They walked for days over the barren land, finding neither shelter nor anything living. There were no plants, no animals, not even insects. The land was dead in every aspect. Even the ground itself, dark ashen in color, appeared to be dead. The three had fought amongst each other at first, placing blame on who had caused their downfall, but it was Lox in the end that silenced their arguments, stating that they should save their anger for the Gods that banished them rather than waste it on each other. It was then they had begun to walk and now, several days later, they began to believe that exhaustion and famine would be the death of them. Nyra and Lox both had finally stopped, far too exhausted to continue, the mammoth Gor alone was the first to spot the dead tree in the horizon. Alerting the others, they mustered their strength and made their way quickly. Despite the fact there appeared to be no sky, no clouds and no moon or sun, they found it quite easy to see the terrain and more importantly a cloaked man leaning against the dead tree that stood before them. The man looked up as they approached, the armor they had been wearing for combat made it easy for him to hear them from quite some distance. Lox, always in command, motioned for the other two to stay behind as he stepped forward to the stranger, but it was the stranger who spoke first, "is there a war here that I am unaware of that you are dressed in such a fashion?"

Taken aback, Lox cleared his throat, "there is always a war when I find people who do not bow before me."

"And why should someone bow before you?" Removing his hands from under his cloak, he picked up a stick that was lying near him. With its tip, he began to draw circles in the ashen dirt next to him. His cloak now parted, his dark leather clothes were visible as the hood on his cloak prevented his face from being seen.

"I am Lord Lox. I rule the Earth above us." His eyes bore at the stranger as if daring him to say otherwise.

"And what are you that you can make such a boast? Can a mere man rule an entire planet by himself?"

"I am no man, stranger. I am a God."

"A God you say," his hood bobbed as he nodded his head, "I have known many Gods in my life. I’ve known Gods who appeared young or old, wise or foolish. I’ve even known Gods who were arrogant or kind, self absorbed or selfless to a fault. But, never in all of my years have I seen a God who walked upon this plain."

Clenching his hand into a fist, Lox sneered at the cloaked man, "how dare you speak to me with such insolence? If you had even an inkling of whom I was you-"

"And if you, sir, had an inkling of who I was,” the stick stopped in mid-motion as the man looked up at Lox, "you would have never even stopped to speak to me in the first place."

Taking a step back, Lox continued to sneer at the stranger, "I tire of this conversation. Nyra," his voice called to her although his eyes never left the visage of the stranger, "be a dear and demonstrate to him why we are not to be trifled with."

Nyra stepped forward, but the exhaustion she felt was obvious in her slow movements. She watched as the stranger suddenly stood without a word, his eyes watching her from behind his hood. "Sir, with all due respect, I think-"

"I didn’t ask you to think! I asked you to act!" Turning his anger toward her, his body literally shook as he finally tore his eyes away from the stranger to bore at her, "I will not tolerate weakness!"

It was the stranger’s soft voice that ultimately broke the tension in the air, "perhaps, you should do as he says, Nyra."

Calming himself at these words, Lox motioned for Nyra to continue toward the stranger as he stepped away. It was Nyra who paused, furrowing her brow a bit as she watched the figure who so calmly told her to kill him, "do you realize what it is you are asking for?"

"Do you?"

The words were so simple; it caught her off guard, but only for a moment. Drawing her sword, she finally stepped forward to the cloaked figure. "Just like a man to be so sure of himself, I suppose I should not be surprised."

Cocking his head to one side, the stranger’s hand reached behind him, under his cloak, "and just like a woman to push herself beyond her limits simply to prove something she’s too stubborn to admit is beyond her grasp."

Gritting her teeth, her sword flew before her as quickly as her words, "shut your mouth!"

A flash of light was all that was seen, a sharp high-pitched sound all that was heard. It took a whole second before anyone realized that the stranger had drawn a sword from beneath his cloak and now stood with his blade crossing hers as they stared into each other’s eyes. For the first time she could see his face in its entirety. His pale blue, almost silver eyes stared into her dark browns with a softness behind them she had not seen in combat before. Something about them scared her, but she could not tell what it was.

"Tell me about yourself, Nyra. Tell me your life story."

"I’d rather have you cut me down right here than tell you a thing about myself."

"That’s a shame,” his hand shot out and grabbed her wrist just as she was about to pull away, "because you already are."

As quickly as his hand had grabbed her, it released her and she broke away from him before beginning to circle him like a predator toying with it’s prey, "you speak nonsense. I have told you nothing."

"On the contrary" his eyes followed her as she walked around him, even though he didn’t move to follow her, "you tell me everything when you fight me. Call it a gift if you will, perhaps a curse, but I learn everything about my opponents as we battle."

Slowing as she reached his back, "you’re lying", her sword flashed forward again only to have it blocked once more as the stranger’s blade reached behind him.

Not an inch had he moved, only his hand, faster than lightning, "I see. You were abandoned as a child, which explains a few things, such as your anti-social behavior"

"Shut up!" Lashing out again she tried to strike him three times at the neck, the shoulder and then the ribs, only to have each blow blocked as if she was moving in slow motion.

"Brought up by a pedophile, which explains your hatred toward men. Strange, then, that you gravitated toward Lox simply because he treated you as a weapon rather than a person, but then you never really saw him as a man, did you? Simply as a superior. You are a unique one, Nyra, I will give you that."

By now Lox’s impatience was evident, "Stop toying with him Nyra and finish it!"

Nyra looked between the two, wanting to follow the order, but knowing that in doing so, she would exhaust what little strength she had left. Amused, the stranger lowered his sword to his side, "go ahead Nyra. Be a good weapon and do as your master commands."

Her hesitation was overcome by her anger as the air about her chilled. Gritting her teeth, her hazel eyes dissolved until she appeared to have no iris whatsoever, her hand placed upon her blade just above the hilt. "No one speaks to me in such a way,” an inhuman accent to her voice hung in the air as her hand began to glide over her blade. The metal changed before their eyes becoming pure chiseled ice, from the hilt to the tip, an aura of magic almost glowing around it. The growl began from deep within her throat before coming out almost to a scream as she charged toward him, "No one!"

Taking an offensive stance, the stranger spun to face her as he swung his sword toward her for the first time only to have his blade shattered the moment the ice of Nyra’s weapon touched it. Without even a pause, the stranger twisted in front of her, grabbing the blade with his bare hand just as she began to lunge forward. The blade shuddered upon impact with the stranger’s hand and Nyra’s face, once filled with anger now began to twist into a face of concentration. Her sword’s magical property, being kept there by will alone, was now fighting against her, as if trying to flee from her blade. She mustered all the willpower she could, but ultimately her exhaustion won over and the ice that made up her sword began to melt before her eyes, revealing the cool metal of her original blade underneath. Her will shattered and her strength evaporated, she dropped to her knees in defeat, her blade falling to the ground before her as the stranger released it. "Get it over with,” her words choked in her throat, as her eyes, once more returning to their true hazel color, couldn’t bring themselves to look up at him, "kill me and be done with it."

His face still hidden by the hood, no one could see the look of sadness upon the stranger’s face as he looked down at the broken warrior at his feet. "There is nothing more to be done."

From the growl that could be heard in Lox’s throat, it was apparent that not everyone agreed with the stranger’s words, "you may have defeated Nyra, but you won’t fare so well against Gor. I myself have witnessed his victory over a hundred men with his hands and power alone."

"At times, a hundred men are far easier to defeat than one. But, if it will amuse you," tossing the hilt of his now useless sword aside, he held out his hands to either side, "then please continue."

Glancing at Nyra for a moment, Gor appeared to flinch as he began to walk toward the stranger. As strong as he was, he had never met anyone with a will like Nyra’s before. If this stranger was able to defeat her, he wasn’t someone to simply be swatted like a fly. Once he reached the stranger, he simply stood there, towering over him. Taking one hand into the other, he began to crack his knuckles; his deep voice bellowed when he spoke, "Gor does not fear you, little man. Gor will find a way to crush you like the bug you are."

Without even glancing up at the behemoth, the stranger simply turned around, "then let us see your story."

Smirking at the stranger’s apparent folly, he wasted no time to bring a monstrous hand down toward the man’s shoulder. But rather than hearing the sound of crushing bone as he expected, he found his hand instead held by those of the stranger. Taking a step forward to gather proper footing, the stranger shifted his weight and pulled Gor’s hand with a strength far larger than a body of his size could possibly hold. Before Gor could comprehend how, he found himself flung over the stranger’s shoulder and landing flat on his back. The ground beneath them shuddered as he landed, the dead tree itself appearing to lean slightly to one side.

Despite the strength he must have needed to pull such a stunt, the stranger’s voice and breath was as calm as before, "you were as large as a child as you are a man. I can understand that. And I can understand that you hated the kids that made fun of your size."

Growling, Gor quickly stood and swung with all of his might at the stranger’s face, only to have his fist grabbed by the hand of the stranger. Despite the fact the stranger’s hand was like that of a child in comparison to Gor’s fist, it held him there, unwavering.

"But, to take your anger out on squirrels and rabbits, burning them alive like you did, that is the part I will never understand." Pushing Gor’s fist away, the gargantuan found himself taking a step back from the force of it.

"You know nothing of Gor’s pain. Gor merely survived."

"No, Gor. You became the monster everyone saw you as. I pity you for not being strong enough to be able to rise above that."

"No!" Gor’s shout rang through the barren land, "Gor is not weak. Gor will prove his strength to you!"

Lox sneered as he watched Gor gather his energy, "That’s right Gor. Show the stranger your true strength."

Letting out a deep sigh the stranger bowed his head, "it won’t work, Gor. It didn’t work for Nyra and it won’t work for you."

Flames began to dance upon Gor’s fist as he began to pull it back for his final strike, "Gor is strongest of all!"

Nyra’s eyes looked up from where she still kneeled and watched as Gor’s final blow was met with the stranger’s fist. The two hands collided and a low thud could be heard, as if all the sound around them had suddenly been knocked out. They stood there for a moment, Gor’s face frozen with anger while the stranger’s face was eternally hidden behind that hood of his. For a moment, only a moment, Nyra wondered if Gor had succeeded. But, having witnessed the stranger’s power first hand, she knew better than to wonder.

Gor’s scream pierced her thoughts as he stumbled backward, the flames dying away from the hand which he now cradled like a newborn baby. Tears fell down his cheeks as a pain he had never felt before coursed through his nerves. Nyra didn’t even have to look to know that his arm was broken and most likely in several places.

"I don’t imagine you’ve had many broken bones before, Gor," the stranger lowered his fist casually, releasing it at his side, "believe me when I tell you that they will likely heal much faster than your pride."

"Imbeciles!" Lox’s voice rose above the strangers, "must I do everything myself?"

"I tire of this game, Lox. I will not fight you."

Lox’s lips curled up in a sneer, "What’s wrong, stranger? Don’t you want to ’know me’ as well?"

"I don’t need to fight you to know you Lox. I have met far too many of your kind in my lifetimes."

Nyra’s brow narrowed as her breath caught in her throat, "lifetimes?"

Lox, however, didn’t appear to notice, "my kind? You mean conquerors, rulers of men."

"I mean cowards. Men who are eager to sacrifice others rather than ever sacrifice themselves."

Shaking with anger, Lox’s body tensed, "I will show you who the coward is. My power is stronger than Nyra and Gor combined. My power-” His words caught in his mouth as he felt nothing rise within him. "My power..." again, as he summoned his power to gather, he felt nothing.

"Your power,” the stranger began to walk toward him, "I would gather is that of the Earth. It would be a safe bet as the only God who could have granted the powers of fire and ice only has dominion over one other element and that would be the Earth itself." Upon reaching Lox, he knelt slightly and picked up a handful of the land at their feet. Grabbing Lox’s hand, he held it with an iron grip as he brought the handful just above it, "you aren’t on the planet’s surface anymore Lox. This land is not earth," his hand released the grey soil into Lox’s captured hand, "its ash. You have no power here."

Like a thunderclap the realization hit Lox and he fell to his knees upon the stranger, begging for mercy in almost unintelligible mutterings and swearing an oath of allegiance to him. Gor and Nyra could only glance at each other as they watched their former leader grovel like a beggar.

"Stop your babbling Lox. I am not about to kill you." Turning, he stepped back toward the tree and checked that the circles he had drawn earlier were untouched, "in fact, I may be able to help you in a way."

Brushing away a tear that had fallen down his cheek, Lox mustered up enough courage to stand once more, "help? How?"

"I imagine you wish to go back?" Picking up a piece of his broken blade which had fallen only inches from the dead tree, the stranger began to connect the small circles into a pattern.

"Of-of course. But, how would we get there? We don’t even know how we got here."

The stranger stopped and looked at Lox once more, "I know the way. But, you can’t get something for nothing, not even in this wasteland."

"But, what could we possibly give you?"

"A sacrifice. There are three of you. I will only send two of you back. One will remain."

Nyra and Gor slowly began to stand, exchanging glances between the stranger and Lox.

Lox’s eyes never even saw them, they were fixed on the stranger, measuring his words, "and how do you plan on choosing who goes and who stays?"

"I won’t. You will. You must choose one to stay and give me a reason for choosing them. If you can do this, I will send two of you back."

"How do I know you will truly be sending us back and not merely to some place worse, like the Underworld?"

The stranger chuckled, his hood fell back an inch, allowing Lox to see the man’s smile, "you don’t. But, I have a feeling you are willing to take that risk."

Lox nodded slowly, as if the gears in his mind were too busy weighing his options to concentrate on the gesture. His only glance then was to Nyra, but she couldn’t read his eyes. All the time she had known him and still she could not see what he was thinking.

"Then I shall leave with you Gor. His strength will be an asset to you and his willingness to follow orders will no doubt come in handy as well."

Before Gor could open his mouth to shout a single obscenity, the stranger stepped forward and nodded, "very well, then Nyra shall stay here."

Nyra’s eyes flew open at the stranger’s words, while Gor merely watched Lox, his stiff lip and narrowed eyes already showing the anger that was only beginning to bubble within him.

Lox, on the other hand, wasn’t about to leave his protest a quiet one, "you said you would send the other two back! I thought we had a deal."

"Indeed – I said I would send two of you back. I never said it would in fact be the two you wished for. By picking Gor, it is obvious you see Nyra as the greater asset, or you would have picked her. Therefore, I take that which is more precious to you." Taking the shard of sword in his hand, he slit his palm and dropped four drops of his blood upon the two patterns he created on the ground before the dead tree. As the first three drops hit the ground, nothing happened. But, the moment the fourth drop touched the ashen land, the ash began to stir. The circles the stranger had drawn began to deepen until a green glow began to rise out of the crevices they had become. Then, the lines that connected them also began to glow until the pattern itself surged with energy.

Nyra stepped toward the stranger only to collapse again from the exhaustion the threatened to overcome her, "you can’t do this. I can’t stay here."

"I’m afraid the choice has been made,” the stranger motioned for Gor and Lox to step forward, "stand on these patterns gentlemen and you will go where you belong."

Lox did not have to be told twice, not even a glance was spared for Nyra as he stepped past her to stand upon the pattern. Gor, however, moved much slower, seeming unsure if he should stand on the circle or simply kill Lox there. Ultimately, both stood where they were instructed and the stranger stepped over to the dead tree where he plunged the metal shard into its bark. As if having stabbed some living beast, thick green ooze began to pump from the ’wound’ and the stranger cupped one of his hands to hold a portion of it.

"Close your eyes, gentlemen." The stranger carefully carried the green substance over to them where they both quickly followed his order. "Trust me, when I say you wouldn’t want to see any of this." Pouring some of the fluid from one hand to the other, he held the substance over their heads long enough to mutter a few words, then dropped the ooze upon each of their heads. Nyra tried to protest once more, but any words she had thought up vanished from her mind as she watched the ooze begin to run over the bodies of her two former comrades. The substance seemed to be growing as it covered first their heads, then their clothes and their limbs. Before long, the two stood there encased in a thin veil of green tissue as the pattern below them began to throb. Just as Nyra could stand to watch no more, the glow encompassed the two green cocoons and quickly began to glow so bright she was forced to close her eyes. Once the light had faded and she was able to see clearly again, all that remained of the men she had gone to countless battles with were two smoldering piles of ash. The stranger began to come near her, but it was all too much for her mind to handle. Darkness covered her eyes as her body hit the floor, her mind losing consciousness. She welcomed the darkness with open hands and felt a relative peace for a short while.

Next Chapter: Chapter Four