The ominous fog descended on the town of Odem and dwarfed it in size. Agonotti warriors began to drop out of the vortex on top of their prey as they took form from the elements of the dark cloud. The civilians of the city ran frantically through the streets trying to find shelter from the onslaught, but there was no place to hide.
Elam couldn't believe the sheer number of warriors coalescing from the Agonotti matrix-and more than numbers the fact they were armed for battle. They hadn't come to feed, but to wage war.
Elam knew it would not take long for them to telepathically inform Dirge of his presence and he was right. Within moments he saw the Agonotti leader form in front of him along with several others who appeared to be acting as bodyguards. Elam determined not to be intimidated by the power play. He kept thinking to himself, you may be alone here, but this Agonotti is about to be dead.
Dirge arrogantly pointed his finger at Elam's face and began his rhetoric as he approached. "Why are you here?" he demanded.
"I have every right to be here," Elam said. "Why have you gone against our agreement and brought all of these warriors to destroy Odem?"
"We have to feed."
"This isn't a culling, it's a massacre!"
"It's our business Elam, not yours!" Dirge shouted. "We are through taking orders from you! For far too long, we have bowed to your terms like lap dogs. We Agonotti have been the element of fear that has kept your greedy extortion enterprise profitable all this time."
Elam became infuriated and would have probably taken action himself, had there not already been another plan in place. Instead, Elam calmed himself and let the Agonotti leader ramble on. He wasn't even listening anymore. Instead, he watched for the boy who he supposed should've already been here by now.
Dirge continued his ranting as the noise of the feeding frenzy continued around them. The screams of hundreds threatened to drown him out, but he stepped closer into the Guardian leader's face to punctuate what he had kept pent up for so long.
A yellow spire suddenly burst through the Agonotti leader's chest, silencing him in mid-rant. Kale withdrew the kemstick and struck down Dirge's guards before they could react. As he cut a great swathe between the bodyguards he finished the arc of his attack just above Dirge's shoulders, catching the Agonotti leader as he sank to his knees from the first strike. Dirge's last look at Elam ended as his head left his body.
Elam stood stunned by the speed and efficiency of the boy. It was time for the ruse to play out. Elam quickly pulled his own weapon and ignited the blade. "Let the show begin," he said to Kale.
Elam struck at the boy and found him more than able to keep up a convincing part of the charade. They dodged, parried and struck at each other over and over again. With Dirge's destruction, they had the full attention of many of the Agonotti warriors now.
While the attack on the town continued, many of the Agonotti moved toward the ensuing battle between the boy and the Guardian leader. Their own leader, decapitated along with his guards, disintegrated as his molecular life bond gave way.
Was Elam really the enemy as Dirge had declared or was he fighting to kill Dirge's assassin? The battle turned to Elam's favor as he made a subtle move that kicked the boy's weapon out of his hand and knocked him backwards to the ground. Elam rushed over the boy with his blade raised for the deathblow.