Author's Preface
"Why did you leave him unwatched?!" a voice hissed through the haze.
"Sha'rak was supposed to keep him busy!" another snapped back in defense.
The Wanderer's eye fluttered open. Through the blurring fog of his mind, he glimpsed the two monstrous shapes arguing in the dim light.
He instinctively tried to lunge forward, but a hard snap pulled him short, his wrists were bound behind the back of a chair.
The creature wearing Kuma's robes snapped its head toward the noise, then glared at the female still wearing Serenya's clothes. "Great! He's awake!"
"Tu'rak, what are we going to do?!" the female creature panicked, taking a step back as she stared at the Wanderer.
The Wanderer coughed, his raspy voice shaking with rage. "Untie me... you foul creatures."
Tu'rak buried his hands in his face. "The Guardians will slaughter us..." He paused, his head snapping toward the female, pointing a finger at her face. "This is your fault, Su'rak!"
Su'rak stepped to him, her chin tentacles flaring. "My fault?! You're the one who came running to my desk crying like a baby!"
"UNTIE ME!" the Wanderer roared, the chair legs slamming against the ground.
Both of them jumped, rushing toward him. Tu'rak dropped to his knees beside the Wanderer's chair.
"Just... just calm down, okay?!" Tu'rak offered a desperate smile, his needle teeth glistening. "We'll untie you, but we need to make a deal first!"
The Wanderer slowly lifted his head, staring at the triangled teeth, as tears welled up in his eye.
"Why..." the Wanderer rasped out. "Why did you fool me for this long?!"
His voice rose into a scream. "Is this another one of your sick games?! Is this entire world just yours to toy with?!"
Su'rak set a pale hand on his shoulder. "Look... we can still fix this. We just need you to keep acting as if nothing has changed until Valoria is rebuilt."
The Wanderer turned his gaze to her. "You... you kissed me."
Su'rak glanced back at Tu'rak, and shrugged saying. "I had to convince him to stay in the city."
Tu'rak shot her a venomous glare before turning back to the Wanderer, forcing his tone to remain steady. "That doesn't matter now. I need you to stay quiet so we can talk like civilized beings."
"Are you?" The Wanderer said. "Or you are the same fucking glowing squids from that day?!"
"Not the exact same ones, no, but... we are of the same blood," Tu'rak said, standing up.
"We are the Murak."
The Wanderer turned to him, his breath stolen. "The Murak..."
Su'rak immediately cut in. "He already knows too much, Tu'rak! Don't risk the Guardians' wrath!"
Tu'rak stared at her. "We are doomed either way, Su'rak. Maybe... just maybe, we have a chance if he plays along."
"What if I refuse?" the Wanderer asked.
Tu'rak bared his teeth, leaning in close. "You do realize we can kill you right here, right now... don't you?"
The Wanderer shifted against the wood. "If you could, you would, squid."
Tu'rak’s chin tentacles lashed wildly as he gritted his teeth.
Su'rak stepped forward. "Listen to me, human. If you don't cooperate, we're dead. And if we go down, the very last thing I do before I breathe my final breath is drive a Nullstone straight into your heart."
The Wanderer looked at her bitterly. "You already stabbed that heart once."
"Enough with the sentimentals!" Tu'rak barked, throwing his hands in the air. "We need each other if any of us are going to get out of this alive!"
The Wanderer looked between the two nightmares, forcing his mind to quiet. "Then start talking. Tell me everything."
A few minutes later, the Wanderer sat free, rubbing his wrists as the two Murak sat across from him.
"So," the Wanderer rasped, "how exactly are you related to those glowing bastards?"
Tu'rak swirled a cup of water in his hand, watching the ripples. "We were all sculpted this way by the Beyonder.
We are his children, forged with the singular impulse to obey his commands."
"Commands like torturing the people of Avaris?" the Wanderer spat.
Tu'rak waved his hand. "Collateral damage. Except for Valoria, of course. Our directive is to reshape this realm until the day the Beyonder can finally step foot among us."
"I thought he was all-powerful," the Wanderer scoffed. "What could possibly stop a so-called god?"
Tu'rak leaned forward over the table. "The First Dragon."
He turned his gaze back to his glass. "Centuries ago, two world-shattering forces clashed for ultimate control of Avaris. The Murak, led by our Father... and the Dragonborn, led by the First Dragon."
A smirk touched the Wanderer’s face. "I've heard the stories."
Su'rak chuckled. "I'm sure you missed the best parts. Avaris itself began to shatter under the weight of their power. We only wanted a sanctuary, a place to call home, to exist like anyone else.
But the First Dragon was a merciless demon. He refused to give us a single span of earth."
"Then something shifted," Tu'rak took over. "The Dragon took a mate. He built a family... found something he actually cared about losing. In his desperation, he struck a deal with the Beyonder: he would surrender his own soul if our Father promised to let his bloodline endure."
"Why would he ever trust creatures like you to keep an oath?" the Wanderer asked, his brow furrowed.
Su'rak slammed her palm on the table, her tentacles flaring. "We have honor!"
"He didn't trust us," Tu'rak corrected, cutting her off. "The moment the Dragon surrendered, he tricked our Father, merging his soul into the Beyonder's essence and forcibly tearing him out of this dimension. Now, if our Father even attempts to step back into Avaris... the entire world would tear apart under his mere presence."
"I saw him," the Wanderer countered. "Or his eye, at least."
Tu'rak gulped the glass of water and stood up, pacing the room. "That is precisely why we were sent here." He grabbed another glass, his hands shaking. "Why would our Father risk tearing this entire world to splinters just to catch a single glimpse of you?"
The Wanderer went still for a fraction of a second, burying the realization before casually shrugging. "You're his little fish. You tell me."
A wet gurgle of rage echoed from Tu'rak's throat, his chin tentacles lashing wildly.
Su'rak quickly reached out, grabbing his arm and forcing him back down into his seat. She turned her unblinking gaze back onto the Wanderer. "The Guardians ordered us to investigate what makes you so different, and to ensure you carry out your duties as King without failure."
The Wanderer dropped his head into his hands, a hollow laugh slipping through his fingers. "And the puppet walked right into the trap..." he muttered.
He slowly lifted his head. "I've heard enough."
Tu'rak leaned across the table. "Remember this: if you expose us, you expose yourself. The Guardians won't hesitate for a second to obliterate all of us to ashes."
The Wanderer stood up, brushing off his ceremonial silk robes across the floor. "I'll play along."
Both Murak let out a sigh of relief, until the Wanderer leaned over the table.
"On one condition."
The room went dead silent.
"Tell me how the Guardians are made."