The Oathsworn

by Liandra Jake

  "Franken." Erasur said quietly, his eyebrows narrowing into a harsh frown. His eyes however, were filled with fear. "All of you get out of here. Out air skills are useless to his earth. Nor do they stand a chance against Felsen Soul."

  The man raised the gun. "So you know what this is. It took me a long time to find it, but now I can avenge my sister." He took five rapid shots at Erasur.

  Kyrel didn't skip a beat, rushing forward at the cluster of earthen bullets, he raised a single hand. With a quick swipe, they flew into the wall. "It seems my sister's spirit lives on. It must be embarrassing to have an earth user in the family." Franken said mockingly as he stepped forward.

  Kyrel charged at him, his speed enhanced by the wind at his back. Leaping mid-charge, Kyrel pulled his arm back, delivering a punch directly to Franken's chest as his feet contacted the floor.

  He skidded back, boots digging into the stone floor beneath him. He had his hands up near his face, lowering them cautiously. "Earth isn't all I can move." Kyrel said as he raised his fists. The servants, Kyrel's stepmother and his half-siblings evacuated the mansion. Walter and Fole checked up on King.

  Franked unleashed a semi-automatic barrage of molten bullets at Kyrel and his retreating family. Kyrel scattered the lot of them with a blast of wind. "My supposed weakness has given me a second strength. I'm as skilled in manipulating earth as I am with the wind. I suggest you watch yourself. Neither the heavens nor the earth can protect you from me."

  "Then I guess I'll have to go in between." Franken replied as he sent six iced rock bullets Kyrel's way. Before Kyrel could deflect them, Franken pierced them with super-fast molten rock. The sudden heating of the frozen stone made the water boil out in an explosion of hot and cold. "I have a stronger force! I suggest you give me your best if you expect to win." Franken taunted as he waited for his weapon to cool.

  Kyrel grinned. "You're not worth my best."

  Franken frowned. He raised Felsen Soul with two hands. "Try this then." He replied as he unleashed a shot of black earth that expanded out to about twenty feet before it reached Kyrel.

  Kyrel stopped it with just his finger tips. Kyrel slowly raised his hands, holding the sphere of rock above him.

  "Father, I need your help." Kyrel said as the sphere of rock pushed through the roof above him. "I need you to distract him."

  "Franken!" Erasur shouted, stepping forward. "Stop this childish game! There is no need to destroy the house further. Stop now and Aero Fìra is yours."

  Franken shot Erasur in the shoulder, following up with shots at anything that wasn't burning or broken. "There is no deal to be made here. I will get my revenge and I will leave with the bow." Franken said as he approached Erasur. Kyrel began to snicker.

  Franken glanced up to him, Felsen Soul still pressed against Erasur's head. The air around Kyrel was warping, spinning around him in tight, whirlwind formations. The stone beneath Kyrel's feet began to sink.

  "Oh my God! He's absorbing the Orenth of Nature!" Fole shouted.

  Franken backed away slightly. "He's bridging the gap. As long as he uses it immediately, he should be fine." King said as he struggled to his feet. "Go get the old man Walter, he should leave." King said as he leaned against Fole.

  Fole was forced to a nearly 45 degree angle to keep King from crushing him. Walter hurried over to Erasur. "Come, we need to go." Walter said as he tugged at Erasur's good shoulder.

  "No, I need to stay here." Erasur replied as he pulled away, standing with his left arm limp. Walter hooked Erasur under the arms. He winced as Walter dragged him back.

  "He'll be fine. He's your son." Erasur didn't struggle as Walter carried him out the door and into the garden.

  "What's that?" Erasur asked as he looked up at the sky. A ball of blue and orange blazed high above.

  "Meteora." King replied as he glanced skyward.

  A few seconds after King's reply, the ball shot back down to where it came from in an instant. A single pillar of spiraling orange and blue Orenth lit up the sky. A massive shockwave shook the air and earth simultaneously.

  The BluZeph mansion was nothing but a crater. Molten rock cooled in a tight spiral and any remaining wood smoldered. Franken was sprawled out near the center of the crater. Kyrel stood near the edge, an orange and blue aura surrounding him. He slid down the side of the crater, stopping near Franken. He bent down and picked up Felsen Soul.

  "You're good."

  Kyrel whipped around. The man wielding the Sun based Legendary Weapons was standing at the edge of the crater. He still wore the same red armor, but the helmet Arend had cut was still missing. He had a neatly trimmed white mullet with two streaks of yellow crossing on either side of his head. They reminded Kyrel of Nem's own markings. His eyes were the usual grey, but a line of yellow cut horizontally through both.

  "Why are you here?" Kyrel demanded, raising Felsen Soul.

  The man pointed down to Franken. "I'm here to clean up loose ends." He replied.

  "Why should I let you?" Kyrel growled.

  "Pull the trigger." The man said as he pointed at Felsen Soul.

  Kyrel was happy to oblige, but nothing happened. After a short pause, a discharge from the gun so strong that it blew itself out of Kyrel's hand and ripped his sleeve all the way to his elbow.

  "Sonova-!" Kyrel exclaimed as he grabbed his singed arm.

  The man slid down the side of the crater to Franken's body. "Fool. You don't have enough control over the individual parts of your Orenth to use such a weapon. A delicate flow has to be established, and only a specific ratio of Orenth other than earth is required to achieve other elemental attacks." He explained as he drew his sword.

  "What are-?" Kyrel started as he looked up from his arm.

  "I told you." The man took a single slash at Franken's unconscious body. In a blinding flash of light, Franken's body was incinerated. "I'm cleaning up loose ends." He replied as he sheathed his sword. He began to walk away. "Good luck in our future encounters." He said before disappearing over the edge of the crater. Kyrel retrieved Felsen Soul.

  As he walked up the side of the crater to where his family waited, he noticed a piece of wood, unburned, sticking out from the molten rock. As he pulled it out with his good hand, he realized it was a bow. Aero Fìra was a single curve bow made from blue wood with two sky-blue Korvan at either end. He marched up the remainder of the crater. When he passed his father, he said: "If you finally want to live freely, come with me."

  - - Serephs and Dragons - -

  The sun was far below the horizon. Seing and his children were still carrying Arend and his group. The others had fallen asleep, but Arend was still wide awake on Seing's back. "Are you sure you don't want to sleep?" Seing asked.

  "I'm not tired." Arend replied.

  "You're with no doubt related to King." Siv said.

  "That seems to become more evident as time goes on." Arend replied.

  "From what I can tell, it may be your Drive that stirs up the Pendragon Orenth within you, manifesting as a stronger body and enhanced senses." Cell suggested.

  "Can't complain. I find these changes quite useful. Who knows how strong I'll end up being." Arend said as he looked up at the sky.

  "We're almost there. You can see the lights of the forge." Seing said.

  The thousand mile canyon was just ahead; a black river in a moonlit landscape. A red glow lit up the small section directly in front of them. Seing stopped just before the edge.

  "This is as far as we can go. We still want to keep our presence a secret from the nomads." Seing explained as Arend dismounted. "I wish you luck in your future conflicts. We will be sure to spread the word of Ace's death and your struggles. You may find quite a few Pendragons on your side if a war breaks out."

  Seing's children woke the others. "It's been an honor." Arend said with a bow to Seing.

  The four Pendragons had disappeared back into the Steppes before anyone was awake enough to say something. "So Mr. Pendragon, what were you two talking a
bout?" Iode asked.

  "Nothing that matters. Michael, how shall we go from here? Just drop down and say 'hi?'" Arend asked.

  Michael rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "There should be guards posted at the path to the camp. When they see me with you, they'll let us pass." He replied.

  "Alright then." Arend stuck his fingers into his mouth and whistled. It echoed across the canyon.

  Michael flinched at the piercing sound. "Why did you do that?" He demanded.

  A shadow was moving in their direction. "Ahoy hoy!" Arend called to it. "You know Michael Fastern right?" Arend pushed Michael forward with a slap on the back.

  The shadow stopped. A small lantern was lit and a black cloak removed. "How did you know I was there?" A dark skinned boy asked as he stepped forward to the group.

  "I could see you." Arend replied.

  The boy only had a leather loin cloth and a pair of sandals. An assorted bone necklace was hanging around his neck. His hair was the same sun bleached color as Michael's.

  "But only Pendragons can see through the cloak." He said with a frown.

  "Sill, is that you?" Michael asked with a raised eyebrow.

  "Yeah!" The boy declared proudly.

  "I see you've finally had that growth spurt!" Michael laid a hand on the boy's shoulder, standing about an inch lower than his armpit.

  Two other shadows approached. "Ello!" Arend called to them with a wave. They stopped, glancing at each other and making confused gestures towards Arend.

  "Don't bother asking, it won't make things any clearer." Michael called out, not knowing who Arend was greeting.

  The two removed their cloaks. They had the same tanned skin and bleached hair. They both had the same style loin cloth as Sill, but their necklaces had many more bones on them.

  "It's been a while Michael." One of them said. He was a few inches taller than Arend, with a much greater bulk.

  The other was built similarly to Arend, same height and with lean and powerful muscles. Each had a crossbow made completely out of metal without a Matrix, intriguing Arend greatly.

  Michael clasped his hands together. "Introductions! This is Arend, the white Pog is Corenden, and the black one is Iode. Sill is the boy here, the buff one is Gono, and the other is Metry. Sill is my nephew and Gono and Metry share the title of best guard in the tribe."

  "Is there one named Tri?" Arend asked jokingly.

  "Yes, our older sister." Gono replied.

  Arend laughed, forcing them to raise their eyebrows. "So trigonometry; I take Metry is the youngest?" Arend asked.

  "Ahh…" They nodded together. "So that's why we were named like that." Gono said.

  "Their sister got the brains of the family." Sill whispered to Arend.

  "Sill, is my sister available?" Michael asked.

  "She should be; she's been working the forges every night this week." Sill replied.

  Michael started forward, waving the others after him. "Let's get out of this desert. I've had enough heart attacks today."

  "Tell her I love her!" Sill called as Michael led his group down the harsh incline. Arend slid down on his butt instead, surprising a group of tribesmen as he tumbled down, covered in dust.

  Michael continued as normal as Iode and Corenden flew down to Arend. "Who are you?" A woman asked as she washed her clothes in the river.

  "He's a friend!" Michael called down from above.

  She nodded. "I see you're back. Your sister would like to talk to you." She said before returning to work. Arend knocked most of the dust off with a quick pat down.

  Michael led them over the sandstone bridge spanning the river and to the forges. The tribe's campsite consisted of the forge, sleeping quarters, and the workspace many spent their time in during the night. The forges and sleeping quarters were across the river. The forges were up a short flight of stairs on a flat plateau to their right. Michael led the group up the red sandstone steps to the array of forges.

  A water wheel under the plateau turned the pumps that stocked the forges. Arend traced the path of the power transfer in his head, leading under a series of stone slabs that had numerous handles laid flat in small divots in the slabs. The last slab was the largest, with the distinct sound of mechanical workings underneath. As Michael and the others unknowingly left him behind, Arend pressed his ear against the main stone.

  Arend closely his eyes, listening closely to the mechanics underneath. Every so often, something would click oddly, like a chain straightening out its kinks as it pulled.

  A woman walked up to him. "What are you doing?" She asked. She was dressed in thick, layered garments made of leather and scorpion shells. The shells were much smaller than the ones Arend had. The welding visor on her head was pulled up, revealing the same icy-blue eyes Michael had.

  "I think there is something wrong." Arend said as he moved his head along the slab.

  "Hmmm?!" She grunted, joining Arend on the ground. Every third turn, something would rattle and then snap back into place. "You're right." She said as she stood. "We could pull the slab off with the handles but-" She stopped as Arend lifted the slab out by himself, though a little strained. "I was going to say 'but we need two others' but it seems you're stronger than you look." She said with an impressed nod to Arend.

  The rattle was more noticeable now that the slab was removed. Arend looked down at a massive gearbox that turned the air pumps below each forge, getting progressively larger for the larger forges. One of the many gears in the mechanism wobbled slightly, producing the rattle.

  "That gear is warped, loosening every time the warped area passes out of the other's teeth." Arend reached down, jiggling the guilty gear.

  "You can tell all that by just sight and sound?" The women was impressed.

  Arend popped the gear from its shaft. "Wait no! That's the master gear! Without it all the pumps will die!" The women exclaimed.

  Arend worked quickly, pulling out a small plastic ring that expanded as he heated it with a lighter. As he did so, he casually spun the gear's shaft with his foot, powering the pumps. With quick movements, Arend cut away at the still melted plastic until only the thin layer on the gear and what filled in the warped metal remained. As he spun it, he poured water on it to harden the plastic.

  "You scare me." The women said as Arend replaced the gear onto its shaft. The rattling stopped completely.

  "Problem solved." Arend said as he replaced the slab.

  "Civen!" Michael called out.

  The woman glanced over. "Michael! Long time no see!" She exclaimed as she gave him a hug.

  "Civen? I know that name…" Arend said as he tapped his chin.

  A forge nearby exploded, showering the plateau in pieces of Korvan. "Myith!" Arend and Civen exclaimed simultaneously.

  Civen jumped, watching Arend run over to the scattered forge. "Who the hell is he Michael!?" She asked.

  "Arend Myshcell, but I don't know how he can know Myith." He replied.

  A man with pitch black hair poked his head out of a collapsed enclosure. "Arend Myshcell! What are you doing here!?" He exclaimed as he saw Arend approach.

  Arend reached a hand out. Myith grabbed it with a chainmail glove made out of chiseled Korvan. Arend lifted him from the collapsed enclosure. "I've joined a Guild. My training session has turned into a little adventure."

  Myith dug up a broom to clean up the mess. "Ah. So that's why none of us have heard from you lately."

  Myith had two different gloves: the multicolored Korvan chainmail and a gauntlet much like Tommori's jacket. The dense material restricted his use of his left hand; it extended all the way up to his shoulder, belts hooking around his chest down to his right hip.

  Save for the belts and a small silver necklace, his chest was bare. He wore an iron skirt down to his ankles. The toes of a pair of black sneakers poked out occasionally.

  "I see you've got my package." Arend said when he saw the sneakers.

  "Yeah, they're quite durable. Did you get my gift?" He asked, pitching
the enclosure.

  Arend pulled out the L-knife. "Woo. Looks like you used it a lot. It's due for a reforge in a month or two."

  "How do you know each other?" Civen asked as she walked up.

  "Through the Nexus. We've got a tight-knit group of Kruxsetters, weapon designers, engineers; pretty much anyone that does work with Korvan, Orenth, or metal. Arend here is the most famous member in our group; capable of learning new things very quickly and indentifying problems just by looking at the blueprints. We've used his skills numerous times to discard anything after the design process instead of using resources to learn it won't work." Myith replied.