The Final Ashfield

Wants And Needs

[DURLIN, ROCKPOINT — THE OUTSIDE WORLD]

The town of Durlin was built near the edge of the Rockpoint canyons; an old-timey, dry mile-long stretch of flattened earth inhabited by no more than a few hundred people. Over time, the residents' poor living conditions would soon come to be the fault of landslides or earthquakes. These were frequently brought about by faulty Druidic Veins – powerlines constructed from magic abandoned by fairies, elves, and nymphs many centuries ago throughout the Sacred Genocide. 

The Durlians distanced themselves from the major cities of Terra Sanctaefi thirty-two years ago during the Verglas revolution, hiding themselves from the wider continent by confining themselves to a life of scavenging and excavation. Using the little resources they had, the denizens of Durlin would hunt for minerals and rare jewels in the canyons around Rockpoint to fuel their everyday life and feed their young. Though much time had passed since the Revolution, many of them were once insurgents of the abolished Green Winter Party in Verglas. Needless to say – they were all experienced fighters. 

Today, however, was an unusual day. The normally bustling plaza -- "The Dugan" -- was quiet. Too quiet. It was a trading spot decorated with three oak trees and a small, pumpless fountain, sitting in the center of town. Ordinarily, schoolchildren would often run and scream through the plaza once they had finished classes for the day. Instead, things were eerily vacated. There was no clear sign of struggle, nor was there anything hinting at a rush. Something was wrong. 

However, when a shrill and tired scream cut through the air, everything was made clear. Near the excavation caves at the back edge of town, a quaint, two-story home with a blood-soaked porch, seemed to shake as someone inside hollered for help. 

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"MMMHF!" an elderly man huffed. His plaid undershirt had been ripped and blackened – the result of torture – and there was a large gash running down his cheekbone. He struggled to bite through the gag muffling his voice but was quickly struck in the face with the back of a thin, body hand. 

"Shut up, old man!" a voice ordered him. The senior winced as his body jerked back. He peered down his arms and looked at the two large nails pierced through his forearm, gluing his radius and ulna to the armchair. He sobbed as his blood seeped into the floorboards below. Whatever movement he made would only widen the gash and pull apart his muscle tendons. 

In spite of the pain, he couldn't help but lean forward, growling angrily at two slumped bodies in the corner of the dark room. They were laid over each other gruesomely; their shadows illuminated only by a singular candle sitting atop a ragged cabinet top. Leaning broodingly against the flickering light was a frame-less photo of a small family – the senior, a younger adult man, a woman, and a small boy whose face was burned off by the candle wax. They were family. 

A snap clicked from the torturer's fingers, bringing the old man's attention back to him. Though his face was covered in shadows, a smug smile gleamed from the bottom of his mouth. He leaned in close, revealing an oblong dagger in his hand, and slowly pierced the grandfather's thigh, severing his femoral artery and splitting open his lower muscles. 

The old man roared, nearly passing out from the pain. "Tsk, tsk, Cillian," the intruder sighed, dislodging his blade. He wiped it on his lap and removed his gag. "For Pete's sake, be a fuckin' man!" 

Cillian groaned, his chest rising up and down. "Weren't you the famous aide to King Solomon, 'The Ripper'? I expected a whole lot more!" Cillian looked around and blinked hard through his sweat and tears. "Who… Are you?" 

Come on Cill'," the man laughed. He shook his head, whispering, "Focus!" and dug his finger into his bleeding wound. "I need to know where the Lance is. You can't hide it any longer. We know about it." 

Cillian's vision became woozy. The sticky smell of iron filled his nostrils, accelerating his breathing. Between that, the loss of blood, trauma, and the shock: he couldn't help but turn green. As one would have expected, he hurled horribly, spewing acrylic-like vomit into the air. "Shit!" his attacker yelled, his green hood nearly coming off. "The hell was that?!"

Steaming from Cillian's mouth and on the floor below was vomit – crystalized and burned into the ground – but vomit nonetheless. It tore through the birch planks with a sickening creak and collapsed. 

The attacker paused, hesitant to attack. "Was that acid?" he muttered. Cillian rocked back and forth in his chair, uncaring about the pain in his arms, and seethed. "You…" he snarled with hatred, "YOU KILLED THEM! YOU KILLED THEM ALL! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! YOU'LL PAY! I SWEAR IT!"

In a flash of anger, the hooded figure roared, "Shut up!", stabbing Cillian in his throat and ripping out his vocal cords. "Just shut up!"

He pulled the dagger, locking eyes with Cillian as a river flooded down his shirt and turned it scarlet. He choked on his blood, spluttering. He couldn't survive this and he knew it. Instead, his lips curved into a cocky grin. "You… Will never… find the… Lance!" he croaked, "Lord Solomon's line… Will… Not… Fall..!"

There was one final wheeze as his chest convulsed. His eyes rolled back and slowly, his body stopped shaking as well. He allowed the sweet embrace of relaxation to take him over. His last thoughts were of one thing: the little boy in the picture – his grandson. Rami…

Cillian's eyes went dead. 

The torturer's voice shook for a moment. The senior's last words had not only scared him, but he had messed up. "Shit… Stupid old bastard. All you had to do was tell me."

He tsked and raised his foot. 

CRUNCH

His foot ran through Cillian's ribcage, caving it in as one last "screw you!" before he smiled again. "Then again, I can find the kid by myself!"

With a bang, the door of the house flew open, flooding the living room with light."Hatagi!" called a short, chubby person in a green hood. On his shoulder was a small insignia of a ram's head over two crossed axes. He covered his mouth, whimpering, ``J-Jesus...", as he eyed the bodies. "Dopi!" The man named Hatagi stomped. He sheathed his blade and faced him with a scowl. "I told you not to enter when I'm working! Or are you deaf, you fat piece of shit?"

His face was still covered in darkness, but his eyes were wolfish and pearl-green – like he couldn't wait to kill anything he came across. Nothing made that more apparent than the large dagger on his waist.

"N-No!" Dopi flinched. "I finished – I finished burning the rest of the Durlian's bodies like you asked…" 

Hatagi smirked and waved at the corpses of Cillian and his family. "Good. I'm done here, so get rid of these three."

Dopi, not needing to be told twice, scrambled towards the stiff victims and lifted them from the floor, starting with the couple. As he made his way towards the door, he cleared his voice. "Hatagi… By the way, I – uh, I've got a location from those Sanctum Energy pings. The ones we've been picking up on for the past few weeks."

"How far away?" Hatagi asked, his interest piqued. "It's, uh, well, it's not far from here. Maybe a one to two-day trip judging by the last ping." 

"Then what's the problem?"

Dopi stopped lugging the bodies and laughed nervously. "There's, um, well there's nothing but pure forest out there! It's even more remote than this place, you know. There shouldn't be any unmarked towns or cities that far out, but someone keeps using Sanctum Energy. And it's somehow reverberating so many miles… Do you think it might be the kid?"

Hatagi wiped his bloodied hands on his cloak and sniffled. "Maybe. I don't think he could've gotten that far, though. It could be something else."

"W-well, should we tell the boss?" Dopi asked. "If it's something that we can bring back, he has to know, right? The guild has to know."

Hatagi thought for a moment and looked at Cillian. He remembered his outburst and the information it had cost him. Instead, he grinned, his teeth like fangs in the afternoon sun's shimmering heat. "Nah," he responded. "They'd just take all the credit and the spoils. We'll bring the Lance back for him, but we can take a quick detour, can't we? Especially if it turns out to be valuable." 

He turned to the cabinet where the candle stick had almost finished ashing the deceased family's picture. "But just in case, make sure you contact him about this and tell him where to meet us. He shouldn't be stationed too far away."

Without a moment wasted, Dopi dipped his head and continued his task of dragging the bodies outside for disposal. Hatagi picked up the candle, illuminating a ram head symbol on his chest, and chuckled to himself. Then, almost devilishly, he pursed his lips together and blew it out.

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[THE AXIS]

"How's your face?"

 Jace poked at his nose and shrugged. "All good," he replied. "She healed me up pretty well." He gave a nod, referring to Anna, who Aleximus carried on his back.

The sun had since set long after their heart-to-heart with her, and their sister couldn't resist the temptation of sleeping in the grass. Unable to decide who would carry her, both twins were thrown into an argument until a choice was made to play rock-paper-scissors. Aleximus lost. 

 Jace's stomach growled, comically echoing off the trees and into the distance ahead of them. He dropped his shoulders and yawned. "Hey, how much longer till we get there?"

Aleximus shook his head in disbelief. "Don't you live here, dummy? You ask the same question every time you get hungry. It's a surprise you haven't ended up in The Forbidden Area yet."

"I'm not a dummy, bastard!" Jace shot back. He hugged himself and shivered as if something was breathing down his neck. "Even if I lost my eyes, I'd never go near that place! There's a reason Uncle Matsuda said it's off-limits, and I'm not gonna find out!" 

Aleximus smiled, remembering the story their uncle had told them about the one place in the Axis they could never go. It was called The Forbidden Area because it was bewitched with a dark veil, making it impossible for those without Sanctum Energy to see in or out. They were told as children that a dangerous monster hid behind the Forbidden Area, and if they were to enter, they would never escape. The tale scared Jacender since he was younger, giving him ample enough reason to never set foot there.

"You know, that could be the way out of the Axis," Aleximus joked, making his face ghost-like and scrunched. "It's the last place we haven't looked."

"Gah..!" Jace jumped, caressing himself. "No thanks! I'd never leave then!"

His brother merely chuckled and walked ahead. 

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[THE AXIS, ASH TREE FOREST -- HOME] 

The children exited out of the forest area and into an open glade where the Axis's signature red grass was moved down like a pathway. A large picket fence made of apple-red wood circled the entire 300-meter clearing, keeping out animals and other small critters. What was perhaps the most amazing, however, was the behemoth of a tree standing in the center of the clearing that seemed to stretch on into the heavens themselves. Its trunk was at least 200 feet wide and its height was more than double that. Above, in the air, a breathtakingly beautiful birch-red treehouse sat along its branches and main trunk, glowing with fireflies amongst the chilly spring air. It was in every sense of the word: fantastical.

On the gate's handle below, a marking in a foreign language glowed faintly before Aleximus. He placed his hand on it, causing a quick pulse of electric energy to shoot through the fence and disperse throughout each picket. Before he could even remove his hand, the gate swung open and allowed them to enter. The boys were not very impressed. They had seen the sight so many times now that this was merely everyday life to them.

Aleximus stepped through, saying, "Let's go," to Jace, and instructed him to close the gate behind him. His brother followed suit and muttered something under his breath as he kicked the gate closed.

Awaiting them at the foot of the giant Ashtree, was a scaffolding elevator car with a singular control feature – a long lever protruding out the base of the cabin. It was marked in a language similar to the one on the gate outside. The boys entered the elevator, which was a mix of wood and impromptu metal gears and pulleys attaching the outside of it to the Ashtree. It was equipped with half-glass windows and one adjustable handrail in each corner of the car. The wooden door slammed shut and illuminated a faint "A" insignia at the top of the car once Aleximus pulled the lever. Just like that, the platform began to ascend.

Both their eyes traveled to the scenery outside the car as it rose. Leaving the ground floor and lifting into what felt like the clouds above, the mixture of stars and the ethereal lights of the forest painted a grand image of a milky road enveloping the entire Axis in Jacender's eyes. He could never get tired of it. The only thing that exceeded its wonder at this height, in his opinion – was the rising sun. 

Aleximus, though, looked off into the distance, his brow furrowed with anxiety. 

"Calm down," Jace yawned, not even bothering to look at him. "You'll have plenty of time, 'Lex. Stop stressing about leaving so late at night." Aleximus blinked twice and then turned to him. He hadn't realized the look of worry on his face. "Yeah." he nodded softly.

The elevator shook as it stopped, its gate flying open once again; this time to let them out. Aleximus exited, his eyes falling upon an arguably more wondrous sight than what existed below. The treehouse, whose entire marvels could not be appreciated below, stretched throughout the crown of the Ashtree and burrowed itself into the heartwood itself as if it were one with the tree. A porch-like structure sat a few feet away from him, led to by a thin, stone path enclosed by several small artificially planted mahogany pine trees. 

Without care, Jacender jumped off the platform and onto the foothold next to his brother with a loud clunk!  Aleximus spun around, hissing, "Ssh!" with a pale face.

"W-What?"

"Be careful, idiot!" he warned through his teeth, "What if Uncle Matsuda hears you!?" 

Jace's mouth dropped open, suddenly clocking something standing behind his brother. "Really, I knew you were an idiot, but come on!" Aleximus continued, oblivious to the approaching dark figure. "You never use your head, and that could get us all in trouble one day!"

"A-A-Aleximus–" his brother stuttered, eyes laden with horror. "No!" Aleximus shouted over him. Now, he was too frustrated to even notice that he had raised his voice. "You shut up and listen, idiot!" 

Jacender pointed behind him quickly, shaking as he spoke. "Aleximus! I'm being serious! Look!"

A cold wetness blanketed Aleximus's neck as he froze. He had now finally been alerted to the silent presence behind him and felt his stomach drop down to his knees. Oh no… 

Slowly, he turned to meet the figure and gulped. A tall, purple-haired man stood ominously looking down at them both. His purple kimono, decorated with blue flax flowers that looked like they were blooming, instilled a chill in the boys that felt like ice water in their veins. But even more frightening was the man's eyes; A dark shade of violet that seemed to make the colors on his outfit desaturate the longer one looked at them. 

Aleximus flinched and jumped back, jostling Anna accidentally. "U-Uncle Matsuda…"

 Their uncle stepped forward, leaving the dark lighting and revealing a calmer expression. One of disappointment.

He was in his mid-thirties, the most noticeable thing about him being his short, thin imperial-style beard that wagged up and down as he moved.

"Uncle Matsuda! Uh, this is just a huge misunderstanding!" Jace lied.

 Matsuda's face was lax; Not a single bit of tension outwardly present, but the twins could feel a wave of anger radiating off of him like crackling static. He masterfully hid his feelings behind a tight-lipped smile and fixed his gaze on Anna.

"Aleximus," he said with an almost baritone voice. It was awfully inviting. Scary.

Aleximus squirmed. "Yeah?"

"Hand me your sister. Carefully."

With haste, he did as he was told and handed her over. "Well," their uncle sighed, "She looks exhausted, doesn't she?" He side-eyed them sharply. In perfect synchronization, they both jumped, realizing what he was implying.

"S-She followed us! We left her here!" Jace reacted. "Right! We didn't tell her to follow us!" Aleximus added.

Matsuda raised his arm; A signal to stop talking. "I didn't say anything. Anyways, it's already late, so let's leave it there."

Thinking they were in the clear, they let out a sigh of relief. "However," Matsuda resumed, "I know what you were doing out there, and you should know how disappointed I am to know it."

His words stung surprisingly. How did he know they were training, or where they would go? They hadn't meant to betray his trust and go behind his back, but what could they say to him now? 

Nothing. They could say nothing.

Their uncle opened the hollow-core door and entered the house. "Come inside, you two."

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[THE TWIN'S ROOM]

Aleximus stared up at the ceiling, lost in deep thought. He reflected on his uncle's words until his frown became a scowl. He felt guilty. He hated that feeling of disappointment – to make his uncle dislike their actions so strongly. It ate at him. So, instead, he looked to his side at his brother who had comfortably fallen asleep in his own bed. That irritated him.

He made his way over and shook him furiously. "Jace… Oi …Jace!"

Jacender didn't budge.

Aleximus's grumbled as his eyebrow twitched with cross-popping veins. He raised his arm, ready to strike his brother in his face. "Hey Jace… wake up, will ya?!"

Stirring, Jacender's eyes began to open. His drool-crusted lip, fuzzy vision, and the murkiness of the room attributed to the misunderstanding he saw next.

To him, a dark figure – Aleximus – stood above him menacingly with an arm raised without a clue as to their intentions or their reasoning. Who knew what they were holding? It could've been a weapon.

Jacender, rightfully assuming this figure sought to do him harm, had the normal reaction.

A ghastly scream erupted from his mouth and filled the room with ear-piercing fear.

¨WHAT THE F–¨

His brother quickly grabbed his lips and stifled his scream. "Shut up, you idiot!" he barked as quietly as he could. "Are you insane?! You'll wake Uncle Matsuda up!"

Jolted by the words, Jace's vision finally came into focus. "You bastard!" he snapped, punching his brother off of him. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest. "What's wrong with you?! You tryna kill me or something?!"

Aleximus crashed onto the floor, breathing hard from the blow. He was right about his brother's physical strength. "I... You..."

"Ah!" Jace flinched, realizing what he'd done. He admired his hand, amazed at the power he demonstrated, and began to ramble. "I didn't mean to – Well, I mean, it's your fault anyway, but –"

Aleximus punched the floor angrily and in a dark voice, muttered, "Jace,"

Jace stepped back. "Y-Yeah?"

"Just shut up and come here."

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"I get what you mean," Jace said.

He sat across from his brother with his arms and legs crossed, nodding understandingly. Aleximus revealed his thoughts regarding their uncle's reprimand.

Jace uncrossed his arms and shrugged. "Still, I still don't think that matters."

Aleximus raised his brow and crossed his arms. "What do you mean it doesn't matter? Uncle Matsuda thinks –"

"But what do you think?" Jace interrupted. "Are you gonna stop now because he said that? Or is what you wanna do not that important?"

Aleximus fell silent and thought carefully. "Well, I... Uh–"

Jace smiled and uncrossed his legs. He was fully relaxed now. "If your dream gets crushed because someone didn't like it, I don't think it's much of a dream at all."

His brother's face flushed with anger. "Hey, watch your mouth." Aleximus chastised him. He clenched his fist and stared at it. "Dreams aren't meant to be realistic. So of course he'd think that. But that doesn't matter!"

Selfish as it may have been, it was still his choice. No one could take away his aspirations. They were his to dream, no matter what. "As long as it's my dream, I'm going to keep finding ways to make it realistic! Even if other people laugh!"

He looked up to find Jacender had already submerged himself halfway into his covers. "Glad you figured that out," he waved from his bed. He yawned, mumbling, "If we're done with this, I'd like to go back to sleep–"

POW!

Aleximus kicked him off of his bed and knocked him over.

"Wha– Hey! What was that for?!"

"Felt like it, idiot!" his brother responded. He turned away from him and climbed into his bed with a slight smile; One of satisfaction from the talk with his brother, and one of secret gratification for kicking him to the floor. He never liked it when Jacender was right.

"Tsk, friggin bastard..." Jace mumbled, crawling back into bed. I'll never help you again!

Outside the door, unbeknownst to the two boys, a silent shadow retreated from the frame. Their uncle Matsuda stood outside, listening to them speak.

"Hrm..."

He scratched his goatee in an embarrassed fashion and made his way down to his room. I came to apologize for what I said, but things turned out this way, huh?

He sighed, exhausted from thought. We'll figure it out tomorrow. After all, it's a pretty important day~

Distracted from the boys' noisy conversation, even Matsuda was unaware that – secretly – across the hall, Anna peered from behind the slightly opened door of her room, waiting patiently until she was sure he had gone to bed.

She delicately snuck across the corridor and ran towards the front door, excited at the prospect of running alone. She dashed past the stone walkway and jumped onto the elevator, pulling the lever and going down into the forest below. 

She thought naively to a few hours earlier when her brothers were carrying her home. Due to Aleximus's movement and screaming, she had been jolted awake. She did well to hide it enough to overhear their conversation regarding The Forbidden Area. "You know, that could be the way out of the Axis. It's the last place we haven't looked." 

Aleximus was joking, but Anna was motivated to be of use to her brothers. She was filled with purpose to stand on her own two feet and help them achieve their dream of leaving. So on she went into the dead of night – to the Forbidden Area.

This time… she smiled to herself, It's my turn to help you guys! 

[Wants And Needs]