Preparation

A raid into the Dark God's city is planned.

My arms are covered in gleaming silver gauntlets. I am also wearing a breastplate, greaves, and a warrior’s kilt. A xiphos of dark bronze is in my hand and before me stand several silhouettes of people I feel like I should know. I am saying something meaningful to them, some kind of farewell. One of them, I think it is a woman, yells something at me. I shake my head and she starts to cry. I awake then, and as I do the words vanish and pain flares behind my eyes.

I sit up slowly, rubbing my temples. I brush my long white hair out of my eyes as I stand. As the blankets fall away I bring a hand to my bare chest where in the dream…something had been over my heart. All I feel is smooth skin and hard muscle, and I shake the image from my mind as I realize dwelling on it will bring back that horrible pain.

“A month.” I muse aloud, “A month I have been here and I am farther from my identity than I was when I woke up.”

I look at myself in the mirror, trying once more to recall my various dreams. Always when I awake they vanish. It is infinitely frustrating, as they always seem to be images from my past. They are never full events, only bits and pieces of former happenings that make no sense. After awakening, I can only ever recall the images, never the words spoken or the significance of the things seen. The only word that ever sticks is one that I hear often, ‘Aether.’ But even that leaves a blank as I cannot ascertain its meaning.

I dress myself in the usual black outfit that is standard for the Resistance. I learned that the few pieces of armor can actually disconnect, offering a more comfortable wear. Last night I left the iron pieces on the floor, stumbling through my room with exhaustion from the intense training that has been taking up my days.

I look around at my decrepit room and realize that in my time here I have done nothing to personalize it. It is an exact copy of the room I had seen a month before when I had awaken.

I decide to train today (something that is in fact optional here) and turn from the mirror to collect them. I take one step and trip, falling on my face. Only narrowly does the dresser avoid my head, but I bump my hand on it as I fall.

“Damn it.” I say, rubbing my hand where it hit the splintery wood. A small cut has appeared in it, but there is no pain, so I wipe away the minimal blood on my black pants.

I take a look at what I stepped on and see what was formerly the shoulder guard. I pick up the largest piece, and survey its cracked surface. Likely due to my immense training, the armor has been weakened to this point.

“Well…” I mumble, collecting the other pieces, “S**t.”

The rest of my armor lies on the floor, all but thrown haphazardly into a small pile. As I pick them up I notice that they are all at various stages of wear, likely soon to break as well. I sigh before getting up and place the armor pieces on the broken dresser.

“Apparently I shall not be training today.” I say to my reflection. “Even so…”

I look around the small room for my staff, but I do not find it. Um…where is it? I look under the bed, check the closet, all around the floor and even behind the dresser. I look at myself again in the cracked mirror and take note of the obvious worry on my face.

“Well no wonder I look worried.” I think aloud. That staff has become something of a treasure to me. I do not know why, but I feel a powerful connection to it. It is the only thing I have from my forgotten past. What if somebody took it? I had it with me when I returned here last night, so obviously somebody took it.

I open the door to my room and look down the long hallway. Whatever sources of light this place had had all been restored shortly after my arrival, so now the hallway is illuminated. Almost unfortunate, as the light reveals just how run-down this place is.

I race down the hall, fortunate not to trip over the torn carpet, anxious to find whoever took my staff. Suddenly I find myself lying on the floor, holding my nose in pain. I look up and see an open door with a person behind it.

A guy who looks to be about nineteen looks around the door at me and tries to stifle laughter. He comes around towards me and offers his hand.

“You hit me…with a door.” I say to him, taking his hand and getting to my feet slowly.

“Sorry.” He says, running his hand through his blond hair, “I wanna meet the dumbass who decided to make these doors open outward and beat him with a doorknob, ya’know?”

“I suppose.” I say, dropping my hand as the pain in my face fades. “Oh, right. I am looking for my staff, somebody clearly took it, have you seen it?”

“The blue stick you always carry around? Sorry, haven’t seen it. You should talk to Darren.”

Darren, of course. That b*****d probably snuck into my room and took my staff just to mess with me.

“How come you aren’t wearing armor?” The guy asks me. “You train like, every day.”

“Yes, well, due to that, my armor is in a state of decay. Soon to break down anytime now.”

“Hmm, you should talk to Zayin then.” He suggests.

“Zayin?” I repeat.

“He’s one of the blacksmiths. The best one we’ve got. Hell, he taught me how to work metal. Hold on, you’ve been here for like a month. How do you not know this?”

“As you said, most of my time here has been spent training. I have not attempted to socialize.”

“Too bad. Well, in that case, my name’s Barth.” He holds out his hand and I clasp it heartily.

“Pleasure to meet you…Barth.” I say.

“I know, the name sucks.” He says, “How’s your nose?”

“Killing me, thank you.”

“So what’s yours?”

“My what?”

He laughs, “Usually when someone tells you their name, you tell them yours.”

“Oh. I do not have one.” I inform him.

“After all this time?” He asks.

“Unfortunately. I do not have any memories of a name, and do not care enough to make one for myself.”

“Well alright then.” Barth says. “It was nice to meet you, sir nameless.”

I chuckle. “A pleasure for me as well, Barth.”

I turn and continue on down the hall, at a slower pace. That was a bit odd. Did I just…make a friend? No, decidedly not. Not that anything would be wrong with that, but simply introducing yourself to someone does not make you their friend. Besides, I could not and therefore did not even introduce myself.

I exit the building through its large glass doors and when I do, I am greeted by several people with laughter.

“What is it?” I ask.

One of them points up to the building.

Oh no. I groan inwardly, turning around to look where they are pointing. About halfway up the building, there is a niche with a large statue in it. The statue, I am told, is of Ares, the god of war. How appropriate for a warring faction. Immediately I notice what is so funny. Stabbed directly into the statue’s crotch, is my staff.

“Darren put that there.” I say without doubt.

“Well, it wasn’t just Darren.” Someone, that girl with light hair, tells me.

“Who helped?” I ask, turning to face her. I recall her name is Naomi, though I may be wrong.

“Sammy and Lucas.” She answers. I now remember she is the one who had called me cute before.

“Then I shall have words with them.” I decide.

“First thing’s first.” The girl says, chuckling, “You’re gonna have to get that down.”

 

ɂɂɂ

 

“I am going to kill you, Darren.” I mutter. I stand before a door back inside the building, about where the statue is. I raise my hand to the off-white wood and knock four times.

After more time than I think should pass, the door finally opens for me to see the one with the sparse goatee and the unfriendly disposition. He is shorter than me by roughly half a foot, and is incredibly thin. Gary, I barely recall his name.

“What do you want?” He demands.

“Um,” I start, unsure how to proceed, “The Ares statue is near the outside of this room, as far as my figuring worked.”

“About, yeah.” He says, crossing his arms, “So what?”

“Darren put something of mine there.” I inform him. “I would like to retrieve it.”

“Your stick, right? Why would want that piece of junk?”

“That staff…is something of intrinsic value.” I respond.

“So?”

“May I pass through your room to the window so I can get to it?” I finally ask my question.

He does not answer for a few moments, until another door opens and I quickly glance to see the one called James come out of it and head down the hall.

Gary lowers his head and sighs, he then takes a step back and swings his arm through the room, “Just don’t touch my stuff.”

“Thank you.” I say, walking in past him. The room is much like mine, but over the bed I see a disturbing mask of black leather hanging on the wall. It would cover the right eye, leaving the left open to the air. The portion over the mouth is colored like that of…well, a mouth. A zipper would open it, revealing the wearer’s true mouth underneath.

I ignore the creepy mask and go to the window. For some reason this room has no balcony, just leading out to a despairingly thin ledge. Slowly I open the window and look out over several feet to the dirt ground below. It is higher from here than it seemed from below, but I swallow that apprehension and climb out.

I make my way out slowly, and as I stand on the thin brick pins and needles tingle within my feet and my breathing grows shallow. Fretfully I shuffle to my left, careful to not look down again. I close my eyes and continue my path, until the brick disappears under me.

My eyes fly open as my world tilts to the left more quickly than I would like. Fortunately my fall is abruptly stopped by hard concrete barely a foot below the brick ledge. I look up at the statue, and thank him for stopping my fall.

Nimbly I climb into the niche and awkwardly stand next to the bigger than life statue. The thing must be about three times the size of a normal human. He is dressed in Greek armor, and is carrying an oversized xiphos. A large helmet with a golden plume adorns his head, keeping his face unseen.

“He is not going to like this.” I mutter. Hold on, what?

Instead of trying to brace myself for the coming unpleasantness, I just grab the staff and try to pull it out. Those cruel b******s made a deep hole in the stone that refuses to part with the wooden staff. After much strain the staff finally comes loose and I pull it from the statue.

As soon as that happens, I have a vision. I see the man the statue is depicting, only alive. His mad eyes shine bright, as though he is staring into a roaring blaze. His maniacal laughter fills me with a sense of dread. Despite the fear I now feel, I also experience a strong desire to do battle with literally anything. I want to demand who he is, but before I can I hear a voice shout up at me.

“Hey Um!” A girl’s voice.

The words distract me and I lose my grip entirely. I windmill my arms, trying to stop my fall, but I am too late, and plummet to the ground.

I crash into the hard-packed dirt loudly, with my breath being knocked away as I land. Miraculously, I am mostly unhurt, only dazed. I look over for my staff and find it lying next to me in the two-inch crater I think I just created. My head hurts terribly, as does my back.

Only a single person calls me Um. As expected, I crane my neck and see Solution standing at the edge of my crater; she has a sword strapped to her side, a xiphos not unlike the one I had had in my dream. As per the norm, there is not even the hint of a smile on her pretty face.

“Hello, Solution.” I say to her, still lying in the dirt.

“Are you alright?” She asks. The words are nice, but her tone is more accusatory than concerned.

“Swell.” I say, sitting up slowly and gently rubbing the back of my aching head.

“We’re running low on supplies.” She informs me. “So Darren wants to launch a raid on the Dark God’s city soon.”

“Thank you for informing me.” I say.

“He also wants you to go.” She continues.

“I would be honored.”

“I don’t think you should.” I cannot decide if her bluntness is charming or irritating.

“Why not?” I ask after getting up to my feet, staff in hand.

“Because you aren’t trained for stealth missions.”

“How difficult can it be?” I respond.

“My point.” She replies.

“Well, it is Darren’s decision, and if he thinks I can help, I will not hesitate.”

She narrows her eyes and crosses her arms, “Do what you want, but if you jeopardize anyone, I’ll kill you myself.”

“Noted.” I reply, “But I will do nothing of the sort.”

Solution walks away, having delivered her message. Why does she hate me? I have not done a single thing beyond train. Whatever.

My stomach rumbles and I decide to head to the Bakery. The wonderful smell fills my nose when I enter and as always I breathe it deeply.

The counter is empty, which I have learned means that Krista is cooking.

“Hey Krista!” I call.

She comes out from the curtain, wiping her hands on a towel. “Hey White-head.” She greets me.

“I wish you would not call me that.” I say.

“Hmm, too bad. What’s up?”

“I would like to get something.” 

“Why else would you come here? Don’t bother, Darren already ordered for you.”

“Yo!” I hear from behind me. I turn and see him sitting at a table near the window. Our usual seat is too near the fireplace for my comfort, but it is where we have sat every day since my first day. He waves and beckons me over.

“What did he get for me?” I ask Krista.

“Just a latte.”

“Then I should like a muffin as well.” I decide.

“Coming up.” Krista says, handing me a glass before going through the curtain again.

“Hey man.” Darren greets me. “Sleep well?”

“Like I usually do, with my memory-dreams vanishing as I awaken.” I am about to sit down when my eyes once again fall on the stuffed snake heads hanging over the fireplace. A powerful shudder runs through me, but I force it down.

I sit at the table to find Darren eating an egg and meat pastry, drinking nothing.

“What sort of meat is that?” I ask.

“Oh, a rare delicacy, Krista found it this morning when she was on scouting duty. She picked it up, cleaned it, and got it ready just for me.”

“A nice gesture.” I comment, “What is it?”

“It’s not really anything special, just a rat.”

“And you are eating it?” Darren laughs at my disgust and takes a huge bite.

“Well, why not?” He says with food still in his mouth. “It’s been cleaned, and cooking it gets rid of anything else that could be harmful.”

“Never the less, that is disgusting.”

“Yeah right! What do you think you wolfed down for dinner last night?”

My surprise makes me choke on my drink, involuntarily spitting some of the hot liquid down to my chest. Reflexively I bring my hand to my face and talk through it while I wipe away the coffee. “That was rat? You told me it was lamb!”

“Would you have eaten it otherwise?”

“Well, I suppose not.” Under my breath, I say “I thought it tasted funny.”

“And how was it?”

“Well,” I sigh, “it was delicious.”

“There ya’ go.” He steals a sip of my latte, and then looks up at me with one eyebrow raised, “Where would we have gotten lamb?”

At that moment, I glance at the door to see a girl walk into the Bakery. Not an unusual sight for this popular place, but something about her makes me unable to look away. She is small and looks young, perhaps fourteen years, though I am not certain about that. Her medium-length hair is a bright shade of pink, and her big eyes shine red in the low light. She catches me looking at her and gives me an accusing stare. I snap my head down and stare at the table.

“Cute, isn’t she?” Darren asks.

“What?” I say.

“That girl.” He says, gesturing at her with his head. “She’s cute, huh?”

 “So, what are our plans for today?” I ask, changing the subject.

“Dunno,” Darren grins and steals more of my drink. “Solution hasn’t spoken to me yet. I’d go find her, but last time I did that, I...regretted it.”

“This morning she told me of the impending raid on the Dark God’s city.” I inform him.

“Oh did she?” Darren says. “You two talk much?”

“Not really, she told me about the raid, said I should not go, and then left.”

“Ahh,” Darren says, “I’m sorry she hates you. Poor thing.”

I am about to reply when Krista comes to the table with my muffin. She sets it down in front of me and I thank her. She winks at Darren before leaving.

“I will have you know that just yesterday; we managed to have a conversation where she was not, um, vicious.”

“Solution is always vicious.” Darren says.

“Yes.” I agree, eagerly biting into the muffin. I continue only after swallowing. “But she no longer looks at me like I am…how did you say…‘a treat for her pet wolf’.”

“That’s more than I get.” Darren whines. “Fuzz-ball scares the s**t out of me.”

Solution actually does have a pet wolf. Or so Darren and she both claim. I have not seen it yet, I only know that she calls it Piercer and Darren refers to it as Fuzz-ball.

“For all she’s a tough chick she’s really affectionate for that thing.” He continues.

“Have you actually seen it?” I ask. I have heard about the wolf several times, but I am beginning to think it is nothing more than a rumor.

“She and I found it together.” He answers.

“You found it?” I repeat.

“We were coming back from a raid when we came upon this little wolf pup. It was crawling on the ground, obviously injured and starving. Solution picked it up and decided, despite our objections, to bring it here. She took care of it and now it’s her pet. He loves her. Never took to anyone else, though. It mostly stays in Solution’s room, doing I don’t know what.”

“Odd to think that a girl like Solution would have a soft spot.”

“Well, it is a wolf.” Darren says.

“Fair point. Still, surprisingly cute for her.”

“I guess so.”

“What are you planning for the raid?” I ask.

“Dunno. Solution and I are gonna go over the plan later. We‘re hoping to score some coffee, definitely get meat.”

“Yes, no more rat.” I agree.

“Come on, rat isn’t that bad.”

“Fine.“ I pause for a few moments while Darren tries to steal more of my latte. “Do you agree that I should not go?” I ask as I pull the cup away from him.

“Nah, I want you to come.” He reaches for my cup, but I hold it past his reach.

“You seem sure.” I note, now smiling at his desperate attempt to take the glass.

“I got a feeling.” He tries to make another reach for my drink, but fails again.

“How often are you wrong?” I ask, and then sip my drink to tantalize him.

“Never.” While I keep my drink from him, he swipes my muffin and wolfs it down in one bite.

“Then it seems I am going.”

“Great.” He says, grinning. The grin fades after he swallows. “Do…do you think you shouldn’t go?”

“I would be honored.” I answer, “But Solution could have a point. I am not trained in stealth.”

“Raids aren’t as high stealth as you think. In fact, we usually end up getting spotted and have to fight our way out.”

“Is that not dangerous?” I ask.

“The hell do you think we train for?” He answers. “As long as we don’t run into the Dark God, we consider it a success.”

“Has that happened before?”

A dark look comes over Darren’s face. “Once.”

“It was a failure?” I guess

“Hah, an outright catastrophe. We lost some good people that day. Krista‘s sister was one of them. That was the last time she fought.”

“I am sorry.” I say.

Darren shakes his head. “Casualties are to be expected. We lose, we mourn for a while, and we fight on. That’s life.”

“Do you not think it sad that it must be that way?”

“Well, yeah, of course it is. But we don‘t have a choice. Either we fight and live with the consequences, or we become sheep and live under the Dark God.”

“You options are clear cut then.” I say.

“The way I see it, our only option is to fight.”

“I agree.”

We sit in silence for a few minutes, slowly finishing our meals. Darren looks up after I finish my drink. “So…you talked to Solution, huh?”

“Silence.”

“I’m just messin’ with you. Solution’s kinda freaking me out, though. I mean, more than usual.”

“Why?”

“She’s fed up with Maria.”

“Solution has been ‘fed up’ with Maria ever since I got here.”

“No, Solution’s been fed up with Maria ever since Maria started to like me.”

“So Maria does like you.” It is not a question but a confirmation.

“Wasn’t that obvious? Jeez, she was so glaringly clear about it everyone knows. Anyway I don’t really care. She pisses me off. Besides, I’ve got Krista, after all.”

“Oh, yes, how is that going?”

Darren’s eyes go wide and he smiles an obviously fake smile, “Remember our deal? We agreed that we wouldn’t talk about me and Krista, ever!”

“You do not hesitate to pick on me about Solution.”

“You aren’t with Solution. Yours is just a hopeless crush.”

“Despite that, it is not so different.”

“Just shut it.”

It is always nice when I can pick on Darren, rather than him pick on me. “Okay, okay.” I say, holding my hands up. “Wait a second, why would Solution be angry about Maria liking you?”

“Solution’s really protective of me.”

“Why? She is younger than you, right?”

“Barely. Like, by seconds. So what?”

“So why would Solution be protective of you?” Solution walks into the Bakery then, and Darren laughs loudly.

“Saved by the very person we’re talking about! What luck!”

“Darren,” Solution says, “What have I told you regarding talking about me?”

“That if I ever talked about you when you weren’t around, you would cut my a*s off with your favorite dagger.” Protective?

“Right,” Solution says. She then pulls out said dagger, and holds it menacingly. Darren’s eyes get wide, and he holds up his hands.

“We were just talking about how you and I need to go over the plan for the raid.”

“Hmm.” She says, twirling her dagger in her hands, watching it almost lovingly. After Darren becomes sufficiently freaked out she smiles. “I’m gonna get breakfast.”

Solution walks to the counter, and Darren brings his hand to his chest, clutching it as if his life was just saved.

“I have been meaning to ask what is between you and Solution. You seem to be very close, but she also wants to throttle you every time you see each other.”

“That’s how relationships like ours work. It doesn’t really matter, point is, the girl’s nuts, and we should run.”

“I am sure that she was only teasing us.” I assure him.

“You really don’t know anything. Alright, fine, let’s do it your way.”

“Hey, Solution!” I call out, and she turns to come back to us.

“Look, Darren, her knife is put away.”

“She could have that knife and our eyes out before we have time to blink.”

“Hey guys.” She says, “You wanted to talk, so let’s go.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He says mockingly, not moving.

“Not kidding, to the Great Hall, now.” She orders.

“What about your breakfast?”

“I got it to go. Now let’s go.”

Darren gets up to leave, following Solution out the door with his head down.

“Wait, Solution!” I yell, I get up and walk over to them.

“What?” She says, not looking at me or even stopping.

“What should I do?”

“How is that my concern? Train or something, I don’t care.”

Solution walks out the door with Darren on her heels. I sigh and then look back around the Bakery. As always, those terrible snake heads make me shudder. I look over at the pink haired girl and see her staring out the window. She catches me looking at her again and before anything strange can happen I go out the door.

I follow Solution and Darren to the Great Hall, and while they go to the table to plan, I head over to the training section and whack away at dummies. Trying, unsuccessfully, to eavesdrop on the two leaders.

“Why does she speak so harshly to me?” I mutter, and then blow a dummy’s head off.

“I am an extremely nice and respectable guy.” A dummy’s legs go out from under it.

“Why?” Practically a hiss under my breath. Then I stab through a dummy’s chest.

“Oh s**t.” I start pulling at the staff, but suddenly a light comes from the dummy’s eyes. It then blows up with a painful burst of light, knocking me to the ground.

“What the hell was that?” I mumble, spitting straw out of my mouth. I feel my chest where my armor should be, trying to assess damage. However, there is none to be found. Even my clothes are completely intact. Still, I should see about getting new armor.

“Hey, you alright?” Triton’s voice says. I look up to see him kneeling next to me, along with Darren and Solution, who both stand with their arms crossed above me.

I look at where the dummy had been and see a star-blast shaped crater in the ground, about four feet deep and the same across. Where the ground should have been blackened by the blast, it is stained white. I crawl forward to inspect it and upon examination it looks and feels like the same char that would come from a normal blast, but for the snowy color.

“Dude, what did you do?” Darren says.

“What happened?” Solution demands

“I do not know.” I answer, shifting the white dust in my fingers, “I had just stabbed through the dummy, and I was trying to pull it out. I was angry, and then, this happened.”

“Why were you angry?” Solution asks.

“I was just thinking about…” I stop myself.

“About what?”

I look at her for a good while, and then I blush and look down. Solution looks confused for a second, but then she blushes as well. Darren is looking between us, then bursts out laughing.

 Solution elbows him and shakes her head, and then helps me stand. “It doesn’t matter. Anyway, we finished our plan for today.”

“What did you arrive at?” I ask.

“We are certainly launching a small raid.”

“Oh, great!” Triton calls sarcastically.

“Who is going?” I ask, ignoring him.

“After some figuring, we decided on a seven-unit team of us two, Lucas, Todd, Sammy, Zayin, and you.”

“Me? You agree I should go?”

“You seem to have a connection to The Dark God.” Solution says, “There’s something really weird about you, like you aren’t the way you’re supposed to be. Plus, we’re probably heading into a hell of a fight; you’re our best fighter, so we’ll need you.”

“Plus, plus,” Darren says, “I convinced Solution that the best way to train at stealth is to go on a stealth mission.”

“Oh, alright. Thank you. What of Triton?”

“I’m not a field guy.” Triton says. “I’d rather stay here.”

“Understood. How soon do we leave?”

“I’m gonna give everyone around three hours to prepare.” Solution answers. “Be ready by then and meet us here.”

“I look forward to this. Erebus will wonder what hit him!”

“Why do you call him that?”

“What?”

“You’re the only person besides the Dark God himself who calls him that.”

“Well, it is his name. And you all only call him the Dark God out of fear. I do not fear him. And I do not believe him to be a god anyway.”

“Well, that’ll change really soon. I guarantee it.” Solution turns to leave.

“So, what the hell happened here?” Darren asks.

I watch Solution walk away, wondering how Darren managed to convince her I should go with them. I turn my attention to the crater Darren is examining. He scrapes up the white powder and looks more closely at it. He pinches it with his fingers, then sniffs it. He sneezes and rubs his nose. Finally, to my surprise, he licks it.

He spits it out immediately. “Yup.” He concludes.

“What?” I ask.

“That’s gross.”

“And?”

“It’s definitely the same char you’d get from any typical fire blast.”

“But it is white.”

“I noticed that, yeah.” Darren says, wiping the powder off his hands as he gets to his feet. “But other than that, it’s normal soot.”

“If you say so.” I concede.

“Wanna walk me through what happened again?”

“I was attacking the dummies, wondering why Solution hates me. I was only getting angrier, then I stabbed right through that one and suddenly a bright light came from it, and it exploded.”

“Interesting.” Darren says.

“Is that all you have to say?” I ask.

“Well can you explain this?” He challenges.

“I suppose not.” I say, “But still.”

“Still nothing.” Darren says. “We’ll figure this out, relax.”

“Can I interject?” Triton says as if having waited for a chance to speak.

“Sure.” Darren says.

“Well, he…” Triton stops himself. “Right, uh nevermind. Thought I had something, but it’s dumb.”

I get to my feet. “What do you suggest I do?”

“Go see the blacksmiths and get some new armor.” Darren instructs me.

“No, about…”

“I know what about.” He interrupts. “But we don’t know what happened, nor do we have a way to find out.”

“So we are going to just pretend it did not happen?” I ask.

“Yes. Now go get new armor.”

“Fine.” I grumble. “Where do I go?”

“There’s a door a bit of a way from the weapon stockpile, it leads to a bigger armory and a forge. They’ll attack you when you enter, be sure to use your weapon, the attack is a test. After you win the fight, ask for Zayin.”

“My weapon.” I say, pulling it out. “Oh, that reminds me.” I take the staff and lightly whack Darren on the head with it.

“Hey, what the hell, man!” He yells out, holding his head in his hands.

“You put this in the crotch of the Ares statue.” I remind him.

He does not seem to know what I mean, then revelation comes across his face and he starts to laugh. “Oh, yeah. That was good. But we’re past that mattering now, get going.”

I head for the stockpile and look for the door Darren mentioned. Behind me I hear Darren and Triton conversing, but I cannot hear what they say. Immediately to the left of the stockpile I find a glass plate similar to the one at the Great Hall entrance. I put my hand to it, thinking it will open for me the way the other one did for Darren. Instead, electricity comes out of it, shocking me painfully. I fall to the ground, gasping for breath and clutching my hand to my chest as it tingles and twitches.

Darren and Triton run over to me and kneel down. Darren places his hand on my shoulder. He keeps it there, steadying me until I stop twitching.

“What…the hell…happened?” I wheeze out.

“I don’t know.” He answers, pulling me to my feet. “The plates are set to recognize all humans. So, for it to reject you…” He stops suddenly and fixes me with a look of suspicion.

“For it to reject me what?” I ask.

Darren sounds betrayed. “For it to reject you means you are not human.”

“That is ridiculous.” I say. “Perhaps the thing is broken.”

“No.” he says thoughtfully, “We keep these things maintained with highest priority.”

“I dunno,” Triton says, “Maybe something happened. It is cracked a little.”

“Not a chance.” Darren insists.

To challenge him, I place my hand on it again, assuring myself that it is just malfunctioning. The plate begins to sparkle as it did before, but I press my hand to it even harder, and again silently assure myself that it is merely broken. A bright light flashes under my hand, red at first, but as it grows brighter it turns into a bluish white color before becoming entirely white. When the flare ends, Darren and I pull our hands away from our faces to see the doorway opened.

“Just broken.” I think aloud.

“I…guess you’re right.” Darren says with the voice of someone who does not believe what they had seen, but lacks the knowledge to accept anything else.

I put my hand on Darren’s shoulder, “Do not worry, I am human.”

I pat him and go through the small hallway, wondering if my statement is true. Passing me, going the other way, I see a flash of pink. Suddenly my face erupts in pain and I am knocked to the ground. I jump up into a crouch, pulling out my weapon as I do. I do not move in order to let my eyes adjust to the dim light only the fires of several hearths provide.

Two people stand before me, clad in full armor and carrying wooden cudgels embedded with metal stubs. They look down on me through the slits in their helms like vultures eyeing their next meal.

Without thinking I roll forwards in between the legs of the first guy, kicking him in the groin with my ankle. The armor covers all, so he does not fall over as I had hoped, but it does give me the opportunity to get up to my feet and strike him over the head with my staff. His helm is well made, I can tell, but it was not made for him either, too loose. The metal clangs around his head, rattling his brain and making him drop his weapon and bring his hands to his head. I strike him at a chink I find at his neck, and another at his knees, bringing him down on them. The weight of his armor does the rest of the job for me, and he is soon on his face, mumbling something about ‘crappy hand-me-downs’.

I almost forget the other until his club strikes me on the back, marking me and making me cry out. I fall to my knees, and try to use my staff to sweep his legs. However, this one clearly has armor made for him, and backs up more swiftly than should be possible. He attempts to strike me with the head of his club, but I quickly scramble away.

“Crawling away on our knees, are we?” He taunts.

I do not respond, instead going under a table. I jump up and somersault over it, flinging a small stone I find on the table at my attacker. He catches the rock and throws it down in irritation. This gives me the window to strike a blow across his stomach. The armor is well made, but it is also thin, meant for speed rather than force. My blow makes him double over, and I strike him over the head, knocking the helmet right off.

He stumbles backwards for a moment, dropping his club. His long dirty blonde hair comes out and he fixes me with a look of irritation.

“You knocked my helmet off.” He growls.

“You…” I begin, “You hit me with a door.”

He picks up his helmet from the floor and places it on the table behind him.

“Alright, fine. Good point.” Barth concedes, removing the gauntlets from his arms. “You are good.”

“As are you.” I tell him, holstering the staff. I turn to the one on the floor, “Oh, and you are as well.”

“You don’t have to be nice to Jack.” Barth says, continuing the removal of his armor. “He sucked.”

The guy, Jack, starts to pick himself up, “He took me by surprise, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.” Barth says. He shakes his head and starts to smile. “So, here to see Zayin, are ya’?”

“Yes.” I answer, “Where do I find him?”

Barth gestures with his head to the far end of the place. Jack gets up and heads to a side wall, where he flips a switch. When he does, the room grows brighter slightly. Again I wonder how the place is lit.

“Wanna know how it works?” Barth asks me.

“What, the light?”

“Yes, the light.”

“I have been curious about it.” I admit.

“If you get really close to the wall, you’ll notice little…things. G’head, take a look.”

I put my face close to the wall and look closely as instructed. For a moment I wonder what I am supposed to be seeing, but then I realize. The walls are lined with miniscule orbs of light no bigger than grains of sand.

“We call it Network.” Barth says. “It was one of the last great inventions of mankind before the Dark God’s rise.”

“What is it exactly?” I ask.

“The obvious function is light.” Barth begins.

“But it’s a lot more.” Jack interrupts.

“Yeah, it also functions as an air filtration system, and can raise or lower the temperature of a room, depending on the collective needs of the people it surrounds.”

“Incredible.” I say. “Is it capable of more?”

“Possibly.” Barth says, walking over to the wall and stroking it almost lovingly, “We haven’t entirely figured it out yet. With more time, we might just solve its mysteries. For now though, we’re limited by our lack of ability to study it. All we know it can do is the things it does on its own, temperature and light and stuff.”

“But Jack turned on the light.” I point out.

“Well, the techies before us did figure out how to connect it to an old-school light dimmer system. Other than that, it’s completely automatic.”

 “One must wonder.” I say, mostly to myself. “Now, where is Zayin?”

“Here.” A gruff voice says.

I turn and immediately crane my head to take in the figure before me. He stands a full two feet above me, and I am roughly six feet tall. He clearly does a lot of muscle training, as his giant arms look like they could bend an iron bar. He is wearing full armor, only without the helm, and long red hair falls to his broad shoulders. In addition, he has a long beard the color of flames, unkempt and slightly dirty-looking.

I do not say anything for a few moments, instead standing speechless. He grins at me, revealing that his sharpened canine teeth are made entirely out of gold.

A voice comes from behind the giant, “The immovable blob would be my brother, Shin.”

Shin steps to the side and instinctively I raise my hand. When I realize what had happened, I see a short knife in my hand so close it is nearly touching my nose. I drop it as soon as I realize it, and look up at the thrower.

Standing with his arm outstretched is a guy about my age with long curly brown hair, tanned skin, and a grin ridiculous enough to rival Darren’s. He is wearing bronze gauntlets and a breastplate of darker metal. An intricate piece of metal covers his nose, and spreads up to crest him like a small crown. Dark pieces of blue glass connect to the crown, covering his eyes.

“I am Zayin.” He says.

“You…threw a knife at me.” I say slowly.

“Yeah,” he says, picking up another one. “I just finished a set, and I wanted to see how well I could throw them. You just happened to get in the way.”

“Were you expecting me to catch it?” I ask.

“How could I have?” He responds, “I didn’t even notice anyone was in here until Shin spoke up.” He comes around the table and walks over to me. He puts his arm around my shoulder and shows off the knife, “What d’ya think? Nice, isn’t it?”

The knife is about five inches long, intricately carved iron with a leather grip. Well made, admittedly, but I cannot escape the fact that he threw its twin right at me.

“It is great.” I say.

“Good answer.” Zayin says, he heads back to the table, picking up the other knife as he does. He sets up two miniature dummies, and tests the knives on them. When he settles from a blur of movement, the dummies lie in several pieces. Zayin then tosses each knife to Shin, who catches them without a thought and sheathes them in his belt.

Zayin dusts away the dummy scraps, then picks up a small set of precision tools and starts to carve a small statue (of what I cannot tell).

“So then,” He says, still carving, “What is it you want here?”

I shake my head to focus, “Oh, right. My armor has become weakened, and I would like to replace it.”

“Sounds dull; that all you got?” He asks.

“Well, if you could make it able to withstand more wear…”

At that moment Solution walks in the door. Barth and Jack step aside to let her pass, and Zayin immediately puts away the small statue. Even Shin backs away a few steps.

I, however, stay still, and so block Solution’s way. She stops in front of me and stands there without speaking.

“Can I help you?” I ask her.

“Only by getting out of my way.” She answers.

“Oh, sorry.” I say, moving.

“Hey Solution.” Zayin says brightly.

“Hi.” She says as unfriendly as always. “Are you done sharpening my sword yet?”

“Well, yes.” Zayin answers, “But as I told you when I started, it doesn’t need to be sharpened anymore.”

“I’ll judge that.” She responds. Zayin shakes his head and reaches below the table, bringing out the bronze xiphos Solution had been carrying before.

She takes it from him carefully, as if afraid to break it. She studies it closely, running her hand along the gleaming surface. She turns the blade to study its edge. It looks like quite a fine weapon to me, but Solution’s face is expressionless.

Without needing to be told, Zayin and Shin struggle to bring out a heavy looking stone slab. Seems to be made of granite.

“How did you manage to create a granite statue?” I ask.

“Trust me, you don’t wanna know.” Barth replies.

I look at the statue again and notice that it is a carving of Darren. Why would they make a statue of him? And what do they use it for? The likeness is uncanny; whoever carved it clearly took incredible time and effort to get every detail. It even has an exact replica of his trademark grin.

As I am thinking that, Solution takes a deep breath, raises the xiphos, and slices it through the Darren statue’s chest. The blade goes straight through without even slowing down, but Solution huffs her breath.

“It isn’t enough.” She says, all but tossing the blade back to Zayin.

“Huh?” Zayin shrieks, nearly cutting his arm off by catching it, “As it is this thing can cleave solid stone without trouble. How much sharper could you possibly want it?”

“Sharp enough to do the same to a metal statue.” She responds.

“A metal one.” Zayin repeats.

“Solid.” She continues.

“A solid metal statue?”

“That a problem?” Solution challenges.

“Not only is it a problem.” Shin says in his gruff voice. He goes over to Zayin and places his hand on his shoulder, “It’s completely impossible. Even Zayin’s skills can’t make any blade sharper than that one is now. Frankly, it’s amazing that he could get it that sharp and keep it sturdy.”

“The point is that blade is as good as it’s ever gonna get.” Zayin concludes.

“Not just the blade,” Barth says, “Do you have any idea how much trouble we’d have to go through to create a statue like that?”

“What do you want me to do then?” Solution asks.

“Be content with the blade as it is?” I suggest. She looks at me as though she had forgotten I was there.

I go over to the statue and tap it with my foot, “That beautifully made sword cut a…” I look down at it, “…completely solid granite statue in half without even slowing down. I do not know what it is you are planning to fight, but it seems to me that whatever it is cannot stand a chance against that xiphos.”

Solution puts her forefinger and thumb to her chin and ponders my words, “Maybe you’re right.” She says, she takes the sword back from Zayin and sheathes it on her back. “Thank you Zayin, you’ve done a great job.”

“N-no problem.” He stutters. He watches Solution until the far door closes behind her, and then pumps his fist in the air with glee.

“She liked it!” He screams. The other three all pat Zayin on the back and congratulate him. I smile, before I realize just how overjoyed he is.

“Oh, you favor Solution.” I conclude, unintentionally aloud.

Zayin immediately loses all happiness and fixes me with a look that I cannot read.

“Maybe.” He says. “What’s it to you?”

“Nothing.” I say quickly, “Just an observation.”

“That better be it.” He threatens.

“I assure you it is. Now, about my armor.”

“Yeah, I assume you want the same type as before. As everyone else?”

“Yes, thank you. Only, I would appreciate you making it a bit stronger than the norm. I have a feeling it will be enduring more damage than what you usually make.”

“Yeah, got it.” He says. “You care about style at all? Or do you just want it to do its job?”

“You are the one making it.” I answer, “Do what you think is best.”

“I’ll give it some style then.” He goes to the far wall and stares at it.

I stand there awkwardly for a few moments. “How soon should it be ready?”

“Couple days.” He answers. “Now go away so we can work.”

“I do not have a couple of days.” I complain. “I am leaving on a Dark City raid in only a few hours!”

“Then you better be extra careful.” Zayin retorts.

“Can you do nothing else for me?” I plead.

“I’m giving you a real gift here for no other reason than because you asked me to.” He is still not looking at me, “I’d suggest you take what you can get and show some gratitude for it.”

“You are right, I apologize.” He waves his hand. “Do you have any advice for me?”

“Pray that you’re really lucky. Now I repeat, get the hell out of here so we can work.”

 

ɂɂɂ

 

“So you have to go with us foregoing armor?” Darren asks.

“It would seem so.”

Darren sits back and takes a bite of his apple, “Damn. This could be bad for you.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence.” I groan.

“Sorry, but these missions are dangerous. People die on them; and that’s with armor.”

“What happened to armor being worthless?”

He shakes his head, “That was Julian’s belief. I’m not sure how much stock I take in it, but he drilled it into me.”

“What is your own belief?”

“I think you should be able to fight without a full suit.” He answers, “But some protection over the vital areas is obviously necessary.”

“So without armor are you worried I might…’bite it’?”

“Don’t use that phrase. And not per se.” Darren finishes his apple and tosses it at the hearth. Somehow he misses, and while he goes to pick it up he continues, “But it is a real possibility. We don’t know what might happen. We have to be prepared for the worst. If all goes well, we won’t even have to fight.”

“And how often does everything go well?” I ask.

“Let me put it to you this way,” he starts, sitting back down and leaning forward, “When I announced that we were going to launch a raid on the Dark City, everyone in the vicinity, even people who wouldn’t even go on the mission, groaned loudly.”

“Never then.” I conclude.

“Pretty much. No one’s died in a while though, so that’s a good thing.”

“I would guess so.” Darren and I sit in silence for a while, considering everything that might go wrong. I look up at the window and see the pink-haired girl I had seen here previously. She walks into the Bakery and goes right to the counter. She talks to Krista for a bit, and then goes to a far table. As she sits she plops her head down on the table and seems to fall asleep.

“You are right.” I say to Darren, who glances at me expectantly. “That girl is cute.”

Darren looks over at her and nods. “Yeah, that she is. You gonna talk to her?”

“For what purpose?” I ask.

“I dunno,” He shrugs, “Strike up a friendship, let that lead somewhere…but I dunno.”

“Silence.” I say, and he laughs.

For some reason, the mood feels down, like something terrible has happened. Or like something terrible is about to happen.

Darren sighs. “I have a gut feeling something awful is gonna happen, soon too.”

“What makes you think so?” I ask. Did he read my mind?

“I get feelings, remember?” He responds, “I don’t know what it is, but in some way, s**t’s about to hit the fan.”

“What does that mean?” I ask.

“It means we’re fucked.”

“Oh.” I consider that for a moment, but shove it aside. “Worry does not do anyone any good. We will be fine. I am sure of it.”

“Well, I’m glad at least one of us is feeling optimistic.”

“What are our plans until we head off?” I ask.

“The time before a mission is always a time for chilling, so we’re not gonna do much of anything but rest.”

“Solution said to prepare.” I remind him.

“She means prepare ourselves mentally.” He says. “Get ready to know what to do while we’re there, prepare yourself for anything that may happen, including the potential deaths.”

I sit back in my chair and wonder how Solution prepares herself. Where is she now? I think I saw her heading for the ‘living’ street, has she gone back to her room to rest?

My curiosity builds, overflowing within me, and I get to my feet and start heading for the door.

“Where are you going?” Darren asks.

“Something has struck my mind.” I tell him. “I would like to go find out.”

“Be careful.” He says, leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes.

I head out of the Bakery and start making my way to the street marked ‘living’. I have learned the layout of this cave city, and find my way easily.

I close my eyes as I walk and start humming. The tune is something fast paced, but I do not know what it is; only that it is a song I enjoy. Remember when…

“What are you humming?” Someone asks.

I turn and see that dark-skinned boy who had said something about reading me before. He has shoulder-length black hair. His face is questioning, but somehow also suggests, ‘I know everything’. Something about him is off putting, but I cannot tell what it is.

“I am not sure.” I answer. “The tune was just in my head.”

“Oh. Cool.” He says. “So, I hear Darren talked Solution into letting you come with us on the raid.”

“Yes, he did.”

“Alright, fine. I’m not really good with that. I mean, you look like a lot of trouble.”

“Forgive me,” I say, “But who are you?”

“Name’s Lucas.” He says. “And you’re the new guy with no name.”

“I have been here for a full month.” I retort, “Hardly new.”

"A month.” He scoffs, “We’ve all been here for the entirety of our lives.”

“Impressive.” I respond. I take an instant disliking to Lucas, and continue my walk.

“Where are you going?” He asks.

“A couple streets over.” I answer.

“Living?” He asks.

“Yes.”

“For what purpose?”

“I do not think it is your business.”

“I’ll find out.” He says. He stops in front of me, making me stop as well. He looks into my eyes and does not close his for several moments. A look of confusion and then frustration comes across his face.

“What are…” I start to ask.

“What the hell?” He grumbles. He narrows his eyes and stares at me again. “Still nothing.”

“I do not know what it is you are doing,” I say, “But you are now in my way, so kindly move.”

“Fine.” He says. He turns and walks away, but I hear him mumble “Must not have had anything going on upstairs.”

What does that mean?

A growling noise distracts me, and I turn to find a small creature staring at me. It is a small thing, clearly young. It has black and grey fur coating its graceful form, and startlingly blue eyes convey a fierce intelligence. It comes closer to me, but I do not know whether to fight or run.

As it gets still closer, it stops suddenly, and its growling ceases. Its fierce face becomes passive, and it drops its tongue and pants. I realize the thing only comes up to my calf and is actually rather cute. Tentatively I lower my hand to rest on its head. Before I even near its fur, it bumps my hand with its head and forces me to pet it. I oblige with pleasure, and find myself stroking the small beast, kneeling down to better reach it.

“Piercer!” I hear someone call, as if looking for someone.

Piercer? Is this Solution’s wolf that Darren had told me about? The beast jumps suddenly and looks towards the voice, excitement making it wag its tail.

Solution appears from around the corner, and smiles gently at seeing the creature. She kneels down and pats her legs, making a ­ts-ts sound as she does. The wolf, Piercer, runs for her and leaps into her arms. She picks it up and it licks her face lovingly. From the bag over her shoulder she brings out a piece of cooked meat wrapped in cloth and feeds it to Piercer, who gobbles it up greedily.

She repeats the phrase ‘good boy’ as she pets and feeds him, and I find myself watching with joy.

“This is Piercer?” I ask.

She looks at me, startled as if not having realized I was there. She picks up the wolf and cradles him in her arms.

“Yeah.” She says, “Found him a while ago. He’s always been small.”

Piercer wiggles in her arms and attacks her by licking her face again.

“You met Lucas?” She asks.

“I guess.” I answer.

She shakes her head and continues stroking the wolf. “I hate him.”

“Easy to see why.” I respond.

“He gets on my nerves.” She continues, “Know-it-all.”

She is one to talk, “What was he trying to do?”

“Irrelevant.” She answers, “What are you doing here?”

“Actually, I was wondering what you were doing to prepare for tomorrow.”

“And what led you to that thought?”

“Darren and I were discussing what you meant by ‘prepare’. To him, it means we are to relax and preserve our strength.”

“Darren thinks we should all just chill.” She concludes.

“Essentially, yes.”

She shakes her head, “Darren is a fool.”

“Then what is it you are doing?” I ask.

“I’m going to plan out our mission, that way we can all know what it is we’re doing. I’ll go over it with you all before we head out.”

“You plan alone?”

“Do you think I need help?” She issues it as a challenge as she sets Piercer on the ground. He takes off to where I do not know, but my eyes do not dwell on him for long.

“No, but do you not think another perspective could be beneficial?”

“And who’s perspective?” She scoffs, “Yours?”

“Why not mine?”

“Because you are untrained. You are unaware of what we are doing, where we are going, and how to strategize a stealth mission.”

I am about to respond, but hear words in my head. “You don’t know how to plan, this is my specialty, stick to yours, you glorified light-bulb.”

“Light-bulb?” I repeat.

“What?” Solution asks.

“I heard words in my head.” I tell her, trying to figure out what they meant.

“What did they say?” She asks.

“She called me a glorified light-bulb.”

“Who did?”

“I do not know.” I say, shaking my head.

Solution looks down at the ground for a moment. “Alright, fine. If you want to come with me, go ahead.”

“Great!” I exclaim, “Should I get Darren?”

“What for?”

“I just thought, since he is the leader, should he not be a part of planning missions?”

“That idiot is only good for stirring people up and telling them what to do. He doesn’t know the first thing about strategy.”

“Why are you so cruel to him?” I wonder aloud.

“That’s how relationships like ours work.” She answers.

“What relationship is that?” I ask. Darren said exactly the same thing to the question.

“Well he’s my…”

“Hey, Solution!” Maria calls, cutting Solution off.

“Damn.” Solution whines. She pleads at me with her eyes and whispers “Get me out of this, please!”

“Solution,” Maria says, stopping in front of us, “Hey, listen.”

Solution dons a look of utter annoyance, “What?”

“Alright, well, I was wondering if maybe you could help me with something.”

“No.”

“You don’t even know what it is!” the girl whines.

“Doesn’t matter, I refuse.”

“But please!”

“If I could interrupt.” I say.

“What do you want?” Maria says.

“Piss off.” I tell her.

Both girls are caught off guard, and their mouths fall open.

“Excuse me?” Maria says.

“Piss off.” I repeat, “Solution and I are very busy, so unless you want to be fed to her wolf, you will leave us alone.”

Maria blinks several times, trying to process my words. She looks at Solution, who crosses her arms and nods. Seemingly unsure of what to do, Maria turns around and slowly walks away.

Solution turns to me with a look of shock, “Well that was…surprising, coming from you.”

“I figured it would throw her off-guard.”

“Impressive.”

“Thank you.”

After a silent walk to the Great Hall, Solution and I stand at the room’s commanding table. A map of the Dark God’s city is spread out, as well as lists of the supplies we have stocked up.

Solution takes a disk out of her bag, one identical to the one Darren had before, and as when he did it a holographic (I learned the word a bit ago) rises up.

“I’m thinking we should enter from here.” Solution says, zooming into an open tunnel near the edge of the city.

“This map says that that is a sewer pipe.” I notice.

“I know it’s cliché.” She says, “But there’s a reason for that, it really works.”

“No, that is not my concern.” I say.

“What is then?”

“I do not know if you realized, but according to this map, that sewer pipe is very small, not big enough for one person, let alone seven.”

Solution looks down at the map again, more closely. “So it would seem.”

“I thought you had done this before.” I remark.

“We have, but no one way works perfectly yet. We try a new tactic every time so we can find one that conceals us completely.”

“Then,” I start, analyzing the map, I point to the northeast section of the city, seemingly a financial district, where a month ago Darren had explained the storage building is. “Perhaps we should enter from street level.”

“What would entering from there accomplish?” Solution asks.

“Our goal is to get to the financial district, yes? Why not start from there and save time?”

“Because we are currently southwest from the Dark God’s city.” She responds, “The financial district is in the northeast. I don’t know about you, but I’m not too eager to traverse the entirety of the city completely exposed to detection.”

“What if we travel by rooftop?” A voice says from under the table.

A smile comes across Solution’s face and she bends down to the table. I follow suit and look below to see Sammy. He looks up at us and hides behind his huge hands.

Solution puts her hand on one of his. “How long have you been down there?” She asks the boy.

“Almost half an hour.” He says at a near whisper.

“Then you know about our dilemma.”

“Yes.”

“What was it you suggested?” I ask him.

He looks up at me in fear, and crawls away to hide behind Solution, who fixes me with an inquisitive look. I only shrug, and she gets to her feet, urging Sammy to do the same.

“Now,” She says, “What did you say about rooftops?”

“I just thought, the rooftops in the dark place are really high, if we travel on them, no one will be able to see us from down below.”

Solution meets my eyes and smiles, “That’s brilliant, good thinking Sammy!”

Sammy smiles brightly at her.

“Now that we have that sorted out.” She continues, “We need to figure out what to do once we get to the financial district.”

Darren’s voice startles me from behind. “Obviously, we break into the well-stocked buildings and bust s**t up!”

Solution sighs, “And that, Darren, is why you don’t make the plans.”

“I’m only kidding.” He responds. “That is what we usually wind up doing though.” From his back he unsheathes twin hook swords and lays them on the table. “No, but we are going to break into the well-stocked buildings, if we find people, we deal with them silently.”

“Now, when you say ‘deal with them’…” I say

“Naturally, I mean we’ll kill them.” He replies.

“Yes, naturally. Only wanted to make sure.”

“What are we looking for exactly?” I ask him.

“Whatever we can get our hands on.” He answers. “But make sure to find coffee.”

“Before anything else we need that.” Solution agrees. She shakes her head and rubs her eyes. “Alright then, beyond getting in, I think the rest of what to do is pretty simple. Meeting adjourned.”

“So… are we going to head off now?” I ask.

“Well, I don’t see why not.” Darren says, “We’ve got everything we need and a plan. So let’s go.”

“We don’t have everything.” Solution says, “Where’s Lucas?”

“Todd isn’t here either.” Sammy says.

“Alright, fine.” Darren says, “Sammy, you go to find the dummy twins, we’re gonna go to the garage.”

“Garage?” I repeat.

Darren smiles at me and gestures with his head for us to follow him while Sammy heads off. Darren stops suddenly and turns around on his heels.

“Okay, how prepared are we?” He asks. “Do we have travel supplies, are we all armed?”

My staff is strapped to my back, and several knives are tucked into my belt; another is sheathed in each of my boots. I look around at the others, Sammy has a pistol at his belt, and a large dagger is strapped to his leg. Solution has her sword at her back, and a gun hangs from a strap around her neck.

“I told everybody to prepare, Darren.” Solution reminds him, “That’s why we spent the past three hours preparing.”

“Yeah, preparing,” Darren says, “That’s what I was doing.”

“Are you done?” She asks.

“Yes, ma’am.” He replies, hanging his head.

Author's Note

This has gone through hours of revision and editing. Just let me know what you think.

Reviews

[Dante Carlisle]

I'm definitely beginning to get into this. The characters are coming alive, and you are definitely showing us who they are and developing some personalities. Great work. As for Maria and the other reviews about her, I think that you could definitely do something with her as far as conflict goes. Make her do something drastic because of just how badly everyone else is treating her. It's definitely an idea, let me know what you think.

[Xavier Lee]

Honestly I'm not sure why I added Maria. She probably won't see much development, but I also won't get rid of her. I'll think about it.

[David Ung]

This is great part, love to see more. Darren is still annoying but lovable and Solution is amazing. I love the suspense you created between Darren and Solution. But Maria though. I think they are treating her really badly. Lol. keep up the good work.

[Xavier Lee]

Eh, Maria's just a w***e

[Bubbles the Kid]

I think so too! I don't really like Maria