Crossed

Chapter 6:

"Morris let him out, I think he knows the beings!," I yell at the Dragon Guard before throwing another broken stone towards the strange creature. "Okay, okay," he says and before we know the man runs up and jumps on top of the creature, holding it down. After a bit it stops moving and he climbs down from it. "Do you have any food?," he then asks.

"Who are you?," Morris asks, I was just observing him eating the food I gave earlier. "Ardian," the man says," oh, here," he holds up a little food to his neck. Within seconds it's gone. "What was that?," I ask. "My only form of companionship," Ardian says, quickly eating the last bit himself. "But what-" "Does it matter?," Ardian cuts off Morris," we need to talk about what you just saw, do we not?" "What do you know about it?," Morris asks, or more so demands. "They kill," he says," you have seen that before, once? Twice perhaps?"

"We did for the first time almost two years ago by now," I say, Morris gives me a look but I ignore him. "You in charge here?," Ardian asks. "No why?" "He is then?" "No." "Then who can I talk to that is in charge of this place? What a disaster place it is... even where I was it was not this bad by far," Ardian says. "Our Queen is supposed to be back any day by now," Morris says. "I'm not sure we have much time left," Ardian says," they come from where I come from. I know them." "What are they?," I ask," How can they be dead and life?" He laughs but it doesn't seem genuine.

"You're a young Archimage Necromancer, am I right?," he says, I just nod," Thought so," he sighs," I'm the same as you," he then says," I just have not been here on the earth of the living in a, what I assume at this moment, long time. When I was on the earth and amongst fellow lifers everything was different. Then those creatures decided to ruin everything," his words were laced with hatred. "What do you call them?," Morris asks, Ardian looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "That, is what you're concerned about right now?," he asks him.

"Not necessarily, no," Morris says," however, it could help if we knew what to call the creatures." Ardian let out a laugh," fine, I call them Slain's," he then says," fitting, for them to have that name, they cause death. More than earth needs. Which is why I need to take them back to the place I locked them in when I did," he pauzes for a moment," what year is it?"

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"We really can trust you?," Morris asks. "Yes, how many times will you request an answer to that question?," Ardian says," I would say I am the one who should be untrusting of you both. You locked me up for days with no way to communicate." "You attacked them immediately when you walked out,"Morris says. "It's fine," I say," don't worry about it," I look around before looking at Ardian again," how did you even take the Slain down?," I then decide to ask. "Bone," he says," a really sharp bone." "What from?," Morris asks," someone else you killed?" "No. I never killed anyone outside of the Slain's."

"What's wrong Morris?," I look at him, he seemed alerted by something. "Nothing, the Queen should be here shortly," he says," she just returned in the territory, let me know by link." I nod and sit down on the ruin while taking a bite from some food," how many escaped?," I then ask. "Close to fifty, which is nearly all of them," Ardian says. "Hm. What places would they have most interest in?," I ask. "Places with people, but there seems to not be many people here-" "There is a whole town a little from here!," Morris says.

"I told the Queen," Morris says. "Okay, we have to look around here," I say," who knows if they've already done something..." "I do not sense them," Ardian says. "Hold on," Morris says and almost immediately he flies down and lands. Once we're on the ground at the Town's Square we climb off his back and look around. Some people pull their curtains so they can look while a few walk outside asking what was wrong. "Everyone, stay inside," Morris says. "We got the message, Guard Morris," I look back and see more Dragon Guards appearing. "Good, spread around and keep the town and surrounding grounds on the eye, do not hesitate to defend if they show up again," Morris says. "Yes Sir," with that the other Guards go on their way, two circling above the town.

"What is happening Guard Morris?," a man asks. "The creatures are back," Morris says," stay inside and do not make noise. We will notify when the town is safe again." The man nods and quickly went back inside the building he came from. "Sense anything?," I ask Ardian. "No," with that he walks off. "Where are you going?," Morris takes off after him.

I had been following them quietly, trying to get a better look of what hides under Ardian's cloak. I want to know what he brought with him to earth. "Stop," I say, something in our surroundings shifted, a dark aura placed itself in the street. Luckily they both listened. "What did you hear?," Morris asks. "Nothing, there's just a shift in the street," I say," I don't trust it," he immediately concentrates and then nods. "You're right," he says. "I'll go-" "No you will not," Morris stops Ardian from walking any further. "Why not? I'm supposed to kill them, which is what I have been doing in the past few centuries apparently," Ardian says.

I listen and feel, trying to get a sense of the aura, if it shifts more or if it stays in place. "It's moving," I say and start running after it. "And they can go?," Morris ignores him and starts running after me, I hear him pulling Ardian along. *Wren?* I stop running and look around. "Ana?," I stare in front of me before running again. *Wren?!* I feel my heart pounding, she sounds distressed. "Where are you!?," I call out.

"Wren!," I stop and turn around, Morris wraps his wing past me so I couldn't see the street anymore. "What? I need to-" "No you do not," Ardian looks at me," this is what they do, they lure you in, acting like they're someone you care about, then they kill." "What?," I feel tears burning behind my eyes, I blink and then my head stops spinning," she's dead..." "No not yet-" "She is, two years ago," Morris says quietly," Wren?," I look up at the dragon," it's okay. She's not here but you're okay." I nod. "What happened?," we all turn around to see the Queen landing in front of us.