n

n

n

"You… Wait… You, no, you must be joking? I have lost friends in that wall, and I know that they died!

" Tchick finally choked out as he waggled a finger at me accusingly.

nDon't worry, Needle Dick, I feel the same way!

n'Shad up.'

n

"I wish I was, but we were attacked by Invisazards-,

" I started to say, but Tchick cut me off, waving his hands frantically.

n

"Invisa-what?

" Tchick asked in confusion.

n

"The...err!

" I grunted as I tried to lift my arm, but there were torn and pulled muscles in both my arms and shoulders.

n

"Insiva..ble? Do you mean the Carnica? The Reflections of Death? No way, nope, nuh-uh! There is no way that you fought even one of them!

" Tchick almost squealed out.

nThe little red man reminded me of one of the red fan-powered tube people they put outside at fairs, furniture stores, and Car dealerships.

n

"There were a lot more than one. I killed well over a hundred of the small ones, but then the massive three came. They brought-

" I started to say, but then Tchick flung himself onto the floor and started to scream and kick around.

nI was completely surprised by the display and wasn't really sure what was going on, but I really didn't care that much. My body was trying to heal, but there were things broken and out of place.

nWell, I mean, you really only have three choices here. One, you asked the four-legged girly man-child that is throwing a temper tantrum. Two, you can continue to struggle ineffectively, or you do the only sensible this, you stupid idiot!

n'Call a friend, or ask the audience? I don't think fifty-fifty will work with only three options, right?'

nYou know that one day, a is going to come and take a ** on your head!

n'Not as big as the one I took in your cereal! Yes, I know, ask you for help, blah blah blah! Honestly, I liked you more before when you were shoved in a tiny dark place!'

nBefore the hot head could reply, I concentrated and then summoned Fireden, but I forgot to mention that to Tchick.

nThe flailing man froze as the room instantly lit up, and I was forced to close my eyes. When I opened them again, Tchick was staring at Firden with eyes open so wide, he was in danger of them falling out.

n

"Ummm… err… Fireden… My friend… Sorta… Elemental, Gah!

" I said and took in a gasp of air as I had to catch my breath.

nIt had been so long since I had even thought about breathing, and the tiny bit that I did need, I got from drawing in air to speak. Now, I was panting like I had just done a five-kilometer run in five minutes… well, maybe I could now, but that wasn't the point.

n

"W-Why d-d-d-do you have w-w-w-one of them?

" Tchick stammered as he pushed back to the wall.

nI turned to Fireden, but his eyes were closed.

n

"There is only one, but he is older than me… angry… displaced… and very tired, and he is split into three,

" Fireden said, and then opened his eyes, and then he looked at Tchick.

"I am not going to hurt you; I am bound to this man, so don't piss him off, and you will be fine.

"

nI was surprised with Fireden's brass words, but it seemed to be the right thing for Tchick, and he seemed to relax. He picked himself up as he looked me over again, seeming to appraise me differently.

n

"Embra, Firaga, and Blaza, the Tri-Gods, and the three flames of Emfirza, the Eternal Fire Oni. They are not nice creatures, and it is best to stay out of their domains,

" Tchick explained, but then looked at the Force Pact marking he could see.

"How are you able to tame something as wild as raw power?

"

nThat actually made me laugh as Fireden bent down to my legs; something was bothering him, then without warning, gripped the broken one tightly. My body spasmed as I was hit with a mind-twisting wave of pain, and a strangely charged sour flavor entered my mouth as I almost bit through my lip.

n

"Three rough breaks; I knew that rock you landed on **ed you up, but I could sense how bad it was. Well, no easy way to say this, but you know this is going to hurt, but you're going to blackout; I will make sure of it,

" Fireden said as I gulped down some of the charged sour blood pooling in my mouth.

n

"Do it; I need to get up, and I need some food. I haven't eaten since breakfast; I should have grabbed something from one of the houses I smashed through when I was fighting Neft,

" I groaned.

n

"You can't eat anything here; I forgot to tell you about that. Eating anything in this world will be the same as eating a Demon. Once you are healed, we need to get out of here. Even Emfirza is a demon now, and that bothers me deeply,

" Fireden said with a look I hadn't ever seen on his face.

nWorry.

n

"What does that mean then? I mean, it seems to be affecting everything, so why would it affect you any differently?

" I asked because I didn't really think that something like the elementals I knew could be so pivotal.

n

"If Demonism can affect even me, then that is very worrying because we are the gears in the cycle of life that keeps everything going. If Demonism poisons the elements, that world stagnates, and life is no longer created,

" Fireden said and then looked up at Tchick.

"Emfirza was always a Demon, wasn't he? And he came before your birth, right?

"

n

"Yes, long before, and he devoured the original six and perverted them. Now each of the three Tri-Gods has three elements and is impossibly powerful beyond anything you can imagine.. You say you have seen and were chased by the three Emperors of Death? Not even they would dare attack a Tri-God!

" Tchick declared.

n