Cobwebs covered the upper corners of the dirty and obviously old room. In the middle lay a single granite table, and on top of it lay the covered body of Trey. Reden took a step and noted the sharp creak of it as his foot touched down onto the old, wooden floor. He lightly took another step and was pleased that it made barely any noise, if any.
He proceeded towards Trey's motionless body which was covered by a white cloth. As he made a motion to pull the sheet off of him, he suddenly stopped. He saw a small layer of mist beginning to layer the floor and he quickly turned in time to avoid the knife that flew past his face and into the wall behind him.
"What the hell?" Reden yelled as he looked and saw a young man holding a small sack of knives standing before him.
The young man said, "I've come for the body..."
Reden recognized him and asked, "Where have I seen you before?"
"I do not know you. I merely am doing what my master has asked of me," the young man said, holding his head down.
"Show me your face!" Reden shouted.
"Fine," the young man said.
He slowly pulled his head up and stared into the eyes of Reden. Reden gasped as he realized that he was staring into the eyes of Trey. He dropped his dagger and slowly backed away from him.
"But - but you're dead!" Reden exclaimed.
Trey replied asking, "If I am dead.... how am I here?"
Reden saw a cloud of smog appear behind Trey and a man step out of it saying, "Hello, Reden. Finally we meet."
Reden shouted at him asking, "Who are you?"
Reden could feel tears beginning to form at the corners of his eyes as he continued to stare at Trey.
"I am Sinoto," the man said, "and Trey is now mine. You will die and the Jewel will be mine as well."
"The Jewel?" Reden asked, feeling it in his pocket.
Sinoto laughed as he said, "Kill him Trey."
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
Trey flung the Great Axe at Reden, who barely parried the blow. He grabbed his dagger off the ground and made a quick swipe at the arm of the new Trey. Trey howled in pain as the poison met his blood, creating a painful blow. Instinctively, he grabbed a knife and threw it towards Reden, striking him in the foot... barely.
Reden winced in pain as the pain began to push throughout his body. He knew it was injured and so he grabbed a cloth from his bag and put it around it... soaking it.
Sinoto watched, and before Trey could do anything else, he said, "We will leave now. But we will take the body."
His hand opened up and a column of smog flew from it, covering the motionless body of `Trey`. When it disappeared from view, the body was no longer there. Reden watched in awe as Sinoto took the body away. Trey's head went back to looking at the ground and Sinoto laughed.
He said, "We shall meet again." Then he vanished in a column of Smog along with `Trey`.
Reden fell to the ground and his eyes were filled with amazement. They then turned to sadness and tears began to flow from eyes uncontrollably. He held his head in his hands and when he finally stopped crying he stood up. He then sheathed his dagger once again.
He thought to himself, 'We will... Sinoto... we definitely will meet again...'
"I can't believe it!" Reden shouted as he beat his desk with his hand. It had been four hours since the encounter with Sinoto; yet, it was still fresh in his mind.
Reden stopped attacking the desk for a moment and started to think.
'Was that really Trey?' he asked himself. 'Was it really him who attacked and attempted to kill me?'
Suddenly he heard a knock on the door which pulled him from his thoughts. He became calm once more and slowly approached the door. He opened it slowly and standing in the doorway was none other than Selvi.
"Oh, Reden!" she shouted as she flung herself into his arms. She was continuously sobbing with no end in sight. She buried her head deep into his shoulder and let the tears flow.
"Selvi? What are you doing here?" Reden asked.
Selvi wiped away the tears and said, "I needed someone to talk to... After what happened to Trey earlier..."
She began crying once more and the tears came harder than ever. Her brown hair was a mess and Reden could only imagine what she was thinking while she continued to sob in his arms.
"Sel-Selvi," Reden stammered before continuing, "I saw Trey a few hours ago..."
Selvi looked up at him and her eyes grew wide with anticipation. She hesitated before asking, "What!?"
"It's true," Reden continued, "I saw him in the house in the graveyard - where his body was being held - but he had a new, stronger body than before. He attacked me and attempted to kill me..."
Selvi gasped as she heard what Reden had told her. She pushed away from him and shouted, "That's a lie! Trey would never try to kill you! You were his friend!!"
Reden held his head down so Selvi couldn't see the tears that were slowly appearing in his eyes. He spoke softly saying, "It's true Selvi. I'm not lying."
Selvi ran out of the house and into the street. Reden let her go and started to think once more.
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
'Could the power of the Jewel have been the manipulation which eventually led to Trey's death? Could Sinoto have been manipulated by the power that eludes him? He is continuously attempting to acquire the Jewels... so I suppose he will stop at nothing to obtain them...' Reden stopped for a moment and then his eyes grew wide.
He turned and grabbed his dagger, leather clothes, and bag. He rushed out of the house and shouted, "Selvi! Come back! They'll kill you!"
He ran into the opening that was placed in front of the large castle of the Duke. He heard a clash of thunder and cold rain began to fall from the sky. He brushed hair from the front of his face and shouted once more, "Selvi!"
"So, you want the girl?"
Reden turned in the direction the voice had come from. Standing there was a man wielding a dagger similar to Reden's and a bow on his back. In his right hand he held the dagger; while in his left was Selvi, being held by her hair.
The man had blonde hair but his eyes were covered by a face mask. He was tall and obviously strong. Reden figured this because of the muscles which bulged from his body. The man looked around six feet in height and very sturdy.
"Let her go!" Reden shouted.
Then Reden saw something flash in the corner of his eye. He ducked just in time to avoid the sharp blade of a dagger attempting to strike his neck. He rotated his own dagger in his hand and he struck the stomach of his assailant.
The attacker backed away, holding his stomach which was leaking blood. Reden looked around him and saw that he was surrounded by five mercenaries, obviously hired to kill him.
Reden turned his attention back to the one holding Selvi and yelled, "Don't you hurt her!"
"So, boy!" the man replied. "You know what we want! Give it to us and we release the girl! If you don't: we kill you both and take it!"
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
Reden felt the Jewel pulsating from inside of his pocket. His emotions were running high as he charged at the man, running through the multitude of raindrops that were falling from the sky in sheets now.
"So you want to fight! Eh?" the man shouted, "Then die!"
The man signaled to the others who had surrounded Reden. They all attacked him at once. The power of the Jewel however, was too much for them to handle.
One of them attempted to strike Reden, and he failed miserably. Reden quickly parried the blow and retaliated with a sharp strike to the upper chest, sending his assailant flying to the ground.
Two of them decided to gain up on Reden. Both approached slowly from opposite sides. Then they struck simultaneously. Reden ducked, dodging both of them, and then sending a strong uppercut with the dagger into one of their necks. The other backed away slowly, attempting to regain his ground.
However, Reden charged fiercely, not allowing a moments rest. The assailant blocked most of Reden's blows but one strong hit struck him in the side, allowing a vast amount of blood to flow in the street.
Only two remained now, one of the minor assailants and the assailant who held Selvi captive.
Reden shouted at them both, "Release her now!" His emotions continued to raise, anger flooding his soul.
"You fool!" the leader shouted. "Why should I release her? There is still one left!"
Without warning the lesser assailant jumped in for an attack. However, using the power of the Jewel which was fueled by his emotions, Reden cut him down in mid-air. The limp body of Reden's attacker lay in the middle of the street, his blood mixing with the cold rain.
"So, that is the power of the Jewel," the leader muttered to himself.
Reden asked him, "Who are you anyway?"
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
The leader did not hesitate and replied saying, "I am Kirth. Leader of Sinoto's assailants."
"Release Selvi now! Or I will strike you down!" Reden shouted.
"Get it through your head boy!" he yelled. "You cannot kill me! We were not even after the Jewel - I just wanted to see its capabilities."
Reden was confused and asked, "Why did you attack me if you knew I would kill all of them?!"
"I personally thought you would die and I would merely have to collect the Jewel, but now I see that it has possibilities." Kirth said. "So, I will take your friends and leave."
Reden was now furious, "What?" Reden shouted at him, "What do you mean by friends?"
Reden then thought for a moments and one thing came to his mind, 'Tria'.
Reden's eyes grew wide as he thought about it.
"So boy! We will meet again! I could have killed you at any moment!" Kirth yelled. "I have hundreds of assailants in hiding here, I have both of your remaining friends, and soon I will have your head!"
With that the man vanished in a cloud of smog, along with any trace of Selvi. Reden could only watch as the man vanished with his friends. He heard a scream and he turned to see Tria vanish along with yet another assailant.
Reden was now all alone, all because of the Jewel. He screamed and stood up. He opened up the bag and pulled out the dagger that his father had left him, along with a set of almost impervious armor...
"Soon I will kill you Sinoto. You and all your men. For what you have done to me and my friends," Reden muttered.
Then he turned and vanished into the thick darkness that surrounded the city, leaving no trace that he was there. All that the people would find the following morning would be the motionless bodies of dead assailants. Along with their blood that slowly leaked into the river...
A soft breeze floats undisturbed while the darkness of night encases everything in its path. The bright moon casts a beam of gorgeous and impeccable light upon the ground, revealing creatures who were thought to be invisible in the darkness.
Shadows of trees are cast upon the ground whilst a strange presence seems to fill the air. The breeze calms and everything is quieted for the moment. After moments of silence, the breeze returns and restores the tranquility that had been there.
Reden walked on the dirt path holding his head down., His right hand rested on the sheathed dagger while he spoke softly to himself.
He muttered, "That wretched Sinoto," and many other incomprehensible phrases.
He stopped when he heard a low, almost silent noise coming from the shroud of trees that surrounded him. He kept his head down and slowly began to grasp the handle of his dagger. He moved his left hand into his pocket and felt for the round shape of the Jewel.
Once he had found it, he held it tightly and he listened intently in an attempt to find out where the noises had come from. He heard the rustling of a bush and he watched it move slightly out of the corner of his eye. Then he moved his eyes back to the ground and saw a new shadow take form on the ground.
A swift movement caused the shadow to vanish and reappear on the opposite side of Reden; he knew that someone or something was following him.
He thought to himself, 'If they dare attack me, I will strike them down no matter who they are.'
After taking this brief pause he continued to walk on the path. The rain from earlier had caused it to become muddy and more difficult to travel on.
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
Another rustle could be heard through the almost absolute silence. The trees blocked the light from the moon and Reden was now in almost complete darkness. He knew that if he did not find some way to see, then he would be open to any attack.
He reached into the bag and took out the lantern he had used before and lit it. Holding it in front of him he could see a small clearing, filled with the bright rays that came from the moon. He quickly made his way towards it and as he stepped into the bright rays he seemed almost, pure.
Suddenly, a knife flew from the trees, piercing the shoulder of Reden and causing him to drop the lantern. The small flame ignited a dry patch of grass and Reden quickly made a motion to stomp it out, only to be stopped by another flying dagger that pierced the ground in front of the flame.
"Not again..." Reden muttered.
Another shadow could be seen upon the ground; it was the shape of a person. Reden quickly grabbed a knife from his bag and threw it in the direction of the attacker. The assailant was elusive however, and he was able to dodge the knife with ease.
Reden anticipated this and took his dagger from his waist and rotated it quickly in his hand. He now had the tip facing down and he was prepared to kill.
He stood ready to fight and he listened for any signs of his attacker. Out of the corner of Reden's eye he saw a flash and he made an attempt to avoid it, only to be smashed in the stomach by a long rod.
Reden flew into a tree and he heard a soft crack. He struggled to stand and moved his hand to his lip, it was bleeding. He spat on the ground and wiped away any remaining blood.
"I thought Sinoto didn't want to mess with me!" Reden shouted.
"The Jewel..."
Another knife flew from the treetops and pierced the ground next to Reden, barely missing him.
"So it's the Jewel you want?" Reden asked with a shout.
Another knife struck him; however, in the kneecap this time. Reden shouted in pain as he pulled the knife from himself. He looked up immediately and threw the knife back at the mysterious man with all of his might.
The man did not seem to be impressed as he carelessly jumped through the air in an attempt to change his position. Reden saw the opportunity and threw the second knife he had just removed from the ground at him. A tearing of flesh sent the mysterious attacker to the ground, causing it to erupt in a cloud of dust.
"Darn you..."
Reden stood up, wincing in pain as he moved. He asked, "Who are you?"
The mysterious man also stood, still being but a silhouette to Reden's eyes. He turned away and said, "I am the one who possesses the Jewel of Despair..." With that he jumped into the treetops and escaped, leaving Reden confused.
Reden thought to himself, 'He possesses a Jewel as well; why didn't he use it against me? He had plenty of chances to kill me.'
Reden winced again in pain and looked down at the ground. It was stained with his blood and he knew he had lost blood, but not that much. His vision began to fade and blur. He attempted to take a step forward, but he passed out upon the road.
---------------------
Sinoto paced in the dark room, seemingly contemplating his next move. In his hand he held an old book, the one that had been collected from the swamps where Trey had been killed.
Kirth stepped in and said, "Sinoto."
"Hmm?" Sinoto inquired.
Hags be hagglin', gods be god damn crazy, it's all happening ogre at Into The Fire
Trey stepped into the light and held the axe over his shoulder. His held was down and on his waist he had a small pouch which contained the knives that Sinoto had given him. He cast a dark shadow onto the floor and he was always silent.
"We have two of the boy's friends in the basement. We took them after Reden told us he wasn't going to hand over the Jewel," Kirth said.
Sinoto seemed uninterested and asked, "Do you know of any other's that have a Jewel? We discovered Reden because of his parents last year; however, we have been unsuccessful in our search so far."
Kirth seemed annoyed because Sinoto ignored him and said, "No, I can get together some people to search if you want however."
"No, I have a group in mind," Sinoto replied.
"Another group? We are your Elite! We are the best!" Kirth shouted.
Sinoto was irritated and he said, "Are you arguing with me Kirth?"
Kirth hesitated before saying, "No sir. Do what you wish to do…"
"Good. Now bring me ZTX." Sinoto said.
Kirth was shocked and shouted, "ZTX!"
Sinoto laughed and said, "Those three should be more than capable of hunting down and killing the Jewel's possessors."
"But - But -" Kirth stammered.
"Just do it Kirth!" Sinoto shouted.
Kirth held his head down and replied, "Yes sir."
"But what about Reden?" Trey asked.
Sinoto turned to Trey and replied, "You will take him."
"Very well," Trey muttered before walking out of the house.
"I will leave now to find ZTX," Kirth said.
Sinoto smirked and said, "Good. Now go."
Kirth nodded and ran out the door. Sinoto chuckled and looked out the window. He saw Trey sitting in the grass, staring off into space, and Kirth running off in the direction of ZTX.
"Good," Sinoto said, "I will collect the Jewels - and take control."
Then he turned and stepped into the back room, shutting the door quietly behind him.
