Zhi, Kadus and Moro sat around a map in the center of Zhi’s tent. They all stared at Kadus attentively.

  “We are to proceed as planned,” Kadus said.

  “And?” Zhi asked.

  Moro himself was quiet; he was always eager to hear news from the fortress, especially when word came from the Goddess herself.

  “She wanted to share her appreciation for the furtive forces’ valiant behavior in the face of the three Leviathans. Jokasta said that the loss of Ajan so early in our fight against the Leviathans is a crucial blow to them. She let me know that our victory will improve the morale of the rest of the forces and that we are to continue following upriver until we reach Bukulkan’s domain.” Kadus finished.

  “So she had no comment on what Ajan said to us? Did you tell her what Asino told us?” Zhi asked.

  “I did.” Kadus replied.

  Moro could tell from Zhi’s expression that she expected more.

  “So no changes to our plan.” Zhi said. “And no comment on what to make of Ajan’s sudden appearance or his warning.”

  Kadus shook his head.

  Moro could tell this was not the news Zhi was expecting. He himself was curious if they would hear anything from the Goddess on the sudden appearance of Ajan, but it was not to be. Zhi turned her attention to the map ahead of them.

  “Then we shall continue on our course.” Zhi said. “Soon we begin in earnest the latter portion of our campaign, our procession into Bukulkan’s domain. An area of which we know very little.”

  “Correct,” Kadus replied.

  “It is a uniquely unfavorable position for us. To wander into a powerful enemy’s domain with no knowledge of what to expect. But these are the odds that we as furtives constantly struggle against, the odds that we must beat.” Zhi said as she looked at Kadus and then Moro.

  Moro and Kadus nodded. They both understood what was at stake. And they knew there was no alternative. This was the only path they could follow that would guarantee freedom for the furtives.

  “Moro, tell the troops that we will head out after they are done with their meals.” She told him. “I will address them before we leave, to let them know what is to come.”

  “As you wish, High Onsiel,” Moro stood up, bowed and left the tent.

  Upon exiting the tent, Moro could feel the entire furtive force look at him with anticipation. They were eager to hear news from the fortress.

  Moro walked to the center of their congregation and prepared himself to address the group.

  “Legion!” Moro began. “Scoutmaster Kadus has returned from his meeting with our Goddess! She sings your praises for your valiant effort in defeating the three Leviathans, and notes that the loss of the Leviathan Ajan is a crucial victory for our forces!”

  Moro paused so that the Legionnaires could cheer. They only realized this after an awkward silence and cheered with mild enthusiasm.

  “Now we are to continue on our path upriver until we reach Bukulkan’s domain! High Onsiel Zhi has instructed us to be on the move after our meal, and she will address us before we leave. Those are your orders!”

  The Legionnaires stood silent for a moment. It was clear they expected further news from Kadus’ return. Moro could see the disappointment in the soldiers’ faces, but once he stepped to the side they all realized there was no more news and dispersed.

  The furtives finished their assigned duties and Zhi came out to meet them.

  They all watched eagerly as she prepared to address them.

  “Legionnaires, when the messengers of Jokasta came to meet you, we promised that you the opportunity to fight against the Titans that had been oppressing you for millenia. We have begun that work in earnest, and we have come far since we started. We have defeated Giants, Leviathans and a Dragon. All of this would not have been possible had it not been for our combined might. But soon we enter a new phase of our effort, our assault on the Prime Giant’s domain. This phase of our campaign will differ from that which we have faced so far. We do not know what to expect in Bukulkan’s domain; our scouts have been unsuccessful in penetrating his domain. What I can tell you is that we are going to face a much stronger fight than what we have seen until now. The Titans know we are coming for them, the Titans know that our strength is mighty, and the Titans know they have reason to fear us. Therefore, the Titans will do everything they can to destroy us. But we cannot let them win! We have already seen that Titans have eradicated furtive settlements! Defeat now means complete eradication of furtive kind. Thus it falls on us, on this group right here, to defend all furtives and to help usher in a new world, one where furtives can live free! So we will march into the unknown, and we will do so without fear! For the reward is freedom!”

  The furtives cheered on Zhi. Moro joined in with them, and he like the others, let himself forget any worries he might have about entering the domain of a Prime Titan Lord.

  ***

  Zhi and the others were now firmly in Bukulkan’s domain. They had spent the better part of a day walking up the river and found themselves in unfamiliar territory. There had been no discernible boundary they crossed that firmly indicated they were in a Prime Lord’s territory but something within them knew. None of them could tell when, but at some point in their journey they all felt an unease stir within them. A fear rose within them, a primal urge pleading with them to turn around, to leave this place, to never return.

  Moro felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, as if behind him a Giant the size of a mountain stood ready to squash him down. He knew no such thing was possible, that the fear he felt was irrational.

  I would look like a damn fool if I turned around. The only thing behind me are the furtives I lead.

  A shiver ran down his spine. Moro quickly turned back, stealing a glance behind him. All he saw were the other legionnaires walking behind, who noticed their leader Moro staring at them.

  “Keep up the pace!” He barked at them with a smile. He did his best to mask the discomfort he felt. Before the others could notice it, he turned and looked at the front. Moro did not need to ask to know that they all felt the same unease. It was impossible not to.

  Moro looked to the sky and saw Kadus high above.

  “Kadus!” Zhi yelled. “On your left!”

  Kadus quickly dove, and the space that he had occupied mere moments ago flooded with a barrage of spikes flying by it. After diving, Kadus gained altitude once again.

  “Your right, Kadus!” Zhi yelled at him.

  Once again Kadus dove, with more missiles barely missing the sparrowling. This time Kadus did not go back up, and instead landed next to them, breathing heavily.

  “Were you able to see anything?” Zhi asked him.

  “No. Just trees in every direction.” Kadus replied.

  “Damn it,” Zhi replied.

  They were now in a heavily thickset forest. They had to diverge from their original path along the river, and the only amenable path for them was through a heavy forest that obstructed sight of everything around them.

  “I’m sorry, I can try again, if you-” Kadus began

  “No, the risk is too high.” Zhi quickly cut him off. “If you are injured, that will put us in a precarious situation which our enemy might take to their advantage.”

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “But we know nothing about our surroundings. We’re walking blind here!” Kadus replied.

  Kadus’ frustration reached a tipping point. To wander anywhere without knowing what was ahead was a completely alien notion to Kadus. Never had he gone down a path that he had not scouted ahead of time. This was how the furtive forces had moved through their entire march. They had been surprised by enemies, but they had mostly known the dangers that lay ahead. But now they were completely blind, and in the territory of one of the most dangerous beings in the entire world, Bukulkan.

  “There is one thing we know for sure.” She replied.

  “What is that?” Moro asked her.

  “They know we are here, and where we are,” She replied as she looked at him.

  She paused and took a long look around them before resuming. “I am sure that every step we take is being carefully studied. And I am sure this path we are on is the one that Bukulkan laid out for us.”

  The creeping sensation that Moro had been feeling tugged at him anew. He looked all around but saw nothing out of the ordinary. But Zhi was right, he knew that every step they took was being watched; he could feel it. Moro looked at Zhi and could tell that despite the situation they were in she did not seem on edge, unlike all the other furtives.

  “Do you have a plan, Lady Zhi? An idea of how we should proceed?” Moro asked.

  She turned to look at him.

  “I have some thoughts.” She replied with a smile. “But for now we go with our best option.”

  “What is that?” Moro asked.

  “We march ahead.” She said and continued along.

  Moro and the others obliged her, continuing down the wooded path. The furtives moved at a slow pace through the wooded forest. Later in the day they stopped for a rest, on edge and barely able to focus on their meal.

  Moro looked at the metal plate in his hand. Dinner was one of the few times when he could forget about the world around them, but all he could do was stare at the plate in front of him. As he did so he felt the same nagging feeling as earlier, as if a creature had suddenly sprouted from the ground right behind him. He knew it was impossible that there could be anything behind him. Despite that he turned around.

  Where before there were only trees behind now a massive creature stood that towered over all the other trees. One of its legs was barely outside of arm’s reach for Moro.

  “Giant!” A legionnaire shouted.

  Moro fell on his back to the ground as he struggled to comprehend what had just happened.

  The furtives reached for their weapons and prepared to fire.

  “Wait!” Zhi yelled.

  The creature did not react to any of the furtives around it. It did not move when the furtives fell into formation and did not show any inclination that it was ready to strike.

  Zhi walked to the center and raised a hand toward the creature. Moro heard a blast come from her hand and in an instant the enormous creature was blown to pieces.

  “That’s it?” Moro asked, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.

  “Impressive.” A voice boomed from the ground.

  Once again, in the blink of an eye an identical creature rose from the ground from where the previous one had stood. Shortly thereafter more and more continued rising, all around the legionnaires.

  “The same cannot be said for you.” Zhi replied, ignoring the surrounding creatures.

  “A cutting wit is one thing the furtives have never lacked,” The voice reverberated.

  Moro looked around to see if he could find the source of the voice, but it did not matter. To him it sounded as if it came from all directions at once.

  “Why not come out and show your true self?” Zhi replied.

  She seemed to be the only Legionnaire not focused on the creatures around. She only stared deep into the forest.

  “I see. These forms do not seem to be the best suited for conversation,” The voice echoed.

  The gigantic creatures crumbled away. Moro and the Legionnaires were on edge, looking around them, wondering what came next.

  “Is this better?” A voice called amidst the Legionnaires.

  Moro turned to the voice. A tall, slender figure stood amidst the furtives, standing face to face with Zhi. From afar, he seemed like a regular human; nothing about him seemed out of place. But upon further inspection, Moro saw that there was something off about this person. His features were distorted, as if Moro was looking at a person through a layer of warped glass. Everything about this person was made of clay. His hair, his clothes, his entire body. He was about as tall as Zhi, and seemed to have a head full of dark hair. His features were hard to identify since they were not firm, and his clothing was just an extension of his clay body.

  All the Legionnaires pointed their weapons at the unfamiliar figure.

  “Lower your weapons.” Zhi said. “This isn’t his true form.”

  Moro looked around; the Legionnaires were too scared to respond.

  “You fools, the High Onsiel gave an order!” He said as he smacked down the rifle of the nearest furtive.

  As if waking from a trance, the Legionnaires reacted, dropping their weapons.

  The solitary figure stared around, turning to all the furtives that stared at him.

  “Did you come here only to gawk at us?” Zhi asked the figure.

  “I have heard much about your group.” The avatar replied without looking directly at Zhi.

  “Barad, Barmoro, Beryl, Bolno, Baoba, Bonpi, Beodi and Brok. My kin, they all have died by your hands,” The figure spoke without looking at anyone in particular. There was no emotion in his voice.

  “Are we supposed to feel guilty about it?” Zhi replied with anger. “Do you know how many of my kin your kind have killed?”

  “You are mistaken.” The avatar replied. “I do not feel sorrow over those of my kin that you have killed. They were weak. If you had not killed them, surely another Titan would have destroyed them. What I am surprised is how angry you seem to be about the furtives we have killed. Furtives are so weak, you have such short life-spans, and you die so easily. Why are you so angry if a Titan kills such inconsequential beings?”

  “If we are so weak and inconsequential then why do you not show your true self? Surely it would be no issue to destroy us now and end this fight!” Zhi replied with anger rising in her voice. “Come out and let us settle this now! Then we can see if you are as inconsequential as those lowly furtives you have no regard for!”

  Zhi was heated as she replied to the avatar, her voice getting louder with every word and each word being spoken faster than the previous. The entire camp was on edge as they listened to the two sides engage in their discussion. The only one who seemed unaffected by all of it was the avatar.

  “If I were a young Prime Lord, I would have already come out and done away with you and your ilk.” The avatar calmly replied. “In fact, that is exactly what I did when I first became Prime Lord. Back then, just like now, it was my predecessor that Jokasta targeted first.”

  “You, you know Jokasta?” Zhi whispered, her voice shaken. She said it low enough that none should have heard her.

  “Oh yes, if it were for the Goddess I would have never become the Prime Lord. Her first victim was Bulon, the previous Prime Giant. It was not long after that Tandrue the Prime Dragon fell to Jokasta as well. Your Goddess was almost successful in wiping us all out last time. The ultimate confrontation came down to myself, the new Prime Dragon Lord Termino, and the Prime Leviathan Aryok. I was the only survivor and your Goddess was imprisoned. I spent millennia awaiting this day, when the Goddess would come back to the world and challenge the Gods once again.”

  “Imprisoned?” Moro said, and laughed out loud. “What nonsense is this fool going on about? The Goddess was slumbering and is now ready to end all of you! You could never match up to her!”

  “A slumbering Goddess?” The avatar spoke, but this time a new body emerged right next to Moro.

  “Her followers in the past seemed to also have difficulties with certain facts. It sounds like Jokasta really is back.” The avatar stated as it spoke in Moro’s general direction.

  Moro could not bear to look at the figure. The uncanny assembly of humanoid components in an unnatural manner disturbed him to no end. It was as if Bukulkan chose this form specifically to mock the furtives.

  “Do not listen to him.” Zhi shouted at Moro. “Do not believe a single word he has to say!”

  “I offer no lies.” The avatar that stood next to Zhi stated.

  “All you have said are lies!” Zhi shouted at him. She could see the furtives around struggling to decide who to believe. “You did no such thing as defeat our Goddess! These lies you perpetuate serve only to sow doubt within us! You resort to these underhanded tactics since you cannot defeat us!”

  “I see, you are very comfortable in perpetuating her lies.” The avatar replied. “I am curious to see how far you go until you fall out of her favor.”

  “The only thing you will live to see is our army destroying your heart and ending your tyranny!” Zhi replied.

  “Maybe. Maybe you will succeed where your Goddess failed.” The avatar replied. “But I don’t believe you will.”

  “Really, why is that?” Zhi replied.

  “I have been preparing for Jokasta’s return for as long as I have been a Prime Lord.” The avatar said. “I have fortified my defenses to such an extent that no creature in this world can penetrate them; not even Anciudu and Takaxluet could dream of breaching my defenses if they wanted to.”

  “I will give you leniency for today,” the avatar continued. “But after that you will find my domain hostile to you and your forces, including those that are on the cusp of entering it on the border opposite to this one. But just know, that even if you survive, when you reach my real body, there will be nothing that will allow you to punch through. You will spend the rest of your lives trying to harm me, and it will be for naught.”

  “What?” Zhi replied bewildered. “So that’s it? You intend to hide from the fight? You refuse to come out and fight us?!”

  “There is no need for me to come out and fight you.” The avatar said. “Your lifespans are nothing to me. You can spend your entire life outside the walls of my fortress, fruitlessly attempting to bring down my walls and for me it will be but a mere fraction of a moment. Are you willing to spend your entire life attempting and failing to bring down my defenses? How long will your comrades stay by your side as they see all of your attempts fail?”

  “So your plan is to wait us out?” Zhi replied.

  “Why would I risk a head-on confrontation with an uncertain outcome when I can win without even having to move?” The avatar replied. “Whether it is the elements, time, or even attacks from other Giants, eventually you will realize the futility of your efforts and be forced to retreat.”

  “So you came here to gloat? To let us know how insignificant our efforts are?” Zhi asked him.

  “That is not all. I came here to give you an alternative. I know your Goddess better than you do. You think that overthrowing us will give us your freedom but you are wrong.” The avatar replied. “There is no such thing as real freedom. The Titans are still subservient to our Gods, as you would be in the unlikely case you were successful. You are merely trading one master for another.”

  “That sounds like no alternative? That we stop our attack and leave you be? Is that it?” Zhi asked.

  “No, there is more,” the avatar told her. “I promise that if you turn around and leave my domain, we will consider this situation over. I promise that the Giants on the continent will cease their attacks. And I will converse with the Gods and seek an end to attacks on the furtives as a whole.”

  Zhi was silent. Moro could tell her mind raced with options, trying to determine if what Bukulkan said could be trusted.

  “So you are offering an end to the conflict? We walk out of here, and we are to trust that you will bargain on our behalf with the other titans?” Zhi asked.

  “I give you my word,” The avatar replied.

  Zhi was silent. She turned to look at those around her.

  First she looked at the Legionnaires. They were all silent as they observed the unfolding discussion. The legionnaires all knew this would be a seminal moment in the development of their current struggle. They waited with bated breath to see what would happen.

  Zhi then turned to look at Moro. He was leery of the avatar. Moro, like most other furtives, had suffered much loss at the hands of the Titans. He didn’t want a truce. He wanted their complete destruction. Moro turned to meet Zhi’s gaze, but turned back to look at the avatar. Last, Zhi turned to look at Kadus. Throughout the entire encounter, the scoutmaster had been silent. The two locked eyes for a moment, and then Kadus nodded. Zhi smiled and turned to the avatar.

  “Let me tell you what we suggest in return.” Zhi said, breaking the silence. “You seem very confident in your ability to repel our attack. I am sure that you have spent many years preparing for an attack, and I trust you when you tell me you believe your fortifications cannot be toppled. But I want you to know something. I do not know how we will do it, or how long it will take, but we will tear down your fortifications. We will destroy whatever walls you have erected, and we will continue marching until we are face to face. There our side and your side will meet and settle this issue. That is our response.”

  The avatar was silent. The entire camp was on edge as they awaited his reaction.

  The avatar turned to Zhi and studied her carefully. He seemed as if he were looking in Zhi’s direction but not directly at her. It leaned in close and for the first time spoke low enough only for Zhi to hear it.

  Moro, like the other furtives, watched with bated breath. The exchange between the two was brief, with Zhi only listening. Then the avatar turned to the group.

  “Your safety is guaranteed until the sun rises once again. After that, you can expect hostility while you are still within my domain.”

  With the words spoken the avatar crumbled.

  Zhi did not hesitate to give out orders.

  “Begin preparations for another march. We leave immediately.” She ordered.

  Moro quickly echoed the orders.

  “No more gawking!” He barked. “We’ve wasted enough time listening to rambling. Move! Move!”

  The Legionnaires moved out quickly and were out on the road. They all knew that come the morning they would be under attack. But they did not know what sort of danger they could face. They continued on the march until they found an area best suited for defense.

  They set up camp and settled in for the night. Moro and Kadus met in Zhi’s tent. Tension was high as they settled in.

  “What exactly did Bukulkan tell you?” Kadus asked.

  He did not even pretend to mix in pleasantries.

  “His message was simple. He told me that although his God had ordered him to offer terms he knew Jokasta would not agree to them. He also told me he is excited to see if we can actually punch through his defenses.”

  “I assume that will be no issue for the High Onsiel” Moro replied.

  Zhi turned to look at Moro.

  “I have not seen the defenses but I believe Bukulkan in that it will be an insurmountable task.” She replied.

  “But we will topple his defenses, correct?” Moro asked.

  “We will either succeed or we will die trying.”