Cricket stood underneath a dusty archway, in the middle of a ruined city. Atreides' rampage.
He cursed. With Atreides having become lieutenant to the Antagonist, that monster seemed to have taken to heart destruction. And now . . . rampaging on random worlds. Cricket needed to end all of that now.
"Atreides!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the silence. No answer. He sighed, kicking a piece of rubble.
"Atreides! I'm here! You want a challenge? Face me!"
Echoing. Echoing in the stony silence.
"Come on! Face me!"
"Come to me!"
More silence. More bloody silence.
Cricket swore, slamming Redemption into the stone. The pavement cracked, as the blade began to glow. Cricket took a step back. It shouldn't be glowing . . . this hadn't happened before.
The blade glowed more and more, till it was light. Light, in the shape of a sword.
You hunt Atreides. it echoed silently, in his head. You seek freedom, and yet you hunt.
"He's . . . I need to kill him before I can get to Rebus."
Stop hunting. Start seeing. Seeing who he is. Who the others are. This cannot end in bloodshed. If so . . . the entire Thread will shake. Find another way.
Cricket shook his head, wincing from the light. "No."
Then I cannot continue with you. When you are ready, I shall return.