Serafina Constantinescu's Story

The man gasped as the woman he had originally tried to flirt with suddenly shoved him up against the wall and threatened him. Melgrove? She was The Melgrove? Oh shit. He shook against the wall and her body and raised his hands to try and protect his face. He knew that she would do exactly as she threatened and he wanted some measure of protection before she started pounding him into the wall. And then, the boy spoke up and stopped her from doing anything to him. He gave a sigh of relief. The coward had nearly pissed himself in his fright. He swallowed hard and looked over at the boy as he asked his questions.

The unicorn rider? They were here to help the queen? Now he really felt like shit for treating the Melgrove the way he had. He placed a shaky hand on the woman's wrist to try and gain some breathing room and hopefully a little distance now. He cleared his throat and gave a rigorous nod. "Y-yes. I know w-where. Regina Serafina and the unicorn had gone to the c-coast. The news was that s-she would be d-departing for Amstra. He swallowed hard then to try and wet his lips and his now parched throat. "The unicorn's body was found on the s-shore but the Regina.... Lady Serafina wasn't t-there. It's b-been rotting there for a w-week. No one k-knows what to do to g-get rid of it. Some of the p-priests set up scrolls to p-purify it and stop it from c-changing but its not working. P-Please, Lady M-Melgrove, f-forgive me for my slight."

---

Cold...darkness...pain and yet numbness...and still the fire burned.

Serifina groaned as her head rolled to the side. Her head felt like someone had stabbed her with a sword and was now jiggling it back and forth inside her brain. Her long pale hair was a mess around her face and body, tangled where the bandits had grabbed her repeatedly to yank her head back. Though much of her lean body was littered with bruises and cuts here and there, her face was pristine save for her dehydrated chapped lips and red puffy eyes. The bandits wanted to sell her; couldn't sell a sex slave if her face was mauled. Her body wounds would heal soon after all and she wouldn't have a single mark on her; save for the thin slash on her back from the right shoulder down to the left hip she had harbored for years.

The unicorn rider looked more pale than usual, almost like a porcelain doll from her days locked in his darkness and blood loss. All she had left on was the silky white under garments that had been ripped from the constant tugging and abuse she had endured. All of her rich clothing and equipment were out of her reach and the slave traders were currently examining her two rapiers, each constructed in Amstra. The hilts of both swords were black with gold trappings and each would sell for a small fortune. She would be making these bastards rich. At the time of capture, she had all her weapons, gold and silver, and her jewlery and clothing was nothing to sniff at either. Even her crown would make them rich enough to be kings themselves. But she couldn't give up. This couldn't end this way. She refused to let them win without a continuous fight. She had to get to Everglade before it was too late. Her precious companion didn't deserve this. She should have been stronger, more alert, fought harder.

Serafina opened her pale green eyes and stared up at the cave ceiling and tried to move her body, testing the bonds and her remaining physical strength. Every movement ached and she wanted to cry out but she wouldn't give them that satisfaction. Not even when they beat her or when they raped her had she given them a sound. It had earned her a harsher beating but she would not give in. She winced and looked up at her arms which were bond above her and her ankles were shackled on opposite sides of each other where she lay on the cold floor.

Serafina took in a few calming breaths before she slowly started to pull downward with her hands, trying to make as little sound as she could. She needed to get free and get to Everglade's body. There was a chance... a small one but there was a chance that Everglade would be okay. She closed her eyes again as she pretended to sleep as she worked her hand in the cuffs. Her wrists were raw at this point but she didn't stop trying to get her shaking hands free. She would teach these cretins that they should have never mess with her. She would not break no matter how they desecrated her. Then, she'd save Everglade and the two of them would be okay.

Amir cocked an eyebrow in surprise as he listened to Trytheus speak, it was actually a good plan. He didn’t even have anything sassy or derogatory to say about it, because as much as it was a pain to admit it, Try was right about the things he said. The chaos that would be caused by hurt feelings and inflated egos would be the perfect way to get to the Unicorn Rider. The boy began focusing on the map in his head of the Cape, deciding the best path for them to take and although he had heard Try’s return jab he only mustered a weak, “Flattery can win wars too.” Amir stopped at a weakness in the fence, the ocean had come into view, though they were still a decent distance away from it, and he pushed a loose piece of metal that revealed a hole large enough for Amir to fit through easily, and hopefully squeeze Trytheus through.

“You’re right, and I can do it, but your beast can’t come with us. Her appearance is too loud, and we’ve already way overstepped our boundaries with your apparel. Hassan has been circling for awhile, he’s watching me so if she wanted to join him he’ll be able to direct your beast to the Headquarters.

Once we finish the commotion will have drawn crowds of people, it will be impossible to escape unnoticed, but this building does have roof access, your griffin should be able to get you out of the Cape that way, and I’ll make my own escape.” He slipped through the breach in the fence easily, happy that the alley seemed deserted at the moment. He turned to Trytheus and motioned for the man to follow and put himself in stealth mode. Normally he’d be able to walk around the Cape freely, but at the moment even one person spotting Trytheus could compromise the entire plan. The boy had his weapon drawn at all times, peaking around bend corners to make sure the coast was clear. When it wasn’t he was disposing of bodies quickly and without hesitation. He was good at this kind of fighting, even with his jewelry people hardly ever noticed his presence.

He knew when killing in silence he had to be completely out of eyesight, and there couldn’t be any hesitation, he had to cover their mouth the same moment he cut their throat and he always had to let the body fall into him so that it didn’t make a thud and alert anyone else around to a disturbance. The hardest part was always dragging a body out of sight, tucked between dumpsters or in positions that resembled a passed out drunk. It gave the chances of being caught even slimmer, but dead weight was exhausting to move. Luck was on his side, and as he led Trytheus through the alleys in silence they only came across three enemies, a woman and two men.

Amir didn’t say a word as they moved, and he didn’t glance back at Trytheus even when he flicked his hand forward to indicate to continuing moving, the man’s noisy armor was confirmation enough he was following and the boy was putting all his concentration into not alerting the entire Cape to their presence. There was no time for jabbing at the man’s appearance or mannerisms when they were in the middle of thousands of people that definitely wanted to kill both of them. He only started speaking once they arrived and he held up his hand in a stopping motion.

“This is it. Just like you said I’ll go in and start some shit. You’ll hear the arguing once it has escalated and that’ll be your cue to jump in.” His head scarf was still adjusted to hide his identity, but he tugged at it once more for good measure, a nervous habit, before walking out towards the main street and in an attempt at looking casual veered towards the Snake-Bite entrance. There were no guards posted in front of the building, but that was a simple formality of the Cape. No one displayed visual hostilities, all shit that went down happened on the inside. He didn’t hesitated as he walked in, because to any that may have been watching hesitation was a telltale sign you didn’t belong and the boy was greeted to the first floor of the Snake-Bite group.

There couldn’t have been more than fifty people in the stronghold, their leader must has sent the large parts of the group on smuggling ventures or raids on the nomads. He felt himself straighten and walked in, attempting to remember what he knew of the fortress. Their leader was a man named Dorian, but apparently he was reckless and had been making a slew of wrong decisions in recent. The only thing that kept him in power was his strange amount of completely devote followers and the boy had to wonder where that came from. As far as he was aware two people were being backed by other members that saw them fit to usurp Dorian. There was a man named Cullen, strong with a god understanding of strategy and combat, and force to be reckoned with. One the other side of these splits was a women named Josephina, she was smart and supposedly an expert in blackmail, she had been growing her connections in both the underground and the regular world. Both were competent and Amir wanted neither of them getting any power. The last thing he needed were more crime groups good at what they did.

As he walked in deeper he picked up a conversation of what appeared to be Cullen lackeys discussing the fine leadership qualities of him and Amir felt himself snort. One of their heads shot up and looked at him. “Aye, you got a problem.”

“Fuck yeah, why would you follow a man that relies only on brute force? You must be dumber than you look, but then you should be proud of that cause I’m sure the government gives bonuses to the mentally disabled.” Amir wasn’t really sure if the man truly understood the finer points of the joke, especially because Gnaji definitely couldn’t afford offering its people things like welfare for those you were rendered unable to work, but it did the trick all the same. The man threw something, it smacked a guy on the other side of the room, he threw something back, and all of a sudden everyone was fighting.

Amir was impressed, generally it took a lot more prodding than that to get keep into a full on brawl, but he supposed there had already been so much underlying tension that way they needed was an excuse to start fighting. He slipped through the people as silently as possible, if he had to guess the unicorn rider would be in the basement, that was the easiest place to keep someone in check. It was easy to get past whomever had been guarding the door, the fighting had seemed to rally the entire place and it was already turning deadly without his or Try’s intervention. Hopefully they would just take care of themselves then.

The basement was cold and dark and Amir was suddenly wishing dearly for his fire bird. The scene reminded him all too much of the memories he liked to forget and the chills that raced his spine weren’t only from the cold. The only light that flickered in was through the cracks where the first floor overlapped the basement. It wasn’t much though, tiny tendrils of light barely telling him where it was safe to step, dust and sand falling as the people above stomped around. There were cages everywhere; strange beasts he had never seen lined the walls, valuables from raids stuffed in barrels and crates. As he moved the boy snagged a ruby encrusted bracelet and slipped it around his wrist, no point in not enjoying the spoils of a mission without any compensation.

When he saw the unicorn rider his heart dropped. She wasn’t caged, but she was tied up, a piece of wood hammered in place above the spot she sat bound that read in an ironic tone and poor penmanship ‘FRAGILE HANDLE WITH CAUTION’. The boy felt a surge of adrenaline twitch the muscles under his skin as the anger took hold, all thoughts of killing her forgotten. He didn’t even see the unicorn rider sitting there bound, he saw a younger version of himself, helpless and scared and beaten. He breathed out hard through his nose and he dropped down next to her, fingers shaking as his hormones drove his body through a multitude of states, and he began undoing her binds.

“I’m getting you out.” He whispered softly, her body was completely littered in wounds and bruising and it was such a familiar sight that his stomach lurched with a strong wave of nausea. Had Meg and May not sent them this girl’s fate would have been like his own, maybe even worse. Once he undid the binds the boy pushed himself to his feet and slammed his sword down in front of her so it stuck upright out the ground. The girl’s eyes still burned, she was not defeated and the experience had not broken her beyond repair despite what she had been subjected to. Amir had been the same way, and he had known what he had wanted to do if someone had freed him from his situation.

“Stand and fight, make these people pay for what they have done.”

"You’re right, and I can do it, but your beast can’t come with us. Her appearance is too loud, and we’ve already way overstepped our boundaries with your apparel. Hassan has been circling for awhile, he’s watching me so if she wanted to join him he’ll be able to direct your beast to the Headquarters.

Once we finish the commotion will have drawn crowds of people, it will be impossible to escape unnoticed, but this building does have roof access, your griffin should be able to get you out of the Cape that way, and I’ll make my own escape." Though he was loath to separate from Mavegen, he knew it was inevitable, the griffon was far too large for city fighting as it is. Not to mention the fact that the entire point of the mission was one of stealth and misdirection, the arrival of a griffon and a mounted knight would only serve to disrupt the entire plan.

He made his way through the wall, pulling his hammer closer to him so it would not snag on a loose piece of wood. As the boy ahead motioned for him to follow, he was glad to see he was at least taking it seriously, it made a pleasant change from the boy acting like an insecure moron who thought himself far more important than any of their tasks. He instinctively reached for the cloak behind him to help mask his presence, as well as to break up the outline of his body, before he grasped at open air. He was beginning to regret not having a spare cloak with him now.

He followed Amir from a short distance, painfully aware of every small noise his armour made, though it was well fitted and made from a good metal, it did not prevent every little clank of metal on metal. It could have been worse however, if his suit mad been made from poor materials he would have clattered loudly with every motion. As it was though, he managed to move without drawing undue attention as far as he was concerned. The ability to move quietly was not enough for Amir it seemed, as he felt the need for outright murder. It took every ounce of his being to resist the urge to simply take his hammer and crack open the back of the boys head as he passed the bodies that had been left behind, they could have been complete innocents for they knew. Because they had been in the wrong place at the wrong time did that mean they had to die? He resolved that Amir would answer for this transgression in the future, how far in the future he was unsure but it would be. He swore it.

They arrived at the apparent right place however with very little incident, which was also a surprise. Frankly he thought Amir would simply start running in and attempt to swear the bandits to death.
"This is it. Just like you said I’ll go in and start some shit. You’ll hear the arguing once it has escalated and that’ll be your cue to jump in." Trytheus nodded in reply, before closing his visor. He couldn't help but notice the boy was nervous, he had to wonder at that. What would cause the boy to be worried here? It was entirely possible the boy was working with these outlaws, it would explain why the Ladies Gemini knew to suggest to send Amir to this hellhole.

He waited until the boy had slipped inside the building. And he waited for a while longer, he was left wonder just how many of the outlaws were inside and what weapons they might have. It could be that as soon as he stepped foot past the threshold that he was cut down by a hail of crossbow bolts. Then he heard what could only be described as the entire building being suddenly rearranged from the inside and he knew it was his cue to enter.

Hurrying across the street he halted before the door and lifted his hammer up. He had found these things required a certain form of flair to prove an effective means of disorienting the enemy. With a swing he brought his hammer crashing into the door, kicking it from its hinges and throwing it into the room beyond, before he jumped in after. He saw a man directly to his right and lashed out with his hammer, catching the confused man square in the jaw, causing him to raise off of the floor a few inches before falling to the ground in a heap.

He took a moment to look around at the room he had just entered. It was devastation all around him. Men lay in pools of their own blood as they had fallen fighting one another, it seemed his plan to cause them to erupt into infighting had worked almost too well. Instead of breaking into factions as he had expected they had all turned on each other like savage beasts. It seemed though that the man he had just killed was trying to make a break for it and was simply luck with his timing.

Heading deeper inside Trytheus saw a few more scenes of the fighting that had broken out, it must have been very sudden for so many to have died so quickly. Yet he could still hear fighting on the floor above and it was echoing down the hall towards him, so he followed the sound in an attempt to find the stairwell it was echoing down. He eventually came out into another chamber, once again there were bodies strewn about the place, but the way they lay with wounds in their sides and backs and with broken bottles laying about the place, he assumed this was where the fighting had broken out.

He was about to move on when he heard a high pitched yell behind him. He spun around just in time to see a straggly man leap at him with a rusty sword. The downwards blow landed on his armoured shoulder and simply slid off with a clatter, the man must have been very weak because Trytheus hardly even felt the blow landing. The man on the other hand realised his mistake and dropped his sword, trying to turn tail and flee. Before he had a chance to simply duck and run however, Trytheus grabbed the man by the throat and lifted him up, with seemingly little effort.

"Where is the Rider?" each word was spoke as if it were the toll of the bells of dooms for the man, every word was spoken with a heavy pause before the next drummed out. The man squirmed in his grip, kicking ineffectively at Trytheus' legs. Trytheus had to add a bit more pressure to the mans neck before he finally manage to croak out a single word.
"Basement." What a pitiful creature this outlaw was. He got the mercy that justice bestowed upon the wicked creatures of the world. It was only a little more effort to increase his grip on the mans throat, he could feel the windpipe collapsing in his grasp before, with a creak of broken cartilage it finally broke in his hand. He dropped the man to leave him to chock to death on his own shattered windpipe before heading over to the stairs at the back of the room and descending.

It was a dark and cold descent. He welcomed the latter but resented the former, anything could be lurking in the dark depths and it only made him grasp his hammer all the tighter. He was not going to be ambushed in some back alley den of scum and villainy. It was thankfully only a short flight of stairs, yet it was an even larger basement. Had it not been for the thin streams of light he would have returned above to search for a torch and then made his way inside. As it was he didn't have time to look around, so instead he steeled himself and ventured inside the darkness. It was oppressive indeed, and every sound around him caused him to heft to his hammer ever so slightly and he was painfully aware of how loudly his armoured footsteps echoed into the dark around him as he strode across the stone flooring. Any element of surprise would have long since vanished with his footsteps.

Following the patterns of light he turned the corner to find something which actually surprised him. As he had hoped Amir had found the Rider, but something was not right here, he had freed her and he was even disarmed. Was he and the rider in some form of plot? What reason would Amir have to simply give his weapon away?
"You've found her." He observed, before fixing Amir in his steely gaze. "Why is she not dead?"

---

Serafina heard the chaos from above and opened her eyes. What was happening up there? There were so many battle cries and items crashing and breaking. Would the fighting extend to this basement? was she going to find herself face to face with an enemy she couldn't fight because she was tied? She yanked harder at her hands, desperate to get herself free. She couldn't die like this! She refused to die like she had so many times before! She'd die with a sword in her hand or not at all. She winced but her hands would not slide through their damn bindings. She wasn't afraid of anyone noticing at this point since she was sure the chaos from above would be grabbing their attentions far more urgently than her motions to try and escape.

Then there was someone beside her and she tensed. She looked up at the stranger dressed in the same garb as the rest of these people but with far more jingling items. She eyed him warily but there was something in his eyes that drew her. There was something similar...a fire perhaps. "I'm getting you out." the boy said as he undid her binds. Her eyes widened in surprise. Who was this kid? Why was he here saving her? He didn't look familiar. Serafina sat up quickly and ignored her pain and the desire to just lay there.

Then the unthinkable occurred. The boy handed her his weapon. She gapped at him for just a moment trying to understand what this boy was playing at. “Stand and fight, make these people pay for what they have done.” Serafina smiled at him as she finished getting to her feet and accepted the dagger. Already she could feel the adrenaline rushing through her. She desperately wanted to gut ever single one of the men that had dared touch her body... especially that one that had taken her innocence.

She rushed forward with a battle cry of her own, adrenaline pumping through her and masking the pain as she rushed into the fray. Her combat at the moment was much like Amir's in her frenzy. She slashed, dodged, cut, aiming for pain and leaving the men crumpled on the floor to bleed out as she searched for her main target. She found the bastard just as the man cut down one of his own men that had attacked him in the chaos and she gave an uncharacteristic grin as she lunged forward in her glee and twisted the blade in the man's back. The man cried out in surprised pain. Serafina shoved hard against him and the two toppled to the ground where Serafina continued to just stab the man. Over and over and over again even when the man was dead. Perhaps she was just getting her pain and frustration out, or maybe she was mimicking his violent act against her with a knife. When she was finally done with him, she realized her vision was blurred from the tears that fell from her eyes. She wouldn't let that stop her.

She pulled away from the man and continued to cut down people she passed on her way back to the basement. Once there, the unicorn rider was panting from her exertion and the adrenaline was beginning to subside. She was covered in blood and she bet she was quite the horrific sight to behold. She had wiped the dagger clean however as she walked back towards the boy that had unleashed her and allowed her to take her revenge on the bastards. Even with the horror of what had happened, she was smiling faintly. Tears of gratitude now slipped past her gaze. "Thank you... thank you so much, Stranger," she called out in a voice broken from her emotions as well as disuse. "I am in your debt." She extended her hand with the dagger to return it to him just as she heard the distinct clank of armor coming towards them.

"You've found her. Why is she not dead."

Serafina whirled to face the man and frowned. Why wasn't she dead? She looked at the boy then and her eyes narrowed. They were going to kill her? She dashed forward to her equipment and pulled free her own swords and got into a defensive position as she judged the two before her. The boy was agile and quick. He fought with a dagger so he liked close range battle just like her. The man in armor... that was armor made in Amstra. She'd have to find a weak spot to actually do him harm. The best bet would to get up close and yank that helmet off so she could get at his face and neck. That weapon of his did cause her concern. She wasn't wearing armor.

"Who are you two? Why do you want me dead? I may be a woman and battered but I will not go down without a fight. I'll make sure I drag you down with me," she growled. She eyed the boy then. If his aim was to kill her, why had he let her go? Given her a weapon? It didn't make sense. She had thought him a kindred spirit. Was it just the armored man then?

"Thank you... thank you so much, Stranger, I am in your debt." Amir had been lost in the past when the girl had run to exact her revenge. This was everything he had wanted to do when he had been eleven and in the same unfortunate circumstances. He had wanted to slaughter the people that had ruined him, and there was something deep inside that felt satisfied that even if he could not, the unicorn rider could carry his will through her actions. He took his sword back, examining the carnage that still dripped from it and then looked to her. She was barely wearing a thing, and now she was covered in blood. He unraveled his head scarf, and although she was taller than him, he reached up and draped it over her shoulders. He knew that she wasn’t eleven, that she wasn’t the past him, but when he looked at the rider all he could see was himself.

"You've found her. Why is she not dead?" Amir turned to face the armored man, it was dark yet even the tiniest bits of light sparkled off his ridiculous armor. It actually panged a bit of annoyance in him, but the boy held it down. He faced the man and planted his body between both riders even as the Unicorn rider drew her weapons and he met Trytheus’s cold gaze with distant eyes. His mind was reeling with self preservation, she wasn’t him, yet she held the will of his eleven year old self. There was the deep seeded need for revenge and the desperation for a hero, so the boy would appeal to Trytheus even if he didn’t believe a single word.

“This isn’t right Trytheus. This girl is innocent she committed no crimes, she doesn’t deserve to die. Aren’t you the one always going on about justice, and valor, and your vows to protect the innocent? Why throw away the morals you’ve lived your whole life by for one stupid mission? Why is it me protecting this innocent person and not you?” He turned to the girl and dropped his sword, disarming himself to show he would not harm her. He gave her a polite smile and instead offered her his hand. What if his past self had been given this opportunity? What if he had escaped the slave traders back then? She was older and taller than him, but he wondered if how she responded to this tragedy would have been like hid past self, and he wondered how different he would have been if it had only gone this far.

“My name is Amir Taheri, Phoenix Rider of Gnaji. This guy,” he jabbed his thumb towards the armored man behind him, “is Trytheus. He’s the Griffin Rider, don’t worry about him, he’s probably just irritated because all the sand in his armor is giving him sand rash.” He was speaking gently, she had been through a lot, this was what he always imagined it happening when he had been locked away. This was how the hero he envisioned always spoke once the boy realized that he wasn’t going to be able to escape on his own. He bent to pick up his sword again, grasping the hilt is a shaky grip, and managed to speak in a confident tone. “I’ll protect you even if that big hunk of metal behind me won’t.”

Now this was something most likely to have ever happened. Amir was upholding the ways of good and justice. Would that he had chosen to do so at a better time. As it was now he stood between him and the completion of their mission, such as it was. What should of been a good and proud thing, for someone like the boy to realise the folly of his ways was only tainted by the entirety of the whole situation. And then the boy spoke.

"This isn’t right Trytheus. This girl is innocent she committed no crimes, she doesn’t deserve to die. Aren’t you the one always going on about justice, and valor, and your vows to protect the innocent? Why throw away the morals you’ve lived your whole life by for one stupid mission? Why is it me protecting this innocent person and not you?" How dare that boy question him? Through doubts onto his own morals, on his vows, on his very existence. He took a step forwards, his gut lurching as the emotions boiled in him, his head was like a vice as the conflicting pulls of his duty were released in a great flood. The agony in his skull and heart was as if he was about to fall inwards on himself in the pain.

"You think me happy for being here Amir?" He barked out. "You think me glad that this mission counters the entirety of my vows? That I am commanded to throw away the last thirty years of my life and be forever branded a murderer? We have a duty. And this is it. To protect humanity, at any cost. I would give anything that this mission were not so, but we. Have. No. Choice! We are damned if we commit this act and damned if we refuse, and I will not bring harm to my people because I refused to do my duty!"

And yet he was lying to himself. How could he bring himself to even consider harming an innocent? To raise the hammer in defense of the pure and good way of life was a part of human nature, but to land the killing blow would turn him into the very being he was sworn to defend against, was sworn to destroy. And this conflict was tearing him apart. He could neither fail his knightly vows and so discard everything he and countless others had fought and died for for thousands of years. Yet nor could he simply turn away from the duty laid before him by his very nature, he had been set upon the path of immortality to protect the people, and to serve at the command of the Ladies Gemini. And the two were not aligned.

He could hear Amir talking as if from a far off place. The words were dull and distorted, as though he were heavily drunk, and he were listening through a thick wooden wall. They hardly made sense to him, yet one sentence echoed again and again and again through his pain soaked brain.
"I’ll protect you even if that big hunk of metal behind me won’t."

The pain and anger and frustration was like a swirling vortex in his head. Crushing his mind in the pain of a thousand heavy blades of white hot iron. He could not act one way without disregarding the other, he could neither be the good man of Amstra and the loyal Griffon-Rider. He could not be Trytheus Morrela on this path.

And with a roar all the conflicting, swirling pain and malcontent burst from him in a sea of raw emotion. Taking a strong grip on his hammer he lashed out beside him, catching one of the supporting beams for the roof above and utterly shattering it into a shower of splinters. He hardly even reacted to it however, turning on his heels he ran from the room, storming towards the stairs, bellowing like a mad and mindless beast as nothing but righteous wrath filled his every fiber. He would ascend and destroy every last ounce of the unjust in this corrupt city. And when there was nothing but fire and ruin remaining he would fall of the pyre he had created.

---

Serafina looked wildly between the two men who seemed on opposite sides of the issue at hand though it was obvious they had come here together. She was stunned to find out that they were both riders. Why had Meg and May sent them to kill her? It didn't make sense. She was a rider to. She wanted to uphold the peace of the regions. What was the purpose here? It was true that Everglade was dead but... but if he wasn't burned then maybe she had a chance to get a hold of her kindred spirit and calm the unicorn turned kelpie. She doubted that Meg and May would have just let the unicorn rot and then scavenge the land and sea, killing everything in its wake. That meant the other riders had been sent after the unicorn's carcass. The thought stabbed her straight through. She couldn't let them destroy her companion but she also couldn't let Everglade's grief and death insanity kill her people or the other riders.

"I’ll protect you even if that big hunk of metal behind me won’t."

Serafina's eyes widened. Amir, the phoenix rider, was on her side. He didn't want to kill her and in his eyes she could see there was some connection between them. There was a softness in his gaze that spoke of one who had endured something very similar as she. She offered him a small smile. She could at least trust him for now. There was no reason for him to lie to her this way. He could have easily killed her when she had been lying on the ground defenseless. Trytheus didn't seem to be happy about the situations either. Could Meg and May have counted on this? Is that why she sent them after her and not the other riders? There had to be something else.

The young woman watched as Trytheus walked away growling, shouting, and making an obscene amount of noise in his anger and frustration with the situation. At lease he wouldn't be bothering them at the moment and she could relax. Hopefully he didn't come back and think the best situation was to go ahead and kill them both. Serafina gave a sigh of relief as she let her hands droop with the rapiers still in hand. She stumbled back until she was leaning against the wall, her legs shaking beneath her. She didn't know how much longer her strength would carry her.

"Thank you, Amir. You've helped me once again. I hope to not make this a habit though." she said with a small hint of a smile. She didn't want to be a damsel in distress all the time. She had to become stronger and protect herself and Everglade. Her heart twisted painfully. Now it was her turn to save her beast. "Amir, the other riders were sent after my beast, right? We need to get there as fast as we can. I don't know how long I have been here but it has been a while. Everglade will turn into a kelpie soon if he hasn't already. I need to get there now. I... I can tame beasts and reach a balance with them. Maybe I can tame the kelpie before it does anything to harm the others. I do not wish for the other riders to harm him or for Everglade to harm them and the rest of my people. Only I would be able to tame him. And if I can't... all of you will be there and Everglade would have already managed to kill me so you won't have to do it either way," she reasoned. "Please help me have this small chance to save him. He doesn't deserve to die this way; especially not by his fellow riders and beasts after everything he has already been through."

Amir jumped when Trytheus suddenly roared, shielding his face as the debris of the wrecked support beam shattered around them. He spun to see that it looked like Trytheus had completely lost it, and was a little annoyed that the man decided now of all times to have the nervous breakdown over all of the justice and honor issues he seemed to possess. After Try had yelled at him about his inner turmoil Amir should have realized something like this was coming, the man didn’t seem to be good at dealing with complex issues. He was so simpleminded that the only direction he seemed to move in was justice, heaven forbid he hit a fork in that road he’d lose all his shit as he was doing now. He tensed his muscles, ready to fight the man off, but Trytheus turned to go back upstairs where Amir assumed the battle would be dying down at least.

“What the fuck…” He could hear as the man started rampaging upstairs, but turned his attention to the girl as she fell backwards. He listened to her speak, but helped her to her feet by throwing her arm over his shoulder and letting her lean on him. He listened as she spoke and felt a little hope as she went on. Meg and May would have slaughtered him if he hadn’t completed the mission, his actions in the basement had been on uncharacteristic impulse, but if what the Unicorn rider was saying ended up working then that might ebb the twin’s wrath. “Trytheus will be the fastest way to get you there, if I can stop whatever tantrum he’s throwing up there…”

He led the two of them up the stairs, he could hear the sounds of the rampage getting louder the closer they got and once they left the basement Amir saw Try blindly swinging around that big hammer of his and he leaned the girl against one of the support beams standing in the room. He rolled his neck as he approached the raging man. It was getting distinct flashes of a Boss Monster Ape that he had fought once, all brute force and no reason, and he tried to observe a pattern. With rage attacks like this you could always find a pattern and then strike the opening. If this kept going on, more attention from outside would be drawn and then they’d all be dead, something that could not happen.

He approached with his blade drawn, cautious of the hammer that would no doubt kill him in one blow. The man was roaring, much like an ape, and each time the hammer hit the ground it reminded him of the beast pounding the with its fists, the sound nearly the same except for the slight metal twang of the hammer. Most of Snake-Bite had fled already, so at least he wouldn’t have to worry about them for long. He judged the movements for a moment before throwing himself in, unfortunately Try was not exactly like the ape and even in his rage was able to understand an incoming attack. Amir barely got his sword up in time to block the blow of the hammer, the sound rung in his ears and the power sent him flying backwards into the hard mud wall of the building. The pop in his spine was definitely not desirable. He felt his eye twitch in irritation. The damn bastard probably didn’t even know it was him that he swung at and that was actually more annoying given their hostile relationship.

“You god damn stupid metal ape, you swing that god damn fucking hammer at me like that again I’ll shove it so far up your ass you’ll be walking with a fucking limp in your gait for months!” He charged this time, betting his next move all on timing. Every time that stupid hammer hit the ground there was hesitation before it could be lifted again, the sheer weight of it being a weakness in itself. The boy stepped on the hammer as the man attempted to lift it and sent a hard kick right into that helm covered head of his. His golden ankle bracelets rang out loudly as the connected, and although the man didn’t topple over the force sent him staggering back at least, and hopefully the man would actually listen to him now.

“We do not have time for a god damn temper tantrum Trytheus, so calm the fuck down and stop screaming like a fucking brat! Seriously, of the two of us I thought I’d be the one to act out in a violent rampage… You can have your nervous breakdown when we aren’t in a place where literally everyone wants to kill us. I don’t want to hear from you that we don’t have a choice, there is always a choice, even if the other option doesn’t seem plausible there is never a time where there is only one option, and before you try to fight me on this you should at least listen to the unicorn rider’s plan, cause it’s a good one.” He stood his ground against the man, muscles tensed in case he still hadn’t returned to his senses, but the foot he had kicked the metal helm with throbbed badly, it had to have rattled the man as well. In the war between metal and flesh it seemed metal always won as Amir definitely hurt himself more with that kick than he had Trytheus. Not to mention his back was throbbing, his spine may have popped, but the sharp pains in his ribs led him to believe that they could have broken while taking most of the impact against the wall.

There was only the agony and pain of the entire world bearing down on him. It felt as if thousands of tons of water were cascading down on him, crushing his very being. Outside of himself no longer mattered, his body was a distant connection. He could feel its thrashing and torment as though it were the ebbing breeze on his skin at the end of the day, all the weariness and weakness of his body little more than a disjointed idea at the back of the waves of pain in his head as his very being was split apart by his conflicting emotions, his breaking mind as the lines of his duty pulled him in too many directions.

Then he was dimly aware of the boy, Amir. It was his fault for this, had the girl been dead before he had arrived then the agony would never have broken. He would have been able to contain his growing anger and pain, yet the boy had the gall to not only grow a consequence, but to also question his! He would have killed men for less had he been a weaker man, a man more prone to giving in to the wills that the absence of law brought. He memories of the bandits in the desert, the slaughtered innocents at the river, only brought on more pain. Had he been faster he could of saved them, had the boy acted sooner they could of saved them. Had the boy been able to understand the concept of upholding what is right, countless lives could of been saved instead of the boy satiating his own vanity.

It wasn't until the crack of physical pain in his head that he actually saw that his body was fighting wildly. With Amir no less. Though he had no love of the boy or his self absorbed ways, this was not the right path. This was not Trytheus. He tried desperately to wrestle back his own body, to fight down the mindless rage that was bleeding out of it. He was vaguely aware of the boy talking, no doubt taunting him again, or else making yet another sarcastic comment as was his way.

And yet he couldn't stop his own body from acting against his will. With his head down and his shoulder forwards he charged directly at Amir, caring little if he got out of the way in time. The blankness took him over once more only to be suddenly lifted with a sharp and jarring jolt as he realised he had ran clear through the wall and into the open street beyond. Evidently it had been built far poorer than was needed to stop the advance of a six foot tall armoured knight. Before anyone could react to the sudden emergence of the armoured man, a dark shadow detached from the sky and like a bolt of lightning struck down and swept him up, carrying him away into the dark.

He was taken far away from the chaos and the madness of the town, it was a brief flight that eventually ended with him being placed on a grassy hillside in the wilderness, not roughly. He rolled to his feet to see Mavegen landing next to him. The Griffon was looking at him in the dying light with concern. He had never acted in such a manor before, indeed the griffon had not needed to ever pull him away from such a situation before. The two locked eyes.

"What do you want of me Mavegen? I have failed my vows and my duty that was laid before us with our immortality. I walked along the path of the murderer and outlaw willingly and I chose it, it was my mistake to make and I was ready to accept it, damned be the consequences of my actions. All in the name of the duty of the Ladies Gemini." He barely noticed that he was shouting even now. "I have an impossible choice laid before me. I act upon the wills of the Ladies Gemini and forever cast the Order into shame and throw down everything they have fought for in my name into ruin and darkness. Or I turn against their commands, they who enforce the will of the monster who granted to us our immortality and our eternal duties, but to do so would invite damnation to our people! We cannot choose one or the other, nor can we stand idly by and allow such a travesty to happen."

Mavegen slowly approached the stricken rider and calmly lifted her foreleg. With a single talon she tapped him on the brestplate just over his heart. She could not talk, but the meaning was clear.

Follow your heart, for it is the way of Trytheus Morrela, not the Order of the Forge, not his legacy. The first man of the name acted as he willed, caring little for the ways of others or their opinions. He was not bound by oath or law, vow or duty. He was a simple man in a darker time, and this Trytheus had become too bound by the twisting myriad of the vows of the Order to be able to act.

He fell to his knees, the sorrow and realisation of his failings weighing down on him. He had a choice to make before the sun rose once more, and a long time to think on it. But he was glad, as Mavegen sat opposite him, that he was not alone. And that no matter the choice he made she would stand alongside him, now and forever.

---

Serafina was a bit... appalled about the situation. She had been so relieved that she was getting out but now her rescuers were fighting and bickering among themselves and the King of Amstra just... just started a tantrum. There was no other word for it. What else could this be called? The man was screaming and going in a blood rage and just hammering anything in his way because he didn't get what he wanted. The world wasn't black and white! There was grey in every action, behavior, and situation! Why couldn't this man see that? And this was not the time to do this! They were still in enemy territory and they could be overrun by bandits and mercenaries or whatever else was outside these walls and he was just making so much noise! They wouldn't escape if this continued. And what was worse was that Amir and Trytheus were actually fighting now. How was this going to help them any? They'd all be injured and be no use to anyone! Sure Amir had the phoenix but again, this was wasting time!

Serafina sighed to herself and leaned against the wall and raised a hand up to rub her face and try and clear her instant annoyance. They didn't have time for this! While they fought and wasted energy, her precious companion could be changing and what if he killed or hurt one of the other riders and her people? They would be the first to suffer from the Kelpie. If her dearest had to die a second time, she wanted to at least make sure the others had a cure for the poison. She couldn't get there without assistance. She didn't have a boat and taking a boat would take forever anyway. Amir's phoenix wouldn't be able to help her so she had to seek assistance from this child masquerading as a man. Maybe the iron suit was compensation for something because this was all just beyond ridiculous.

The young woman had hoped that once the man had gotten his energy out, he'd listen to reason. Amir would tire him because he looked quick and nimble, but such was not the case. Trytheus instead blasted a hole in the wall and the great griffin swooped in and... carried the iron man away. Her jaw fell open unceremoniously in her shock. He just... up and left them here! Why did everything she planned have to go awry? How would they get out of this mess now that Trytheus was gone? "No! Where the hell do you think you are going? Come back!" she growled and stumbled forward. Unfortunately he was far into the sky and he would not be able to hear her. "Bastard!" she huffed.

Serafina turned to Amir then. The young man had been hit by that man's hammer and the wall and she could swear she heard something break or pop under the weight of impact. She frowned and pushed her hair behind her ear as her eyes scanned her companion. [color#551A8B]"Are you all right, Amir?"[/color] she asked. "Where is your phoenix? We need your creature to heal our wounds and we need to find a way to find Trytheus or another way off Gnaji and get to Languinre. We have already wasted much time. I worry for all of them."[/color]

Amir was livid. Beyond livid, was there a word to describe a fury beyond livid because nothing came to mind as he watched the griffin rider get conveniently swept away by his beast leaving himself and Sera behind in the Cape. He wasn’t really sure what was worse, the fact that Trytheus completely abandoned them, or the fact Trytheus completely abandoned them while at the same time alerting all the criminals in the vicinity of their locations. If he didn’t die he was killing that man, he was gouging his eyes out and flaying his skin and he was going to make a fire god damn hot enough to melt that armor off the damn bastard. Fuck him, fuck him and not in the good sensual way, just fuck, fucking that stupid fucking bastard that fucking prick, fuck, fuck, fuck fuck fuck him.

At some point the internal rant became external and his head wiped in the direction of the unicorn rider as she started speaking to him. He rolled his neck, a sharp pain danced over his spine but he ignored it, an injury to that extent was ignorable considering the circumstances. Soon the criminals would begin investigating, Amir’s portrait was pasted all over this place, they were so screwed if they didn’t get moving. Hassan would not have enough time to heal him until they were free of this place. “I’m fine, it doesn’t fucking hurt. He’s going to fucking hurt when I’m fucking through with that fucking piece of shit. Fuck him, I’m gonna string him up and fucking beat the shit out of his shitty fucking face.”

He adjusted his grip on his sword and then looked the girl up and down. They wouldn’t be able to move as fast as he wanted, but she was injured, beaten, abused, a good reason to slow them down. Not Trytheus though, he was just a big baby that didn’t know how to deal with a conflict of interests and instead had mental breakdowns that made everyone else’s life harder. He motioned for her to follow him, this place had to of had a back door that spat people out into the back alley. No doubt there’d be people hovering around the building, but at least it’d be easier to fight with the volume bottlenecked in the alley.

He was right, as soon as he stepped out there were about seven people hovering around the building curiously. Probably a mix of Snake-Bite and other organizations that had heard the commotion. He didn’t hesitated to cut down the nearest man, spinning his body to connect a kick in another and then hit another with another slash of the sword. Then he used the bleeding man’s body to deter the others that stood in his way and ran past them, he trusted Sera to be able to keep up as they moved. Amir could hear the foot fall behind him of multiple people, some of them calling that the Phoenix Rider was present. If he had been by himself he would have been knocking things down to hinder their path, but with Sera behind him that wasn’t an option. “Unicorn, anything that looks tippable, hit it as we go. It’ll slow them down a little bit.”

He spared her only a glance to make sure she was actually behind him before picking up the speed and taking the next corner with a sharp turn. Three people were loitering and the boy didn’t blink as his sword struck the closest one, it sailed into their neck and the momentum sent the body tumbling into the others and he hacked into them before Sera even turned the corner. He paused on to look at the girl, eyes blazing before he continued forward.

“That fucking prick. Lectured me the entire time we’ve been together. Amir you are too cowardly, Amir you are too weak, Amir you bring ruin to everyone around you. Well you know what Trytheus? You can go fucking shove it!” He started speaking in a normal tone, running and mindlessly swinging the blade at any thing that moved in front of him, but by the end of his rant he was screaming. His sword hissed through the air decapitating the poor woman that dared challenge him. The blood rained over him and more criminals descended upon him with the fall of the woman. An arrow struck his shoulder blade, the blunt end of a sword buried itself into his upper arm, it left a deep gash that gushed immediately. The injuries only fueled his anger though, pain seemed to fuel the rage inside. He couldn’t even comprehend why he was so angry at Trytheus anymore. Did the man’s actions cause him pain? Could it be Amir had developed even a sliver of trust, and, painstakingly, respect for the man? It had seemed the rants and lectures of heroism and justice had seeded somewhere inside, blooming when confronted with Sera. So was this an emotional wound? Betrayal? Amir never imagined the man would freak out in the manor he had, never imagined he would abandon him. Was that where the rage that hadn’t ebbed originated?

He was brought back by searing pain, so bad it brought the boy to a knee if only for a moment. His left arm from the elbow down gone, discarded on the ground. The string of curse words that spilled from his mouth were indecipherable as he charged forward, there were a ton of men in the alley way. Amir wasn’t sure when he let it get out of control, it must have happened when he was on autopilot thinking about Trytheus. He shouldn’t have gone on autopilot, not when he was protecting the Unicorn Rider. The boy was sure she could handle herself in a fight, but probably nothing of this volume. He swung his sword and as the man in front of him was knocked away he spit into the eyes of the man right behind him. “You fucking took my arm, I’m going to fucking slaughter the god damn lot of you!”

He raised his sword high, it barely caught the light of the sun in the alley way, but it was enough. There were probably at least twenty men squeezed in the alley’s expanse in front of him, with a bleeding arm, a missing arm and an arrow in his back there was no way he could kill them all. He lowered his blade as an ear splitting screech thundered in the alley way. A huge plume of fire rained down on the men in front of him as Hassan reappeared after his brief absence. The bird rocketed through the group of criminals leaving nothing untouched with its flames. The heat was blistering, but nothing he couldn’t handle, though blood loss was starting to make his mind cloudy.

Not a single man was left standing as Hassan disappeared back into the sky, the close quarters of the alley making the fire attack three times more powerful than normal. He bent down to pick up his arm, sword clenched between his teeth as he retrieved the two golden bangles he usually kept on his left wrist. He shook the severed arm nonchalantly, letting the bangles clatter to the ground before discarding his arm to the side and picking up the jewelry carefully with his right arm, but his fingers shook and his right arm throbbed because of the deep gash in it. He struggled trying to get the bracelets around his wrist before turning to Sera.

“Umicore, can yub hep muee?” He asked, his voice muffled by the sword in his mouth and he shook his hand with the bangles on it. They slide on with little effort with the aid of someone else and he reclaimed the sword from his mouth in his right hand. He immediately started going forward, but stumbled a bit, his head swimming. Blood loss was a bitch. He murmured a soft shit before running through the carnage before them. It was hot and sweltering, and smelled absolutely disgusting. Brunt human flesh was nothing to be desired, the melted and fried flesh squelched and squished under his foot fall. The scene was so over powering that his eyes teared up, and the boy could barely keep from dry heaving. They had to keep moving though, the scene Hassan caused would no doubt draw even more attention so they had to get clear of it before more people came. The boy doubted he would be capable of putting up much more of a fight.

With nothing but willpower left the boy charged forward, the mental map of Tempress Cape driving his direction. Instinct guided his sword as his heavy arm and legs moved with only adrenaline left to keep him mobile. His breathes felt ragged in his lungs, and there wasn’t enough oxygen in the world to stop the ache they felt, there wasn’t enough blood in his body to ease his mind. The world seemed to tip on its side and all he could do was close his eyes and count his foot steps to keep from collapsing. Poison, definitely poison on the arrow embedded in in his shoulder.

It seemed a miracle that no one was by the breach in the fencing around the Cape they’d be using to escape. He kicked at the weak wood and it fell away without any effort. The boy turned to the unicorn rider, motioning for her to crawl before following close behind. Sweat drenched his body, everything hurt, but that was probably a good thing. When things stopped hurting then the boy knew he was in trouble. He motioned in a direction for them to move in before falling to a knee. The adrenaline seemed used up, “I need Hassan.”

Had he said that out loud? It was supposed to be a thought. He briefly noted the silver flash of the unicorn rider before it was blocked out by a warmth of red and orange. “I am here Amir.” The voice was reassuring and he felt himself sigh as the tension ebbed from his wounded body. The rush of cool that ran through him was familiar and welcome, his hammering heart slowing to a comfortable speed as the familiar presented itself. The throbbing in his head went away almost instantly as the cool comfort of the Phoenix tears rushed through his body. His right arm returned to strength and he reached around, grasping the arrow by the shaft and yanking it out his shoulder with a string of cuss words to follow. He leaned back against the wooden fence of the Cape, taking steadying breathes as his arm began regenerating. Limb regeneration was by far the worst thing the tears did. The nerve endings were the first to reconstruct and every bit of regrowth was felt vividly. He’d need something to take his mind off it.

With a sigh the boy stood, looking towards the unicorn rider and tilting his head in the direction he had pointed to before collapsing. The closest dune would put them out of sight of the Cape and then they would start looking for the rat bastard that abandoned them. “Unfortunately for us, the fastest way to get you back to that unicorn is the griffon. We’ve gotta find that child before it’s too late for your beast.”

Walking was much easier when there was enough blood in his body to function. Hassan perched onto his shoulder, and he was grateful his biggest concern was finding a dumb ass. Even the horrendous pain of his left arm being regrown didn’t compare to the priority of finding Trytheus. He hummed and lifted his right arm to look at the five bangles that clattered loudly on his wrist. It was too much jewelry to put on one limb and he actually found it annoying, but the bracelets were the only things he couldn’t allow himself to part with. He shot an unsure glance at Sera, he had saved her for all the wrong reasons, and he debated telling her the truth. Surely even just a few days or a week of that kind of constant abuse would leave scars. It would probably plague her dreams for weeks, months, maybe even years. He had never talked to anyone about his experiences. Though almost all of the permanent residents of Gnaji Town knew about what had happened, he had never confided in someone about what really had happened. The boy was still plagued with nightmares of that past, maybe if she knew she could talk to him he could prevent her from going through that.

“You know… You can talk to me if you need too… about what happened while you were prisoner.” He started unsure and cast the girl a soft look, he doubted she would want to talk with just that. He knew that he never had wanted to tell anyone, but he was pretty fucked up now. The eleven year old him might have been different, might have confided in someone he trusted, he wanted this girl to never become the way he was now. “You might think I won’t understand, but I will, I promise. I was in nearly the same situation as you, but I was eleven when it happen… And, ah, no one saved me from that hell.” He tried to keep his voice flat, unwavering and gentle, but just thinking about telling his story had his voice quaking.

---

Serafina sighed and nodded as she followed after Amir. Their bad situations had gotten much worse. She had thought that everything would be fine now that she wasn't bound but now they had to deal with the scum that Trytheus had attracted with his tantrum. Serafina was bruised and battered but she wasn't down for the count. She'd fight beside Amir and they would get out of this or die a glorious death amidst the enemies they had slain. They would always remember how many she and Amir took down before their deaths. She slid her rapiers out of their sheathes and twirled them in her hands, psyching herself up for the battle that would ensue. She rolled her head once to loosen before she headed after the younger male. Funny how Trytheus was the baby in this situation and not the younger Amir. Though he could improve his vocabulary, she had to agree with Amir's sentiment.

Once they were thrown into the fray, Serafina let out a battle cry as she followed the path that Amir cut for her and finished the straggles that tried to move in. She fought in a similar fashion as Amir, slashing her opponents in a chaotic flourish, but she did aim for weak points such as joints, necks, legs. She had a longer reach than Amir as well, and she used that to her advantage. She lunged forward and slit a man's throat and got the man behind him in the shoulder. As she withdrew her first rapier, she turned to bring the second down to slash the man down the front, spraying blood around them and all over her tattered clothing. The deep red was quite the contrast to her pale skin and clothing.

The warrior twirled, slashing those that managed to get between her and Amir and she effectively cut off most of the enemies that tried to get behind Amir and back-stab him. Unfortunately she couldn't help when the arrow pierced him. That man was too far away for her to reach, but she slashed the thug with an ax that had aimed for Amir's head. Upon realizing that Amir wasn't the only threat, some of the villains turned towards her as well and tried to bring her down. She was a whirlwind, using her twists and turns to confuse the enemy and prevent them from knowing which way she was going and who she was attacking before it was too late. She gave out another cry after killing three that surrounded her and ran forward at the fourth that tried to stand in her way. She stabbed the man through the chest with both rapiers and used the man's momentum to volt over him. It took her a moment to get her swords out of the man which earned her a slash down her right shoulder. She growled at the woman that had gotten close and gripped the woman's retreating hand to pull her close and stab her through the gut and twisted before pulling her sword free and hurried after Amir.

Unfortunately she was too late to stop the man that cut Amir's arm off, but the two of them were leaving quite the trail nonetheless and she was sure the phoenix would heal that right up for the man. Serafina would just have to make sure no one tried to take advantage of Amir's weak side. And it didn't seem entirely necessary considering the man called down the phoenix at that moment and burned the rest of the men that had come for them. She panted as she moved to Amir's side and whipped her swords at her side to get most of the blood off of them before she sheathed her weapons. They were quite the tattered duo. She couldn't help the smirk and the relieved laugh that bubbled up. They made it! They made it against the odds! Oh what a day. She couldn't wait to tell Everglade... her smile instantly fell. Everglade might not be there to tell. Serafina sighed and crawled out of the Cape with Amir behind her.

When the young man said he needed his companion, he hurried to his side to lift his good arm and tried to help him continue to walk. Within seconds the bird was there healing the wounds and she watched as Amir yanked the arrow away. She watched fascinated as Amir's hand began to slowly regenerate. It was fascinating... she was mesmerized by it for a moment. What if... what if the phoenix could use those tears to heal her unicorn? The unicorn was dead though... perhaps it would not work on the Kelpie that rose.

“Unfortunately for us, the fastest way to get you back to that unicorn is the griffon. We’ve gotta find that child before it’s too late for your beast.”

Serafina sighed and gave a nod. "Unfortunately, you are right. You have any idea which way he went?" she asked as she started to walk in the direction Amir pointed.

“You know… You can talk to me if you need too… about what happened while you were prisoner. You might think I won’t understand, but I will, I promise. I was in nearly the same situation as you, but I was eleven when it happen… And, ah, no one saved me from that hell.”

Serafina's eyes widened and she stopped her trekking to turn and look at the young man. Amir had been in a similar situation as her? And so young to... her heart went out to him. Tears filled her eyes suddenly and the tough warrior visage seemed to crumble as she moved forward and hugged Amir to her tightly. She wanted to hug him till all of their pain just washed away. No one should go through what they had been forced to endure. And Amir had been just a baby! Why hadn't anyone saved him? That was unfair! "Oh, Amir, I am so sorry that you had to go through that!" she said. She squeezed him a little more than was probably wise for the both of them before she pulled back and wiped at her eyes. She turned away, not wanting him to see her cry right now. "Thank you, Amir. Your kindness and mercy to me will be remembered. I don't really want to talk about it right now. And if you ever wish to talk to me about your experience, I will be an open ear and arms for you," she returned.

Serafina sniffled and scrubbed her face a little harder and put a smile on her face. "We should think about this another time. Let's go find the shiny baby," she answered to try and make Amir smile as she started walking.

Amir was more than embarrassed at even bringing up anything that had to do with his slave life. It had him reaching uncomfortably for the back of his neck and looking away from the girl. Talking about how he really felt was not something Amir generally participated in. He didn’t even notice when the girl had stopped walking next to him. He was more than caught off guard by the hug the girl initiated. He felt himself freeze in shock and stare down at her in disbelief. Could this have been the reason he never told anyone the details of his slavery? Was she… crying? Amir could not handle tears, or hugs, or generally anything that wasn’t unbridled hostility. The spectrum of human emotion he could handle went from rage to neutrality. Soft things, like this girl’s pity, were not things he could deal with.

He moved his his right arm awkwardly to attempt at giving her a comforting pat on the back before she finally released him. "Thank you, Amir. Your kindness and mercy to me will be remembered. I don't really want to talk about it right now. And if you ever wish to talk to me about your experience, I will be an open ear and arms for you," Amir was surprised by the unicorn rider’s words. He had set out to try and comfort her in some way, keep her from falling to despair, but instead she was offering him support. His wounds had long since closed, though the deep and present scars still remained as constant reminder, her wounds were still fresh. Actually, she literally had a wound that Amir hadn’t noticed until she had moved in to hug him.

“I told you about myself in hopes to give you support, not for you to pity me…” He sighed in frustration, it had come off more rude than he had intended, but he wasn’t really sure the right thing to say in situations like this. Talking honestly wasn’t something that came easy. He turned his attention to Hassan motioning for the bird to aid Sera’s injury. Honestly, he was surprised his phoenix hadn’t healed her when they had first left the Cape. Hassan had always proven to be much more charitable than his rider. The phoenix opened its wings to make the short distance between the two, dropping a single tear before returning to Amir’s side. She was still wiping tears from her eyes when she spoke again though, reminding Amir that they still had a task at hand. "We should think about this another time. Let's go find the shiny baby,"

He felt his eye twitch and his single hand clench. He had forgotten that he still had an ass to beat. The excruciating pain of the regeneration was nearly forgotten as a new wave a rage rolled over him, and it took all of Amir’s willpower not to go on yet another tirade over the armor clad bastard. Sure, it had been Amir’s fault for ditching the mission, he shouldn’t have done that, but Trytheus had way over reacted. Another eye twitch, he was going to kill him, he was going to kill that son of bitch so hard the man wouldn’t even know grammar anymore. Hassan left his shoulder as his body tensed, though the boy was grateful his beast already knew the objective as it flew off in search of Trytheus. However that now left Sera and him alone in silence, a silence that now felt incredibly awkward as the rage ebbed slightly.

With nothing to talk about Amir was suddenly hyper-focused on his regenerating arm. The rapid growth left an itch under his newly formed skin and pieces of what could only be described as mush fell from the stump every few seconds as unneeded flesh was purged from him. It hurt, imagine the growing pains you felt as a child amplified ten fold as his forearm reformed the lost skeletal structure. The white of the bone was already well past the reformed flesh. His nerves sparked angrily with every movement of his arm as the exposed nervous system was overloaded with direct contact to the world around it. It formed tears at the corners of his eyes and the boy brought the stump to his chest in an effort to shield it from some of the elements. The pain brought about a new wave of courage and insight to the boy, and he decided that telling Sera the truth about his thought process and motives. Anything to get his mind off the regrowth.

“As nice as it would be to be thought a hero, I’m really not. I didn’t save you because it was the right thing to do, or because we have been in similar circumstances. I saved you because when we were in that basement and you were tied up, all I could see was myself. When I looked at you my eleven-year-old self was staring back at me and all I could think was: ‘This was what I always wanted.’ I was using you as a means to give my past self what he had always wanted for the years I spent as a sex slave, revenge.” He dipped his head down and didn’t look at the girl. He wasn’t sure if the speech made everything more awkward or not, but he spent most of his time being selfish and cowardly like Trytheus had often shoved in his face, right now, with his arm regrowing and a deep sense of abandonment, all the boy wanted to do was feel slightly less shitty.

Hassan returned quickly, thank the gods, and it appeared that Mavegen had not taken Trytheus too far from the Cape. The red bird turned its beak in the direction to go and Amir turned so they were walking the correct way. As they scaled the next sand dune Amir froze at the top. A canyon laid out before them, the sand gave away to dirt and grass, but it wasn't the canyon that had him stopped, it was the slight glint of a shined metal that made fury bubble inside the boy. He didn’t even speak a word to Sera and he bolted down the sand dune. Hassan was knocked off kilter and forced to fly beside the boy as he dashed across the landscape. Sand gave way to dirt, which in turn gave way to a sparse grass. He could see the man now.

Trytheus was on his knees, Mavegen sat directly in front on him. The griffon realized his approach before Try even noticed, but it didn’t stop the boy. He rammed his body full force into the man, sending them both toppling over with his momentum. It hurt, a lot, to hit an armored man wearing nothing but rags. At one point they had been his clothing, but had taken such a beating they couldn’t even be called that anymore. “You motherfucking fucking fuck ton son of a bitch. I should fucking kill you! You are a fucking prick a damn piece of shit that should go rot in hell for at least eight years! You left me for dead back there! You abandoned me! You're a god damn shitty ass shit stick and you can go eat a cum filled cunt!”

By running at the man and them both falling Amir had been lucky to end up above Trytheus as he screamed at the top of his lungs. And- ugh, what the fuck, his eyes stung. No, that was so lame, the boy was crying too. What the fuck, this was awful. He was actually crying. Real tears. No doubt the man wouldn’t even take him seriously now, not that Trytheus had never taken him seriously, or respected him. Amir couldn't handle other people's tears and he definitely couldn't handle his own. They boy didn’t understand why he had even been surprised that Trytheus would leave. The man and him did not get along, they were not friends, they hardly knew each other. It must have been all that justice toting that had created an illusion, had lulled the boy into forming even the slightest sliver of trust in the man even if he hadn’t realized it himself. He rubbed his eyes violently with this back of his right arm before continuing.

“Look at my fucking arm! This is your fucking fault you dumb ass twat sack. You see the bone? It’s regrowing! My arm got fucking cut off and all I want to do right now is shank your dumbass face with my bone stub! I can’t believe you just fucking left! I cannot fucking believe you had a mental breakdown or that I even considered the dumb ass fucking idea that your cunt ass shitty ass could ever be mother fucking reliable ever! I can't believe you fucking left me there like that!” Was he having a mental breakdown now? The answer was a strong yes.

It was a curious thing, having to decide which part of ones nature was the flawed path. In his mind there were only three choices that presented themselves to him. He could head back into the town and slay the Unicorn-Rider, thus fulfilling the task laid before him by the Ladies Gemini but at the cost of what it meant to be a Forge Knight. Or, he could turn aside from the task, and help to spirit away his fellow Riders, braving the danger that the Ladies wrath would bring to Amstra, and undoubtedly it would be great indeed. Such destruction would weigh on him and him alone, and he would fail the very people he swore to protect. The third choice was of a far more difficult affair to be sure.

A chirp across from him drew his attention back, to where Mavegen looked skywards. He too looked up to see the phoenix flying above before swiftly heading off once more. So they had managed to escape then. A part of him had hoped otherwise, so that the terrible choice that was laid before him never had to be. He knew now what had to happen, there was no other way. Wish though he might for another way, there simply was none, come what may he would not fight it.

He heard Amir coming, the clattering of the golden trinkets were as much a give away as Mavegens surprised look. He could of stopped the boy he was sure of it, but instead he remained there until suddenly, and rather unexpectedly, the boy went crashing into him. He could only imagine how much that would have hurt whilst he was simply knocked over, a flash of red and white blinded him as his head crashed into the hard ground. He opened his eyes, yet his left wouldn't budge, the pressure there must mean it was buried in the ground. But the pressure on his chest could only mean that Amir had managed to sit on top of him, he could only begin to wonder how his head ended up in such a position then.

And then the shouting began once more.

"You motherfucking fucking fuck ton son of a bitch. I should fucking kill you! You are a fucking prick a damn piece of shit that should go rot in hell for at least eight years! You left me for dead back there! You abandoned me! You're a god damn shitty ass shit stick and you can go eat a cum filled cunt!" He allowed the boy his anger, who was he to berate the boy for that? Now of all times? And yet... the sound of pattering on his breastplate... The boy was crying? And when he talked once more it was with a shake and a quiver in his voice. What did this mean? The boy felt betrayed? He couldn't fathom it, as far as he was aware Amir would have been delighted to see the departure of himself, so why was it that the boy was being so emotional? "Look at my fucking arm! This is your fucking fault you dumb ass twat sack. You see the bone? It’s regrowing! My arm got fucking cut off and all I want to do right now is shank your dumbass face with my bone stub! I can’t believe you just fucking left! I cannot fucking believe you had a mental breakdown or that I even considered the dumb ass fucking idea that your cunt ass shitty ass could ever be mother fucking reliable ever! I can't believe you fucking left me there like that!" Trytheus steeled himself, he knew what had to be said. What had to be done.

"You are right, Amir. The fault, and the blame lies with me and me alone." He spoke softly and sincerely."You cannot understand why I acted so because you have not lived the life I have. You speak with a mouth that has known the freedom to speak as it wishes, you live in a body that has not felt the weight of responsibility. I have not had the luxury of choice that you have lived Amir. Trytheus Morrela is not a name or a title... It is... A suit of armour forged from a child. I did not have.. Do not have the luxury to chose how I wish to live my own life, nor have any of the others who bore this name who came before me. We are slaves dedicated to the protection of people we shall never meet, bound in chains of oath and servitude. You cannot understand because you are as free as the wind and I bound as my own armour." He breathed a sigh for now came the truly hard part, he did not doubt the boy had ignored him as he had so many times before. But this time, he would listen for sure. "But you are right. I abandoned you to die, and to die from a fate that was of my own making. I failed to control myself when my oaths were tested. Were any in my service to act as I have their lives would be forfeit. This, is your realm. I submit myself to your judgment, I shall accept what you deem to be my just punishment for my failings."

---

Serafina smiled at the phoenix as it came to her and healed her wound. She cooed to it lightly, always a lover of all types of creatures, and thanked it for its aid. She rolled her newly healed shoulder and wiggled her fingers. It truly was amazing. It had healed right up and Amir's healing arm was yet very fascinating. She could see every nerve, ever sliver of muscle as it grew back. She would have liked to study it, Amir willing, and take notes but now was not the time for such things. It was a thought for another time. They had bigger problems to deal with. She started walking with the boy at her side and rested her hands on her swords.

"I did not say those words to pity, you Amir. As you've said, I understand the pain you've gone through and yet, can I really say that? You've experienced much more curelty. And regardless of your reasons for saving me, I am grateful to you for it. You have given me this chance and I'll cherish it, regardless of how long it lasts." she answered considering the fact that when this was all over, she may still end up dead. Without her Everglade, Meg and May would have no use for her and she would be eliminate it. It did peeve her a bit that this was her fate but she understood. She'd be reborn eventually anyway. Hopefully stronger than before. She did like her currently life however, so she'd do what she could to keep it.

The rest of their walk was in silence, but she didn't much mind that. She peered up at the sky when Hassan returned and the two picked up their pace. When Serafina saw the majestic gryphon in the distance she gave a sigh of relief. She began moving forward only to realize Amir had rushed towards Trytheus. Oh dear. Were the two going to fight again? More fighting wasn't going to get them anywhere! It was what got them into this mess in the first place! What was wrong with men that they assumed everything was resolved with a fist in the face? Though she did have to admit, she had a mind to whack the man herself. Even if his tirade had been to get the others to kill her so he didn't have to do it himself, he had left Amir to the same fate. She would have to be wary around this man. He was not trustworthy. She was surprised the gryphon had chosen to side with someone as sneaky and conniving as this man. Or with a blatant stubborn ape. One of the two.

Serafina hurried to catch up and was panting lightly by the time she reached the pair; Amir already screaming and... tearing up? She sighed and crossed her arms as she listened to the two bicker like a married couple. Though Trytheus did seem to have... sort of given up? His words were troubling and instantly sparked an annoyance in her as well. She stepped forward to get the man's attention as well.

"You seem to be making a lot of assumptions about Amir's past and his responsibilities. You do not rule Ganji, do not know what he has been through and what lay on his shoulders. His age makes no difference. You are talking about this heavy weight of responsibilities, but do we not all have responsibilities? We all are devoted to protecting those we haven't met. You acted like a child back there. I understand full well your task and am willing to accept that but I may have a way to get us all out of this situation and you will no longer have to wrestle with your seemingly black and white moral dilemma. And you don't have a choice? We all have a choice! Our names are responsibilities we take up. You think that Amir and I don't have that mantle? We are riders to, Trytheus. It was always the destiny of the unicorn to be the fragile healer but I made a choice this time around to be different and brandish swords. You can choose and you know very well that consequences come from action and inaction. We are all slaves to that past and the choices our previous reincarnations have made but that doesn't mean you can't live, Trytheus. You are using it as an excuse." She cleared her throat then to get herself out of this lecture. There was sooo much more she could say but they didn't have time for this.

"We can have this debate later. Only the unicorn comes back to life which means my creature isn't dead yet. I am still a rider. Trytheus, you need to take me back to my homeland and get me to my fallen creature. I fear for my land and the other riders that have gone after him. I am sure that he must have turned kelpie by now and as the unicorn rider, I have the ability to understand and speak to creatures. Perhaps I can tame the Kelpie before it harms anyone. Then Meg and May can't say anything about me not having a creature to help future quests and if I can't tame him, well you won't have to kill me after all because Everglade would have done it for you. Even a kelpie can't stand up to all of you; especially the dragon and the phoenix since fire is its bane. Now get up and let's go."

"You are right, Amir. The fault, and the blame lies with me and me alone." Amir freeze himself in shock, a shiver running down his spine. This was not what he had foreseen Trytheus doing, being a reasonable person. He wasn’t sure how to respond, or how to retaliate. Before he could say anything though, the man continued. "You cannot understand why I acted so because you have not lived the life I have. You speak with a mouth that has known the freedom to speak as it wishes, you live in a body that has not felt the weight of responsibility. I have not had the luxury of choice that you have lived Amir. Trytheus Morrela is not a name or a title... It is... A suit of armour forged from a child. I did not have.. Do not have the luxury to chose how I wish to live my own life, nor have any of the others who bore this name who came before me. We are slaves dedicated to the protection of people we shall never meet, bound in chains of oath and servitude. You cannot understand because you are as free as the wind and I bound as my own armour."

Amir sat gaping, still frozen in shock, straddled over the armor clad man, not really sure how to process anything. So far all of their interactions had been hostile and aggravated aggression, he had been banking on that to continue, he could use a good wrestling match right about now, the boy had wanted to hit something despite just fighting for his life. What was worse about this was Try was conceding his defeat, the boy felt his mouth drop open in shock. The stubborn asshole was picking now of all times to not be stubborn, great. Now Amir couldn’t punch him in the face without being the bad guy, meaning he’d have to be the one to apologize. The boy let out a sigh and buried his face in his one present hand. The regeneration of his left arm was reaching his wrist, the hand was the worst part of the process. The intricate make up meant for precise and slower progress as everything got put back together correctly.

He was frustrated by Try’s words, for the entire time the man had been in Gnaji he had ignored everything Amir had said in the name of some bigger cause, or his duties, or being a good person. The boy was about to speak when Sera interjected and he turned to look at her. She had quite the speech, it was long and agreeable and that pissed him off all the more. After she finished it was tense, like really, really, really tense. The blond boy looked back at Trytheus, “What the fuck… Why would you pick now of all times to not be absolutely infuriating…?”

He sniffed loudly and rolled off the man, pushing himself to his feet. He looked awful, but he glanced between the two. Trytheus just submitted himself to Amir’s judgement, which he was pretty sure meant he had a free pass to have the man do whatever he wanted just this once. It was attempting, it was a lot of power, but with Sera alive if something big didn’t happen he was sure Meg and May would take the utmost joy in tearing him apart and eating his flesh. Over and over again with the aid of Hassan, that would be miserable. He cleared his throat, a sudden smirk appearing. “Then Trytheus, I judge that you go and take the Unicorn Rider to her beast and once we see each other again you can’t make one snide comment towards me for twenty-four hours no matter what I do. There, you are judged you dumb animal.”

Once more, Trytheus was forced to listen as he was berated. They did not understand, either of them. How could they? It was true what he had said, they had known a life where choice was as simple as thought, yet for him he had not had the chance to chose his path on life. He had lived a life where such freedoms were beyond him, he had a duty to uphold, one which could wait whilst he wished for a better life. And yet he had actually managed to stump Amir. Truly he had been ill expecting that outcome, it had been far more likely for the boy to continue his tirade.

Still he was glad when the boy actually decided to move from where he was sat on his chest, if nothing to be rid of his intimidate presence. He rolled over and up to his feet with practiced ease, dirt falling from his helm in clumps as it was dislodged in the motion. He turned as Mavegen approached him, he could see the sympathy in her eyes as she stood before him. The two pressed their foreheads together as a mark of companionship as Amir declared his decree.

"Then Trytheus, I judge that you go and take the Unicorn Rider to her beast and once we see each other again you can’t make one snide comment towards me for twenty-four hours no matter what I do. There, you are judged you dumb animal." He could hear the smug pride bleeding through the boys voice, no doubt he was delighted about the opportunity to give him a command. Frankly he was surprised the boy didn't want him to kneel at his feet and declare him his superior or some such filth. He didn't even look up from where his head was pressed against the mighty griffons as he spoke, with any luck cutting off the boy before he could make another demand.

"As you say. I shall take her to wherever her beast lays or the monster it has become roams. But once it is dispatched." He pulled away from Mavegen to lock Amir in his steely gaze. "I shall fly direct to my homeland and I shall not be returning to this accursed desert." With his own deceleration finished he made his way around to Mavegens side and climbed to the saddle. Mavegen did not simply take off into the sky however she did fix Serafina with a baleful glare to show her disdane of how the Rider had decided to conduct herself. It was clear she was unpleased with the virtual attack that was being thrown on her rider. Trytheus took the chance to fight against his fellow Rider words before they took flight, he knew that the wind would make all conversation impossible.

"I do not say I have no choice as an excuse, I am not saying it as a way of dodging the mistakes of the past. The Griffon Rider is not the same as you other Riders, you are individuals, free to live how you wish. You chose to take up the sword in the defense of your people. I had the sword placed in my hand. I was not born to name Trytheus Morrela, only one ever was and he was the first to begin our cycle. My birth name, my birth family, everything that would ever have been me was lost when the child that was was taken away. Do not speak of knowings one past. For me, there was none, only the path of Trytheus. Now come, I would rather we were away and be done with this."

---

Serafina looked between her two companions and sighed. She to couldn't wait till all of this was done. There was a chance that she and Everglade would not make it out alive but at least with their deaths, they could be reincarnated and everyone else would be safe. That was a comforting thought if nothing else. She still hoped that it didn't come to that however. There was much she wanted to live for and next time, she may not have the same drive that she had this time around. She sighed to herself and looked over at Amir and gave him a nod of thanks and squeezed his shoulder before she got up on the magnificent Griffon and got herself comfortable so she didn't topple off while they were in the sky. Huh. Trytheus could dump her in the air and she'd fall to her death, thus finishing what Meg and May wanted... she hoped that wouldn't be the case.

At the man's words, she arched an eyebrow. He wasn't using it as an excuse? He was different from the other riders? He had a sword handed to him at a young age and thus couldn't be an individual? That didn't make sense to Serafina. They all had responsibilities, titles, expectations to live up to. They were all riders and held the previous riders' legacy on their shoulders. It was a heavy burden and one she knew well just like Trytheus. She was upset that she couldn't connect with the man right now. She thought she would have gotten along with the noble knight of Amstra. Right now, she only found his logic muddled. Had she not been handed herbs and the healer's staff so that she would become the next healer? Everyone had been set on her being a medicine woman just like all her predecessors before her. She had to fight that destiny to get where she was now. She had still taken up the craft but that hadn't stopped her from becoming a swords-woman and living differently. It had been a hard rode to get over the assumptions and expectations but she had done it. Trytheus could do it to if he really wanted to. But instead, he found himself in learned helplessness. For now, Serafina just shook her head and kept her mouth shut. She didn't want her fear of being dropped to become a reality.

---

Dae looked over when he heard something hit the floor beside him. He thought it was a bomb at first and tensed but then saw it was a boomerang with a rope tied around it. He dove for it as the Kelpie jumped over his falling body. It neighed and reared up on its hind legs. It was intent on getting at Dae since Dae had kept stabbing at it and it wasn't happy. Orpheus started to pull him just as Alashae lit the wood and bomb and tossed it towards him and the Kelpie. He squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't feel the heat of the bomb however. He frowned and opened an eye to see he was wrapped in a bubble of water. Aquarian had saved him from the explosion. Aquarian wasn't about to just let his rider die after all. And since the water wet the rope, the rope didn't burn from being so close. It allowed the three headed dog to pull him away from the screeching horse. When he was safe, he gave a sigh of relief, the bubble of water evaporating around him. That was close. He wince as he moved to sit up and touched his bleeding arm. The wound was already looking nasty. He hadn't felt the poison yet but he knew he was going to feel it soon.

The kelpie itself was panting and neighing in its pain. The last bomb had done a number on it and did much to sap its energy. The poor thing turned towards the water again and pawed the ground, the water nearby snaked towards it then. The creature was desperate to wrap it around itself like armor. Aquarian wasn't having any of that. He hissed and started to draw the water back. The two then started a water version of tug-a-war. Thankfully, that didn't last for very long. Serafina and Trytheus were fast approaching the scene. As soon as they neared the land, Serafina leaped off of the griffon's back.

"Everglade! Stop!" she cried. The horse turned its head, letting go of the water enough that Aquarian was able to completely pull the water away from the burnt horse. The kelpie neighed and galloped towards Serafina who ran towards him as well. The two stopped abruptly and the Kelpie reared; past memories and new personality causing it to be at odds with its wants and desires. The horse whined and pawed the ground around Serafina but didn't quite attack. Serafina's heart was throbbing for her companion and she reached out to gently and placed a hand on the horse's snout. The kelpie reared again, threatening her to keep her distance. The horse was about to turn away but she hurried to grab a hold of the creature's lead. "You will stop this instant! You are better than this, Everglade! I know you don't want to do this. Calm yourself! I demand you get a hold of yourself and stop leaking your toxin all over this world! You are sworn to protect it!"

The horse neighed and tried to pull away but it was quickly weakening against her command. A wild kelpie was tamed once its bridle was grasped and it must do the bidding of the one that snared it. Everglade panted and snorted at its rider and pawed the ground a few more times and blinked at Serafina before the command finally settled in place. The horse dropped its head and leaned forward to rest it on her shoulder. Serafina smiled. It worked! It really worked! She couldn't believe it! A smile colored her face and she hugged the horse's neck and nuzzled him. He did smell foul but he didn't smell as bad as decaying flesh anymore. He just smelled like seaweed gone bad. "There, there. I am here now, Glade. I am here."

Dae watched the two connect a bit surprised. He hadn't realized a kelpie could be tamed and here the unicorn rider made it look so simple. None of their attacks had killed the creature. They had only weakened it. It almost made the whole fight look foolish. At least with the kelpie on their side, they had another creature that no one would want to trifle with. Dae got to his feet then and swayed where he stood, suddenly light headed. Aquarian was instantly at his side and helped Dae keep to his feet. Dae winced when Aquarian let a tongue of water wash over the wound to clear away the sand and dirt. It stung badly and the rider was already beginning to perspire as the toxins began to do its damage.

"Lady Unicorn rider, are you certain the kelpie won't continue to poison what it touches?" Dae asked then.

Serafina looked over at him and shook her head. "Once the kelpie is tamed it will do as asked. The toxin it secrets is a defense mechanism. Now that he isn't being attacked, he won't harm anyone. Is everyone all right? Has anyone been poisoned?"

"I have been bitten," Dae confirmed.

Serafina's eyes widened and she rushed over to the rider and all but dragged him to the ground. "You mustn't exert yourself! It will only make the poison spread!" Serafina rushed away from the group to head to the tree line that harbored blossoms as white as moon beams. She picked a few before she hurried to Dae's side once more and ripped the rest of his sleeve off. She plucked the petals and rested them on the wound before ripping pieces of her own dress to dress the wound. "That should keep you stable for now. These blossoms are the only thing that the kelpie's venom doesn't pollute. You are still going to get sick since these weren't applied right away, but you won't die from the poison at least. When we have a moment to rest I'll make a paste to rub your wound with to help the rid your body of the toxins."

"Thank you. I appreciate your aid."

"Of course! I would never leave someone to die, especially if it is because of me." Serafina got to her feet and glanced behind her to see the kelpie standing behind her. She turned her attention then to everyone else then and made a small curtsy. "I am the queen of Languinre, Lady Serifina Constantinescu. The uni-er... kelpie behind me is Everglade. It is a pleasure to finally meet all of the other riders of this generation. And what are your names?"

"Dae Valen, Chief of Sui Generis. The person beside me is my companion, the siren Aquarian."

Aquarian gave a bow and a smile to the lady. "Pleasure," he purred.

---

The next few moments happened in a flurry of bursts. First was the blast of the bombs, then Orpheus's well-timed obedience, and finally the presence of another rider.

Kelpie friend.

Who is the white one?

Why is she saving the beast?

As quickly as Orpheus managed to save Dae, they dropped the rope in favor of running up to the Kelpie and white-haired woman to bark at the duo.

Land killer!

Land killer!

Land killer!

Kill the land killer.

Though Ben would have normally told the trio to relax he had his own reservations about the strange creature.

"You're the old unicorn rider," he stated as he untied the boomerang.

It made too much sense as he observed the scene unfold. She grasped the bridle and it seemed to calm from there, being tamed. The unicorn rider had become a Kelpie rider. It seemed almost too convenient.

Honestly he had to wonder if this as Meg and May's intention from the beginning. Benny was young, but not stupid and he knew that the twins were a cunning sort and the riders were far too scarce to merely throw away. They had a special power to them that nobody else could touch. Plus it would take too long to grow another pair. Look at Ben. Ben only kept up due to his prodigal status. Well that and the fact that his set of riders were all great in their own right.

He pulled out a small notebook and began sketching the image of the now-tame Kelpie, writing a few notes on the poison (thank you Lady Unicorn Rider) and then moving onto the woman herself. She, like past unicorn riders, had a formidable look about her while exhibiting a delicate aura. It reminded him of a toxic flower to be honest. Roses were too cliche and not pretty enough.

"Of course! I would never leave someone to die, especially if it is because of me. I am the queen of Languinre, Lady Serifina Constantinescu. The uni-er... kelpie behind me is Everglade. It is a pleasure to finally meet all of the other riders of this generation. And what are your names?"

He watched her curtsy.

Yeah roses were definitely not pretty enough.

"Benedict Trish," he said plainly, "and my beast should be..."

Evidently Orpheus had been following behind the Kelpie and barking at the water-horse before moving onto the owner.

Traitor!

Can we kill her?

She helped the Kelpie!

"Ah yes. That's Orpheus."