The telltale Johan grin appeared one last time. “Yes it is, and I am a dangerous and scary man.”
“Yes, sir, you are. Goodbye, Johan Otan'co.”
“Goodbye, Aryu O'Lung'Singh. I'll see you when fate brings us together again. For Tan Torna Qu-ay!”
“For Tan Torna Qu-ay.” A nod and a running dive off the roof later, Aryu was off, never looking back.
Johan stayed on the roof until Aryu was completely out of sight. No one below seemed to make a fuss. Their world was far too consuming to notice Aryu’s departure.
He took a deep breath and tasted the air. The morning was sunny and crisp, but Johan was an excellent cloud reader. It seemed the afternoon would bring rain, unless it blew south. “Here's hoping,” he said to himself. “Let those fuckers and their metal bodies deal with it.” He knew it wouldn't stop them in any way, but the bravado encouraged him.
Esgona was waiting back at the room, silent and sullen as he looked out the window. Smart-ass remarks came close to spewing forth from Johan regarding the night before, then he thought better of it. Aryu was right about Esgona, a fact he was loath to admit. He bit his tongue for now and silently returned to a world with no Aryu, one Esgona, and a nightmare of a hangover.
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Nixon had only a microscopic amount of doubt in Aryu’s ability to return. It still seemed foolhardy to let him go, but Nixon was far past keeping things to the status quo. This was a brand-new world, and he was just coasting along in the chaos at this point.
Aryu did return at the agreed-upon time in the place Nixon had chosen, an abandoned house on the side of the highway into town.
“Miss me?” His sense of humor had not diminished, it seemed.
Nixon did not respond to the question, wanting to be on his way. He got up from the stoop by the front door and prepared to leave, hopefully towards the answers he needed. “Everything go well?” he asked at last.
The immediate expression on Aryu’s face was one of great sadness and confusion, which was more of an answer than any words would have been. Instead of leaving immediately, Aryu began telling Nix the story of finding Johan, the attackers, and their frightening and terrible weapon, and finished with the results of his intervention. Aryu left nothing out, right down to the way he felt with the action, despite its heroism, ending with the horrible glare of the burned, skinless face.
Nixon listened with great interest. When he finished, Nixon brought him back to the deaths of the assailants.
“Ye’re not proud or acceptin' of tha things ya done?”
Aryu looked at him disgusted. “Of course not! Why would I be either of those things? Bad or not, they deserved punishment for what they were doing, but not death. It was never my intention to kill them. I had no idea the weapon they carried was so dangerous or would react as it did. I’m glad the machine was destroyed, but it was an accident, pure and simple.”
Nixon knew with certainty nothing in life was either pure or simple, and was never, ever a combination of the two.
“Well then, let me ask ya this: would ya take the action back, knowin' yer options are either takin’ the action ya did or leavin' yer friend to his likely-poor fate?”
Aryu needn't have answered; the redness growing in his face was clear enough. “Well then, I guess ya did tha only thing ya could. Despite yer feelings or disgust at tha actions, inaction would ‘ave caused the death of yer friend. Yours was tha correct choice and one I would ’ave made myself. I'd not judge ya too harshly on this matter, and neither should you. The road ahead is long and dangerous. Best t’ learn like this and ’ave the advantage of knowin' yer friend is alive because of ya, and someone tha’ would ’ave killed 'em for nothin' more than personal gain was lost. In the world I live in, Aryu, tha's called a fair trade.”
Aryu didn't agree at all. It was far more complicated than that, and he knew it. Nix was just as he was created to be: a god’s perfect weapon created to destroy life in order to preserve it.
Looking to get off the subject, Aryu asked how far they had to go. “If we remain airborne as long as possible we can make good time and be there with a minimum of fuss. I just hope this rain holds off.” Aryu saw no rain but knew better than to question him. If a Divine creation of unlimited power and abilities who'd lived for untold millennia said it was going to rain, you had better prepare for rain.
They took off, Nixon with his flaming, glorious wings in the lead; Aryu and his leathery abominations close behind, gliding along in the heat of the rising sun. Aryu thought of his friend and Esgona and the quest they had to endure. It didn't sound like this was going to be an easy trip for him or Nixon, but at least he had a man made of fire and two unstoppable swords with him. Johan had a cripple and a good knife.
Nixon began his first dive, gaining speed like a falling rock. Aryu reached his apogee, beginning his rapid descent. Only the rush of wind in his ears could be heard, the views of the far-off earth could be seen, and a fireball who would be his dispatcher in other bygone ages blazing a scorching course ahead in the distance. With the Shi Kaze stored tightly, Aryu dove into what lay ahead.
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FluX
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RagE
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BetrayaL
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