Symphony of Mars

Sands wandered, skipping and dancing along the vast vista of orange waves that swirled and spiralled across the sanguine landscape.

The air was still and the sun, small and distant provided a small hue of warmth, as I looked northward, the hard stock of Fiore's rifle nestled into my shoulder.

"Breathe quietly, Great Warrior, she'll hear you." The Huntress lay in the sand at my side, her warmth reassuring as she aimed down the sights with me towards our target.

A fattened, bloated beast waddled roughly 100 meters across from the low dune where we hunted, finding food in that derelict desert seemed near impossible. During the day we streaked across the Red Sea on our sphinka, even then blurs would swipe at our heels from concealed dens in the sand... and hunting after nightfall, well let's just say that leaving the campfire wasn't really an option either. The place was crawling with an endless hoard of insidious creatures, all of which were highly carnivorous predators according to Fiore.

However, I had learned quickly from my little hunting teacher, the Ioz was one of a small selection of herbivores with plenty of meat to feed us all, then again the Sphinka couldn't even dream of catching up with them.

The heavy cow-like beast lumbered, its membranous leather-like skin covering it from head to toe like an armadillo shell.

"That's it, the aim must be being careful, the shot will stun and the spear will kill if Warwolf is fast enough."

"We won't eat for another day and our Sphinka will make a bloody meal out of us, if Warwolf isn't fast enough." I whispered back "hush a minute aight? this a literal long shot, let me concentrate."

Fiore and I winced as sand suddenly stabbed us in the eyes, kicked up by the rapidly moving blur that slid past us at blinding speed.

Flying up on my sandals I shook my head, sending clouds of dust and grained sand flying from my curly black hair, the length of my horns whirling above as I grunted and gently **** my eyes into opening again with gentle fingers.

A frown filled my face as I saw just what I expected. the dunes were carved in two as Griff cut across the sand on her heel, as if surfing on a blade, shifting each grain that flashed with crimson Mysterian light and erupting orange wings of sand into the bright magenta sky.

...Silver blade in hand, Griffin reached out as the Ioz squealed like a dying buffalo, turning on its fat serrated hooves to escape... but found that its legs; no matter how harshly they tried, would not make any ground: It was stuck

Griffin reached out, grunting as she grasped the body of the enormous creature with the power of attrahunt, the Pull glyph.

Streaming towards the Ioz like a bat out of hell, Griffin kicked herself up high so that she glided over the beast, and with a flash of her silver razor... the colossal alien bovine smashed into the soft ground as its head was rent from its body.

Black, congealed blood oozed from the decapitated head, as the body slid down the dunes slowly towards us.

Fiore and I had already started walking, her right arms tightly wrapped around my elbow as Griffin wiped the blood from her sword, carefully attending to it as if it were her own newborn.

"Not like I was practising shooting, while you stole my thunder... again," I called with a dull, and slightly irritated tone.

Griffins mask turned to me "Steal your thunder? how does one steal thunder what a ludicrous thing to say. You were taking your time and we are burning daylight here, Leonis is only a day's ride away, and I am not camping in this War-be-damned Desert anymore."

I folded my arms and smirked at Griffin of blades "Burn daylight? how does one burn daylight what a ridiculous thing to say?"

Griff grunted, standing up dexterously on her heel, it was still a bit stiff from the break, although not nearly as stiff as mine... as she took her helmet off to reveal her vexed beauty. "Sarcasm is below you, Son of War. Come then, lovebirds, stop staring and start heaving. If those Sphinka licks their lips at me once more I swear I'll send them into oblivion before nightfall."

"Fiore is finding Griff-Griff mean, and bossy, like a little princess," Fiore grumbled.

"This little princess will shove all 133 of these blades in every orifice if Fiore doesn't stop calling me that." Griff winked maliciously; she hadn't been in a very good mood.

"Ladies, less battle-battle, more helpy-helpy." I groaned, wrapping both arms around the leg of the gigantic decapitated beast, the sealed crack in the bones of my tattooed arm sharply aching as I **** it to heave with all of my newfound strength.

Luckily, camp was close and with all three of us pulling, especially Fiore with those arms of hers, we got the beast back and skinned up ready to roast before noon.

Fiore hummed pleasant songs as she cleaned off her sharp dagger, never before had I seen such a talented hunter, she was so joyful in every part of the process: Tracking with an excited smile, spotting the beast with that gleam in her eye, right down to skinning, where she hummed gently to herself in a spiralling tune. I watched step by step, breaking down every movement, every step, each compiled and made easy to absorb.

This was beyond weird, everything felt so... harmonious, this world was Choas, but after drinking that sap, I felt as if I knew every particle, all melding and conducting with me in low and subtle tones that I could scarcely describe.

Stimuli was everywhere and I could consume it all, I definitely wasn't afraid anymore, fear felt so counter-productive in comparison to the Symphony of Mars.

Even now I watched, humming, smiling in her little fur bikini. But that wasn't all that consumed my attention "Hey, what did I say, stay right there... We'll feed you in a minute." My finger pointed at the Sphinka who growled as I denied them to pass me to the freshly skinned, mouth-watering meat, but eventually sat down, laying their huge paws on the ground to rest on. "Thank you."

"Didn't we agree that talking to animals isn't normal on Marte or Gaia?" Griffin noted she had taken it upon herself to slice up the meat, something she did not by hand, God help us all if she got blood on her waistcoat. No, instead she drew the many blades from her tailcoat with a flash of her Mysteria, sending the whirling, spinning swarm of razors to precisely cut off each piece, gesturing finely and with great precision.

I couldn't help but smile faintly "I already told you, I don't really understand them... but uh, I think they understand me."

"Don't spout such hogwash, Just focus on keeping them there and--" The Saphire orbs flickered, as the blades whirled, she had looked back to speak to me... but suddenly seemed hazy, I could actually see the chill run down her spine, the chill of one whose muscles had ingeniously relaxed, and those Saphire's vanished up into her eyelids.

I flew up to my feet the minute I saw the blades fall out of the air; her legs buckling out from under her. I slipped an arm around her back and suspended the fall as she lay, mouth wide open and eyes trying to blink themselves back into the waking world. "Wha... what..." Griffin muttered dozily.

"Hey, hey, it's alright I got you." I comforted.

Fiore bolted over "What is being happening!?" She squeaked.

"If I had to guess, too much Mysteria, ugh she's burning up. Griff? Griff!" You shouted.

Griffin stirred dozily back to life again, staring up into the sky as she grunted and huffed "Hmmm? Wha? Shhh," She moaned girlishly.

"Shit man, you've been burning through your powers like hell, I told you just let me shoot the damn Cow."

"Whaz a cow?"

"You're a bloody cow." I picked up Griff... it always unsettled me how light she was, how such a small thing (At least in comparison to my now staggering height) could pack so much of a punch- but I digress. Walking with the "Master" Mysteria in my arms, I tried to remain at least somewhat gentlemanly, although Griff's body was curvaceous and sleek all in the right places... even so I slid my arm a little closer under her knees... I'd seen her decapitate enough Beasts today, I really want to make that list for the sake of some subtle sexual harassment.

"Is she being okay, Great Warrior?" Fiore asked as I approached the roasting flesh of the Ioz which coated the air in a gamey scent, even further enriched by the spices the Huntress coated each slice of the sizzling beef with. No wonder the Sphinka were ready to pounce.

"She will be. I guess... How am I supposed to learn if my teacher renders herself **** every 2 seconds?"

Carefully I plucked on of the long silver blades from the many small sheathed around her armored ivory coat, placing her down carefully on the soft sand so that I could separate a meaty joint or two to keep the Giant blue cats from eating us all.

Aquilla groaned like a child half-way through a nap as I carefully pulled her up to place my Manticore skin cloak behind her head "Stooop." She complained "Let me sleep."

"You're getting sand in your hair, sleep on this."

She buried her head in the soft pitch black fur and softly smiled "Hmmm, thank you."

I was about to get some meat for myself, it had been a while since we had managed to stop for food in the long rides that had followed, and yet with the sharpness of my mind after drinking the Sap of the warrior, I just noticed something out of the corner of my eye.

Griffin's chest rose and fell a lot faster then when I had held her, as if she anticipated something it would be difficult to describe, but it was as if I could read what her body intentioned, to feel subtly at the threads of her actions by watching acute movements in her body, although understanding that this is what I was experiencing would be something that I did in hindsight.

Not paying much attention to the small tell I turned and went to eat... the whispering sound of feet deftly moving on sand came from behind me, followed by Fiore reacting "Griff-Griff is awake-"

A sound like the Crack of a bolt lashed into the back of my brain, it crawled into my skull and swept my consciousness away. Everything went black and the final thing I felt before my eyes slammed shut, was my legs giving out.

"Do not trust." the voice was low, a dark low growl, soft as a whisper on his left ear.

Softer still was the dark mane of fur that warmed his torso, powerful legs wrapped tightly around his waist, taloned fingers tightening around his broad collar. Twin globes huge and full pressed into his bareback as He floated within the blank abyss of the cosmos.

A Bright winged beast soared across the shadowed landscape, skating across the dunes as beak and claw came barreling towards him, steady like a spear as it's gleaming wings opened in anticipation of capturing him... killing him, he could not tell, but his moment of capture was lost.

A Shadow huge and powerful, slammed down in all direction, shielding him from it all, the abyss, the Gleaming Beast, with two black membranous wings which held him in safely within like a womb.

It was like being born again, and again and again, never ending.

"I cannot stop. Ever evolving. When will it end?" He asked as the growling voice in his mind whispered again in his ear.

"It has only just begun. Peace in yourself is a war that is won. Be cautious of all; foe or Friend. The Anthem will guide us towards the End."

"Who are you? what kind of dream is this? what do I do?"

"...Wake. Up."

My eyes opened to a soft darkness, my neck felt the ease granted by a good feather pillow as apposed to the uneven sand and hard stone with a rolling of fur to fall into a ridged sleep on. I lifted my head to the warmth of a room, the crackling comfort of a fireplace... and a body nuzzled into me.

I explored this place with fascinated eyes, this place... it was large, four walls of timber, stained dark, slightly shabby but I could hardly believe it, I couldn't believe the carpet under my feet as I carefully left the bed as not to disturb the sleeping Fiore under the quilt, I couldn't believe the portraits of beautiful and extraordinary landscapes framed on the walls, flames danced inside a hearth of shadowed bricks, cracked with age and harshly chipped.

This was... civilized, it seemed old, a little decrepit, and it smelt slightly of incense and mold but it was civilized.

My eyes caught on a door, with a shiny brass knob, which wouldn't turn when I grasped it.

"Locked. I was... dreaming, it was a deep sleep, My body is still stiff. Must have been 8 hours - 10 maybe?"

I looked to Fiore, still dead to the world, her long Ivory hair splayed around her face. My curiosity was beyond anything I'd felt while in the Red Sea where everything was simplistic, all sand a tribes, but this place...

"This must be Leonis, a Martian City, well shit, I gotta see what's around here."

I started with the small things, examining the chairs which were old and dusty but finely crafted, the table was round and carved with waving spirals and had clawed feet. Next were the Lights... they seemed to be oil-lanterns, made of copper or brass, not the bright bolt anchor crystals that the Litchen employed.

But what caught my attention the most, was the tall glass mirror, framed in Mahogany. It had been a while since I had actually looked at myself, since I had seen a crystal clear picture of what I looked like now and so I crept forward hesitantly and met my reflection face-to-face.

The face that looked back was mine but overwritten, overshadowed by the features of Griffin... or the Vermilico as she claimed I now was. The skin was ruby red and pristine with small dotting of freckles on each of my cheeks which weren't there before.

I looked... better? fuller, stronger. Litchen tattoos lashed under each of my eyes, like eyelashes or the fiery arms of the sun, streaking down into my sharp jaw. My eyes were bright like golden jewels, there was a curiosity in them and a smirk on my black lips.

"I hope they have Barbers here." I noted, running my fingers through the heavy frizz of my midnight black mane, which cascaded down my broad shoulders "Jesus Christ and these things." Tall and thick horns, midnight black and waving backwards and up into the air again, "pft, rams horns? really?" I said with dissatisfaction, touching the left one which was a little shorter than it's counterpart "Mssss." I kissed my teeth as I touched the space where Horn and forehead met "Sensitive."

When I'd had my fill however, the curious smile faded as I tried to picture my original face in my mind... and failed to paint the picture in full. That's when I stepped away and took a breath.

"Ah." the flinch was violent, because the pain was bad, enough to make me jolt as I clutched my right arm. smoke arose from the Four Glyphs which glowed red, I locked eyes with them, and understood in that moment that these were what ruled me now, the man I was died in that Litchen Valley, when I took that oath to liberate this world, to be what I needed to get home... if that was even possible.