“Well Neil, it’s your lucky day.” Sharlene slapped him on the shoulder.

It was twelve and Neil already wanted to go home. If anything, this was one of the worst days of work, not a lucky one. Or was yesterday as bad? Worse? What about the day before? Neil needed something new - something to satisfy him; something to make him feel alive. He couldn’t go on like this. Working ten hour days just to study something someone else already had. Making “new” observations found fifty years ago. Observations that could be ground just by typing a few words or really just asking.

“Yeah? How so?” Neil’s patience was running thin.

Sharlene handed him a photo. Neil looked at it and arched an eyebrow. It was something Neil had never seen, or remotely heard of before. 

“Good luck.” Sharlene said sarcastically, kind of jokingly, while walking away.

She probably thinks I can’t do this, Neil thought. She probably thinks I’m like the other workers; lazy, rude, inconsiderate. I’m not. I’ll prove her wrong.

“This actually might be an interesting day.” Neil mumbled to himself. Sitting down, he turned on his computer and slid the photo under his keyboard. New technology allowed photos to be viewed in 3D.

Neil was amazed at this… What? New artifact? It was spherical and rustic, made out of a strange, bronze-like substance. Hours went by like minutes. Realizing it was past time to go home, Neil felt surprised. How long has it been since I was lost in my work like this? The next day, Neil continued his research. And the next. And the next. Neil studied every inch of the artifact. He had double and triple checked the bronze sphere - he called it the Aeramentis - and found ancient symbols, runes, on it. It was so small that no ordinary human eye could see it; thank goodness for zoom settings. 

When Neil couldn’t find the language the symbols were, he asked his boss. Surely she had the resources for it, right?

“Hey Sharlene, um, I need some help w -”

“I’m busy, Schedule an appointment.” 

Niel pushed his research papers into Sharlene’s hands. “I need this translated ASAP. I can’t continue my research without it.” He also gave her the photo and pointed to where the symbols were. 

Sharlene glared at him, then looked at the papers - specifically the pacers about the symbols - and looked back up at him; this time with eyes wide with surprise. Or maybe it was horror. Or amazement. She suddenly ran to her desk and started typing an email. Neil ran after her.

“What are you doing?” he called out.

“I need to send these papers to… Agh! Nevermind!” Sharlene snapped back. 

“But I still need those. I-”

“Neil! Go home! You’re done with this research.” 

“But -” Neil began.

“Go! Take you and your ‘butt’ back to your own desk!”

Neil had no choice but to walk out. No matter how much he protested he knew he could not win. He sagged against the wall just out of his boss’s - no, Sharlene’s - office. He never even felt the tears coming to his eyes before they had rolled down his cheeks. Weeks worth of work, what felt like months, gone. Suddenly, an old man and young woman he had never seen before at work stood from their desk, brushed by him, and hurriedly ran inside of Sharlene’s office. Neil followed after them. 

He just walked in when… t   t    t. Neil hid behind a crate in Sharlene’s office. He peaked around and saw that the old man held a small pistol with a silencer attached. He looked to where Sharlene sat. Her computer blinked in and out between a black screen and her unfinished and unsent email. The computer held a bullet hole, and Sharlene was clutching her stomach, hands bloodied. 

“Who are you employed by?” the old man yelled. “Give us the research!”

Sharlene only smiled. The young woman’s eyes widened as she reached out her hand.

“Wait!” she commanded. Only then did Neil see what was in Sharlene’s hands.

The old man shot Sharlene again, this time in the head. But not before she flicked her lighter and set all of the research papers and photographs of the Aeramentis ablaze. Neil gagged; he was not used to seeing people’s heads blown off, much less a “work friend’s” head. 

The pair saw Neil. Uh oh.

“Follow us.” The woman, or rather girl, said.

“Why? How can I trust you? You just shot my -”

The old man cut him off. “You hated her anyway. If you don’t want to get arrested, let’s go.”

The pair rushed out the door. Neil followed behind.

“I - I’m Neil.” He stammered, right before he tripped while exiting the building.

Neil quickly recovered and continued running with them. Great first impression man, Neil thought wryly. He followed them, however crazy their maneuvers were. They leaped over fences, weaved through busy intersections, and even climbed small buildings! They finally arrived at a bar; someplace they could finally talk or rest. Neil was dripping with sweat and his shirt clung to his skin; however, he didn’t feel all too tired.

“Now that we can talk…” Neil started.

“Not now.” the old man said.

They walked to a private room upstairs. The room wasn’t all too cosy. It was big enough to fit the three of them, but only a little bit bigger than a small bedroom. Paintings of vast grasslands and endless ocean hung on the wall. A twin sized bed and small table took up the majority of the space in the room. 

Getting a better look at the two, the old man was surprisingly fit for his age. It was clear he had about 50 or 60 years on him, but the wrinkles on his face were covered with some scars. He was lean and tall; it was clear that when he was young that he was bulky. With grey eyes, white hair, and a crooked nose that was for sure broken multiple times, he doubted the old man ever looked what people would consider handsome. On the other hand, the girl was probably about his age. She was slightly shorter than Neil - maybe about 5’6 - and was skinny-ish. She had big, round eyes, perfect sized ears, a small mouth and nose, and slightly wavy hair. She was beautiful. But that’s not what mattered right now. 

As soon as the door was shut, Neil burst out. “What was that? You shot my boss! W-”

The woman cut him off. “The company you work for, Zebos Industries-”

“I’m sorry. Who are you?” Neil snarled.

Before the old man pulled them apart, Neil didn’t realize that he and the girl were face to face and yelling at each other. They both looked at the man. 

“Neil, listen to us. That artifact you were researching has the power to fix the weather - the power to save everyone. Frank Zebos, the CEO of the company you’re working for, wants the artifact to make a fortune. He wants to make a monopoly.” The old man paused. “We need your help. Frank has countless workers undoubtedly researching this artifact, but we only have you. We need what’s in your head.”

“I’m sorry. What’s your name again?”

“Oh,” the old man replied. “I’m Sullivan and this is Kori.”

“Can I get a bit of time to think?”

Sullivan looked almost empathetic. He nodded his head. “Sure, sure.”

Neil walked out of the room. I’m certain I could trust them. I should accept their offer. But…But… But what if I let them down. What if they send me to my death? Can I trust them? Neil walked back in and told them his decision.

“I’m sorry. But I can’t.”

Kori looked astonished, but not in a good way. “What? Why not?”
Sullivan wore an unreadable face. “If that is what you wish.”

Neil left Kori and Sullivan in the room and walked home. He couldn’t stop thinking about whether he made his decision for them, or for him. 

For the next week, Neil stayed at his house and slept. He got fired from his job - surprisingly, Sharlene was the only person keeping him there. He guessed Zebos Industries didn’t want good workers. He got fired from his job so he didn’t have anything to do. Neil figured that without a source of income, he would just lay down until he got kicked out of his apartment and eventually die. He actually wouldn’t mind leaving his apartment. It was very small and cramped, with only two rooms. A living room, or TV room, and the bathroom. There wasn’t any decor and Neil didn’t have many possessions so he wouldn’t really lose anything. 

Tonight, though, was different. Something felt different. Neil felt uneasy. So, he just curled up tighter in bed. Until Neil heard the shuffling of feet outside of his room. He stood by the door; Neil was positioned in a way that he would be hidden when it was opened. When the door slammed open, Neil waited until every last soldier was in his apartment. Each had a Zebos Industries logo on their black bulletproof vests. When all the soldiers were in his room, Neil ran out the door and slammed it on his way out. 

Running down the hallway, Neil heard thumping footsteps behind him. Without needing to look back, he quickly turned left to where the emergency stairs and elevator were. Neil was about to open the door to the stairs when he felt a sharp pain in his back and closed his eyes. When he opened them back up, he was down a flight of stairs and another person was laying next to him. He quickly recovered and continued down the stairs. He ran outside and went down an alleyway. 

Why did I come here? Neil thought. It’s a dead end. The only chance I have is to hide. He looked at his surroundings, desperately trying to find a hiding place. The alleyway was dark, dimly lit by the moonlight. There were trash bags overflowing out of the dumpster, rats all over the floor, and a few poles sticking out of the ground. There wasn’t really anything to hide in or behind except for the dumpsters.

Just as Neil was lifting the lid up, he heard a soldier yell: “Stop!”

Neil slowly put his hands toward his head and turned around. The soldier was tall and slim. Neil couldn’t see their face; they were wearing heavy armor. The helmet entirely covered the face, and they were wearing a vest with a Zebos Industries logo on it.

Suddenly, the soldier crumpled to the ground. Above him stood Sulivan and Kori. Neil looked up at them. Why do these guys still care about me?

The old man spoke up. “Neil, we really need your help. If you help us and fail, it’s not your fault. If you don’t, the destruction of the world will be in your hands. You’ll only be letting everyone down by not coming with us.”

Neil carefully considered, and replied back. “I’m in.”

“You let him escape!” Frank roared.

“W-well, sir. Kori and Sullivan saved him. We had him pinned down. It doesn’t matter though. We found that the artifact is hidden in a cave deep in the Sahara Desert. We can get there faster than the-”
“I don’t care for your excuses!” Frank pulled out a handgun from under his desk and shot his lowly slave. He slammed his fist on his desk, making a dent. He had Neil pinned! If his henchmen didn’t hesitate, if they just shot their guns, he wouldn’t have to worry about the problem. All of his henchmen were replaceable. But to the resistance, to Sullivan, Neil was a treasure trove of information that could prove to be a thorn in Frank’s side. Neil was the only way that Sullivan could find the artifact faster than Frank. He needed Neil dead. Frank pulled out his phone and called a number. 

“Frank.” A voice came from out of the phone. 

“Bosk Sallizar. My men are useless. You are to come with me to the Sahara Desert and escort me through a cave.”

“Sounds easy. How much?”

“82 doubloons. Meet me there in a day. We’re in a time crunch.”

Bosk grunted in acknowledgement.

“And Bosk. Don’t forget to bring your guns.”

Frank hung up. With Bosk on the job, the best bounty hunter in the world, this would be easy. Frank laughed hysterically. The world would be his soon.

“Now what?” Neil asked.

“Do you remember the runes on the artifact? Could you draw them for us?” Kori asked in return. 

Neil nodded.

“Good. We’re going to visit a woman named Meredeth; she can read it.”

Neil followed Kori and Sullivan wherever they went, but was a little skeptical when they took him to an airport. For the first time in his life, Neil left his small town and home to go out of the country; or for that matter, out of state! They arrived in, what Neil discovered as, the Sahara Desert. They landed in Merzouga; a small town known for its luxury camps for people who want to go to the Sahara Desert. They walked to a small, old, and wooden shack, bordering the Sahara Desert.

Sullivan knocked on the door and an old woman answered. Neil thought Sullivan was old - he was about 50 - but this woman looked far older. He assumed her to be about 80. She wore a simple dress, with only primary colors like blue and red. Her face showed beauty when she was young, though now it was hidden through several wrinkles and scars. 

“Sullivan.” The woman said with a smile.

“Meredeth.” Sullivan replied.

“Come in, come in.”

Kori, Sullivan, and Neil all walked into the house. Neil was just taking a seat when Meredith handed him a paper.

“I’m Meredeth. I understand your name is Neil, and you can draw me the runes seen on the artifact. Please draw it.”

Neil nodded and started drawing. 

“Do you guys have a name for the artifact yet?” Neil asked.

“We haven’t gotten that far.” 

“I call it the Aeramentis.” 

“Then that’s what we’ll call it.”

After a few minutes of silence. Neil finished the drawing and handed it to Meredeth. Everyone was gathered up and Meredith read what the runes meant.

“Neil has shown me these ancient symbols on the Aeramentis. It tells me the coordinates and where it is.” Meredith handed Sullivan a paper. “Sullivan, you can find where it is. I suggest we get a couple days rest while Sullivan ponders over where this artifact can be.”

“Yes Meredeth.” Sullivan and Kori said in unison.

Neil looked around and added “Yes Meredeth” softly.

Everyone split up. Sullivan went to a desk, grabbed a map of what looked like the Sahara Desert, and studied it. Kori went to her room. Presumably to sleep. Meredith walked outside and Neil awkwardly followed.

“Meredeth. It looks like Kori and Sullivan have a lot of respect for you.”

“They do.” Meredith replied simply. She picked up a dagger and what looked like an arm brace and gave it to Neil.

“This is one of our gadgets.” Meredith explained, pointing toward the arm brace. “It contains several useful devices; a twelve-shot handgun, a XREP shell for a tazer, a radar, a grappling hook for short distances, and a communication device.”

“Can all of that fit there?” Neil asked.

“Yep. And I’m going to show you how to use it.”

Later, the group was ready to leave Merediths’. 

“Are you ready yet?” Kori questioned impatiently.

“Yeah, yeah.” Neil replied.

Kori went outside just as she saw Neil getting pulled aside by Sullivan. She saw Sully give him a dagger that he had for years. How come he doesn’t give me any presents? Kori thought sarcastically.

Finally, Sullivan and Neil came out. And so for the next couple of days, they walked, and walked, and walked.

“Finally.” Sullivan remarked, a little out of breath. 

“We don’t have the Aeramentis yet, Sully.” Kori told him. 

They approached a mining tunnel, which looked as if it hadn’t been used in years. They went inside and walked on a dirt road, next to tracks where a cart should have been. It was pretty hard to see; the lights were flickering on and off. 

Soon enough, they reached a fork in the road. 

“So, um.” Neil started.

“I’ll go right, you guys go left.” Sullivan ordered.

“We’re not going to split up; it’s a bad idea.” Kori protested. However, Sullivan was already walking.

Realizing nothing was going to change Sullivan, Kori relented and pulled Neil with her. “Let’s go Neil.”

Sullivan continued walking. He suddenly realized that he was in a vast canyon instead of the little mining tunnel. It was huge; natural ores and lights everywhere. In the center, there was a bronze, rusty orb. 

The Aeramentis? It’s on display like this? Sullivan thought. He reached out and grabbed the ball with one hand. Surprisingly, it wouldn’t lift up. 

“What is up with this!” Sullivan yelled in frustration. 

He grabbed it with both hands and lifted as hard as he could. Nothing. He was about to turn around to go get Kori and Neil’s help when he heard clicking sounds. He slowly turned around and saw Zebos Industries vests on fully armed soldiers. Towering behind them stood Frank Zebos.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Kori and Neil decided to run through their tunnel. Neil was in a hurry to get back to Sullivan; if Kori and Neil came face to face with soldiers, Neil didn’t know if he would survive. Soon enough, Kori and Neil arrived at the edge of the tunnel. It branched off into sort of a cliff. About 30 feet away, there was a bottomless pit. 

“Well, I guess Sullivan had the right path.” Neil said.

Kori grunted in agreement. 

As they were about to turn around and head the other way, Neil saw a group of several soldiers walk stream into the cliff area. One man stood out. Unlike the other soldiers, the man wore a plain black coat and jeans. He had two guns at his hips, along with a whip showing slightly under his coat and for sure a few knives tucked away. 

“Are you Neil and Kori? Or just unfortunate miners?” The man asked.

“Who are you?” Kori asked.

“I’m Bosk. It’s good to finally meet you Kori.”

Kori looked at Neil with wide eyes and whispered to him. “Bounty hunter.”

A soldier drew his gun and shot, narrowly missing Kori and Neil. Kori quickly drew out a gun and shot with her gun and her arm brace. Neil ran and shot with his arm brace. When he ran out of ammo, he tried to get close to enemies and use his dagger. 

Neil looked around him. He saw dead bodies everywhere. Were they winning? Deciding to go back to Kori, Neil was horrified to see what happened. Bosk and his men didn’t care about Neil. They distracted him with other people. The majority of Bosk’s forces focused on taking down Kori. 

Neil ran to where they were and drew his knife; however, he was stopped when Bosk backhanded him. On the floor, Neil watched in horror as Bosk’s men threw Kori down the pit.

“Wait!” Bosk tried to stop his men from throwing down Kori, but it was too late.

Neil jumped to his feet and threw himself off the cliff. He somehow got to Kori in time and found the strength to throw her up. Neil was relieved until he figured out where he was. Falling. Down a bottomless pit.

Bosk stood over the bottomless pit, staring with no emotion. No matter what his blank face said, Bosk was silently questioning himself. Did I do the right thing? Is it bad enough to kill a boy just for money? Or do I have to kill a girl as well? When do I stop? In the blink of an eye, Bosk drew his gun and emptied his pistol magazine on soldiers far away; he closed the distance between the remaining soldiers, knife in hand. 

Standing over heaps of bodies, Bosk cleaned the blood on his knife with the coat of a dead soldier, sheathed it and waved for Kori to follow him. Kori stood deathly still. She had unshed tears in her eyes; Bosk didn’t know if they were tears of anger or sadness.

“Why?” Kori asked, eyes flaring.

Bosk ignored her. “Grab clothes. Your friend Neil is dead and Frank has Sullivan. If you want any chance to get the artifact, you’ll sneak in the crowd with me and crush them from the inside.”

Kori scowled and grumpily threw a helmet and Zebos vest on. She quickly walked to where Bosk was. Together, they walked down the endless corridor to a room of unknowns.

Neil woke up in bed. He sat erect, sweating. No, not in bed. Neil opened his eyes and carefully looked around. He remembered now. Neil was thrown down a bottomless pit, saving Kori from his fate. Neil felt around, and determined he wasn’t dead. Probably.

Groggily, he got up and walked around. At the bottom of the pit, there was really nothing. Rocks all around him; no way to climb up. Even at the bottom of the pit, Neil couldn’t see the top. However, looking more closely, he saw a small tunnel. Having nothing else to do, he decided to explore a little.

The tunnel was really hard to fit in. It was about 4 feet high and 2 feet wide. Neil was slim, so the width didn’t bother him. It was the height. It was just low enough that he couldn’t stand, but high enough that it was hard to squat or crawl - especially since it wasn’t very wide. Neil crouched into an awkward mix between a squat and stand and worked his way deeper into the hole.

Eventually, the end of the hole was in sight. As soon as he got out of the small tunnel he fell over in exhaustion. The tunnel was way longer than anything he could have ever imagined. Gathering himself, Neil stood up and saw a stone pillar holding a brass ball about the size of a basketball. 

With mind-boggling pain, Neil staggered back. Thoughts rushed in his mind.

Neil.

Was this the Aeramentis? Is it talking to him? 

How am I alive? Neil thought to himself.

Me.

You saved me? 

Neil felt confirmation. 

If you can save someone from a fall of - God knows how much - why can’t you defend yourself.

I have. The pit allows me to choose who I want to have as my owner; however, these defenses cannot last forever. I have seen modern day technology. This businessman, Frank Zebos, will find me eventually.

What should I do? Neil thought. 

Take me. Fix this world, Neil. 

With a flash of light, Neil awoke at the top of the pit. He felt the warmth of the Aeramentis in hand. It felt… smaller now; the size of a baseball. How long was he down there? It doesn’t matter, I have to warn Sullivan that Kori’s been captured. Tell him I have the artifact. 

Feeling strangely stronger and energized, Neil ran as fast as he could back to Sullivan.

Kori and Bosk walked along the corridor. Kori recognized that they had passed the entrance of the cave about 30 minutes ago. How long could one tunnel be? 

“I’m sorry for your friend. I - I didn’t think you and him would be children.” Bosk said out of the blue. 

Kori grunted and replied “I failed him. I won’t fail Sully.”

Suddenly, Kori heard footsteps behind her. She always had good hearing, but this was coming from behind her. It was impossible unless someone entered the cave. They shouldn’t have caught up to them that quick though. 

“Someone’s behind us.” Kori informed Bosk. 

Bosk turned around and drew his gun. A figure came into view; it was running at full sprint. 

“Kori?” the figure called out.

“Neil?” Kori yelled.

Neil came into view and Kori ran to him and embraced him. 

“I thought you died.” Kori remarked.

“I thought I did too.” He replied.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to -”

“Kori, I made my choice. How did you escape?” Only then did Neil see Bosk. Instead of panicking though, Neil stood extremely still.

“Bosk Sallizar had a change of heart and killed all the soldiers. We’re heading to Sullivan now.”

“We better hurry then.”

“Sullivan, Sullivan, Sullivan.” Frank taunted. “So close, but not good enough.”

Sulliva was kneeling on the floor, bruises on his face and whip marks on the back. His hands and feet were tied. 

“You were one of our best men, Sullivan. But you had to get greedy. Look where it led you.”

Sullivan spat on Frank’s foot. In return, Frank punched him, launching him halfway through the canyon. 

“The artifact is mine.” Frank laughed hysterically.

He put his hands on the ball on display on the rock column, but couldn’t lift it up. 

“What did you do to it?” Frank demanded, glaring at Sullivan.

Sullivan chuckled. “Nothing, it was like that when I arrived.”

Frank punched the wall, making a dent and several cracks.

“Why do you want it so bad anyways Frank? You’re already successful. You have anything you could possibly need.” 

“Why just be a businessman when you could be a king? When you could rule the world.” 

Sullivan looked both applaed and surprised. “How are you going to do that with a ball?”

Frank laughed. “I’ll be recognized as the savior of the world once people learn that this ball can fix the weather. I’ll make nations bow down to me and world leaders beg for me to fix their weather.”

Sullivan doubled over laughing. “That probably sounded cooler in your head, didn’t it?”

Frank punched Sullivan and ordered his men to take him away. No matter what that traitor Sullivan said, the world would be Frank’s.

Running into a huge cavern, Bosk saw his former employer, Frank, and 43 other soldiers. 10 of the soldiers surrounded a bound man, presumably Sullivan. 15 were around Frank, most likely guarding him. The other 18 were unknown; probably either daydreaming or “watching” an entrance.

“Come, Kori.” Bosk ordered. “I’ll do the talking. Neil, we’ll make a distraction. Your job is to grab Sullivan and get him and that artifact out.”

Neil nodded and Bosk and Kori went in. 

Frank saw him and waved. “Ah, Bosk. I presume everything went splendidly?” 

Bosk nodded. “Only another soldier and I survived. They put up more of a fight than we expected.” 

“Did you find the artifact Bosk?” Frank inquired.

“Isn’t that it?” Bosk replied back, pointing at the bronze ball on a pedistal of rocks. 

“No, it’s a fake.” 

Realizing that this conversation was leading somewhere Bosk didn’t want to risk lying about, Bosk drew his guns and shot Frank multiple times. Frank barely flinched and punched Bosk, who went flying against a wall. Kori started shooting as well, but was barely keeping up with so many soldiers. Not finding his pistols, Bosk drew a whip in one hand and the largest knife he had in the other. Neil, hurry. He thought before heading to battle. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Seeing Bosk and Kori outnumbered, Neil knew he had to do something when a firefight broke out. He wanted to join the fight, but had to follow his mission. Neil tucked the Aeramentis in a pocket and snuck around the side to where Sullivan was. He drug Sullivan toward the entrance. After dropping Sullivan out of the cavern, Neil was about to help Kori and Bosk when he felt a kick from the back. For a second, Neil thought he broke his back or had severe brain damage. The kick hurted more than anything imaginable. He struggled to stand, but when he did, Neil saw Frank Zebos about 50 feet away from him. Was I really kicked that far? In the middle of the two, the Aeramentis lay on the ground. It must have fallen from his pocket when Neil was kicked. Frank and Neil met eye to eye, staring at each other, before baring their weapons. Frank, from seemingly nowhere, drew a huge greatsword. It’s hilt and handle was layered with golds, emeralds, and materials of all sorts. The blade seemed to be made of a strong metal, and it intimidated Neil as Frank raised it into a battle stance. 

Neil, though, did not understand why Frank’s face looked so pale when Neil drew his dagger. All Neil knew was that he had to close the distance between him and Frank because Frank had a bigger sword and greater reach. 

As he came close to Frank, he understood why Frank had been so scared. Neil’s dagger glew eventually caught fire. Maybe this was the true power of the artifact? In the blink of an eye, Neil and Frank’s blades met each other. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Sparks flew everywhere as Frank backed off. How does this kid have an artifact of such power? Growling, Frank backed off again, but lunged forward to continue his barrage. He had no idea how long this fight had been going on for. It should have been over already. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Handling the blade with precision he never knew he had, Neil kept a perfect balance of offense and defense. He was breaking through to Frank. He was never hit once, but Neil had nicked Frank a couple of times across the arms and legs. Frank was exhausting himself and growing sloppy; however, Neil barely felt tired. 

Suddenly, Neil felt as if 3 cars had been dropped on him. Before crumpling to the floor, Frank took the opportunity to punch him in the stomach and sent him flying back. Opening his eyes, Neil found himself sitting against a wall. Frank towered in front of him, greatsword raised above his head. 

“Finally you loosened your grip on that dreaded knife.” Frank said with a hint of relief.

Neil weakly looked up in curiosity.

“The only reason you were still in the fight was because the knife took hold of you. Now, without it, you’re dead.”

Frank raised his greatsword a little higher, then swiftly brought it down. Neil felt like time slowed down. He felt a tug to his right and let it pull him.

Suddenly, he was standing to the left of Frank, his knife in hand. Neil plunged his knife into Frank’s stomach. All Neil could remember before passing out were flames engulfing Frank’s body before quickly dying out.

Bosk was backed into a corner. Three soldiers with batons and knives stood around him. It had been about half an hour since Neil came in and Frank disappeared. Bosk sighed and quickly disposed of the soldiers. He used techniques he learned as a boy; he would play a distance game with his whip - sometimes throwing leftover knives - or surprise his enemy with a knife flurry. 

After seeing that all of the Zebos industries soldiers destroyed, Bosk met up with Kori and both ran to where they thought Neil would be. They arrived to a just-waking Sullivan and Neil and Frank on the floor. 

Bosk stood and watched as Kori ran to Sullivan, checked if he was fine, then ran to Neil and picked him up. They all walked, and walked, and walked, but to Bosk it wasn’t that long. Bosk Sallizar, the greatest bounty hunter in the world. He spat. No longer just a gun for hire. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Neil awoke to the beautiful song of a bird.  He sat erect and looked around. He was in Meredith’s house. He sighed in relief and jumped out of bed. His knife was on the table next to him; something was telling him to grab it just to have it, but he decided that wouldn’t be the best idea. 

Neil ran downstairs and saw a beaten-up Sullivan, a calm and cool Bosk, an eager Kori, and an interested Meredith. He saw the Aeramentis in the middle of the plain, hardwood table. 

“Neil.” Meredith stated plainly.

On the other hand, Sullivan and Kori grinned in pride. Like usual, Bosk sat emotionless.

“It’s time.” Meredith said.

Neil understood and sat at the table. He picked up the Aeramentis and looked at the others. 

“What do I do?” he asked.

All Meredith did was smile.

What do you want? a voice in Neil’s head asked. Not in impatience, but in pure curiosity.

A fixed world. Neil replied. A world where we don’t have to worry about our weather or our resources. 

Neil felt acknowledgement and felt something leave him. 

“It is done.” Meredith said with a smile.

Sullivan patted Neil on the shoulder and Kori hugged him. Bosk nodded his head.

“So, what now?” Neil asked.

Meredith was the first to reply. “The weather won’t be fixed immediately, but eventually it will.”

Then Bosk. “I’m going to make amends.”

Then Kori and Sullivan. “We’re going to go on more missions. We have other concerns as well.”

Neil waited for everyone to finish, then replied. “Well, I need something to do. Can I come with you Sully?”

Sullivan smiled. “Anytime.”