“THIS ENDS HERE AND NOW ARUSHIN!!! YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR PAST DEEDS!!” The cloaked figure shouted Towards another. It was a horrid night, and as the howling winds and chilling rain poured forth from the heavens, both warriors walked ever closer to each other. The two  abruptly stopped their trek barely a dragon‘s length from one another. One warrior’s eyes shone bright white, Filled with a mix of emotions: anger, pity, regret, but out of all of them sadness stood out the most. The Other warrior’s deep crimson eyes shone with nothing. No remorse, No sadness, No regret. His Eyes held
nothing but pure bliss, Bliss and cold malice.

“My my watcher it has been eons since we last met like this. What do you think to accomplish this time facing me?” Arushin said in a cold practiced tone, His crimson eyes never losing their glee. “ If I recall correctly last time we faced I ended up killing your apprentice. She defended you to her last breath. A pity really, she was almost too beautiful to kill…..well almost.”

“You hold your tongue Arushin! Enzeru was better than your apprentice in every way.” Watcher clenched his fists at the sound of his former apprentice’s name by his own tongue. For her it was too late, but for arushin’s it was unfortunate. Watcher quickly regained what was left of his temper and with a sly smile recalled niiro. “Enzeru may
have perished but as I so clearly remember niiro betrayed you….”

Arushin had taken the bait and for a brief second his eyes burned bright red with anger. Then as quick as the anger had flared it vanished back into the man’s cold exterior. It was one second too late, the damage had already been done. Watcher had struck a rather nasty nerve. The white eyed storyteller gazed into his own comrade’s eyes and wondered how and why had it come to this.

“Please Arushin I beg you no more violence. The council has agreed to hear your case with open hearts and the outcome could be promising. Think of it we could sit once again upon the thrones of gods, our thrones, once more.”  watcher pleaded to the husk that was once Arushin. The rogue god’s eyes flared yet again and a small smile crept onto his thin lips.

“Justice?” Arushin barked out forcefully. “Those heathen gods did nothing but mock us behind our backs watcher. They forced you to watch the outcome of an action you did. They deemed you a pariah and your ‘mistake’ a harbinger of doom set upon the world…” Arushin’s pale hands drifted towards the hilt of his very blade. The blade itself wailed and moaned, begged and pleaded to taste the storyteller’s flesh. Arushin calmed it with a single hushed tone and returned his attention back towards watcher.
“ Now look at you a mere wanderer who keeps the tales of old alive. Pathetic.”  Arushin scoffed.

“At least I acknowledge our past Arushin. You prefer to bury it deep within your sea of hatred. I know the gods will never truly forgive us. However your way of correcting their error will leave not only you and I slain , but millions of innocents will also perish.” watcher knew it was only a matter of time before the situation would cascade into something even he could not control. Even now sorrow wailed at him from his back, calling out justice for not only Enzeru, but for the very storyteller’s honor. An unnerving silence came over the area as both gods bore their gazes upon each other.
It was the rogue god himself who broke it with a cold laughter. Arushin placed his left hand upon  the handle of his blade.

“ It will be you who dies first Astael, and your soul will make a fine general for my army.” Arushin’s cold words stung watcher, and with his true name being spoken aloud he could no longer control himself.

“How dare you Arushin! When I was given my punishment the gods declared my name was never to be spoken again! Especially from a rogue god bent on enslaving all beings!” Watcher grasped sorrow’s hilt tightly and, in a practiced motion, unsheathed the blade. Sorrow’s wails, which were clearly audible when it was sheathed, Now surpassed even the sound of the howling winds.

Arushin unsheathed his own sword at watcher’s actions and pointed the tip towards the storyteller’s very heart.

“I had truly hoped that it wouldn’t have come to this my friend. I have no wish to fight you.” Watcher said somberly, the tip of his blade pointing towards the ground.
“While I have every reason to kill you!” Arushin roared, and with unnatural speed he lunged towards watcher. The storyteller barely had time to dodge when arushin brought back his blade and brought it downward fully intending to cut watcher in two. The fight continued with the rogue god throwing wave after wave of crushing blows towards his comrade and watcher blocking them easily with his very blade. Finally after one bone jarring blow both warriors broke apart jumping backwards to stay out of reach of each others swords.

“What do you possibly think you can gain by fighting me arushin? We must set aside our own conflicts to do what is right. Otherwise we will end up destroying everything we cherish.”  Watcher knew it was futile to try and reason with his friend. He knew the time for reasoning was long past. Still something in his heart told him to keep trying.

“Everything I cherished has long been gone. Once our business is concluded I will have gained nothing more than a powerful soul for my undead army.”  Arushin brought up the foul blade clenched within his hand and pointed it towards the storyteller once again. “You will die by my blade Astael mark my words.” With that Arushin once again towards Watcher. Blow after furious blow and dodge after countless dodge neither combatants could seem to gain an advantage over the other.

“Think this through Arushin *CLANG* there need not be anymore bloodshed.” Watcher said, dodging through a volley of the rogue god’s fatal blows.
“You will perish Astael!!” Arushin screamed in reply and doubled the speed and strength of his unyielding attack. At those words Watcher knew he had to put an end to this. After the last blow of Arushin’s blade Watcher jumped back and brought sorrow upward. Using his own god-like speed Watcher went through the battle mad warrior’s defense, catching him off guard.

Watcher’s blade sunk deeply into Arushin’s right arm causing the rogue god to release his own blade.

“It ends here, my friend.” Watcher softly declared. Arushin grasped onto sorrow and struggled to pull the blade out of his shoulder, but the sword held fast and he knew then Watcher had him.

“Please my friend I do not wish to harm you any further. As I speak sorrow is sealing your energies after that perhaps we can talk peacefully. That is all I ask of you.” Arushin stood silent for what seemed like an eon then to Watcher’s horror he began to laugh. It was cold and free of any emotion.

“It seems you have won this battle Astael, But remember the war is yet to come. When the balance between good and evil is decided I will be there ruling over the winning side.” With that Arushin began to dissipate and within moment He was gone, leaving nothing more than a small trail of black smoke. Watcher knew better than to attempt to restrain him for that would have left them both dead or dying.

Sheathing sorrow, Watcher looked upward towards the rising sun which broke through the now disappearing rain clouds. He knew that he had not the last of his friend and in the next battle only one come out the victor. Making sure his brown rucksack was secure, watcher looked over towards the eastern route and the forest that lie ahead of him.

Watcher placed his hood over his head and walked towards the dirt path leaving only remnants of the fight that had just occurred. Watcher hoped and prayed that he would find a town soon to tell his tales once more.