“I don’t like it.”
His growl spooked a man walking near them and the peasant walked slower to avoid them.
“Of course you don’t like it, Dake, you are a eight foot tall Lunar who doesn’t seem to be able to be able to change into a normal-looking form.”
Brilliant Sunshine of the Golden Harvest leaned over the brilliant white horse and rubbed Dake right along the stub of his broken horn. He let out a tiny sigh of pleasure as she scraped her fingers along the gold plate that capped the remains. When she started to tug at the long hairs along his back, where his bovine head almost hung from his shoulders, he stepped aside lightly. Her horse, a white mare with a chop mark in the ear, stepped forward a few times before stopping to look back at him. He stared into its eyes for a moment, then let his gaze slide over the hill to where Goresrot sprawled out along the river.
Sunshine smiled at him and he smiled back for a moment. His eyes returned back to the city as he peered at the short wall, only a few yards tall. The entire river edge of town was filled with docks and platforms stretching out almost half way across the Gray River. To the north, Dake could see a few encampments of Realm soldiers, they were idle or practicing but didn’t seem to be patrolling the area. To the south, almost fifty wagons were lined up with some strange symbol on them.
His companion, a woman with blond hair and a cheery smile followed his gaze, her smile dropping from her face.
“Nexus. Must be a Guild wagon caravan.”
“Guild?”
“Merchants and thieves, they do slaves and drugs. I…” she paused for a moment, biting back her words, “They were the ones who sold me the last time.”
Dake growled softly, “Well, we better avoid them then.”
Sunshine ducked her head, “Good idea.”
She started to guide the horse forward, but Dake didn’t move. The horse circled around, despite Sunshine’s attempt to keep it going and stopped next to the tauren. Dake ignored it as he peered at the city.
“I don’t like it.”
Sighing in annoyance, Sunshine leaned over, “What don’t you like?”
“I don’t know, it doesn’t feel right.”
“What? It looks like every other city we’ve seen.”
Dake glared at her, “There are too many cities here.”
“What!?”
“Too many cities. I’m used to only a few, spread out over many days of travel. You seem to have one every couple of hours.”
Her voice was exasperated as she spoke, “So, that is perfectly normal for this region.”
“I don’t like it.”
“Well, I can’t help with the placement, but is there something wrong with Goresrot that you don’t like?”
He looked at her, then back again. Slowly, he scratched his horn and frowned deeply. His hoofed foot stamped into the ground, leaving an indention as he lifted it. His massive frame turned slightly as he took in the entire city below them, the ridge they were following gave them a perfect view of the city of grime and trade.
“It just doesn’t feel right.”
Sunshine’s bright eyes stared at him for a moment, before she almost threw herself off the horse. Landing lightly on the ground, she circled the white beast to stand next to Dake. She grabbed one of his large hands in both of hers.
“Look, Dake, I know you don’t like it, but the only person who might understand what is going on is in that town.”
He looked down to see tears in her eyes. He stroked her hair with his free hand. Sunshine sniffed, and leaned against his palm.
“I don’t know what is going on. I don’t know what to do. I’ve… I’m so frightened.”
He pulled her into an embrace.
“I know, Sunshine-”
Her muffled voice brought a smile to his lips. “I hate that name.”
“But you seem to be doing okay, do you really need someone to tell you how to be a Solar. I mean, it seems like you have the magic side of things down.”
She sniffed, “Well… yeah. But what do I do? I have these strange dreams every night, of lives I’ve never had, of fights I could not survive, but I don’t understand! Why is this happening to me? Why did Deelia had to die?”
In his arms, Sunshine started to cry and he could only hold her tightly as the sobs wracked her body. As her emotions poured out into his hair, he watched the town. Despite the prickling along his horns, which always meant a fight, he could see nothing about the town itself that bothered him.
It was just a feeling.
Looking at the tears streaming down Sunshine’s face, he decided the feelings weren’t that bad. His companion of only a few weeks sniffed and wiped her face, leaning her cheek against his muscled chest before looking up. She spoke before he could.
“Dake? Could we just check it out? If anything goes wrong, we run? I… I just need to try.”
He nodded slowly, his shoulders bunching up as he did. The itching sensation grew to an almost maddening level, but he paused before speaking. Then, he lied to her straight face.
“I would feel much better about that.”
Beaming a sudden smile that brightened his day, she reached up and kissed him on the horn. He helped her back on her horse and walked along it as they headed off the ridge and toward the entrance of the city. His backpack felt heavy as he forced the canvas, makeshift cloak over his head to hide the worse of his inhuman features. Even as he watched the world from the speckled shadows of his cloak, he already knew that someone was going to notice his immense frame and the slightly different way of walking. Also the massive hooves on his feet might give away his true nature.
To his surprise, they managed to get through the main gate without being stopped. Half a dozen guards, all wearing the town’s symbol, just passed them on. Only one of them even stopped long enough to peer at Dake, but then a loud merchant behind him started to complain about the line going slowly and the disguised tauren was waved through. They led the horse to one of the many inns near the gate, only a few blocks and turns away. For a few pieces of silver, the stable girl agreed to watch their horse.
Sunshine frowned as she looked at the crowd. Then she held out a silver dinar, one of many that Dake gave her, to the girl.
“This if you tell me where to find the Broken Cage Tavern.”
The silver disappeared and the girl gave her very precise directions. Dake nodded as he tried to memorize them. Then, they stepped into the crowds that filled the streets and headed toward the docks and, hopefully, Sunshine’s enlightenment.
It took them almost an hour to go only a mile or so, but the press of humanity was almost too much. Once, Dake felt a feather-light touch of someone trying to steal his money bag and he grabbed it, squeezing right up to the point of snapping the bone, but then released it. He heard a swear, it sounded like a middle-aged man, but no more. He grinned to himself as he followed Sunshine’s bright hair.
The Broken Cage was a seedy bar about three blocks in from the docks. Dried mud covered the streets and boardwalks. The smell of rotted fish and water permeated the very wood around him as he sniffed loudly. His horn was itching furiously as he scanned the docks. For the most part, he was ignored, but he saw a couple unscrupulous-looking individuals watching Sunshine. He bared his teeth at them as they disappeared into the crowds. His companion didn’t seem to notice them as she excitedly forced her way into the bar, past a pair of drunks, and to the bar. Dake stood in front of the drunks. They didn’t notice for a second, then their eyes went wide and scattered so he could force his broad shoulders through the narrow door.
Inside, the bartender gave Dake a worrying glare, then looked back at Sunshine as the girl asked him a few pointed questions. He shook his head and she repeated her question. When he shook his head again, she dropped a stack of jade on the bar in front of him. His eyes glittered with greed and the jade disappeared in a flash of his rag. Begrudgingly, he gestured toward the back of the bar with his thumb.
Sunshine hopped away from the bar and almost bounced back. Dake shrugged his shoulders and started to follow, his hooves vibrating the wooden floor of the bar. The bartender frowned.
“You, big guy, stay here.”
Dake stopped and swung his head to stare at the man. He looked back with hard eyes.
“Look, the girl can go talk to him, but you need to stay here. Besides, you won’t fit down the hall.”
Sunshine paused at the entrance leading to the bathrooms and the rest of the bar. She bit her lip as she looked down the hall and toward Dake. Dake’s horn itched horribly, but he sighed explosively.
“Look, just hurry. If you need me, I’ll come. And if you aren’t here before I finish a beer, I’m coming after you.”
She thought about it a second, then blew him a kiss. Spinning on her heels, she disappeared into the hall. Dake listened to her running up a flight of stairs and turned back to the bar. He let the haft of his ax drop into sight from his cloak.
“Better make it a big one.”
He got a yard of beer, dark and mellow stuff that went down his throat smoothly. Nodding in approval to the bartender, he sat down along a heavy wooden bench that creaked loudly but didn’t shatter. Chuckling, he just leaned back against the wooden wall of the bar and focused his eyes outside, to watch the crowds passing while he listened to the noises upstairs.
At the entrance to Goresrot, the stable girl came up to one of the guards, holding a ragged piece of paper. The guard, a powerfully-built man who was well on his way to being fat, ignored her as he inspected a wagon. She just watched, bright green eyes glittering as she fingered the paper. It wasn’t until the guard turned around that he noticed the girl.
“Damn, boy… girl, don’t stand right behind me!”
“Sorry, sir, but I… I…” She hesitated, toeing the ground as she glanced away.
The guard tugged on his beard, “Come on, spit it out.”
“I… I saw these people.”
With a shaking hand, she held up the paper to the guard. The guard yanked it out of his hand and peered at it. Flipping it over, he scowled at the two drawings that barely resembled Sunshine and Dake. His eyes focused on Dake, then down at the reward below. His head snapped back up as he felt a glimmer of greed and pride filling his own thoughts.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, sir. I saw them about twenty minutes ago. They said they were going to the… Broken Cage.”
The guard thought furiously for a moment.
“Did they leave a horse or something?”
The girl fingered a triangular cut in her right ear, “No, sir. No horse, but they were considering making an offer on a white mare at my father’s inn.”
He grinned and patted her on the head.
“Good girl.”
The girl blushed and held out her hand. He looked down.
“What?”
“The paper said there was a reward.”
Inwardly swearing, the guard dug into his pocket and pulled out a small handful of silvers from bribes. Dropping them into her hand, he grunted.
“There.”
“I know what ‘thousand’ means, sir.” There was a hard tone to her voice.
The guard rolled his eyes and pulled her aside.
“Look, you’ll get the rest later, once we capture these monsters.”
The girl’s lip pouted for a moment. The guard jammed his hand into his pocket and grabbed everything, jade and silver, and poured it into her hand.
“There, now leave me alone!”
Eyes wide with surprise, the girl nodded, “It’s at the Three Corners Inn, you can’t miss it.”
“Good, good.”
He watched as she scampered off into the crowds. He watched her until she disappeared, then grabbed the junior guard at the gate.
“Marthas, take this to the commanders over with the soldiers, tell them that someone reported them in the city and we would like assistance in capturing them.”
When the teenage boy peered at the reward notice, the elder guard snapped.
“Now! We don’t have much time!”
The teen sprinted for the camp of the Realm soldiers to the north of town, his mail and sword jingling from his movements. The guard chuckled and turned back to the stream of people going into the town. In his head, he was already counting the jade.
Dake was just finishing his beer when Sunshine came staggering down the stairs. She paused at the hallway entrance, her head turning to focus on him. He saw bright eyes and a lop-headed smile as she came over. She slid into a chair opposite of him. He looked her over and frowned as he saw the wide pupils and a faint dazed expression.
“You okay, Sunshine?”
“Oh, yes. He showed me. He showed me things and it all made sense.”
Her voice was soft and unfocused and he felt a rise of concern filling him.
“What type of things?”
“My memories. He showed them to me, and… they were me. Different lives, different times. For a moment, I saw all of them with this,” she paused to grab his beer and polish it off, “clarity of vision. I mean, I felt them. I felt them inside. I saw their lives.”
She pressed her hands against the valley between her breasts, her breath coming sharply. Dake watched with growing concern as he saw a thin line of drool ooze out of the corner of her mouth. His head snapped back to the hallway and he heard someone stealthily coming down the stairs. Growling, he stood up as he prepared for a battle.
“We need to get out of here.”
His flicked his gaze over to the bartender, who was watching with an amused expression. The feet on the stairs froze and he considered a fight in the middle of the town. Not liking his odds, or the amount of trouble he would get, he reached down and grabbed Sunshine’s arm. She looked up with a flash of fear in her eyes, wincing back from him and dropping the beer. Her voice was frantic but daze when she spoke back.
“What? Now? But, he’s going to help me find these places. He can explain what I saw!”
Dake’s lip curled slightly, “If you remember these places so well, why do we need him to find them for you?”
She opened her mouth to answered, then closed it. Her eyes moved back and forth as she drank in the sight of him and he only hoped she would listen. Her jaw tightened, but she stood up slowly. Dake tossed money on the table, too much silver, but his horns were itching and he could just imagine poison or something more terrible if they remained in the bar. He dragged her out of the bar and growled at the drunks who got in his way. They fled, leaving him to force his way up the street, toward the inn they left their horse and the exit to this town.
“Dake! Dake, what is going on?”
“I don’t trust that guy, Sunshine! He drugged you.”
She slammed her foot down and he stumbled slightly. He released her and turned to face her, a clearing in the street forming as he stood over her.
“He did not!”
Dake felt anger rising inside him. He yanked off his cloak and dropped it to the ground as silence rippled down the street. He could feel people staring at his inhuman form as he pulled around his massive backpack and pulled out a small vial of greenish yellow liquid. He shoved it into her hand with a growl.
“Drink this!”
She shook her head and he heard people whispering “beastman” around him. Growling, he grabbed her tightly and yanked her close, forcing the bottle near her mouth.
“Drink it!”
His companion hesitated, then removed the top to the triangular bottle and swallowed it, making a face. As the last of it poured down her throat, she started to gag and cough, dropping to her knees. Dake ignored her suffering as he threw his backpack back on and grabbed his cloak, draping it over his immense body. From the shadows, he felt more comfortable except for the stares and evil signs directed toward him.
He yanked it further over his eyes and held out his hand for Sunshine. She took it, shaking violently. Pulling her up, he watched as the clarity of her eyes came back. She made a face, still tasting the foul potion that Dake knew well.
“What was that stuff? What happened?”
He was relieved to hear her voice had the sharpness back into it, instead of the dazed confusion from before. He looked around.
“You were drugged and it felt too much like a setup. And now we are leaving. I can’t help you if he betrays you to the guards or decides your memories are worth more if you are dead.”
Real fear flashed through her eyes and she brushed her fingers against her sword hilt. Dake gave her a slight grin.
“Glad to have you agree, now, let’s get out of here.”
Sunshine said nothing, but she walked next to him as he forced his way down the crowded streets and back to their horse. After a few blocks, he slowed down and Sunshine grabbed his arm for balance and to keep up with his still rapid pace.
“Dake, what is happening?”
“Everything… nothing. I don’t know. Something is really wrong and if he isn’t going to betray us, someone else has. I just need to get you out of this town.”
She said nothing as he growled at anyone who got too close. Soon, he was striding along a wooden boardwalk, circling around before heading up a secondary street he noticed before.
“Was it worth it?”
She spoke wistfully after a block, “Yes. I remember the battles and fighting, but it was clearer instead of half-remembered blurs. I remember the names. That stuff you gave me, it pushed back a haze and I think I can remember where they happened.”
He grunted, “Well, I guess we have a place. Find a map of this world and try to mark them down before you forget. Then, we got to every single one until you figure out your place in the world.”
Sunshine froze, gasping softly. Dake stopped and looked at her. At the sight of her expression, he had to smile.
“Do you…”
“Yes, I mean it, Sunshine.”
She started to cry and grabbed him tightly. He smiled to himself, half covering her with his canvas cloak as he held her.
“I meant it, you are my companion, even without the sex.”
They held each other for a few moments. Dake was happy with her joy and couldn’t help thinking about her body pressed against his. He started to wake his sexual hungers, but his horns started to itch fiercely.
“Sunshine?”
She looked up, “Let’s get out of town.”
Dake could agree with that. Turning, they headed down the secondary street and came up behind the inn. Walking around to the front, he peered inside the stable. It was empty, except for a line of stalls filled with horses. The bright white one was at the end, in the largest stall. They worked their way over to the horse and Sunshine opened its stall to get its halter and saddle on.
He looked around, scratching his horn and fingering the haft of his ax.
“Where is anyone?”
She looked up, “What?”
“There should be someone here, the stable girl or someone else.”
“I don’t know, maybe outside.”
He walked the length of the stables, peering in each stall. At the front, he looked at the crowded street. There was a guard at one corner and he saw a pair of soldiers purchasing trinkets from a street-side vendor. Other than that, there was no armed people in the town. Grunting, he returned to the back where Sunshine was struggling with the horse.
The white horse was neighing and bucking. He grabbed it and held it down, his muscles straining against the heavy creature. He whispered soothingly at it, which seemed to do nothing. Finally, he started to threaten it.
“Listen, you dumb animal. Behave enough to get us out of town, then we’ll give you a treat.”
He took a deep breath when the animal calmed down almost instantly. He started to tug it out then froze as he realized he smelled something familiar. Sickeningly familiar.
“Sunshine?”
She was bent over her saddlebags, checking on their contents. Crouching down, she looked at him.
“Yes, Dake?”
“I smell blood.”
She froze, crouching down even further as she rested her hand on her chopping sword hilt. He glared at the horse.
“Be quiet.”
It did and he released it, sniffing deeply. He stepped out of the stall and went a few down, drinking in the air. It smelled stronger near the end, so he returned, sniffing for the source. He found it at a pile of hay on a shelf near the back. His eyes locked on a thin trail of blood dripping between two slats and growled deeply. Sunshine jumped, sprinting over as he shoved his hands into the hay and pushed away the sweet-smelling strands.
Sunshine realized what is was first. She gasped, slapping her hand over her mouth.
“Malfaes!”
It was the stable girl. Her neck was twisted at an unnatural angle, bruises forming where someone broke it. He felt his body tensing as he looked further down, at a huge wound in her chest. The ribs were stark and white, punched in from the outside. The look of horror on her face was too much for Sunshine who spun around and started to vomit in the corner. Dake sighed sadly, brushing some blood-matted hair from her face.
He dropped the hay and it half-buried the poor girl again. Fighting back a trembling inside him, a mixture of rage and sorrow that threatened to bring tears to his eyes.
“Sunshine, go get the innkeeper.”
Sunshine staggered up, wiping her chin.
“What?”
“If we just run, then they assume we did it. If we get them, then maybe we have a chance of not getting thrown in prison.”
He didn’t think she agreed, but she nodded and spun on her heels, sprinting for the inn. He pulled the corpse from under the hay and set her down on the ground. Brushing her hair and lying her straight, he stood up and waited for Sunshine.
It was less than a minute when he heard her screaming from inside the inn. His head snapped up as he whipped his ax out. His hooves pounded into the ground as he ran the length of the stable and burst out the door. His heart jumped for a moment as he stared at over a hundred men coming toward the inn and stable, all armed and weapons ready. He started to move toward the inn when he realized it was filled with soldiers already. There was fighting, Sunshine’s blade flashing brightly as she attacked. He roared and charged for the inn.
Arrow launched themselves into the air and he barely dodged out of the way as they formed a forest in the wall. His spin brought him away from the door and he came up, brandishing his weapon as the first ranks of the human soldiers attacked. He didn’t even have the chance to bellow as their blades slammed into him, slicing away the canvas and cutting into his skin. He felt blood pouring out of the shallow wounds and he snarled. Slamming his ax into one, he punched clear through the chest of one man and into the second. Kicking out hard with his foot, he launched a third into a bank of men and sent them sprawling.
He kicked out again as he brought his ax down low, taking out the kneecaps of the men in front of them. They fell like wheat but he didn’t have time to attack as the second wave came charging. Easily a dozen men attacking him and he couldn’t manage to parry all of them. He noticed that there was a man in heavy armor, white jade from appearances, directing them as they slammed into him. He felt one blade scrape against his ribs as he bellowed on in pain and anger.
From inside the inn, a golden light exploded from all the windows. Sunshine was screaming, fury and pain, and he could hear the sounds of bodies and breaking glasses. He tried to throw himself to the door, but a wave of men crashed into him and he frantically parried their blows before cutting them down in a shower of blood and guts. Praying that Sunshine could defend herself with her powers, he threw himself into the ranks of men outside, cutting a swath through them as the rivers of blood poured down the street.
His eyes were focused on the man in white jade, the most dangerous person. He had a massive two-handed sword, but it appeared to be some sort of silvery weapon instead of more white jade artifacts. Weapons cut across his body, slicing at his chest and arms, splashing blood on his opponents.
Dake burst through the ranks and found himself standing in front the warrior. His opponent looked like he was in his mid-twenties, with black and gray hair and a short beard. The man had a grim expression on his face as he slapped his hands together. Then, slowly spread them apart as a whirlwind of rock and stone formed in his hand. Dust started to rise up from the ground as the man, probably a “Dragon-Blooded” from what Dake understood, suddenly threw out the sphere at him. At point back range, Dake could only grit his teeth as it exploded against his face, slicing away ribbons of flesh and hair. The injuries from the earlier ranks made it harder for him to resist and he actually staggered as he brought his ax up and slashed down at the man’s head.
With a causal step back, the armored man… teleported about two yards back and his blow slammed into the solid packed earth. As swarms of warriors attacked him, he yanked his weapon from the ground and cut through the surrounding opponents. Their blades cut into his skin and he couldn’t parry them all. He felt the burning pain raising up as he felt the shadow of death coming ever closer.
The world exploded into golden light behind him. He could feel the raw iconic energy of Sunshine bursting out of the inn, flooding the sky as an immense image of a naked woman stretched out over the town. He ignore it and took advantage of the shock to launch himself at the Dragon-Blooded. He prayed that striking the head would break their morale.
His ax glittered reflected golden light as it came down in a powerful sweep. The armored warrior drew his attention away from the golden image just a second too soon and stepped back again, somehow moving five yards away from his blow and he missed completely. Dake inhaled and bellowed out as loudly as he could. He felt the morale break around him, but the armored warrior formed another ball of earth and stone and threw it at him. Dake desperately brought his ax to parry it. The impact rattled his teeth and arms, but then he saw a flash of white as the warrior rushed forward, slashing with impossible speed and slamming the sword into Dake’s chest.
The tauren gasped as he felt the blade punch through his back and blood splattering everywhere. The Dragon-Blooded planted one foot on Dake’s shoulder and pushed him back, pulling the sword out of him with a wet sucking noise. Dake’s fingers dropped his ax as he landed heavily on the ground. He twisted painfully, feeling the life draining out from him as his hands clutched for his backpack. He felt one of his emergency potions fall into his hand, but his vision was growing dim as he tried to bring it to his lips. He barely felt the edge of the glass against his lips as his world went dark.
Scion of the White Mountain, a Dragon-Blooded of earth, stepped over the corpses as he entered the inn. The tiny slip of a girl, an Anathema, was pinned to the wall, screaming as blood poured down from the two spears that held her there. Her body flickered with a golden flame that did no damage and a symbol on her forehead of a burning sun almost blinded him as he came closer. He cautiously stepped over the thirty men she slaughtered and inspected her. When she kicked him, he launched a single powerful punch into her stomach, driving the air from her. Crouching down, he launched another punch straight up, his jade-covered gauntlets slamming into her chin and knocking her unconscious instantly.
One of his guards brought up the wanted poster and he looked it over, tilting it toward the fading golden light to get a better look.
“That’s them. Looks like the bitch is wanted up in Tammis.”
He snapped his fingers, “Get three wings and have her bound in chains and brought up. If you let her escape, talk, or even look at you, I’ll have your testicles for my salad. And have the sorcerer send a message ahead! I want this foul creature out of our hands as soon as possible.”
The man gulped and saluted. Calling for iron bounds, Scion watched as they pulled the spears out of her and her body slumped to the ground. He watched as they bound her wrists and ankles in iron, pouring hot lead into the key hole to prevent it from being picked. Grabbing a length of rope, they bound her mouth into a gag that forced her mouth open before dragging her out on the street.
Scion followed, watching as they threw her on a wagon. The lead solider, a Wing-Lord he trusted, spurred the horses and the wagon rushed out of town. Another solider came up.
“We found a girl in the stables, her heart was ripped out.”
The Dragon-Blooded snarled and went over to kick Dake’s prone form, hard.
“Malfaes, this is one of them! Foul creatures that rip the hearts out of innocent men and women.”
The solider stepped back, frightened. Scion kicked him again, putting his weight into the blow. When he heard Dake groan, he froze as he felt a flicker of surprise.
“Is he actually alive?”
One of the soldiers carefully knelt and checked Dake’s pulse.
“Yes, sir. He appears to have drunk this-” and the man showed Scion the bottle that was half-spilled out on the ground.
Scion frowned, “Check his gear, see if there is anything else. We can have the thaumaturge look at it.”
The man checked the backpack, grunting to pick it up, but an expression of confusion crossed his face as he peered into the empty pack. Scion watched him and then grunted.
“Intriguing. Send everything over. This creature may have something of worth on him, or at least something we can use against others of his kind.”
“And the creature?”
Thinking back, the Scion shrugged, “The reward specifically said to separate them at all costs. So, throw him in prison. Bind him in irons, lots of irons, and make sure he is properly gagged as well. When he wakes up, he can stand trial for the girl’s death.”
“Yes, sir!”
Scion left his men to perform their duties. As he walked toward the gate, he ignored the bawling parents of the murdered girl or even the onlookers that quickly got out of his way. He shook his head sadly.
“Actual Anathema in my town. What is this world coming to?”