? Can you hold on to me? I will take you home and get you healed. Linka!’ Matsuzi’s voice filled her mind and she squinted and shook her head and responded with a mental request for silence. Her request was obeyed and she closed her eyes, a victorious smile on her face as she passed out and her adrenaline high ran out.

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Linka awoke in a comfortable bed and her armor removed and bandages covering various parts of her body. Her head still hurt, but she checked her hearing by snapping on either side of her head. Relief washed over her as she realized her hearing was just fine. Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Linka stood up and stretched. Much to her dismay, though, her body screamed in retaliation and she collapsed through the slap of pain that nearly made her black out again. She remained still a moment, wide-eyed and conscious of her body’s current condition. Once she was certain she’d be safe to stand, she rose slowly and walked over to the door and opened it a crack.

Matsuzi was sitting there facing the door. When it opened, his thoughts flooded into her mind and she closed the door quickly until he slowed it to a trickle. Opening it again, Linka walked out and stroked Matsuzi’s soft fur and smiled to him. “Looks like we won that one.” She said quietly.

Footsteps running down the stairs came from her right and Linka and Matsuzi both turned to face Rai as he suddenly appeared from around the corner. Linka’s face burned when she saw him and she turned to face her Omni, though Rai stared at her, panting heavily. At Matsuzi’s urging, Linka spoke up. “Look Rai, I’m sorry about… what happened between us. I don’t even know if that was yesterday or last week. I just feel awful but you caught me off guard and I wasn’t expecting that at all and I reacted poorly and I’m so sorry and please forgive me.” The words spilled from her mouth like a waterfall and strung together in one breath. She lifted her gaze to see how Rai would react. Expecting a smile, she was confused when he was still very serious-faced. Linka turned to face him full on, wondering what was bothering him.

“You need to come watch this, Linka.” He said while turning back around and running up the stairs. Linka glanced to Matsuzi, then followed Rai quickly.

The sky was filled with her face, Armon’s face, and Zeta’s face as well as the battle that took place, according to the text dragging along the bottom of the image, two days ago. All eyes were to the sky as they watched Linka courageously take on the armored warrior. Cheers came out when she impaled him finally and kicked him off her sword. She received a few pats on her back and congratulations until the screen flickered to reveal the RelQueen standing before them.

She was dressed in fine clothing as usual and her Noctis was behind her, scowling at the camera and seemingly to pierce everyone’s soul who looked at him. The RelQueen spoke, cutting the hushed tone of the world. “A great atrocity has taken place. One that I will not tolerate. These rebels will be stopped before they harm us any longer. They stopped a freight going to the citizens of Relcore to help end their poverty!”

A burst of outrage exploded among the rebels. They cursed and shook their fists at the screen. The RelQueen, seeming to have expected the outburst, remained silent a moment before she spoke up again, ensuring that they heard every word she spoke. “These are the leaders of the rebel team. Armon D’elaporta, Resident of Scria. Current location: Unknown. Sir Zeta Triech. Resident of Scria. Current location: Unknown. Linka. Residency: Unknown. Current location: Unknown.

“These people are NOT your friends. They are your ENEMIES. They have targeted the defenceless in order to benefit themselves and will stop at nothing to ensure the peace we have enjoyed for so long has been torn from our lives and war has starved the land of its people and resources. As your RelQueen I vow to put an end to their reign of terror, but I need your help, Rescreatu! I cannot be everywhere at once, but with you working to help me I can be! Open your ears and eyes! Any suspicious behaviour must be reported to the proper officials and we WILL find these menaces!

“To our enemies: BEWARE! Your days are numbered and you will never get away from me! Your plans will be thwarted. You will pay for what you did to the poor citizens of Relcore!” And just as suddenly as she appeared, the RelQueen’s image vanished from the skies.

The world was silent a moment as the message took time to sink in to everyone’s mind. It wasn’t until a merry laughter sounded that the silence was broken. All eyes settled on Linka, who was laughing. She wiped an imaginary tear from her eye and said. “Golly, she sure likes to be a little drama queen, doesn’t she?”

Armon grabbed her shoulder firmly and spun her around to face him, his ex
pression said it all, but still he voiced his feelings. “Are you mad?! She’s got all of Rescreatu looking for us now! There’s no way we’ll be able to go to Relcore again to stop her next supply shipment!”

A wicked smirk formed on Linka’s face as she stared wildly into Armon’s eyes, causing him a bit of discomfort. She replied. “I know exactly what she thought she could do, but her only problem is, she keeps digging herself deeper and deeper into this hole of her’s.”

Linka turned to Matsuzi and nodded, a conversation going on between them that no one else could hear. She wriggled from Armon’s grasp on her shoulder and ran down the stairs. Armon began to chase after her, but Zeta cut him off and said. “I think she knows what she’s doing, Armon. We just need to trust her. For now, we’ve won and Beatrix is panicking. We should celebrate that we have put her in such a bad position!”

Armon stood there a brief moment before nodding and turned to the group and exclaimed. “We drink!” His proclamation was met with a round of cheers and the whole group of men and women gathered on the balcony began to swarm inside to get their fill of fun, celebration, and drink.

Rai remained on the balcony, however, and turned to watch Linka and Matsuzi dart out from the rebel’s headquarters and into the open world. Matsuzi transformed into an Ardur once more and his glowing red tail vanished from sight. “Be careful, Linka…” Rai murmured to himself.

Linka unlocked the door and slid inside her home, allowing Matsuzi to enter in behind her. She glanced around her home fondly. It seemed like it had been eons since she had last been there, which was quite a change since she had spent so long inside the house. Matsuzi had gone up the stairs and left her alone as she thought about everything that happened the past little while. So much had happened and so many things had changed. Linka was sure she knew just were things were going and how they’d get there.

Finally walking up the stairs, Linka found Matsuzi sitting in front of an ornate mirror with a frame of gold and a flawless polished surface. She looked at Matsuzi, admiring his noble, regal appearance before he spoke to her. ‘Where will this take us? Where will this adventure end?’ He turned his head to face Linka as she stepped closer to him and look in the mirror as well.

“It ends with things being back to the way they should be,” she responded confidently. Linka turned to him and smiled, stroking his soft fur just above his left face ribbon. “I mean everything.”

She stood up and went to her wardrobe and changed her clothes to a plain white, button-up shirt with long sleeves that suited her form elegantly. Next she put on a pair of dark jeans that lightly flared from her calves and a pair of dark, flat boots on her feet. Grabbing a pair of dark, fingerless gloves, Linka put them on and went to her jewelry box and pulled out a hideous-looking watch that had only one hand and no digits. After strapping that on, Linka turned to Matsuzi, who sat patiently beside the mirror.

Linka glanced to the mirror and sighed. “I suppose we should get our plan started.” Staring at the flat surface, Linka spoke in a clear voice. “Scria. Forty-two, eight sixty-five.” Instantly the surface began to ripple and Linka and Matsuzi’s reflection vanished on the surface and turned into the image of Scria’s many clouds. When the ripples stopped, Linka stepped through with Matsuzi close behind.

“THERE SHE IS!” Shouted one citizen of Scria, pointing to Linka and Matsuzi as they crossed the open street. Several people came from the buildings they were in to spy on Linka and her Omni, they whispered amongst each other and pointed, others darted away to get their friends to show them.

She looked around with a smile as Matsuzi kept his head forward, both walking with pride. Linka said. “This is hilarious, Matsuzi. I think they really believe we are the enemies!” Matsuzi shook his head, a warm emotion flowing from him to hers, signifying he was laughing. They continued down the street and most doors and windows slammed shut while others whipped open so heads could poke out and watch them, gawking and shouting at others to come watch.

“I think we’ve spent enough time here. They should be coming. Let’s go hide!” Linka whispered excitedly to Matsuzi, who nodded and they both darted off. They went together, as Matsuzi could only see with Linka around until someone else was around to link his mind to. Turning a corner, Linka and Matsuzi both stopped dead in their tracks when greeted with two burly men well-dressed in armor. One held a sword while the other’s hands were entirely comprised of sharp, jagged claws.

“Well, looks like we’ve discovered the little rebel.” Said the one with a sword, he spun it around once and smirked at Linka coldly. His eyes were covered, but his snuggle-toothed grin was clearly visible. Linka cringed at the sight and turned to the other, who had no face visible at all.

Linka laughed and shrugged. “Really? Just you two? I was hoping she’d send her whole army and we could take care of this once and for all.” A wicked grin flickered across her features before she played it innocent yet again. The two men glanced to each other and then turned back to Linka and Matsuzi, who both were down the street running from them.

Slightly startled by her sudden and silent escape, the two men scrambled into a run to chase after them. Linka laughed and turned a corner, where she was met with a crowd of people armed with various house-hold objects. One pointed to her and shouted, causing the others to look. Linka skidded to a stop, turned around, and darted down an alleyway while Matsuzi followed gracefully. The crowd followed and filtered down the alleyway with much difficulty. The two warriors used their brute strength and their weapons to part the sea of people in order to get through. Several Creatu side-stepped the duo as they made their way down the alleyway and onto the street again in hopes to escape the warriors, who were evidently close behind as their armour clanked and scraped against the walls of the buildings that comprised the alleyway.

Linka and Matsuzi turned right, running past the large crowd and causing a cry of outrage from them and a laugh of maniacal laughter from Linka as she jumped over a hole in the ground caused by the shifting clouds. One person threw their sturdy wooden sword at her, which she dodged and picked up, waving to them and shouting her thanks, to which he grumbled embarrassed and hid his face from the crowd, who were now joining together in a collective glare against the man.

When they turned the last corner, Matsuzi and Linka were met with the warriors; they cracked their knuckles and brought out their weapons. Linka brought up her sword and stepped back from them as they drew nearer. Neither attacked as the stare-down lasted. It was finally the clawed fighter that struck first. Linka brought up her sword and his claws dug into the wood, getting him stuck. As the first man struck, the second brought up his sword and went to swing down on Linka, but she tugged the wooden sword in front of her and the man’s arm caught the sword’s edge, though he wasn’t cut, but it hurt enough to cause him to cry out in agony and withdraw from the wooden plank and hold his arm, doing a bit of a dance and wail. The scene caused Linka to burst out laughing and Matsuzi to join through her mind. The other warrior turned on Linka, though glanced briefly to his partner.

Linka took the moment of distraction to throw the sword at the other man’s face, knocking him in the mouth and causing a few teeth to rip loose. She and Matsuzi then darted away, making a clean get-away down an alley where she put her arm around Matsuzi and struck the watch on her hand. The two warriors turned the corner in time to see her vanish entirely, leaving them thoroughly confounded.

They both appeared back in Linka’s room before the mirror which reflected themselves. Linka curled over laughing, clutching her sides and used Matsuzi as support. “That was too fantastic! The sounds he made! Oh Guardians!” Linka continued laughing merrily until she straightened herself and glanced to the mirror. “Should we do another one? Where should we go now?”

Silence followed until Matsuzi said. ‘Atquati.’

Linka nodded, agreeing with him and stood before the mirror, finally regained her composure and said. “Atquati. Thirteen, twenty-seven.” The familiar rippling effect happened, followed by Linka and Matsuzi walking through the reflection of Atqueen Forest.

They both stared around. It had been so long since they were last in the forest. A peaceful spirit befell them both and Linka smiled. “I miss visiting here freely.” She murmured while touching a tree. Matsuzi came up beside her and rubbed his cheek against the tree, holding still a moment.

‘I think they missed us too. The forest is larger… So many unadopted Creatu left to turn into trees. What a pity.’ His thoughts echoed in Linka’s mind. She frowned and embraced the tree a moment, then stepped back and looked up at the branches reaching out for support from the other trees. She felt a sadness from it and the way it bent to the other tree beside them gave it the effect of leaning on the shoulder of a friend Creatu to weep upon.

The somber mood was taken away by the sudden appearance of many Creatu in the area. They surrounded Linka and Matsuzi, their eyes glowing with malice and anger. One spoke up, a large Vogar who looked quite formidable . “What are you doing here? Don’t you know we’re vicious killers?” All the Creatu joined in a growl, some snapped at the pair. Neither moved and stared the Vogar in the eye.

“You weren’t so scary when we were here last.” Linka said passively, standing her ground and never looking away from his gaze.

The Vogar snorted and replied. “You’d think we’d stay the same, but things have changed. Who are you and why are you here?”

From a distance, a young child watched from behind the safety of a tree. She watched as the Creatu snarled and growled at Linka and Matsuzi, but suddenly backed off, the Vogar bowing deeply to her and vanishing in the darkness. She stared in awe, then moved her gaze to Matsuzi. The woman and the Omni suddenly turned around and darted out of the forest. The small child followed after them, moving lithely through the trees as though she had been doing so for years.

When she exited the forest , she had beat Linka and Matsuzi. She ran over to the section they’d exit from and stood there. Linka and Matsuzi burst through the shrubs and stopped dead in their tracks before a small girl whose hair was as long as her torso and skin tanned. She wore a simple white dress with capped sleeves but no shoes nor socks. Her teal eyes gazed up at Linka imploringly. “Please,” she begged. “You have to leave!”

Linka glanced to Matsuzi, then knelt down and gazed at the little girl. “What’s your name?” She asked, smiling slightly.

“Maja. Now please, leave! They can’t have you! You’re our only hope…”
“What do you mean? You surely don’t think I’m here to help, do you?”
“I know you are! You love Creatu!”
“Lots of people love Creatu.”
“BUT NOT LIKE YOU!!”

Linka blinked twice, staring at her with eyebrows raised. Maja’s shoulders shook and tears formed in her eyes and she begged once more. “Please, leave. You can’t stay here long or else they’ll come attacking. They’re here already! I saw them come in. They’ll capture you and all hope will be lost.”

A warm smile appeared on her features and she touched the child’s cheek and said. “Don’t worry, Maja. We won’t lose.”

Just then, a glint of light caught Linka’s eye and she grabbed Maja, picking her up and jumped up. Instantly a sword flew below them and embedded in a tree they were beside. Linka landed on the hilt of the sword and jumped off, running towards where it came from. The two warrior men jumped at her, but she leapt above them and stepped on both their heads and pushed off, knocking them over and sending her propelling through the air. When she landed, Linka darted off towards the Springs. A dock had been built between the two islands, allowing Linka and Matsuzi the luxury of accessing the two islands easily and without having to wait for a boat.

The village separating them from the Springs was nearly deserted, save it be the few villagers who stepped out and cried out when they saw Linka holding young Maja and the two warriors chasing after the three. Linka stopped a brief moment to put Maja down just on the outskirts of the town and darted off towards the Springs.

Linka and Matsuzi skidded to a stop and gazed into the murky, polluted waters. A bitter rage filled Linka as she stared at the surface of the water, not being able to see much else. She spun around to meet the two men, ready to take her rage out on them. “Beatrix has finished ruining these planets with her filth,” Linka seethed while stepping towards the two men, her fists clenched into tight balls and her teeth gritting audibly. “It’s time we show her just how much of a useless bag of waste she is.”

Angered, the two men jumped at Linka. She parried them both effectively and Matsuzi summoned the powers of his runes and they struck the men. In the sky, the screens lit up to reveal RelQueen Beatrix’s face. She was frowning and spoke regally. “Watch what this rebel does! She defies my order; OUR order! She pays no regard for the safety of others. She fights in front of a village and before a small child whom she just kidnapped!”

Linka stopped and jerked her head to where Maja was, who stood there wide-eyed and slack-jawed. “Maja! Get away!” She ordered. Suddenly the skies lit up with the scene she was living. Linka jumped up and landed on the blade that was just swung at her, she then grabbed the clawed arm being swung at her and guided it towards the warrior whose weapon she was standing on, but all three of them parted ways, Linka back-flipping off the flat of the blade and landing on her feet and the two men skidding backwards.

Matsuzi distracted the clawed hand man while Linka took on the warrior with the sword, blocking his sword with a rock she ducked down to pick up and then using it to throw at his face. He blocked it with his free hand and swung at Linka, though she got close to his body and punched upward, striking his chin and knocking him off balance. The other warrior fell down as Matsuzi’s many ribbons knocked him down as he spun in a circle, aiming his tail ribbons at his legs.

The man with the sword jumped up first and charged at Linka, his arm straight and the sword narrowly missing her, though cutting her sleeve. She struck his leg with her shin, knocking him over and causing her a bit of pain as she felt a bruise start to form on her shin. Matsuzi continued to knock his battle partner over repeatedly once he got up a fraction from the ground.

The sword-wielder charged once more at Linka and she knocked up his elbow to avoid getting stabbed with her leg and ducked under his arm, grabbing it with hers and pressing her hand against his elbow and clutching his forearm with her other arm. He stopped moving and she stared at him where his eyes should be and she spat. “Move and I’ll bust your arm!”

Linka panted a bit and made no notion of moving until a small cry was heard. Linka spun around and saw Maja being lifted by her dress by the man with the clawed hands. Matsuzi hadn’t caught him in time before he jumped up above him and ran to Maja.  Matsuzi and Linka froze instantly. “Give up or she dies!” The man barked and Maja whimpered frightfully.

Linka and Matsuzi remained still. In the distance, the echoes of the villagers booing could be heard and the screen above them went out. Linka, begrudgingly, let go of the man’s arm but said privately to Matsuzi. ‘Keep those screens on.’ He nodded and dropped his head slightly. Instantly the screens came alive with the perspective of Linka, what Matsuzi always saw in his mind’s eye.

“Fine,” she said weakly and held up her hands, stepping back from the warrior. “Let her go and I’ll come quietly.” Instantly her hands were tied in chains that appeared from the palm of the sword-user’s hands. Her hands dropped in front of her and more chains appeared, tying her arms to her sides and wrapping around her neck. Matsuzi was caught up in the chains as well, his feet being wrapped up and his ribbons as well and around his neck. He fell to his side and the screens in the sky went dark once more.

The clawed man laughed and said, “Fool. Do you actually think we would let her go? You heroes have too much honour.” He then turned around and began to walk off. The man with the sword prodded Linka like cattle.

“Get a move on,” he wheezed. “And drag your Omni with you.”

Linka turned around, realizing she and Matsuzi were chained together. She turned to the man and growled. “I will not drag him. He will walk on his own.”

“You haven’t a say in the matter!” He roared, striking Linka across the face with the back of his gauntlet. She slowly returned to face him, blood trickling down the three gashes down her cheek.

She breathed in slowly and said. “I will not.”

The man was about to strike again when Matsuzi’s voice entered both their minds. ‘Linka, don’t worry. I’m not above this. Please, bear my weight for a while if you will. I’m not worth the lashes.’ Linka gave him a sad gaze, then nodded, working all her power to drag her Omni through the dirt and mud of Atquati in chains. She coughed a bit and adjusted the chain around her neck so it didn’t strangle her as much.

Linka and Matsuzi entered the village. This time, the population was nearly ten times what it was when they were there before. The people shouted angrily and shook their fists at Linka and Matsuzi. She slipped on her own feet and fell down, knocking her knees on the chains and causing a numbing pain to shoot up her legs. She panted heavily and dropped her head, meanwhile the guard walked up behind her and grabbed her bangs, yanking her head up so the villagers could see her. Suddenly the RelQueen’s face lit across the sky once again.

“This is your rebel icon,” the RelQueen spoke with a wicked malice. She paused a moment to let the effect of the image play on the left side of the screen. RelQueen Beatrix then continued. “Let her hopes of over-throwing me die with her!”

Once she finished, the crowd swelled and stormed towards the soldiers. Hands grabbed them and dragged the men away and absorbed in the swarm. The RelQueen’s eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. Linka and Matsuzi quickly broke free of the chains and called the rioting crowd to them. They all obliged and gathered towards Linka and Matsuzi. Linka looked up to the screen and glared at the RelQueen’s eyes and said with a smile. “You can’t beat Rescreatu! Our fighting spirit will NEVER die!!” Her screen flickered away, as did Linka’s.

The two warriors, pieces of armor missing and blood falling from their faces, stood up slowly and made towards Linka and Matsuzi. They stood still and watched as they slowly drew closer. A roar was heard from behind the two men and they slowly turned. Thundering followed the roar and suddenly an army of mixed Creatu appeared around the corner of a block of homes. The Atquatian Creatu lead the group and they inhaled deeply while running. As they exhaled, a mist flew from their gaping mouths and enveloped the two men. They were lifted into the sky by the gust of wind produced by the Scrian Creatu. The Reiflsh Creatu exhaled a large stream of flames into the forming ball and the Relcortic Creatu summoned the earth and plant life to move forward and engulf the men in mud, dirt, and vines. Soon the Creatu ceased their elemental breath and watched their finished product come into view from the dust and steam that was produced.

A large, towering sphere planted on a pillar was formed. In the middle were the men, though they were covered in vines and dirt and surrounded by a mile of thick crystalized earth in every direction. Everyone gazed at the beautiful scene and cheers began to rise from the crowd. The Creatu and humans joined together and hugged, celebrating their victory. Linka scanned the crowd until she found Maja, celebrating with a small, mutant Veram. Linka and Matsuzi approached her and knelt down. Maja stopped celebrating and clung to the Veram gleefully.

“We’re going to be friends!” She said ecstatically, to which the young Veram nodded, beaming at Linka as well. Maja then asked. “How did the Creatu know to come help you? WHY did they come help you?”

Laughing, Linka patted Maja’s head and said. “That’s a story for another time. We made a truce and they decided that they wanted to help me. Listen. We’re going to the rebel base, want to come with Matsuzi and I?”

Her eyes couldn’t have been wider nor brighter. Maja jumped with glee and shrieked. “Of course! I’d love to go! When do we go? Now? Let’s go! Ahh!” Her new Creatu partner jumped happily with her, his seven tails whipping merrily.

Linka held out her hand and said. “Hold my hand tightly and hang on to your Veram. This will be fast!” As the little girl hung on to Linka, she wrapped her arm around Matsuzi and he touched the watch on her wrist, teleporting them to her room instantly. Maja and her Veram gaped while staring around with wide eyes. Linka watched with mild entertainment as the two were so shocked to realize they had teleported countless miles away.

“This is the rebel headquarters?” Maja said while turning to Linka, to which she laughed and shook her head.

“No,” she said while sitting down on her bed. “This is my house. This is where the Planet Mirror is. I use this to travel around.” Linka pointed to the mirror and Maja and her Veram stared in awe while Matsuzi walked behind them and left the room to gather things before they left again.

“You must have inherited this from your great, great, great grandpa,” Maja said while touching the frame gently. “I heard only one is in existence and a guy a ton of years ago got it from Loyna.”

Linka snorted and shrugged. “Maybe.” Was her only answer. Meanwhile, Maja darted out of the room and whistled, her Veram made a similar noise.

“Nice picture. Who’s that guy?” Linka glanced back over her shoulder and shouted. “An old friend.”

The girl stared at the picture a while before she said. “How come you both are together, but the backgrounds are different?”

Linka jumped up, startled and grabbed Maja and dragged her into the room and said. “Time to go! Matsuzi! We’re leaving! C’mon!” Linka turned to face the mirror and said. “Reiflem. Eighteen, seventy-one.” The mirror rippled and ceased just as Matsuzi appeared in the doorway with his back laden with another sack. She allowed Matsuzi to go through first, then Maja and her Veram. As Linka left, she grabbed the frame of the mirror and pulled on it through the reflection. She stepped through and gave it a hard tug and suddenly it appeared where they were, in the room Linka rested.

She opened the door and allowed Maja out and glanced up just as Armon rounded the corner, the look of fury on his face. “What exactly do you think you have been doing? I never authorized a little vigilante work and I CERTAINLY would not assign YOU to it! You could have been captured!”

Linka’s brow arched and she spoke calmly while Matsuzi moved to her side protectively. “In case you didn’t notice, I was captured, but I got it under control.”

 “Really? Everything under control? Because to me it looked like you got captured! What if you were captured and we couldn’t save you? What would happen to our rebellion then? We cannot afford you as a martyr!” As Armon spoke, he jabbed Linka in the shoulder with his middle and index finger. She dodged his last jab and pushed him back roughly, scowling. As her face contorted, her cuts stung, causing a bitter grimace.

“Matsuzi would never have let me get hurt.”
“You can’t rely on other people all the time, Linka!”
“I can take care of myself rega-“
“Really? Because when we fought that first warrior, all I saw was you getting you’re a.ss kicked!”
“I have it under control!”

Armon punched the wall beside him and shouted. “NO YOU DON’T! You have NOTHING under control! If we lose you then we lose the heart of the rebellion! You can’t just designate these missions on yourself. You need to run them by your superiors first! You need to learn. Your. Place!”

Linka roared and punched the wall as well, causing it to crack and crumble. She screamed. “Don’t you DARE try and tell me where my place is. You have NO idea what I’m capable of!”

“Apparently from what I’ve seen, not a whole lot.” Armon growled back, his lip curled up in a scowl. A whole crowd of people had gathered around the arguing pair and the silence fell upon everyone so suddenly. Linka stared incredulously at Armon before jumping onto Matsuzi’s back and forcing her way through the crowd and taking off to the streets. As some went after her, Armon stopped them and said. “She needs to cool off before I want her back here. Get back to work.” And with that, everyone resumed what they were doing.

Rai stared as Linka left him again, a sickening feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

Linka and Matsuzi strolled around the outskirts of Reiflem. She was still on his back as she had no desire to walk. Her mood was low and her spirit broken. Laying across his back, Linka watched the world pass as he walked slowly and they shared a private conversation as well as happier memories in hopes to cheer each other up. As they turned a corner, a massive army of the RelQueen’s stood before them. Linka’s eyes widened and she slid off Matsuzi’s back quickly. Matsuzi turned his head to Linka, confusion waving through his mind. He tried to ask her a question, but her mind was closed to him.

He could no longer see anything, but could sense the presence of a powerful being. Matsuzi listened as Linka began yelling and shouting to Matsuzi for help. He began to send his runes out wildly, hoping to attack whatever was attacking them, but soon his mind was overcome with the same force that blocked Linka’s and he stopped, unable to move. Linka continued, however, kicking, shouting, punching, and destroying the soldiers that swamped her. She felt the pain of their blades, but saw no blood. She faltered a moment and glanced around, but the moment she stopped, Linka was knocked unconscious.

A while later, Matsuzi woke up and turned to Linka, who was laying beside him awake. ‘Linka,’ he sent to her. ‘We need to escape. Let me get out of these binds first.’ He transformed into an Intes and the chains and ropes that tied him down dropped to the ground. He could tell they were moving in a cart, but he wasn’t sure what it was nor where they were.

“Go without me.” Linka said quietly and groggily.

Matsuzi shook his head and said. ‘No, Linka. We go together. Come.’ He tried to pick her up, but she shoved him away and hissed at him. Shocked, Matsuzi stood still for a moment before saying. ‘I will come back for you with Rai and the others.’ And with that, he flew out of the cart they were in and surveyed the land, spotted where they were headed to, and began to fly the skies to where the Portal was.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

‘Rai! Rai wake up. I need your help.’

Matsuzi’s voice forced Rai awake and he rubbed his eyes. “Matsuzi? What’s going on? Where’s Linka?”

‘She’s been captured. She has no will to fight now. He captured us just outside the city walls but he took us to Relcore. You have to hurry, Rai. Wake Armon and tell him to meet me at the Portal. We need to go save Linka before it’s too late.’

Without having to be told twice, Rai jumped up and darted out of the room to where Armon was. Matsuzi stood alone in the darkness and shuddered, a physical sickness befalling him over the loss of his link with Linka’s mind. ‘Hang on, Linka.’

Linka regained consciousness with the help of freezing water dumped on her. She blinked twice and stared at her surroundings, bleary-eyed and weak. Her brain felt muddled and pounded within her skull as though hoping to escape. Her sight focused and she saw a man dressed plainly before her. He had no hair at all. No eyebrows or mustache or beard or eyelashes. He had no dermatological flaws. The man was pale-skinned and featureless. He looked like a human yet to be moulded into his own person. The little light that gleamed from a lantern hung high from the ceiling caused a hazy aura around the pale man. He wore a robe that covered most of his body. It had no definition other than it being a fabric. Linka held her gaze with his, as he was staring at her intently while she had been unconscious.

She went to move, but found herself bound firmly in place. Both arms were shackled. They were held above her head in an ‘X’ position. The shackles were chained to either side of the wall. One set of bracelets were on her wrists while another pair served as armlets and held her in place. Her feet were also chained to the floor so she could barely move them. On top of that, her hips bore a shackle and chain as well that completed the sense of captivity for her. Linka struggled a bit, knowing she would reap no benefits from her movement.

“An impressive prison, wouldn’t you agree?” The man said to her. His mouth was covered with a cloth of some sort. She winced at him a bit and begrudgingly nodded, though there was no conviction in the nod and it looked more like a drop of her head and a bit of a head wobble. She had no desire to actually put forth an effort into the conversation. She hung there limply feeling the remaining blood drain from her hands and arms.

The man held still and didn’t move. He then said. “So it’s not a shame this place will be the last thing you see.” As he spoke, he paced around her in the raised circle pillar that she stood upon. It was wide and allowed very little room for anyone to walk around it at the base. She was about twelve feet up from the prison floor and a stairway spiraled around the pillar. The man was behind her when she snapped to.

Something inside Linka sparked at that moment and she lifted her head and stared at him. “Yeah, cute,” she replied curtly, a cruel snarl stretching across her face. “So what’s with your get-up anyways? Going to a ball?”

Her snide remark didn’t seem to faze the man. He continued to stare blankly at her, though he responded after a short moment of silence. “Your jokes won’t save you.”

Linka scowled yet again and turned her head away from her captor and mumbled. “Maybe I don’t want to be saved…” A bitterness rose up within her as she replayed the last moment she had with Armon. In retrospect, she wish she hadn’t ran away, but it was too late to dwell on the past. The present was far more important.

“Of course you do,” the man said simply while striding over to her side, circling her and examining her closely. Linka recoiled slightly and watched him as best she could, although she was in no position to do anything if he were to attack her. “You still have that fiery passion within you. A virtue I truly admire. That passion is proof to me that you still wish to live and you are willing to fight for it.” He spoke with a bland tone devoid of any emotion. When he came to a halt before Linka, he stared into her eyes with indifference. Linka’s nostrils flared and she turned away again, not giving him the satisfaction of gazing into her eyes.

“Did you bring me here to bore me to death or are you going to tell me something about how foolish I am for going against Beatrix?” Linka snapped angrily, her lips curling into a snarl and her nose crinkling as her eyebrows knit together. The man continued his lifeless stare before responding with, “We do not take sides.”

Curiosity piqued, Linka turned her head to face him and asked. “Oh? So why do you help her?”

“We do as we please, and as we please just happens to be what the RelQueen wants.” He explained calmly, never moving his gaze and never blinking.

Anger rose within Linka. “That ‘chaotic-neutral crap is really cliché. Quit straddling the thing and pick a side of the fence already! Either you let me go or you kill me!” She tugged on her chains and leaned in as best she could to her captor, who didn’t even flinch.

The echoes of her chains bounced of the wall, creating a sound other than her voice and his. She glared fiercely at the man, daring him to come nearer to her. “Now you want death, do you? Quite the dark one, aren’t you?”

Surprise appeared on Linka’s face and she turned her head and huffed. She tried to maintain an angered face, but it softened into a sullen ex
pression and she whispered quietly. “It’s the only escape from this pitiful existence… I shouldn’t be alive. I don’t deserve it. Give me death.”

“No,” the man said slowly as he walked up to Linka. His cold, bony hand gripped her jaw and he turned her to face him and their gazes met. “I quite like you alive. There’s so much I want to do to you…”

Linka’s screams of pain fill the chamber and echoed through the halls. Up several floors before it became just a little buzz. Those in the underground of the spire that towered over the land could hear her cry out in agony. The sound haunted the walls as the soldiers stationed there wandered about aimlessly. There would be only a moment of silence before the screams started again, louder than ever.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not too far, an army marched towards the spire. Leading the army was a man dressed in elaborate armor and an albino Omni. Armon glanced behind him as Zeta appeared a few paces behind him. His calico Kayoki clung to his shoulders. The army was comprised of men, women, and Creatu and each bore a crest distinguishing them as soldiers to the rebel army that defied RelQueen Beatrix’s very existence. Ahead of them, the rose Tesuri kept a watchful eye on Rai, who was in armor as well and carried a sword on his hip. He was leaving the army behind in his trail as he would occasionally run towards the spire. He never rested but continued to walk or run. Since he had no Creatu of his own, Armon sent his own Tesuri to watch over him.

“You’re going to be too tired to do anything!” Armon called out to Rai, cupping one hand beside his mouth to help carry his voice to his comrade. His answer was a wave of the hand without so much as a glance backward. The army had gained ground on him pretty fast from the start of the journey. That was attributed to the fact that Rai had practically dragged himself the remainder miles, too weak to stand straight.

“If I had my Kioka I would have been here in five minutes.” Rai murmured to himself bitterly.

‘Your determination is praise-worthy, Rai, but you need to save your energy for the fight. I’m sure you’ll be angrier with yourself if you didn’t help with the battle because you couldn’t lift your sword. Here, take some of my energy.’ The Omni’s voice rang in Rai’s mind. He glanced behind him and felt a sudden burst of life within his body. He didn’t ache or struggle for breath. Instead, he was quite healthy and energized, like he had just woken up from a refreshing sleep.

“Thanks, Matsuzi,” Rai called behind him. He had come to a stop as he came to the large, wooden doors that barred him and the rest of the army from the spire. He stared up the behemoth doors and heaved a sigh. The rest of the army marched up and Armon and Zeta stood on either side of Rai.

Keya, the calico Kayoki perched on Zeta’s shoulder, piped up cheerfully. “The spire runs fifty floors up and fifty floors down. Finding Linka will be… interesting.”

Rai glanced to Keya and sighed. Armon hummed a bit as he thought and said, “We can split up into teams-“

“Splitting into teams would be the end of us. We’ll be surrounded by soldiers and we will need ALL of us together.” Zeta interjected. He dropped his head back to gaze at the top of the door as well. Armon followed their gaze and stared the height of the door.

“Together it is, then. I guess we’ll go to the top first. It’d make sense. Kind of like a damsel in distress. First, though, we need to get through these doors…” Armon said. He walked over to the door and pushed on it slightly.

Matsuzi approached the door and said to the trio. ‘Stand back. I can open this.’ The three men stepped back and watched as Matsuzi’s runes began to glow. They leapt from his ribbons and stuck to the door. Seconds later the door burst into splinters and an ominous silence fell everything.  Rai, Armon, and Zeta walked in slowly with Matsuzi trailing them. Keya jumped off and began exploring ahead, getting information about Linka’s whereabouts if she could. The silence was then broken by the shout of a single soldier.

“They’re here for Linka! We have to stop them before they get to the bottom floor!”

Everyone in the area turned and looked to the one soldier. The man beside him cuffed him on the back of his head, knocking his helmet off. The sound of metal striking against metal was the only sound that echoed throughout the courtyard. Keya appeared before Zeta and pointed to the spire. “There’s the door for the stairs downstairs!” The rebel army belted their loudest war-cry and ran for the stairs, cutting down any soldier that got in their way.

Rai was the first one down the stairs. A pair of soldiers greeted him and he engaged with one, grinding their swords together before he pushed him down, knocking him down the stairs and slicing the second man. Above him, he heard Matsuzi’s runes take down several men and sent them pummelling into the wall. The stairway was narrow, wide enough for just two men at a time. Rai flew down the stairs with a determined fervor, adamant that he would be the first to find Linka and save her from whatever hell and torture they were putting her through.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of the floor rattling above her brought Linka back to consciousness as she glanced around with a detached interest. It was then that she felt the brush of a presence she knew. “Matsuzi…” she whispered. He returned for her and, quite possibly, brought a good sum of rebels. Judging by the sounds above her, they were having an easy time descending the tower. How they knew she was downstairs, she couldn’t tell.

The man appeared before her looking, if at all possible, paler than ever. His ex
pression had not changed, however. “It would appear that your rebels have arrived.” He said curtly, his tone betraying his ex
pression. Linka’s lips curled into a bitter grin.

“Looks like you’ll have to give up your little endeavour to mentally break me. Not that it was going well in the first place.” Linka said breathlessly. She felt an excitement, a supreme joy. The thought of Matsuzi coming to her rescue again, as so many times before… memories flooded her mind and she snorted.

Shaking his head, the man stepped up to Linka so he was in close proximity of her and said coolly. “I can still dig through your memories and take what I want and use it against you.” He placed his hands on either side of her head and instantly the onslaught through her memories began.

A black Omni hatched suddenly, its head poking from the egg and the ribbons shortly afterwards, the yellow runes on its back glowing… Red runes attached themselves to a man clad in the armour Linka wore and he cried out in agony… A young man with dark hair styled uniquely turned to a black Omni, beaming a happy smile… Rain poured down, soaking them both. Linka’s vision turned to the black Omni and watched as its ribbons turned to blonde hair and its paw turned into a slender, pale hand…

“ENOUGH!!!”

The man staggered backwards and stared at Linka with wide eyes. She roared angrily, her eyes glowing with rage and she tore the chains from the wall with remarkable ease. Frightened, the man vanished instantly, her chains falling madly around her and narrowly missing him. Linka ripped her feet and waist bindings out of the stone containment and she felt a surge of power flow from her mind to the chains and they shattered around her. Linka roared again and clenched her fists. As she did, black and red armour formed around her hands, creating claw-like gauntlets. Over the left side of her face, the same type of material took form around her jawline, encircled her left eye and rose upwards, curling backwards into a multi-tiered horn. Her left eye began to glow a blood red hue and her pupil turned white.

Linka’s breathing became ragged and raspy. She stared around the prison as if contemplating which wall to destroy first. Her gaze settled on the door, a huff escaped her lips and she charged at it, knocking it down, as well as a good chunk of the wall. Linka turned her head to examine the area and spied several soldiers gaping at her with disbelief. As their gazes met, Linka inhaled deeply and roared again. As she did, the armour on her left hand crept up her arm till it was just to her bicep. Linka ran after the men and they turned to retreat, but she caught them far too quickly. Their blood spattered on the wall as she made full use of her claws.

Snapping her head backwards, Linka examined the roof above her and squatted down, then leapt up, smashing through the stone and landing in a group of soldiers readying to run up the stairs. Shouts of confusion and panic rose, spurring Linka into attacking. She tore through the first ten soldiers with ease and watched as they fled up the stairs and cried warning of her approach. Squatting again, Linka jumped up, causing the floor around the soldiers to cave in below them. More shouts were heard and a few soldiers poked their heads down the steps in time to see Linka rush past them with unhindered ease. Linka made quick work of the few soldiers that stood in her way as she ascended the tower, all the while her mind thought. ‘He’s up there; at the top. He’s at the top.’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sixth room was empty, thankfully. It gave the rebels time to rest while their Creatu moved with Matsuzi behind them, defending their position from behind to ensure they wouldn’t be surrounded and trapped. “This is what war is,” Zeta said with a grin. It was the first time Armon and Rai saw him like that and it startled them a bit. While the other fighters were breathing heavily, Rai and Armon included, Zeta was perfectly composed and ready to take on the next five dozen soldiers.  “We should keep going. I hate standing around in battle.”

“You can go right on ahead, Zeta,” Armon growled while standing up straight, stretching and gingerly rubbing his back. He had been elbowed right in the kidney area and it certainly was not an affectionate notion. “Let us know when to come collect your body when you’re ready to get buried.”

Rai ignored the two and rushed past them, heading towards the stairs descending downwards. Armon groaned while Zeta laughed heartily. “That-a boy!” He roared with glee. Before Rai could even put his foot on the top of the stairs, soldiers began to clamber upwards towards him. He pulled out his sword and charged the first soldier he saw and Zeta went after the second. As the battle continued, a distant rumble was heard. No one paid any mind to it as the small army descended to the next floor. It was a simple, long, narrow corridor with rooms on either side. Due to the lack of stairways descending to the next level in the corridor, one of the doors had to have the flight of stairs that lead down the level. Another rumble was heard, more loudly that time. A few concerned rebels glanced around, wondering where the noise was coming from.

Rai turned to the men behind him and began to bark orders. “Half of you take the left side of the hallway. The rest take the right. Search every do-“ The rumble came again and he was drowned out. The concern flowed to the other rebels as they glanced around warily. A third rumble, then a fourth rumble. Debris fell from the roof around them and a few men stepped backwards. Matsuzi appeared on the stairway, anxiety emanated from him.

‘Linka-‘ Matsuzi started, but he never got to finish it. The wall to the left of them burst, stone and dust flying everywhere. Rai shielded his eyes and caught a glimpse of Linka flying through the wall and directly into the other, collapsing it and a few shouts and cries of soldiers hidden in the rooms was heard before another rumble and explosion of dust and stone shot from the hole Linka just created.

Stunned, the small rebel army gawked at the sudden destruction before them. They came to their wits when Matsuzi’s voice boomed in their minds. ‘We need to get out of here before the tower collapses on us! Linka will kill us all!’ A wave of urgent panic washed over them all and the army spun around and charged up the stairs, Matsuzi leading them.

As they ran, Matsuzi used his runes to negate the falling debris from hitting any of them. Their climb was faster, but shakier, than their descent. The tower, even though they were well into the earth, was shaking and vibrating, causing them to stumble a few times. Rai managed to press through the cluster of men and caught up to Matsuzi and shouted to him. “What happened to Linka?” He was responded with a shake of the Omni’s head. When he asked again, a sharp pain entered his mind and he grimaced. Subdued, Rai went about ensuring he kept close to Matsuzi to ask him later.

The rebel army reached ground level and quickly evacuated the tower. Their Creatu had all gathered outside the walls and watched in awe as the tower swayed to a rhythm that Linka created within. It shifted with every explosion and rumble they heard. As the army gathered beside their Creatu and turned to watch, the tower began to collapse swiftly. Rai’s eyes widened and he stepped closer, but Matsuzi blocked his way, but kept his head turned to the tower as it slowly sank downward, swaying and dancing as it fell.

The pointed roof was the last thing seen before the deafening rumble came to a stop. A buzzing was heard in all their ears along with a few rattles of the broken stones that tumbled down from the wreckage. Rai panted frightfully, eyes still wide and his mouth dry. “Linka!” He shouted desperately. Nothing happened. Tears threatened his vision and a lump formed in his throat and he yelled, even louder. “LINKA!!”

A burst of rock and rubble was heard from within the massive cloud of dust. Suddenly a form fell from the sky and landed just before Matsuzi and Rai. Matsuzi moved away from him and backed away from Linka, but Rai stood still and stared at her. Now her body was nearly entirely covered by the armour. Her back was entirely covered and seven long spikes rose from the armour on her shoulders and shoulder blades. Both arms were entirely covered and her legs and feet. Her face was nearly covered except for her right eye and cheek. Two identical horns had formed and curled backwards from her face and over the crown of her head.

Linka breathed raggedly as she stared at Rai without recognition of who he was, or that she ever saw a human before. His face paled as Linka raised her clawed hand to bring it down on his throat, the army behind him drew their swords and prepared to defend themselves while Armon and Zeta moved closer to defend Rai. Before she could do anything, Rai charged at her and enveloped her in his arms and spoke frantically. “You don’t have to fight anymore, Linka! You’re safe!” The hardened, wild ex
pression on Linka’s face stilled a moment before it softened and her raised arm relaxed.

“Rai… I’m sorry.” She whispered. Matsuzi stepped away silently as she carefully put her arms around Rai, trying to avoid hurting him with her armour.

His arms tightened around her, the armour digging into his flesh and drawing a bit of blood, though he paid it no mind. “I thought I lost you.” He said in an equally quiet tone. Linka laughed a bit and replied. “Oh, it would take more than a mental break down to take me down.”

The man suddenly appeared behind Linka and she spun around to face him, eyes ablaze with rage and fury. He pointed to Linka and shouted. “She’s not as she appears! That creature has you all fooled!” Matsuzi reacted quicker than Linka did. Using his runes, Matsuzi trapped the man in a cage and began to shrink it, though before it could get too small, the man disappeared one last time.

Silence followed before Armon approached Linka and clasped a hand on her shoulder, spinning her around and said. “What in the seven layers of Reiflem’s core does that mean?” Before Linka could answer, Rai cried out in agony and clutched his head, falling to his knees. Everyone suddenly turned to him, alarm rising in them all. Matsuzi touched Rai and began to focus his energy on Rai, trying to stop whatever was happening to him.

‘Linka! The man! He’s attacking Rai’s mind and I can’t fend him off on my own. Help me!’

As fast as she could, Linka dropped to his level and placed her hands over his and said. “Look at me Rai!” Slowly he obeyed and when their eyes met, a sudden rush of Rai’s memories flooded both their minds.

A Kioka hatched from a beautiful, polished egg. Its wide eyes gazed up to Rai and a smile formed on both their faces.
The Kioka was in her late teens and was being dyed with the careful hands of Rai. The two laughed—“You must die, boy.”—and the Kioka shook herself, spraying dye all over Rai.
They were riding together through the sky—“You are not permitted to live! Your mind will be my toy forever!”—the moon looked so gorgeous. A carefree happiness flowed between them.
“Leave him alone! If you want to kill him then you will have to face me first!”
The Kioka slowly drained from his vision and was replaced with the man with tornado-styled hair. He beamed at a black Omni and said. “We did it!”
The mirror was set up in the room. In the reflection was the man and the black Omni. The perspective was from the man’s point of view. He turned to face the Omni and said. “Isn’t it great? We can travel wherever we want now!” He exclaimed. ‘I’ll go anywhere with you, Matsuzi.’ Came the Omni’s response.
The young man was holding the armour presented to him from a glorious-looking woman. “For defeating the Dark King and Queen, exercising remarkable courage, and a love and devotion for everyone on this planet, we award you the Dark King’s armour and the Dark Queen’s sword.” She presented the armour and sword shortly after.
The young man turned to the Omni and his lips curled into a broad smile. “Linka! We did it! We won!”
The rain was pounding against her bare flesh. She pushed herself up and covered her naked body, then turned to the man as he laid on the ground. “Matsuzi!” She cried out while reaching out to him.
“Linka…” he whispered while stretching his hand to her, though he drew backwards and recoiled, groaning and screaming in anguish. Slowly, his hair blanched and turned into ribbons and his hands became paws as the man called Matsuzi began to turn into an albino Omni.

Rai snapped to consciousness and shot up in his bed. Gazing frantically around the room, he turned to the window where Linka sat. She slowly turned to face him, her eyes red and swollen and a weak smile formed on her lips. “Rai, you’re awake finally.” As she stood up to walk to him, he stared at her with wide eyes. The ex
pression in his eyes caused her to stop.

“You… you’re an Omni?!” He exclaimed.

O>M>G!!!!! (Not the end quite yet?)