Chapter 21: Where the Tales End and Where the Tales Begin

“Sárkány? ... Sárkány? ... Hey Sárkány wake up!”

Sárkány was asleep as Daiyu was smacking his back. She felt the scales on his back as her palm was hitting against it.

The dragon’s eyes stirred open.

“Smoky girl!” he yelled as he shot awake.

Everyone was looking at the dragon as he saw everyone looking at him. They were giving him a questioning look.

“Right,” he said. “Are we on another quest?!”

“Yes ... Sárkány, we need your help to stop a gunman in Europe. A rogue mythic.”

“Of course!” he yelled as he got out of bed. He inched forward and stood without his armor on. He stood with his fists to his hips. He stood with a smile. “Your dragon knight stands ready to face all challenges!”

Daiyu looked at the dragon knight. He was practically naked without his armor, but it did not matter to him. He was already walking armor as it was as she went and picked up her rifle. Toha had picked up his MP-18.

“Put your armor on silly,” Daiyu told him. “We are heading out in a few minutes.”

Daiyu turned around as she began to shift away. Ariadne turned around and walked several feet away from the tents leaving Toha and Daiyu alone as they turned to look at each other. They awaited the dragon to put his armor on as they spoke to one another.

“I hope this plan works in trying to sneak into the German lines,” Toha said to her. Ariadne did an excellent job giving us these German uniforms to sneak in, but if they look too closely or starting asking too many questions, are cover is blown, and we will have to fight our way through.”

“It should give us enough time to get through,” she remarked. “I wish I had their abilities to morph into not only a different form but the clothing they want. Truly it is a power of convenience...”

Sárkány had put on his chest armor piece as Daiyu and Toha continued their conversation.

“So ... I have been told you are some warrior of another person in the past,” Toha commented to her. “Is it true that you remember your past life?”

She nodded, “I certainly did. I was a French soldier. I was brought back by Fenghuang, the Phoenix, and the father of birds. At least that is what he calls himself. I have no idea if the story is true or not, but that is what he says.”

“There was somebody I spoke to a few days ago that claims that he remembers fighting in battles in the past.”

She shrugged, “It’s very well possible he may have served in battles in his past life. Resurrection does exist, and we can come back to this planet to live again. It only makes sense with the cycle of life. I don’t think we are destined to remember them, though. It makes our new lives all the more meaningful, starting over again and again. We get to enjoy new things in our new lives. I was given a choice to remember all my past experiences. I decided to accept the offer. Sometimes I wish I didn’t, though. I imagine others that would be given that offer might not be so fast to do so.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, for one,” she took her uniform and stretched it so she could look at her chest underneath. “I still end up looking at women like I want them and have to remind myself that I lack some parts that can do the job. In a lot of ways finding Sárkány here has been the turning point to that past life. With being with him, I am happy with who I am now. I accept myself for what I am and can stay proud of that. Plus, I get to do something for the Coalition for the rest of my life.”

“It looks like you two are quite the pair,” Toha told her.

She chuckled a little bit, “He is quite a handful. To be honest, though, I do love him and happy to be with him. He may be a lot of talk and cheering, but he keeps a happy attitude towards life when he sees action. His actions do serve an inspiration to other mythics that if he can do it, so can they.”

“Is it true that he was one of the first mythics to find a shard?”

She nodded, “Absolutely. He found it long ago. Four shards have been found so far.”

“What do you do when you find them?”

“We have what is called ‘The Vault,’ where the most powerful and legendary items found in history are placed at. The shards are guarded by some of our most potent deities in another world they created. Technically by themselves, the shards do nothing, but we want to make sure if we ever find all the shards that we can decide what to do next and be ready for whatever shows up when we resemble it.”

“You plan on being a part of the Coalition for the rest of your life?” Toha asked her.

“Of course, do you plan on being a part of it?”

“I am not sure ... I want to settle down and not have to worry about war and conflict. I want to have a family.”

Daiyu patted his shoulder. “Trust me. I understand your feelings. I have seen a lot of conflict and fighting. Ariadne is looking for someone to be with. After Cataclysm, her and a lot of deities became widows and are trying to fill in the missing gaps. Not saying that you two have to be together, of course.”

He nodded, “I think she is going to be happy at least from what I have seen with her. I still have many questions, though, about Coyote that led me to you guys.”

She put her hand to her chin as she thought about it. “Coyote, like the other members of the non-aligned group, have always done things separately and outside of the Coalition of Deities. We have no mistrust with them, and sometimes we often help each other when things are pressed against us. They are led by a seer mythic that believes that the Coalition is not necessarily needed. Simple little tweaks are needed here and there, and the world will be fine, at least that is what is believed.”

“Do you think that Coyote purposely guided me here for a reason?”

She shrugged, “I don’t know you know more about Coyote than I do. I do know that something informed Fenghuang about me. I was destined to be part of the Coalition and serve an important part of it. I am doing things here and there, but nothing very big or epic.”

“What about the Coalition? Don’t you have seer gods or anything like that?”

“We have one, and that is Tiresias, he is an older man blinded by the gods by accident in which he was given the ability to ‘see into the future.’”

“I will need to see this man sometime soon,” he commented to her.

“Keep in mind that his powers do not always guarantee what you are looking for. Some things you don’t want to know. His powers are still limited as well. He can see some things and not others. He helped us when it came to Cataclysm, but he tends to avoid saying anything that is trivial or something that would lead you to personal greed. For example, he won’t give you the winning horse at the horse races. Trust me. I tried doing that.”

“You tried to do that?” he said with a smile.

“Yeah ... I was just curious, and all he did was laugh at me. He told me unless it is something you truly find important and worthwhile to others, then he would help guide them otherwise let history write itself and simply be a part of it. He can be very cryptic with his wording too. I do believe though he was the one that came up to Fenghuang and told him that I was important for something, though. That is why he came to help me after I ... died.”

She turned and pointed her finger at him. “One thing to always keep in mind, Toha. The Mythics are not perfect. Their powers are there and seemingly unstoppable, but they are still vulnerable. Humanity is getting powerful and more powerful as each day passes. The mythics need to adapt right along with them, or they might actually pose a threat to them. For example, I keep pushing the Coalition to make sure mythics start using guns and other types of weapons that can shoot. Ariadne wielding a magic trident may seem pretty, but she is essentially using a spear against well ... guns. Sárkány is well ... try convincing him not to use his sword. Freischütz is an example of a mythic that is adjusting to the times. He only has one power, and that is to live forever until he can complete his revenge. Besides the bullets that were given to him, that’s his only true power. With that being said, I would not be surprised that he has had a chance to learn as much as he could about what things mortals not normally see or hear about and come up with ways to counter other mythics.”

“Why don’t we go and ask ... Diablo on how to stop him.”

She shook her head. “One of the things he pushed before the Treaty of Rudra was signed was that he was unable to create any more contracts with mortals, but he would be excused from any results from contracts signed from the past. He has the right to stay quiet if one of the things he created in the past leads to disaster. The Treaty protects him from that. I have to say he would make a good lawyer if he weren’t busy crafting weapons and armor for us.”

Daiyu adjusted her hold on her rifle. “Take a good look at this rifle. It is a Fusil Automatique Modèle 1917 Rifle. I used to fight with a Lebel Rifle back in a past life. I found this from a French soldier that died in battle. It is one of the first rifles that I have ever seen that is a nonbolt action rifle. It is a semi-automatic. It’s heavy, and I only really carry it because of the nostalgia of my past. It is the future of warfare in the next thirty, possibly, or more years. We are on a road where we are getting stronger. Eventually, we will be at their level. I only pray that we mortals can try to find a way to establish peace on Earth, or we will end up obliterating ourselves.”

Sárkány finished putting on his armor. He walked up beside Toha and Daiyu as his armor glistened in the sun.

“So, are you happy with the plan, Toha? Last chance before we go,” She asked him.

He nodded, “Yep, we will arrive near at night, so it will make them harder to see us as we sneak in. Ariadne will use her magic sense ability to track Freischütz, and we go in and apprehend him or take him down.”

“It is important that we do as much as we can to avoid attracting a fight with the Germans themselves. Ariadne and Sárkány will be taking up human form to avoid attracting unwanted attention. We don’t want to have the story at Fresnes get reinforced in any way. Try to avoid killing unless there is no choice. The person that will be speaking if we encounter them will be Sárkány since he already comes from around the area. Austro-Hungarians are allies with the Germans, so they will be less alert if they see him talking. Think you can do it, big guy?”

The dragon nodded, “Of course, my lady! I will get us within the trenches and serve as a communicator! I have one question though, my lady.”

“What is it?” Daiyu asked.

“May I use my sword!?”

She thought about it. “Well ... if we are in a situation where we have to fight back then, of course, you can. Officers still use swords I see no issue with that.”

“Yes!” he said as he held a fist up in celebration.

“It’s best we use your teleport ability, Ariadne,” Daiyu explained. “My portals will be more noticeable than a teleportation flash.”

Ariadne turned around and walked back to the group. She looked and spoke to them. “Are we ready to go?”

All of them nodded. She then acknowledged the group and stepped back to the tents. She held up her hands as energy reverberated from her hands. She then took her arms and swung them down. All of a sudden, the tents collapsed on themselves. The fabric started to disintegrate before her eyes. Eventually, the tents collapsed into nothing but the grass below. Smoke rose from the tents as it became part of the air itself. Finally, all the fabric was gone. The canopy completely disappeared, leaving a small patch of grass that was touched. If there were a tent there by the next several days, the grass would hide any signs that they were there.

She began to form into her human form as her minotaur form gave way. She shrank down in size as her fur receded into her body. Her horns and tail receded into her body. Within seconds she was a walking human woman. Sárkány followed suit as he assumed his human form. His wings and scales turned into the tan coloration of skin tone. His armor disappeared as it turned into a uniform of a German soldier. Within seconds he looked like a six-foot walking human. Fake rifles appeared in Ariadne’s hands and Sárkány’s as well.

“Do those work?” Toha asked, looking at the guns.

She looked at the Mauser she held in her hand. “No, they don’t, they are just illusions.”

Toha nodded, “I would imagine ... I don’t even see any rounds loaded into them.”

Toha took a good look at Ariadne in her human form. “You look ... beautiful. It’s weird seeing you this way.”

She ran her hand through her hair as she almost blushed. “Thank you...”

“Seeing you in German uniform, though ... that’s the weird thing.”

Meanwhile, somewhere in one of the German trenches near the town of Épehy, deep down in the network of dug out mud, stood an officer that was interrogating a prisoner...

“Fuck you, Lambert, I am not telling you shit!” yelled a British POW that was handcuffed to a chair.

“If you tell me the whereabouts of the Allied forces, I will see if I can give you good treatment in prison,” said the German officer. “Otherwise, I will go ahead and execute you right now.”

The British soldier, a burly man, captured in battle and known for a ferocious temper, was brought to Major Lambert to provide intelligence information that the Germans needed. The soldier tried to resist with all his might but could not break free. He instead yelled back at the German officer in the shadows of the light. “If I had it my way, I would have killed every German that poked his head out of the trenches. I will kill you, and then I would go after your family next.”

“Ha, ha,” The German officer laughed. “Your looks, your accent, that personality, that confirms that you are indeed Lieutenant Dexter Albie, the butcher of Germans among other things ... You can fight with all your might, Lieutenant, but you cannot escape. I am doing the world a favor by hurrying your execution.”

Dexter looked at the shadowing figure obscured in the light. He spat at the ground next to where Lambert was standing.

“Let me ask you something,” Lambert asked him. “Is your family tree from the Albie from Bristol? The family that lives by the Anon River? The little house with a missing roof tile?”

Dexter gave him an angry but surprised look “How do you know all that about me? How did you have access to that information?”

Lambert stepped out of the shadows. He had a clean-shaven look to him and was dressed in a typical German officer’s uniform. He even had a point on top of the helmet. He gave a laugh. “Revenge ... my dear Dexter. I had hundreds of years of anger that filled my heart when five men broke into my home, raped, and murdered my wife. Then they went to my father’s house and killed him just to add the extra insult to me. Yes, Dexter, you might not be one of those men, but you are the last of the bloodline of one of those men. I have hunted and killed three of my murderers. You will be number four. You have committed horrible acts of butchery against the Germans in this war, and you come from a family history line of those people. Your line of savagery will come to an end here and now.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” the Lieutenant said to him. “How do you know about all this? How do you know about where I live?”

“About 320 years ago, I was a roofer. I fixed people’s rooftops. Then I joined the military to survive. They discovered that I could shoot well with the primitive flintlocks at the time. I ended up marrying a wonderful woman after I finished up my service. She became my wife. But I had to make myself an enemy to the local gangs. They wanted me dead, but I always eluded them. They somehow found out where my family and I lived and decided to target my wife and dad. I then swore that I would hunt and kill every one of those murderers even if it meant hunting down those related in blood to those murderers.”

He unholstered an old M1883 Reichsrevolver from his holster. He opened up the cylinder to show that he had two bullets. He took one of the rounds out and showed Dexter as he sat restrained to the chair.

“I made a deal with the devil. I wanted to kill those that hurt me. He gave me seven magic bullets to go, and eternal life till I kill my murderers. I have already killed three of them. Two more to go. You know what is so good about these bullets?”

“Just get it over with you piece of shit!” Dexter yelled at him.

Lambert chuckled as he sat down on his chair at a table not far from him “Perhaps I should prolong it. Revenge is only so great until the event happens in itself. Then you are left empty after doing it. So I think I will do just that. So I ask again, you know what’s so good about these bullets?”

Dexter said nothing but gave an angry stare at the German Major.

“I can never miss with these bullets. I can hold my gun anyway I want, and it will hit you square in the heart or your head. Of course, it doesn’t matter too much since I usually end up in similar situations such as you, where I don’t need to worry about aiming. It truly does not matter because it is the principal of these bullets. I was given the ammunition to go and kill my murderers once and for all. I know all too well what the seventh bullet is for. Satan can have it. If he wants me to use it on myself, then I will do it. I hate my life anyway.”

Dexter shook in his chair, trying to break free. “I don’t know what you are talking about!” he yelled.

“Tsk, tsk ... I was hoping to get a man that was going to beg for his life. Such as revenge is ... no matter. Perhaps you should remember what my real name is.”

He gave an angry look at him.

Lambert trained his revolver to Dexter from the table. “Call me, Freischütz. Remember it in the afterlife for me, will ya?” He pulled the trigger of his revolver without even aiming it at Dexter. The weapon’s shot made a loud explosion in the enclosed room. The bullet altered its course in mere split seconds as it went straight to the man’s heart. Dexter slumped over dead on his chair as smoke pillared from the cylinder of his revolver.

He sighed as a German soldier walked in to investigate the shot. Freischütz went and gave a nod to the soldier as he pointed to the dead, bleeding body on the chair. The soldier then went and made the process of removing the corpse from the room as Freischütz pulled out the revolver’s loading rod and removed all the bullets in it. He then put the last magical bullet with his “seventh” in his pocket as he pulled out six rounds from his other pocket and loaded it into his revolver.

He said quietly, “Now, let’s see if they show up...”

A small teleportation flash erupted near the town of Épehy France. Ariadne, Toha, Daiyu, and Sárkány appeared.

They adjusted to the bearings of their environment. They appeared by a knocked down building that helped mask their appearance. The darkness was setting in very well that also made them hard to see. Unfortunately, it also made it hard to see for them as well.

Daiyu looked at Ariadne. “I can’t believe we have to wear fake mustaches and beards to help us sneak in. If only they could have women serve in the frontlines, it would make things so easy for us.”

Toha looked at Daiyu and Ariadne as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He thought to himself quietly, “It’s ridiculous that we are trying to sneak into a German stronghold to stop a rogue mythic. Gods and humans working together, having to disguise themselves as human, and having to further disguise themselves by wearing fake mustaches to make themselves look like men.”

They stepped out of the hiding of the building as they took a good look at the field. They could see lights coming from a trench. Explosions from the far distance echoed the signs of all-out war in Europe.

Ariadne held one of her hands out and closed her eyes. She was using her senses to track where this German Marksman was at. Her hand eventually pointed to the nearby trench that was about a hundred feet away.

“Let’s go,” Ariadne said quietly. They all started to venture further from the toppled building. They were making progress when Toha ran up and stopped Ariadne.

“Stop!” Toha said in a hushed whisper. “Do you feel that?”

“What?” she reacted. Everyone stopped.

“I feel something near us,” he said. “I am trying to focus on it as my senses try to tell me what it is.”

Ariadne put her soft hand on his shoulder. “If it is part of the Earth and soil, you can use your magic. Call upon your hidden spirit.”

Toha closed his eyes as he lowered himself to the ground. He put his hand to the ground as he could feel the soft soil on the ground.

“Focus,” she said quietly. “Picture the ground lighting up. Picture the soil underneath and everything standing on top of it. What do you see?”

He did exactly what she asked. He opened his eyes as he looked at the ground. While he could not see the lit sky, he could see everything on the earth and in it. He could see the underground tunnel network. He could also see what was making him scared.

“Mines ... landmines ... we are near a minefield.”

“Good job,” Daiyu said quietly, then she looked at the dragon disguised as a human. “Sárkány has a habit of stepping on them. Sometimes I think he does it on purpose.”

“Why not?” Sárkány said quietly. “They add to the drama and suspense and...”

“No,” Daiyu shook her head. “You just like explosions.”

Toha explained quietly, “The minefield is dead ahead of us, leading to the tunnel. I can see the tunnel network. I see a couple of German’s on guard, but none are currently watching too closely at the trench. I think we are far enough from Allied lines, at least from this area, that they are not too worried about an assault coming. Follow my lead, and I will walk around the mines as we approach.”

He stepped forward and started to walk. Everyone followed him in a line. He was careful as he could clearly see the mines and were to walk around. It was like the ground was lit with torches, and the mines had light coming from them.

“Amazing,” he said quietly. “I can see the ground and everything on it and in it.”

“Behold your power,” Ariadne responded back. “This is Se:he’s ability. This is why he is the maze runner. He could feel the walls and Earth around him. This is how he could navigate the mazes so well and why I feel such ... desire from you. This is why I feel that you are my perfect soulmate and why I want you to be with me. We were destined to be together.”