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CH oo1: There is no Heaven.

Chapter oo1: There is no Heaven.

            Len dashed to her grandmother’s aid. She held her arms out in the air as if she were an unbreakable wall. Staring Hasslik in the eye, the girl bit her lower lip in a nervous frustration. The two were alone behind the line of house buildings with an unknown threat. He had cornered them as soon as they left the security their building offered. It wasn’t much but it was made of sturdy bricks, and that was a gift to have in this part of the world. They occupied the ground floor of the tallest home, for her grandmother’s sake (she was getting brittle) while the younger generations took the floors above.

            She thought she had been careful this morning, intruding on Darien, her neighbor, eating breakfast. Len had knocked loudly on his door, yelling, “You’re the eagle’s eye!” and looked out his windows to make sure no one was there. Everyone left the building to each their own duties while she and her grandmother packed their belongings. They were prepared to leave town.

            He had arrived in Estra two days ago, unannounced, and targeted anyone who wouldn’t tell him where she and her grandmother were. She could feel her body trembling. What’s the real reason this ‘Hasslik’ guy is here? She wondered, and what does he want with us?

                Estra was a busy-body town with no hierarchy in place. The only ranking that existed there was the friendly competition between trades, but nothing too chaotic. The people were amiable and formed quite a reliable community. They were dependent on each other as if they were a family, yet each and every one could hold their own ground alone. Len and Amara, her grandmother, had only been there for a year and were already treated like old friends from long ago. The two of them were nomads, moving from place to place. Amara always had a reason for the move--- or was it just an excuse?

                “Well, well, well, who do we have here, Amara? Is this that fantastic little orphan you took in five years ago?” Hasslik had a dirty smirk swiped across his face, as if a splash of paint splattered it there purposely.

                “Len…” Amara whispered, looking up at the young girl.

                “Len, is it? Desert names were always weird.”

            She stood brave in front of the old woman, looking over her shoulder before returning her attention back to the man. He towered over her, despite being rather plump and round. He stood only inches away from her. In fact, she could feel his hot breath breathing down into her face with each word he spoke. It was disgusting- his breath reeked of charred onions and newts (a common traveling meal born from the south). She didn’t know what was worse- his breath or his face. It was covered in scars; his skin was a flaky, unhealthy color; his small, dark eyes were accompanied by dark circles; he was balding with distorted mold growing in his hair’s place; and wrinkles drew maps across his face, overlapping one another and ultimately meeting between his brows. He must have only made terrible, unhappy expressions.

            Hasslik burped under his thick, and unfamiliar, pale gray armor. After closer inspection, Len noticed it was smothered in ashes. Even his sword at his side was buried in ashes. If he had a helmet, it would most likely be of the same fashion. Many men of armor passed through their town, but never any with an ashen silver. They were always proud to have a shined down silver, or an affordable bronze, that blinded any who stole a look. They also usually had a symbol engraved on the chest plate over the heart. On Hasslik’s was a burned and barely recognizable… flower? What kind of flower, though, she could not say unless she wiped the cinders away.

                “Stay away from her, Hasslik!” Len ordered him with a fierce tone.

                “Oh?” He smiled devilishly and glanced past the bony girl to meet Amara’s eyes. His smirk curved and became a wide smile. Her fiery stubbornness brought him great pleasure; at least, that was what Len gathered from that evil smile of his. “What’ll you do if I don’t?”