Vector had been weird all morning.

  Xain had chalked this up to the fact that Tryst had essentially forced the man to join him, through a combination of payment and coercion; going so far, according to Vector, as to threaten his life. He still had a hard time believing the captain would actually go that far, but he was also uncomfortably aware his denial was likely due to his own desperate wish not to be important enough to warrant such a threat, rather than just accepting it to be true.

  Because if he accepted what Tryst was willing to do, it also meant he had to come to terms with how much danger he was actually in, and how little he could do about it.

  At the moment, if anyone with a shred of power or influence found out about his rune and wanted to take it from him, he was too weak to do a fucking thing.

  Martin and Tryst had been proof enough of that.

  So, while he still wasn't able to fully grasp what Vector and Tryst meant in reference to their deaths, he was able to see the benefits.

  If they could make it so even Yid thought he was dead, there would be no reason to come looking. He could start his journey through the Realms as a nobody. Or even better, as someone who did not even exist.

  He already planned on not receiving any aid from Yid, and as Tryst obviously knew, taking root to garner assistance from another Realm was out of the question. Xain had hoped to stay unassuming enough for the latter to ever be a possibility, but life had gotten in the way.

  He didn't regret his fight with Tor, but with a bit of distance, he was able to see how it had complicated matters.

  He was no longer just a slip of paper, a name in a book to be overlooked.

  Which is why Xain, being the cause of numerous problems for Vector, could understand any resentment the man may have at being press-ganged to be his ally.

  However, the longer he had spent training with Vector, the more he felt the man's odd behavior had nothing to do with what occurred at dinner. Actually, the few times he had tried to raise the issue, Vector seemed almost amiable toward the arrangement.

  This had been confusing, only until Xain remembered the House he had left.

  It was hard to imagine a world where Asgard would let his abandonment go unanswered, and based on how quickly he had received another offer to take root, if he were to follow the proper channels, there likely would not be a single Realm where his presence would go unnoticed.

  And while Vector could clearly handle himself better than Xain, if he were to be confronted with someone at Tryst’s level, the man would be just as helpless as Xain himself.

  Additionally, his behavior did not speak to anger or resentment as Xain would have expected. Instead, it felt as if he was inspecting Xain, like he was a problem, or a puzzle that needed to be solved.

  He couldn’t know about the rune… could he?

  Instead of fear at the thought, Xain found he was hopeful. Vector was smart, and Tryst had not tried to hide that Xain had a few secrets, but it was impossible to know how much of it Vector could put together.

  The notion he may actually be able to speak freely with Vector had been so enticing, there had already been several times as they were training when he had almost just come out and told him about Dagaz. However, each time he was about to say something, Bow’s warning held him back. This was quickly followed by a petulance he had never before known, as it became increasingly clear that while he was to keep quiet, his dad was not equally restrained.

  Xain trusted Bow, and he was sure anything his dad did was part of making good on his promise to help, but it would have been nice to have even a faint understanding of what that help actually entailed.

  If it meant that Tryst knew, that was one thing. But now, it seemed to involve Lilith as well. And if she knew, where did it end?

  Between the memories of her, the growing sense of danger, and his inability to understand a fucking thing, even with Vectors odd mood, the training had been a great distraction. Right up to the moment he told him to attack.

  At the words, Dagaz had pulsed on his back, as if spurred to life by the challenge, and Xain suddenly had a vision of his rune trying to consume Vector as it had done with both Tor and Uruz.

  If that were to happen, there would be no way to hide it any longer.

  He had no idea what Vector knew about the banned runes, but he had a deep understanding of the others. So, while he may not be able to tell exactly which rune Xain held, he would know it sure as Hel wasn’t Uruz.

  Fen had been no help either. The way he was acting, Xain was beginning to suspect he wanted Vector to figure it out.

  Maybe he does.

  Which, if that was the case, it was likely that Fen was showing him how to tell Vector, without actually telling Vector.

  He had remained hesitant, caught between his own desires and the promises he had made, but the moment Vector offered to answer questions about his own array, the last bit of restraint had crumbled under the weight of his own curiosity, and he tapped his rune.

  The three spears he summoned appeared almost without a thought, their long sleek forms shimmering under the faux sun of Fen's playroom, and shot forward toward Vector with such speed that, for a moment, Xain briefly wondered if that single attack would be enough.

  Vector’s roar of power as he tapped his own array quickly put an end to that thought though, as the three spears shattered like toys when they slammed a wing of the stone dragon who now stood in Vector’s place.

  He had glimpsed this form before, but as he took in the full effect now, Xain nearly lost his train of thought.

  Vector's entire upper body had transformed, and covered in a light brown stone which looked so much like the dragons Xain had read about, it was hard to comprehend.

  Stone wings splayed from his back, with a wingspan of easily 15 feet, and his head had been completely encased by a thick dragon skull that boasted jaws so massive, not even Fen’s could be considered a worthy rival. Finally, Vector’s arms had grown into long thickly muscled appendages that ended in two massive clawed feet.

  Unlike his own ice armor, this looked nothing like a mere addition to his form; instead Xain couldn't shake the feeling Vector, or part of him, had actually become the dragon.

  Before he could fully take in this new visage though, Vector moved. A single beat of his massive wings propelled him forward directly toward Xain with such speed that, had he not already been using his enhanced strength to dodge to the side, Vector’s open jaws would have snapped closed around his neck.

  Gods he’s fast!

  Xain landed in a roll, coming up on hands and knees just as Vector spun around, his stone eyes finding him in an instant. Only about eight feet separated them, and Xain knew if he swiped out with one of those wings the fight would be over.

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  So against any natural sense, Xain dove forward, and at the same time used Summon Ice to create a circle 10 feet in diameter with Vector in the center.

  As he landed, he slid toward Vector, and aimed an ice covered fist for his exposed right leg.

  Right before it could land though, Vector jumped, beat his wings once again, and shot directly upward.

  Xain had been ready for this though. Throughout his training with Vector, the main thing he had come to understand was that the rune was as much a part of him as his arms or legs.

  It knew him. Knew his thoughts, his instincts.

  Instincts which Bow had been honing since the moment he had awoken. Probably before.

  As Vector jumped, Xain flipped himself onto his back, his Ice Armor forming a helm over his head to protect his vision from the sudden burst of wind, and raised his hand toward the soaring figure above.

  As he did, the beam, which had just hours before been so far out of his grasp, erupted from his palm.

  He had been going for something about as thick as his finger, but what he got was a fist sized beam of ice that hit Vector directly in the stomach. He knew it wouldn't do much damage alone, but his plan wasn't to use it to hurt Vector.

  It was to trap him.

  Xain watched, overly satisfied, as the ice quickly spread from the point of impact outward, encasing Vector in a thick sheet. Just as it was about to reach his wings though, Vector's stone body fell away, showering Xain in flecks of rock and ice.

  Shit.

  He had already performed better than expected, but even if Vector considered that a direct hit, Xain wasn't ready to throw in the towel yet.

  Despite his slide, Xain still lay a few feet from the edge of the circle of ice, and knew any attempt to escape the boundary would result in an opening Vector would not miss, so with a strength enhanced shove, Xain pushed himself up to standing while actively dismissing the ice below him, turning it into a puddle of water with a thought.

  As he found his footing though, and his eyes found Vector on instinct alone, Xain immediately saw the trap of his own design.

  Gone was the stone covered form Xain had been prepared to face, and in its place stood a new dragon; this one made of pure lightning.

  All Vector needed to do was direct a portion of his power at the puddle they both occupied and it would be over. But for some reason, the dragon that was Vector, only stood there, its chest heaving as it glared at Xain through glowing red eyes.

  Somethings wrong.

  If not for Xain’s years of learning to read the behavior of the creatures which surrounded his forest, the difference would have been difficult to spot. However, Bow had drilled such observation into him until it was second nature, as he often said the ability to read the subtle behavioral changes of a foe would be the deciding factor between life and death.

  It was this that gave Xain pause, and caused his mind to frantically determine what was off. In less than half a second he saw it.

  While on the surface the only difference in Vector’s form was elemental, it went deeper than that. Before, while his visage had changed, Xain knew he was still facing Vector. He could sense his friend, reading the dragons movements and actions as those one made by a runic user. A capable one, yes, but a runic user all the same.

  Now though, Xain felt as though he was facing something entirely different.

  No longer was this a duel between friends, but instead, was akin to a predator hunting its prey.

  “Vector?” Xain asked, not daring to move. If the situation was as he suspected, that would be the worst thing he could do.

  For a moment the dragon's expression didn't waver, its eyes locked on Xain so intently his heart began to beat faster, the instinct to flee only held in check by a decade of instruction on what to do when facing a beast who wanted to kill you. After a few seconds though, Xain saw a flicker of recognition on the dragon's face, its eyes narrowing as it shook its head twice, as if trying to clear away a pesky thought.

  Xain knew there was no way he was going to escape. He had only been able to barely evade Vector when he had been covered in stone, and if the changes that came with this dragon were even a fraction of how Tor had been enhanced, Vector would be on him before he could take two steps, Auroch Strength or not.

  He believed Fen must have noticed the danger too, but despite his wolf's speed, relying on him to step in only meant putting his wolf in the same peril he currently faced. And the truth was, if Xain had to choose between his life and Fens, well it wasn't a choice at all. He knew the wolf would sacrifice himself to save Xain, but that went both ways.

  So, Xain did the only thing he could.

  In that split second of distraction, Xain tapped Dagaz.

  As if it had been waiting for this, his rune roared to life, the branches exploding across his back in a searing pain that, even expecting it, still pushed the air from Xain's chest. Dagaz didn't care. It was loosed, and it was ready.

  Using Dagaz was so different from Uruz that it was hard to remember they were both runes. Where Xain had been able to practice with Ururz, had worked to understand the paths its power took, tapping Dagaz was like giving himself over to something beyond his ability to grasp. As it pulsed, and drove Xain forward toward the dragon with such force the world around him blurred, he wondered from a disconnected part of his mind if understanding its powers would have even made a difference.

  How could he hope to direct something so… primal.

  It was then he knew that if Dagaz so desired, it could burn away anything that was Xain, leaving him a shell to do with as it saw fit. That it had not yet done so seemed even a larger mystery than why it had chosen him in the first place.

  A heartbeat later, Xain was in front of the dragon, its lighting body crackling with power, and the too brief moment of disorientation evaporated with his arrival.

  Red eyes focused on Xain, widening just a fraction with surprise, before the form blurred and lunged forward.

  If not for Dagaz, the movement would have been too fast to track, and Xain would have been caught in the open jaws it directed at his throat.

  As it was, his body moved just slightly, and evaded the dragon's bite by mere fractions of an inch.

  Then, his actions now completely driven by the rune, it reached out his left arm, and grabbed the dragon's neck just below its jaw.

  Xain could do nothing but watch, as the intricate twisting black branches stretched up his fingers, and forced his fingers closed. Xain, Dagaz, held the lighting as if it were a physical thing, and kept the dragon's head immobile until the pattern of branches reached where his flesh met electricity, and began to glow as they drank in the power.

  The dragon's huge head went suddenly still as Xain's fingers tightened, the lightning flesh of its neck feeling far more solid than it should, until all at once, like an animal caught in a trap, it began to thrash its head violently side to side.

  Xain watched the whole thing knowing it was not him, but his rune who moved his body now, and failed to comprehend the strength with which Dagaz held the dragon. His arm barely moved as the dragon's eyes went wide with understanding, its thrashing redoubled as it tried to free itself from the vice-like grip.

  However, no matter how hard the dragon tried, it was unable to do more than flail uselessly, its arms and wings swiping at Xain to no effect as his body subtly shifted, effortlessly evading each blow, as the lighting continued to flow into the branches of Dagaz.

  After another few seconds of trying, and failing, to free itself, Xain saw the dragon's eyes begin to lose focus, the brilliant deep red turning muted and dull as Dagaz drank its power, until finally with one last convulsion, Vector's form went slack.

  Okay. It's over.

  But Dagaz didn't stop.

  Xain’s fingers continued to squeeze, his grip getting tighter, until he could clearly feel the muscles and flesh begin to give way as his hand started to penetrate its skin.

  No. No. No! Stop!

  He had won. Or stopped the dragon. Or whatever in Odin’s name you could call the end of this spectacle gone awry. He could get the captain, or one of the crew. They could figure out what the fuck was going on with Vector. The danger was over.

  But Dagaz wasn't done.

  You will kill him!

  Xain screamed the thought, knew Dagaz heard him, but only felt his hand tighten further, as if trying to prove exactly how little he could do.

  “Grrrrrrrrrr”

  The growl vibrated through his body, the warning from Fen clear as anything Xain had ever heard from the wolf.

  But Dagaz barely seemed to notice, closing the fist tighter, drawing the now weakly flickering lighting in with a renewed urgency.

  Do it, Fen! Help me!

  Xain felt the huge paws slam into his back, heard the series of cracks from his chest as his ribs snapped, grateful for how his hand released Vector’s neck as the full weight of his wolf drove him down next to his friend, and was left with just enough time to silently thank his wolf before he was driven face first into the mud, and everything went blank.