"You weigh a lot more than you look, old man."
"Call me Vale, or better yet elder. You have no idea what I just saved you from, boy."
Dorin could see the end of the stairs, as snow was falling onto them a couple dozen steps above him.
"What makes you so different than them?"
"I know things."
'How to be annoying, that's for sure.'
The rest of their group was already at the top, watching Dorin struggle to finish carrying the old man.
Dorin was still unsure about how to handle this situation. Sweat dripped down his face as he contemplated his options. All he needed was a weapon.
"You're not instilling much confidence with your performance, virtue. I would think carrying an old man like me would be an easy feat with the power you wield."
"I don't even know what a virtue is."
"An ignorant virtue . . ." Vale poked his cheek, "or maybe that's not even your true title."
"Don't touch me. Its bad enough you're on my back."
"What is your desire?"
"What do you mean?"
"I haven't been able to confirm your ego. Even if you are a virtue, most people show their teeth early on."
Dorin didn't know what to say. Each step was agony. The feeling of the old man's withered and leathery skin was horrifying.
Vale whispered behind his ear. "How many lives do you have left?"
Dorin nearly dropped the old man as he took a step back. 'I'm screwed.'
"Don't be shy." Vale put his hand in front of Dorin, and opened his palm. "We're not so different."
The mark of infinity was shriveled, but it was still an exact copy of his own.
"How . . ."
"I'm your ancestor, boy."
. . .
Fiera
". . . what is your ego?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"Bullshit." Drae interrupted Sala's questioning. "Show us."
"I don't feel any connection to my egos."
Sala walked towards her with a soft look. "What is your desire."
"I don't have any."
The two of them glanced at each other.
"He must've known."
"How did we get left with a bum virtue and a sin?"
Fiera missed her home. Liranel had been good to her, and the wash of the river helped her sleep. She was worried about her ego beast, as her connection to it had disappeared well before appearing in this world.
Sala walked up to her, as Fiera dodged any eye contact. These people made her feel just like Laqi, as if she was a tool to be manipulated. "When you used your ego, what color did it emit?"
"Pink."
Sala took a step back as her eyes widened. "Dark hells . . ."
"You're lying." Drae stood from his throne. "A sloth hasn't been born in centuries."
"Why would I lie?" Fiera felt nothing but confusion.
"If what you say is true, then you are the savior we have been waiting for. The only question is if you will survive the wilds." Drae mumbled, dribbling off into nonsense that Fiera didn't care enough to listen to.
"The old ways are used for a reason." Sala opened the door for her sparks to leave. "I wonder if this is what they had in mind."
"I'll trade you for her." Drae seemed desperate. "Give me any two sparks and she's yours."
"She's yours, Drae. Fate wouldn't have allowed this if it wasn't meant to be."
Drae fumed silently as Sala and her troupe left the room. Fiera watched as he pulled on his hair, almost to the point of tearing it off completely.
'Sloth.' Fiera felt a deep lethargy as she thought of that word. Her body slowly curled onto the floor as she felt sleep begin to take her.
"DON'T YOU DARE-"
A shallow pain entered Fiera's mind, growing stronger as the feeling of lethargy slowly left her body. She awoke on the floor to find both of her arms tied together with a serrated knife in between.
Blood dripped from her arms as she had to use all of her strength to pull her arms away from the knife's edge. Any less and it would sink back into her skin.
"That's better." Drae gave her a toothy grin from above. "We can't have you accidentally using your power . . . yet."
. . .
Rae
'That's it, keep it coming.'
Piles of assorted gems and shiny metals surrounded Rae, the great plunder of the past few days. He hadn't seen the giant spiked beetle since that first day, but its children regarded him as their master in his place.
Rae had always wanted great wealth, and with it the power to do whatever he wished. He had made promises to rebuild the slum once upon a time, but that dream ended once his life turned to nightmare.
'I wonder where Dorin is right now . . .'
Rae hadn't seen him since the day before the forging, and had been relying on stories from his fellow prisoners when they weren't under Tordi's control. Every day that went on without his friend created doubt in his mind. They had promised to become sparks together, and Dorin hadn't even tried.
Most said that he would be dead within a day, but part of him hoped that his friend had gotten away from the horrors that truly resided in Tur. The memory of the Spire implanting a seed into his back was dozens of times worse than being marked by Tordi.
A deep hatred had grown inside of Rae, and even though the piles of riches were growing by the moment, he knew that they would be useless towards his goal.
'Tordi, Dorin, and especially the Spire will feel my pain.'
Rae closed his eyes, thrusting his hands into his wealth. The cold lifelessness of the gems and metal seeped into his bones, rising from his hands to his arms. It gave him the feeling of endless power.
The piles began to sink and Rae opened his eyes in horror, thinking that he would lose it all. His palms had turned a shade of gold, with the image of a small dark gemstone on the back of his right hand.
'What happened to my treasure?'
His wealth had mostly disappeared, leaving only a large gray stone in each pile. Cracks appeared on each of them, and Rae rushed towards them, praying to the light that they wouldn't break apart completely.