Nightsea Outlaw

Sayed stood in the darkness, controlling his breathing. In and out. In and out. With every focused breath, he took in the little strength that remained in the air of the maze, and when he exhaled, he let out his anger, grief, and impatience. They would be called to fight soon. He could feel it in his bones as he rested his hand on his khopesh in its sheathe. What was more important to him, above all, was to remain calm. He would follow the plan.

Whir. Whoosh. Whir. Whoosh.

"You going to be okay?" Alex asked beside him, and Sayed could hear him twirling his staff.

The three of them were as recovered as they would be. It was a rough night's rest, but the food had helped heal his aches and cover his sounds. Erin's bandages had also helped, but there was a limit to what she could do in the maze.

"I will be fine, my brother," Sayed said, clenching his gauntleted hand closed.

"Really, because you're taking this much better than I expected." His staff stopped making its noise, and he tapped it against the ground. "When we met you, you were crying over a guy you just met, but now..."

He let the sentence trail off, but Sayed understood. It would be hard to understand the ways of his people. Alex was not from Hajh, and he did not understand. Sayed took in a deep breath, quelling the heat that rose from his heart.

"We mourn for those who are still here, not those who are gone," Sayed said, focusing on a point in the darkness ahead of him.

In his mind, crimson grass rose, and a sunny plain stretched out around him. While his people lived in a massive desert, the Crimson Fields were a paradise hidden near the great Sevet River. They were a resting place, a natural wonder that not even the High Priests could exploit or tarnish. In the distance, he could see Abed, completely naked and standing in the grass. Abed bowed his head to him before walking deeper into the grass. In moments, he was entirely out of sight.

"Neither of you knew Abed or Gramps," Sayed said, reaching up with his right hand and tapping his chest. "I mourn for them here, but there is no one else to share the mourning with. Because of this, I will keep it inside."

Even in the darkness, he could feel Alex's gaze upon him. It was not some magic of his old world nor power granted by a blessing. He just knew that Alex's head was tilted to the side as the man looked at him.

"Interesting," Alex said.

"Abed said something to me," Erin whispered. "He said he would see you in the 'Crimson Fields.'"

"Yes, he will." Sayed nodded, and he could feel the hot warmth of tears touching his cheeks. "It may not be today. It may not be tomorrow, but we will meet again someday in those fields. That day, I will be with all my brothers for eternity."

"Sounds nice," Alex said.

"By the will of God, that day will not be today!" Heat surged in Sayed's chest, but his gate remained closed.

Bump. Bump. Thump. Bump. Bump. Thump.

"It's starting," Erin said as the noise of the crowd above rose louder and louder.

"We are ready." Sayed opened his eyes, but there was still only darkness.

"Don't forget the plan." Alex clapped Sayed on the shoulder. "We're going to focus on getting Jack and everyone out. Fighting is just the distraction play."

Bump. Bump. Thump. Bump. Bump. Thump.

Sayed said a prayer, holding his gauntlet up to his forehead as he called out to God. Firstly, he wanted protection. Protection for Jack against his captors. Protection for Alex and Erin as they fought for their freedom. Secondly, he wanted strength. Strength to overcome his foes. Strength to stand when others would falter. Thirdly, he wanted vengeance. Vengeance on Gulantry and Lucien for what they had done. The fires of his god would burn bright for that moment he stepped through the light. He promised himself he would not forget what had been done by those men. Whoever wreaked such havoc deserved to be put down.

"Give these things to me, God, and I will show them your glory," Sayed whispered before lowering his fist and drawing his khopesh.

Bump. Bump. Thump. Bump. Bump. Thump. Click.

"Here it comes," Sayed said, and three columns of light appeared before them.

"Hah, they're giving us the option this time." Alex laughed before immediately jumping into the light.

"He's insane," Erin whispered, sighing before jumping into her own light.

That left Sayed alone.

"I will do it, Abed," Sayed said. "I will do what it takes to make this right and carry on our mission in this new world. No person deserves to be enslaved. No man, woman, or child deserves to be in fear. That is why God sent us to this place. Any place we find such a state, it is our holy duty to right the wrong, to free the innocent, and to liberate the enslaved."

He paused and looked up into the light.

"A Saint is one who has mastery over demons. Today, I will become like a demon myself if it means that Jack will be saved."

Hot tears ran down his face, but he did not wipe them away. He stepped forward into the light, and it consumed him. Instantly, he stepped out into the arena, but there were no brightly lit walls.

Instead of being almost blinded, as he had expected, he walked out into a dark red mist. Sayed searched around him for Erin and Alex, but neither was in sight. In the distance, he could hear the crowd's cries, but they were muffled through the mist. Only one voice spoke true through that din.

"We have a special treat for you today, folks." The announcer's voice rang out through the arena. "The Great Lord Gulantry has pulled some strings for a one-of-a-kind fight for you all to watch. Today, you will witness a creature that hasn't been seen on Erth in centuries! A nightshade!"

Groan. Thump.

The ground shook around Sayed as something deep in the mist took a single step. Sayed threw out his arms to keep his balance and quickly searched around him to find the origin. However, all he could see were the red-black wisps of the mist around him, rising like smoke from the ground.

"Now, I know what you're thinking," the announcer said. "We can't see it. That folks, is where Gulantry has given you a gift. Everyone will have access to their own personal screen today to watch the fight. Raise your hands up, and it will appear before your very eyes!"

Groan. Thump.

Sayed opened the gate in his heart, letting the heat flow out from his body and into his sword and gauntlet. The blade began to glow a hot orange, and his claws did the same. He still could not tell where the beast was in the mist, but he wouldn't be taken by surprise.

"One final thing, a bonus surprise from Lord Gulantry," the announcer said, and high up in the center of the arena, the mist seemed to be pushed back.

A small figure hung by his arms on an erected gallows. Ropes tied him to a wooden beam that was then tied to the ground and disappeared in the mist below. It was like a small hilltop inside the arena, though Sayed could not see the path to get there. He didn't need to get closer to know who it was. Jack was there.

"'Street Urchin' Jack will be the prize of today's match. Either the three outlaws beat the nightshade, or the nightshade will have a delicious meal of the boy!"

Cheers ran up through the crowd, and Sayed growled. In his time in the arena, he had understood why the people watched the fights, but never before had this situation arisen. The arena was a blood sport, but it was between fighters. Death was the norm, but never had an innocent child been offered up for a monster. A firestorm arose in his gate as his anger flared. Who were these people to throw away a child's life so easily and cheer for it?

"Such debauchery. It may be they deserve this."

Groan. Thump. Groan. Thump.

Sayed felt the attack in the air before it happened, and he turned his gauntlet up to deflect. A heavy weight crashed into his hand, and he went flying almost instantly. He had a brief moment of confusion as he whirred through the air. Something had hit him hard, and his arm ached from the attack. He threw out his hands as he careened toward the ground and caught hold of the ground with his clawed gauntlet.

Scratch.

Dirt and rock separated as he slowed and placed his feet on the ground. As Sayed slid to a halt, he looked up to see what had struck him. In the distance, a long, pale, clawed arm, larger than Sayed's torso, hung out from the mist, seemingly suspended in the air and attached to nothing.

Craw.

A horrible scratching cry pierced his ears, and Sayed had to close his eyes to block out the pain. This was it. This was the nightshade that Alex had told him to expect. Sayed took in a deep breath and forced himself to stand. He did not know where his comrades were in the mist, but he had to trust they would do their part, just as he did his own.

"So, foul demon," Sayed said, holding his sword and gauntlet wide as he walked toward the nightshade's arm. "You come to face me first in this mist. Today is a day that you will feel the wrath of God!"

Groan. Thump. Groan. Thump.

He took on his stance, holding his gauntlet out in front of him as he held the blade of his khopesh parallel to the ground and next to the claws. He took in another deep breath as the creature walked out of the mist and into sight. Pale white skin shone out, even in the darkness of the mist, almost sickly despite the creature's movements. Muscles rippled up and down the nightshade's body, stretched tight against the skin. Long yellow and white claws extended out from its webbed hands as it approached on all fours. Hardened veins stretched across its torso, and broken red tendons ran the length of its arm in patches. It was a horrifying sight to behold, but that was not what Sayed focused on. The head of the creature sent shivers down his spine.

It had no eyes to see. The white bulbous head merely rested on the giant frame of the monster. Instead of a nose or snout, a circular red-lipped mouth covered the nightshade's face. Dark drool and spit fell from that mouth and down the creature's body.

Fear crept up through Sayed's legs and up his body to his arms. On Hajh, he had fought demons, creatures of flame and fire with evil looks in them. This creature towered over such things. To a nightshade, the demons would be but fodder, snacks as it searched for a greater meal. His right hand shook, and his blade began to shake in the air next to his gauntlet. The orange light of his blessing began to fade away from his gauntlet and khopesh as the heat faded from them. The nightshade demanded nothing less than fear from any who looked upon it.

"But that is what you told me," Sayed whispered, remembering Alex's plan. "That is the power of this creature that I must stand against. That is why I must push back and stand, no matter what tricks this monster uses."

Sayed breathed in and out slowly. He forced his gate open in his chest. With the heat of his blessing, the fire of God, he pushed back against the fear that clung to his muscles and bones. He pushed that heat beyond his body and into his blade and gauntlet, forcing both to glow brightly in the mist.

Groan. Thump.

"You come for me, nightshade," Sayed whispered as the beast took another step forward. "But know this. You do not face a mere warrior of Hajh. You face a man who has seen a hundred hundred battles. You face a man who has honed his blade night and day. You face me. You face 'Sword Saint' Sayed!"

He charged for the monster, blade in hand, as he brought up his khopesh with an arcing cut. Heat flashed across the skin of the nightshade as Sayed's swing hit, and he felt the resistance of the monster's skin as he tried to cut across it. Sayed grunted but continued with the cut before jumping back from the attack as the nightshade struck back at him with a vicious claw.

Craw.

The nightshade cried out. The fight had begun.