The Oathsworn

by Liandra Jake

  Blain eyed the phone suspiciously. "It's a secure line. I'm not stupid enough to try anything right now. I'm having a friend of mine spreading some information I just gathered." "What's the point?" Blain asked, standing. "It's not like you'll get any real help from these people." Movement could be heard from the only other room. A white form resembling a Pog filled the crooked doorway. His golden hair was curt crooked and short. A pair of weak golden eyes watched Dran cautiously. Dran noticed a pair of halos floating above his head.

  "It's alright." Blain said to him with a smile. "How is she?" "Fine. Just a little warm." He replied quietly. "A Sereph?" Dran said with a glance at Blain. "He wandered too far to the east." Blain replied with a look that warned Dran to stop asking questions. "It's alright." The Sereph said, looking to Dran. "My name is Nova. I was exiled with my 3 wives some time ago. We were somehow blown here in a sudden storm. Back then, I still had my wings."

  Dran nodded. "Say no more. I can fill in the blanks." Nova looked back into the room behind him. "Neither of us can ever fly again, but we have hopes for our child. If they can survive." "I can help-" Nova's head snapped to Dran, making him hesitate. "If you want it. I've survived many years in the wild." Nova nodded slowly. "I will accept anything you can give. But, why exactly are you here?"

  Dran pulled out Teneo's notebook from inside his coat. "I heard some disturbing rumors about a man in Axis City. I came to face an old 'friend.'" "Where did you come from?" Nova asked, sitting in the doorway. Dran let out a sigh. "My real home is far away, but I came indirectly from Karakas."

  Blain's ears perked up. "I know those lands! There is a man living there who will be of great help here!" Dran raised an eyebrow. "Who, exactly? He might not be alive; considering how little information gets here." "No no no!" Blain exclaimed excitedly. His tail wagged back and forth frantically, forcing Dran to bite his lip. "Well?" Dran asked with a suppressed chuckle.

  "He is a hero in many rights! He fought off the dogs of Axis -Celestial Rim- with nothing but his strength of will!" Dran's eyes widened slowly as Blain continued with wild fervor. "He fights as a great dragon! With sword swings that level great skyscrapers and with hair the color of enveloping fog! In a show of great strength he rode into his city, pulling the ocean after him to quench the fires of war!

  "Atop his silver dragon he leapt straight into battle wand spurred his people to fight back! And when those very people were at death's door, he summoned a true dragon, on whom rode a wingless angle, both saving the lives of untold numbers! He truly is a man who sleeps in the den of a dragon!" Blain had hyped himself into a frenzy, his tail wagging uncontrollably. The animals and Monsters in the room watched with curious eyes.

  Dran glanced sideways at Nova, who returned the same skeptical look Dran wore. They mouthed a name. "Arend?" Their skepticism fell into laughter as the two had given each other the proof they needed. Nova's quickly degraded into a cough that made his body lurch. Blain frowned, his tail dropping. "What?" He asked with a touch of embarrassment. He looked accusingly between Dran and Nova.

  Dran flashed a wide grin. "That 'man' is very well alive!" Nova looked over at Dran with a slightly pained grin. "He would show them just how weak they are." Dran nodded with a hearty chuckle. "As of now Blain, you'll just have to wait." Dran sat on the floor in front of the door. "We can't wait forever you know…" Blain said to himself.

  - - - - Summit Theatre - - - -

  Four members of Dragon's Den were present at the first international Guild Summit: the Guildmaster Kronth, the highest Ranked member Faulken, Nem as the man with the informants, and Arend as the most outspoken for their plans. They were sitting center-stage.

  Every Guild on the area was in attendance, all crammed into the cavernous room. The forty-three of the Griffin Alliance, the twenty-two of the Northern Alliance, the fifty-seven of the Terran Alliance, the four of the String Islands, and even the seventeen from the western coast newly gathered in the Nojorn alliance. The five leaders had front row seats to what Arend had prepared.

  Draken, Iine, and Nojeski all waited patiently. Croul of the String Islands and Aedues of the Terran Alliance made small talk as they waited for the Guildmasters and their senior members to settle in the room. Many could feel the growing tension in the room. As they continued to pour through the only doorway, rival Syndicates would shoot each other dark sneers and rude gestures, until they stepped fully into the room. The cold stare Arend gave each person as they entered was enough to break down any level of hostility.

  Kronth had to stop his brooding multiple times before the door to the chamber was shut. A trim-cut Richard sat in a chair in front of the door, giving Kronth a nod. She stood slowly, fixing a stray hair as the crowd grew silent. She let out a sigh. "Hell of a time to have a panic attack huh?" Awkward laughter popped up from the large crowd. "Sorry, just not used to so many people."

  Arend poked her. "Go ahead and spit it out." Kronth sighed again, raising her head to face the group. "Shit's fucked up. And I mean really bad. How many here don't know who this is?" Kronth gestured to Arend, who only flicked a hand. No one raised their hand. "Don't know what he is?" Again, no one spoke out. "Well… His father's alive and there are other human+'s out at Axis."

  The silence was deafening. Nem could swear their hearts had collectively paused with their breath, before bursting into a chaotic mess of sound. Arend silenced them by standing. "I came upon this information via a man called Justice. Someone hired him to investigate what was going on in Luyurk, and he came back with information valued at over a thousand times what he was paid. My father, Teneo, is using the same technology that put Aenfel in me to convert Monsters into power. Real power."

  Arend produced a portable projector from his bag. Nem set it up for him on the steps, giving the wall behind Arend a full body diagram of Orenth flow. Arend pointed with a laser at the heart. The image shifted and zoomed in, revealing masses of points representing dense Orenth.

  "Justice has also recently contacted me. Only six hours ago to be exact. Someone you all know managed to get into Axis City –yes it's a whole damn city- and talk with my father." A picture of Dran in a room full of Monsters and animals popped up next to the image of the heart. The room was lit with light filtered through rusted metal walls and crooked wooden sheets.

  "This man I don't know, but my father did." The old picture Arend was given by Aegith covered the heart. Names were written in bold black letters underneath each person. "Aegith, Justice, Dran; all the people who once went to school with him or are at least connected to the same college that has long-since closed. As for what they provided me…"

  A series of overlapping pictures of Teneo's notebook filled the wall, all taken with detail in mind. "Information. Directly from one of Teneo's notebooks. I now know more than I ever could about how Orenth interacts in humans and Monsters." All images except the Orenth chart disappeared. "So we get to this. 'Why show this?' some may ask. Well, it's important to know all the details to understand just how dangerous it all is.

  "A Monster is stripped of its Orenth, wild and untamed; it must be controlled with the upmost delicacy. Through mechanics better left unexplained, the particulars of the Monster's Orenth – that transform Natural Orenth into something the body can use- are distilled and inserted into a human to achieve a great increase in power.

  "While it's a gruesome death for the Monster, the human gains power and health. Teneo even says he once changed someone's gender through this process. I can't say if they survived very long. The side effects from this process are mostly psychological, but Teneo mentioned in the notebook that severe degradation of one's Orenth occurs with multiple instances of the combination.

  "As a brief side note, I had the pleasure of interacting with the remains of a man named Finch. He isn't directly related to the subject at hand, but is a prime example of what happens when alters the flow of Orenth in someone's body." A bloodied image of Finch's Drive appeared on the screen, overlaid on the image of the human body's flo
w of Orenth. His replacement arm joined it shortly after. Red arrows highlighted the shifts in the Orenth. They converged near the center, diverted away from his extremities.

  "Finch's inner Drive increased the flow of Orenth through him tenfold, at the cost of mental stability. His ribs were removed to fit the Drive. His lungs were shifted in a way that made breathing painful. His heart had to beat twice as fast to keep up with the Orenth shifts, and bleeding would be often and in great amounts. If it wasn't for a drug Teneo no doubt created, Finch would have died after hours of excruciating pain. It didn't remove the pain at all, just heightened his regeneration to compensate. At some point after his alteration, Finch abandoned his sanity, only living for the numbness adrenaline gave him."

  Arend let out a long sigh as the images from Finch disappeared. "There's something I have to mention before I continue. Teneo has extensive proof that humans never had Orenth to begin with. If you take a purely logical standpoint, it makes sense. Monsters are Orenth based, humans, as animals, aren't. Now, how did we develop this power, this ability to manipulate nature? In all truth, we most likely gained it through intimate contact with Monsters. Hybrids, the exchange of fluids, and even just Orenth itself."

  "Arend…" Nem interrupted, making a cutting motion near his throat. "You're dumping information again." Arend slammed his hands on the stone table in front of him, filling the chamber with the sound of cracking stone. "I know damn well I am! It's all important if we plan on stopping it!" "Why should we?" Croul asked. "It's not like it's dangerous to anyone outside those participating. And the Monsters, if you care about them at all."

  A low growl filled the room. "Shut up and listen to him." Aenfel said as spikes of Stick and Slick danced out from Arend' body. Arend dispersed the energy with a wave of his hand. "As I was saying…" Arend stood straight again. Croul was halfway up the steps, hiding behind Nem. "As you all know, there are seventeen Types of Orenth. This Orenth is produced by seventeen Types of Orenth Particles naturally found in nature and maintained in Monsters.

  "Orenth, in reality, is one kind of energy collected in different ways. These seventeen Orenth Particles take that Orenth, convert it, and allow us to manipulate it. They are organized just like Orenth Types in the seven Groups; seven being large and do the bulk of the work for the Sub-Particles. Through all this organization, we're left with the remains; the by-product of combination: Death.

  "Death is still Orenth, but its all-round immunity is from the fact it reflects Orenth, at the cost of its own degradation. There are three more special Particles that are important; standing away from the others, they have special shapes that have special effects. One allows the genetic transfer of the Orenth Particles, removes Orenth that can't be processed, allows for the control of Orenth and regeneration of one's body with the assistance of Orenth. Pendragons have an insane amount of this type.

  "The next Particle is peculiar in its nature, and has a vast variety of Sub-Particles that fall so closely together they have to be classified as one type. It greatly increases control of Orenth, but forces a 'race change' on its host if it isn't it's natural host. This Particle is the cause of Changing."

  A wave of glances to the Changed in the room allowed Arend a brief pause. He took a drink from a water bottle before continuing. "Now the third one. Oh-ho-ho! The third one is a real fucker. This special Particle is connected not to a body, but to a consciousness. Ladies and gentlemen, Possession. It's a monster among Particles. Large, misshapen, and an all-round converter of Orenth. It's as powerful as they come, but it comes at an obvious cost. Death's Particle was the original, and it is the mutagen. It's why Death's Ring always Possessed its host.

  "And so we come to the big issue." Arend looked to Croul. "'Why is it dangerous?' Why we have a way to give everyone Orenth control! A way to potentially un-Change someone! Isn't it just great?" The audience was unsettled by Arend' harsh sarcasm. "As you know, Possession and Changing is an aftereffect of Matrixes. Matrixes are machines given Korvan and a way to control Orenth Particles. But they sometimes 'stick' in the machine right? That annoying thing that either kills or Changes? Well… Teneo is concentrating those damned Particles in a gigantic fucking Matrix! Want to know what's dangerous? A Possesed machine that's capable of gaining power through devouring Monsters, humans, and even our fucking planet."

  Arend was met with a resounding "What." He sat down. "Go on and talk a little. My throat's dry. And I think I made my point." Kronth collapsed into Arend' lap, trembling with fear. "Shh…" He whispered softly. "There is now way I'll let it happen." "Ever." Aenfel added for good measure.

  Kronth snuggled close to Arend' chest as Faulken stepped up to take control. He was visibly shaken, his face pale and his voice cracking. "In light of what Arend said, we need to ready ourselves for a possible war. A war nor for power, but to ensure survival. I purpose we use this year's Guild Tournament to showcase and expand on what we need to improve. While it's important we all prepare, we have to maintain order. We can't send people into a panic.

  "After the Guild Tournament, Arend will be going to Luyurk. I don't need to explain why, or try to appeal his plans to you all. From my own sources, I learned something astounding: Axis is launching a space shuttle this summer; a perfect cover for a tech genius like Arend to make a long journey.

  "We can send more than Arend and a few friends, but as his Airship has limited space, not to mention the added suspicion of a large group, it will have to be by Arend' invitation. In this 'goodwill' trip, Arend will be talking with his father about the danger and potentially end the war before it begins. As a final note: don't forget who we're sending. It's not Myshcell Vs. Myshcell, but all of us Vs. a continent of unstable barbarians. Calm and rational thought is our power. We won't lose."

  [X]

  The Guild Tournament was held in the wasteland Hunter and Rusty had raced across. Since spectators had to bring their own seating to the cleared battleground, many Syndicates had individual pools dedicated to having bleachers built. Iode's construction company in particular was hired to design and build the bleachers for each Guild.

  Arend cut and stacked large boulders to build a tall tower to watch from. He sat twenty feet in the air on his tower of stone, nestled in a square cut from the top stone. Kronth was curled close next to him, holding the thick blanket they shared tight.

  The familiar announcer strode out in a parka, stopping at the center of the flattened ground. The refs joined him to suggest the best place to erect the tower he would sit in during the fights. They made a few gestures Arend' way that was followed with brief laughter.

  Kronth flipped through a booklet to look at the lineup. She whistled. "It seems like we've only got ten Syndicates participating this time around." "And we've only got one team in there." Arend continued, leaning over to look at the program. Dragon's Den's only team was in a second bracket, paired with the three teams from Silver Napalm. "And it just has to be Silver Napalm."

  "Well," Kronth nudged him. "What did you expect as the number one Guild in the tournament? For us to face some random Guild? For our team to have an equal number of fights, we have to face them in three rounds. Everyone else has two teams, so they have to balance it as best they can." "And Wesken's group is first." Arend said as he watched Eric share some words with Casandre. Arend shared a silent laugh with Kronth.

  "Ok. Ok. Oh-kaaay!" The announcer called, waving his left hand wildly. "Hello everybody! What. A. Day. For. A. Rumble! The sky's clear, the sun's shining, and the wind is only a crisp breeze! Without further delay, let's get the seventy-third Annual Guild Tournament underway!"

  The two teams stepped out onto the field. Wesken's shrunken squad was in a close diamond formation, stopping at the announcer at the center of the field. Dragon's Den's group approached with an air of swagger. Hunter, Nem, and Panzer all kept to the same pace, weapons half drawn. Corenden floated above them, his arms crossed and his polished armor sparkling in the sunlight. The eight contestants shared nods.

 
; "Our number one Guild needs no introduction! Dragon's Den's fines! (With the exception of those who are much too powerful for this fight, and the S-Ranked who didn't sign up of course.)" A loud cheer was met with waves from the group. "Nem Fifer is the leader of this team, a veteran in solo fighting, he's an intresting choice for a leader. Panzer Hellsworth is the Guild's strict trainer; having no history in these kinds of events, and with what looks like the ever popular barehanded flair from Dragon's Den, who knows how she'll do eh? Hunterrrrr Wasteland!"

  The calls of various women were prominent in the crowd. Flake managed to whistle over the. "The breaker of many a heart and roadway has taken up a Drive weapon in place of his previous barehanded style! If I may ask, did Arend make it for you?" Hunter shook his head, poking a proud thumb into his own chest. "Oooo! Intresting!"

  Corenden settled on the announcer's head, flashing him a grin. The announcer was surprised at how much he weighed. "Last and defiantly not least; Corenden the Pog! Winner of the Open Tournament, he had only one loss he learned a great deal from! This little Monster is replacing Faulken in this team believe it or not! Yeah! I know!" Corenden tapped the announcer's head impatiently.

  "Moving on! Our city's protectors; Silver Napalm! Four from the Assault Core are here to fight to-day! The captain of the twenty or so members of that advanced team, sporting his signature red riot gear, Wesken Saunder! Ready for some blood wolfy!?" Wesken flipped up his tinted visor with a finger, giving the announcer a glare that said it all. "Never again, got it!" The announcer said nervously. Wesken flipped the visor back down.