Chapter 6: When does it end?

  Max'Sall didn't remember much of his mother; he was most likely too young to ever picture her more than what he could remember. Her favorite foods, her voice—he remembered none of it, as she was gone before he ever truly knew her. He hated not knowing; those plain bits of ignorance made him more angry than understanding the truth. Those who swam in the deep end without knowing what lurks beneath were always taken away too soon.

  As much as he doesn't remember her, there were things that pierced the back of his mind that he does remember about her. As he stared down at the ruby in his hand, one of those memories came flooding back.

  Her eyes. It's said that a Dull's eyes were just stones of grey; they carried no color and showed nothing about them. Often people said many things about Dull's like that, trying to find ways of making them look different, to separate themselves from others. He had no Embody; that was certain, but he could see the color in everyone's eyes.

  Dormion's always held faint nicks of blue in his eyes; it sparkled like water or a puddle gleaming in the sunlight. You could tell a lot about a person when you spent time with them, when you looked and spoke to them.

  His mother's were red. Red like the brightest ruby and the coziest fire one could muster. There was no gray in her eyes, at least he didn't believe so. Her eyes were like she had stolen bits of the light in the sky and encased it within her eyes, giving her an almost orange glow around her eyes.

  He remembered staring up at her when she cooked, when she would smile back at him. It was almost like she wore her heart in her eyes, like he could see the love in her eyes when she looked at him. That was what he remembered the most.

  The gemstone shined brightly in his hand, his mother's same brilliant glow still persistent in the gemstone itself. He couldn't help but stare at it, waiting for something to happen with the precious stone, though nothing did happen. It was still raining; the pitter-patter of gentle raindrops outside of the alleyway made everything around feel eerily silent.

  "This... This could be it. We could use this and finally be free!" Max'Sall felt like everything, every emotion, and any ounce of joy was finally reaching the surface. He held the stone in his hand. Dormion was looking through the bag once more before he put the letter in and looked into Max'Sall's hand to see the ruby once again.

  "H-How much do you think it's worth?" His voice was shaky, but it was an excitement Max'Sall could tell. He most likely knew that this thing was worth heaps, but he needed an almost confirmed amount on how much.

  "At least a few green, maybe even a blue, or even a blue-green would be perfect!" In truth, Max'Sall didn't know how much it was worth, but he had seen gems and jewelry hanging up in the windows of the Mercantile district, and not a single one was as beautiful, ornate, or as perfect as this one. If those could go for heaps, this one might be the most expensive thing he has held in his life.

  Max'Sall gave it to Dormion to look at as he slowly grabbed it into his left hand and held it like you would a small bird. He held it to his face as his eyes almost gleamed towards it; the small blue of his eyes sparkled in the gemstone's scarlet hue. He held it close for a second before he smiled a bit into a small chuckle.

  "T-This could be it... We could use this and get out!" Both of them smiled at each other before Max'Sall grabbed Dormion into a strong hug and started lifting him into the air. There were a few who were looking over, but he didn't much care for them. They were going to be free.

  "Ok! OK! Put me down!" Max'Sall laughed a bit before setting him down to the ground as he wiped some of the rain out of his face. Dormion kept holding onto the gemstone as Max'Sall looked around towards the city street.

  "We need a plan...clearly this was something he was giving to someone, which means we have to get this out of the city or we need to escape to find someone who will buy it... Oh man, but who will?"

  Max'Sall's mind was trying to find or search for anyone or any place that may or may not take this gemstone for the price... How much would they get for this thing? There were too many factors: who they sold it to, where they would sell it... if they would buy from Dull. To most it didn't matter, but people would ask questions; that was going to be the problem.

  "Creation's End! How and who are going to sell this thing too? Maybe we can get someone to sell it for us, but who could we trust to do it? Toran? No, who's to say that he won't just sell us out?" Max'Sall thought, running through his small list of names who could help them.

  "Dormion, maybe you have an idea." Max'Sall looked to Dormion, who was staring at the gemstone still, but it wasn't the same gleam in his eye that shimmered; there was an almost grief or contemplation that was plastered over his face. Max'Sall waited a second to see if he heard what he said as he snapped in front of him.

  Dormion jumped as he stared back at Max'Sall still with that contemplative look.

  "Yeah!?" He was clearly startled by his snap.

  "I was thinking of who we could sell the stone to, and I wondered if you had anyone in your mind that you think could be useful." Max'Sall asked as he was clearly looking around to make sure no one was watching them.

  Dormion only held the stone a little tighter as he looked towards Max'Sall with a look of pain. Max'Sall was confused at the look, as he was now just confused at Dormion giving him an odd look.

  "Are you ok?" Max'Sall asked sincerely. Dormion sighed as he held up the ruby rock and spoke calmly.

  "We have to give it back. The stone..." Max'Sall didn't know if he heard him correctly. He simply kept looking at him, trying to understand him.

  "Give it back?"

  "Yes...I think it's right." Dormion had said.

  "It's right? What do you mean it's right? When did you start becoming the master of what is right and wrong?" He was starting to get frustrated. This was their chance; they couldn't have cold feet right now. It would be hard, but when was there ever a time when life was not hard? They had the chance to become something more; their dreams could be achieved.

  "I just mean that if we do this, we will be just as bad as Caelen and all those other rotten people that he has do his dirty work."

  "We do it anyway; what makes it any different when we do it? They started it, and it's the only way we have been having enough money to eat."

  "Well, maybe I don't think we should anymore."

  "We shouldn't anymore? How else are we going to be able to do anything?! I understand that stealing is bad, and we shouldn't, but what's the other choice?" When was the last time they had a choice?

  "I just think it's different."

  "Different?! How?!"

  "I don't know Max'Sall, somewhere between delivering illegal substances to others that we don't make or use and when we actively choose to steal priceless items that don't belong to us."

  "You make it sound like there is a spectrum. They don't see it that way; why should we?"

  "Because they don't care about us!"

  "Exactly, so we shouldn't care about them!"

  "NO!" Max'Sall stepped back as Dormion shouted to him in a surprising anger he didn't think he had within him. Dormion quickly stepped back; there was clear surprise to him as well, as he simply sighed in defeat.

  "They don't care about us, Dormion. We have been simply their stepping stools for way too long. Caelen doesn't care about us. He hired those guys because it either pissed us off, or he is simply going to get rid of us."

  Dormion paused; whether it was contemplation or acceptance, Max'Sall didn't know. He didn't want to push his friend like this. They've been together for so long; what did it matter if they had different opinions? They had those on many things. But something was so different about this conversation, like something hung in the balance between.

  What was the point of this? They could just sell the stone, go from this horrible city, and live their own lives. They have done bad things, sure, but they were going to change; everything would change once they got rid of that stone. Couldn't this just wait? Just a few more days?

  "I know they don't care. Look at us; they took your mother, and my parents left me here. We are nothing but the dregs of society."

  Max'Sall looked away, trying to push back that terrible day, the day when everything was taken. He didn't want to think about it, not anymore. Dormion looked up at him as he took off the hood of his heavy cloak, his brown unkempt hair being pushed down by the rain. He took off his mask, revealing the heavy set scars near his upper mouth.

  "We don't have money, barely any food, and without your mother, we would have no home. The others scrape by through menial jobs and physical labor, but we are forced to do terrible things, risking our lives for bits. And yet, we still scrape the bottom of the barrel.

  "So why don't we just go!? Start something new; become better. We've done terrible things and fought and fought against everything that came our way. Why can't we just do this and live our lives free of this chain!"

  Dormion looked back at him, a steadfast determination in his eyes.

  "Because we'd be just as bad."

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  "Nobody can be as bad as them..."

  "We would. Max'Sall, they took everything from us, and to take something from them, to sink to their level and become these sharks, that's what that would do to us. You hate them; I hate them. I hate this city more than anything... but I can't let that define us."

  Max'Sall needed that hatred, that fresh emotion that boiled over him every day, that tiny piece of him that told him to push on every day. What would it be without it? He would be empty, empty as the people of Kursoon, dressed up in new and unique colors but still just as empty as he would be.

  "I can't. Every time I wake up, every time I get mad, it keeps reminding me of what I have to lose, what we can prove to others. I need this hate."

  "You don't need that hate, Max'Sall. We are bound by our choices to choose whether we will hate or love. Protect or destroy. I used to think that it would be the same, wishing on the same thing. When I saw you get hurt, it changed me."

  Max'Sall still felt the lingering pain in his side, a constant reminder of the pain over the years, brought back in one day.

  "We had to fight almost our entire life, so when you stood up and took my blows...I knew that there was always another option."

  "I did that because you were going to get hurt."

  "You did it because you wanted to protect me. You made that choice."

  Max'Sall felt confused. In the way that he understood what he was saying, but never felt that way before. It wasn't as if he wasn't trying to protect Dormion, but some part of him, the part that would scream out in the night when he was in pain, or the days that they would go hungry, told him to stand, told him to make a choice.

  Did he really make that choice then?

  "I..." Max'Sall didn't know what to say, so he decided to say nothing. Dormion looked back towards the rainy street as the people were still moving through each side, almost fading into the color of the rain. He stood up as he and Max'Sall looked towards it as well.

  "We were born to be broken, to be challenged and beat down. Yet we have gotten up every time to meet their eyes. Every time they look down on us, we stand up. Would it be different if it were reversed? Does it make it right simply because bad things happen to us too?"

  Max'Sall didn't speak. He heard only the beating of his own heart and the rain dripping onto the noisy street. Dormion grabbed his shoulder in the alleyway as Max'Sall turned around. They stared into each other's eyes; they only had each other.

  "We must be better than them, Max'Sall."

  Those words...He had heard them before. But where? He simply looked away from Dormion; he couldn't look at him as he looked down at his feet, as he gritted his teeth.

  "I can't...." Those words hurt him more than he thought, like he was peeling back some old wound carved into his heart. Dormion simply held onto his shoulder as he looked towards the street still.

  "We have to be."

  Why?

  There was a sudden movement behind the both of them as Max'Sall looked back to see four, no, five Kursoon guards that were holding out their weapons. Their gleaming silver weapons were shining in the rain as Dormion quickly turned around and saw them walk up. They ran up to only about 15 feet away as one man, the same first captain they saw at The Mix. He held up an ornate, almost platinum scimitar that had a curved blade like a jagged cut into rock. He held it up as his face looked like he was angry.

  "Two Dull, Max'Sall and Dormion. You both are coming with me."

  Both of them looked at each other as Dormion was holding the gemstone in his right hand, which was behind his back. Max'Sall simply walked forward a bit as two of the guards in the back switched to having heavy crossbows in their hands. That delicate craftsmanship was something even Max'Sall could respect. It bore the symbol of Kursoon on its side, a circle with a diamond-like shape with a man holding the symbol of "K" in its hand.

  "Are you the first captain? We have a delivery for you." Dormion had the satchel in his other hand as he began to walk slowly towards them.

  "Do not move! You two are coming with me! Drop whatever is in your hand!" The First Captain held up his hand in a sort of army gesture, most likely to signal the other soldiers to hold their weapons. Max'Sall was confused; they hadn't done anything yet, and they hadn't decided to do it either. Did they know? If they had, he would have gotten the gem either way, so why were they here?

  Dormion looked towards Max'Sall as he slowly moved his right hand forward, the one with the gemstone in it.

  "Dormion, no!" Max'Sall thought, but it was too late. Dormion held out his right hand as he showed off the brilliant stone. The other guards looked in wonder and anger as they saw the stone's magnificent glow in the dreary rain, like a light of pure hope. The First Captain seemed to look away in pain as he gritted his teeth and looked back at them with pain in his eyes.

  "I'm sorry... For stealing from Caelen Fullon, we ask that both of you come with us to return the stolen goods and face swift punishment."

  "Punishment? We didn't steal this gem! It was in the satchel we were supposed to give to you! We didn't do anything!" Max'Sall shouted in anger. Dormion was still holding out the gemstone as the First Captain motioned for two of the guards as they walked closer with shorter swords. Dormion wasn't sure what to do. He looked down as the two guards began to approach.

  "Why?! Why is this happening?! We didn't... No." It was obvious to him what was going on. They were tricked; it must have been Caelen, or at least to some extent, the others. The gem, the people, all of it. It was a setup.

  "Caelen put you up to this, didn't he?! You are just under his finger, waiting for commands like dogs! We're all dogs here, huh?! Waiting for the next sliver of meat on the bone!" The First Captain didn't look at Max'Sall when he said it; perhaps he didn't want to see the truth, to look upon the lives of which he ruined. Or maybe he just didn't care.

  The two guards came up closer and closer as Max'Sall's heart and head burned with hatred. How could he live without this, this feeling that kept him going? It didn't matter; it wouldn't matter if they were taken. Who knows what would happen if they were taken? Where would they go? No. Max'Sall wouldn't let that happen.

  He grabbed Dormion quickly right before the other guards could get to them, and he bolted towards the other direction, towards the street. The two guards shouted something out, but he could not hear them, as more shouts came from the crowd.

  The populated streets moved and shifted as both of them ran close away from the alleyway towards...somewhere. Max'Sall let go of Dormion as they both heard the yelling and shouting from the guards behind. The rain was pouring harder, droplets the size of enamel dropped onto the street, and most of the people went under the natural covers of stores and overhangs to keep dry as they both kept running.

  Where would they go, and what would they do? Those questions burned the back of his mind, trying to piece its own answer together, but there was nothing. They knew where they lived, at least close enough, as long as Rylander was there. The Mix would do nothing, and any other place would just turn them in.

  "What do we do?!" Dormion had asked through panted breaths. Max'Sall didn't answer, trying to rack his brain with the answer. Each of the guards had been gaining traction towards them; they were stronger and faster; they would eventually catch up.

  Dormion had quickly pointed to a nearby corner to another street to the right. They both quickly turned the corner into a side street filled with homes that went down closer to the west gate of the city. They had both begun to run as fast as they could, but the captain kept chasing them, screaming and shouting incoherently. They had begun to notice the influx of guards began to chase down on them, all for one ruby.

  "Why...we just wanted to live out of the streets. Every single time we are close to moving up, to leaving this place, not causing trouble for anyone." Max'Sall thought, trying to wipe away the rain on his face. He looked around, through the towering homes and the people gasping at his presence. Some of them were throwing things at him, small bits of unusable fruit and vegetables. They despised him; he despised all of them.

  The rain became heavy, and the puddles of rain that only reached the tip of his boots now soaked a lot of his and left him feeling wet and cold. The heavy rain annoyed him, and it frustrated him, too many noises and sights piercing his brain. Where would they--

  "The sewer!" Dormion had yelled out to Max'Sall. He was right; if they could get to where the water was being drained and hide out, they might have a chance to wait out the trouble and find a way to escape. The sewer was further down the road; it is usually guarded by other guards, which meant they had to push through them, but what other choice did they have?

  "What about the others?!" Max'Sall yelled towards Dormion.

  "We'll deal with it, together." That Max should at least calm down a bit more. They both ran down the street and took a swift left. Each section was built into districts made to grossly combine each accessible section of the city. It meant that each part of the city could trace itself back to the mercantile district, like puzzle pieces that would combine to a single rudimentary piece. Which also meant that if you knew the layout of the city well, it was easy to know where to go.

  The sewer, or the end of the housing district, was concealed on a slant so that water would go down easily into the small grates that were about 20 ft out for every four or five houses or so. Which meant that the end of the district was into a tunnel meant for workers to go down into and work.

  Max'Sall and Dormion made it to the slanted-down house district and took a sharp left down into the streets. They both ran down into the slanted street; there were very few people on the streets, as most were inside their homes.

  Max'Sall looked back to see other guards loading up their crossbows. With a fast whistle across the wind, Max'Sall saw the crossbow bolt rocket towards them as it landed into the stone street nearby. They kept coming, raining down into the sky like the heavy rain.

  Because they could keep moving, it meant that it took a while for them to reload the bolts back in, giving them time to run down the street.

  "There!" Dormion pointed towards the flattened part of the street, where the water would rush down to a small tunnel off to the side, away from the streets that went into other parts of the city. He could feel his heart pumping and pushing out of every ounce of strength he had, the pain from yesterday still lingering, but adrenaline flowing in his veins.

  Dormion was not so lucky; he was lagging behind a good bit, his breath heavy and his legs pushing slower and slower. They had to be quick. With a quick glance, there were no guards protecting the tunnel entrance...that was not normal. Max'Sall didn't think about it anymore, taking the blessing, and kept running.

  "We can make it! All we have to do is—" There, like a looming shadow, something jumped from the top of a nearby building. Max'Sall kept running as the shadow jumped down in front of them only a good twenty feet in front.

  It was the armored man, the beautiful armor shining in the rain, as even the heavy grey lining of the rain that washed away a lot of the color in the area didn't matter. Its opalescent glow kept it clean; the rain wasn't even sticking to the armor as it would almost instantly peel itself off the armor.

  He crashed down into the street, a crack in the ground where he stood as he held the massive hammer in his hand. Similar to the armor, it shined beautifully on the dreary day as Max'Sall's eyes widened in surprise.

  "No way! How did he get here?!" Max'Sall thought as he was still picking up a strong amount of momentum as the man stood before them. In only a few moments they would come face to face with that man, and his huge frame meant that this would be bad. Dormion was now closer by, as he had been using every single ounce of strength just to keep up.

  The man reared back his hammer as far as he could, letting most of the power of the swing come from their rushing head-on into them. He couldn't slow down; he couldn't maneuver himself away; it was too fast, all happening too fast. Dormion would be fine; he was close enough but not in the radius of the swing; it would take at least another second for the man to swing again.

  The hammer reared back as both of them were only about five feet apart from each other. Max'Sall could almost feel the force of the swing as he saw the gleaming weapon shine towards him. He almost heard this weapon swing into the wind as every single muscle in his body was tensing up.

  He would be dead.

  "I'm dead." Max'Sall felt his final thoughts pierce through his brain.

  He could feel every memory shift into his mind all at the same time, every meal shared with Dormion, all the laughs, and... those eyes. Her eyes pierced him, like she was watching him no matter what. Was that going to be his final moments? No... not today. She was watching over him, and she would not watch him die.

  Every single muscle in his body strained as his body pushed itself further forward into a semi-lunge towards the ground. The hammer blazed past him as he heard the wind collide with the full power of the swing. His heart was beating in his ear, and every other noise was cancelled in his ears as his body kept moving forward.

  His stomach slid on the ground as he continued to slide as he quickly pulled himself up into a running position. He looked back to see the armored man look back; whether he was impressed or not, he could not tell. He saw Dormion running near him, just a little farther back, as both were running with the rest of the strength left.

  They made it to the bottom as they ran through the grey tunnel into the darkness below. Soaking wet and tired.