Three of a Kind

[Fallacy]

"So, there I was, overlooking this night elven camp from this ridge, and I grab my axe, and start running..." The orc started going on and on. Why the orc had tried to strike up a conversation, Fallacy did not know, but he tried his best to ignore him. He absent-mindedly picked at the wood of the table he sat at, watching his hand. However, something at the back of his mind stirred him, a feeling that something was not right. It didn't take long to notice as he saw his hand fade slightly.

He nonchalantly got up and made for the exit. "Sorry, I can't finish this deeeeelightful talk, but some other... time."

He ran, with little discreetion. He didn't have the time to care for it. "Danakh!" The rift dragon came up beside him, in his medium-sized form, and Fallacy jumped atop him, heading towards the desert.

It was a few hours later that they arrived at the Caverns. The site had become very crowded lately, and Fallacy detested having to come for anything but work. "Soridormi! Where are you?"

A swirl of sand emerged in front of him and swept away to reveal a rather beautiful woman. "What is it, Watcher?"

"You know all too well what's wrong, don't you? What is the meaning of this... fading?" Fallacy knew how disrespectful he was speaking to the mate of Nozdormu, but, once again, he had little time for patience.

"I'm sure you understand, Herenth, all too well what has been happenning here lately. The Infinite Dragonflight has taken to personally targetting us, now." The dragon placed a hand on his shoulder. "And that means you, as well."

Fallacy shirked back. "Why was I not informed beforehand?"

"You know now, do you not? Time has not run out for you, yet."

He looked about the massive chamber. "Which one?"

"Six years ago, to the Wetlands." Fallacy didn't even wait for Soridormi to finish. "Herenth, you will not be alone!" she called after him, but he hardly heard her.

The process of changing timelines is as simple as going along a certain path, in the Caverns. Fallacy pressed Danakh along one of these, until it opened up to the night sky and humid air. The sound of frogs and crickets thickened, denoting that they had arrived. The swamp was dark, but he could make out the light of lanterns in the distance, showing the location of a small port that led to the larger one of Menethil. Fallacy only felt the slightest tug of memory of the place, yet he still knew it was where he had to go. He pressed Danakh's sides, and they went down into the dark towards the town.

----------------------------

"Captain, come on! Just a little drink!" A sailor pressed a mug towards the chest of the man he addressed, but the captain pushed it away.

"Not yet, we aren't home yet." He smiled at the sailor, encourage him to try another time.

"Aw, Captain, yer no fun! Any time's a good time to drink!" A burly man wrapped his arm around the captain's shoulders, shaking him. "Stop being sucha stick in the mud, Herenth!"

"No, no, it's late, and I need to be ready for the morning castoff." Herenth, quite alive and well, got up from his seat. "I'm going back to the ship. Night, boys."

A collective protest came from across the tavern, but Herenth just waved it off, and walked outside. He yawned and started to make back to the Squall, his ship.

It didn't take long for him to figure out that he was being followed. He drew his sword and turned around to face who it was. He saw nothing, heard nothing. "Come out, whoever you are!"

He heard a skittering behind him, and he whirled back. "The hells? More of them?"

Another sound from behind him, so he twisted and thrusted his sword out. An undistinguishable man fell to the ground, a hole in his stomach. Whispers filled the air, but they seemed displaced from the mouths they would come from.

"Is this some sort of dark magic? Wizard! If you're out there, you won't find me easy prey!"

"Ha... ha... ha..." The man he had stabbed climbed back up to his feet. "Herenth Absalom, die." He convulsed and let out a horrifying yowl, and his form changed into a dark, draconic shape. Herenth stumbled back, and started to run.

Herenth couldn't understand. He had no idea why such a creature would be after him, but he knew he couldn't face a dragon, albeit one that looked as sinister as that. It gave chase to him, and Herenth dodged between alleys to try to lose it. He ducked into one, but nearly fell forward at what he saw at the end of it. Another dragon.

"You cannot run from your fate, Herenth. Die." The voice echoed in his mind as he watched the dragon gather some dark energy he knew to be directed at him. This was the end.

"No, he cannot." Something zipped behind the dragon in front of him, and it slumped down. Herenth could detect the scent of blood. A figure came into the alley, wearing heavy armor, and Herenth thought it to be a guard or even a paladin. However, as it got closer, he could see that the face of his savior was gone. Instead of eyes, fire burned in its empty sockets, and, as it looked down at him, its cheekless jaws had the look of a strange grin. Herenth fell backwards, and shambled away from it.

"Wha-What are you?!"

The skeletal man stepped forward. "I am the Fallacy."

Herenth passed out.

((More to come!))

[Fallacy]

"Damnit..." Fallacy watched as his past self collapsed. He quickly grabbed him and pulled him to a nearby building. A heavy lock was on the door, but Fallacy effortless cut it away. It seemed to be a storage room, so no one would see them inside.

He tapped Herenth's cheek. "Wake up."

"Unnnh, wha...?" Herenth shook himself awake. When he saw he was still in the company of Fallacy, he scrambled back against a wall. "Who are you?! What do you want with me?"

"Be quiet! There's sure to be more of the Infinite Dragonflight out looking for you."

"Why me? What did I do?"

Fallacy shook his head. "Nothing. It's not something you need to know."

"Of course it is. Those things are trying to kill me!"

"I cannot tell you. Now, be quiet!" Fallacy looked out the window. He knew it wouldn't be long before the corpse would be discovered and the Infinites would know something was wrong. "We can't stay here. It won't be long before they start searching inside the buildings. We have to get to the swamp."

Fallacy grabbed Herenth by the shirt and pulled him outside. "This way! And keep up!" He made his way down a street, trying not to outrun himself.

Herenth panted as he met Fallacy's pace. "Do you expect me to run forever?"

"No, I just have to find the rift portal and close it. That will send them back to wherever they come from." Fallacy looked off to the left. "Looks like they've already found us."

Herenth glanced in the same direction. "I don't see anything." His injecture was interrupted by the cries of something definitely inhuman. He started to make out dark shapes moving parallel to them in nearby streets. He pushed himself further to escape them, but Fallacy suddenly stopped in front of him, and they crashed into each other. Fallacy was hardly phased, but Herenth fell to the ground.

"Stay put, for a moment." Herenth rubbed his head to recover, and looked up to see three dragons in front of them.

"He issss heere! Ssssslay them both!" one of them called out. The other two began to move in. both with large swords in hand.

"Let's play, then." Fallacy drew one blade into his normal, left hand, while the right transformed into an axe-like shape. He charged towards one, but, instead of taking it head on, he dodged under its arm and sliced up, severing it. Nearly defenseless on that side, it was only a few seconds later, after a series of strikes, that it fell lifeless. The other paused, seeing its companion die, before going for Fallacy as he was finishing. Fallacy took this one more directly, jumping right at its head, embedding one blade in its throat, while the axe dug into its back. He hopped off the corpse, and started towards the remaing one.

"Didn't expect me, did you?"

The leader, however, didn't seem discouraged at all. It let out another shrill cry, and several more dragons appeared out of the shadows. "Of courssssse, we did, and we are ressssourceful enough to destroy you both. Kill them!"

All of the dragons advanced on them at once. "Well, seems you were somewhat prepared, but will it be enough? We will see..." With that, he took out his crossbow, and sent a bolt through the neck of one of them. He dropped it to the ground, and lunged towards two that were near each other. One of them died rather quickly, but Fallacy had to parry an attack from the other almost immediately. While he fended off that one, more moved in on him and Herenth.

"Damnit!" He pushed the dragon back, and eviscerated its upper body. He tried to move to protect Herenth, but his way was blocked. He could only watch as his past self, only defended by a simple sword, was nearly swarmed by them. "No!" Fallacy tried to push past him, but was knocked back against a wall.

"Move!" The leader swatted the others away, and held up an unconcious Herenth before Fallacy. "Now, Watcher, you shall witness the true extent of our power. Not even you are safe from our reach!" It poked a claw into Herenth's leg, drawing blood. Fallacy felt his entire body shudder in pain, and his own leg began to fade.

"Die, Watcher." It held up a claw to Herenth's neck. Before it could finish, what seemed like tendrils came out of one alleyway, impaling the dragon in several different places. It dropped the unconcious Herenth as its own life faded, and the tendrils retreated. The other dragons began to flee as their leader fell, but the tendrils struck out again, killing them all before they could escape.

"Well, that was all too close." A person came out from the alley, and Fallacy watched as the tendrils went into the person's right hand. He felt as if he was on fire, as he recognized who it was.

"You..."

"Yes, Fallacy, me, or, rather, you." The same eyes, the same hair, the same hand, but everything else was different. A golden mask covered the lower half of his face, and the abilities the elementium hand were largely more developed. Fallacy, from the future.