"So I don't suppose you happen to know which way is east?"

"No"

"Do you know where we can find some water?"

"No.."

"Do you know where there is anything to eat?"

"No…"

"So let me get this straight, we're out here in the middle of nowhere. The most unimaginable evil is has been released upon the world, by YOU no less, and you didn't think how we would survive in the desert?"

"Enough!" Elika had been pelting me with these questions all morning, knowing I had no answers for any of them. I quickly searched my mind for something, anything, to shut up her questioning. "I know where were going, if you would like to know that, Princess."

Elika would not take sarcasm from him, not an inch, or a drop. "Do not call me that, I am a princess of nothing now. My kingdom is gone, and my people, my people will soon be dead by your mistake. Now, where are we going Prince?"

Argh! This woman could try a saint's patience, she would not let it lie, I felt guilty enough about what I had done, but I would not change my course of actions, even now. "We go to Babylon, if there were ever to be a place for save haven, it would be there. Also I have some…'friends' that will more then likely be preparing to fight Arihman, we shall join them in their cause."

"Friends? You have friends? Come now Prince the dead you rob surely do not cou…"

"Enough! My name is not Prince, Elika, do not call me such. Call me by my name, or call me nothing at all, do you understand me." Alright, maybe in hind-sight snapping at her wasn't the best of ideas, but come on she was seriously testing my limits.

"Maybe your slow wit robs you of common sense, sir, but you have yet to tell me your name" I felt smug pointing this out to him, and by the surprised look on his face it was obvious he realized now he hadn't told me his name.

I can't help but chuckle awkwardly now, I must look the fool once again. Running my clawed hand lightly through my hair, I can't help but laugh at the fact that I've been with Elika this long, and have yet to tell her my name.

"Well I'll be damned…my name is…"

"Duck!"

On pure instinct alone I duck on Elika's command, only to see a sword pass right through the place my head had just occupied. Seeing the sword coming downwards for another strike, I quickly roll sideways to get out of the line of fire and asses my enemy.

"God damn it." It was a thing tainted by the corruption, and I use the term thing lightly. It had the body of a snake, and the head of a lion. The weirdest thing of all would be the fact that it had human arms on the side, both hands gripping a rather large sword.

"….Elika"

"Yes?"

"I know were not getting along and all, but I don't feel like dying just yet."

I glance at the man that I have come to know, see his body settle into that familiar stance, the one where I can tell he is depending on me to back him up, to defend him like he would me. I won't be kind though, he hasn't earned kindness just yet.

"Fine, I am with you. Just make sure to hold your own, I don't feel like saving you constantly."

"Ha! Save me? You must be loosing your entire mind princess to think you need to save me." With that I dashed across the sand at the creature. The thing seeing my intent lunged forward, giving a piercing wail as it did so that made me cringe in pain, as it swung its large sword at me, I ducked and slid, grabbing its leg and pulling it back as I did so.

Seeing the princes' intentions, I slid underneath the creatures' body in its decent and using my feet kicked it upwards. Quickly rolling forward I grabbed the princess hand, and with a touch of magic threw him up into the air after the creature.

My sword at the ready, and the creature starting to fall back down from Elika's strong kick, I gathered my strength and slashed at its front, and as my sword caught in the creatures body I used the momentum to flip around it and push the creature back down too the earth at a much faster pace.

He was leaving it up to me to finish now, and with a cry of rage swept forward to deliver a kick to its head that sent it swiveling into a sand dune; where upon impact it dissolved into nothingness.

"At this rate, will have Arihman sealed away again in no time." I could feel his joy at this accomplishment, but I felt none.

"This was but a child compared to Arihman, he will not come down as easy, if at all." I had to explain it to him; he was a child in so many ways, always believing that as long as you move forward, you'll win.

"We beat him once didn't we? Albeit in a way I didn't like…We can do it again, we will do it again." She was looking away from me now, I could tell she wasn't sharing something and I wouldn't stand for it, I was in this to deep to be kept in the dark.

"What are you not telling me?"

I look at him and sigh, he deserves to know I suppose, who knows maybe we will beat Arihman…maybe. "When we fought him before, he was still partially chained by the tree, so more then a third of his power was locked away, unusable to him. Now though, he is free, and roams these lands, he is a god and it would do well for you to remember."

I had forgotten that, damn I had forgotten that. I guess in the excitement of beating a new minion of Arihman I thought he would be that easy to kill as well. I wouldn't back down though, I would head to Babylon and make my stand, there were more then enough people there to fight back against this evil, and if I had to die, why not in a place full of beautiful women?

"Will be fine Elika, don't worry. The only way you can really lose, is by not going forward and trying, and frankly I just don't like this guy to much. He's tried to eat me, send his little corrupted minions after me, and has had me doing death defying leaps these two weeks. I do believe its time I put him through his paces." I've said it with as much confidence as I can muster, hoping that she will buy it, hoping that she wont realize I'm a fraud.

I could tell him it was obvious that he was lying, that his eyes manage to lose their glimmer, but I want to believe his words and so I start to walk forward into the dark desert storm once more. "Well we won't win standing here will we." I then run off into the storm.

I smile as she passes me by, relieved that she has believed my words; now to make myself believe them. A thought strikes me, and I smile a bit as I run after her into the dark night. "My name is Verdad!"

000

That was specifically geared towards Dimension3500 and nowwwww my dear fellow we have a name! any other reviews are welcome, I wanna make the story better seeing as how its my first one and all, but I cant really do that if I don't get any feed back to fix mistakes. Anyways later guys