“An oath is made with the blessings of a Grand Spirit during the special festival your… friend mentioned towards the other.” Explained Surnan, his eyelids squishing shut for a deep blink.

“How th-…?” Gasped Sarah, looking directly at Nick.

Nick simply returned to his booth and watched the Spirit from afar. He didn’t appear surprised that Surnan heard his conversation with Sarah however she did notice Nick’s leg begin to shake up and down as his overalls rattled against the booth hugging his knees.

“The Seraphim festival in New Dwarden?” Added Pistol.

Surnan nodded its head in agreement while scooting the barstool behind him. The spirit began to push his stool back into place -seemingly as polite as he could- before once again returning to the center of the aisle.

“Four Grand Spirits in total! They appear every 10 years and reside within each corner of this land. The present King Or Queen must prove their worth to these powerful beings. The Grand Spirits who rule their domains are unknown to most except when they feel their wraith. Appeal to the four Grand Spirits of this world, restore the King’s Soul so that he may bequeath his power onto another and renew this world’s place among the others.” Clarified Surnan with an ominous yet still stare before submitting to a violent heaving motion.

“Surnan?!” Challenged Pistol, his voice coarse with anger.

Pistol suddenly vaulted over the bar top with one arm and enough fury to crack the bar inwards as he landed in front of Sarah with his arms ready to protect her from any sort of danger. Every booth alongside the train followed, miners from all corners stood up in a unanimous stomp, ready for a fight of their lives. To Sarah's surprise, Nick was already just behind the spirit ready to do what he can to subdue him.

“Girl! The gem! Smash it before him!” Ordered Nick.

Before Sarah could pull out the gem, Surnan opened his raincoat with his giant frog-like throat sac and heaved an enormous sum of air with enough force to manifest a vacuum of swirling wind around his lips. The sound of a single thunderclap rampaged throughout the train knocking everything and everyone off their feet except for Nick, Pistol, and Sarah. Nick -like Pistol-, however, was not unscathed as shards and glasses splintered in the air like flying knives. Pockets of cuts and lacerations riddled Nick’s body while his back slammed all the way into the door of the next train cart. Sarah felt beyond grateful. Before she could even blink she had been instantly protected by Pistol's enormous body like an impenetrable wall of protective muscle and fat. Most pieces of glass remained embedded within Pistol with only a few scratches reaching Sarah.

“Nick! Before he sucks mor-” Snapped Pistol, loosening his embrace of Sarah.

“I’m already up!” Shouted Nick in return.

Nick charged Surnan with the speed of a rampaging boulder rolling down a hill. Each step heavier and with more ferocious intent. Nick couldn’t stand the sight of his men knocked out, bleeding, and left helpless. Pistol however, could not fight his instinct to turn around and embrace Sarah. Perhaps to protect her, or perhaps a goodbye thought Sarah; he could easily warp this train and beat the shit outta this thing. Sarah felt globs of blood from Pistol’s wounds drip down onto her forehead before tearing up immediately. She could only hug Pistol tightly in return.

“I’m sorry Pistol. This is long overdue. You really are a good man and people need this train.” Wept Sarah before striking upwards at Pistol with lightning precision, jabbing a wound at the center of his throat.

Pistol held onto the broken bar top with all his strength, even crushing it downward even further. Sarah didn’t waste a second and struck again with a very deliberate roundhouse kick to Pistol’s kidney. Before he knew it, Pistol was halfway to the ground gasping for any kind of air and watching as Sarah rushed towards Surnan with killing intent while Nick leaped at it from behind.

A strange pool of glowing water emerged from below Surnan. The pool bubbled quickly as if reacting to the potential violence before it. Bubbles about the size of a bowler hat hand rose quickly and reactively from the pool. The bubbles quickly made impact with Nick’s chest right before he could apprehend Surnan. Nick watched in slow motion as the thick blue bubble exploded between his chest and Surnan's slimy back. A wave of force unlike any other emerged from the bubble and pushed Nick straight into the ceiling above knocking him out and leaving him falling helpless back towards Surnan like a limp human doll. Sarah ran towards the Surnan even faster now, watching as an enormous bubble simply guide Nick’s body halfway into Surnan’s enormous gaping mouth.

“Sar-” Groaned Pistol, shaking himself upwards on one knee.

Pistol rose to one knee rather quickly. He still couldn’t bear his weight but his breath was already coming back. He noticed a desperate kind of squirming in his front pocket -normally reserved for large tools- as he looked downwards to catch his breath. It was a moving blue gem with a dim red shine at its center; attached to it is a Pocket Gecko. Sarah’s Pocket Gecko. The Gecko simply gnawed at the gem like a jawbreaker.

“Dammit Sarah!” Thought Pistol, struggling to balance with every ounce of strength he had.

Pistol’s angered grunts quickly faded into the background. Sarah was already winding a deadly roundhouse kick straight towards Surnan’s bulging black eyes in the hopes of saving Nick before being consumed alive. However, it was too late. Before Sarah could deliver the blow, Surnan had already swallowed Nick whole like an insect. She watched as her foot was pulled downwards by vine-like greenery. She stumbled onto the ground with a huge thud but immediately perked her face up towards Surnan, who had just finished consuming Nick. Before she could rise again she was already bound by numerous ethereal plants.

Pistol forced himself forward while leaning on the bar top, gathering his strength more and more at every stop, watching as Sarah struggled against the coiling plants. He couldn’t control the train, as usual, his connection to the train had been interrupted somehow. No amount of strength Pistol could conjure could get him to Surnan on time. However, in a desperate attempt, Pistol quickly popped the gem from the Gecko’s mouth and threw it at Surnan as hard as he could. The gem quickly slammed onto the ground but right into yet another ethereal patch of grass. To Pistol’s horror, he had failed. Sarah had now been swallowed.

“You f-!” Tried shouting Pistol, his body finally regaining just enough strength to charge at Surnan.

“Stop. They are alive.” Quickly replied Surnan.

“This is necessary. The pact requires a vessel. This is your journey now. If you want them back, you must allow them to be used by the royals in an effort to save this sphere from disappearing forever.” Argued Surnan with a calming stiffness, his belly now protruding far from his waist.