Chapter 1: Order Versus Entropy

Chapter 1: Order Versus Entropy

In a blood-soaked field marred by screams and flames, two figures stood, one of blemished gold and one of scorched black, the champions of their respective alliances of Order and Entrophy.

Both warriors were tired, their arms heavy, armors cracked, the light in their eyes dim to the audience of war that surrounded them as the pair squared off for a final time.

“Let's end this,” The white-haired knight in gold spat, readying his longsword and charging forward.

“I couldn't agree more!” The woman in black roared, greeting her opponent’s weapon with her own.

No flashy mana, no landscape changing attacks, just metal against metal, the force of their dance unleashing sparks between the flurry of blows and deflections.

Skill versus skill, two champions pit against one another by the fate chosen for them.

“As skilled as ever!” Abel roared, deflecting a heavy blow from the woman's massive greataxe wrapped with thorns. “Even with one foot in the grave!”

“Didn't you know the dead don't speak?!” Kane laughed, the mania in her ruby eyes flaring with Crimson power as she lashed out, “So how about you shut up!”

The collision of their weapons shook the ground, the soil and land beneath their feet giving way to their unbridled rage as both warriors unleashed the reservoirs of their strength.

“Absolute Order: Die.” Abel said, wings of majestic gold manifesting behind him as his blue eyes focused on the target of his ire, who smirked and opened her mouth.

“Absolute Entropy: Disintegrate.”

The air boiled, sky split, the clash of order and entropy tearing away the fabric of reality as the contest of their egos intertwined into one solidifying beam of gray.

In that moment time froze, every onlooker both human and inhuman, unable to look away from the pillar of grey that would determine the fate of their world.

The sky twisted, the veil that surrounded the realm of Arganthia shifting as two beings incomprehensible to those below set their focus on the clash below.

Then, as the grey column descended the spectators were aghast, both factions, monsters and man fixed on the crater where their champions had clashed.

An eerie silence ensued, one broken only by the shifting of armor and rustling of furs, two factions creeping slowly towards the crater to peer into the hole.

If the Hero won, the demon masses were as good as dead and if the demoness won, well, there would be little left to stop the demons from butchering humanity with their queen as their spearhead.

This, was the climax each side was waiting for, the conclusion to a story years in the making. All that was needed to do was to verify which side won.

But… as the dust settled and the sky cleared, all that remained within the gaping maw in the ground were the weapons of Abel and Kane, the armaments of each buried into the soil beside each other.

****

Three Miles Away.

“Do you think that was too much?” Abel said, narrowing his eyes as he crouched low between the bushes to keep a low profile, “Maybe we should've broken the weapons?”

“Too much?! You almost killed me!” Kane spat, throwing a rock that bounced off of Abel’s head. “If you're busy gawking at everyone's reaction, strip and get ready to move! The longer we stay here the higher our chance of discovery.”

“Sure, if a pretty lady asks me to strip, who am I not to do everything I'm Abel to to fulfill her wish,” Abel said, flashing a grin towards the deadpan demoness who stood half-naked in the forest in black underwear that accentuated her lithe form. “Huh…”

“Get dressed!” Kane spat, throwing a bundle of clothes at the white-haired man. “You're lucky I find you mildly amusing worm.”

“Ah, so you do find me funny,” Abel smiled, getting dressed. “I knew it.”

“Shut up! This plan better work, otherwise I'll kill you for real. Do you have any idea how close you were to killing me?! Learn to control your power, you oaf!”

“To be fair,” Abel replied, holding up a black-haired wig, “You were going all out too. If I didn't activate my Absolute Order I could have died. Very scary stuff.”

“Yeah well… it had to be believable…”

“Liar,” Abel chuckled, unbuttoning his white shirt made of expensive dragon silk and encrusted with gems that were worth the GDP of a small city. “Admit it, you like fighting me.”

“Kill yourself.”

“Come on, you know you like-”

“Abel.”

“Yes?”

“Kill yourself.”

Abel smiled, turning around and putting on a plain tunic that was itchy to his skin.

“Ah… nice one,” Abel shook his head as he felt the tiny bugs crawl against his skin before turning towards the woman now completely indistinguishable from her usual form.

Gone were her horns, tail, and red eyes, instead the black-haired demon was now a blonde girl with blue eyes, her soft face sporting a beauty mark on her cheek with red lipstick that replaced her usual black. Coupled with her long ears, one could mistake the Demon Queen as just another elf if their observe skill wasn't high enough to breach her illusion skill.

“Huh…” Abel said.

“D-don't huh me! We're running out of time, hurry up!” Kane spat, pointing at the silver artifact on her wrist that Abel also possessed, the dial already moving.

“Yeah yeah, I’m getting dressed, I'm getting dressed… it's just…”

“Just what?”

“Don't you feel it? The sensation of being watched… its-”

“Gone.” Kane said, finishing Abel's words before the pair allowed the silence of freedom to flood the space. “Let’s go, the enchantments won't last long.”

****

After donning their new disguises, the pair gathered their belongings and made their way through the forests. A mostly silent trip, the duo continued until they reached a cave where they were greeted by a robed figure hunched over a sigil carved into the ground.

“Ah! Abel! Lady Kane! I just heard over the Magi-net about what happened! ” The sleep-deprived woman with greying hair said as she spun and hugged the pair. “You did it! It worked! It worked! It worked! Wow! You look great as a blonde Lady Kane! Eh, I think I liked you better with white hair Abel.”

Kane groaned, uncomfortable with the short woman's excited embrace but accepting it as Abel chuckled.

“We're not out of the woods yet Marci,” Abel said, patting the dwarfen magician on the head.

“Rightrightrightrightrightright!” Marci exclaimed, rushing past the two and knocking over dozens of empty bottles laced with the scent of caffeine. “Here! I've got it! I've got it!”

The hyperactive dwarfen returned a moment later and began fidgeting with the bracelets on Abel and Kane’s wrists with her large hands.

“Alright! You two should be good to go! Once you sync up to the safehouse, you'll be out of sight and completely undetectable!” Marci said, letting out a boisterous laugh.

“Thanks Marceline,” Abel said before looking over to Kane and elbowing the greater demon in the side.

“Ehem. Yes. Thank you.” Kane said, inspecting the device that was the key to their freedom.

“You two can thank me by telling me more about Earth. Remember our deal! I help you two, and you help me!”

“Go on, you have the fee,” Kane nodded to Abel.

“Right,” Abel said, fishing into his bag and handing a scroll bound with red string to the short humanoid. “Here's a blueprint for what's called a gun.”

“A gun?” Marci said, pursing her lips as she opened the scroll only for her eyes to begin sparking.

“It's very dangerous and a powerful weapon. Just be careful with its construction. I don't know the full specifics, but I've described the function and pieces.” Abel explained as the dwarfen nodded and pocketed the item into her spatial storage.

“I see! I see! I see! Okay! Remember, neither of you can leave the premises for at least three months. It's fully stocked, furnished, and secluded so nothing should interfere with the seals. Once you've synced, you'll both be free to live your lives however you two need!” Marci said as she guided the pair towards the sigil in the center of the cave. “Now, to make sure you both get there in one go, I need you two to hold hands.”

“Wait what?” Kane said. “Why is that necessary?”

“Because I said so!” Marci pouted.

“Uh… sure, Kane?” Abel said, holding his hand out to the demoness.

“It's still Sato to you,” Kane said, holding out her hand as she turned her head away.

Abel raised a brow, the touch of Kane’s skin surprisingly rough despite her porcelain look and jade beauty. No doubt, from the countless hours of training and battles she'd fought. Did she think his hands were rough too? Were they flaky? Or did she think they were soft?

The two made eye contact before looking away.

“Right! Okay, now say you love each other!” Marci shouted, drawing the pair’s ire.

“”What?””

“Just kidding! You should see the look on your faces, anyway Ala-ka-blam!” Marci shouted as she clapped her large hands and the two figures before her vanished in a stream of light.

“Finally, Operation Sailing Ship is aGO!” Marceline sighed, smiling softly as her hands began scratching at her neck. “Why am I so itchy all of a sudden?”

****

“The hell is this?!” Kane shouted, her voice echoing out into the nearby forests that surrounded the homey cabin in the woods. “I was expecting a facility, a keep, or an underground bunker, not this! Damn you Marceline, I'll have your skin flayed for this!”

Before the pair was a single home cabin, a cozy building in the middle of the woods with a large sign above that read Happily Married.

“Observe,” Abel muttered, activating his skill as his eyes glanced over the surroundings of the home enchanted with hundreds of barriers layered over one another in an expert tapestry capable of only a grand magician.

Marci did it.

“It's safe,” Abel said, lowering his head, his shoulders dropping as the stress left his shoulders.

“I am keenly aware,” Kane snarled, “Just not what I was expecting from a magician of her skill. What are we supposed to do for six months in a cabin in the middle of nowhere?”

“I don't know,” Abel shrugged, “Besides it's only three months, what can possibly happen?”