Thanks to Haru’s scouting, the party found a blindspot from the shooter, where they could rest undetected by the elementals.The five were currently sprawled out under the canopied rock, limbs outstretched, lips cracked by thirst, and skin ravaged by direct sunlight. They were safe for now, so that just left all the other problems they were dealing with.

Sakkarin muttered nonsensically as he thrashed around in his spot, unable to lie still because of his crushing injury. The pain was making him delirious. None of the other four had the mind nor the energy to help soothe his pain.

Haru, tried to pull himself up with all of his might, but gravity kept him chained to his spot. His eyes appeared sunken, a symptom of his depleting meters and uncertainty about how they were going to get out of this.

Astor remained as still as possible to avoid expending his energy as he reflected on the matter of the masked asshole.

Sean meanwhile kept his sword close as his eyes were steeled with conviction. This was just another way for him to challenge himself, another way to grow stronger, he tried to convince himself. If he overcame this threat, he could perhaps join the ranks of the veterans he had looked up to previously.

Iván meanwhile was unresponsive. His eyes were closed and his breathing subtle. Anyone who was remotely familiar with yoga would recognize the meditative state the Chronomancer was in. He was becoming one with kari. You can’t be hungry if you become one with it.

The five endured their pitiful recovery through the harsh midday sun, the warm sunset, and the chilling midnight.

Haru was the first to crawl out from the rock canopy to check whether or not the mask was still watching them. The moment he peeked his head out of the covering into the light, a bullet grazed his temple deep enough to draw blood and a sharp pain.

The sound of the shot made Sakkarin, Astor, Sean, and Iván jerk up from their spot as they rushed over to Haru, who was clutching his head as he flashed his teeth in anger. “This bastard… if he really is one of us, I can’t accept his complete disregard for the sanctity of human life. I’m going to bury him when we catch him."

Sakkarin clasped Haru’s shoulder with his good hand and gave him a firm squeeze, “I’m going to break him limb by limb, I’ll even let you rip out his heart and crush it too if you want, nispa.” he growled in support for Haru’s sentiment.

The fact that the masked killer had made Sakkarin feel completely inadequate in protecting and guiding his guests back to his homeland had completely trampled every ounce of pride he had. He couldn’t possibly show his face around his kin if the masked bastard were to kill a guest under his charge. He would rather banish himself from his own tribe than live with such shame. When he withdrew his hand from the white-haired wizard, the Caenis balled his hand into a fist, looking for some sort of solution to get them out of their predicament before they starve to death.

Sean, whose eyes were half-glazed over, was muttering a strange mantra to keep himself from keeling over from hunger. “Payday, training, sword, fire, level up… payday, training, sword, fire, level up. This is a challenge that I have to overcome. I must overcome it. There is no other path but forward. I gotta keep going. Payday, training, sword, fire, level up…” Despite the consistency of his speech, his mantra was routinely interjected by his growling stomach. He was so hungry, he could eat the forbidden snacks lying all around them.

Iván was growing concerned over Sean’s condition and decided to add some fuel to the youth’s tank, hoping to keep him going for a little bit longer. “That’s right my friend… you must keep going, this is just another step, sword today, kari tomorrow, sword today, kari tomorrow…”.” “Sword today, kari tomorrow…” Sean echoed, his breathing slowing, as both fell into meditation by repeating the same chant.

Astor grabbed onto Haru’s arm and pulled him back toward their ‘camp,’ “Haru,he’s trying to make us expend more energy than we need to. Don’t fall for his taunt. This is the part where we need to keep our heads on straight and figure a way out,” he said.

“Yeah, my bad. It’s just… a lot. I’ve dealt with irredeemable shitheads like him before, it always ends poorly,” Haru shook off Astor’s hand as he headed back to their spot of his own volition without further explanation. It seemed something had happened to the wizard in the last couple of years where they were apart.

Astor immediately dropped the matter, knowing that even the kindest of souls have a skeleton in their closet.

When the five sat down in a circle, Astor loosely formed a fist with his thumb pointing up to the sky, indicating he was about to use the last of his precious energy to generate water for the others.

Each of the boys put their hands together to form a bowl, graciously receiving a bit of water that poured from Astor’s fist.

Not wanting to waste a drop of water, Sakkarin licked his palm clean before the other four followed suit.

With their thirst temporarily quenched, some of the mind fog began clearing as they discussed what to do.

Sakkarin proposed a plan to flush the masked killer out with some kind of long-ranged spell before booking it upward to rush him.

Iván suggested that the group should stay together as they climb so he could time his slow fields to catch the bullets.

Haru and Sean on the other hand wanted to challenge the masked killer to a long distance battle while the other three climbed up to ambush him.

Astor agreed with Sakkarin’s plan, though he raised the question of how either himself or Haru could distract the masked killer before collapsing from exhaustion after emptying their reserves.

With their inability to reach a consensus, the five sprawled out on the ground again, staring up at the uncaring stars in the sky as they began to talk about anything except the plan.

Sakkarin put both his good and bad arm on his stomach as he looked up at the moon, “do you have a girl waiting for you at home?”

Sean pulled his sword closer to his chest, still muttering, “Sword today, kari tomorrow…”

Sakkarin made a face as he responded in the kindest of tones, “You do you, little man.”

Haru’s expression softened a bit as he cracked a slight smile without answering.

Iván flashed a bitter smile as he replied, “Not at home. Not anywhere actually. It would be nice for us to meet again at some point.”

“I don’t know where she is, but I hope she’s well. I hope I haven’t been forgotten,” Astor said as he watched the stars with Iván, reminiscing about the past.

Sakkarin responded with a loud and obnoxious laugh, “You nispa are seriously depressing as shit, HAHAHA…” He trailed off. “It sure would be nice to meet up with Miss Cessia again for a cow-in-bun. Dammit, you sappy sad sacks have really softened me up, haven’t you. We sound like a bunch of widows at our own funerals.”

The Caenis sat up and kicked Astor lightly on the arm, “Alright, no more moping, nispa. We’re gonna go with my plan, no more talk, just action. We either die from the masked fuck or we fall and the Ascent takes care of the rest.”

Astor snapped up and kicked back, “You’re a bag of morale aren’t you, mongrel?”

Sean too sat up with a determined face. “We have to overcome this challenge. This is our chance to become much stronger than we are. Payday, training, sword, fire, level up… Let’s go!!!” he shouted.

Haru stood up and extended a hand for Iván to grab and pull himself up. “Let’s try or die trying. Kick the mask’s ass and meet up with Sakkarin’s people.”

Iván nodded. “If there is a kari god, he will smile at our bravery. Let’s go!”

Astor cracked his neck, “Let’s climb and beat down a bitch.”

And so, they commenced an empty plan, forced to rely and improvise off of one another. There were far too many uncertainties at that point for any concrete scheme. All they needed to do was to use Haru’s attack as a distraction and climb like hell through bullets, boulders, and whatever else that separated them from the summit. Supposedly, Sakkarin’s people were waiting for them up there, so if even one of them was able to reach the top, it would be a win for them. They could send help.

Haru, who volunteered to distract the masked killer, took a deep breath as he readied himself. He tried his damndest to keep his tidal wave of rage at bay. He needed to clear his clouded mind. His companions were depending on him.

Breaking into a sprint, Haru put himself in the open where he had an exchange with the mask earlier. It took less than five seconds for his opponent to respond with a shot, which a shielded spirit stopped when Haru conjured him at the last second.

Haru glanced at where the shielded spirit held the bullet suspended midair. He followed the trajectory backwards with his eyes and found him. The round clattered onto the rock as he pointed at his assailant, sending the shield spirit, now a spear through the night sky, toward the mask. The sheer speed of Haru’s counterattack caught the mask off guard, who rolled back over the summit’s ridge into cover to dodge it. The lancer dissipated the moment he missed his target. For a moment, both fighters lost sight of the other.

When the mask reemerged from his new position and found Haru, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that the five had begun climbing already, all spread out and skipping rock after rock, ledge after ledge in a desperate maneuver to avoid being picked off.

The sniper leaned out to level his rifle, frantically tracing each of the five’s erratic movements, not knowing which target to prioritize. Finally, he reached into his belt and dropped a flask down to the ledge below. The flask fell and shattered into a million pieces, letting out an explosive flash that activated all of the stone elementals simultaneously. The force of the elementals’ sudden movement let out a deafening rumble loud enough to quake the mountain briefly.

Without skipping a beat, the mask performed the same guiding shot to bait the elemental’s attacks like earlier.

Haru was off balance as the elementals were preparing the first rock volley towards the climbing four. Confident, the mask eye became brighter than before as steam hissed from the holes beneath his teeth. Rising, he knelt down on one knee, pointing his rifle down at the climbers, watching the ants crawling on the mountainside below him.

The mask’s crosshair eventually landed on Sakkarin, who was the group’s weakest link.

BANG!!!

A shot rang. One that aims to kill, unlike any of the other times.

Sean who had spent months honing his instinct for danger had already made his move by the time he sensed the bullet leaving the smoking chamber. He brandished his sword, readying a parry as he kicked off of the ledge to intercept the shell.

Fast as he was, even Sean would have undoubtedly missed the parry to find the shot pierce his jugular had it not been for Iván who tore through time to arrive first. In Iván’s hand was a bubble of frozen time as he reached to catch the bullet with his bare hand.

The moment the chronomancer reached out, the bullet slowed and shimmered in his hand before immediately accelerating and embedded itself in his body.

Iván who was normally the calmest of the five was in shock as he dropped into a freefall the instant his spell shattered.

“IVÁN!!!” Haru screamed.

Astor immediately dropped from his position above and closed the distance in an instant with an explosive burst that took him right down to Iván’s level. The blonde reached out, grabbing onto the chronomancer’s arm with one hand while gripping onto a ledge with the other.

With all of the energy he had left, Astor pulled Iván up and had him put an arm around Astor’s neck while he instructed his companion to keep his free hand pressed tightly against his wound.

“Iván, your heart is going to do everything in its power to pump blood out of your wound so you need to do your best to stay calm and breathe normally, got it?!!” Astor shouted at Iván who clutched his right side.

Sakkarin who was being helped by Sean barked an order at the other four, “THE BOULDERS ARE COMING. HURRY THE FUCK UP AND CLIMB!!!”

“Astor, get me closer to the others. Hurry,” Iván heaved quietly into Astor’s ear.

Before Astor had the time to ask questions, he found his movement speeding up considerably, no doubt a buff from Iván’s chronomancy. Unable to think about anything, but getting himself and the rest of his group out of harm’s way, Astor pushed his unathletic caster body to its limit, catching up to Sean, Haru, and Sakkarin.

From there, Iván accelerated the group in bursts as the boulders hit and rolled across their path.

All of the energy Iván was able to conserve through mediation was being put to good use then. Iván alone got the group to the top, which was a large flat plane. They had made it.

The moment the five reached the final checkpoint, they pulled themselves up and dove behind a large rock formation to hide from the shots coming from the clearing across from them. The sniper had been hiding out on the border of Hylands the entire time, camping near the final checkpoint where he could fire down the mountain as he watched their climb. He had known they were coming.

Now, the shooter had switched to using suppressive fire. Keeping the group at a distance. Even so, the five had won a large victory by finally passing the elementals on to solid ground.

Astor leaned Iván against the rock to check on his condition, Sakkarin, Sean, Haru, and Astor were completely stunned when they saw Iván’s shirt completely drenched in blood.

Astor growled, “Time acceleration… FUCK! I should have noticed… Iván, what the fuck?!”

Haru’s expression darkened.

Sean and Sakkarin bumped past the lanky wizard as they ran to Iván and tried to stop the blood oozing out of him. “Oof, I really messed up this time, boys… haha. Accidentally tripped in front of a bullet and here I was breathing so hard I couldn’t hear what you were saying Astor,” Iván spoke with a bitter smile on his face.

Sakkarin and Sean cleared the others aside as they put their hands on Iván’s wound to apply pressure.

Iván grabbed onto the silent Sakkarin’s arm as he looked at him and the rest of the group with a serious expression. “Sakka, how do you get to your people from here?”

The Caenis pointed up the forest-covered incline, “Past this checkpoint there’s a tunnel in that forest that allows us to bypass the mountain range that surrounds the inner valley. Once we’re through that point, it’s just Sun Claw territory the rest of the way. I also hid my secret cache in the tunnel. It should have enough food to last the five of us for the last couple days of travel. Come on, nispa, we just need to make it through the clearing there. Iván, get on my back, I’ll take you there myself even if my dead body has to claw its way there.”

Sean meanwhile was panicking over the amount of blood leaving Iván’s body, the smell of iron reminded him of the gruesome deaths he had suffered before being UI-locked. Sean was training so no one else would ever have to experience that. So that no one else had to die.

Iván shook his head as he stood up and faced the rest of the group “No, I’m pretty tired. I think I’m going to head over there and have a little chat with skull-face about my secret recipe.”

Astor lunged toward Iván, grabbing his arm as he angrily shouted at him, “What the fuck are you talking about?! Like hell you’re going to go anywhere! The Caenis is going to carry your ass up that forest area and your ass is going to sit the fuck down, get patched up, and eat like your life depends on it.”

Iván turned away from Astor, directing his gaze toward Haru, who looked as though he could barely keep himself together. They exchanged a silent gaze, from which they came to some kind of agreement. Truly, of all the group members, they had been together the longest. All that time had accumulated in a mutual understanding that went beyond words. Haru had no choice but to accept Iván’s silent wish.

Sakkarin had seen the look before and accepted Iván’s resolution as his jaw tightened and he nodded. And so, he honored the brave traveler and gripped Astor’s shoulder, pulling the blonde back.

Sean slowly approached Iván with every intention of restraining him, but was intercepted by Haru.

“Get the fuck out of my face, Sakka,” Astor’s tone and narrowed eyes were as sharp as knives, threatening to draw blood.

Sakka wore the same face,as they locked eyes the entire time, refusing to back down.

Sean’s confusion made him hesitate as Haru stood before him. He just didn’t understand any of it. Why? Looking up at his taller and lankier companion, he tried to pass Haru to get to Iván. “Iván, you need to come with us. You’re not doing well. Haru, please get out of my way, I really don’t want to hurt you.”

Sean took another step but was stopped by crossed spectral lances. Haru, his expression ashen, barred Sean’s path.

Astor, who had reached the limit of his patience, began shrouding himself in scorching flames as he looked up at the muscle-bound statue still holding him back.

And then, Iván disappeared. Before Astor could reach him, Sakkarin transformed into a dire black wolf and pulled Astor away, scalding himself as he ignored the flames.

Haru’s crossed lance spirits pushed Sean on to his heels as they pointed their spears in warning Sean parried the first lance, and then the second, the third however, overwhelmed him as it pulled his parry into a bladelock and would not relent.

Sean shouted at Haru as he resisted to the end “Haru! What the hell? How can you do this? Stop!!!”

Astor meanwhile threw the giant wolf off him. “You don’t get to decide who dies Sakka, that’s not your fucking call!” Astor was going to continue the struggle, but he realized that the chronomancer was already long gone.

“We’re going, nispa. You can do whatever you want to me afterward, but don’t waste his courage,” the Caenis said.

They heard the rounds, but there were no shots coming their way. Their comrade was fighting.

Iván flew across the clearing with the help of Haru’s fading spectral bird that was mustered with the last of his longtime friend’s energy. In his hand was a plate of stinky kari.

The mask lowered his rifle and let Iván get closer as though he wanted to exchange words with the chronomancer.

Up-close, the mask was no longer a dark silhouette with two glowing red dots for eyes, but a hooded black-cloak with a strangely mechanical mask that resembled a skull. In his eye sockets were red-lit light humming a subtle buzz.

Just as his guest landed on the edge of his cover, the skull-face immediately unloaded his rifle from the hip.

BANG BANG BANG!!!

Three shots rang out in succession.

The image of Iván shimmed and was gone. A voice soon followed from behind the shooter.

“Wow, that’s a real low blow. You’re not even going to let your opponent land for a quick parley?” Iván said, clutching his first bullet wound while barely able to remain standing.

A hollow and robotic laughter came from the skull-faced gunner, who found it so humorous that he was physically twitching his head from laughing as his mouth opened to let out a blast of steam. “HA HA HA, the fuck do you think you are? Why the fuck would I talk with a practice target? If you’re trying to make your worthless life suddenly worth something, do me a favor and throw yourself off the cliff.”

Iván shook his head, “So you’re the guy who’s been killing all the Sun Claws, huh? Are you working with the Moon Fangs or what? Why are you doing this?”

“Because I like it. ” The mask replied as he raised the rifle and pulled the trigger.

“Wowee, and I thought I was the kid who’s always the last pick in gym class. Glad I didn’t become a fuck-up like you, haha,” Iván wheezed out a laugh.

The mask lifted his chin as a pang of annoyance rippled down to his trigger finger. At the end of the weapon’s barrel, he saw the bullet fly out in slow motion, not really going anywhere.

Iván continued, “So I’m guessing that the toy you have there came from the airship? I mean, guns? That’s new… Never seen anyone with one of those before.”

The mask took his trigger finger off of his rifle and held it at his hip, he was still pointing it at Iván as he completely ignored his question, “I’ve been watching you and your little friends climbing this entire time.” The mask sneered mockingly.

“You all must think you’re the piss of the walk. Big hero types. Well I think you’re pathetic. I bet you’re one of those idiots who marched to your death during Titanius. I really fucking hate that kind of pretend bravery. You’re just like the rest of the Traveler fucks that waste the air on this planet. I’m sick of your reek fouling my clean air.”

The mask contorted into a grimace, “You know, it should have been the white-haired caster standing here. At least he had the balls to face me with an exit strategy. He’d be missed. No one’s going to cry over a third rate bullet sponge like you.”

Iván shook his head as he retorted, “Yeah, you’re probably right about me. But y’know what? I’m honestly happy to be here. They’re all great guys, but man, I wouldn’t wish your stink on anybody. Seriously, how hot is it under that thing? You smell like a locker room in the devil’s asshole.”

BANG!!!

A shot rang, this time from the smoking barrel of a handgun that skull-face drew from his side holster. It was fortunate that Iván put his hand up and created a stop field at the last second to keep the bullet frozen midair.

“Wuh-oh, someone’s a little peeved, what’s the matter, stinky?” Iván jeered. “Ah, wait! Wait a sec, I’m actually kind of curious how you bypassed my time stop earlier? That was kind of cool, not going to lie.”

The bullet that Iván froze with his hand immediately resumed its course and went through his palm, sending him reeling backward in response to the dripping hole in his palm. Iván hissed, but he had half-expected it.

“You mean like that?” the masked killer asked amusedly. “Well, that’s because I’m better than you” The edge of his mouth could be heard shifting as the skull-face formed a subtle smile.

The mask then directed his other hand toward Iván, forming a claw gesture as he rotated it to the right like a dial.

Iván could feel the hole in his side beginning to bleed profusely, becoming more painful by the seconds. In an instant, Iván keeled over on his knees, letting out pained grunts as blood spurted all over the ground.

“Not so hot shit now, huh? I rewound the bullet, so the shell is just shifting back and forth in a nice little loop, liquifying your insides. I hope it hurts real good. I would have just ended you quickly, too if you didn’t talk so goddamn much. So here’s a little extra service: after I finish you off, I’m going to smoke the little rats you call friends out of their rat tunnel, maybe blow their limbs off one tendon at a time,” the mask paused briefly before continuing. “So maybe don’t die too fast, eh? Your friends are counting on you.”

“You know what you have in common with those dog landers. You’re all pretty fucking boring. Whether it’s you or them, you all react the same way, putting on air, puffing your chest, and standing like some proud fucking statue while I blow your bowels out thinking they mean something. Imagine that. At least the kids try and run, makes for better target practice that way,” the mask spoke as he emoted with his smoking sidepiece.

When he noticed Iván’s worsening condition, he approached the chronomancer, waving the gun in his face. “Yo… you still breathing? You are, aren’t you? At least tell me how much it hurts instead of just standing there and wasting my precious time. I don’t have long until you fade and my fun stops.”

Iván remained quiet, nursing his wound as he held a firm gaze on his shooter.

“No? Seriously? Nothing? Alright, let’s get to the deletion then.” The moment he was done talking, the mask sent a bullet through Iván’s skull, laying its contents all over the rockface behind him. Lowering the handgun, he dismissively holstered it as he tilted his face in the direction of the forest, never noticing the corpse shimmer and fade at the last moment.

“Hey asshole…” Iván’s voice could be heard right behind the skull-face.

“What?!” The gunman shuddered and whipped his body around in surprise to where Iván stood waiting. A moment later, Iván smashed a plate of kari right into the skull face.

When the kari illusion cleared, a climbing stake could be seen sticking out of the mask’s mechanized eye socket as he roared, drawing his handgun again and firing wildly.

The real Iván now stood dazed at the edge of the cliff, behind him was the climb that had broken his body so many times over, pushing him past his limits. Blood streamed down his mouth from his collapsed lung as his hand found and pressed against the bullet holes in his body, which he had been decelerating this entire time. Iván struggled to remain on his trembling legs, which were quickly giving out. He stood, as tall and dignified as he possibly could, like a magician after performing a flawless trick.

“I’M TAKING YOUR STUPID FUCKING HEAD!!!” The mask roared in anger and pain as he rushed toward Iván with a large knife drawn, Iván, however kicked off from the edge, flashing both birds at his raging killer.

“Looks like I’m the one who got the last laugh, huh?! My name is Iván, but you can keep the I, HAHAHA!!!” Iván summoned the last of his strength to let out a hearty laugh, one that would rival Zeus’s as he fell down the Ascent.

He laughed at all the times he had made a fool of himself.

What a clown.

He laughed at every silly conversation he ever had with the friends he made.

The best a man could ask for.

He laughed at the time he married Corvella.

A real cutie he didn’t deserve.

He laughed at how serious Sean and Astor got when he left.

Emotional idiots.

He laughed at all the fools who refused to try his stinky curry.

They’re never going to now.

He laughed so hard that his laugh was beginning to sound a lot like crying.

It’s the draft. Really.

He laughed that he ever thought his life in the real world was boring and that there was nothing left to achieve there.

Boy, he could think of a million things he wanted to do now.

Stupid Eli.

You gotta at least go out smiling like Zeus.

So when people remember you, they remember the happy you.

He wanted to be remembered for his smile and laughter. Curry too.

Yet, the more he laughed, the more tears came out.

Idiot Eli.

Crying at all the things he wished he could say or do, should have said, should have done.

He tried to wipe the tears from his messy face, but he couldn’t feel his arms by that point.

And so…

When the play came to an end and the curtains were drawn. Iván graciously bowed for his final performance as the chronomancer who passed everyone by.

Astor clawed and punched Sakkarin again and again as the wolf-form dragged him into the forest. Haru silently commanded his spirits to restrain Sean, who resisted him to the end.

BANG!!!

When the final shot broke the silence of dawn, a hollow realization came to the blonde and the red-head, who immediately lost their will to fight. They neither walked forward nor did they head back from where they stood.

The Caenis and the wizard carried them to the tunnel where Sakkarin had stashed his hidden supplies.

A suffocating tension overwhelmed the four as they devoured their food in complete silence, which followed them as they continued on their journey over the next few days.

When they emerged from the cave onto the snowy summit, there was a band of Sun Claw waiting for them with heavy fur coats and a wagon pulled by giant rams. From how frosty they appeared, it seemed that they have been waiting for the group for a couple of days now.

Although the Caenis rushed toward Sakkarin to celebrate his speedy return, he turned away from them as a deep sense of shame overcast his expression.

The Sun Claws, sensing the loss, helped the four up into the wagon quietly, where the four sat separately, each one deep in thought.

Sakkarin was steeped in shame. It was because of his carelessness that they were in this situation. He had no one to blame, but himself.

Sean’s sword rested on his lap, as the morning dew collected on it. His quiet tears added to the water dripping down the blade. What good was a swordsman who couldn’t protect the people he cared about? Nothing had changed–he still had a long way to go.

Astor gritted his teeth as rage boiled deep within the pit of his stomach. It was a feeling all too familiar to him which only served as further fuel for the bitter fire.

Haru appeared the most stoic among the four. However, it was only a front that hid the storm brewing in his heart. It should have been him, he thought. He was the one who had been searching for meaning in his life all these years.

A black-cloaked figure limped down a lone road buried in white debris and uneven patches of grass, leaving a trail of blood behind him as he used his rifle as a makeshift crutch.

Ahead of him was a fantastical land of massive rocky hills that resembles moon chunks. The sky was clear and the winds gentle.

When he finished climbing over a great hill, he tripped over a crater and ended up tumbling all the way down the backside of the moon hill, crashing into the brittle sandy surface that broke his fall.

When he rose, he saw in full view a massive obsidian-colored airship sticking out of the hill he rolled down at a bizarre angle, it seemed to have crashed into Moon Fang’s dominion.

He shambled on like a broken scarecrow, slowly and clumsily, as he made his way to the tail end of the ship where there was a rope ladder dangling from a jagged hewn hole.

After what seemed like an eternity of climbing, the figure finally made it into the room, which was no bigger than a small bedroom in Boston. What little space he did have was completely taken up by hundreds if not thousands of machines and strange technology unlike anything from real life.

The man navigated through the metallic jungle until he arrived at a metal bench that served as his bed. Sitting down on the hard bench, he rested his back against the cold metal wall. Within seconds, it was lights out.

After dozing off for what felt like at least a couple of hours, he woke up to the sight of fiery-red twin tails and wolf ears hovering over his face.

“What the fuck?” he jerked back, moving to draw his handgun, but the female Caenis grabbed and held his wrist in a firm grip with her free hand. She was still fiddling with the stake embedded in his eye socket as she did so.

“Grrrr.. what’s your problem?! I'm only trying to help. Quit moving or I’m going to melt your face off along with the little thorn,” the Caenis girl growled.

“Hurry up and take the fucking thing out of my skull, stupid dog,” he snarled.

“Stupid loser. You had every advantage available to you and you still got this little needle rammed into your face? I thought you knew everything about Travelers? Heh, so much for all that confidence, turns out you’re just as useless as the hairless monkeys,” the girl smacked him on the shoulder after she pulled the stake and cauterized the empty socket.

“Don’t you lump me in with those useless fucks. I got one of them. Hunting the other four little rats is just a matter of time,” he said.

The Caenis sighed, growing bored of the bloody climbing implement and tossing it over her shoulder with a clang. “I know that the Empress won’t be happy about it, but you should take me with you next time. I’ve been really craving the scent of charred Travelers lately…” she spoke with an unhinged excitement as pyromancy heated up her hands.

“Just don’t get in my way, crazy bitch,” the mask replied with deep disdain in his voice. “Just you wait, I’m going to eradicate the Traveler plague from the face of the earth and you’re going to see me do it.”

“With pleasure~” the red-head snuggled up against the man whose body language expressed an intense repulsion toward her.

The End