Arnimos shot awake, he looked around and was not where he should have been. He was lying on a bedroll under a tarp in a desert, and a man in a poncho sat at a small fire cooking some food. Where was he? What had happened?
He tried to remember but he couldn't exactly place what happened to him after his encounter with Night, something felt wrong about it. Why couldn't he remember?
"Finally awake, huh?" The man said. "You been out-"
The man looks towards the rising sun.
"Nearly a day since I found ya," The man said. "Canteen by the bed for some water, got some food cooking up here,"
Arnimos grabbed the canteen and took a long swig from it, he was thirsty though far less so than he expected. He put the canteen back down.
"Thank you," Arnimos said. "Where am I?"
"You must have gotten really lost," The man said. "You're in the Forsaken Desert, we should be about 4 weeks due south of Paradise,"
"Do you mean Elysium?" Arnimos said.
The man looked at Arnimos quizzically.
"It'd be a few months walk to that place," The man said. "And that's not counting crossing the Unseen Peaks,"
Arnimos looked at the ground. How was that possible? He was there just a day ago by this man's estimation, how did he cross much of Shale in a day. Did Night move him? Why would a Personification do that? Why put him here?
As he was thinking he felt something poke him, he looked up and saw the man pushing a bowl into his hands.
"Eat up," The man said. "You'll need your strength if you're going to keep up,"
Arnimos ate the stew, after having to eat military rations for the past few days it tasted quite good. He scarfed it down with surprising speed before placing the bowl on the ground.
"Who are you?" Arnimos said.
"Name's John," John said.
Arnimos looked at the man more closely now, he didn't have the skin of Luxicon or Taniberas and his eyes were not Tyross. He must be an Arbeross or one of the sub-races.
"What about you?" John said.
"I'm Arnimos," Arnimos said.
"Pleasure to meet ya then," John said. "What are you doing out here?"
"I am not supposed to be," Arnimos said. "I was in a village in my homeland then bandits attacked then I fought a dragon then Night came,"
"You fought a dragon?" John said. "You met Night?!?"
"It was actually an Arbeross," Arnimos said. "But still a dragon,"
"Still, surviving an encounter with a dragon and Night, real lucky to be alive," John said. "Know where that village is?"
"Back in Elysium," Arnimos said. "Few days ride from the city,"
John laughed.
"Real funny," John said. "Now why don't you tell me where it really is,"
Arnimos stared at the man, his laughter began to die down.
"You aren't lying," John said. "How the hell you end up here?"
"I just told you what I remember," Arnimos said.
"You certainly been having an interesting time then," John said. "I'll get you to the next town then we'll split ways,"
"What about you?" Arnimos said. "Why are you out here?"
John pulled his hat down to cover his eyes.
"Personal reasons," John said. "Let's get packed up, we'll travel for as long as we can,"
Arnimos didn't push further. The two packed up the camp then set off into the desert. They walked endless dunes dotted by the occasional outcropping of rocks. After walking for a good number of hours and with the sun hanging low on the horizon they reached a small outpost in the desert, it was destroyed.
The buildings smoldered with the remnants of a raging fire and various walls seemed smashed down by something great. The two men looked at each other.
"What happened here?" Arnimos said.
"Looks like some tribes attacked this town," John said. "Let's go check for survivors,"
John pulled out a revolver, something Arnimos had only seen once or twice in his life. Firearms were rare to see in Elysium, the only places in Elysium that had them were the Reborn Lords and the Empire. This rareness came from the restrictions placed on the Region by the Reborn Lords, in fact if the Empire didn't have the treaty it did then they wouldn't have firearms either.
The two approached the destroyed outpost and entered through a hole in its outer wall. It was massive and they both saw large prints in the sand.
"Sand dragon," John said. "Definitely an attack by tribes then,"
"Why would they do this?" Arnimos said.
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"The inhabitants of the region have had a long standing issue with the colonists," John said. "There's been a few wars between them and the nearby nations,"
"What caused the issues?" Arnimos said.
"Hell if I know," John said. "I don't ask about such things,"
"But don't you want to understand the region?" Arnimos said. "At least the basics?"
"Doesn't matter much to me," John said. "I just ask about local prices and if they got any jobs, nothing else,"
They looked down the main path in the town. A handful of carts and stalls were overturned with the goods spread across the street, a few bodies laid by the gate with rifles in hand and slashes across their bodies. They scanned the rest of the main street but besides the handful of dead guards there was nothing.
"Let's check some of these buildings," John said.
John approached the door of one building and drew his other revolver. He pressed himself against the door and threw himself into it three times before it broke open, he raised his revolvers and pointed them inwards as Arnimos followed in a second later.
It was an empty house, there was half-eaten food strewn about the table and the chairs were knocked over like people had to rush out. A single thin trail of blood led into a side room. John scanned the main room while Arnimos followed the trail of blood. As he stepped into the room he saw a grisly sight.
A handful of pillows were placed on a large rug in the center of the room and in the center of these pillows he saw bodies. 5 people laid in a pool of dark red, slashes were all over their bodies though their heads were also separated from their bodies. Their faces were caught in a frozen moment of terror.
Arnimos stared at the bodies, he felt sick to his stomach. He had seen slaughter before but it still unsettled him, so he began to back up.
"What'd you find in here-" John said. "Holy hell, what in god's name-"
Arnimos backed out the room as John peeked in, saw what was here then backed away. Arnimos took another few steps back until he fell onto one of the chairs that was still upright.
"Sorry you had to see that kid," John said. "Didn't think they were that ruthless,"
"Why'd they do that?" Arnimos said. "What's the point?"
"Trying to scare people off," John said. "Keep 'em from coming back,"
"But did they need to..." Arnimos said.
"Why don't you go sit outside," John said. "I'll check the other buildings,"
"It's fine," Arnimos said. "Just give me a sec,"
John nodded then stepped outside, Arnimos took a few seconds to breathe. He needed to calm himself, he didn't have time for this. He had to get back home as soon as possible. Once he felt much calmer he stood up and left the house.
The next few houses were more the same, they were ransacked for anything worthwhile while butchered bodies were left in a pile in one room.
As they reached near the end of the street all that was left was the sheriff office and the town hall.
"I'll check the town hall," John said. "You check the sheriff's office,"
"Got it," Arnimos said.
Arnimos approached the door to the sheriff's office and pushed it open. Inside was a small number of desks strewn about haphazardly, a weapon rack now devoid of weapons and 2 cells pushed against the east wall. It looked as though the people within had quickly rushed out, only a single figure remained inside.
They stood in the center of the room and were dressed in a military uniform that was caked in mud and blood, the uniform seemed reminiscent of those worn by soldiers of the Empire. In their hands was a bolt-action rifle that was covered in so much mud that it should not be working anymore.
"Hey!" Arnimos said. "Are you alright?"
They looked at him, its face was nothing but a skeleton with rotten and charred flesh dripping off. It raised the rifle. Arnimos brought the hammer back as then he felt a searing pain in his arm, he looked and saw a nail dug into it. He grit his teeth and swung the hammer, the creature recoiled from the force. It then stabilized itself and took a step forward, the barrel of its rifle came alight in flame as a bayonet formed.
Arnimos took a step back as the creature charged forward, it leveled the rifle then thrust it forward. The bayonet met his breastplate and slid, it didn't have the strength to breach Fear-Made armor. Arnimos slammed the hammer into the creature's chest, the chest caved in and blood splattered about but the creature remained standing. It tried to bring the rifle back to strike him with stock but Arnimos grabbed the barrel to restrain it. He struck the creature in the arm with his hammer, the arm broke apart from the strike and the creature seemed to screech yet no sound came out.
It let go of the rifle with its other hand and in a burst of flame a shovel formed, its tip was sharpened and one could see small dents on it. It swung the shovel down, Arnimos stepped back as it scraped along his breastplate. Arnimos brought the hammer down again, it slammed into the creature's shoulder. It lurched from the strike then Arnimos followed with another strike aimed for the head, the creature ducked under the blow and swung the shovel. It caught Arnimos in the leg, it sank in forcing him to a knee. Arnimos let out a loud yell as the creature tried to draw the shovel out. Arnimos grabbed the creature by the arm and pulled him forward, slamming his head into its face. With the small opening from the move he slammed the hammer into the creature's shin to force it to a knee; another strike to the head caused its head to explode like shattered glass.
The creature's body and weapons faded, blood began to leak from the gouge in Arnimos's leg. He fell onto the ground and focused his mind, he felt his Dichotomies stoke to life for a bit and the pain dulled. They should have activated themselves during that fight, why didn't they?
The door burst open as John came in with 2 revolvers at the ready, one was Fear-Made and the other conventional. He looked down at Arnimos on the ground.
"What happened?" John said.
"Soldier," Arnimos said. "He didn't make any sound, just attacked me,"
"Course they're here," John said. "Can you stand?"
Arnimos steadied himself and forced himself to his feet, his legs still burned but he could feel it fading.
"Good enough," Arnimos said.
"Then we'll take what we've found so far and leave," John said. "Best not to remain,"
Arnimos followed John as he exited the building and made his way out of the town.
"What was that?" Arnimos said. "I don't know any Fear Manifested Creature like that,"
"Wasn't a Fear Manifested Creature," John said.
"What was it then?" Arnimos said.
"Fragment of War probably," John said. "People here died from it, make sense that their fear drew his Fragments to this place,"
"Why was it dressed like a soldier from the Empire?" Arnimos said.
"Its Fragments are Legionaries," John said. "They take the form of soldiers, it means that someone out there who fears War, either primarily or just generally, views the Empire as the most terrifying part of it,"
"I thought that Fragments only formed near their Personification though?" Arnimos said.
"Where are we closer to War then here in this place of slaughter," John said. "Where else would War be?"
"I thought that all Personifications had forms," Arnimos said.
"They do," John said. "Just some don't pull themselves all the way into reality unless they need to,"
They finally left the village and crested a neighboring dune, Arnimos looked back at the town.
"Should we really leave it like that?" Arnimos said. "Isn't there something we can do?"
"Best to let the desert claim it," John said. "Let their souls be protected from War by the dunes,"
Arnimos stared down at the village seeing the first bits of sand starting to build up, he turned away and followed John. They had far to go still, no time to waste.
