Dust & Flames

The path ahead would be dark to any other, but with my eyes opened to clarity, the shadowed tunnel was bright as day.

It happened in small pulses. The thumping of my heart send ripples through the senses that slid down the long pipe before us, revealing every spec of dust and dirt, every grain of sand that glowed like glass.

"I am glad that I tried this in a quiet place." I admitted, the boom of my own voice echoing in my skull.

"Indeed. There are many advantages to enhancing the senses, to see and touch and smell like no creature can imagine.

But the scratch and scraping of boots or the twang of steel in the industrial districts will make your ears bloody and the vessels in your eyes to burst.

Be careful of how and when you use it." Griffin advised. Even her words were muted, just subtle enough as not to overwhelm you.

"I'm hoping you know where you're going. Fiore needs time to adjust, not to mention the journey getting here"

"Fear not, Nero. Nothing provides greater comfort than the famed hospitality of the Empire-hating, void-worshipping Abysium Nomads. Nobody hates the Empire as much as they, and with our everlasting friendship, they are sure to welcome three injured strangers with open arms. Come, if I know them, then we'll be sipping sweet wine and soaking in scented baths before sun-fall."

As confident as Griffin often was, I couldn't help but read the signs in an altogether different way. Danger lingered in the air.

After a time, crossing through the complex pipe systems in the shadows, Fiore slumbering restlessly in my arms, the wide walkway began to dip into a slope and broaden widely before us. The Pipe had come to an end, revealing a huge gate made of thick Iron bars.

"About time, I hate prancing around these dirty pipes, such a bore." The Mysterian warrior put a hand between you and the bars "Best keep your distance, better safe than sorry."

"I have a really bad feeling about this, Griff. Isn't there somewhere else we can go?"

Her scoff filled the tunnel behind them... and spread into whatever was behind those Iron bars "No need for melodrama now. Just stand there and look pretty. This will only take a moment."

I watched as she raised a hand, to gentle brush the strange iron bars, which all were dotted with _two _strange marks. At first the symbols seemed new to me, although a little deja-vu quickly turned to full familiarity, as clarity **** a small memory to the forefront of my mind.

The first mark was a dark grey, like a backwards L with a long slice cutting into the corner, an arm extending from the slice and a single dot wedged between the height line and the length line. The Second was similar in every way to the letter F, only... it also had a dot under the symbols lower arm, crowned by a curved line above the higher arm.

These symbols were both carved into Griff's horns I realised, the former L-shaped symbol had showed a subtle smoky aura which consumed Griff's horns whenever she put her helmet on. It was as if they vanished into thin air... and when her silver helmet was removed again, it was the Latter F-Shaped symbol which restored them in an ominous glow of orange embers.

Griffin of blades displayed this ability once again, although without removing her helm. She pressed the silver plate on her forehead, which slid away into two holes.

Orange embers lept out into darkness, allowing the Silver-Mysteria's backward curving horns to reform. Here she raised a hand and bowed her head as if in thought or maybe even in prayer. The L-Shaped symbol on the Bars began bend, exhaling dark grey smoke as one by one they disapated into the shadow... as if they were simply a mirage.

Seemingly satisfied, Griffin lifted her head allowing her horns to also slide away in a puff of smoke.

_"Seems like a useful power to have, I guess. but then... what do the others do?" _I thought, running my fingertips across my horns. There had to be five or six more of those symbols by my count. Curious... if those two hid and revealed the horns respectively, then what strange powers would be revealed in the others?

Either way, I felt drawn to them. Much like the Mysterian Glyphs, I hungered to understand how these powers worked... If I could even obtain such things that is.

"Stay behind me and don't say a word. My old friends are easy to please, but also easy to anger." Griff warned, making her way forward down the long tube towards the unknown.

The Duct grew evermore narrow. Our small steps quickly became a silent creep as I noticed something... ahead was a wall of black, a sudden dead end of pure darkness that even my Animo-enhanced eyes could not cut through. Griff halted our movements with a gesture, standing sentry as she lowered herself down and snuck towards the onyx wall.

"Hila!" her voice called, savagely breaking the silence. Nothing responded, however I did hear the echo travel further than the Black-end allowed. "It is I, Griffin of Blades, friend to Gladius and Malleus. Myself and my companions are back from a hard journey and are in need of aid. Who, will answer this call?"

"The Path carries on... but why can't I see anything?"

"...Am I so easily forgotten as to be sanctioned from a warm welcome? There is no need to fear, I have come in peace."

"Peace?"

I slid back slightly, the distant voice ringing hard on my ears, making me turn to instinctively protect Fioremika.

Griff stood then and opened her arms "Ah, finally. Please let down the Veil of Obscurity. If I don't have some good wine and a soft bed soon I'll rip my horns from their sockets!"

"Before the sun's rise, wretch. Someone will."

Something was wrong. The Hostility in the air grew thick, my heart thumping as a familiar clicking sound echoed from the darkness before me "GUNS! GET DOWN!""

It all happened at once, the golden flash of Bolt-rifle shot whizzing towards us mixed with the crimson electricity of the Creation Glyph filled the tunnel with light.

Dropping Fiore down, I felt a riffle shot fly past my right ear. Many things came to mind: panic, fear, rage... all were squashed under the pure order of Clarity. Instead of chaos my mind instead began rapidly working in the milliseconds that passed.

I knew exactly what to do.

Throwing up my arm, the air sparked with creation, Griff and I **** the rocky pipe floor to bend and flex into cover. Ducking behind the warped wall, I clutched Fiore close. She roused slightly, eyelids cracking open thinly as more and more shots came screaming overhead.

"N-Nero?"

"Shhh, it's okay. Close your eyes. go back to sleep." I chanted quietly, stroking her brow with my thumb. Fiore, oblivious and exhausted returned to sleep, much to my relief.

"Here is your Peace, Bastard of the Brass-Gate. What good is your Mysteria now!? you filthy monstrosity! YOU MONGREL TRAITOR!" The quiet voice had transformed, screaming in wrath.

Peaking over the wall, I yelped as a golden light filled my vision, ducking just in time to miss it. "Wanna explain what the fuck is going on, Ms Popular!?" I called.

"Oh yes, I'll just write you an encyclopedia, shall I?! go and fetch a quill and ink while I pen down the complexities of the situation!" Griff yelled back from her cover.

"Haha very funny."

"Comedy isn't what we need right now, we need a solution... You got anything?"

This was insane, you could barely even hear here over the electrical cracking, there had to be at least three dozen shooters at the end of this tunnel.

"Do I have anything!? You're the one who got us into this!"

The Gleaming helm looked over at me. Blank and silver as it was, I could practically feel Aquila's knowing smile within it "It's gotta be you, big guy."

"..." Clarity still burned in my mind, forcing me to be calm and calculated, replacing fear with plans and solutions.

"Yeah, okay. I think I got something, but You need to get over here and protect Fiore" I called ducking low so that none of the lethal golden bolts would blow my brains out. Griff was smooth and calm, forcing the wall that protected her to shift upwards as she stood.

The air crackled with Mysterian energy as she dragged the wall along with her like a shield made of stone. But I could see her shoulders shaking, the fingers of her armoured right hand vibrating under some unseen weight.

A loud grunt echoed through her helmet "You better make this quick... I'm running outta juice here."

Slipping towards the Tunnel's curved wall I pressed my hand against the hard stone, feeling the remnants of grit and sand slide off against my skin. The Glyph of Creation burned as I focused on an old memory; a Young Nero sat in double-science learning about covalent bonds. My will lashed out into the stone, whirling around the entire forefront of the tunnel.

Everything began to shift and vibrate, forcing the sandy layer on the surface to burst free.

The cloud of dust blocked all sight, shrouding us all in darkness. I coughed and spluttered as I felt it fill my nostrils and pack into my ears, although I did manage to cover my eyes.

The gunshots stopped... the shooters were clearly confused.

Leaping over the wall I dashed forward, holding unto the wall to guide me in the cloud of dust. My heart thumped hard in my chest, there was no knowing what I'd run into, no knowing when the shooters would start firing again, but that was a gamble I was ready to make.

Reaching out I felt cold, hard metal bars...

"More bars?"

"Someone is at the Final Veil! FIRE! FIRE I SAID!" The muffled cry demanded.

I didn't have the weird markings on my horns...

"Very weird thought."

...But I did have the Glyphs. Drawing back my left arm, I cringed... but I had to do something. The Image of flaming bonfires filled my mind, giant blazing explosions, black **** smoke and volatile clouds of embers. I felt my palm grow hotter, the skin sparking and glowing with flames.

"Don't set yourself on fire-Don't set yourself on fire-Don't set yourself on fire-Don't set yourself on fire-Don't set yourself on fire!"

Thrusting forth my palm, the tunnel flashed with Creation... as a bright orange flame erupted from my fingers. The Spiraling inferno roared through the bars, filling every inch of the Arenaduct ahead.

I couldn't tell if the screaming was the fire at first, but as I peaked over my free hand I could see silhouettes being consumed by the blaze. dropping their guns, rolling around and writhing in pain.

The heat was terrible, surging up my arm, scortching every digit on my hand which I pulled back, the gigantic flames sizzling out as I nursed my burning fingers.

"STOP SHOOTING AT US, OR I'LL BURN YOU ALL ALIVE! YOU HEAR ME!?"

Silence...

"A-Alright, Alright... By the Void." A voice called.

"What the hell was that? i-is that... a Male?"

"Nonsense, there are no Male Mysteria with that level of Power."

"Sounded like a Male to me?"

"Are you all mad, pick up your weapons and shoot that thing!"

I glowered into the darkness, forcing my burned hand to point out into the darkness. "Hold your fire, or you'll get plenty more of mine!"

The voices went quiet again as footsteps sounded from behind. Griff emerged, waving the dust away from her helmet, slapping it off her white cloak which wrapped around Fiore to protect her.

"Call off your man-****, Griffin!" One of the voices called from the darkness.

"I thought that whinny little voice was familiar." Griffin said, touching the melted bars with the same strange marks on them "Pugio. Call off your markswomen, I wish to come to an accord."

One of the voices, clearly the leader of them all, was distinct. Harsh and whispy, this 'Pugio' woman growled with a tone filled with hatred "Don't name me like we are old friends, Griff. The Abyssium will not break bread with a craven traitor like you!"

Griff paused, but eventually nodded "You have made that very clear. But our journey here has been long and we are in need of your help. Long ago we were allies, Pugio, if you would simply get Gladius then she will-"

"How dare you say that name. How dare you come here and spit on her honour!"

The Mysterian Warrior paused again, her expressionless mask betraying nothing, although I could read the small confusion in how her head slowly cocked.

"Then my Male companion and I will leave. Come, Nero. We are clearly not welcome here." Griff touch my shoulder as if to lead me away.

There was a hesitation, and then a loud call "Wait!"

Griff stopped.

"That... thing with you. It's... a Male, a real Male Mysteria?"

"Were the scorching flames not real enough for you?" Griff said, her voice dripping with temptation.

"Hastam, open the Veil." Pugio eventually said.

"But Mistress-"

"Do it, Hastam. Now." Pugio insisted.

A few dozen figures emerged from the other side of the bars "Light a torch for crying out loud, I can barely see a thing with all this dust!"

Sparks leapt from the shadows at Pugio's command and bright firey lights illuminated all. On the otherside of the bars, stood a group of women all with long rifle spears in hand. All were clearly female and wore strange black uniforms made up of neat black collared shirts wrapped in tattered ribbons of grey and brown, hanging from their shoulders down to their black trousers. Their faces were obscured by circular helmets with no visors...

...My skin crawled as I spotted the blackened bodies strewn across the ground, the victims of my firey retaliation. Clarity made me avert my eyes, they might not be hostile now but the danger was clearly far from over. Many of the 'Abyssium' Markswomen still had their fingers on the triggers of their long weapons, the sharp spears jutting out at us.

From their ranks, a smaller form pushed through the crowd to the forefront. She was different from the others, her Uniform had so many ribbons that she looked like a tendriled shadow, her bulbous midnight black helmet staring blindly at me.

"You. Man-filth, what is your affiliation with this traitorous worm?" I recognized the voice: Pugio.

"Man-Filth?"

"He is my second," Griff interjected.

"Your second? since when does the mighty Griffin of Blades take Man-slaves for her assistants? a Mysteria no less."

Griff pressed forwards, making the Shooters raise their guns "Times are changing, Gio. Listen I don't know what has made us enemies in the time since the Brass gate, but we are injured and must reach our destination before the Solstice. I emplore you, call Gladius and Malleus."

Pugio folded her arms "You don't know do you?"

"Know what? Gio I have known since before you were a woman-grown, will you end this confusion and tell me what this is about?" Griffin asked.

Pugio reached up, grasping the hem of her round helmet, pulling it free.

My eyes widened... Pugio looked... mostly human, with warm tanned skin layered with rippling scars that clawed up her neck and slashed across her cheeks. Her black hair was tied back into a tall topknot, the sides shaves to accentuate her large pale grey eyes... and of course, her long sharp ears.

"So young..."

She barely looked twenty and yet had an air of stalwart authority, despite this, there was something solemn in her eyes as she looked at Griff. "Open the Veil, Hastam. We will escort them to the Barracks."

One of the Shooters at her side bowed "Yes, Mistress." and walked forward, pulling away one of her gloves to reveal the same L-Shaped mark carved into her palm, which she used to remove the gate, just as Griffin had.

The Abyssium rushed through, the Gunwomen snatching both Griff and my own left wrist, pulling our arms behind our backs, a bending pain erupting in my shoulder blade as they pushed on my back.

Another went to take the sword from my belt but hissed the minute it came into the light "A Venom blade!" the soldier cried.

"Don't touch it. Just make sure it stays where it is." Pugio commanded as she nodded to Griffin's own slender blade.

The Mysteria tensed as they pulled it from the sheath "If there is so much as a scratch on that sword when I get it back-"

"Relax, Craven. Nobody is going to damage your precious sword." Pugio eyed Fiore's **** body slung over Griff's shoulder, obscured by her silver cloak "We need to move, these ducts will be flushed soon and I don't feel like being buried alive."

We were led further and further down, escorted by those of the armed shooters who weren't carrying their scorched comrades. The only sound for the long half-an-hour that we walked was the flickering torches, nobody spoke but they all stared, at me, at Fiore like we were unlike anything they'd ever seen before.

When our trek finally came to an end (Thankfully for my aching feet and singed hand) a light shone down from a hole in the Tunnel's ceiling. Beyonnets jutted out from the hole the minute we were audible "Password." A voice whispered.

Pugio looked up, shouting "In her absence, comes the Void"

Several wooden ladders came barreling down, their sharp metal feet biting into the stone below "Welcome back, Mistress."

Pugio stopped in her tracks and turned to me, they all turned to me... in fact, they surrounded me.

Great, flashbacks to being jumped back in brixton--Just what I needed. I heard a rifle being lifted behind me as Pugio narrowed her eyes at me... and nodded.

"If you're gonna do that, please aim for the jaw, I don't want a migraine when I wake up-"

A smashing pain in the side of my jaw and all went black.