The Oathsworn

by Liandra Jake

  "If the Drive was balanced and we had higher quality Korvan, it would be even faster." Arend added.

  "What about a larger Drive?" Rusty asked.

  "Or adding weight and drag reducing Korvan." Arend said with an evil smile.

  Rusty shivered. "Don't do that! It's hard enough controlling it now at this speed!" Rusty exclaimed as he glanced up at the mirror on the windshield.

  "RUSTY! Look out!" Kyrel yelled suddenly.

  Glancing back at the road, a dog had somehow made its way onto the road. Rusty turned as hard as he could to the right, since he wouldn't be able to brake at the speed he was at. Kyrel kicked open his door and held it open with the power of the wind he could control. The car turned a full ninety degrees. The people in the orange rally car could see the car shoot over the railing as if it was a ramp and out over the city.

  Kyrel was shot back into Arend during the sharp right turn. As the three flew over a large skate park, the people managed to take videos of the second part of the car's arc through the sky. The hair on Kyrel's head shimmered as he placed his hands on the floor of the car. A different sector of the highway was directly in front of them. The last few feet seemed to be impossible, but they landed on the other side. The car rolled a few times and skidded to a halt in the middle of the lane.

  Kyrel was passed out on the floor and Rusty and Arend were breathing heavy from the massive amount of adrenaline pumping through their system. It took five minutes for them to regain their breath. "You guys okay back there?" Rusty asked.

  "That's yet to be determined." Arend replied as he pushed the unconscious Kyrel off of him. Somehow, no one managed to break any bones during the rough landing.

  Rusty started driving again. "I take it he was the reason we made it across?" Arend asked, glancing over at Kyrel.

  "Yeah. It's a thing about the BluZeph's to be able to control the wind. Kyrel over there was born with a certain mutation as you probably know. His eyesight isn't as good as his families as well as their wind control. He may not be able to control it as accurately, but he still can give it enormous power. Holding a car like this in the air is no easy feat." Rusty replied as he turned down the radio.

  Another car passed them. "So what's this Dragon's Den like?" Arend asked.

  "It's nothing fancy. We're stationed towards the south end of the city in an old high-rise. We've got a few well known members, but nothing widespread." Rusty replied.

  "You act like it's nothing special." Arend said.

  "True enough. Most of us don't actively try to become famous. Most Syndicates have a larger amount of members and a wider range of jobs. Even though most of our members have a high Rank, we still get the small jobs. Most of us get jobs outside requests since they don't give that much money as a reward." Rusty explained.

  "Well, we just jumped the equivalent of three blocks. Maybe this Drive technology is what your Guild needs to get more members." Arend suggested.

  "Heh. I can only imagine you using a Drive in a weapon." Rusty replied.

  The idea intrigued Arend. "The only problem with that is the design. At a smaller scale, weaker Korvan would have to be used, but a tweaking of the design would let me use even stronger Korvan…" Arend muttered.

  Rusty turned onto an off ramp. Arend was absorbed in a notebook he had pulled from his bag. He was busy scribbling in it when Kyrel let out a low moan.

  "I see you're up." Rusty said as Kyrel sat up slowly.

  "What's with him?" Kyrel asked with a thumb towards Arend.

  "He's working on a theory for his weapon I guess." Rusty replied.

  "We're almost there." Kyrel commented as he glanced out the window. After a brief silence Rusty turned the radio back up. A voice interrupted the music.

  "Sorry to interrupt folks, but a recent stunt by those crazy S.O.B's from Dragon's Den has become a hit on the Nexus. According to the videos, they launched a car across the gap between the sector one highway and sector five. That's three city blocks folks! I've got the best video attached to the studio's page, and if you crazy bastards are listening, here's a song just for you."

  The voice cut out and a loud heavy metal song started. Rusty turned it down a little. "It seems like we got a story on our hands." Rusty said as he rounded the final corner.

  "There it is Arend." Kyrel said as a crumbling high-rise came into view. The top floors were ripped off, leaving only the bottom half of the building intact. Ropes were hung down from one side and people were struggling to climb up them.

  "There's enough empty rooms for everyone, but the elevator can only reach the first five floors, past the first three that collapsed." Rusty explained as he pulled up next to the crowd below the ropes.

  All of them recognized the car and started to swarm towards them before some people pushed them back into the crowd. "They must be here because of the video." Kyrel said. A man with a black Mohawk and various piercings throughout his face walked around the car.

  He was dressed completely in black leather coated in metal studs. His eyes were a very dark grey. "You got a special mention on the radio today." He remarked as Rusty got out.

  "Chh, it's not like we tried to make that jump." Rusty replied as Kyrel threw Arend' stuffed duffel bag out at him. Kyrel came out shortly afterwards. Rusty tossed him Arend' bag. Arend crawled out shortly afterwards, his face still in his notebook.

  "Who's that?" The man asked, pointing at Arend.

  "Arend Myshcell." Rusty replied.

  "Arend." Kyrel said as he poked Arend. Arend twitched.

  "Busy." Arend said as he busily scribbled something in his notebook.

  "What's he doing?" The man asked as he glanced over Arend' shoulder. He couldn't make out the writing, but he did recognize the formulas. "So he's a Korvan specialist?" He asked.

  Rusty laughed. "He's more than a specialist. From what I've seen, he's the best." Rusty replied.

  "Hey newbie! You plan on standing there forever?" A large man asked as he and a large group of teens smelling of alcohol and cigarettes walked over. He was a good head taller than Arend.

  "The boss asked you a question." One of the teens said as he flipped open a pocket knife. Arend whipped around, elbowing the man with the knife in the face and locking eyes with the large man.

  "Fuck off before I beat you to a bloody pulp." Arend growled.

  The man blinked.

  "Arend!" Kronth called out as she ran from the crowd.

  Hunter followed, giving the tall man a harsh look. The tall man slinked off with the rest of his crew.

  "Before anything else, we need to get you a room." Kronth said as he grabbed his arm. Arend slipped his notebook back into his bag. Kronth led him to where the ends of the ropes were. "Once you reach the room you want, place this on the wall. The higher floors offer larger rooms." Kronth said as she put a large metal plate with his name engraved on it. "You won't need this." She said as she took his bag and pushed him forward. "Good luck!" She called out as Arend stared up at the wall.

  Numerous windows and ledges stuck out from the wall, offering footholds. Arend bent down to the dry soil. He collected a few chunks of broken concrete and grinded them in his hands, coating them in white powder. Clenching the metal plate in his teeth, Arend began climbing up the wall using the windows and ledges. Arend was climbing faster than the people using the ropes. "He's like a freaking spider." Nate commented as he popped out of the crowd beside Kronth.

  They watched as Hunter and the others joined them. Arend flowed from handhold to handhold, not stopping for a break. "I'm surprised no one has tried that yet. He should be able to reach some of the top floors like that." Hunter commented.

  Arend soon passed the windows which the ropes were hung from. "From there up are the completely vacant floors." Kyrel said as Arend climbed further.

  Arend was soon stopped by a problem. The top floors were solid concrete; he wouldn't be able to climb up them. Arend crept to the north side of the building and peeked around. Like the rest of the building, t
he top floors were still smooth. However, an antenna hung from a wire close to where Arend was. He reached around to grab it. His hand that was resting between his chest and the corner crunched a thin metal in the corner.

  It was the rain gutter that would have drained the water from the roof. Snagging the antenna, Arend pulled off the largest two prongs. Stuffing the metal plate into the back of his pants, Arend used the metal prongs to climb up the rest of the floors. 'Good thing I'm so light. Otherwise it would have collapsed.' Arend thought as he pulled himself onto the roof of the building.

  He looked back down at Kronth and the others and waved. "That's it then." Rusty said as Arend disappeared down the roof. "Arend has passed the unknown."

  "Let's go check it out." Kyrel said as he ran towards the building with the others. Arend looked around the roof. The other side of the roof had the remainder of the next floor, creating a small shelter. He walked in and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness.

  The floor was filled with a few rocks and the walls were bare. "That's odd. Kyrel said that there was an elevator. There should be a shaft somewhere." Arend said as he kicked at the rocks. The rocks clinked on something beneath the layer of metal. Sifting through it, Arend found a black metal trapdoor. There was a rusted metal ring at one side. Arend pulled it open. A ladder led down into a dark shaft.

  Arend hopped onto it and slid down. He guessed it was about five floors long when his feet touched on the bottom. The floor was bare concrete. Arend noticed a slight glow around a switch on the wall. He flipped it on. The room was suddenly lit by four tube-like Korvan that sat in pairs at either side of the ladder. A door stood to his left. Arend walked up to it and pushed it open.

  Arend walked into a humongous loft. Everything was bright and clean. A large living space with an equally large T.V was to Arend' right. An oak path led to a kitchen area past the living room. A large stairway was to his left that led to an upper floor. Arend estimated it at about three stories tall. He could hear a *whump!* coming from the second floor. Arend crept up the stairway as quietly as he could.

  Arend slowly raised his head over the floor of the second floor. Unlike the first, this one was only two stories tall. It was separated into three parts, a bedroom, a gym and a bathroom. The sound was coming from a man striking a punching bag with his palms. A black cloak was hanged on the wall past him. He was shirtless, with sweat beading down his back. His gym shorts billowed with every strike.

  Arend tapped the metal railing of the stairway. He jerked to a stop. The shockwave continued and collided with the punching bag with a quiet *whump.* He slowly turned to Arend. "How did you make it up here?" He asked, his lips barely moving.

  "Stabbed holes into the gutter with prongs of an antenna." Arend replied.

  He dropped from his stance. "Someone as crazy as you belongs in this Guild." He said, waving Arend up.

  "Who are you?" Arend asked as he slowly walked up the stairs.

  "Nem Fifer." He replied, collecting his cloak from the wall. Hidden behind the cloak was a sword as long as Nem was tall. It curved in a long crescent that thickened to the barbed tip. A pattern of symbols repeated twice along the blade. Three black disks scattered to both ends and the center with moonstone disks cut to resemble the phases of the moon set between them. The blade was like white glass, unbroken and without a seam; it was sharper than a razor.

  As Nem pulled on his cloak, Arend stared at the sword. "Moon's Sonata…" Arend said slowly. Nem turned to face Arend. Three long scars ran across his face. Where they crossed his eyes, they created a streak of bright blue inside his white colored eyes. His white hair was also streaked with blue in a similar fashion.

  "That's right." Nem replied as he reached for the blade. The crescent shaped guard shimmered as he pointed the sword at Arend. "I'm sure you know just how important it is not to mention this sword to anyone." Nem said as he brought it over his head and slid it into a sheath hidden in his cloak. He silently stepped up to Arend. "I may be a member of Dragon's Den, but don't mention my sword to anyone. If a time comes when you need to tell someone about me, avoid mentioning it." He stepped around Arend. "I hope the place serves you well. It's my only safe house that truly feels like home.

  "Dream on and rock the world." Nem said as he held up a hand. His pointer, middle and thumb were held loosely open. Arend bumped his wrist against Nem's as he held out held fingers in the same fashion.

  "You've still got to tell me about my father." Arend replied with a sly smile. A half smile crept onto Nem's covered face.

  "I knew you still remembered it." Nem said before rapidly spinning around clockwise.

  Arend spun counter clockwise and caught Nem's hand after the 360. "I don't want you dying on me now!" Arend exclaimed with a wide grin.

  Nem had a similar grin on his face as the blue in his eyes swirled like a whirlpool. The air around the two shimmered briefly before they lowered their hands. Nem gave Arend a short salute before heading down the stairs with his hood covering his face. Arend turned back to the wall that Nem had hung his cloak on. He pulled the metal plate from his pants and hung it on the hook. It hung slightly tilted.

  Arend looked around his new home. Suddenly a huge explosion rocked the building. Arend bolted down the stairs. Nem couldn't be seen, but a trapdoor in the kitchen floor was left open. A slip of paper was left with the combination to the safe door that locked the outside from entering from the lower floor. Arend slipped it into his pocket and jumped down to an exposed wood beam that was all that consisted of the floor below his new home.

  The beam was covered in numerous scorch marks. Arend assumed they were old since the room didn't smell of gunpowder or fire. He dropped down into the next floor that still had a fully intact floor. He hurried down the hallway and into a room with a window. Pushing his face against it, he looked down at the ground. A large plume of smoke was rising from where the crowd used to be standing.

  Due to the smoke, Arend couldn't get a clear view of the activity, but he saw Jenifer tending to numerous seriously injured people. Arend could hear someone shuffle into the room behind him. Turning around, Kyrel was leaning against the door frame clutching a clear strip of plastic against his bleeding side. He had Arend's bag at his side.

  "Kyrel!" Arend exclaimed as he ran to help.

  "Be careful, you don't want anyone hearing us up here." Kyrel said between forced breaths.

  Arend pulled off his shirt. "What are you-" Kyrel started before clenching his teeth and pushing the plastic closer to his side. Arend helped him to the floor, taking a look at his injury. A large piece of metal was embedded in his side. It looked like a piece of shrapnel from whatever exploded. Arend gently pulled it out and ripped his shirt into a long string of material.

  He used it to tie the plastic patch to Kyrel. "I'm going to need your gloves." Arend said as she secured the makeshift bandage.

  "What…? Why…?" Kyrel asked weakly. He tried to focus on Arend' bare, scarred chest. It was hideous and took up most of his chest.

  "You're barely conscious and I need to get you help." Arend replied as he pulled Kyrel's gloves off.

  "Wait." He said as Arend stood up. "Take these, Nate and Hunter have probably set up a radio channel by now. Use these to talk to them." Kyrel said as he held out his sunglasses.

  Arend grabbed them as Kyrel began to pass out. Arend put them on and pulled on Kyrel's gloves. Nate's voice came on. "Kyrel, have you found Arend yet?"

  "Kyrel's down and needs medical attention. He's right below the room with the safe door." Arend replied. Arend kicked the window from its rotting frame.

  "Arend?!" Nate exclaimed.

  "Don't worry, I'll be joining you shortly!" Arend exclaimed as he climbed into the window sill. He climbed onto the long ledge that sat in front of it.

  Sticking his pinkies into his mouth, he whistled loudly. As the sound echoed across the field, people glanced up. "You mother fuckers are in for the fight of a lifetime!" Arend shouted before jumping from the le
dge.

  "What the fuck!?" Some of them shouted in surprise. As he fell, Arend prepared to grab one of the ropes still hanging from the building. Inches before he could reach it, a giant mecha burst from the wall.

  "Woo-Hoo!" Nate yelled from inside the mecha. "Here I come you sons of bitches!"

  Arend landed on his feet on the top of the mecha. The mecha landed on the ground on one knee. The sudden impact sent Arend flying and flipping off. Arend landed on his feet and slid until his back bumped into Hunter's. Most of the battlefield was in shock. Nate had his jaw dropped inside the mecha.

  A man in a bright green neon uniform was standing nearby Arend. A complex tattoo was on the side of his face. He was raising an eyebrow at Arend. A quick glance around confirmed that the green uniformed people were the enemy. Arend sent him flying across the field with a swift punch and a violent blast of wind. "That was for Kyrel." Arend said as he rolled his shoulder.