Training.txt

The sun falls, and the darkness spreads over William, Myst, Spear, Minst, Guile and Kirra in cages spread over the flat sandy desert.

With night  comes with cold, shivers and thirsts. With night comes a low maon through the moon light night and a scream.

The scream wakes all but but Guile, and they stare from the scream to the rise. Then one by one each layon the sand and sleep dreamless states to the morning.

And with the morning, the sun rise and shines into the eyes for all to rise with the bright rays.

The sun rises with the prisonerss.

The cart squeaks with roll of hte talk and the mummble and chuckles from the prisoners far and near. 

Silence around William, Myst, Spear, Minst, Guile and Kirra stretch and stand and wait with silence for the cart to roll past.The cart rolls past and fills cups. 

The thick cool liquid is drank with silence and calm until a cackle howl laughs with the wind. 

John of the Goblinkin stesp from the Set and shadows to the cages. With Jeweled Dagger in hand, he says, ,,It is time for training.'' John of the Goblinkin unlocks the cell door and the locks on chains and walks to the end of the cage row holding out Jeweled dagger. ''It's time for training.'' He says slow.

John of Goblinkin tosses sacks the size of heads on the ground. A gray sheeted hugoblins pulls a square cube the size of Guile's belly. The gray sheets puts the cube on ground.

John ponts,,You take. You pee in sack. YOu pour in cube.'' He points to the sky, ''You lay cube for sun to warm.'' His top points to ta spout. ''You turn spout to get water.'' He looksa t all. ''THIS IS YOU WATER. YOU WILL BE GIVEN WATER. YOUR PEE IS PART OF YOUR WATER.'' He looks over the pack. ''Pee in sack. YOu dump in cub.'' John pulls bag from glass cart and throws it between the cages. ''YOu shit in bag. You get more food with shit.''   

Guile grabs a bag walks to the cage, turns back to pack, opens back and put dick in, pees.

And slow, William, Myst, Spear, Minst, guile and Kirra steps from cells to the desert.

,,Time to run for the sun then return to fight,'' says John. ''If you return water you will drink water from the springs below the sand. If you die then we will see your body some other day.'' He peers at Kirra. ''If you feel to fight me for life all you may win, but may alli the desert will kill you.''

Kirra steps near John of the Goblin. She grips her knife.

John of the Goblinkin says low, ,,And see the horizon for all the warriors standing, watching, waiting for shit to be smeared by you.''

Kirra looks along the horizon ot the Set.

Sihlouettes stand in shadows.

John of the Goblinkin says loud, ,,We run during the morning. We fight at zenith. We practice manuevers during night.''

All stands and gather around John.

Spaer steps at John of the Goblinkin. ,,We break your neck.''

Kirra raises arm. ,,We run.'' She points at a soldiers in black standing near still a stone throw from their cages.

,,How long?'' says Minst.

John smiles steps, ,,Until you live or die.'' And with head hung low and back arched, john of the Goblinkin lifts the Jeweled Dagger.

The soldiers around the shadows and in dawn bright rise small shields and short swords.

John says, ,,We run with shit, so you are shit. And if you drop we will leave you for the files and staind of ground.'' ...And John steps, walks. John clicks a clack and jogs. 

The soldiers step and sand. 

William steps. ,,We run after our fate as slave warrriors.''

All run. They run over soft sand waves and across hard sand ground from the cages over the vaste desert. They run from soft sad to flat cracked hard sand. They run up rills. 

The flat desert planes roll to waves that dip and break the crusted hard top. 

The sun shines. Wind blows and gusts around the bowls of loose sournd sunk from the crust of sun backed sand.

Guile falls down into a wave bowl. 

Spear lifts Guile to feel and pushes him to sands.

Soldiers slow jog then press close to Spear and Guile.

They run for the morning until Guile falls.

Sand sticks to Guile's sweat soaked whte sheet cloths. Dry lips smack and heave with breath. 

Spear stops and lowers hear from the sun along the horizon.

The soldiers behind stip and push at Spear with shield.

Spear pushes back and stand by Guile. ,,Water and rest.'' He says as sweat drips and runs from face and body.

John runs and says betweeen breaths, ,,Drink and water when return.''

William stops. ,,We stop.'' He stops to a stand.

Kirra stops jog and walks toward John.

Myst whose hum and breathe sing the song of the sand scape, lowers tune ad feel to find a path Guille.

Guile's breath breathes the sound of the desert. He heaves and gags and coughs.

It is the cough that makes Minst and John stop.

Minst grips his goblin spell book and lungs heaves. He looks back and sees...

Warriors jog, walk then stand in a circle around the pack.

,,REST,'' says William loud. ''We rest for we--''

John says loud. ,,ARE shit like me.''

Minst breathes and gasps and sweats. ,,Why...Why do we run? What...''

John steps and grabs Minst and pushing Minst's down and pokes dagger tip and William.

Minst falls.

Kirra leaps and rises knife from sheet foldes.

Spear punchs one soliders and kicks another

Two solders fall.

John rolls along the sand to a stand away from Minst and William and  Kirra as Kirra grabs the dagger to flip it.

A short sword tip touchs Kirra and shocks. 

The soldiers appear one, two, three. A group of ten appear and raise sheilds. 

John clicks and clacks and and pulls out a nother knife. ,,STOP!

Two soldiers grab Guile and put dagger to throat. Two others appear around Minst as one holds Minst body and another holds dagger to Minst' throat. 

Ten soldiers appear aruond Kirra.

Six appear around Spear. Spear swings fists as they poke swords and shields at Spear.

Kirra swipes knife at closest soldier.

John clicksand  clack fast and louds the clicks to say, ,,Drag shit and smear acroos the desert or leave to die.'' John points dagger at Kirra. ''You remain and die means nothing to me.''

,,Spear, Kirra,'' says William. William peers at John of hte Goblinkin. ''I challange you, Johivodeglickin, to battle of honor.''

Johivodegl cackle howls, says slow. ,,John. Of. The. Goblinkin.'' John of the Goblinkin clicks and clacks and snap fingers quick.

The solders steps and slide. Some soldiers appear to slither into the sand. Other soldiers vanish. Other's step away and stand around William and John of the Goblinkin.

,,Wiliam,'' says Spear.

Kirra grips dagger.

Soldiers step before Spear and Kirra.

A row of clicks and clacks spread through the soldiers.

William stares at John and crouches low with arms wide. ,,I'll smear the shit all over the desert floor.''

John of the goblinkin tosses a dagger at William. 

William pulls the short sharp rod from white sheet sleeve and swipes hits the dagger aside. 

John of the goblkin throws another knife while kcik a loose patch fo sand while flipping back.

Sand flies in eyes as William lunges away from John's other thrown dagger. 

John scrapes Williams' cheek as William swings blind feeling the burn in eyes.

William swipes with sharp rod and swing. His guantlet fist punches John's shoulders.

John spinds and punchs Wililam's kidney and stomach.

William roars and maks a fist with hands and slams the fist on John's back. 

John grunts and falls to the ground with a thump.

William tumbles and reaches and grabs John.

John kicks and twists and gabs and grabbles William from the back.

William rolls, and back fo head slams John's face.

John cackel howls and wraps arms around william arms and legs adn holds Willam's head with a cackle howl hitting at Wiliam's minds.

William fusses and rolls and back. He pounds head into to of John's head. 

John grabbles and holds and moves head back and forth from William.

The two roll move the hard sadn ground and below the heat. Soldiers push the pack from the two fighting beings and watchs. 

All watch. All see William begin to choke.

,,He's hunger weak!'' says Spear.

Kirra push and aims knife at soldiers. 

The solidier tire to block the attack with Kinfe.

William gags and cough.

Myst says loud. ,,Let him breathe to sing.''

Wililam chokes. 

John grabbles and wraps arms and legs around William like a rops. He pulls and presses against temples and veins causing shocks of pain. ,,Shit fumes choke.'' 

,,Releae,'' holloers spear. 

Kirra slash and stabs two soldier.

Three soldiers slap flat end of sword against Kirra.

Three more step around Kirra and the soliders.

On soldiers falls cluctching shoulders , and another falls cluching throat.

John holds the Jewelled Dagger against William's throat. Beetween breathes, John says, ,,You. Stop. Or. Neck Bleeds.''

Kirra fuss, swings knife and steps around in the circle of soldiers. 

William relaxes, twists and breaks the hold of John.

John slips and finds a grip vice like around neck. 

William gags.

,,Williaim!'' says Myst. She steps toward William ,but is pushed back.

,,STOP,'' hollers Spear as he pushes toward William.

With eyes water, body beaten, hungry, thristy, weak from run, William lays calm. William's cracks dry lips and swollen tongue swallow the words. ,,Yeild.'' He gasp and chokes.

Kirr and Spear look. They step back and lower arms. 

The soldiers press and form a circles.

John grins. ,,If you want to drag your shit through the desert you carry the fat one.'' He slips from William an dstands.

William lays with back to the ground and face starring at the sun.

The sun shines from the wane through the blue sky to William.

Soldiers step away from Kirra then Spear the Minst and Myst and William. 

Guile lays on the ground with William. 

,,STAND,'' hollers John. 

Spear stand by William. ,,You can run. I feel it.''

William nods.

Spear picks up Guile and throws Guile around soldiers.

Dust blows. Sun shines.

Goblins click and clacks snap between the soldiers. 

Johns striaghts cloths, drinks from water skin. He wipes face.

William stands, wipes face.

John licks pointed teeth. He raises dagger and steps toward the rise and runs.

,,Where we...'' says Minst as all begin to run and drag and jog.

Sweat drops. 

,,Minst,'' says William. ''The floating disk. Can you caste the floating disk?''

Minst says, ,,No.''

Soldiers steps.

John hollers, ,,LIFT SHIT OR LET IT LAY!''

William looks at Myst and Guile. He steps and runs after John.

Through the rise and zenith of the sun, William, Kirra, Spear, Guile, Minst, Myst jog and stunble over the flat desert. They trip over the soft desert bowls. They walk and nearly drag along the path lead by the warriors until the cages appear along the horizon. As they run near the cages, soldiers appear as if from the sand.

The soldiers guide William, Kirra, Spear, Guile, Minst and Myst trhough the cells. Their swords and shields aim and guide the prisoners between cells and by prisoners.

Other processer peer and stare as they are passed. Some spit. Other's a lough.

The prisoners white cloths are brown and yellow. Their skin is pressed tight around bones and muscles. Their eyes look dark and distant and the bright light shines.

Rock and rods and flash and juggles. A small pebble hits William's head.

Sand is thrown at Myst.

Myst feels a silence of pain as she passses a human standing near naked in center of cell. Tattotes black and red cover the head. The lines feel to create a void of silence as she hums past.

Her throat becomes sore. Andher song stops.

The prisoners walk with the soliders as the soldiers' lead the prisoners to cages around other prisoners.

,,These,'' Minst breaks and licks dry tongue over dry lips. ''These not the cages...The rocks...The...''

John of the Goblinkin says, ,,Smear your shit inside and find new weapons.'' He points inside a cage. ''A cup for energy for you to drink. And you must drink.'' He steps by William.

William drips, nods and steps into a cage and falls befor ethe cup.

One by one the others follow William into cages and drink from the cups.

Cool mint feels to fume through body and pores. Lips and tongues sooth. The burn of hunger and thirst cools with the mind. 

A breeze blows and the sun shines. The breeze blows a cold sherver over the sweat. 

Sweat dries and bodies cool to the desert freeze. 

with the last swallow, William stands to his open cell door, and he peers around as the other peers and drink.

The peers steer their sight to other. 

While the drink the thick mint liquid, John talks. ,,Every day you will run until the sun is at its Zenith. If you run you get the lushish and fragrant drink that you are now having pleasure while drinking. The drink is a brew created by Senator Ring, and it will feed thirst and hunger like the nector of the Gods. After the Zenith drink then begins fight training.''

John walks with Jewelled Dagger in hand. Feet pace and kick sand. Sand puffs and blows with wind. ''The fights will be negotiate between owner if they be shit or not shit. We owners will chose what if any weapons are used, rules of the fight and when the find ends and begins.'' John of the Goblins stands. ''Once the fight ends then we will train until the sweat drips and muscles break with the heat. You will live to learn how to fight with and in the deset.'' Johno looks at William. ''ore you will die being owned by shit.''

Minst licks the rim of his cup. He smackes. ,,Why\? What is expected of us? Why?'' He breathes and feels a slow in thought. ''I can't fight. I can't fight. I don't know. I don't...''

John of the goblins steps to Minst and points knife. ,,You think shit want to stain by letting you die\?'' Minst nearly poke Minst's nose with Jewelled Dagger tip. ''Where's the spell book question warrior? Are you going to learn? Don't you beieve I have the mind to know who to fight you again? Do you not turst me.'' John smiles with pointed teeth showing. ''Do you not want to leave?''

,,Leave Minst be.'' says William.

,,Or,'' says John of the Goblinkins. He looks at William. ''Another fight?''

William and John stare.

There is a pause. Other prisoner watch.

John of the Goblinkin then says, ''After fights you get another drink. After fights and before night, we train to fight in the pits.'' John of the Goblinkin wallks around. ''You need to learn how to show your fight and give the crowd what they want if you are to earn any freedom. We will train. Then we will sleep. And when. And when I. I believe you ready. You will have your trial. You wil have your chance to test you, to test your innocence.''

William says, ,,You speak like a mad man with little control of his thoughts.''

John of the Goblinkin smirks ands stands before William. ,,Mad I may seem, but I do not have shit smeared on me. You do.'' He steps near William. ''No you get ti fight.'' John clicks and clacks.

A warrior an arrow shot from John clicks and clacks and raises one hand.

John raises hand and points dagger at Willam.

A loud click clacks. 

The mumble of beasts and beings settle.

John says, ,,Stand readdy to fight.''

,,No,'' says William. He sits. ''I refuse to be your puppet. I will not do your bidding. I will not fight.''

John of the Goblinkin grins and licks teeth. ,,You don't need to fight when I have other's to fight your fight.'' John clicks.

Two soldiers step to Minst's cage. One holds the door while the other steps inside celle and reaches for Minst.

Minst swats and twists and crawls and rools from the soldiers. A second soldiers steps to cage.

William stands. ,,Leave Minst fight his own battle.'' He hands head.

John of the goblin clicks and clack. The soldiers step away from Minst.

Then a silhouette in cage near a distant clacking being walks between the cages and to sight.

The silhouette become an orc. The orc stands a foot taller than William and a foot wider. It's broad shoulders look slumped under the white cloth and skin. It's eye sockets caste shadows over eyes and skni under chin and arms swattles as it pounds between the cages. The feet step and crack the sand caked ground. 

,,You fight where you met,'' says John. ''You shall not kill. You shall only subdue and one wins when the other doesn't move or screams and pleads and begs.''

The orc steps and stomps.

,,Let me take the fight,'' says Spear. ''Hunger for pain I have.''

John cackle howls. ,,You will feel your pain after William feels pain.'' The cackle howl flows to silence. John looks up at William. ,,Well, you fight!''

The orc grunts, snorts and begins to run.

William steps from cage. He grips the pointed rod and peers at the orc. ,,And if fate has me stabbing this rod in its heart?''

,,If it dies,'' says John. ''You die.''

John steps from William and the cages standing near a soldiers and Kirra's cage as the Orc runs.

The orc leaps and steps in strides over the hard sand ground. 

William steps back, past the open cage door and stands watching, waiting seeing.

The orc steps and leaps at William with a roar, arms stretched.

William grips cage door, spins behind cage.

The cage door swing to closed.

Orcs' arms fly between bars. The orcs' feet hit ground and skid. The orc slams against the gate and swings.

William stops spin and stumbles then walks backward steps to balance then leap for arm. William grabs on of the orcs arms before the orc pull both arm from bars of cage door. He pulls on arrm and reaches to ground while foot pushees on door. He pulls.

And the orc punches hand between the bars hitting william's arm. The orc's large stubby leggs pulse and kick and stomp away from cage and Wiliam.

William graps arm with both hands and pushes door against Orce with legs. Other leg braces to hold.

The orc punches and punches and puccns william's hands and gauntlet. The orc's fist hits Wiliam sheets covered guantlet.

William's sheet covered guantlet hand slips from arm of orc while other hand grips and his hit with a fist.

The orc kicks, and snot flies from snout and spittle sprays from mouth. 

Dust kicks and clouds then is blown away. The shodws of the gate sways. The hinges of cage door squeak.

Sweat drips from taught muscles and the warriors pull.

William feels his hand slipping. William lowers foot and kicks with feet and pushes agains the door with the orc.

The door and the orc swing into the cage.

The orc falls, and cage door slams against wall.

William stumbles into cages and scoops sand dust with one hand and grabs door with other hand. 

Cage door slams on orcs boot covered leg. Sand flies at orc as William dives.

The orc growns a moan as cage door slams ankle. The orc covers eyes and punches blind as William flies. Its fist hist Wiliam's head.

William's head hits the Orc's chin, and body slams the air from the orc. Willima punches and punches the orcs body while trying hold the orcs arms againt ground with knees. 

The orc shifts and shakes and thrust waist up and rolls, punches William's head.

William's fists slam the sides of orc feeling the slam of solid mass. 

Willaam and the orc rolls over hte cage floor gripping and slippoing and hitting and biting.

The orc snags and cuts William with tooth. Fists hit faces, shoulders, chests.

,,GET UP AND FIGHT!'' hollers John. ''FIGHT STANDING. FIGHT STANDING TO SEE! I CAN'T SEE THE FIGHT!''

Loud clicks and clacks feel the tap against William as the William fights. And as William fights all watch and look around at the soldiers and warriors watching William and the orc fight in the cages. Spear's heart beats as he feels the want to hit John of the Goblinkin.

John of the Goblinkin stand by a warrior wearing white leather armor with shiny studs taht cover ankle to wrist to neck.

The white leater covered elf stands taller than John. It stands with hand clasped behind back and feet at attention. Its posutre lines to the sky and calm feels to spread to the wind.

The wind calms and the elf in the body of leather armor stands and says like a song. ,,Rolling around on the ground you will have nothign found, but a bored crowd  not to happy or proud to spend their gold with the boring story you have told.

Life a song the elf says, adn like a song, Myst hears. 

A note of strings of Rieghn play like William playing his guitar.

William doesn't play his guitar. William slams forarms and fists against the sides of the chest and waist as orc's forehead hits William's nose.

William goes blind with pain. He feels his good roll and hold. He sees blur and hears a song.

A song like a hum play and sooth the pain and dry the tears. 

The orc chokes William.

And William gags. The clam song from somewhere gets knock out of William's heard. He reaches and squqeeze the neck of the orc.

They choke each other while John and the white armored elf click and clack and point and shrug. 

The white armored elf clicks loud as John says, ,,WILLAIM, THE FIGHT IS OVER.''

William chokes and squeezes as the orc chokes William.

The white armored elf clicks and snaps and stands.

The orc breaks William's hold over neck and pushes and kicks back, stumbles to a sand. Snot snorts from its mouth, and it grins.

William rolls to knees and crawls to a stand...

,,YEILD, WILLIAM,'' says John of the Goblinkin. ''NOW.''

William leaps and tackles the orc.

The orc slams fists againts Wiliam's back.

William falls flat and scrambles over the hard sand floor. 

The orc reachs rolls and grabs the cage door.

The cage door slams against William's head.

William feels the thunk nad hears it hit. He hear only his breath as he lays.

A clack laugh gives sound with the wind and the sun shine.

John says, ,,Yield, william, or you will not rise for the next fall.''

The orc steps from cage and walks to the set.

The white armrored elf raises palm of hand toward John.

John pulls a wood coin from pocket and lays the coiin on the plam the white armor elf.

The elf walks away.

John licks his pointed teeth. ,,You failed to fight of the orc, so you fail to drink the Minty Lunch to fill your body to fight.''

William lays on ground and breath sand from mouth.. He rolls on back. ,,We need food if we are to fight. We need water if we are expected to live.''

,,You are expected to win of you want to live for you living is not expected..'' John of the Goblinkin grabs the cage door and shuts the cage door then locks the cages door.

William lays and watches.

Spear and Kirra stand and step.

Myst hums and steps with the sound to find the door and a soldiers.

A soldiers steps before Myst.

Soldiers of John step between Kirra and Spear.

,,You get your fighting chance before the sun lays on the plains and ends the day,'' says John. 

John of the Goblinkin clicks and clacks and smack and clicks to the sounds of surface talk. ,,Spear, you be the one with the might to win and eat this night.''

The white armored elf stands and turns slow and clam. The elves dark skin slides smooth over oval head.  The elf smiles, grins with teeth as it nods then raise an ivory horn to lips to blow.

A low moan feels to grow and spread then quiet.

Myst sees the cages and William and the white armor elf raise a hand.

,,Spear,''s ays John, ''YOu fight for your food.'' He steps from the bath between the cages.

He steps from Spear's view. 

Spear steps from cage and bumps John as he peers into the darknes of hte Rise and beyond the silhouette of the orc.

A large silhouette does rise and run adn become a hulking pass of human. It's waist raise near Spear shoulders and arms as thick as Spear's arms. 

Spear stand by John watching the white armored elf step between cages from the path of the giant.

John sniffs and licks teeth. ,,You see a half-giant running at you, Spear. You fight it as human.'' John cackle howls and says, ''You will not be a were a rat for this fight or no fight will be.''

,,Spear,'' sasy Guile as he feels his heart thump. ''Focus on tree. Focus.'' Giule pulls to a sit, reaches for cage door and swings cage door closed.

The door slams shut.

The half-giant pound and bound over the dsert floor then roars and and swats arms as large as Spear's legs.

Spear crouchs and leaps at half-giant leg. He grabs legs and spins around.

The giant arm hit the ground and cracks the hard sand. The first scrap over the ground and scoop Spear as Spear swings around lits leg.

Spear crouchs and leaps at half-giant leg. He grabs legs and spins around.

The giant arm hit the ground and cracks the hard sand. The first scrap over the ground and scoop Spear as Spear swings around lits leg.

Spear is scoope with huge arms. Spear kicks and slams the half-giants knee. Spear falls.

The half-giant roars and drops spear.

Spear crawls and leaps up with fist leading into the grion of the half-gaint. The fists its the pelvis. The the body falls and hits rolls.

A huge half-giant foot stomps after rolling Spear then kicks Spear.

Spear's body flies and hits Guile's cage, falls. Between the beats of heart the pumps beat from a tap to a thump. Muscles and bones feel to shift. Spear raors from  the ground to the air to the waist and back of the giant.

The gaint ppunds the ground, reaches from Spear and hits the foot of spear.

Spear whips around back and climbs to back of half-giant and raps arms around neck and squeezes like squeezing a tree and the rage from body. He feels his body ships and shap and slide slow with the roar.

The half-giant fall back and lands on Sprear.


Spear chest compresses, creaks. He he hugs the neck of the half-giant. 

The giant rolls back and forth and grabs Spear's arms and pulls.

Spear bites the half-giant's ear and slides hands to eyes sockets and press. 

The thick fingers of the hill giant try to pick and pry Spear's arms from face, but slips with screams and fit. The half-giant rolls and slams back agasint ground.

Spear slams again and again and again against the ground. 

Puffs of dust plum. 

Spear's heart beats from a thump to a pound.

The hills giants kicks Guile's cage with feet and bends a bar.

Spear slams ground, scrops sand and Jam sand in the eye of half gaint. 

The giant roars, shakes and whips body slamming Spear against the ground. 

Spear hits and rolls away. The rage and pound calm through the pain and numb through body as Spear reache adn pulls body over desert ground. Spear rolls to side and to a sit to see the giatn scream.

The giant screams and shakes. Large drops of tears stream its cheeks. 

Spear stands with pain spreading an pumping through chest. He steps with a swagger then a stride, leaps with feet flying and slaming against the giants head.

The half-giant swats at Spear and bangs Spear's legs. The half-giants other hand grabs Spear.

Spear kicks and kicks and rolls back and scrambles to a stand holdign two handfuls of sand. The sand falls as fast as sweat falls from face. 

The white armored elf steps by Spear and snaps and clicks.

John of the Goblinkin cliks and clacks and holds out hand. ,,Yeild,'' says John. ''Spear, you yeild on the field.''

The white armord elf clicks and clack then flicks thumb.

A wooden coins flies and falls before John.

John clicks and picks up the wood coin. ,,You will drink for your feat the liquid now.''

Spear stands, breathes, sweats and stares. He watches the half-giant roll to side, stand and walk away with head low.

,,You win!'' cackle howls John of the Goblin. He puts hands by mouth and clicks and clacks.

Spear stands and breathes and focuses on a tree as the muscles and bones set a human frame.

,,Spear,'' says William. ''Spear.''

Spear looks at William. 

,,Are you of sound mind and body,'' says William.

Spear breaths, shrugs shoulders and nods head back. He sits to the ground looking at the sweat drip and the shadow over head cover.

The sun shines in the blue skey toward the Wane and Set.

,,What are we doing?'' says Minst. ''What is this? this is barbaric. It its beyond logic for us to need to fight these fight--''

,,QUIET!'' hollers john of the Goblinkin.

John of the Goblinkin puts palm to ear.

Kirra, Myst and Spear hear a distant shout of, ,,JOHNIVODEGLICKIN, GRI.'' with clicks and clacks from the warriors around cages.

Soldiers stand and peers at Kirra, Guile, Myst, Minst, Spear and William.

William lays on back and head on ground.

John of the goblinkin pulls wooden coin from belt and flips it to Spear. ,,You get a cup of lush nectar.''

A hand waves above the head with other hand by mouth with the shout from a bald human in hide and ring mail haning over chest. A small buckler on wrist is then pounded five times. 

John clicks loud like a tree branch snap.

The snap strikes Myst's silent mind hearing only the hum of her throat for her to see from sight.

John says loud and the song feels to mummble lyrics, ,,There is five to our four of you. You fight all as one with a mixed bunch that has no hunch of...Of...''

The Jewelled Dagger gleams the sun a twinkle in Guile's eyes.

Guile rolls to side and looks at ankle. The ankel that lays with slight pain. Guile sees a maze through the cracks in the sand and looks along the path away from the gleam, but the gleam shines at the end of the mazes and away from the slight pain in leg. The Jeweled Dagger twinkles and with that twinkle Guile feels his heart thump hard. ,,ID Hurit Joul.'' 
 
Minst leaning on cage and looking from goblin spell book to John to the human silhoutte. ,,What did you say,'' says Minst. 
 
,,Heart Dagger name,'' says Guile. He looks away from the Jeweled Dagger. 
 
The Jewelled Dagger is grabbed and raised by John of the Goblinkin as he stops clicking the clack. 
 
John says, ,,One warrior to warrior fight.'' John looks at William. ''Kirra, you fight the beast that will come to you for it is your first fight and the other warrior has the might to kill you.'' John of the goblinkin parts lips with tongue licking teeth. ''You don't kill it.''

Spear says, ,,What it?'' Spear brushes sand from face and watches the half-giant and the white armored elf walk toward the rise.
 
,,It,'' says Minst looking from spell book to John. ''It...'' Small marks and slashes appear before Minst like glimmers from the sun.

,,It,'' says John. ''It is an invisible killer that is staking Kirra now.''

William raise head from ground and grabs pointed rod and says while standing ,,It will not come to pass that she

John shuts cell door of William's cage and locks the lock of the door. ,,You will not stop the fight.'' 

,,Spear stands adn flexes wide muscles. ,,Stop killers is what,-''

,,No,'' says John as Spear says, ,,What I do...''

,,No,'' says John. ''You do what the shit master says you do to or you all die.'' John grips the Jeweled Dagger and points tip at Spear. ''You take wood coin and you go in cage.''

Spear stands and stares.

,,Spaer,'' says Myst. ''I will see any invisible hunter,'' she says as she lets words lead to louder humming sounds then a low tonal song singes with lips and throat and through the bars and cages over the dester ground. The sound sees through the shadows under the sun and around the grounds and prisoners and the warriors standing
. 

The song of Myst in an instant feels to sing to William and Guile and through Guile and William and around the plains.

Guile and William hear the song sing away stress, hunger and fright of the invisible stakler echoing in their minds. 

William lays head back and thinks of Myst in mind.

Then Minst hears the song.

Myst sings  sees the distant fights and talks and sitting prisoners as warriors shouts and point and pass woood coins.    

William, Spear, Guile and Minst peer into the shadows and the distand cages for movement.

The see only shadows, light, sand and cages. A group of prisnoers cheers as four prisoners kick three prisoners on ground,

,,Do you see it?'' says Minst.

Kirra closes eyes and breathes away the sound of her heart and her breath.

Myst sings and sees around Kirra and the cages and the shadows the sway and bend with the wind between the cages. Then the shadows and sunlight take shape of a being bending light around the shape of a human. 

A being runs through Myst's song near silent. It's feet pushing through the sound of Myst's song toward Myst.

Myst sings  The song of Myst never silence to lose sight of the land and the world. ,,I see the being fleeting food fast over the ground. I believe a creature the size of William has  been found.''

,,Where it be seen?'' says William.

And Myst sings, ,,I see I believe a shape that sees to be running fast and silent to me.''

William grabs the bars of jail and Shakes.

John says fast. ,,You move Spear all die.''

Spear stands and flexes and stares, peers around Myst. ,,See nothing.''

With the sound and the sight, Kirra doesn't see, but hears the steps of the being. 

Near silent steps of crunching sand run toward Myst as Myst sings.

Kirra scrambles to a stand then a run from cage past John and to Myst's cage.

She sees between the shadows the dust of foot blow away from the wind.

The wind gusts with a hum and tone from myst the rises in volume.

She sees the coming of the humoid being as she grips sand and stands and lets shout sing loud and peirce.

The song of Myst to William, Minst and Guile sooths the fright and caste a sight for them to see through teh sound the being running by Myst's cage at Kirra.

Kirra and the being collide at the cage door of Myst's cage. Kirra feesl to hit a flat wall and is lifted and slammed agains the gates.

A blue being as tall as Minst, wide as William with four arms and stained white sheete wrapped with rope appears holding Kirra from the ground. The beings heard and oval and covered with hair like a humans. It's big hears flow to a point and create a bowl that sticks from its heard.

,,What's that?'' mutter Minst and he grabs Spell book and stares at it with the song of myst playing away an urge for Minst to shut the door. Minst stares. 

Guile says and stands and peers. ,,An Id.'' Guile stares and sends a mental shout at the Id.

,,Id,'' says Minst. ''That's an Id.''

The Id squeaks and sqeak the feel to eack between the bones of Kirra.

Song of Myst sooths the eack between the joints of Kirra. 

Kirra head butts the Id in it's long braod nose between oval black eyes. She kicks and kicks at the knee of Id while pussing arms out agains the push of the Id's four arms.

The Id's head kicks back with the Kirra's hit. Its arms squeeze and and press against Kirra.  

A shout from Guile hits and echo around the mind of the Id. The shout loops to a pain in Guile's mind.

Guile feels head ache. Guile feels the ache and molds the mind ache into a shaddow that shoots between the light into the shadow ofthe Id's hear

The Id throws Kirra agianst the cages.

And the Id opens the door to Myst's cage.

Kirra rolls and wraps legs around the Id's ankles and rolls twists legs.

The Id falls reaching fro Myst and kicks Kirra in the face and chest. Its foot grabs the cage and begins to close.

,,NO,'' shouts Spear as the thought of a tree explodes.

,,YOU YIELD,'' shouts John. he steps before Spear.

Spear steps and pushes against John. John peers up.

The cage of Myst's cage door cloese as Kirra grabs and pulls.     

Blood drips from Kirra's lips and eyes swells.

Myst in the cages kicks thin span of dust at the Id's face and sing a pitch that screams and shouts as she steps back and pushes forward. 

A foces shimmers and shines with the sun then thrusts at the ID as Myst sing and presses arms out.

The Id lifts then slams to the ground as the song force slams the Id down.

,,MINST,'' hollers William. ''YOU NEED TO FIGHT NOW OR FOREVER FEAR THE BATTLE WE WILL BE!''

William's words smack Minst to move.

Minst dropsp the goblins spell book the snap and click fast as the laying Id reaches for Myst's angles with two hand.

The Id's two hands reach for Myst's ankles, but hands hit invisible wall.

Minst clicks and ands taps as the fit pushes through.

Kirra falls.

Myst steps aganst the bars and sings as Kirra. Grips, stands, pulls shouts and kick the hand like feet of the Id.

The cage slowly opens a gap as Kirra kicks hands and slips to slide between the doors. 

The Id rise and spins with two open palms flying at Kirra and then it disappears.

Kirra ducks, pushes back, grabs the cage and swings away. 

Myst feels a smack slap her face and chest as her song shapes around the Id. 

The song of Reighn silences and stutters for a few breathes.

Kirra sees a dust puff near Myst as she steps and leaps into the cage while Minst clicks and clakcs and snaps.

A shimmer shines before Kirra, and Kirra hits and is knocked aside. 

A slap smacks Kirra.

Myst shoults and splits sounds. 

The Id appears and grabs Myst's throat and hips and lifts Myst from the ground and slams her to the cage.

Song of Myst silences with the wind as the ID chocks.

As the Id chokes Myst, William shouts. ,,JOHN STOP HER DEATH!'' He punches the cage door with fist.

Spear steps and rushes from cage at John. 

John rolls and leap at Spear as warriors step between the cages. 

As the Id chokes Myst, Kirra leaps at the knee.

The Id's knee bends. The Id screetches like a bird. 

Myst falls. The Id falls on Myst and Kirra. 

KIrra punches and punches the ID until the Id grans Kirra's fists and chokes Myst.

A large shadow span around the Id as Guile grins as he feels into the darkness of the Id's mind. He feels teh slow process and calm focus within that explodes as a metnal shadow around the Id.     

In their minds, Guile and the Id shift teh shape of the Shadow expanding around thethoughts and actions of the Id.

Guile grins and the grin illuminates the a bright light in the shadow around the mind of the Id. 

The mental flame burns to smoke as a wind blows around in the darknesse then the breeze stops to blow as the darkness around the Id shines away.

Guile pulls a light from the sun and shines it on the mind thought of the Id.

The Id appears. 

Kirra pulls fists from Id's hands and rolls at leg and ankle pulling knee.

The Id stumples.

Myst falls.

Kirra rolls on Id's side and pouns and pounds the Id's side.

William shouts. ,,GET OUT OF THE CAGE AND SING THE SONG FROM A DISTANCE.''

Myst falls to dust and coughs and cages. Her sight and world a bright white with shades of gray. She hits and slaps back an hnad of the Id reaching to grab the Id.

The Id's other hand hits a while not seen that shimmers. The fist hit with the silence.

Minst clicks and snaps and stares. He sees the mark flash and flow with the glimmer of the sun. He sees the focus and the pitch of sound and volume of click guide the glimmer of the sound shield.

Spear pushes and punches two soldiers as two more rush and press shields agains Spear boxing Spear as Spear break through and steps toward Kirra. His arms and jaw shift and hairs grow. 

,,YOU YEILD,'' shouts John of the Goblinkin.

,,I got the mind,'' says Guile with a grin.

Then the glimmer and shimmer illuminating away the shadow mind of the Id blast a sun brust at Guile, and Guile falls.

Three cross bow bolts hit the sand ground between Spear's paws and the threshold of the cell. Spear leaps. 

The Id scretches. 

The cag door slams shut jamming Spear against the cage and the door. 

The Id's scretech continues until Myst sings and covers its mouth feeling the sound pull the cage door.

Silences is except the sound of Kirra's punching the Id.

The Id rolls begins to squeak.

,,SPEAR,'' hollers William.

The Id squeak stops; the door opens; Spear falls. 

Two sodlers grab a leg of Spear and pulls. Spear pills and kicks. 

A group of soldiers rush at Spear in and the cage.

Soldiers pull and hold the cage door shut. 

Clicks and snaps clack voer prisoners.

Warriors wearing yellow bands run the sands toward John.

John clicks thick and mix clicks with surface talk words. ,,TAHK YOU YEILD. KIRRA YOU YEILD!'' He push past to cage doors and pulls shouting. ''OPEN DOOR NOW!''

In the cage, the Id The squeak gives pain to Kirra as she punches. The Id's fist give pain to Kirra as it punches Kirra's shoulder.

Kirra is trust back and uses the thrust to roll and kick to a stand.

Myst hits the Id's face and shouts.

The shout bombs and rings the bars. Soldiers covers hears. Sounds stabs and leaves a hollow echo of silences.

All hear heat beats before they hear distant and echoing shouts and clicking as soldiers approcch.

The Id slay calm on back with eyes peeing at the barred cell ceiling.

Myst looses song and voice and sits. In her mind only the sound of the shout she finds. She sits and looks at the ground.

John click and clacks and shout, ,,YOU MOVE FROM CAGE. YOU MOVE FROM CAGE OR FEEL MY RAGE!'' He pulls and pushes soldeirs from the cage door.

The soldiers stumble and push away from the door. Soldiers hold and pull Spear away. 

Spear grows fur and limbs extend and jaw locks a snout. His finger nails grow slow to claws and bodys shakes.

The warriors around Spear crawl and pull away as the click and clack and point holding shields before and short swords tips aime at Spear's body.

William says as he grips bars. ,,If you arm my friends you will suffer the rath of Gods.''

As William speaks, John of the Goblinkin steps into to the cage. 

As william speaks, Myst and the Id lay ont he ground while Kirra climbs on top of the Id.

As William speaks, warrors and soldiers and prisoners run to the cages around forming a broken circle.

As William Speaks, the Id Squeaks.

,,KIRRA,'' shouts John. ''YOU STOP.''

Kirra punches the Id's head.

John reaches for Kirra's shoulder.

Kirra shift's shoulder and punches at John.

John ducks the punchs and hits fist aside. ,,YEILD, YOU.'' He grabs Kirra's collar and pulls Kirra back. His hooked neck rises head staight and pulls.

John's shout quiet soft clatter and talk of the soldiers, warriors and prisoners walking around the cage.       

The look as Spear and step away.

Ten soldiers stand around Spear and hold swords at Spear.      

Spear arms hang long and hair. The ropes around the white cloth spull tight around long legs. Clwas scrape the sand. Spear breathes and sees the points of the daggers. He smells a scent of musk and heat that burn in his mind to the deep.   

A cherry peach fumes flow from the sweat of a being walk near. 

Spear sniffs as his heart calms with the fums of the smell. 

The swords point and jostle as a crowd of yellow armored warrios wearing yellow leather coils push with their short swords and shields into the group around the cage of Myst, Spear and the area.

Soft clatter of clicking stops as a voice says, ,,Release Glare and heed the challange or I keep your coin and seek law to pay for the damage of property.'' 

The soldiers and warriors with yellow amor calm. Johns soldiers with black leather and chain mail push against the yellow coifed warriors. Their small sheilds and sowrds cross and press.

John of the Goblin shouts, ,,YOU GET ME MONEY AND I WILL PULL...'' John ducks a punch from KIrra.

Kirra punches and stand and steps my Myst. 

Myst sit by the Id.

The id lays on back calm and breathing.

,,YIELD,'' shout John. He steps from Kirr and points the jewelled dagger tip at Kirra. John says, ,,You yeild or you die.''

Willaim hears the shout and looks over the hugoblins, hobgoblins, humans, dwarves, elves and muts of beings standing around. The prisnoers in white stand together around the warriors and soldiers.

,,Kirra,'' says William. ''Myst.''

Myst says, ,,Kirra, it is not our song to sing for battle.'' Myst begins to hum again.

The hum spreads and feels to clam Kirra.

The Id hums with Myst.

The soldiers wearing the yellow coifs pull on prisoneer in white sheet and john's soldiers from the cage bars. A path to the cage door is created by a hall of yellow.

One of John's soldiers's clicks and push a yellow coifed soldier. Shield sand swords are raised. Click clack ans snaps.

John looks at Kirra. ,,YEILD OR DIE.''

The shorts clank and clatter queiets with the clacks. 

John looks at the cage door and speaks at the yellow coifed warrios standing a hall to a white robed being. ,,Get the Id out of my cage.''

The white robed being stands.

The smell of bread and dust swirl.

The Id rolls to side and stands. it ducks as it through the door and riase above the most of the creatures surrounding.

Kirra stands swith Myst.
 
John stands in cage and clicks and clack.

The yellow soldiers jostle around the Id and the white robed being no taller than Guile.

The warrios of John wearing the black armor and black chain mail click and clack a beat. The stand around spear and step from the crow and back along the horizons to the Rise, Wane, Wax and Rise.

The crowd clear and leaves the desert to the sand and cages.

Guile sits and rubs skull feeling the darkness of the ids mind dim the focus on the pain in ankle, the hunger in stomach, the confusion of mind. ,,Ghjo,'' he mutters as he leans on bars and slides down to sand.

The sand blows with a gust.

The gust blows voer Minst as Minst tries to click, but finds the sound off and tone low as the click. He clicks high and low hopeing small shields appear around Kirra, but knowing that he feels like there are no shields appear about Myst. 

Myst stands and sees all with sound. 

John, the soldiers, William, Myst, Kirra, Guile, Minst and Spaer stand as other walk and leave. They stare and look and breathe. They wait and look between the spaces
.

Spear twitches and heart beats. The smell of peach and must blow away. The heart race slows pace to a clam beat.

,,You give me two wood.'' says John of the Goblkin. John smiles. ''You have three cups.'' He walks from cage. ''You have three cups and you have the sun. And for the victors of the battle you may roam free utnil the night comes.'' John of the Goblin looks at William. ''You will remain in your cage.'' He steps between the soldiers around Spear as Spear stands. ''You are a feak and will earn me money in the bit or the dome if you live the desert.'' John steps around Spear 

Spear stands, breathes slow and deep and sways like a tree. 

John licks his pointed teeth. ''YOu were scare people. You were are dangerous to the population, but people pay to see the fight of the freaks. YOu make shit money.'' John walks between the soldiers and by William. ''You are stains of shit.'' And john walks toward the set.

Soldiers, one by one, follow.

Guile shouts, ,,WHEN WE GET DRINK.''

The sun shines. The sand lays still. And John and the soldiers become silhouettes then fall into the sand along the Rise horizon.

Minst finds his tongue and holds back a want to click. ,,What do we do now?''

,,You leave,'' says William. ''Get the liquid given for the victory and be off in the direction of John.''

Spear sways and looks a William.

Myst voices. ,,We will not leave on of the pack.''

,,We fight,''s ays Kirra. ''We wait.''

Guile sits and looks at the sand searching for the pattern of marks and mazes to connect. ,,Fight kills me. Fight will kill me.''

,,The jogging through these barren lands will kill you,'' says William. 

Minst steps from cage and look over the sands. ,,We're doomed.''

,,No,'' says Minst. ''We are guided.''

,,Rieghn Speaks the truth through Minst,'' says William.

Guile turns and looks back at William and looks at the ground watching sweat drips dry through sand. ,,Senator say armor not yours. The fate is gone.''

,,Armor,'' says William. ''If that armor takeing by Senator Ring is indeed not part of my distant family 

,,Are we controlled and fooled by Carlos the Barded Dwarf?'' says Minst. His lips and tongue feel slow and tight light taut muscles. 

The pack remains calm.

William says, ,,Yes, we are controlled by Carlos. But no longer will I play his game for once free from this cage of the desert I will leave Waterdown and find lands free of the goblin scourge.''

Spear steps to William's cage. His body remains fur covered; limbs hang; voice squeaks. ,,Escape first.''

Willia nods he stares at Myst.

Mysts stands and appears to look back, put with eyes scared shut.

,,I need food,'' sasy Guile. 

An as if by queue, the squeak of a cart rolls along the desert.

The pack settles to the sand.

The cart rolls to the cages. All hold their cups before the cart, the workers.

Spear's, Kirra's and Myst's cups are filled. The servant waves on and the cart rolls on.

Spear says, ,,Wait.'' He points to Minst and Wiliam ''Fill cups.'' He stomps along the wagon as it rolls. ''Fill cups.'' He says, ''Minst, Click and clack and tell them to fill cups. Spear pushes on one. ''Stop.'' He points toward William. ''Fill cups.''

The hugoblin server clicks and clacks, shakes head, pushes past.

,,Yield,'' sas Spear.

William says, ,,Spear, it be no bother for another fight may have use with no cups.''

Spear stands in the sand and stares at the cart as it rolls away. He holds his cup and walks to William. He grabs William's cup and pours half his liquid into William's cup.

William watches the pour feeling the thirst and the hunger burn for more. ,,Spear, please keep the liquid to give your body strenth.''

Spear drinks adn walks away.

,,Thank you, my friend,'' says William drinks.

Myst hums for sight and steps and says, ,,If the song of John sings as it should then this cup of nurishment I hold for Reighn is for Guile and Minst as well as me, so please come share our gift for battle.''

Guile stands and wobbles and limps. ,,Id have psionics. It caste psionics.''

William swallow and sits on the desert cell floor. ,,Id...The Id I have never seen in my days. Even in the warrior academy.''

Minst sits and watch Guile walk over to Myst. ,,The Id are a near mystical race as dragons. One taughts at the guild as a component librarian. It was said that because of the four hands and feet like hands that learned to use six hands at one or many tasks since born. Their minds are naturally mystical. It is thought that their blue skin is a result of the color of the blue crater lake toward the wax near the ice caps. The skin the deep blue of the water. It is a wonder that an Id is here or alive in the eat. They are creatures that have no class or clan. They have families. It is likely that the Id we fount was traded or found young. It's-''

,,Traded,'' says Guile.

Minst glances at Guile and looks at the cup in Kirra's hand. ''The families of Id trade or leave the weaker young to rid the family of the weakness. It is still known, and proven here today, that a weak Id is still a powerful being.'' He glances at Kirra and Myst. ''I seen the component librarain at the guild tomb cast a spell while swinging a sword and seeing a psoinic song to the crowd. It was  abit specital and not practical, but the Id did castes a spell, while swinging word and seeing a psionic power of Meh.''

,,Meh?'' says Guile. ''What is Meh?''

Minst talks to the desert with his stare. ,,Meh is like a trance of indiffence. It is like a sigh almost. A sigh for the mind.''

Guile clears thoat, swallows. ,,You feel Meh.''

Minst smiles with the falling sun. ,,It was a student test and initiation to try to steal a component from the library using only cantribs to sneak around and hide from the Id. The more rare the component the higher the grade fo the test. I with three others decided to use our skills to help each other sneak deep into the forbidden areas of the component library. The four of us used knock, flame light, burp and foot steps to sneak in deep, or so we let our selves befor for as I was can't a cantrib to move a shadow, so the Id would not find me. The cantrip worked. The Id saw the show move and went to look. I ran and got a red dragon feather.'' Minst smiles and nods. ''Like the red dragon feather I go insode the Rose Quarter Wizard's Guild. But...'' He look at the Rise hoizon. ''But I did not get the dragon feather. I was walking along the isle where it should have been then I stopped carring. I thought that there was not point in completing a student test. It was...Well, Meh.''
 
As Minst talks, Guile drinks swallows and back washes the drink. he drinks all bey a few swallows and give it back to Myst.

Kirra drinks from the cup then walks to Minst as Minst talks then stands.

Myst smiles and steps to William.

Kirra put cub of nectar near Minst.

Minst stops talking and looks at cup.

Cup is nearly full.

Minst looks at Kirra as Kirra walks to cage. ,,Kirra, I will save you some of the nectar.''

,,Drink,'' says Kirra as she walks by her cage. ''All.''

Minst drinks all.

Myst says, ,,William please drink my nectar.''

,,No,'' says William, ''but I do thank Reighn kindness through you.'' William stares at Myst's face.

The small scars heal shut her eye lids. lines and circles of smeared skin like a wax of a melted candle drip from eye socket to cheek.

myst turns head like staring with William with sight and not sound. She faces him sudden.

William looks away from the melted tear drop of skin.

Myst says, ,,It's good to stare William. it will help you see there is no healing me for I see.''

William stares. ,,The quest for the armor and legacy lies have killed two friends and friendly horse.'' William stares. ''And now you can't see.''
,,I can see,'' says Myst.

,,William shrugs shoulders then nods head back. ,,You drink.'' William looks from Myst to all. ''All of us will be running tomorrow.''

,,Run is bad,'' says Guile. ''Running hurts.'' He covers his face and tugs at the white sheet hood to tie it around head.

The sun heats down upon the tops then teh sides of bodies.

A breeze gusts.

The sun lowers. The pack sits and digs, lifts rocks and rods. Minst reads the goblisn spell book and clicks and clacks over and over and over. Guile listens and begins to tap into Minst's mind with the sounds of Minst's mouth and the focus of the reading. Kirra, Spear and William dig, lift rocks All move with Myst's song of rieighn.

The song of Reighn sings with the breezes.

And the song and the breeze plays until the shadows caste to dark.

The breeze gusts to wind. And the wind blows aways the song.

The wind blows and blows...

The squeak of the wheels sounds betweeen the cages.

The wind blows...

A cart with a basin is pulled by workers in white

The wind blows...

All hold their cups at the cart as it passes and until a large scoop of the thick liquid is poured into their tall cups.

The wind blows...

And all drink and lick their cups. The run fingers along the rim of cups and sucks the cherry mind from fingers and lips.

The liquid spreads through bodies and wets what is dry, feeds what is hungry, sooths what is broke. Guile feels ankle pain float away and mint feels to fume through veins. All feel full and sleepy.

William yawns.

The wind blows...

The cart squeakes away and is to the Rise and in the shadows of the horizon when John of the Goblinkin.

Guile feels the thumb of heart beat hollow through heart. The thump its and feels to echo around the desert ground.

John of the Goblinkin walks alone from the Set to the cages. He holds hands before eyes. He says loud, ,,YOU ROAM FREE DURING DAY.'' John holds a ring of long keys with many notches and angles. ''NIGHT WE CAGE YOU FOR SAFTY OF THE DESERT DEVILS. WHEN YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH. AND FIGHT AS A TEAM. AND AN ENDURE.'' John looks from William, Speqr, Kirra, Guile, Minst and Myst. ''THEN YOU WILL FIND YOUR WAY AND FIGHT TO THE CITY WHEN YOU ARE READY. AND WHEN YOU ARE AT THE CITY YOU WILL FIGHT FOR YOUR FREEDOM. YOU NEED TO TRAIN. YOU NEED TO LISTEN TO JOHN OF THE GOBLINKIN. YOU NEED TO SURVIVE. AND IF YOU DO SURVIVE THE TRAINING AND THE TRAIL. AND YOU SURVIVIE THE FIGHTS FOR FREEDOM THEN YOU WILL REMEMBER HOW I LET YOU FREE DURING DAY. DURING NIGHT, YOU PROTECT FOR DESERT GHOULS.''

Spear and Kirra stand outside of cages and Minst sits in door frame. Minst, guild and william sit in cages. William rattles is locked door.

,,Unlock the lock holding me in my prison,'' says William. ''I will fight that being as a free man and not an animal trapped in a cage.''

John grins and licks teeth and squints against the wind. ,,YOU WILL LIVE ANOTHER LIGHT IN THE CAGE.'' John of the goblinkin steps to Spear. ''YOU IN CAGE.'' John looks up and points Jewelled Dagger tip at Spear. ''SENATE RING WANT YOU PROTECTED IN A CAGE. JOHN WANTS YOU PROTECTED BY A CAGE.'' John points dagger tip to the rise and set. He steps for chest to be touching Spears' stomach and looks up. John says. ''You enter cage or Minst and Guile will be with you outside of cage.''

Spear and John stares.

Spear steps into cage.

John walks to Kirra, and Kirra stands.

John signs and says, ,,You in cage. Minst in cage. You out of cage. Minst out of cage.''

Kirra looks at Minst and steps into the cages.

Wind blows...

John locks the cages and says louds, ,,WHEN YOU EARN YOU FREEDOM YOU WILL BE FREE FOR THE DAY. WHEN YOU BECOME DESERT STRONG, YOU WILL BE LET FREE OF THE NIGHT. WHEN YOU ARE FREE DURING THE NIGHT AND DAY, YOU WILL HAVE YOUR TRIAL. YOU WILL HAVE YOU FREEDOM TO RUN THE DESERT OR TO THE CITY.''

The last of the doors clicks.

John steps from the cages toward the Set leaving a cackle howl to be the only sight of John.

The shadows become night. The sun sings. The talking from the prisones cools.          

The wind blows and blows cool to cold. 

Shivers spread through body and the back huddles in holes.

Darl beasts screetch, scream and flow thorugh the night. A dark beasts runs around the cages at night using tenticals and mutated hand to grab and pull around.

They slept and rolled. Minst slept in the middle. And the sun rose.

Guile feels hear thumps. ,,One of us will always be jailed,'' says Guile.

And one of them was jailed while light with no soldiers on guard. William remain his cage the first six sun cycles then Kirra was caged for twenty cycles. The for twelve cycles all are locked in cages until one day John leaves after the morning run with no locking of locks.

During the forty cycles of those, they run toward the Rise until Guile or Minst or Myst would faint, fall, cryout in pain such was the case with Guile. Then either Kirra, Spear, William or all three would help Guile, minst or Myst run pack to the cages. 

The runs during the morning became different as the sun cycled across the sky. John leads them over the salf flats to the Rise and makes them roll, strafe and spin while moving foreard. John leads them through the waves to the Wax where they run and crawl up sand mounds then roll, jump, run down the waves. To the Wane they run over the shurbs and a bassin and dip in the desert scape.

Tired, sweaty and pained, they return from the morning runs.  

Guile, by the passing of thirt-five sun cycles, completes a run without helped by Spear, Kirra or William. Guile steps into the cages with a smile and lays feeling the lungs burn and bruise over body pulse as his heart thumbs. His heart pounds as John look at him with John's grin that is licked with black tongue. ,,Mound of shit runs. Now you ready to fight.''

During the forty cycles until they were all out of the cage, hey fought during the zenith after the run...

After the first fight on the second day in the desert, John began to talk more about their destiny and training. John talked about injuring and not killing to fight another day. John showed the pack weapons with retactable blades and points for show to the people. John have them each wooden staves, wooden swords and wooden knifesas the sun cucled over the sky.

The first fights began with Wiliiam and Spear each fighting a lone warrrior then after twenty cycles of the sun John begins to team both to fight. When fighting single, John shouted and point and run around the fighting area calling out moves and ways to shift a punch. John would shoult other masters for being sloppy while telling Woilliam when to use weapons and when to wrestle and punch. Orcs, orgres, humas, elves, hugoblins, half-giants, dwaves and half humans fought William and Spear or Spear or William.

Kirra fighting with Minst, Myst and Guile and Kirra fighting alone.

Myst, Minst and Guile fight with spells, thoughts and song. Myst sings and prey as she throws rock and pulls again druids and priest with bilef aligned darker than Myst. Minst uses the goblins casting to click shields and punching forces to try to survive the day losing battel after batle with casters able to fight. Guile finds the right mind and causes one to cry or shout defeat after moments of fighting.

Bruises and bangs and rung skulls are the wounds of the Zenith battles. Spear breaks a rib. William breaks a finger and twist ankle that swells during the morning runds. Kirra has a finger tip bit off. Guile looses mind for a few suns after the Id fights into Guile's mind. Minst find the clicking and clacking of the spells of goblins to be offense as many fights Minst loses sense in fingers, is punches, kicked and beat black and blue. 

The fought, trained and relaxed.

After the fights, John would trade wooden coins with failure or success of the pack's battles. John would collect the coins then talk to the pack about their technique and their acting. He would point out flaws in their wrestling or punching. He would scold them for injuring another warrior. John talked with them more each day giving each of the pack a little more thick mint liquid.

After the fights after Zenith, the pack relaxed in their cages or through the desert around their cages. They shared their thick mint liquid meal. The talked about escape. They helped dig holes and traps for their night. They talked. Myst and William sangs. William tried to take the wrap off his guantlet covered hand. Spear, William and KIrra spared and trained. Guile and Minst talked. Minst read the goblin spell book until Spear shouted silence for sleep and to hear the creap of the night beasts. All dig holes in to the desert to protect from the wind and cold. All dig holes to further the reach of the night beast.

For the night, John would return and talk with the pack while locking the cage locks for the night beast.

The night beast came and went with the night. Their flat masses slither and scamper over the ground and around the cages. Their black and sulfer steaming body climb over cages. Their tenticals, claws and hands reach between the bars and for one of the pack. Minst is attacked the most with claws and whipping tales swiging at Minst. Myst is bit by a mouth on the end of a long neck. 

Rods, rocks and holes help the pack last for the first few cycles to fight the night beasts. Then after Minst was smacked and nearly choked, the pack began to take watch every night to warn the others if a beast was lurking, While their smell was enough to wake most, the large dark beasts are silent and quick. Before the pack wake, a dark being will have a cage covered and positioned to strick.

Then through the nights and days the back fought and rested and readies. They talked of escape and searche for signs of routes.

John continued to talk every cycle about the City of Gnomes and the grand fights betweeen gladiators. John would point and show groups of warriors lead from their cages to the desert never to return. John continued to say that once the warriors lived through the night then Senator Ring would sponser their trial. John lead and fed and help mend the wounds. John helped Guile breathed and give him extra mint drink as Guile's began to cough and shier after the runs.

Minst asks everycycle about the trial, the town and the endge of the desert. Every cycle John tells Minst that after they mastered they night they would know.

It was the night beast that calmed the pack into the cages at night. It was the dark beasts the became the fight for after 

It was the dark beasts that seemed to feed of Guile's fear after he began to cough. It is the dark beast that attack the night John left the cages unlock during light cycle and dark cycle.

As the cycles passsed, skin burns, tans, peels. The gut of Guile shrinks while his cough deepens and his heart thumps and visisin of his Heart Dagger seep thorugh his dreams. Myst prays and practices prayer and sight until her sound lows her body to move around object as if with sight. William rage at the guantlet covered cloth grows as he picks an pries at the covering cloth while thinking of Shake, Buckey and the words of the senator that the fate he follows is not his.. Minst clicks and clacs tap upon all the minds and tries to find the rhythm and tone of each sound causing Minst to mumble and become tired and drained.. Kirra runs around the desert searching the animals and paths and find only the wind and faint tracks of creatures.

The cold wind blows to warm, and the sun begins to rise from the Wane to the Wax as the cycles of the sun pass.

Then as the forty-first  cycles ends, and John walks to the cages, he says after a cackle howl, ,,You have please the senator.'' He walks and stand between their cage
s.

The pack sits around their cells using rocks to sharpend rod ends, digging. Stretching and sleeping. 

John of the Goblinkin walks and stands on the path between their cages. ''You will be free of locks. You will be given freedom from the cell. BUT NOT FREEDOM FRIM THE DESERT. The Senator Ring believes you and your trial will be soon. You are to ready for the trail.'' John lifts his keys and holds the keys for all to see with the dime raise of the setting sun. ''you will be free of the lock and key. You will be free to leave or fight to protect. You will begin your trial in fifteen suns. And if you are found not guilty then you will be allowed to fight for your freedom. If you are found guitly you will die.''

,,What trial?'' says Minst as he lift tired eyes and head at John.

,,You question questions,'' says John. ''You will know the trial when it come. It will come soon. It will come to you after you live this night.''

The pack sits and looks away. Spear returns to sleep. William returns to sharpening steel rod end with rock. Minst reads and clicks with the spell book. Guile tires to read John's mind, but the thump of heart and a slow thought stops Guile's mind thought. Myst continues her hum and talk and meditation. Kirra walks from the cages and from John.

John of the Goblinkin stands then walks to the Rise and the dark.

,,We should follow him,'' says William.

Spear nods. ,,Kirra.'' He peer and sees a slight shadows shift and glimpses to see Kirra run toward the Wax and the Rise. ''Kirra follows,'' says Spear.
Spear, William, Myst, Minst and Guile sit in the dark and try to peer for Kirra as Kirra runs after John of the Goblinkin.

Kirra runs thorugh the dark and dusk through the wind and with shadows. She runs low and far round John as John walks.

A cool breeze blows small dust steps from her feet.

John's feet kick-up larg puffs as sand as he draggs feet over the desert.

Kirra slow run to a quick and low step to the ground.

Kirra and John of the Goblinkin become one with the night and the set of sun.

Minst says, ,,Does anyone else see Kirra?''

Spear peers to a squint. ,,I do not.''

Guile coughs and coughs, holds mouth. ,,No, but what.'' Guile coughs and coughs, breathes  and wipes salive.

,,We will talk of the night once Kirra returns for now we must liste and wait and try to help Kirra if help is needed by Kirra.'' William visors hand to forehead. ''My eyes are unable to tell Kirra or John of the Goblins from the dark of the horizon.''

Kirra steps after John of the Goblinkin. Her silents steps leaves no dust. Her body hides in the shadows.

John walks and kicks puffs of dust as he stop to the rise. His hear bobs and pops and stares. He walks and walks.

And Kirra follows.

John walks and looks back to to the Wax at Kirra then to the Wane. John stands.

The breeze gust a cold then calms.

Kirra stands.

And John pulls a whistle from under armor and puts whistle to lips and blows. 

A whistle like wind through a canyon blows long and calm then stops.

Then there is only the cool breeze and Kirra crounched and John standing.

Johns stands.

Kirra stares.

She glances around.

A few shadows become beings appear and walk to John and stand by John.

They stand.

Kirra peers against the dimming dawn.

John and the shadow soldiers begin to sink into the desert ground.

Kirra watches.

John and the shadow soldiers to shoulders.

Kirra moves over the desert leving a few tiny puffs of sand along the dusk dark.John's head and the shadow soliders shoulders sink into sand.

Kirra sees a dark shadow surround on the ground.

The shadow is darker then the dusk dark.

John and the shadow sholiders stand then sink into the dark.

KIrra slows step.

The dark dark circle on the ground contrasts againas  the dusk dark.

Kirra stares to the Wane, Rise, Wax and Set and steps.

Dark and desert spans to the Wane.

Desert and cages span to the Rise.

Desert and dark spand to the Wane behind the dark hole

The dark hole becomes desert ground.

Kirra stares and steps and returns quient and sightless over sand.

William peers into the dim sun and dark. ,,I don't see Kirra.''

Spear peer, and Myst hears.

Myst hears the breeze blow around the bars. She hums and the hums carries with the breeze to the Rise and around Kirra. ,,Kirra walks our way. I see no song of John of the Goblinkin.''

The pack waits with stares along the dark to the Rise, Wane, Wax and Set.

To the Set Kirra appears walk slow and. Her feet kick dust.

She peers at the dark horizons and peers for dark shapes.

Kirra walks with the pack and stands, says, ,,John sink with shadow solders. Dark spots become desert floor.''

,,What?'' says Guile. ''Understanding is not.'' Guile coughts and snorts snott up nose. ''What is said?''

Minst blinks and looks up from goblins spell book, looks at Kirra. ,,Did anyting happen before John sank into the desert?''

,,Yes,'' says Kirra. ''John blew whistle. Shadow warrios appear. They sing into ground.''

,,They,'' says William. ''Did you see the shadow warriors before the whistle?''

,,LIke Branching,'' says Minst. ''Under the desert floor.''

Kirra looks at William while Minst mummbles. ,,No.''

Minst mummbles, ,,If it's a machine like in the dwarven mines. And gnomes.'' while William says, ,,The whistle or the shadow warriors lowered them into the sand with magic.''

,,Why,'' gargles Guile before spitting.

Kirra walks, and Minst closes spell book and mumbles, ,,...Gnomes...''

William sits and says. ,,The feed us liquid, so we may not store food for a long journey. We have no waterskins or map. So our jain is the land.'' William slams the ground with his sheet covered guantlet hand.

Kirra says, ,,The sun. The land.''

,,Kirra is correct,'' says Spear. ''We have map.''

A cool wind blows.

William looks at the dark.. ,,We have no water or food. We have no map. We have only a hope of being in a city before this time now. While I yearn for freedom, I can not allow my yearings guide us in to the desert like helpless childredn.''  He stratches his dark dry skin licked with sun rays. ''I believe we shall remain for the trial.''

Minst stares at groound and whispers. ,,What trial? What are we doing here now?''   Myst looks at Wiliam. ''You've given up, William. You've been John of the Goblinkin's pet prisoner.'' Minst pause and stares. ''Have you no fight for freedom.''

,,We go-'' says Guile before he coughs and coughs. He spits in sand and says. ''We go away. We follow John of the Goblinking and kill.''

William stretches arms and leans against bars.

Minst says as thought goes from a mumble to talk. ,,The gnomes are known for their technology and inovation. They are renouned trhough the coast for their machines that help unload frieght, their machines to fire large arrows, rocks to defend in the sea.'' He stand and pace and looks to the ground. ''And we know form the John and from Flare who both mention City of Gnomes.''

,,Like the Goblin Port,'' says William.

,,So maybe this the city of gnomes?'' says Minst. ''The city is below us. The city thrives all around. We have been on top of the city for many suns.'' Minst looks at William and steps from cages and stesp at Kirra. ''Can you take us to the location where John of the Goblin sank into the sand?''

William says, ,,We have been running around the desert to the Rise Wane, Wax and Rise and we have seen no city.''

Guile says, ,,Dwarven lifts make with gnomes.''

Kirra shrug shoulders and nods head back.

Minst looks around at the pack as shadows castes long to dark and plays around. ,,We can leave these cages and find safety in the city of Gnomes that is below us. We can leave now. We can do it for the city is below. That's-''

,,Unknown,'' says William. ''And unsafe.''

Minst closes mouth and peers at William.

,,Path,'' says Spear. ''Our path.''

William looks at Spear. ,,What about tonight?''

The pack sits, stands and looks at the pack and the dark.

Minst stares then looks at William. ,,Our doors are not looked.''

Kirra says, ,,Dark beast hide night.''

Guile coughs. ,,We hide.'' He smiles as he wipes snot from face with sweat muds stained sheet.

Minst scratchs leg and touches stomach and grips goblins spell book. ,,We find where John went to the ground. We find our way to the city underground. Then no black beast will remain.'' Minst stands.

Myst humms.

William exhales. ,,The beast will be out this night and we will not be protected.'' William stands, looks at Minst and walks around. ''We have not time for followoing John of the Goblinkin on this night for this night we need to survive.'' William looks to the horizon, stares.

,,We fight,'' says Spear.

Minst says, ,,Can we fight these beasts if these beast are the same beasts we fought in the castle, seen before we entered Goblin city?'' Minst shakes head and looks down and paces and touches stomach. 

,,Yes,'' says Spear. ''We fight.''

Kirra steps to the edge. ,,We kill.''

Myst humms.

Minst paces and hold book and looks into the dark. ,,We could brace our doors with the rods and prevent the beasts from attacking. We cloud all get in a cell and fight at the edige while I make shields. And...And I think I can create a dust ball foforce. Or a nature force. I think..IF..I could try. I think...I think...

,,Minst,'' syas William.

Minst says, ,,I think we should run and hide. And Maybe we could go across the plain and ask the other prisoners for help. WE can join...''

,,Minst,'' says Willlaim as he steps near and as Minst continues to ramble and pace and flap his goblins spell book.

Minst talks. ,,,We can find where John went down and wwait until some one rises from the sand or is lifted because I think it is  a lift and I think...''

Myst says deep. ,,MINST.''

Minst stands and looks at Myst. ,,We need to survive the night Myst.'' She hums with throat a sound that vibrates Minst's tense muscle to relax. The sound defines the ground and the bars as Myst leaves her cage. He steps and puts hand on Myst. ''Together we will find the city and live the night.''

Guile coughs. ,,Together.''

Minst says, ,,Together.''

The wind blows.

William says, ,,Myst sees the path we travel now.'' He looks to Minst. ''And by right, Minst, your questions are needed to sooth the fear I fear now we have our freedom, and though weak from hunger we can live the night and nights until we can find the next path.''

The pack looks at William.

William steps adn peers through the dusk and into the breeze. ,,My sight is blind, so I can swing a sword while hidden in a cage.'' He looks to Kirra. ''Kirra can track and watch part during the night to warn of these desert beast.

Kirra looks at the Set and the sun light on the horizon. She shrugs and nods head back.

,,Spear,'' sasy William. ''Can you scout while Kirra rests?''

Spear nods.

William looks around. ,,When we were in Blue's canyon on the edge of the mountain you caste a spell that alrert you to movement, does a similar spell exist in that heathen spell book?''

,,No. No, well, yes, maybe. ...I don't know.'' Minst looks at Wiliam. ''No.''

Guile coughs.

William raisea a hand and pust it on Minst shoulders. ,,Then, my friend we will remain in a cage.''

Guile spits. ,,A cage.''

,,A cage,'' says William. ''It is best to have some defene above and around and as we seen during night's past they dark beast can only rattle doors and swipe if we are unaware or blind like the night will make my sight.''

William nods.

Kirra snorts. 

Minst says, ,,What if it opens the door and pulls you out and get to you?''

William stands before Minst and stares into his eyes as the last of the sun light fades to night. ,,Then you fight, Minst.''

Spear stands and looks to Kirra. Kirra looks at Spear and steps into the dark. ,,Kirra runs now,'' says Spear. He yawns, slaps Minst's back and puts the  arm around Minst. ''We keep warm together.'' He cuckles and smiles. 

Minst looks around in the darkness and follows.

Guile stands and coughs and snorts and walks to the cage. 

Myst hums and sings and steps to a cage.

Wiliam, Minst, Guile and Spear follow. 

,,I will reamin awake for the night,'' says William. 

Guile nods and lays in the center fo the cell coughing and snifing and trying to control the snott and burn of lungs.

Minst sits and open book and sees thorugh night sight to see the words.

Spear looks at William nods and lays on the ground. 

Myst sits and sings.

William stands and stares near the center with rock and rod in hand.

William stands and stares, stands and stares.

Myst hymms.

The breeze blows cool.

Myst snores.

William stands.

Guile says, ,,No sleep. I see mazes away from the monsters. I stare at door.''

William stands and stares at door. ,,Before those dark being break the bond that holds that door, I will strike it down.''

Guile muffles cough. Heart thumps.

Myst snores.

Guile's cough calms.

Myst snores.

Guile's lung sting cools.

Myst snores.

Guile's heart thump beats.

Guile stares at the bars and the bend rod around cage. He stares and stares and stares...

William stands.

The wind blows.

Myst snores.

Guile's heart beat pumps. He rubs his sore blistered calased feet.

William stands and stares; stands and stares; stands and stares.

A moon moves to the Zenith.

,,Where's Kirra,'' says Spear.

...Kirra leaves the pack alone into the night.

She runs over the warm sands that radiat red through Kirra's night sight.

She runs silent from the cages and over the flat warm sand.

Kirra hears a low rumble over the plans and toward the cages. Kirra steps through the dark over the hard sands and glances to the Wane Rise and the cages.

The sound is like a distant snore.

Kirra pauses.

The breeze blows over her face.

The horizon sees through night for Kirra as deep blue with a light blue hue spanning from the Rise and becoming near sky blue over the sky to the set. Silhouettes of orange red burn between dark blue cage bars.

The red hued flat sands shifts from red to purple as Kirra peers over the heat sight of night.

The heat sight of night.

She smells sullfer.

Dark body covers the heat of the ground and leaves a black path behind. The dark mass slithers and shakes over the sand.

Kirra hold two rods with sharpened points.

The wind blow sulfure fumes.

A flash of black flies at Kirra.

Kirra rolls, stabs and steps to feet.

One rod stabs into black mass and pulls from Kirra's hand as she rolls.

As Kirra stands she swipes other rod grabbed by other hand. With rodlees hand she grabs another rod tied along her thick.

A whip of black snaps and twists and stings Kirra's bear foot.

Kirra flips back and rolls and stands and throws rod like dagger end over end into the black mass.

Black mass hits Kirra.

Kirra stabs and rolls.

Darkness spreads.

Sulfure fumes choke.

Kirra stabs and stabs and stabs and stabs two rods into black mass.

Warm goo slides over hands.

Snake limbs slithers around Kirra's hand.

Kirra bites snake like limb and stabs, rolls pushes away dark mass then rolls to the purple warm sands and dark blue sky.

Sulfure fumes sting.

A trunk hits Kirra's hips.

Kirra stumbles and steps back.

She steps back toward the Wane Rise toward the cages.

The black mass slithers slow.

Kirra's hands burn. She wipes hands on cloths, steps, watches the slithering being.

The being swings a black makss.

Kirra ducks and stabs mass and stabs a tentical. She rolls across the sand.

Sulfure stench chokes.

Kirra steps toward the distant snorings sound.

The purple heated nights sight spand over the ground to blues and blacks and dots of dark mass.

Wind blows and sulfer stings Kirra's throat.

Kirra coughs, stabs at a flying black mass.

She steps toward the snoring.

Other dark mass slide over the ground.

Kirras steps back dives rolls and jogs to the wane. Then stops, waits for the black mass to gather near. Then she runs to the Rise and stops and waits; stops and waits until she hears the snore no more.

Then she stands and stares until the black slithers its sulfer form toward her...

And through the dark she leads and walks to the rise and Wane until black beings surround.

Then she runs and runs through the dark toward the was between tentcials whiping, claws swiping and black masses slithering fast and quick.

The black shapes follow.

Kirra runs with the wind to the Rise then the Rise Wane hearing the snore through the night and seeing no black shapes follow here trial. she runs withouth dust or sound. She runs toward the snore...

Myst snores away from Kirra. 

Myst snores in center of cage. She lays in the center of the cage neear sleeping Minst and starring Guile. She sees in her dreams a flat plane with bars rise from the ground like cages. The bars span over beings like humans and evles and dwarves laying. The dream streams and flows and gows to flat planes and big, small, flat tall, obtused shaped creatures. Myst dreams of a being running over the desert toward the song of Myst.

Minst sleeps.

Guile rubs feet.

Spear looks at Myst and at William. ,,Myst sings loud.''

Myst snores and snort and honks, snuffls and shifts and snores.

Spaer stands. ,,Sleep, William.''

,,Sleep,'' says William. ''How can I sleeps with the song of Myst.''

Spear controls bass laugh.

,,Snoring sooths,'' says Guile as he lets the snores push the thoughts around the night of gray base sight.

The gray base sight sees to guile the bars and the grownd and the cracks in the dry desert sand. He rubs a blister on foot and swallows. His lungs burn and tickle but feel to vibrate a scratch with the sound of the snore.

Spear looks above at the moon at Zenith. ,,Where's Kirra?''

Kirra runs over the sand and toward the cages. 

No dark beings faollow.

Kirra runs toward the cages of the sand and the cages of Myst's dream.

Then Kirra appears to Gulie and Spear.

,,Kirra,'' says Spear. 

Kirra steps to cage. 

William steps. ,,Kirra, your cloths are around aarms is missing. And the black of black stand fingers and hands.''

Kirra stands. ,,Dark beings roam. Kirr fight. Kirra run. 

Beings chase. 

Kirra runs away from cages.''

Myst snores...

William nods. ,,Thank you.''

Spear stands and pulls bar from ground and door and open cage door.

Cage door squeaks. 

,,I run,'' says Spear.

Kirra nods, sits oute side cage. 

,,I go,'' says Spear. Spear steps holding two rods in hand.

,,Spear,'' says William.

Spear stops.

William steps to the cage door and by Kirra.

,,It may be a favor of our fate if you remain close and around the cages and where we sleep to watch as I rest,'' says William.

Speear lays a hnad on William's shoulder. ,,Sleep, my friend, if you can sleep with Myst's snore.''

William smiles. ,,It is a song...'' He bows and looks at Kirra. ''Shall we sleep in cage and find protection in the bars.''

Kirra looks incage at Guie and Myst. She yawns nds and sleeps inside.

Guile slips from wake to sleep to wake as the snores sooth.

Myst snores...

Spear hears the snore as he walks the paramiter seeing thourh the night though faint gray sight. Spear stand, looks, sits and walk around.

Myst snores and dreams of dark sound less beings creating a circle around her song plainscape...

William, Minst then Guile sleep.

As Guile's maze mind sees a mound os sun, light shines.

Sun tip shines over the horizon and between the bars.

Guile stares at the bars and the doors.

Kirra wakes and rolls quick to a stands and looks along the horizons.

Guile says, ,,We leave.'' He coughs and hold cough.

Minst shuffles and covers eyes with forearm.

William rolls on side and nudges Myst then wraps arms around Myst.

Myst's snoring stops.

The sun shines over the horizon.

Guile coughs and coughs and coughs and coughs.

Minst shifts, covers ears, rolls to side and stares into sun.

Myst wakes and lays looking through bars to the sky. ,,We live to see the sun's bright song of the day.''

Guile coughs and clears throat. ,,Now your snore is silent.'' He lays feeling body spread and relax. He swallows a tickle and burn in throat.

,,Soothings,'' says Minst as he ways. ''Did we?'' Looks along the horizons and to the sky. ''Did we get attacked?''

Myst yawns. ,,I only seen the desert of my dreams.''

,,No,'' says Guile. ''No attack. No sight. Nothing. I lay and stare.'' Guile coughs.

,,And cough,'' says Minst. He grabs the spell book and looks at William and stands. ''Now the morning.'' He looks around the horizons. ''Where's Spear?''

William blinks away sand in eye. ,,Spear is watching out there.''

Spear sits to the Set beyond the cages. He sits and watches sand blow over the desert floor. He stares and sees shadows rise from the desert ground.

Shadows rise from the desert floor and illuminate. The shadows become people and beings and a cart.

The people pull the cart toward the Rise.

The squeak of the cart wheel rolls over the sand. 

Spear stands and follows the wagon.

The wagon wheels rolling along the basin of mint liguid food and walks.

Spear follows the cart, and the cart rolls.

It feels the cups for the pack, and Spear steps to the pack as the pack drinks.

,,We live the night,'' says Spear.

William nods.

Guile coughs and coughs up the drink.

Myst whistles with the warming breeze.

The whistle sooths Guile's cough. Guile drinks.

,,We live,'' says Guile.

A cackle laugh creates a tickle in Guile's throat. Guile lays on ground holding thumping heart and coughing, coughing, coughing, coughing...

,,Sun rises on you,'' says John of the Gobinkin as John of the Goblinkin steps along the sand trail between the pack's cages. ''You live a night beyond the cage to protect you.'' John looks at Kirra. ''You fought a dark beast, Kirra. John of the Goblinkin will bring you new sheet before that sheet melts.''

,,What about water to clean her skin?'' says Minst. 

John steps toward the Rise and from the pack. ''Blood of those of the dark harms not the flesh of us beings.''

Guile sniffs.

The warm breeze blows to the Rise.

Spear steps and stands near John and peers down at John.William stands with rocks and rods in hand. Three rods are tied to bicep.

John cackle laughs. ,,Run. You run time.''

Kirra sits while Myst and Minst stands.

,,Kirra,'' says John. ''You stand. You run.'' John steps closer to the pack. ''I show you a place to begin trial.''

,,Trial?'' says Minst. ''What is this trial?''

,,You says what is this trial what is this trial?'' John pushes Spear back and steps to Minst. ''The trial is a mystery for you to find if you are to be free.''

Guile rolls to side and covers face from the rays. ,,I guilty.'' He closes his eyes and sees a red pulse in mind as his heart thumps and pumps. Guile sniffs and coughs and tries to spit be just blows sand in face.  He breathes. ''I lay.''

,,You run,'' says John. He licks teeth.

Guilu coughs and rolls into a ball and lays on side. ,,Feet hurt. Body hurt. Heart pains.''

John grabs Guile and pulls.

William steps and grabs John.

John spins and knocks William's hand from shoulder and points.

John and William stare.

Myst says soft near a song. ,,Kind, John. Please allow Guile to remain for not all of us have the warriors spirit and body.'' Her tone sooths like a cool breeze. She blow.

John steps back and points at Guile. ,,You lay and rest.'' Johns steps from cages and looks around at the pack. ''You run faster. You fight harder.'' John points to Guile he rest.''

All but Guile run toward the rising warming sun casting blinding light over all.  They run over the flat desert. They run to the waves then run along the brush. They  run along the mirror sands that reflect as if the sky. The run until Minst nearly falls then the stop.

Then they run to the set and the cages and the prisoners. A few fighters throw rocks. A few fighter wrestles.

John slow the pack run to a jog then a walk.

Sweat drops and lungs burn.

Minst heaves and breathes, stumbles.

William grabs Minst and help him step.

Minst breathes heavy between words. ,,What...What...'' He breathes. ''What about the trial.''

John of the Goblinkin cackle laughs. ,,You have a trial in ten sun if you survive the night.''

William steps, sweats and breathe, blows. ,,We were told before the run there was something about the trial to see for you were going to show?'' He huffs.

John smiles pointed teeth at William. ,,You have trial in the desert where we run.''

Kirra reaches for John's neck.

William steps between Kirra and John.

They walk to the cages.

Guile lays on back on the ground.

,,Guile,'' says Spear.

Guile lays.

,,Guile,'' says Minst. Minst sweats and breathes. ,,Sleeping. Guile's sleeping'' He looks down as the rest gather around the cages.

Guile lays still.

John pushes past William and Spear and stands by Guile. John kicks sand on Guile. ,,You wake.

Guile flops on back and stares at the sky with unblinking eyes.

William stares at Guile. ,,Guile is dead.''