The Oathsworn

by Liandra Jake

  "Guang Blau? That's quite a mouthful." Arend said.

  One of the doors in the rear opened. The four of them quickly climbed in. The passenger car was mostly empty, with metal loops on the walls and looped cotton straps hanging from the ceiling.

  Nojeski crawled through the door like a spider and sat on the empty floor. "Now listen you three." Rusty started. "Platform Nine Track Four is a set of the straightest tracks you will ever encounter. They were built for this train only and are built separately from the rest of the tracks. It's the only line above ground within twenty miles and the only one built six feet off the ground." Rusty explained.

  "Why is this important?" Wake asked.

  "Is it anything like your car?" Arend asked.

  "Faster than what you made it." Rusty replied.

  "Dear God." Arend said as he hastily strapped himself to the wall.

  "Don't worry, we won't go full power." Rusty said.

  "Full power?" Tawny called back. "Okay here we go!" Rusty's eyes bulged when he heard Tawny's words. Nojeski and Wake were thrown to the back of the car as it blasted forward.

  Rusty was clinging to the floor with the magnets hidden in his gloves. As he began to crawl up to the engine, Tawny let out a cheer as the train picked up speed. Light flooded the train through portholes as it surfaced over the plains to the West of Sareville.

  "Tawny!" Rusty called ahead. "Slow down!" Immediately, the painful tug on Arend' body lessened to a tolerable level.

  "What did I tell you!?" Rusty yelled as he got to his feet.

  "Full power only on double confirmation…" Tawny replied.

  "Yes! Now take us to the mountains in one piece!" Rusty ordered.

  "We'll be there in four minutes…" Tawny said, disheartened.

  "You people really are insane." Wake said as Nojeski helped him from the tangle of straps he had gotten into.

  Arend unstrapped himself from the wall. "Crazy motherfucking speed demon! I can only imagine what this could do if I tuned it!" Arend exclaimed.

  "Tawny," Rusty called ahead. "Just turn it off. We'll run just on the inertial energy."

  "Yes sir!" Tawny called back.

  "So what's your Guild like?" Arend asked Wake once he calmed down.

  "I don't know. I was recruited by Nojeski after it was destroyed." Wake replied.

  "Oh. What happened?" Arend asked Nojeski.

  "I'd rather not talk about it." Nojeski said solemnly. Arend glanced over at Wake. He shook his head.

  "Arend, could you come over here?" Rusty called from the front of the train. Arend walked over.

  "What's up?" He asked. Rusty gave him a sharp smack on the back of the head. "Ow!" Arend exclaimed.

  "You don't watch the news do you?" Rusty asked. Arend shook his head as he rubbed the back of it. Rusty lowered his voice. "If you did, you would know that the entire Nojorn Woods was burned to a cinder. Their Guild was wiped off the face of the planet; all that's left are Sol Weedfruit plants. It's just a field of one after another."

  "How?" Arend asked.

  "I don't know how! As far as I know, those two are the only survivors that actually still say they're in the Guild." Rusty replied.

  "The sad part is they're not the only ones to suffer like this. Hidden Cove; washed into the ocean and turned into a reef. The Mechanical Artisans of the Fire Plains; pulverized into dust by a massive earthquake. Hawken's Plateau; melted by the massive volcano that popped up where the actual plateau was. The important part comes up next; rumors have spread that an underground Guild demanded a large sum of their profits and resources, and they refused to accept." Rusty explained quietly.

  "Let's find out if that's true." Arend said with a dark look in his eyes.

  Rusty was puzzled by it; so he didn't stop Arend. Arend walked up to Nojeski and pulled out an ancient, leather bound book. "Did someone have this?" Arend asked, turning to a page in the middle of the book and holding it up to Nojeski. He glanced at it half heartedly, and then he caught his breath. Nojeski's hair quivered as he stared at the faded page of the book. He nodded slowly and Arend shut the book. Arend turned back to Rusty.

  "Does this Celestial Rim have more than just Aquaporus?" Arend asked.

  Rusty twitched. "We only know of the wielder of that weapon, as far as we know, Celestial Rim could be a made up name." Rusty replied with a dark tone.

  "We're almost at Youkaki station! I'll be braking pretty hard, prepare yourselves!" Tawny called out.

  As the train lurched to a halt, Rusty opened a side door. "Let's go." He said as he jumped out onto a broken stone platform.

  Arend followed along with Wake and Nojeski. Tawny appeared at the door.

  "I've got to go turn around. I'll be a few minutes." He said before shutting the door and disappearing down the tracks in a storm of sparks.

  The platform was carved into the side of the mountain, with a small path leading around a large stone spire in the distance. The train tracks cut straight into the mountain, curving up slightly as it passed over the mountain. The platform was carved at the base of the mountain, right before the tracks started to head upwards.

  "Tercka Village should be just over this first mountain. The request says to look for a house of 'great color.'" Nojeski said, looking at the paper.

  "Well, let's get trekkin'!" Arend exclaimed as he started down the path.

  "He's right, we don't have all day." Wake said as he followed Arend.

  "They really are energetic aren't they?" Nojeski asked.

  "Yeah." Rusty nodded, his mind on other things.

  The walk to an around the spire was relatively quiet. A light mist was in the air as the four of them walked around the large spire. Arms behind his back, Arend walked ahead of the rest with half closed eyes. Wake hung back with Rusty and Nojeski.

  "So why where you two wandering about in the Nest?" Rusty asked, finally breaking the silence.

  "We were looking for work. Dragon's Den is best known for its low Ranked requests." Wake replied.

  Rusty seemed a little disappointed. "Yeah, but it's not like we try to be." Rusty said.

  A full ten minutes passed before Arend asked a question. "Have any of you heard of the seven legendary weapons?" Arend asked, stopping in the middle of the path. The mist thickened to a thick fog around them.

  "Yeah, my parents used to tell me stories about them. Made of the purist Korvan and the cause of the first Great War. Let's see; there was: Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Sun, Moon, and Death if I'm remembering it correctly." Wake replied.

  Rusty cast a dark look over at Arend. Nojeski noticed it, but said nothing. "Aye, my dad told me that, but he had told the full story and not the fairy tale it turned into. They forgot about the eighth, one capable of countering even the Death weapon. It also protected the wielder from any and all kinds of harmful Orenth. He believed the first step in its creation was a True Safeguard." Arend explained.

  "A True Safeguard hasn't existed since the fifth and final Great war." Wake commented.

  "Which is why my father was so interested in it. 'How could such a powerful technology not be rediscovered in such a long time?' He would ask himself often. He dug around for many decades, before discovering the first part needed for its creation. He never kept any notes, but I believe the day he died, he made a breakthrough." Arend said.

  "Why do you bring us such a dark subject?" Rusty asked.

  Arend drew the Dragon Drive from a leather sheathe on his back. "Because I successfully made one." Arend said, holding up the Matrix so they could see.

  "So you're worried about a sixth Great War?" Nojeski asked.

  Arend laughed. "I don't think the fifth ever ended." Arend replied.

  "But it was such a long time ago, it's impossible to believe such a thing!" Rusty exclaimed.

  Arend sheathed his blade. "We should go." He said as he turned.

  Nojeski reached out and grabbed Arend' shoulder. "Arend, you may not be the cause of another Great War, but something else is building up arou
nd you. The more I learn about you the stronger the felling gets." Nojeski said.

  "Things were building up before I stepped out of my shop it seems." Arend replied.

  "What do you mean?" Rusty asked.

  "The destruction of Nojorn Woods, the loss of The Mechanical Artisans, Hawken's Plateau and Hidden Cove were all from one of the legendary weapons. All of them probably have a specific type of fruit growing abundantly there am I right?" Arend asked.

  Rusty paused as he opened his mouth.

  "The massive amount of pure Orenth in those weapons and their ability to call it out of ordinary objects leaves a very obvious trail. You were about to say Sol Weedfruit, Rock Watermelon, Inferno Plum, and Misty Orange weren't you?" Arend asked.

  "How did you know that?" Rusty asked, clearly shaken up.

  "Inferno Plum, Misty Orange, Rock Watermelon, Heaven's Ambrosia, Sol Weedfruit, Moonfruit, and The Elderberry of Ending. Seven fruit rich in the Orenth of each type. They were originally how the legendary weapons were made, so it's only fitting they thrive where the weapons powers are unleashed." Arend explained.

  "If there are only seven on those kinds of fruit, then how can you believe that there could be an eighth weapon?" Wake asked.

  "Because the elements can exist without Orenth in them. Orenth is something unique to the earth itself. It's life energy. We don't have fire burning in our bodies, or wind in our lungs that sustains us. And what is created by Orenth when it is absorbed in large amounts?" Arend asked.

  "Korvan." Nojeski said.

  "Exactly. We just have no way of processing Orenth in that fashion." Arend said.

  "Let's get going already. I have no idea how you think people can retain that much information at once Arend." Rusty said as he walked into the fog.

  A few minutes passed and the fog only got thicker. "How are we supposed to find it in this fog?" Wake asked as he stumbled into a rock.

  "We're getting close." Arend replied.

  "How can you tell?" Wake asked.

  "Feel the path. It's getting smoother." Nojeski said. A swift wind began to blow. The fog slowly cleared to reveal a narrow passage between two tall rocks.

  Two separate watch towers were built around the sides of each of the tall rocks.

  "Ey-o!" Wake called up. "Is anyone up there!?"

  The wind whistled between the rocks, but no one called back.

  "There should be Rangers up there Arend. If they're not there, things may not be safe. Go check it out." Rusty ordered.

  With a quick nod, Arend ran to the craggy side of one of the rocks.

  "I don't think he can get up there." Wake said.

  "Just watch." Rusty replied.

  Arend rubbed his hands together. Reaching up, he grabbed one of the ledges on the rocks. In a short few seconds, Arend climbed up the rock.

  "It's almost disturbing how well he can climb." Nojeski said. Arend disappeared from view around the rock, before popping up over the top. He waved down to Rusty and gave a thumbs up.

  "Alrighty, let's go." Rusty said as he continued down the path.

  Arend joined them on them on the other side. The village was within sight from the watch towers. It was surrounded by large pillars of stone tightly wedged together. The large wooden gate at the front was half hanging off of its hinges. Arend and the others hurried down the path till they reached the gate.

  Once at the gate, the true damage to the gate could be realized. Deep claw marks ran across almost every inch of the wood. Inch thick holes were pierced across the center of each door, making the wooden beam that would have held the gate shut weak enough to break through. Rusty ran his hands across the claw marks. Bits of the gate broke off at the lightest touch.

  "It's rotting. These marks must be at least ten years old for the wood to get like this." Rusty said.

  "I take it this is Tercka Village?" Arend asked as he kicked a rock down the empty streets.

  Like the gate, the houses were scarred by an unknown battle. Even being made of stone and hardened mud, the claw marks were just as deep as in the gate. A fairly straight street ran across the village, headed to a cliff with a castle-like building carved from it. It loomed over the tiny village houses.

  Tattered and faded flags were hung from almost every window of the castle. A second, smaller wall was built around the castle's courtyard.

  "I take it that's the 'House of Great Color.'" Rusty said as he gazed up at it.

  They started walking down the street. As they passed a half broken house, something scraped against the sandy ground.

  The front wall was half broken, with the left completely missing. A hole stretched from the top left corner to what used to be the wooden frame of a window. Wake peeked around the frame of the missing wall. A group of children were hiding in the shadow of the remains of the house. When they saw Wake's face, they scrambled to jump over the ledge to the front of the house.

  The first boy over bumped into Nojeski, falling backwards. At first he was shocked, and then confused as he had to bend all the way back to see Nojeski's face.

  "Billy!" The tallest kid yelled as he lunged over the ledge. Billy spun around and hid behind the taller kid. "Who are you?" He demanded. He stared back defiantly, but he was just as scared as Billy behind him.

  Nojeski sat down on the ground. "We're here because of this." Nojeski replied as he held out the request.

  Rusty and Wake stood back, looking curiously at the children pouring out of the old house. Arend was uninterested in them and looked around. The tall boy snatched it, reading it quickly. He paused and his eyes widened.

  "Drae?" One of the little girls asked quietly.

  "This is my father's handwriting." Drae said quietly.

  Arend continued to look around, the hairs on his neck rising. He could swear that something was lurking nearby. A slight shift in the dirt, the air hotter than it should be. Something would move in the corner of his eye, but when he turned to look, nothing would be there. He found himself staring at the shadow of a house. Nojeski and the other's voices faded as he concentrated on the shadow. A small puff of dirt flew into the air by the shadow. It was slowly creeping closer, leaving a very slight trail.

  "Rusty…" Arend said quietly, not looking away. More of the puffs and trails became obvious, since Arend knew what to look for.

  "Can we trust them?" Billy asked, looking up at Drae. He barely acknowledged his question as he continued to interrogate Rusty and the others.

  "RUSTY!" Arend hissed.

  Drae and his troop of children glanced over at Arend. He was starting to breathe faster; sweat began to drip down his face. When Drae noticed the puffs of dirt, he snapped to attention.

  "We need to go now!" Drae whispered to his group of kids. Nojeski and the others were too focused on Arend to notice them leaving.

  "What!?" Rusty snapped.

  As if waiting for that word, one of the puffs moved quickly before disappearing. Arend barely had the time to start the Dragon Drive when something collided with his aura shield. A snarling, lizard-like face flashed before quickly disappearing again.

  "What the hell was that!?" Rusty exclaimed.

  Arend took a wide swing at the ground in front of his feet, sending a spray of hot blood across the street. A pool of the blood soon formed, along with the body of a dead green lizard. The size of a large dog, it had razor sharp teeth and coated in thin, shimmering green scales. Its feet were wide and flat, with pads like that of a gecko. A long tail covered in sharp spines stretched out of the pool of blood. Something jumped on top of it and began ripping off chunks of its flesh.

  As the lizards cannibalized their dead comrade, Arend and the others ran the other way. They soon caught up to the children. Nojeski and Wake scooped up all of the smaller children, letting the others run at full speed without leaving anyone behind. Drae ran alongside Rusty. Arend sheathed the still running Drive and brought up the rear.

  "Are those things what we need to exterminate?" Rusty asked.

&nb
sp; "Now is not the time!" Drae yelled back.

  "That castle is the only safe place; the damp stone makes it impossible for them to climb it." Drae pointed to the castle at the far end of the street.

  "You pretty sharp for a kid." Rusty said.

  "And you four are pretty dull for Guild members!" Drae snapped back.

  "But he was the first to notice them." Billy said, pointing at Arend from Wake's shoulders.