I'll See You In Nirvana

PRISONER OF DESTINY

Our continued trek through the mountains was long and arduous. Since we took a path away from the main road, the whole way was a struggle. The path would suddenly disappear, replaced by disjointed rocky outcroppings more akin to a wall than a place of travel.

The day dragged on, and I nearly fell off a cliff multiple times. Raised tree roots constantly threatened to make me trip and fall while poisonous plants seemed to be around every turn. They probably weren't poisonous but I assumed they were.

While we avoided traveling up to any peaks, we also avoided the valleys below and opted for the sparse outcropped patches of flat land to rest periodically. We wouldn't stop for long in favor of getting as far as we could before nightfall.

Between a few outcroppings on what seemed like an old trail, we passed a man who looked like an adventurer of sorts. He wore shades of gray and brown and was drinking from a canteen. He looked up at us and nodded, scanning our group until his eyes landed on me.

"Hey there," he said, putting away his drink. "Care for a chat?"

Aislin replied, "Sorry, we have somewhere to be."

The man, with his eyes still on me, said, "A pretty blonde with big brown eyes and scars that would make a seasoned adventurer blush. That sharp-shooter was spot-on. You're most definitely her."

We all stopped in our tracks and immediately became more aware of the subtleties of our surroundings. There seemed to be no hint of danger and the wind was calm despite our altitude.

"Alright, what do you want?" Aislin spoke for all of us.

"Well, I'm here to do a job. I'm not one for killing, so I'd suggest the little lady come with me willingly."

This time, Caia spoke up. "Sorry, but you're not my type right now."

"Ha, you know damn well I'm not talking about you." The man gestured toward me. "Nirvana, right?"

"How did you know where we were?" Aislin was a breath away from drawing his sword and it seemed like Erin was, too.

"Process of elimination. If anything, you'd have been better off in your little castle, princess." He reached his hand up toward me.

In the blink of an eye, Aislin scooped me up into his arms and dashed down the mountain path, leaving Erin and Caia behind. We got pretty far in a short amount of time as well as down a couple of steep inclines. We landed on one of the flatter areas only to find the man sitting on a rock in front of us, backed by a whirlwind that blew through the area.

"Good try," said the man. "Just hand her over."

While he spoke, Erin appeared over his head with his gun-sword in mid-motion swinging down.

The man reacted by standing while turning around and swiping at Erin as a great sword appeared in his hand. Their blades clashed, sending Erin farther away. When the man moved, I could see a faint red glow from the back of his sword arm.

Caia appeared next to us and said, "Hang back and sit tight." She turned and looked me in the eye. "I'll believe you are who you say you are, for now."

Back to the fight, Erin closed the distance again and fired his gun to make his sword swing faster.

This time, the man blocked the strike with both hands on his blade.

At the same time, Caia, with her guitar in her hands, played a strange three-note tune. It seemed to result in the man's knees buckling as Erin's blade came closer to making contact with him.

Before he could fall, the man reached his hand out and a large, circular blade appeared around his waist, held by that hand as he turned it around himself. The blade extended out far enough to force Erin to back off as it spun like a saw.