In the Dirt

Dirt. All Osric can see is dirt. His right hand claws into it, pulling him up — then his left. But he isn’t in control. His body climbs the hill of dirt without him.

What’s happening? Osric tries to speak, but the words never leave his mouth. They echo inside his skull.

His hands continue slicing into the dirt.

Oh, you're up. Sloth’s voice bounces around his head as well.

Are you controlling my body? Osric screams internally.

Yeah, it’s part of the deal.

Sloth makes it to the top of the soil hill. Snow. He crunches through it.

Snow… turn around! Where are we?! Osric orders.

Sloth obliges. What they were climbing isn’t a hill — it’s a crater. A massive crater. The size of a building… no, a castle. Even bigger. The crater stretches endlessly as Sloth pans across it.

Don’t tell me that’s the castle.

That was the castle — and the capital. Sloth replies, spinning back around and trudging through the snow. The demons were giving me some trouble.

how many demons were in there? How many did you kill? Osric demands.

I don’t know. Sloth just keeps plodding through the snow.

Why would you kill your own kind?!

Own kind? What do you mean? Sloth questions.

Osric is too horrified to continue the conversation.

***

Clang!
Sparks fly as Elayne’s and Alec’s swords collide.

Elayne swings for Alec’s chest, not holding back. But his sword is always there, just in time to block. She mixes it up — off a backhand swing she raises her sword for an overhead. Hearing an arrow whizzing close, she leans back to dodge while keeping her eyes on Alec.

"Yes, now you’re getting it, Elayne!" Alec cheers. He’s coming in for another swing.

The breeze shifts, and a familiar smell hits Elayne’s nose. Her arms flop down.

“What’s wrong?” Alec stops.

“Mama!”

“I smell it too. It’s him.” Helen nods from under her tree.

“Smell what?” Anne asks, sliding an arrow back in her quiver.

“Osric!” Elayne mutters before taking off.

>>>

She speeds between trees, hopping over logs, following the smell. She reaches a small cliff. Osric’s scent is near. Leaves rustle and twigs snap.

She hops down — then freezes. The person before her is not Osric.

He’s wearing Osric’s clothes, he smells like Osric. But his blonde hair is black and he’s holds a strange book. The mean red eyes she hated are gone. Two pitch-black circles stare at her.

His gaze leaves her, and he continues marching through the forest.

“Wait!” She jumps in front of him. “Who are you?”

“Move, child.” That voice isn’t Osric’s — much more annoying.

“Move, or you will get hurt.” He steps around her.

Elayne leaps back in his way.

He raises the book in his hand and flips the page. Her gut screams at her: that book is no good. She lunges for it — then, suddenly, she’s flying backward. She slams into a tree, hitting the ground hard, gasping for air.

“Elayne!” Alec shouts from the cliff.

Elayne wants to stop him, but she can’t speak — she can’t even breathe. Alec springs off the cliff with incredible speed, hurling toward Osric.

The collision sends dust and leaves into the air. When it settles, Alec’s sword hovers inches from Osric’s stomach. The tip of the blade meets… nothing. Elayne can see Alec is thrusting with all his might, but the sword won’t budge.

Osric slowly points a hand at Alec. Alec is blasted backward, slamming into the cliffside and leaving an indentation.

Osric flips through a few more pages, then darts past Elayne — moving faster than she’s ever seen him.

“What’s going on?” Anne shouts from the cliff, Helen standing behind her.

“It’s Osric… there's something’s wrong,” Elayne explains, her breath slowly returning.

“Is he okay?” Helen asks, sliding down the cliff alongside Anne.

“Are we sure that’s the Sage?” Alec pops out of the hole in the cliffside.

“It is. My nose doesn’t lie.” Helen taps her snout.

“We should approach this carefully. If he can take down Alec…” Anne fiddles with her glasses.

“He didn’t ‘take me down,’” Alec objects.

“Why are we standing around? I’m going after him!” Elayne yells, taking off.

***

The castle gates fly off their hinges, landing in the courtyard grass with a heavy thud. Sloth steps through.

What are you doing here? Osric hisses.

I’m here to collect some books.

Don’t kill anyone, Osric pleads.

If they stay out of my way. Sloth slams open the castle doors.

Panicked servants scamper up the grand steps, dropping trays and shattering the ceramics on them.

Sloth trudges off the stairs. Halfway up, the clatter of armor comes into earshot behind them.

“Not you guys again.” Sloth turns to see a group of knights funneling in. “Give it a rest.” With an outstretched hand, he sends the knights blasting out the doorway.

>>>

After walking down a long hallway, Sloth stops at a door. He blasts it open, revealing a study: a grand desk in the center of the room. Panicked squeals come from behind it.

Sloth walks over to the bookshelf to the left of the desk. A shout makes him turn around. Cowering under the desk is the King.

“Don’t hurt me!” he squeals.

Sloth scoffs, glancing back at the bookshelf. But something makes him look up — hanging from the wooden beam rafters is a knight, a red surcoat bearing the image of a sun over his armor. He drops down, drawing his sword.

The sword collides just shy of Sloth’s face, stopped by his invisible shield. With a flick of his hand, the knight is hurled across the room, crashing straight through the wall.

Sloth goes back to the shelf, sliding his hand along the many spines. He stops, grabbing two books: The Titleless 'Quadra Codex', and the 'Book of Wrath'. He slides them both into the back of his belt.

A battle cry shakes the room and through the human-shaped hole in the wall jumps the knight. He darts at Sloth with a thrust, again, stopped inches from his torso.

“These knights are so annoying… what a pain,” Sloth whines.

He points two fingers, then snaps them together like the snip of scissors. The knight’s body goes limp. Slowly, his torso slides off his hips, landing with a wet splatter.

Hey! I said don’t kill anyone! Osric screams.

He was getting on my nerves. Sloth strides out of the room.

I didn’t agree to this!

But you did. Suddenly Sloth speeds up, zooming down the hall. It’s not my fault. You didn’t listen to my terms.

Sloth speeds out of the castle.

>>>

Hey, stop, what are you doing? Osric has been screaming at Sloth for hours. The echo of his own voice in his head is making him sick.

Stop, you bastard! Sloth ignores him, speeding through a thick forest. That’s all Osric can make out. They’ve been moving too fast — the surroundings blurring too quickly to catch any specifics.

Suddenly he stops, plopping down against the tree. We need to rest. Your body can’t handle all this.

Why won’t you listen to me? Where are we? Osric pleads.

I’ve been tuning you out. You’re such a pain. We’re somewhere in the Beastkin Forest.

Why?

I told you I need to collect some books. The next one’s somewhere in here.

What books are you looking for?

Oh, shut up, will ya? Your body needs some sleep. Sloth lays his head down in the dirt.